The goal: For our family of six to produce less than one garbage bag of trash a week. I started this goal (in earnest) in February. Back then I decided to use the first month of the challenge to really pay attention to what we were throwing away, then start the slow, intentional process of reducing
Week five. Is it really just week five? Doesn’t it seem like longer? And also shorter? And like we’re already well into summer but yesterday was Easter? This week, SURPRISE, Tom got strep. Now we’ve each had it twice, and I’m living in a constant state of thinking I have strep. We were talking about
I’ve been preparing for Easter for weeks. I started gathering gifts for the kids and I splurged on a Easter dress for myself. I’d get coordinating outfits for the kids later, I told myself. I’d wait to buy out Kroger’s supply of Peeps until closer to Easter, I thought. Otherwise I’d just eat them and
One of the things I love about having a blog for this long is that on any holiday or season, I can easily look back and see how my family has grown and changed through the years. Easter egg dyeing is a great example. This is a tradition that dramatically changes as your kids get
I barely took any pictures this week. This is getting old. At the same time, I can tell we’re settling in. This week was supposed to be our spring break. We didn’t have any huge plans, just some loose talks about a day trip that never even had time to take shape before the quarantine
For the past few months I’ve had a standing social engagement on the calendar. As far as I can remember, it’s one of the only times I’ve done something like this in years. I don’t take the kids, and I don’t arrange for childcare. I just walk out of the house like an actual grownup
Week three, the week I realized I can’t make the entire quarantine special for them. I can’t make it special for me, either. Three weeks ago when this whole thing started, we were still operating under a bit of naivety. School had been closed for two weeks, and I, ever the realist, told friends, “I’m
David and Mary were fighting about what would happen if, sometime in the future, they found out that Tom and I were actually some sort of royalty. Like, how do they handle the sudden bump in status? What about all the wealth? Or the horses and carriages, what’s a commoner to do!? This argument was
I’m not sure whether this week was harder or easier than the last. I can say that this week I was diligent about my news intake, and I highly recommend that to anyone who is feeling anxiety around the pandemic. It’s absolutely crucial to stay informed, but there’s a point when too much is too
We celebrated two friends’ birthdays this week. They were both distant celebrations — gifts left in the driveway, and a drive-by “party.” My kids liked loved being a part of these celebrations, but they made the wheels start turning. “I’m glad my birthday is in the summer…” I heard someone say from the backseat on