It was an oppressingly hot September day when we visited the cemetery. The brittle grass pricked our feet, the blinding sun torched the inside of the car, the air dried the backs of our throats. We were there to visit the graves of two women we never met, but who will forever be a part […]

It is Christmas! The house is a mess, the kids are happy and Chris and I are enjoying a day spent in pajamas. We had a big breakfast of homemade waffles, eggs, sausage, toast, hot chocolate and Irish tea. No lunch for us as we cruise towards our dinner of prime rib, twice baked potatoes, […]

When I was growing up my mom did a fabulous job making Christmas a special time for her five children. Now that I have six of my own, I appreciate the time and effort it took for her to give us such warm and comforting memories. Her example is what motivates me to keep on […]

I’m feeling a little anxious about Christmas. With six kids in a Chicago townhouse, we just don’t have any more room for any more stuff. I really do try to keep the gifts thoughtful and at a minimum, but even minimum x 6 = a lot. I hate that so much of this time of […]

Ok so I know there is a lot of terrible, awful, no-good stuff going on in the world, but something about the Christmas season reminds me that all hope isn’t lost (yet). Sure, we have awful politicians improperly managing natural disasters and man-made threats, but most of the everyday people I know are good and […]

The Christmas season is upon us. I’m so grateful for this time every year. It is nice to wind down after a busy year with the people we love most. Chris and I make gentle efforts to really enjoy all the hustle and bustle our city has to offer – there certainly is no shortage of […]

Winter is here. All summer and fall we play in the courtyard with our neighbors well into the evening, but now that the cold and dark have settled in we’re all stuck inside more than we’d like. While I miss the familiar summer charms of cicadas and chirping birds and rosy dusks, the charm of tucking […]

Oof. I’ve been up since 2 am. Elinor woke up at that time fussing – Juliet just got her molars so that must be poor Nori’s problem. And then Ben came in to our bed. And then Ben peed in our bed. And then I was just done sleeping. Might as well get up and […]

Chris and I have been re-framing Sundays lately. Fed up with the constant go go go, we really need a true day of rest. Our ancestors somehow figured out how to do properly take a break every Sunday, so there’s no reason we can’t do the same. The other Sunday the sun was shining so […]

When we were in Europe this summer, I was struck by two things: 1. Geez, Europeans use a lot of disposable plastic water bottles. 2. Wow, they do a ton of recycling and composting, too! I think about these two opposing realities often. It was so nice to see people genuinely care about the simple […]