I haven’t written much lately. I am exhausted and so so tired.  I stay up late worrying about how I will get everything done every day.  To say that I’m stressed would be an extreme understatement; I feel like I am being pulled in many directions without any clear instruction.  I am doing my best […]

Exactly six years ago to this very moment, I was entering hour 19 of labor with my first baby, my Evelyn, and I had no idea what was going on. I was so tired and overwhelmed, but I knew I had to stay calm and in control. Finally, at 5:31 am the doctor said “It’s […]

It was a Father’s Day we’ll always remember, even though it was one we’d rather forget. After a pleasant morning spent browsing at the Old Town Art Fair and a fun afternoon playing with umbrellas in the rain, we settled in for our usual evening routine of dinner and bathtime.  Before the special Father’s Day […]

For my family, Memorial Day is always an easy day to remember.  It is my mom’s birthday, and her father was also born on May 30.  As a Marine, he was obviously quite attached to the meaning of the day, and I remember my mom telling us about the big neighborhood parties her dad hosted […]

Now that summer weather has graced our fair city, everyone is outside all the time. As soon as school lets out, the neighborhood parks swell with parents and kids.  We suffered through the Polar Vortex of 2014, so we feel rather entitled to sunshine and 80 degrees! The park we visited today was full of […]

Lately it seems like I’ve been reading a lot of huffs and puffs about “girl” Legos.  The ones that are pink and purple.  The ones that provide instructions on how to build a dune buggy or hair salon.  Apparently, lots of people are upset about this. And I can’t figure out why. Until we discovered […]

Evie and Mack’s school declared last week “Screen Free Week”.  While it would be easy to roll my eyes at this suggestion and continue as usual in our house (1-2 cartoons a day), I decided to embrace the plan. Ever since baby Ben was born 9 weeks ago I’ve gotten a little lazy about limiting […]

I am lucky enough to have a big family with dozens of cousins, lots of aunts and uncles and loving parents.  My Aunt Hope – who is closer in age to me than she is to her brother (my dad) – has been a sister figure in my life; she shares advice just right for […]

About six weeks ago, one night when I as at my wit’s end after a day with whiny kids, Chris and I had a big discussion about how we can better support our kids’ development and growth during these trying times.  It seemed like they were often frustrated, and Mack was especially aggressive with his […]

With just about two months until Baby #4 arrives, the all too familiar nesting instinct is starting to kick in.  My sister Colleen returned our co-sleeper to us now that her son has outgrown it, so Chris and the kids set it up a few days ago.  I can’t believe our next little man will […]