• Personal

    What makes a hometown?

    “Where are you from?” or “What’s your hometown?” is a question that I have struggled in figuring out how to answer for a lot of my life. For those who don’t spend their lives in one set place, how does one determine what their hometown is? Is it the place where you are born or the place you spent the most time in? Is it the place where you graduated high school and became an adult? Or is it the place where you first start growing up as a kid or preteen? Is it the place where you find yourself and feel happiest even if that isn’t until well into…

  • Personal

    Who I Am

    As a mom, it becomes all too easy to let that role define who I am. To define myself by my relationships with other people. To see myself as a mother, a wife, a daughter – rather than just me. I still remember the day one of my psych professors asked the class to write down a list of who they are. Studies have shown that women are significantly more likely than men to identify themselves through their relationships, and that certainly held true for me. Although the activity made the difference clear, it also made me feel like there was something wrong with my choices and perceptions. The more…

  • Personal

    Turning the Page

    It has been about a year since my last post on this blog. 2020 was quite the year. It was a year in which i was so overwhelmed by the events going on around me and the demands of meeting the needs of my loved ones, that I couldn’t bring myself to write. I was so concerned with finding the exact right words to convey something, that even when I did have moments in which I could have been writing – I didn’t allow myself to. Even if no one ever read my words, I approached writing as if I was writing for an audience, and no words I could…

  • Personal

    Yarn Mazes and Snowy Sundays

    The kids decided to start a snowy Sunday off by creating a yarn maze around my entire house. It is always great to see them working so sweetly together, and they put a lot of thought into the creation of their maze. It certainly kept them entertained, so that Cal and I could enjoy a slightly slower start to our morning. It is amazing how busy our family has been since moving to northern New Hampshire. The stereotype that the Northern part of the state has nothing going on could not be further from the truth for us. It was nice to slow down a little bit on Sunday and…

  • Personal

    Happy New Year 2020!

    2019 was a pretty good year for my family and I am looking forward to see what 2020 brings us. The past year brought a lot of growth and smiles, with relatively few tears. Among the many goals that I have for the next year, I want to get organized, lose weight, and create more. In terms of organization, I would like to: create more regular routines that work for my family and help me to be more productive use my planner more consistently for staying on top of everything that I need to do complete weekly home organization projects that have been mostly sitting on the back burner for…

  • Places

    10 Must Do Things in Littleton NH

    The first time that we visited Littleton, we were drawn to the area because we wanted to explore the Northern part of the state and Littleton seemed like such a charming little town. The World’s Longest Candy Counter being located on Main Street also drew us in. We didn’t really know what else to do in town though, and although we had an amazing trip, we missed out on a lot of the great things that Littleton has to offer. People travel from all over to visit Littleton. To see the quaint mountain town with a bustling Main Street. Right now it is leaf peeper season, and coach buses drop…

  • Places

    Evergreen Gymnastics and Movies – Sunday Snapshots

    On Saturday, Saoirse attended a classmate’s birthday party at Evergreen Sports Center, while Ryan and I went to our local movie theater to watch a movie together. The birthday party was Saoirse’s first time going to Evergreen, although they have a lot to offer and we will have to bring her back soon. Evergreen is our local gymnastics and aquatics center, they also have a 24 hour gym, fitness classes, tennis and more. Of course with kids gymnastics and the pool take center stage. Having a birthday party in the gymnastics area seems to be a popular choice around here and it is easy to see why. She had a…

  • Nonfiction,  Personal

    Destination Imagination

    Ryan was excited when he handed me his Destination Imagination sign up form this morning. Destination Imagination is a really great afterschool program where teams of kids choose a challenge (the choices are generally STEM, Art, or Service Related) and work to build a solution to that challenge. In March, they present their solutions at regional tournaments where they are scored on their creativity, workmanship, and teamwork. It is a great opportunity for kids to take the lead, learn to work as a team, and let their creativity fly. Last year was Ryan’s first year participating in Destination Imagination. It is the perfect afterschool activity for him, but it wasn’t…

  • Places

    Fall at Remich Park – Littleton NH

    Remich Park is one of my favorite places in Littleton. I fell in love with this park on one of our first visits to Littleton. It is tucked away on a hill, just a few blocks above Main Street. The park has relaxing green space, benches and picnic tables, playing fields and tennis courts, a gazebo, and a playground. It is a community gathering place where kids of all ages can run and play and the town comes together for concerts, athletic events, and community events. The park has something to offer in every season, but my favorite season has always been Fall – both at the park and in…

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  • Nonfiction,  Personal,  Places,  Prose

    On Moving to the Mountains

    “The mountains are calling and I must go.” The popular John Muir quote really speaks to the pull of nature and mountains. Living where I do, I see the quote all the time on bumper stickers, decorative logos, and Instagram hashtags. Well, the mountains called, and I moved. Moving to my awesome little mountain town in New Hampshire’s White Mountains was easily the best move that I have ever made for my family. When Ryan was younger, we moved around quite a bit between the demands of college, graduate schools, and just finding the right spot for our family. While moving around wasn’t ideal, it did give us a chance…