This week is our first week of preschool at home. Spring break is over for us and the vacation sadly came to an end. I've had big plans all along to start really focusing on Kindergarten readiness as our first priority and so far it seems to be going well. I'm planning to keep a daily log of everything we do that is preschool-like. Every day we'll sit down for at least a few minutes and do "activities" from Alex's Hooked on Kindergarten workbook, which he finds challenging, but fun. We're also practicing lower case letters on that special paper with the dotted lines I remember so fondly from my own childhood. (I write the letters out in faint print and he traces them.)

Of course, I picked a lousy week to get sick. I had big plans for play dates and working in the garden together and going to the library, but none of that is possible when… Read More

On Saturday night, we returned home from our wild California adventure. I love coming home; it's always one of the best parts of any trip. This was the first time I ever got to come home to our HOUSE too, so it was extra special for me. Have I mentioned how much I love our home? It's good to know I'm still not taking it for granted, dirty floors and all.

Anyway, I'm sick now (of course I am! … Read More

Well it's my birthday too! I'm 32. We're celebrating here in California. Well, me and the kids are celebrating. Dave is busy logging billable hours back in Washington.

So far we've had a lovely vacation (aside from a nightmarish packed flight that included magic post-landing barf). The weather is okay, not spectacular, but not the snow and hail we left up North! Unfortunately, it's not actually warm enough for me to wear most of the clothes I bought last… Read More

In the end, I did find some clothes yesterday! First I perused the wares online at Old Navy, hoping to find some things I liked and could go pick up in the store. Sadly, the only thing less flattering on me than a maternity top is a halter top. I have pretty strict rules about how to clothe my admittedly fluffy physique: no cap sleeves, nothing "flowy", nothing that will make my already poochy tummy look pregnant, no tapered pants,… Read More

An open letter to the fashion industry:

I AM NOT PREGNANT!

Sincerely,

Concerned shopper

And I thought skinny jeans were insane! Seriously, though, what is with all the baby doll tops with the ties that go around the back? The trapeze dresses? The fluffy shapeless shirts? I went to Kohl's yesterday, tried on approximately 43 different shirts and came home with ONE. That is all.

How much do you spend on clothes? Because I realized… Read More

We've had Alex, our four-year-old, in a Montessori preschool for the last seven months. I'm sure I mentioned it, but we've decided to take him out of school at the end of this month simply for financial reasons. At $500 per month, it's breaking the bank.

Today his class held a "showcase" in which the parents were invited to observe the children doing their Montessori work. It was very low key and Alex ended up demonstrating five of the… Read More