A while ago I shared how much fun it is to sew on paper. Here’s another super-easy, fun project that yields impressively cool results, and proves that sewing on paper is still fun. My nephew Tyler graduated from high school last weekend. The first grandchild and nephew in my family, he’s been very close to […]
Archives for 2012
Father’s Day Gift Guide (and why good ideas are hard to come by)
June 6, 2012 by
I am typically a very good gift-giver. I love the challenge of the perfect gift and more often than not I hit the mark. Aunt Jenny’s gift is often a favorite, and I have a knack for surprising adults with something they had no idea they really wanted. So yeah, I’m good at it, and […]
Tent camping with a toddler: the right gear
May 31, 2012 by
Remember when I sketched out our summer adventure plans, and going camping was high on our list? Well, we’ve been having trouble getting started. We decided to start with a test night in the backyard and haven’t even managed to do that. I just couldn’t get beyond the knowledge that we’d all have a terrible […]
Urban vegetable gardening: Progress report
May 29, 2012 by
We spent Mother’s Day weekend in the garden, finally executing some of the urban and vertical gardening ideas I had planned out in March. Here’s an update on our garden progress. The second level on the raised beds look great and add a lot of usable space. I got the leaning trellises for zucchini and […]
Running a marathon seven months postpartum
May 25, 2012 by
I’m writing this post not to brag about my accomplishment, but hopefully to help someone who searched “marathon training postpartum” or “marathon while nursing” like I did when I was training, and to thank those people who wrote the posts I read and who brought me much relief and confidence. So there I was in […]
How to make fairy and gnome gardens
May 24, 2012 by
Last year my then-three-year-old took several trips to the greenhouse with me and loved to play with the huge and elaborate fairy garden display there. (You know, the one that is extremely breakable and says ‘please don’t play with the garden.’ That one.) So we decided to make one for him at home. We bought […]
A book that makes you feel good about parenting
May 23, 2012 by
How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: And Other Adventures in Parenting (from Argentina to Tanzania and everywhere in between) by Mei-Ling Hopgood This book is my new favorite book for expectant or new parents, because it makes you feel awesome about yourself as a parent. Reading about a dozen different cultures and how they approach […]
Survivor in training
May 22, 2012 by
The Minneapolis skyline and Marshall Avenue bridge, from the running path on the St. Paul side of the river. It’s on. I’ve been stress-tested, blood-tested, and pressure-tested. I’ve been examined, reviewed, and notated. Poked, prodded, and medicated. And all the tests and medical professionals have come to the same conclusion: There’s nothing really wrong with […]