I'm back from our annual trek to Rhode Island where we hit the beach and spent some quality time with my husband's extended family. Every family has their own special set of, let's call them traditions, that make their vacation special to them and my husband's family is no exception. To help families everywhere in preparation (or recovery) from their family vacations, I've pulled together a couple of things that I learned on our own beach week. Because even on vacation, there are lessons. 1. … [Read more...] about lessons from the beach
My Blog
meet harlow park media
Hello there. I'm back from the beach and as usual I am having a really hard time transitioning back to the real world. It seems the only thing I am motivated to do is plot how I can live at the beach for the entire summer next year. Some days just keeping everyone fed and alive seems like an accomplishment and yesterday was one of those days. But today is a new day, and I'm hoping that this post will be the gateway to a very productive week that involves a lot of sibling harmony and … [Read more...] about meet harlow park media
step away from the blog
On Saturday we leave for our annual beach week. Last year I broke down why I love this vacation so much and you can read that here. This pre-vacation week of physical preparation has included replacing lost swimsuits, waiting on the porch to make sure the beach house t-shirts arrive on time, and stocking up on spray sunscreen before it gets pulled from the shelves. I've also been by studying my vocab words for Bananagrams, mentally preparing for living with 20+ other people, and coming to … [Read more...] about step away from the blog
22 things grown ups know
I've been keeping this list of life discoveries for the past few months, and I've finally decided to bust out the collection and share it with you. It's by no means comprehensive, but a good place to start. Here they are - 22 things grown ups know: 1. Your kitchen floor will never be clean. Accept and move on. 2. The first cup of coffee or glass of wine is the best, the second is okay, the third, totally unnecessary. 3. They (your children, co-workers, anyone you spend the bulk of your time … [Read more...] about 22 things grown ups know
the full picture
This past weekend I took a personal day. I decided to do something that I've been wanting to do - visit the Barnes Foundation, an art museum in Philadelphia. It's an old collection of mostly early 20th century art housed in a fairly new, modern building. And I wanted to do it completely by myself. I like looking at art and have looked at a lot of art. I studied art history in college, and I've always been drawn to museums working and volunteering in a few at different points in my career. At … [Read more...] about the full picture
tips for parents: managing summer while staying halfway sane
I spent the first few days of summer vacation threatening to send my kids to camp. There was so much attitude. Is this all there is to eat? Why do we have to go to the pool? I'm hot. It's hot. I'm hot. There's nothing to do. Sound familiar? What I realized quickly was that this attitude was just as much me as it was them. We had a sit down. I explained to them the approach for summer we had decided to take. I called it The Freedom Approach. No camp or scheduled activities means freedom for … [Read more...] about tips for parents: managing summer while staying halfway sane
moving with kids: one year later
Last July, our family left Massachusetts where I went to college, where my husband and I met, where our children were born and where we had lived for most of our adult lives. It was where we had built our life together. It was home. And while we were very happy with some aspects of that life, we felt that some of the things that we valued as a family weren't exactly how we yearned for them to be. When a career opportunity was offered to Kevin that would move us to a different city … [Read more...] about moving with kids: one year later
independent & united
I value independence - the personal freedom that has been given to us in this country, often at great cost, to act and speak and think freely. Even though I've daydreamed more frequently than I like to admit about living in other places, other parts of the world that consume less and value health and balance more than the bottom line, I realize that the beauty of independent thought and action is that we have the freedom to opt out of the parts of our culture that don't serve us. We have the … [Read more...] about independent & united