Published in ILLUMINATION·PinnedMember-onlyLife In Europe Is InconvenientAnd it’s making me healthier — When most people hear me talk about my life in the Netherlands, they probably think it sounds inconvenient. I know my mom does. They hear that I walk or bike to the grocery store and usually their first reaction is “Really?” Most days…Travel5 min readTravel5 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·6 days agoMember-onlyHow To Work This HouseOne list every house should come with — You walk through a beautiful house, you bid, and you win. Woo hoo! But it’s inevitable that the day you open the house with the newly-yours set of keys, something changes. Wasn’t this paint fresher? Were these scuff marks always here? Why doesn’t the hot water come on faster? There…Money4 min readMoney4 min read
Published in Modern Women·Jan 13Member-onlyWhile Others Start The New Year Productively, I’m FlounderingWhat happens when you have no New Year’s goals? — Fresh out of the holiday season, a cozy New Year’s Eve, and a refreshing polar bear swim, I’m back here at my desk. But I feel rudderless. Scattered. Spread too thin. It’s not a slump. It’s not depression. Believe me, I’ve been there in other Januarys, especially during COVID. But…Productivity3 min readProductivity3 min read
Published in A Thousand Lives·Jan 12Member-onlySometimes I Just Need A Boring BookThrillers are robbing me of my sleep — Reading is my indulgence. My luxury. My escape. I’m not genre monogamous. I read a mix of books from crime physiological thrillers to historical fiction. I like a bit of light romance and nonfiction too. When I’m really into a good book though, I have a minor problem. I have…Books3 min readBooks3 min read
Published in Family Matters·Jan 7Member-onlyMy Top 15 Favorite Children’s BooksBest of all, they are all stories that I also ENJOY reading aloud as a parent — As a parent, I sometimes wonder if I’m exposing my children to enough books. I know I read a lot, but am I hitting all the great children’s books? I guess that’s just a bit of the reformed over-achiever in me, but this FOMO isn’t helped by the fact that…Book Recommendations5 min readBook Recommendations5 min read
Published in Globetrotters·Dec 18, 2022Member-onlyMy Christmas Tree Is My Travel Memory BoxEach ornament reminds me of a past trip — I’m not really a collector. I don’t like trinkets cluttering my shelves. I don’t want to dust all of that. But I make one exception: Christmas ornaments. I don’t collect any old ornaments though. Instead, I buy ornaments…Monthly Challenge4 min readMonthly Challenge4 min read
Published in Sharing Food·Dec 7, 2022Member-onlyIt’s All About The CookiesChristmas isn’t Christmas without a sugar rush — Sugar cookies. Gingerbread men. Chocolate chip. Everyone in my family has their favorite Christmas cookies. Some are traditional recipes and some are more modern. And I have no idea the geographical origin of most of these cookies. But in our house, there is no fighting because all of these cookies…Food5 min readFood5 min read
Published in Modern Women·Oct 29, 2022Member-onlyDaily Walks Are My Best MedicineWhy getting out of the house has changed my life — I see an older couple that I suspect walks together every morning. Sure, I don’t see them walking every day, but I see them often enough to feel sure that this is their routine. They make it a point to walk daily. They prioritize it. Seeing them so many mornings…Exercise6 min readExercise6 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Oct 28, 2022Member-onlyThe Balance Bike Is The Best Thing To Happen To Children’s BikingBut the surprise is that it’s not a new invention — Balance is the most important thing when learning to ride a bike. So it seems odd to teach kids to ride bikes with training wheels, which doesn’t promote balance at all. But this is the way I learned to ride a bike and probably every other kid growing up in…Parenting6 min readParenting6 min read
Published in Globetrotters·Oct 25, 2022Member-onlyDragging My Mom Across Vienna To See A BuildingAnd in the process, I showed her how I travel — Things that I’m a sucker for while traveling: a unique building, a nice park, and a spooky cemetery. I will go out of my way to see these. Even if it means traveling across an entire city. So years ago, when I was traveling in Vienna with my parents, that’s…Travel5 min readTravel5 min read