A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How’s it going? How was your week? I know the school year is just ending for some of you — and others are already deep into summer break.
Today is my birthday! Sunday is Father’s Day! So Ben Blair and I are thinking we’ll do a combo celebration and go spend a night at the famous (and fancy!) Claremont Hotel.
Of course, I’m also thinking about my dad this weekend. The photo above is his grave. My mom put out some yellow flowers when she was in St. George on Memorial Day (yellow was his favorite!). I hope all the good dads in your life get some extra love this weekend.
Before I sign off, here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
…How To Find An Au Pair Position
Last week I mentioned that Olive has found an Au Pair position in the South of France, beginning this fall. She’s very excited, and we’re very excited for her.
In response, several readers asked for a post about how Olive found the Au Pair position. I thought that was a great idea for a blog post, so this morning, I interviewed Olive about the process and am sharing her answers here.
If there are any questions you wished I had asked, please leave them in the comments, and Olive will take a look. : )
…Living With Kids: Mary Jo Fiorella
I laughed when I was reading today’s Living With Kids essay and read that Mary Jo’s daughter drew a picture of her with eight arms. It seems totally fitting. Mary Jo runs her own successful design business (you’ll understand why it’s so successful when you see the gorgeous photos of her home), and she is a single mom who decided that rather than wait to get married, she’d foster and adopt a child of her own. I think you’re going to love getting a peek of her world. Welcome, Mary Jo!
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? Can you believe we’re a week into June? I’m glad to report we’ve had a happy first week of summer break. Olive went camping with friends. Betty has been doing quite a bit of babysitting for our neighbor. Oscar and June have been baking. And as I mentioned, Maude and Ralph are out of town.
I’ve been power-washing the balconies and outdoor furniture. Ben Blair has been working on a book. And this weekend, we’re hoping to do a big decluttering in the house.
If you’re in the mood for some weekend reading, here are a few things I’ve wanted to share:
…Random Thoughts
I hope you’re in the mood for a Random Thoughts post. Here are some of the things on my mind (it’s mostly thoughts about my kids):
-Yesterday, Maude moved to New York for the summer! She has an internship at Best Made, plus she’ll be working with the amazing Jodi Levine of Super Make It and Amanda Kingloff of Project Kid. I’m super proud of her for figuring all this stuff out and hope she has an amazing experience.
…French Cottage Update
It’s been ages since I’ve shared an update on The Cottage in France — mostly because there hasn’t been anything to report. : )
Here’s the latest: We had an unexpected offer from someone who wants to buy it! The property is not listed for sale, so this was just someone making an inquiry, but it got us thinking about what we want to do with us.
You may remember, a couple years ago we spent the summer in France with the intention of working on the cottage. But after we got there we hit pause. On a fluke, we ended up visiting other properties for sale, and realized that it would be less expensive (and much less complicated!) to buy an already livable, useable space.
But, we still liked the idea of working on The Cottage. We had already worked with an architect on plans. We had already replaced the roof. We weren’t ready to say goodbye to it.
…Living With Kids: Maria Rivera
You know that thing when you are sitting around with your college friends and you talk about living in a commune together and raising your families together? But then it never happens because how could that possibly work?
Well when Maria Rivera and her husband were looking for house near Stanford, and it all seemed too expensive, they made the bold decision to move in with their two best friends and share a house so their money could go further.
They really seem to have this communal living thing figured out — and it might just make you want to rethink that college best friend commune you’ve always dreamed about. Welcome, Maria!
…America’s Mood: Eat the Rich – Part Two
On February 7th, I wrote a post titled America’s Mood: Eat the Rich. I really appreciated the conversation and comments on that post. It’s only been a four months, but it seems like this “mood” is only intensifying. I realize my social feeds may just be showing me this stuff because the AI can tell I’m interested, but here’s some of what I’ve seen lately:
-On Saturday night, Elizabeth Warren held a Town Hall meeting here in Oakland (pictured above). They first had it scheduled in a small auditorium, but there was so much interest they moved it to a baseball field at Laney College (one of our local community colleges — Ralph takes classes there). It was a free event. We arrived about 30 mins before the event was supposed to start and the line was over a mile long! There were over 6500 people! The Warren team wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to get on the field, so the event started late — but it was worth the wait.
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? Did you have a good week? Yesterday was our last day of school, which means today is officially Summer Vacation!
It was a happy week of end-of-year celebrations. Oscar was one of four 8th grade valedictorians (the only boy!), and on Tuesday, he gave an excellent speech at the 8th grade advancement ceremony. It was packed 1000-seat auditorium, but he wasn’t nervous at all, and totally nailed his speech. This morning, it was fun to let the kids sleep in.
This is also the last weekend of the Temple Open House and I spent this morning as a volunteer tour guide. My mom and stepdad are in town to attend the open house, and we have plans to take everyone on the ferry from Oakland to San Francisco this afternoon. The weather is gorgeous, so it’s a perfect day for a ferry ride.
How about you? Any weekend plans you’re looking forward to? I’ve got some really great links for you, if you’re in the mood. Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
…Living With Kids: Kristy Rulnick
I’m happy today to introduce you to Kristy from Pennsylvania and her beautiful home. When Kristy and her husband were looking for a home, they decided that a new build was best for them. The price was right and it allowed them to get the exact home that they wanted.
With the build complete, the budget being tight, and two small children at home, Kristy has focused on DIY projects to get the interior the way she wants it. The results are so welcoming! You’ll love getting this chance to take a look around. Welcome, Kristy.
…What City Wins Best Weather?
I was in Palm Springs last week on a short work trip, and it was hot. About 100 degrees. Then yesterday, I saw a headline that Denver had a huge snow storm this week — it’s late May for goodness’ sake!
Some people are smart and live in San Diego, but the rest of us live someplace where we are likely too cold or too hot for most of the year. I’ve tried both. I grew up in St. George, Utah which is quite hot (though there are much hotter places!). St. George hovers around 100 degrees for at least 4 months of the year. I’ve lived in Normandy, France, which gets deeply cold and our pipes would freeze. I’ve lived in New York which is unbearably cold for a way too long winter, and also has a good month or two of unbearably hot summer.
…Living With Kids: Gina Lee
You know when you watch Gilmore Girls and all you want to do is move to Star’s Hollow? A picturesque New England town with a small town feel and street festivals and quirky neighbors and great scenery everywhere? Well, that is exactly what Gina Piombo’s home town sounds like!
She and her husband both work in advertising in New York City, and they are raising their two daughters in the village of Lynbrook on Long Island. She’s a working mom with two toddlers and she shares some great advice about being great at your job, keeping the house clean and organized, and maximizing time with your kids. Welcome, Gina!
…Pothole Vigilantes
Not so fun fact: Oakland roads are some of the worst in the country. I swear every street in the entire city could use a good repaving. It’s estimated that the poor road quality ends up costing citizens an extra $1,049 per year in car maintenance. Yikes! (Don’t get me wrong — I really love living in Oakland — but that doesn’t mean I’m not aware of city’s issues.)
Well, a couple of citizens have lost patience and have decided to take things into their own hands. They started an Instagram feed called Pothole Vigilantes, and if you happen to have a pothole you want fixed, you let them know the location, and they’ll go fill the hole in the middle of the night. You can Venmo them cash as a thank you.
…Living With Kids: Rachel Oakes
Meet Rachel. She’s a mom, a designer, a DIYer, and until very recently, a small business owner. Rachel is warm and funny, and has a home full of interesting and unique antiques and DIY pieces. Shel recently had to close her incredibly successful design and furniture shop, which she had run for three years, and I found it to be such a compelling story.
So often things don’t work out in quite the way we expect, and we have to pivot and make adjustments. Rachel’s enthusiasm and energy are just what you need to help you through those kind of changes. Welcome, Rachel!
…A Dose of Food Nostalgia
For Flora June’s birthday last week, we asked her what she wanted for breakfast in bed. One of her requests was orange juice, and at the grocery store, Ben Blair picked up a can of frozen concentrate. When they saw it, our kids were like ????
I laughed and showed them how to pull the white tab till the lid pops, how to run it under hot water so that the concentrate will slip out in one piece, how to fill the tube with water three times, and that it takes way longer to dissolve then you think, so keep stirring. (You can add frozen OJ to the list of things to entertain your kids this summer. Hah!)
…Living With Kids: Bridget Watson Payne
I think you are going to love getting to know Bridget. She seems like the kind of smart and interesting person that you would want to invite to a dinner party, because you know she’s going to have some great stories to tell about her cool job (she works in publishing), and her interesting family, and her life in a very tiny (650 sq.ft) apartment in San Francisco.
Bridget is an artist, a writer, and a business owner as well, and she shares some helpful advice about raising a third grader while working on a career — and how to find that ever elusive balance. Plus you’ll love her apartment. It’s small but full of interesting details and personality. Welcome, Bridget.
…Switching Political Parties
In the mood for a chat about politics? I’ve been collecting my thoughts (and great links) so I can discuss them with you.
First topic: Have you ever changed political parties? If yes, I’d love to hear about it. How old were you? What made you change? Did it feel like a big deal to switch?
…Living With Kids: Catherine Wood-Connolly
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Catherine’s home tour since I first read the responses she sent in. Her words have so much grace and compassion and wisdom. Reading her interview is a reminder that life never, and I mean never, turns out the way we imagine it will.
But we know that it’s in the twists and turns and challenges that we find ourselves and grow and change. Catherine has some really wonderful things to share and I can’t wait for you to meet her. Welcome, Catherine!
…Wait. What? Is My Dentist Scamming Me?
Did anyone else read the article in the Atlantic titled The Trouble With Dentistry? I found it super interesting and learned a ton. The article tells the scandalous story of a now-retired dentist named Roger Lund who performed a huge number of totally unnecessary procedures — including unneeded root canals, crowns, and bridges — with costs of $50,000+ for patients. From the article:
Year after year, Lund had performed certain procedures at extraordinarily high rates. Whereas a typical dentist might perform root canals on previously crowned teeth in only 3 to 7 percent of cases, Lund was performing them in 90 percent of cases.
This was discovered when he sold his practice to another dentist, Brendon Zeidler. Zeidler would see patients that had previously gone to Lund and was shocked (understatement) when he examined their records and saw what was going on.
…Earth Day Conundrums
Happy Earth Day!
Do you watch The Good Place? It’s hilarious and entertaining but also takes deep dives into philosophical topics. In the most recent season, the characters discover that no one has qualified for the Good Place (a version of Heaven) in 521 years. Why? Because life on Earth has become so complicated, that even when humans intentionally make “good” decisions, those decisions often come with unintentional “bad” consequences.
I think about that a lot. Most recently this morning when I read an article about how sunscreen is causing damage to sea life — specifically coral. Sunscreen wasn’t really a thing when I was a kid. And then it was. Seemingly overnight there was a huge push to make sure everyone was using sunscreen. It became part of every conversation at pediatric well-visits. Using sunscreen — especially when talking about anyone supervising children — was what responsible adults who made “good” decisions did. It still is.
How long did it take us to figure out the unintentional negative consequences of our actions? And are there other negative consequences we haven’t discovered yet?
The same thought process goes though my head almost every time I read about Earth-day related topics. I want to make the “right” decisions, but it’s not always clear what’s actually helpful, versus what ends up just being performative. Some of my thoughts:
…