What the Blog?

It's a month AFTER advent ended, but it's never too late to review an advents calendar. Right? Anyway. After a boatload of Facebook ads, I ponied up for the Foodist "Active" (supposedly healthy snack-based) Adventskalender. I couldn't find much about what to expect from Googling, but I ordered in advance for a 10% discount, and waited to see what each little box held. The packaging was really slick. Festive green to match your holiday decor, great graphics, and compact. At 40 euros, it was totally reasonable - especially since ready made advent calendars for each person can add up. The kiddos enjoyed opening a box every day, tossing it to me to read the 'phrase of the day' (these were very cute), and trying the goods inside. The snacks were a bit mixed in tastiness level, but definitely original finds. Many came from the UK, and had unique ingredients & origin stories. As a person who really likes trying new things, I was all about having a dai...

When I moved here, I was tempted to keep buying all of my clothes stateside. I would wait until my annual trip back home, and spend a day at the mall - trying to cover all seasons in one go. I tried ordering online, but the shipping and customs costs completely turned me off that track, too. Over time, I've found my favorite shopping sites and figured out how sales work. It's all about the timing and yes, the loyalty cards. Some things are really not that different. As I've gotten older, I've simplified shopping to classic pieces, solid colors, and sustainable production. I thought it would be helpful to share what I've learned. Sales tend to be bigger in January and July, but store newsletters seem to offer deals all the time. I also like the tried-and-true trick of keeping items in a shopping cart while logged in until the store magically sends a coupon code over to your email. You can find extra discounts on payback.de, or cashback (a la ebates) on shoop.de. ...

A couple of years ago, I read an article about how moms  should stay in the pictures  we take of our kids. My gray hairs have multiplied, but I try to stick to this -- I remember fondly looking through old pictures of me as a kid - and loved seeing what my parents looked like back then, too. So I have a new plea for parents when you send out annual holiday cards. For those like me - intensely private on social media, rarely sharing photos of people online - it's often the only way I get to see what old friends are up to, what they look like, and how much their kids look like them or their spouse. But more and more often, holiday cards feature only the kids, maybe along with pets. I remember the moment this happened when my parents received Christmas cards from their friends. I was about 7 or 8 and all of a sudden, I only saw my buddies in the holiday cards strung across our living room. Now that we're grown, we want to share photos of our kids in similar ways. Living awa...

We recently trekked across the ocean for a family reunion on both sides - in lovely (but freezing) Nashville, TN. Over 10 days, we explored the city, bonded with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, and even managed a very cold game of freeze tag outside. Following, some tips on your trip to Nashville! Day 1:  We stayed in 2 airbnbs over the trip, and I could highly recommend both. One, full disclosure, belongs to a friend - and both are in charming city neighborhoods. The first was walking distance to activities in 12 South ; the second  close to a number of shops and eateries in East Nashville. Start your day with breakfast at Box - Bongo + Bakery. The bright cafe has healthy treats, good coffee, and even a play corner (oddly placed right at one of the cafe entrances, where the playmat doubled as a doormat) for little ones. I enjoyed the pumpkin spice latte and a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin. The homestyle breakfast was tasty, too. Given the play area setu...