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Sandra Bland Day: Let’s Continue to Do the Work
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend Sandra Bland Day in Austin. The amazing Community Advocacy and Healing Project organized the event.
Sandra Bland’s death hit me hard back in 2015. And whenever I think something is hard for me as a white person, I pause. I try to put myself in the shoes of People of Color to the extent that I can. At the Sandra Bland Day event, I got to listen to a Black woman talk about what Sandra’s story was like for her. She explained that most of the police brutality she had witnessed prior to that point had been on Black men. Those … Read More
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Losing a Child: Potentially Helpful Books for Families
On most days, I experience a range of emotions. I will have moments of immense gratitude for my life. Then, I will experience irritation about something—more irritation than is actually warranted. Sometimes I step back and wonder, “How can I possibly feel anything but overwhelming gratitude for every second that I get to live on this Earth with my children and my partner?” I try to remember that it can all change in an instant—that losing a child is something that many families go through. What is the point of feeling irritation when there’s so much to be thankful for?
My heart breaks for several families I know who have … Read More
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Simple DIY Birthday Party for a Six Year-Old
Tate just turned six. I am so grateful that we got to have another simple DIY birthday party at home. I’m not sure how long they will last! We go to many birthday parties at expensive trampoline or gymnastics places. The peer pressure is real! This article calls it an “expenditure cascade.” So far our kids aren’t complaining about birthday parties at home. Once they grow out of home birthday parties, we are going to try free parks.
Now that our children have entered the Montessori “Reasoning Mind” stage, we give them a budget and they plan their own parties. They make a plan for food and favors. It’s really … Read More