The Ache: For anyone who has said good-bye or moved far away, you get this

 On Monday night we boarded a redeye flight from California to Guatemala. We’ve done this numerous times before, the difference being this time the little baby we thought would sleep was wide awake. We sat on the runway for a while before being giving the clear to take off. […] Continue Reading…

When is Less More? Thoughts on Parenting, Giving Kids Options and Contentment

  Last week, Elena and I were on our way back from an afternoon errand. As soon as I pull up in front of our house, her little voice from the backseat both asks and exclaims, “Agua? Agua!” I pull her out of the carseat, going over my mental to-do list that […] Continue Reading…

Thoughts on Feeding a {strong-willed} Toddler : What’s Been Working For Us

  This is not a “how to get your kid to eat broccoli post” because the truth is, I just don’t know. Elena still won’t touch it. Just like I don’t think there is one way to raise kids, there is definitely not one way to feed kids. I feel fairly […] Continue Reading…

Project 52: My Town- Through Her Eyes

I posted this picture on Instagram this morning. Sometimes on our morning walks, as the soft light breaks through the trees, I try to imagine our town through MY daughters eyes. I try to imagine, what does she see? Lots of doggies roaming the streets, doggies without collars or leashes, or owners • […] Continue Reading…

Vacation as a Family of Three: El Salvador + Honduras + Nicaragua

We have been back for a few days. We’ve done laundry and put away our suitcases, and our tanned face our fading, but I still find little bits of sand in the bottom of the laundry basket and I smile. We needed this vacation. We needed time away as […] Continue Reading…

Dear Mija {12 months}: Birthday Celebrations in Two Countries and My Three Words For You

If your new here, these are series of letters I started writing to my daughter before she was born. This was the first one, and this is one her Daddy wrote her. I wrote about her birth story here  and I seem to write a lot about raising a […] Continue Reading…

Doing Laundry at Night and Living with Tension

Most evenings before heading up to bed, I start a load of laundry. The water fills the basin; I toss in half a cup of liquid soap. I dump in the pile of dirty clothes and washcloths and towels that sit in the basket. Why are there always so many dirty washcloths? I close the […] Continue Reading…

When You Celebrate Two Independence Days

  I have lived in Guatemala for 4 years now. And every year around 4th of July a wave of homesickness rolls over me. I know myself well enough, that now I can kind of anticipate it, but I can’t make it go away. Funny how emotions work like that, […] Continue Reading…