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Selfless.
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Distance Learning, Parenting, and Surviving the Pandemic; a Reflection
Today is the last day of school. The last day of school in a year that held unprecedented challenges for children, parents, and teachers; the year of COVID-19 and distance learning during a world wide pandemic. My kids never returned to in-person to school and the end of this time with them is bittersweet. I cannot and will not downplay the hardship that all parents have had to face– but especially working parents. It is nearly impossible to function in a work environment when kids need help getting on Zoom, finding a notebook, can’t finish work because there is too much typing, technical issues, and myriad of other things that…
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Slow It Down, Mama
It can be really stressful to be alive. It can be really stressful to be a mother, working, with kids at home doing Zoom calls, with all the stresses of the house on your food-stained shoulders.
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Our Memory Tree
It might not be pretty. One might even call it cluttered. But I look at this mess And each ornament, Hung half-hazardly from those branches Is a beautiful memory. I see plump fingers working so hard To pry open the loop of a purple Ikea Christmas ball, Circa 2006. That snowman with half of his head missing– It was taken out by the pregnant belly carrying baby number two. There are hand-sewn family heirlooms, And ceramic painted figures That have the distinct pallet of throw-up. There is a horse-face. And a ball of string the exact length of my daughter’s height in kindergarten. There are clumps of ornaments All pressed…
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I might be the mother who wears leggings now.
Oh my gosh. Somehow I blinked and became a 34-year-old woman who lives in workout clothes. When did this happen? One of the many disgraces that 2020 has brought upon my household was the COVID-15 that I gained by drinking cocktails at 2 pm on a Tuesday. And on a Wednesday. Ok, every day. It probably was also compounded by the fact that I comforted my anxiety with tacos. Carnitas, adobada, carne asada, beans and rice…anyone else hungry now? Just me? Anywho. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t losing weight– I stopped day drinking and limited my intake of tacos. And then I put my Fitbit on. See, in…
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I Still Love You, Betty Sue; Mindful Practices for Opening Your Circle During COVID.
COVID-19 has rendered most of our social lives obsolete. But as things begin to open up, folks are starting to look at how to ease back into the world of playdates and social hangouts. The experts caution against large gatherings but we are seeing some subtle messaging about expanding our circles to one or two families– a benefit to the sanity of everyone involved. Let’s be real–there is immense truth to the notion that this pandemic has had extensive consequences not only on our physical health but our mental health, as well. Isolation can lead to loneliness, especially when it’s coupled with worry and stress. At-risk groups who may be…
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To all the parents during COVID-19; you got this.
Guys. Take a deep breath. I know that we are feeling overwhelmed. This is a strange time to be alive. History is being made every day. Books will be dedicated to how the situation was handled, how people reacted, and there will be tables upon tables on quantifiable data. But guess what? Our kids most likely won’t give a damn about the tables. Or the graphs. Or how exponential math is relevant in the time of COVID-19. But what they will remember is this time spent with you. They will remember sitting in heat of the sun, planting a shoot of garlic in the moist soil. They will recall how…
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The Easiest Recipe for Homemade Delicious Sourdough
I have been making sourdough for a long time now and it has taken me countless combinations of recipes to find something that works. There is nothing quite like learning how to make your own sourdough– for me it made me feel like I could take on the world. It made me feel capable and self-sufficient. Like a domestic badass. Take note that sough dough is roughly a three-day process— the first day you feed your starter and make sure it is ready to go. The second day the dough is made, and the third day you bake it. Here is the simplest, easiest sourdough recipe that ANYONE can make.…
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Captain’s Log; 03.18.2020
The morning started off alright…it had been raining lightly and the house felt cozy and warm. But then we tried to do some word games and hell hath done broketh loose. My six-year-old forgot that he had his headphones plugged into the iPad and got up to get a drink of water, taking the entire setup with him. The iPad is still alive…but barely. It now has cracks at both corners and little splinters gravitating towards its middle. We pulled it together and tried to have a nice Facetime session with the kids’ best friends. But apparently my phone wasn’t big enough to fit all of their heads and after…
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Captain’s Log; 03.17.2020
We are in the second day of our quarantine. Our second day of homeschooling. It’s been raining on and off and every time there is a break in the weather I shove the kids outside and shout, “RECESS!” Because this is San Diego and if it is below 70 and there is any moisture, we don’t dare brave the weather. The past 48 hours has already made me appreciate so much– seeing our friends and family, getting whatever I want for dinner (OMG HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT MY JAMAICAN FOOD? AND LORD KNOWS I CANNOT MAKE IT.), and I miss the simple things like not having a…