northern life
I didn’t realize the depth of my unmet need for outdoor adventure until I hastily concocted a winter tent camping trip over lunch one day with a co-worker. While I love exploring with my family, I read Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail thru-hiking memoirs all winter, and I am consumed by a longing to hike to […]
When Beatrice was little, people said to us all of the time, “She’ll sleep well tonight!” And we always laughed, but inside we thought, “Nope, she’s going to sleep the same as she does every night, because she’s always this active.” Since then I love to ask other parents what comment they hear most […]
Like we often do, because great minds think alike, Jen and I decided independently to get standing desks this year. If you’ve read any of the research, they are calling sitting the new smoking, and saying that even if you exercise regularly you cannot overcome the adverse affects of sitting at your work all day. I’ve […]
Forget filling your car with hand warmers and signal flares, true winter survival is about keeping your spirits up and your eyes on the prize (i.e. spring). Here’s a foolproof recipe to help you survive winter a.k.a. enjoy our fourth season. First, get comfortable. Head to your favorite pharmacy/co-op/Amazon and fill your cart with Vitamin D, a […]
Movie night might be the easiest tween birthday party theme ever. Easy for you, fun for them, win for all. Here are some photos and ideas from my son’s movie-themed sleepover party. Set the stage All you need to make a theater is a large screen, chairs in rows, and a concession stand. Our concessions are […]
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Yes and Yes, a blog we both follow and fellow Minnesota blogger, published this great post: How to make your life a million times easier (slight exaggeration). We both liked it, and found ourselves thinking about the little ways we simplify and make things easier for ourselves by removing the decisions required by the seemingly endless […]
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I don’t want to be a helicopter parent. But I’ve just spent all morning on the junior high parent portal and coaching my seventh grader through a tearful “corrective” and “proactive” action plan process. Because my smart, funny, adventurous, gifted-program, advanced-placement, first-born son is getting an F. And a D+. And a C. Excuse me […]
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Beatrice demonstrating her technique with Adam’s phone. Over the holidays Beatrice snatched our camera and starting taking pictures. My first instinct was to grab it back from her (it’s not a super fancy one, but still. Expensive. Not a toy.) but then she charmed me with how sweetly she mimicked me taking pictures. “Stand by […]
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A year after reading and writing about Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, I reread the book and realized how much it had already influenced my career — and my happiness. Here are four job strategies that Lean In gave me the courage to try: 1. If Sheryl Sandberg can work 9-5:30, I can, too. When […]
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There is a moment every year on our annual backpack-into-a-cabin-in-the-woods trip where I am utterly miserable. Typically the moment involves a wailing baby and an overtired me. But then the moment passes, and the memory fades, and I vow to do it again next year — but for more nights. This year had the moments […]
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We have a confession: we’ve become green smoothie addicts. We know, we know, green smoothies are super trendy. But friends, they are worth the hype. They make you feel so amazing. We’re more than seven months into our addiction, if we forgot to make them on the weekend we wonder why we feel so sluggish […]
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Put on shoes, step on porch is my brother’s mantra for getting himself going on a training run. That’s all you have to do, he says — put on your shoes, go outside, take a couple steps. No matter how long the run is, it always starts that way. When I had my second heart […]
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