Archives for May 2012

Tent camping with a toddler: the right gear

Remember when I sketched out our summer adventure plans, and going camping was high on our list? Well, we’ve been having trouble getting started. We decided to start with a test night in the backyard and haven’t even managed to do that. I just couldn’t get beyond the knowledge that we’d all have a terrible […]

Urban vegetable gardening: Progress report

We spent Mother’s Day weekend in the garden, finally executing some of the urban and vertical gardening ideas I had planned out in March. Here’s an update on our garden progress. The second level on the raised beds look great and add a lot of usable space. I got the leaning trellises for zucchini and […]

Running a marathon seven months postpartum

I’m writing this post not to brag about my accomplishment, but hopefully to help someone who searched “marathon training postpartum” or “marathon while nursing” like I did when I was training, and to thank those people who wrote the posts I read and who brought me much relief and confidence. So there I was in […]

How to make fairy and gnome gardens

Last year my then-three-year-old took several trips to the greenhouse with me and loved to play with the huge and elaborate fairy garden display there. (You know, the one that is extremely breakable and says ‘please don’t play with the garden.’ That one.) So we decided to make one for him at home. We bought […]

A book that makes you feel good about parenting

How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: And Other Adventures in Parenting (from Argentina to Tanzania and everywhere in between) by Mei-Ling Hopgood This book is my new favorite book for expectant or new parents, because it makes you feel awesome about yourself as a parent. Reading about a dozen different cultures and how they approach […]

Survivor in training

The Minneapolis skyline and Marshall Avenue bridge, from the running path on the St. Paul side of the river. It’s on. I’ve been stress-tested, blood-tested, and pressure-tested. I’ve been examined, reviewed, and notated. Poked, prodded, and medicated. And all the tests and medical professionals have come to the same conclusion: There’s nothing really wrong with […]

Mother’s Day Giveaway Winner!

The winner of our Mother’s Day Giveaway is Kristin! Kristin said: “I would like to nominate my dear friend, Amy. Amy has two boys, ages 1 and 3. She is an amazingly strong and courageous mother–she does so much with much less than most people. She is extremely loving to her boys, her family, and […]

Last chance!

I’ve entered contests on blogs dozens of times, but have never been on this side of the fence, and friends? It is hard! I wish I could pull an Oprah and make everyone a winner, because all of the moms nominated so clearly deserve it. I’m glad the random number generator gets to choose and […]