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 […]
Six ways to make it easier
March 9, 2014 by
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 […]
How to make your Advent calendar work for you
November 25, 2013 by
There are hundreds of adorable Advent calendar ideas out there. This post, however, is not about how to make the cutest. one. ever. Instead, it’s about making the Advent calendar work for you. I have been doing Advent calendars for my boys for three years; this year is the fourth. I started it on a whim, got […]
How I organized my kids’ school work
June 13, 2013 by
My boys are six years apart, so for many years, I only had one school kid. And every year after conferences and when school was done, I dutifully saved his work — by dropping the whole lot of it in some random plastic bin in the basement or basket in the office. Out of sight, […]
Taming the linen closet beast
March 16, 2013 by
The problem with linen closets — at least with mine — is that linens themselves seem to comprise about 20 percent of the crap in there. The rest is first aid, medicine, soap, shampoo, sunscreen, eight million toothbrushes, some toilet bowl cleaner, a few candles, and a couple fake flowers. Small things. Lots of them. […]
Office and Craft Closet (Re) Organization
February 23, 2013 by
I live in a very old four-square style house in St. Paul. The cool thing about four-squares as they are just as described: square, with four bedrooms on the second floor, one in each corner. Many years ago we gave up our guest bedroom for a home office. We own a business that we run […]
How to capture memories before they’re gone
December 27, 2012 by
When I was little we’d occasionally visit my Great-Aunt May. Her house was always dark — she kept the shades drawn and lights off — and she seemed to spend most of her time doing word-find puzzles and eating chocolate. When we’d visit my brother and I would play with the only toys she had […]
Happy hoarding
September 15, 2012 by
Once upon a time I used to make fun of the Sunday circulars for craft stores that screamed “75 Crafting Days until Christmas!” (And once upon a time I used to get and look at Sunday circulars. Now you know how old I am.) But now I actually like making things for Christmas — not […]