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 […]
Last weekend I did my first race in THREE YEARS. It’s not like I haven’t been running. Aside from the three months I missed around Blythe’s birth, I have been running 2-4 times a week the whole time, and far enough to pull out a 10 miler on any given Saturday. There are a […]
{Continue reading…}
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 […]
{Continue reading…}
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 […]
{Continue reading…}
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 […]
{Continue reading…}
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 […]
{Continue reading…}
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 […]
{Continue reading…}
“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 […]
{Continue reading…}
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 […]
{Continue reading…}