Happy Happy Joy Joy…Tears

Me, roughly 11 months pregnant with Babygirl, entertaining LittleMan at his 3rd birthday party.  Note how much fun we appear to be having (I think my husband was still looking for a parking place).  Also: that playground looks like a prison.  Also: San Francisco in August. The last week of August is a doozy in our house.  One wedding anniversary (my husband's and mine), one Babygirl birthday, and one LittleMan birthday: all rolled up in a ten-day extravaganza of cake, wine, presents, presents, a few more presents, perhaps a brownie or two, anticipatory sleeplessness, and joy.  And a martini. ... [READ MORE]

Recipe Roundup No. 9: Five Great Bean Dishes

I just did the First Official Back-to-School Grocery Run and damn, it was a shop for the ages. Backup peanut butter!  A pound of deli turkey!  Chicken breast tenders for quicker cooking on busy afternoons!  Hand sanitizer!  Pencils!  Scissors!  ALL the Kleenex!  Ketchup ketchup ketchup!  Martini olives (which are LittleMan's preferred lunchbox "fruit", heaven help me)! And another jar of martini olives!  For martinis! As has been well-documented here, we are home-cooking people.  On the average day we prepare breakfast for three, two lunch boxes (for the kids) and a snack/provisions ... [READ MORE]

Wednesday Wishlist: Nest Studio Stylin’ Mama

In lieu of a dedicated Wednesday Wishlist post this week, I humbly direct your attention to my friend Jess Davis' lifestyle blog (and amazing home design site), Nest Studio.  As some of you may recall, I used to write for Nest Studio on a fairly regular basis, but then I...stopped, actually.  That was last year, which will officially go down in history as the year I said yes to everything and got myself more overextended than any sane human should.  (Hence this year, when I've said no to everything and spend most days happily holed up at home, writing.  Whee!) But now that I'm writing ... [READ MORE]

All the Women

I am surrounded by incredible women. My friends, my friends.  They are in their early 20s and #fierce; they are approaching 40 and full of grace; they are in their mid-60s, preternaturally energetic and endlessly patient.  They are single and married, raising children or choosing a different definition of family, straight and gay.  They are athletes and artists, executives and teachers, therapists, stay-home moms, entrepreneurs.  They live in tiny urban apartments or sprawling suburban homes.  I feel sometimes like I live at the nexus of this beautiful, shining web of women who have come ... [READ MORE]

Recipe Roundup No. 8: Back-to-School

That's my old stove, btw. I literally cannot wrap my head around the fact that today is officially the last day of summer vacation and school starts Monday.  First of all, let us review the date, which is August 12.  Still squarely in summertime, in my humble opinion.  But I am slowly accepting the fact that I don't make the rules when it comes to the SFUSD (oh, but if I did...) and so on Monday we will suit up at the ungodly hour of 7:20am and make the trek to Day One. Babygirl starts Kindergarten on Monday.  Did you hear that?  BABYGIRL STARTS KINDERGARTEN ON MONDAY.  Remember when ... [READ MORE]

Wednesday Wishlist: 7 Best Fall Jeans

As I raided my own closet a few weeks back, I made peace with the fact that all I want to wear is jeans and a good top, on repeat.  I've always known this, of course, but the magpie in me has continued to be drawn toward special somethings and glittery this's and that's along the way. No more.  I officially have closet-focus. It's a general enough mom-iform: can be dressed up or down, can be re-worked for professional settings or park ones.  There is even room for a skirt or two in there.  So without further ado, I offer my top denim picks for Fall (with a few classic shoes in there for ... [READ MORE]

21st Century Problems

I've started deleting apps on my iPhone instead of downloading them.  To be fair, this is mostly to make room for LittleMan's continued level-climbing in the NexoKnights video game, but also: Why do I need to be a FandangoVIP? In these modern times, I will admit that there are certain things I can no longer live without (ahem, Instacart). But this whole an-app-for-everything is starting to bug me.  Apps take up SPACE and space (literal and figurative) is something I just put such a premium on, you know?  I just need to know what time the movie is playing.  Why must I download a product to ... [READ MORE]