Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Wednesday. School starts TOMORROW so that means I'm buried in backpacks, laundry, and other details before the big day. This year, I have one high schooler, one middle schooler, and one elementary schooler so that means THREE different schools are emailing me on the regular. Please pray for my sanity. 1) Reflection: The start of the school year usually comes with a big shift in our routine. It's an entire production to get three kids out of the house. Whenever...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Wednesday. If you're like me and live in a country where school-aged children have summers off, you're probably counting down the days until the school year starts (22 days to go...) I took some time off earlier this month, which was a lot of fun, but is also one more "routine disruption" that I need to recover from. I like the predictability of the school year and can't wait for it to return. Do you have a love-hate relationship with summer? Please reply and...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Do you love this newsletter and look forward to receiving it every week? Forward it to a friend! Sharing is caring. 💌 Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Wednesday. I've been my oldest child's chauffeur for the past few weeks. Such is the life of a teenager... While the thought of a teen driver scares me, I have to admit that my life will be SO much easier once I'm not constantly toting kids around. My oldest will begin driver's ed later this year. If you're a parent whose kid is old enough to...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Friday. It's the tail-end of a holiday week here in the U.S. I took the week off from client work and did some traveling with my fam. Taking part of next week off also. No matter if you work for an employer or work for yourself, I highly recommend giving yourself at least one "recovery day" to get caught up on life stuff before resuming work. This week, I have something a bit different for the newsletter. I started writing down a bunch of tips for travel /...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Wednesday. My part of the U.S. is experiencing sweltering heat right now — 95F (35C). I'm not a fan of heat in general, and this is way above my "comfortable" zone. When it's this hot, I love going to ultra-cold buildings like a museum or a movie. In fact, that's what I'm doing with my family today. It's a holiday in the U.S. (Juneteenth) and my kids' summer camp is closed, so we're headed to the James Bond exhibit at the Museum of Science & Industry. What are...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Wednesday. School's out for the summer. Which means my kids are in summer camp and, as a result, our schedule shifts a lot. 1) Reflection: If you're like me and summer throws you off from your "routine": I get it. I have a love / hate relationship with summer. Love doing stuff with my family and outside, but am always relieved when the school year starts again. I'm not really a go-with-the-flow person. I like plans and like to know what's happening....
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Wednesday. My kids only have 8 days left in the school year, which is wild to me. On top of that, my oldest will be in high school in the fall. 😠I've heard the saying, "The days are long, but the years are short" and it is TOTALLY true. If you're a parent with older kiddos, I'm sure you'd tell me that in another blink of an eye, my son will be graduating from high school. 1) Reflection: The more I think about my kids going off into the world, the more I think...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hello fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Wednesday. My kids are counting down the days to the end of the school year (seventeen). We shift to a summer routine. My kids go to summer camp and my oldest son joined a running group in preparation for high school cross-country (which he will join in the fall). Transportation during the school year is easy because my kids take the bus. Summer involves a lot more driving. 1) Reflection: I go through different bouts with writing. Sometimes I move at a frenetic...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋 - Happy Wednesday. This morning, I came into my office and found that my 6-year-old had left a "scavenger hunt" of post-it notes around the room. One was stuck to the doorknob, instructing me to look for the rest. I found one on my keyboard, the floor, my chair, etc. All variations of the same thing: a heart and the words, "I love you." It was a perfect start to this newsletter issue I had planned anyway: things that make me smile. This, of course, looks different for...
5 months ago • 3 min read