“Book-eater” is a term that my father uses to describe me. He says that this apple, being me, didn’t fall far from the tree. The maternal tree. My mother? The original book-eater. Nothing is more precious to me than books, and I found a man that feels the same way that I do. In fact, [...]

I am, apparently, a city girl. At heart. Deep, deep down, in my core. And I’m beginning to think that I will never shake that. Sure, I will adjust to life in this mountain town. I will not freak out every time I hear a twig snap, at 1:30 in the morning, while out with [...]

Several weeks ago, our incredibly awesome babysitter came over to spend a few hours with the girls while I went to Parent-Teacher conferences at Pea’s school. The girls both love it when L is coming to watch them. In fact, Pea had asked me just a day or two prior when L would come to [...]

I remember my first day of college. My roommate and I were standing in our new dorm room, hanging clothes in the closets, stocking the mini-fridge with soda and salsa. People were coming in and out all day, introducing themselves. And with the very first introduction, a girl came into our room, greeted us, and [...]

When my husband returned from his six-week stay in Beijing, he had a brand-new suitcase with him, purchased to hold all of the gifts he brought home for his girls. And there were a few thrown in there for me, too. One of them was a book by Deirdre Daniel, a woman living in Beijing [...]

It’s just about one year since the death of our much beloved black Labrador, Chamo. The greatest dog to ever walk the face of the earth. And while I realize I might be biased because I had the pure joy and honor of being his mom, seriously. Chamo was amazing.
Lola, our little silver Lab, is [...]

Have you seen the “Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale” book? Or Knuffle Bunny, Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity” follow-up? So clever. So very, very clever. A charming and witty story with illustrations that still amaze me, even after reading it about one hundred times already. It seems like you’re reading a story with simple [...]

I picked up a new book for Pea last week. I’d heard good things about it. And it’s about horses. So, you know. No-brainer. It’s called “The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses.” It’s an older book, a sweet story about a Native American girl who communed with horses.
As has become practice in recent weeks, I [...]

One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn’t get the painting / drawing gene. I cannot draw a doodle to save my life. And it wouldn’t seem like such a big deal, except that Pea is always asking me to draw her this or that, and I try, I really do, but [...]

Ahh… bedtime routines. They have been my saving grace with the girls. The cornerstone of their lives, if you will. I nailed a good one down, early on with Pea, since passed down to include Coco, and it’s stuck with us through three years of goodnights. There have been tweaks along the way, the largest [...]

Do you remember Madeline? The sweet little redheaded French girl? As a kid, I adored her. She was so small and sweet and fierce. A winning combination. We had all of the books, it was all I ever wanted to read. As I grew, I discovered other “sassy and smart” girls to look up to. [...]

This weekend, Pea and I had several art projects going on. One of them was paper mache bowls. That didn’t go over so well. It was very sticky and messy and she became very frustrated, very quickly. I ended up finishing her bowl for her. At least one of us had a great time. There [...]

Before my parents divorced, when I was 8 or so, we lived in a beautiful home in the suburbs of Chicago. I went to an elementary school that can only be described as ’sweet.’ I was shuttled in by one of several mothers, including my own, who were part of a carpool. And the entrance [...]

During my first pregnancy with Pea, I was reading every book under the sun about pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, etc., I was always reading about this intense urge to nest that was going to come over me, presumably in my third trimester. But it never happened. I was pregnant, and then I wasn’t. There was no [...]

Not that long ago, I wrote a little bit about my quest for a spiritual life for my family. It’s been a long road, we’ve dabbled here and there in “organized” religion, and while we just haven’t found our place, my husband and I do have ideas and beliefs that transcend what what we have [...]