northern life
I didn’t realize the depth of my unmet need for outdoor adventure until I hastily concocted a winter tent camping trip over lunch one day with a co-worker. While I love exploring with my family, I read Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail thru-hiking memoirs all winter, and I am consumed by a longing to hike to […]
When Beatrice was little, people said to us all of the time, “She’ll sleep well tonight!” And we always laughed, but inside we thought, “Nope, she’s going to sleep the same as she does every night, because she’s always this active.” Since then I love to ask other parents what comment they hear most […]
Like we often do, because great minds think alike, Jen and I decided independently to get standing desks this year. If you’ve read any of the research, they are calling sitting the new smoking, and saying that even if you exercise regularly you cannot overcome the adverse affects of sitting at your work all day. I’ve […]
Forget filling your car with hand warmers and signal flares, true winter survival is about keeping your spirits up and your eyes on the prize (i.e. spring). Here’s a foolproof recipe to help you survive winter a.k.a. enjoy our fourth season. First, get comfortable. Head to your favorite pharmacy/co-op/Amazon and fill your cart with Vitamin D, a […]
Like most women my age (early 30s), I was raised with the belief I could do anything. I did well in school, did well in college, graduated and got a job, and climbed the ladder to upper-middle management (picking up a graduate degree on the way). Then I paused before my fertile years washed away […]
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Nursery (with handsewn Boppy cover), two weeks before Beatrice arrived I love sewing for babies. You have tons of lead time (9 months!) and they are tiny, so everything sews up really quickly. Before I was pregnant with Beatrice, I was really weird and superstitious about buying anything. But I did allow myself to start […]
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I love saying I’m a race director. It doesn’t matter that my race is just a family-reunion 5K, or that our course doesn’t stand a chance of certification. I’m in the race management company’s database as a “race director,” and that’s good enough for me. I always did love role playing. As a girl I […]
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Me actually in labor with Blythe, in the maternal assessment center at Fairview Southdale Hospital. I had only changed one diaper before I had a baby (and it was when I was pregnant!) I never babysat little ones; I really knew nothing at all about taking care of a baby. So when I was about […]
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I have been a pretty active mama since my second son was born in August 2007. Staring down a bridesmaid’s dress and a Hawaii destination wedding within five months of his birthday, I had ample motivation to get going. I started walking, then running, and the baby fat melted off. The next spring I ran […]
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Why, oh why did I wait so long to try homemade granola? I had heard it was easy, tasty, and way less expensive, but still I hadn’t tried it. And then my friend Heidi sent me a jar for Christmas (Christmas being around January 25 for her, but she has a new baby, so we’ll […]
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One of my absolute favorite mom jobs is outfitting my boys with proper winter outerwear. And by proper I mean really high-performance, Minnesota-worthy, yet totally cute and stylish snowsuits, boots, hats, mittens, and gloves. Nothing but the best, warmest, toughest, and kid-friendliest will do. I know my boys couldn’t care less. (They’ve never been even […]
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Confession: I get nervous taking the baby out of the house. I do it, a lot, but given a choice I always like to have her at home. I love putting her down for a nap in a quiet house — it fills me with an overwhelming feeling of peacefulness and joy at being a […]
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