Recent Posts
Announcing My Candidacy for Mayor of Post Falls
I'm running for major because I want my children and grandchildren to grow up here and enjoy the same quality of life we do today. This means prudent stewardship, prioritizing families, and a positive vision for the city.
4 Years Blogging: Why write?
I've been writing the Owl for four years! Here, I reflect on why I write and how blogging can be like memoir.
How to Homeschool in the Early Years: Preschool and Kindergarten, Ages 0-7
Homeschooling doesn't have to be overwhelming or over-scheduled, especially when your kids are young! Curricula are optional. Play is mandatory. Learning will happen!
Is Going to Graduate School Worth It?
Considering applying to graduate school? Many factors go into deciding whether or not to apply: personal, practical, financial.
How to Harness Patience, Expectations, Flexibility, and Relationship in Parenting for a Smoother, Less Stressful Life with Your Children
Tantrums, meltdowns, anger, sadness: How do we deal with children's normal emotions? Here are some tips from a mother of three.
Proactive Parenting: Preventing Meltdowns, Managing Emotions
Children are still learning to regulate their moods and emotions. If we help them head off problems before they arise, everyone will stay happier and less stressed.
Backyard Suburban Gardening: My Year 5 Harvest
This year's expanded garden was more work, but the increased yield was worth it! I added to the front flower garden, too. Here's how everything grew and what I want to do differently next year.
Why I'm Running For City Council
I’m running for Post Falls City Council because I want my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to grow up as part of a thriving, resilient, local community here in North Idaho.
Backyard Gardening, Year 5: Expanded Beds and New Seed Starting Setup
This year, I've more than doubled my garden space! I added new plant varieties—and now, we have bees! See how my 250+ bulbs did and learn how I'm keeping track of everything in the yard.
The Iterative, Incremental Method for Improvement
When you look at your life, you might see big problems. Big problems need drastic solutions, right? Not necessarily. Through observation, action, evaluation, and iteration, we can improve almost anything in our lives!
How Women Scholars Manage Stress, Goals, and Self-Care—and How You Can, Too!
Is stress from work and life inevitable? How do you reframe goals and success? What do you do when decisions are mutually exclusive and mutually desirable?
How I Planted My Suburban Yard Garden, How It Grew, and What I Learned (Gardening, Year 4!)
A long, cold spring; a late first frost; new spaces, new flowers, new tools—here's how this year's garden grew!
How To Consciously Be a Role Model in Creativity, Curiosity, and Crafting for Children
I want my children to be creative and curious, to do projects and work with their hands. How do I deliberately and consciously inspire and encourage them? Here are some ways.
Backyard Gardening, Year 4: Spring Planning, Planting, and Improvements
Each year I try to level up a few gardening skills—and this year we have to landscape along a new front fence and incorporate the chickens into our routine!
Ideation, Evaluation, and Iteration: How We Plan Our Lives
How do you design a product, project, business, or your own life? Here are the keys you can use to make options and not get stuck on an 'anchor problem'.
Seasonality and Natural Rhythms: Why Growing and Preserving Your Own Food Matters
Having a garden isn't just a hedge against the End Times. Whether canning jam, fermenting cabbage, or dehydrating tomatoes, here's why the natural rhythm of growing and preserving food is good for us.
Gardening, Year 3: What I Grew and What I Learned in My 200-square-foot Backyard Garden
Every year in the garden is different. I never know which plants will grow well, based on the weather and where they're planted. Here's what happened this year: what grew, what didn't, and what I learned.
Making the Most of Our House with No Unused Space
The average American family uses only 40% of their floorplan—but we're not average! Here's how we make the most of our space, and how you can, too.
Why Watching My Parents Cook Means I Can't Share Soup Recipe—And How I'm Encouraging My Kids to Cook Too
Growing up, I spent many hours swiveling a barstool at the kitchen counter, watching my parents cook. Here's what I learned—and how I'm setting up my kitchen to encourage my kids to learn the same.
Incremental Organization: How We Made Our Garage Better For Playing, Storing, and Working
Every week, we ask: What’s one incremental thing we can do to make our living space work better for us? This week, we tackled the garage.
Why I Left Full-Time Academia and What I Do Instead
A PhD doesn't mean you're stuck with a traditional academic career. Flexibility, family, freedom: Here's how and why I decided to take a different path.
It's Just Fencing: On Approaching Life with Playfulness and Sincerity, Not Seriousness
My fencing coach used to tell me to train hard... but in the end, it's just fencing. It's the paradox of play: real and not real, serious and not serious. Here's how to apply that paradox to the rest of life.
Important But Not Urgent: How I Manage Daily Incremental Routines
Before I had kids, I had a regular morning routine. Now? Mornings don't proceed the same way twice. Here's how I make a routine work anyway and ensure I don't leave important tasks behind.
Freedom Through Constraints: Why Submitting to Rules and Tradition Helps Me Improve
I used to think I had to understand the reasons for rules before accepting and following them. Here's why I was wrong—and how tradition, history, and rules can help you, too.