Tag: Children

Mother’s Day Reflections

- Alexis 4 Comments

As I write this on the evening of Mother’s Day 2021, I sit perched on a barstool overlooking my messy kitchen and cluttered family room. I am tired but mostly content. I was determined to spend the day enjoying time with my family rather than tidying up and doing laundry or yardwork or the other chores that tend to fill my weekends. I slept in this morning, which was lovely, although it would probably take a solid year of late mornings to put a dent in the sleep deficit I’ve accumulated over the past few years.

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This Earth Day, Let’s Reconsider Our Lawn Care

- Alexis Leave a comment
Purple wildflowers and weeks sprout up among blades of grass in a residential lawn

Today is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Lately, while spending so much time at home, I’ve been thinking about the impact of our lawn and garden activities on our ecosystems. As I work in my dining room and go for walks around my neighborhood, I’ve become more aware of how many of my neighbors regularly have their lawns sprayed with synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. The homogeneously green, weed-free grass might fit a contemporary perfectionist aesthetic, but I cringe each time I see a TruGreen or LawnDoctor truck roll down the street or notice the little flags in the yards designed to alert people that it was just sprayed.

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Family Traditions: Remembering Old Ones and Building New Ones

- Alexis Leave a comment
A miniature Christmas tree on a mantle. Choosing, placing, and decorating a Christmas tree is a popular family tradition in the United States.

As we head into the holiday season, I’ve been thinking about family traditions. Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of traditions, but the ones we did have were meaningful. As an adult reflecting back on my youth, my memories are largely organized around those traditions, and they help me feel more connected to my family.

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