Advice

Whether you are heading to the pool, a ball game, or a park, you need a summer bag that is packed and ready to go. I bought a waterproof bag from IKEA years ago — and all I need...

Ah, books! Reading is always in season, but there is something special about picking up that buzzworthy beach read every summer. With so many new titles released each year, I love to use reading guides as a starting place....

Confession: I am a completely clueless when it comes to sports. How clueless am I? Here's a partial list: I understand Quidditch better than football. I can name all of the major and minor characters from "Lord of the...

Have you ever had a time when you were watching something with your kids and it made you cry? Well, my kids’ show made me cry. Yes that happened. Here’s the story. In our house, my kids have a...

I am crying over a Google commercial. I guess this is where I'm at in life. I am sitting at the dinner table, fork full of food, gaping mouth, crying over a Google commercial. If you've seen it, you probably...

It was a late spring day. My then two-year-old son, newborn, and I were at a local gym for their tot-lot with friends. We had a great time playing with ride-on toys, going down slides, and bouncing balls. Soon,...

Currently is one of my favorite ways to catch up with people and to find new-to-me things around the Iowa City area. Here are the things I'm currently doing. Pick a category (or create your own) and let us...

It sure is handy to have teenage kids sometimes, so they can tell you what the latest internet lingo is all about. I sent one of my kids a text just today asking her to explain what “cottage core”...

I am about to be two-weeks out from my second shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. I am counting down the days until I am fully immunized. I’ve got a list to check off of the things I can’t...

If you ask a new parent their fears about parenthood, most will talk about disruptions in routine, feeding issues, sleep issues, and general questions about doing the right thing.  I would bet my socks that most new parents wouldn't...