Previous post: Planning and prepping for taking young kids on a BWCA canoe trip On the days leading up to our BWCA trip with the girls, it seemed like an awful lot of work. Our trip was going to be two days (one night), which is the most gear and effort for the least amount of days. And […]
Archives for 2014
How to sew burp cloths, baby quilts, bibs, toys, and more: 10 great baby sewing tutorials
July 26, 2014 by
Sewing for babies is just about the easiest and most satisfying sewing work you can do. The projects are small so they whip up fast, and with the long lead time (9 months!) you can mosey your way through them. I did a LOT of sewing for Beatrice (not so much for Blythe, but she […]
Type S for Struggler. Or, why Jen can’t have nice things.
July 15, 2014 by
If you are even a casual reader of this blog I’m sure you’ve pegged me as a Type-A personality, and it’s true, I love a good checklist, I stockpile necessities so there’s never a mad dash to the store, and I’m half done Christmas shopping now, in July. I seem to have it together. I’m […]
BWCA ho! Prepping a toddler and preschooler for canoe camping
July 14, 2014 by
Me and Adam in the BWCA, circa 2005. We’re so young! Before we had kids, Adam and I took a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) every year. The BWCA is an amazing place — 1,700 square miles of true wilderness, accessible only by canoe/kayak and your feet. The area is dotted […]
Clothes you can feel good about, and in: Tumblewalla
June 21, 2014 by
Baby clothes — and let’s face it, babies — totally intimidated me before I had one. I had no idea what I was doing, so I didn’t purchase any baby clothes before my first was born. (Except for a guilt-induced run to Pacifier two weeks before my due date to grab two Dwell Studio footed […]
Women and the Confidence Gap
June 20, 2014 by
“Lean in” (usually appearing as #leanin, and only sometimes ironically) has become a kind of shorthand among my female friends, an expression of encouragement, pride, or solidarity that can range in meaning from a collective, been-there groan at some workplace unfairness or a you-got-this-you-go-girl rallying cry. It started a little over a year ago, when I […]
Mama’s big adventure (Guest post)
June 10, 2014 by
My friend Heidi is mama to a toddler and travels the world doing original research for her doctoral thesis in anthropology, while teaching and presenting around this country too. To say she’s leaning in is an understatement. I’m so proud of her and in awe of her courage — one trip involved several days’ travel on […]
Summer vacation: a break from being a two parent working family
June 5, 2014 by
It just one week, it will officially be SUMMER. Adam and the girls will be home all day, every day — no work, no school, no daycare. I will still work of course but a heady vacation joy de vivre will rule our daily life. The fridge will also automatically refill itself. And a host […]