As many of you know, I spent the better part of this week mass-producing Brookie Cookies. Having to roll the two doughs together takes a lot of time, and that is when my mind tends to wander…. Recently, our house has had a lot of action—and a lot of personalities. Having all four kids home is my dream, but it also reminds me just how incredibly different each of my kids is. There are plenty of studies about nature vs. nurture. But somewhere around Brookie Cookie number 87, I

Call Captain Gary We just spent the past four days in one of our very favorite places: Bald Head Island. But thanks to a huge oversight by me, the trip almost didn’t happen at all. Several months ago, we booked a house. We made sure Bensten could miss his cross country meet. We scheduled our dog sitters. But I completely forgot to book ferry tickets. Bald Head is a little island off the coast of North Carolina where there are no cars, beautiful beaches and plenty of South

Hi! Happy August! I have so many things I want to tell you about—but today, I’m going to ask a favor. Mason Walsh was my kids’ swim coach when they were younger. She was a D1 college swimmer, made Olympic Trials, and then came back to coach our kids—and she was AMAZING. And when I went into labor with Boeden, I had a bit of a childcare emergency- and Mason stepped in and watched Izzy, Lil and Bensten! In fact, when we made Liliana choose between travel soccer and year-round s

Lately, I feel like I have maybe relied a little too heavily on ai. But when time is limited- it’s literally one stop shopping for almost-always the right answer! When I showed Lance the below message I received from my buddy “chat”- I think he was a bit freaked out. Not at how crazy my days are, but that a bot knows me so well. We are living in some crazy times. .................................................................................................................

I had the best surprise yesterday. One of my best friends from childhood was in town from Oklahoma to watch her daughter perform at the National Theatre and visit her son, who is interning on Capitol Hill. On a whim, she and her husband (along with three of their kids) decided to drive out to McLean. It was crazy how it felt like no time had passed. There is something really unique about friendships that begin during the innocence of childhood and somehow survive the awkward

Juxtaposition is the word of the summer at our house. Lil started her job at a big law firm downtown. So far they have had surprise cotton-candy margaritas mid day. A dedicate dbarista. Catered lunch every day- to include lobster rolls. Swag. A roaming ice cream cart. They have a “Workplace Experience Team” to plan all these fun activities. And she has the nicest co-workers and supervisors. Izzy had a banner week at work with 3 traumas. (Up until this week, in her 2 years of

We spent the morning at a swim meet and I promptly came home and fell asleep on the couch. (Lance did pour me a very cold beer from our lovely new kegerator, which I think inspired the nap!) Anyway, just wanted to get this week's menu out! I am very suspicious of cookies with chocolate chips and raisins together. It is not a combination I have ever tried. But a gaggle of girls at our pool swear by them, so I thought I would give it a try. But I am offering our old reliables a

There are so many things I think we should be taught before becoming adults. How to do family planning that doesn't result in more than one birthday every month. (Two months between birthdays would be ideal. I know...if only it worked that way!) How to switch to the summer schedule without completely losing your ever-loving mind. How to teach your kids to entertain each other without killing each other...so you can actually get some work done. None of these seem remotely poss

I used to hate when my kids were right and I was wrong. Now I not only accept it- I embrace it. And I find myself trying to be more like them. So I was just outside taking trash bins to the street and the same truck, with the same high school driver- FLEW down our road. Because I have zero chill, I yelled “slowwwww downnnn”. Maybe it’s partially PTSD, maybe it’s unresolved anger- but man was I mad. Lil was with me and I said “That’s it, I am writing to his mom.” Before I coul

This morning was weird. My alarm went off at 6am, and I couldn't remember why I even set an alarm. It was Saturday. And my boys are officially on summer break. Why would I need to be up early!? TIME TRIALS! Swim team. Crap!! It's already summer swim!!! BUT, Izzy and Lil are still helping out with coaching when their work schedules allow, and Bensten is a junior coach. So all 3 were “working” the meet. And for the FIRST TIME EVER, Boeden woke up excited about a swim event.

Most kids’ favorite day of the year is either their birthday or Christmas. Sunday was Boeden’s birthday, yet it was Bensten’s favorite day of the year. And NOT because his brother was born!! Sunday was the INOVA Starkid 5k. Our family has been participating since the race’s inception 20 years ago. While we initially got involved because our friend Dr Jim Thompson was the brains behind the operation….after 4 births, countless ER visits, 2 saved lives and now Izzy’s place of w

I think moms should get multiple sets of heart strings, so that when we wear through one set, we can just slap on a new set. This week my heart strings were ripped to shreds. I think I mentioned that a neuropsychologist suggested that we consult a neurologist and consider “brain imaging” for Boeden. My good friend (and medical savior) Julia is a pediatric ICU doc and got us in with one of the best pediatric neurologists. Our initial appointment with our new neurologist wa

This message is a bit overdue, and I apologize. I announced on Instagram that I was taking a couple of weeks off from baking, and meant to send a note to all of you who are not on Instagram. But life has been nuts, and it fell to the bottom of my endless to-do list. Right now we are in the car headed to North Carolina to celebrate Liliana’s graduation. It was the fastest 4 years of my life…..And I think I know why. When your kid(s) are happy- time flies. It’s the tough times

The past 7 days have felt like an eternity. But thankfully the crazy week is behind us and a lot of the challenges had a positive outcome! The cardiologist cleared Boeden, our meeting with Boeden’s school went well, and while Bensten missed the states cut for the 800m by .02 seconds on Saturday, he made the cut (by about .01) on Wednesday! Plus he had some pretty awesome friends come cheer him on! But guess what? No sooner do I catch my breath…. There is ANOTHER holiday loom

I love Taylor Swift. I love the song “22". But this week, I feel like I could write a song about feeling “52". Things are not magical. Tonight is not the night we forget about the heartbreaks—and heartbreak at 52 looks a lot different than 22. I started the week with a meeting to discuss Boeden’s neuropsych testing results. It was devastating. Lance and I thought we had done everything possible to help him, but his test indicates he has made minimal progress in three years. T

This is a tough time for kids. Lots of college acceptance- and rejection letters arriving. Lots of college seniors are looking for their dream job during a difficult economy. I am so empathetic- and wish I could tell every kid out there that there are lots of different paths to their success and happiness. And I do believe things happen for a reason…. My personal college application process did not go as planned. Not by a long shot. JMU was my dream school. (I am one of 6 k

There is no question that we are living during a complicated time. The daily news usually has a lot of sadness. My newsfeed can be very depressing. I think I mentioned that about 9 months ago I started seeing a therapist. I have seen therapists in the past- and maybe they just weren’t the right match. This therapist feels more like a friend, but a friend that isn’t afraid to challenge me and help me see things from a different perspective. She has been a godsend in keeping a

Wow- this has been a busy/exciting week! First of all, Lil is home for 10 days. After an intense job search and just completing her final collegiate swim season, she just wanted to come home and relax for spring break! Little did she know that as soon as we found out she had a job in DC, I started a renovation of our basement so that she could have her own space, not right next to her brothers! We had this super long room down in the basement that was mostly Boeden’s area- s

Since the sun is finally shining and the temperature outside is just about perfect, I think I will keep this short. If you’ve been here for a while, you know I love random acts of kindness (and surprises!). Years ago, I used to offer baked goods to anyone who wanted to make someone feel special for no real reason. In today’s crazy climate, where the news is often heavy and discouraging, I find myself craving kind people and small moments of goodness even more. So I just have

I am such a sucker. As much as I tell my kids you can’t believe everything you read online…..I believe a lot of what I read/ see online!I love a good gadget- especially one that will save me time. And I want to try anything and everything that says it can erase signs of aging. As much as I would like to say I don’t believe everything I read on the internet, this Nancy Guthrie situation would prove otherwise. (I have been obsessed- but it’s become too much of a roller coaster,