advent parenthood lament

Reframing Advent

Nothing says I’m waiting for the arrival of a Savior like: Overspending on more stuff we don’t need. Lying to our kids about where all the stuff came from. (We don’t do this, but I hear there are some families who do.) Forcing our kids to sit on a stranger’s lap and even smile about […]

The Last-Minute Gift Guide for the Socially-Responsible

I’m a fan of a great deal, and we’re part of the package-of-the-day club (who actually shops in person any more?). But I’m also a HUGE fan of social enterprises AND non-profits who have businesses to help them be self-sustainable AND businesses who are being socially responsible in how they manufacture their goods, AND shopping […]

boys play homeschool

{2017} A Day in the Life

It’s been a while since I’ve chronicled a day in our homeschool and mompreneur life. In the absence of any real scrapbooking (does anyone do that anymore?), this is as good as it gets. I guess I should also note, that this is what a day looks like if we don’t have Bridges or therapy […]

responding to racism in schools

Responding to Racism in Schools

Last week in a neighboring high school district in our county, students were disciplined for staging a photo where their spirit week Scrabble letters spelled out, “N****r.” [1] Obviously, this incident is restarting a conversation about racism in schools. According to a Change.org petition [2], the students were only suspended for 9 days. The outrage […]

Transracial Adoption and Charlottesville

Of the 14 people that have lived in our house over the last decade, only 3 are White. The rest are Black or Asian or some combination. I’ve experienced forms of racism and discrimination for as long as I can remember, and I’m Asian living near a fairly diverse metropolitan area. I know that the […]

Quick and Dirty Stain Tip

(Post title pun intended…so sorry ;)) Do you remember when Stain Stick was a big thing? Do people still use that? We’re lucky clothes see the washing machine let alone get pre-treated. Then recently someone mentioned on Facebook that Eucalyptus was a great oil for stain treatment. I was surprised that a quick Google search supported […]