Memories

Dear Self, You spent months planning the perfect Christmas full of gifts that were handmade, local, or encouraged creativity. Your daughters went to bed Christmas Eve and you carefully arranged their new easel with a handwritten note from Santa himself, children’s museum...

Now that the ground is finally covered in a layer of wintry white, it's time to make childhood memories by bundling up and hitting the sledding slopes. Read on for the skinny on the top Iowa City-area hills! 1. Hoover...

Hi. My name is Sarah, and I write a yearly Christmas letter. Please don't groan! I know all of the stereotypes of the Christmas letter:  They're either boring, dry, and uninteresting lists of the year's events that no one wants...

I think my kids are funny.  At the most inappropriate times.  Like when I’m supposed to be a disciplinarian, when I should be teaching them the right way to do things, or when I'm handling a sticky situation –...

Happy Thursday everyone!  We have an extra special giveaway for you today! Macy Marie Photography will be giving one of YOU lucky readers a Mini Photo Shoot for your little one(s)!  Just in time for Valentine's Day, Macy has a...

I gave birth in the middle of a pandemic. I write this as my newborn sleeps peacefully on my chest. The weight of her tiny body a reminder of what I accomplished during a very stressful time for so many. It...

Four years ago, during a sleep-deprived lunch date, I told a friend I was going to do a triathlon. My first son was six months old and going to the gym just wasn’t enough motivation. I needed something that...

That’s what’s in store for our family. Nope, this isn’t a pregnancy announcement and we aren’t adding another four-legged member to the Claussen Clan. No, no, no we’re not packing up and moving to start a new life in the...

In keeping with the b-t-s (back to school) theme, I thought I’d share with you readers the joy (i.e. woes) of preparing our family for this up-coming school year. Well, in all honesty, I just need to rant. Late last...

When the doctor hands you that baby, or you sign those adoption papers, or even when you see the two pink lines on the stick, you are forever changed.  You've been a daughter, a granddaughter, a cousin, a friend,...