The Daily B

Storytelling and Misadventures

September 28, 2023

The Patchwork Mother

I'm re-posting an essay I wrote a few years ago for Mama Moderne. It's as true today as it was then, and some recent face-to-face conversations with friends made me realize how many women have complicated relationships with their mothers, and how many have wrapped...

September 28, 2023

the beauty of disappointment

The buzzer went off. B pushed hard off the wall and began slicing through the water as fast as her little arms and legs would take her. She reminded me of a wind-up toy in the bathtub, chugging steadily across the surface.Kris gave me a...

September 28, 2023

a vintage iron bed DIY

Last June, when we were driving home from Mexico, I looked out the window and saw something truly special. You'd think I was a kid passing by an amusement park the way I yelled and begged Kris to stop the car. He stopped...

September 28, 2023

the stanford marshmallow experiment

Kris challenged the kids to sit completely still and be absolutely silent for five minutes. He timed them. It was tough, but they succeeded. So he fed them ice cream. And, it went downhill from there. I'm sure someday they'll ace their SATs. ...

September 28, 2023

road trips with kids: the essentials

A lot of folks have asked how we pack for our annual summer road trip. Aside from the obvious – clothes, toothbrushes, snacks – there are a few items I don’t leave home without. I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid and both kids are still...

September 28, 2023

today

It's 111 degrees outside, and I've let the kids run wild indoors while I read a new book under the cool blanket of air conditioning. I'm not enforcing nap time, because we are all content, and frankly it's too hot to argue.The kids sense this,...