Every year my boys and I make gifts to give their teachers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I’m determined that they learn the joy of being thoughtful gift-givers, and they are required to participate in the gift creation process. Owen has always been a project and craft guy, so it was easier with him. We made […]
northern life
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Adventures
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 […]
Motherhood
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 […]
Projects
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 […]
Real Truth
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 […]
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Post Archive
- ► 2016
- ► 2015
- ► 2014
- ► 2013
- ► December
- Score card: How we did on our New Year's Resolutions for Borealis
- Our favorite posts of 2013
- Five resolutions for the New Year
- Top read posts of 2013
- How to make fabric ornament gift tags
- 12 great Christmas brunch recipes
- Borealis gift guide - Something you need
- Borealis gift guide - Something to wear
- Borealis gift guide - Something you want
- How to make tag and twine gift sets
- Borealis gift guide - Something to read
- How to make a fort kit
- ► November
- ► October
- ► September
- ► August
- ► July
- ► June
- Clickery for June 28, 2013
- What I didn't see coming
- Clickery for June 21, 2013
- A jobs program that might actually work
- One more thing
- 5 things I learned on my job search
- How to plan a Star Wars party
- Clickery for June 14, 2013
- How I organized my kids' school work
- Running at all, four months postpartum
- Just one thing is probably enough
- Clickery for June 7, 2013
- ► May
- Clickery for May 31, 2013
- Father's Day gift guide
- How to make baby onesies with iron-on transfers
- How to have a planned but unscheduled c-section
- Clickery for May 24, 2013
- 10 things I didn't know about my sewing machine
- Clickery for May 10, 2013
- First loves
- Coffee, the dog we never had
- A good day in tweendom
- Clickery for May 3, 2013
- Placemats and grace: My grandma's pasta sauce
- ► April
- 10 things from Lean In we can't stop thinking about
- Clickery for April 26, 2013
- Mother's day gift guide
- Own your awesome
- Lucky gal (Guest post)
- Clickery for April 19, 2013
- One long snowy day
- Clickery for April 12, 2013
- This little angel lies
- Clickery for April 5, 2013
- Farmers Markets without Fear -- Reviewing Beth Dooley's Minnesota's Bounty: The Farmers Market Cookbook
- ► March
- Clickery for March 29, 2013
- Thrift store personal shopping. Genius.
- Taking Sheryl Sandberg's Free Advice (Guest post)
- Clickery for March 22, 2013
- Trading money for time: What I learned during my 10 months home with my kids (Guest post)
- Five new ideas for my urban vegetable garden
- Patience
- Taming the linen closet beast
- Clickery for March 15, 2013
- How to make black and white images for babies (or how to buy yourself some me-time after diaper changes)
- A Saturday adventure, a few blocks from home
- How to make the easiest Easter egg garland ever
- Clickery for March 8, 2013
- Conquering my fear of being home with two kids
- Clickery for March 1, 2013
- ► February
- How to get (or renew) a passport in Minnesota
- Fashion, explained #1: Allie on pairing colors, rethinking what you already own, and the best of the new trends
- Summer Camps & Activities in the Twin Cities
- Office and Craft Closet (Re) Organization
- Clickery for February 22, 2013
- My brother, "the adventurous one." Also: more fun
- My hair's so now
- Clickery for February 15, 2013
- Still here
- I was in a fashion show
- Clickery for February 8, 2013
- Everything is just a phase
- Clickery for February 1, 2013
- ► January
- What I didn't expect
- Clickery for January 25, 2013
- A baby!
- How to make a paper heart garland
- Clickery for January 18, 2013
- Stocking the freezer: Make-ahead breakfast recipes
- Stocking the freezer: 8 make-ahead sauce recipes
- Stocking the freezer: 10 great make-ahead casserole recipes
- How to stock the freezer: Top tips for make-ahead meals
- Clickery for January 11, 2013
- Waiting for baby: the final days
- ► December
- ► 2012
- ► December
- Our New Year's Resolutions for Borealis
- Posts We Wish You Read
- The 12 Least-Read Posts of 2012
- Borealis Top 12 of 2012
- How to capture memories before they're gone
- Eight great appetizer recipes
- Walking in a winter wonderland
- Backpacking with a toddler -- Lake Maria State Park, take 2
- Our guide to practical gifts
- Our guide to edible gifts
- Our guide to personalized gifts
- Beautiful custom jewelry and giveaway from K Kay Designs!
- Our guide to cozy gifts
- Borealis Holiday: Trip to the tree farm
- 32 week update
- How to make snowman tags
- ► November
- Borealis Holiday Guest Post: Christmas is not for wimps
- How to make soup mix in a jar
- How to dye chair cushions using iDye
- How to make spice mixes for gifts
- How to make a modern nursery mobile
- How to make homemade marshmallows and hot cocoa
- The littlest blessing
- How to make an advent calendar
- Exactly what's needed
- Borealis goes glam at Macy's Lancome Beauty Event for Bloggers
- ► October
- Cozy Bunting Bag, and insider nurse advice
- How to make last-minute Halloween projects with kids
- Parents Need to Eat Too, by Debbie Koenig
- Cloth diapers for toddlers: an update
- Afternoon at the pumpkin patch
- A day of rest
- Warming up for winter with Minneapolis's hottest new kids store -- Polarn O. Pyret
- Marathon in progress
- Ah, brothers (volume 1)
- The pursuit of happiness
- Just Like Me
- ► September
- Baby makes four: Advice on having a second child
- How to make modern wooden blocks
- Trial and error
- Happy hoarding
- C-section vs. VBAC?
- Now what?
- Preparing for baby #2: nursery ideas
- Training for the big day: Exercise during pregnancy
- Gear Guide: Baby Gear
- P is for Party: A back-to-school party for the kindergarten set
- ► August
- ► July
- ► June
- Urban vegetable gardening: Progress (or lack-thereof)
- Gratitude, at Tettegouche State Park
- Finding my farmer's market home: Market in the Valley
- Summer fun with kids in Saint Paul
- Summer Reading List 2012
- So you're going to have a toddler! Advice for moms of one-to-two year-olds
- How to make a paper pennant banner
- Father's Day Gift Guide (and why good ideas are hard to come by)
- ► May
- Tent camping with a toddler: the right gear
- Urban vegetable gardening: Progress report
- Running a marathon seven months postpartum
- How to make fairy and gnome gardens
- A book that makes you feel good about parenting
- Survivor in training
- Mother's Day Giveaway Winner!
- Last chance!
- Moms: Get over yourself and into the photo
- Five great sites for photo gifts
- Guest Post: Photos on the wall, not your hard drive, from Anna Mayer
- Mother's Day giveaway!
- May evenings, and rhubarb
- Gear Guide: In the kitchen
- Garage sale season
- How to set up a family recycling center
- Urban vegetable gardening: Waiting to Plant
- ► April
- How to do a Minnesota cabin weekend right
- How to sew easy quilted fabric cards
- The Minneapolis park you've never heard of -- Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
- Urban Vegetable Gardening: Plant, ready, plan . . .
- I can relate: Tiger Mothers and Les Bebes
- A clean conscience: Why I hire out housecleaning
- Roughing it: Traveling to the Bahamas with a one-year-old
- No strings attached
- ► March
- ► February
- Winter walks
- Remedial date hair
- Yoga power
- Fun with carbon monoxide
- Valentine's Day dinner . . . for four
- Doing it all: Glass Ceilings & 100-Hour Couples book review
- Sewing (and hoping) for babies
- How to plan a family 5K
- So you're going to have a baby...baby advice from seasoned moms
- Active investments
- I'll never buy granola again
- Gear guide: Winter wear
- ► January
- ► December
Top Posts & Pages
- How to plan a Super Mario Brothers party
- Mini Cooper car seat - How to get one in and how long it lasts, with pictures
- How to unleash your hidden curl: A secret recipe for straight haired girls
- How to make a paper pennant banner
- Winter hike-in cabin camping with children at Tettegouche State Park
- How to plan a Star Wars party
- How to make spice mixes for gifts
- How to make black and white images for babies (or how to buy yourself some me-time after diaper changes)
- How I organized my kids' school work
Most Recent
- Winter tent camping at Tettegouche State Park
- How to survive winter (with a heavy dose of summer dreaming)
- Borealis Blog Gift Guides 2015
- Our favorite bedtime books
- Cottage life, life lists, and new adventures
- Canoe tripping in the BWCA with young kids (2.5 and 4 years old, 2015)
- Whitetail Woods camper cabins – a quick, refreshing getaway
- Borealis Blog Family Travel Guides
- Ely Travel Guide (a Borealis Family Travel Guide)
- I tried Rent the Runway
- Real truth, with real friends. And wine.
- A fun way to figure out what’s unique about your child
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