There are few things better than reconnecting with an old friend. The best friends, old or new, are ones where you can just be yourself. These are the friends who you can spend a whole day with doing nothing together, and afterwards feel like it was the best day ever. These friendships can be hard to find as we get older and difficult to carry on over long distance. Saying nothing over the phone doesn’t quite have the same effect.

I’m frequently hesitant to call up old friends, because I worry I won’t have anything to say. Once, when I was finally able to catch up with a friend, she commented that she’d been doing most of the talking. She seemed to start feeling self-conscious about talking so much, but I was truly hanging on every word. Continue reading →

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With the weather getting colder and more germs going around, I decided it was time to clean out Baby’s first aid kit. I wanted to be stocked up on the necessities so we wouldn’t end up at Walgreens buying Infant Tylenol in the middle of the night. I checked expiration dates, organized loose items, and confronted the fact that our first aid basket had become a dumping ground for all sorts of random items.

I found my nursing cover, pacifier wipes, electrical socket covers, a gummi crib rail cover, blind cord wrap-ups, a car seat manual, and a variety of baby samples. Other items were first aid appropriate, but no longer needed to be easily accessible (Fer-In-Sol Iron drops, D-Vi-Sol Vitamin D drops, lotion, vaseline, gauze pads, and extra thermometers).

When all was said and done, there were eight items left in the kit. It goes without saying, but please only use this list as a reference (I am NOT a doctor). Contact your pediatrician with any medical concerns and before giving any medications to your baby. Continue reading →

ISIS, the war in Gaza, unaccompanied children at the border, and other global and local issues have been weighing heavily on my heart and mind. Hoping to help lift the storm cloud, I asked a friend if he thought it was our responsibility to directly help people around the world.

I was speechless and surprised when he quickly responded with a simple “yes.” My friend was a very kind and compassionate person, but in his day to day life he was not politically active or involved in any charitable organizations. I was counting on him to help me rationalize why it’s ok to focus on my immediate family and personal priorities and worry a little bit less about all of the horrors happening the world. Continue reading →