family

  • chore dates.

    James and I started a new approach to dating. And it’s amazing.Yes: we’re married. But it’s nice to date your husband, if you know what I mean.And in true marital fashion, lately we’ve been going…

    April 4, 2016 40 Comments
  • baby proof: gifts for new parents.

    It’s the time of year (and the time of life) when I know a lot of folks who are welcoming teeny-tinies into their lives. Two of my very best friends are expecting little guys…

    March 28, 2016 33 Comments
  • out and about: joshua tree.

    We’ve had a decidedly indoor series of days and so, I thought, it’d be nice to live vicariously through photos of a few decidedly outdoor days that we passed earlier in the month. We headed…

    March 21, 2016 11 Comments
  • plane food/brain food.

    A nice breakfast bar is a special treat for anybody, but for parents traveling with toddlers, especially.It’s no secret that I like a sweet treat every now and thenday. But in a week with…

    March 7, 2016 26 Comments
  • indoor gardening with little guys.

    Yesterday I posted a photograph of our plecanthrus going gang-busters, and a few of you asked about how our plants have fared with a toddler in the house. The short answer is that while Faye…

    March 3, 2016 8 Comments
  • baby proof: packing light with littles.

    My big sister, Cait, and I have children that are only 16 months apart. And in parenting, and all things, I turn to her for advice and big-sisterly wisdom. Cait has taken my three-year-old…

    February 25, 2016 59 Comments
  • snow day.

     Just a little snow report for a Monday morning. We had exactly the snowy, time-stopping kind of weekend I’d wished for: Grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies with neighbors; a shoelace rope, a…

    January 25, 2016 18 Comments
  • baby proof: gracious gifts.

    We’ve passed the halfway point of January. The last of the holiday decorations have likely been put away, any lingering pine needles have been swept up. If you’re like me, you’ve moved on to…

    January 19, 2016 61 Comments
  • make your own five-minute playdough | reading my tea leaves

    make your own: playdough.

    Last week, I was a having a distracted morning. Instead of doing my usual pre-work routine of reheating my cup of coffee while Faye and I built block towers, and made messes pouring water, and…

    January 13, 2016 40 Comments
  • holiday gifts for kids, two ways.

    In the same spirit as the grown-up version of this year’s gift guide, here are a few ideas for gifts for kiddos (mostly in the toddler set, because, well, write what you know, and…

    December 3, 2015 9 Comments