School is canceled. Indefinitely. Again. Minneapolis teachers are on strike with no signs of a deal in sight. They’re fighting for class size limits, mental health supports, and living wages. It is a just and noble cause. But on Day 6 of our kids being out of school, the latest disruption after two years of…
When I pulled out the Christmas mugs this year, I noticed that I seem to have a merry fixation. I bought all the mugs pictured above at separate times, not realizing how similar they were in their take-home message. It got me thinking. Mike and I do PLENTY of things to make the holiday season…
When it comes to opportunities for making memories and establishing family traditions, December is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. In an ideal December, I would select only the most delicious items from that huge spread and enter the new year feeling satisfied but not stuffed. Unfortunately, that never happens. Of course I tell myself we don’t…
The trees are bare, the temperatures are dropping, and soon the ground will be covered with a blanket of snow. It’s time for some winter hygge ideas to make the season cozy and pleasurable. What is Hygge? The Danish concept of hygge (pronounced hoo-guh) doesn’t have an exact translation in English. In The Little Book…
This past Sunday was one of those blah November days that made me just want to snuggle on the couch with a quilt, a cup of tea, and a good book. Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? But certain little boys–three of them, to be exact–were not gonna let that happen. If I wanted some time to…
It is not easy to love Minnesota in the month of November. Outside it’s empty trees, biting wind, gray days with flurries of snow. Late sunrises and early sunsets. We have months of snow and ice in front of us, and it will probably be April before I again feel the sun on my bare…
