Like many parents with too much to do, I’ve been beating myself up lately for tackling the bare minimum while caring for my 3.5-year-old son and 4-month-old daughter. It’s a constant attention shift: him, her, dishes, him, work, her, meal prep, him, her, him — you get it; if you’re…

How to summon your muse most of the time (I mean, she’s a muse, every time is a stretch) — All writers get a little stuck sometimes. We feel stale — like all our ideas are stupid, or worse, completely draw blanks. Topped off beverage of choice in hand, you open a blank word document or take out a fresh sheet of paper and… summon the muse. Her “out of…

It’s not about the toys — My son is generally happy. Most kids are. It isn’t until years, experiences, trials, and tribulations wear down our bodies and jade our souls that our default feeling is more meh than exuberance. When this happens, we often turn to material things for happiness, thinking something new and shiny will…

I get it, scroll away. I’ll keep an eye on your kid. — You have a toddler, I get it. He’s independent, yet clingy. He’s happy one minute, crying the next. You fill every day with activities: breakfast, playtime in the living room, storytime at the library, and now the playground. Sure you want to limit screen time, but occasionally you need to…

There’s a scene in Sex and the City’s last season where Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie, just told her friend Cynthia Nixon’s character, Miranda, that she will be quitting her job and moving to Paris with her boyfriend. Ever the realist, Miranda tells Carrie she can’t give up being a…

It pains me when parents say things like “Yes, please take my children!” or “She was throwing a tantrum, oh well, she’s the sitter’s problem now” or, to the newest mom-to-be, “Congrats, you’ll never sleep again.” …

The other day my almost 2-year-old and I stood in our apartment complex watching movers move tenants into their apartment. We live in Korea. The Koreans eliminated moving logistics complexities by building apartments with huge sliding doors (protected by high iron railings) and moving trucks that feature movable platforms. On…

Dedicated to the women who serve, who have served, and those who never wore a uniform but know exactly how to take care of one. On May 27, 2009, I solemnly swore that I would support and defend the constitution of the United States. …

JAN 2017: As I write this I’m 21 weeks and 4 days pregnant. For anyone who hasn’t had a baby yet and glosses over when the discussion shifts to babies (aka me just this past August), that’s just over halfway there. Your due date is the start of week 40…