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Never Lose Your Voice

Posted on November 10, 2011

Circumstances, fears, confusion—they’re all authentic, but they aren’t reason enough to give up or go silent. Ask. Explain. Listen. Share. Look. Look twice. Ask again. Press on, because if you don’t, maybe no one will. We all have vastly more power than we know, true injustice is failing to use it. Your voice, evermore yours to use for good.

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Let the kids drive the bus

Posted on November 8, 2011

Yesterday I saw a tweet from Gabrielle Blair about an interview with Mo Willems. I immediately clicked over, as our family has long been enchanted by the storytelling and humor of Mo Willems. Imagine my surprise when just a few hours later, Avery came home and immediately said, “Wanna see me draw a pigeon?” It was one of those moments when instinct trumped interest. Don’t get me wrong, I was curious about how she’d draw a pigeon, but I had so much to finish before five. When I say instinct, it was the mom side of me, not the professional. I slid into the seat next to her and smiled as she said, “Well, you begin with the a circle, but wait, there isn’t just…

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Stacking Wood

Posted on November 4, 2011

When I was a teenager in Yakima, Washington one of my responsibilities was stacking the cords of applewood we would get for our fireplace. My motivation to stack it was threefold: First—the wood was delivered and dumped in my parking spot. Second—I loved a fire when I watched movies, which was all the time (VHS FTW) Third—Even though I inevitably happened upon spiders, got splinters and suffered wood bits in my eyes, the act of stacking the wood was almost meditative. It was physically grueling, mentally cleansing and ultimately incredibly satisfying to see what I had made from a mess. Currently we do not have a wood burning fireplace, though pining for one is one of my favorite activities. What I do have is…

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Time for Love

Posted on November 3, 2011

I’ve had many people I respect tell me that date nights are vital to a marriage. I like the idea in concept, but in practice it can be tough. Sitters, schedules, money, stamina—the list of excuses can go on and on. We’ve long had what we call Toddler Tuesday, when Nana and Jeannie take the girls and we have from 5:30-8pm to do with as we wish. Ideally we’d be going out to dinner or doing something fun, but normally we either get things done around the house, work or on really self-indulgent nights, go to the gym. I’d be more upset if I thought that we were failing. The truth is Sean and have so much. We work together at both of our…

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Twice a day, no lie

Posted on November 2, 2011

I don’t have much of a beauty routine, I basically wing it. Some days it works and I walk with a bounce in my step, other days I turn my phone away from my face as I click the camera on, fearful it will be set to snap my face and reveal the toll of projects, play dates and late nights. Regardless of whether it’s an I Feel Pretty kind of day or a This Is As Good As It Gets kind of day, one thing always happens. It literally happens twice a day. I reach for one thing, grab another and nearly wet myself with the, “Damn, what if I had?” See for yourself.

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