I don’t really do New Year resolutions. I don’t want to set myself up for failure right out of the gate. But I do set my intentions on improving some area of my life. Just shifting the needle in that general direction. For 2020, I decided to be more mindful of our plastic use. If I can afford to buy something in a glass container vs. plastic, I do. I started using bar soap instead of body wash. And I began looking into reusable shopping bags that would be easier to use.
So when an email showed up in my inbox asking me to review the Lotus Trolley Bag, I was very intrigued.Then, the same day my package arrived, my dog did this to my old shopping bags:
It was like he knew …
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It’s not very often that I get to spend time with one of my best friends, and it’s not often I get one-on-one time with my oldest daughter. Until last night. Thanks to some generous promotional folks with Intrust Bank Arena and Cirque du Soleil‘s production Toruk (based on James Cameron’s Avatar) I was able to do both (as well as give away some tickets on my Facebook page). We all loaded up in my road-weary minivan, and headed to the big city for a night of entertainment and culture. We started with some sushi at Kanai, a great little place in Wichita that can serve as either a fancy date night locale, or an approachable place …
I believe in activism. I believe in standing up. I believe in speaking out. Power. To. Da. People.
What I don’t believe in? Slacktivism. That is, the act of sharing and shaming online without actually doing your homework or better yet, getting your hands dirty. Getting involved. Getting your boots on the ground.
I was recently invited to do just that when I went on the #FarmFoodTour, sponsored by Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Soybean Commission. It was a three-day trek from Kansas City all the way to Scott City and back again to tour various elements of our agriculture landscape. While I’ve grown up in a farm community and have written for ag publications for several years, there’s SO much I have to learn. And more importantly, I wanted to see for …
It may have been the end of the year, but my first grader wanted to use her new backpack!
I know, I know, it’s a weird time of year to talk about backpacks. I mean, shouldn’t that wait until the beginning of the school year? Well, maybe, but if your kids have been out of school for any more than 2.5 days, you’re already thinking about sending those little stinkers sweethearts back to school. Sure, I was ready for the school year to end, but now that my girls have been home together with hours upon hours of unstructured time, I know I’ll be ready to send them packing come August. And by packing, I just mean back to school. I’m not kicking them out or anything, geesh!
Here’s the deal. I can joke and kid …
This month has been crazy. I mean craaaaazy. With a baby on the way (who thought about showing up early for a bit) and the general chaos of family life, I wasn’t sure I would even have a chance to make it to Whole Foods to fulfill my monthly Blog Ambassador commitment. And I use the term commitment loosely. If I can write a post, awesome. If not, no big deal. It’s not always possible for me. It’s an hour drive, and I don’t often have business in far East Wichita. But yesterday, I decided to take the trip. I always enjoy going, and I wanted to pick up a few special things for our family Super Bowl party on Sunday. Again, I’m using a term loosely. By party, I mean the four …
Amid the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, I remember turning to my husband in the kitchen and saying, “You know, I remember when kids would just be thrilled to get an orange and a peppermint stick for Christmas.”
He gave me “the look.” The one with the raised eyebrow that means, “What in the HECK are you talking about?”
I clarified. “Well, I guess *I* don’t remember it personally. It’s something I remember reading about in the Little House on the Prairie books. So I guess it was a long time ago. And not really my own memory.”
He let it pass. After all, I’ve been saying some rather strange things lately during this pregnancy. But the citrus thing stuck with me. When did we become so discontent with the gift of fresh fruit? Or have we?
Several …