Week 41 Review: Simmering
This week I’ve been thinking about how external circumstances affect my mood. I’ve noticed that I go through my day wondering if this will make me happy or if that … Continue reading Week 41 Review: Simmering

This week I’ve been thinking about how external circumstances affect my mood. I’ve noticed that I go through my day wondering if this will make me happy or if that … Continue reading Week 41 Review: Simmering
During a weekly Skyping session with my in-laws, we were discussing my husband’s job search. My mother-in-law said that she was praying for us. “I’m praying to God, though, not … Continue reading How Not to Pray for Me
The first Christmas after my husband and I graduated from undergrad (before he was my husband), I bought him a leather jacket. This gift was perfect for him, not because … Continue reading Lousy at Keeping Secrets
The Dive From Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer My rating: 4 of 5 stars In an interview with Ann Packer that I heard on NPR, she said that she generally … Continue reading After the Escape: Ann Packer’s The Dive From Clausen’s Pier
Today’s a rainy, single-parenting, PJs-all-day, popcorn-and-frozen-pizza-for-dinner, inopportune-naptime kind of day. Blogging is not making it to the top of my priority list, but my pledge to post every day has … Continue reading Blog Break
Tonight in my Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction class, the instructor offered this poem, by Naomi Shihab Nye. I’ve not read Naomi Shihab Nye since college, but I recalled tonight that she … Continue reading The Slippery Nature of Happiness
I think I may have promised to de-clutter while my husband was out running errands with the baby, but since I’ve not posted to the blog yet today, I decided … Continue reading Blogging is Productive, Right?
Forty weeks! I’ve been working on this Happiness Project for as long as it took me to gestate my first child (my second child took about a week longer). It … Continue reading Week 40 Review: Marching, Bouncing, Not Road Raging
Songs Without Words by Ann Packer My rating: 4 of 5 stars So many reviewers point to how “depressing” and “boring” this book is. Although I didn’t find it so, … Continue reading Is it Depressing to Read About Depression? Ann Packer’s Songs Without Words
Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson My rating: 2 of 5 stars Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this one. I hesitated rating it … Continue reading Wandering About Europe with Bill Bryson
One day, I’ll have my mornings back. One day, the kids will be old enough to stay home alone while I go to the gym. One day, I’ll get to … Continue reading Us or Them: Six Tips for Meeting Mom’s Needs
My daughter turns six years old today. She’s lost one tooth. She can read novels and children’s encyclopedias. She plays the flute. She recites poetry. She does second-grade math. She … Continue reading Reflecting on Six Years of Motherhood