A cricket was hopping down our hall when the girls first caught sight of it. Recently, they have been on a quest to catch every bug they can find inside our house and release them safely outdoors. They spend hours peering into corners and under furniture...
Self-care is hard during a pandemic. By the end of the day, I find myself flopping into bed feeling extra exhausted. It’s not the tiredness after a long, busy day like in months past. It’s a deeper, emotional exhaustion that is harder to place. Home has always...
I vividly recall my kindergarten teacher reading a book to our class called Owl at Home. The book includes a story where Owl makes tear-water tea. He puts a kettle on his lap and declares, “Now I will begin.”Owl begins to think of many things...
Dr. Jane Goodall, who has devoted her life to the conservation of chimpanzees, was asked to recount moments that stood out the most. In a life filled with extraordinary experiences, challenges and opportunities, she chose to tell the story of a chimpanzee named Wounda, whose...
Last weekend, we took a family trip to the Grand Canyon. It’s a breathtaking sight. Peering over the edge makes my heart race at the canyon’s enormous depth.The day was hot, and we decided to sit under a tree at a lookout point to gaze...
In the inky-colored darkness before dawn, the birds start their chorus. The silence and stillness of the night are broken with their tapestry of song. Researchers think the reason birds sing each morning is to let other birds know they have made it to another day. It’s...
I recently took the girls to the library for curbside book pickup. A librarian asked if we would like some packets of vegetable seeds for planting. This was an unexpected and unknown perk of the library system. New books and a gardening project. The girls were thrilled....
We just completed a 3,000-piece puzzle. To make it a little extra challenging, we decided to put it together without using the box as a guide. Sometimes, our eyes would immediately see a correct piece and fit it in with a satisfying snap. Other times, we...
Back in the pre-Covid days, when I used to drive the girls to and from school, we would see a woman in our neighborhood out for morning and afternoon walks.Every day, our paths would converge in nearly the same spot – she walking, us driving. Every...
We’ve been playing a family game of Monopoly. The game board sits in the middle of our kitchen table. After playing for a little while each evening, we tuck our property cards and money under the board. The next evening, after dinner, we pick up...