In ten days, Matt and I will have been married exactly two and a half years, and you know what? I’m learning more and more about what true love means every week. Take two weekends ago, for example–we had just gone to our appointment with the dentist, and we were both looking forward to getting some …
A Spooky Spider Halloween Party (+ Game Ideas)
Each year, my mom throws a huge Halloween party for all her grandkids (and for us). This year’s theme? A Spooky Spider Halloween. With Halloween being this Thursday, I thought I’d break down what a successful spider party looks like (in case you want to steal some last-minute ideas). Step One: Have everyone don …
On the Edge
Lately, I’ve been feeling on the edge about something just under the surface. I don’t know any other way to explain it—I feel like something is about to happen or change or appear in my life that I didn’t expect. Maybe it’s because not much has changed in my life over the past year and …
Be Astonished
One of my favorite poets ever–Mary Oliver–once penned these lines: “Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” So here, in no particular order, are a few things I’ve been astonished at recently: *I am astonished that lately, random cats and babies seem to be drawn towards me like never before. …
Are You Making Time for Pleasure?
Five years ago, I wrote a post about chocolate-covered strawberries that was not really about chocolate-covered strawberries—it was all about not saving life’s pleasures or little special things for some “better” day in the future that never seems to come. It’s a lesson that was hard-won: six and a half years ago, I lost my …
Five Day Breaks Call For the Red Pants & Tackling Nagging Tasks
Only three days in, and my five-day weekend has already been pretty amazing: Not only have I managed to squeeze in some fun (fall photo walk, pumpkin carving, and a trip to an antiques store followed up with lunch at Herm’s Inn), but I’ve also managed to cross quite a few items off my “Nagging …
The Top 5 (Women’s) Magazines on Newsstands Today
It’s no secret that I’m totally obsessed with magazines and that I have been since I was literally 11. For several years, that meant an obsession with your basic fluff—magazines that only touted strategies for getting guys, looking hot, and staying in shape (with the occasional landscape gardening magazine thrown in to feed my brain …
Me & Perfectionism (aka Perfectionism & I)
This year, I’m teaching my students out of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Basically, every Thursday (usually), my kids will read a small section out of the book and then talk about it as a class. Last week, we were reading the part about “life-centers,” which basically means the things or people that …