all that's past is prologue...

Saint Paul Public Schools are closed for a snow day today, following the 12+ inches of snow we got yesterday. We all played in the back yard this morning, and Beatrix has spent all afternoon at her friend's house playing outside. It' a gloriously sunny, snowy, lovely day and it is perfect here. It follows the blizzard yesterday, where the blizzard made it seem like we were in a snowglobe. With candles and a fire going inside, it was the ultimate in hygge. It was not that idyllic in other places, though. Randolph Heights was easy — Patrick picked up Beatrix from school with only a few problems; busses were all gone within an hour after dismissal, and only a handful of parents were left for parent pickup. However, at about 7:40 I was texted by a friend and co-RHS parent. She had just learned that there were a bunch of kids (30+) left at both the upper and lower schools of nearby Linwood-Monroe, still waiting for busses. The principal was there with them, and staff were be...

Beatrix started her theater classes this morning at Children's Theatre Company, and was happy to have several of her friends from last session in class again (Patrick and I were happy to get back to getting work done at Glam Doll Donuts during class). But then, this afternoon, while Patrick was speaking to a group in Columbia Heights about minimalism, Beatrix and I hit some community events and did errands. We stopped at the School Choice Fair, to support the Randolph Heights teachers at the booth and talk to some prospective families (ok, well, I did. Beatrix collected pencils and other swag). Then we stopped by the Macalester-Groveland Community Council's Frost Fest. I guess I had never realized how extensive the Groveland skating rink is, and Beatrix decorated an awesome puck: Tonight, we met Beatrix's friends Dia and Meara for Game Night at Grand Shanghai, hosted by Sixth Chamber Used Books. It was a ton of fun, playing a game our friends had chosen called D...

With all the fuss about hygge and other kinds of Scandinavian coziness, I decided it was time to take a look at Live Lagom (subtitle Balanced Living the Swedish Way ) — and reading it while on a Northwoods retreat with a bunch of wonderful ladies seemed like perfect timing. That said, keep in mind that 1) I'm Norwegian, not Swedish, and 2) if you think about it, there's nothing in "moderation" about this weekend, including the amount of snacks, drinks, and hilarity going on (it IS pretty cozy, though, perhaps I should have stuck with hygge.) All that said, I liked the book more than I thought I would. It clearly defined the idea of "lagom," which is basically the idea of balance or "just enough." It then looks at: -  Lagom at work, which seems hard unless everyone is doing it; did you know the average number of work hours a year for a Swede is 1,600 hours? (in the US, FT work is defined as 2,080 hours, though to be fair that includes vacation ...

So over the weekend, Beatrix, Patrick, and I did "Yoga and  Pint" at Lake Monster, which was totally awesome and comes highly recommended (we'll meet you there sometime!) When Beatrix and I went out afterwards she was commenting about how much she likes the song "Wavin' Flag" which was part of the playlist, especially the line "When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag." And that's pretty much where she is right now in her life. Last night we saw Lady Bird as part of the FilmNorth Spirit Awards screenings  (another thing you should join me for). I'm incredibly proud of myself that I saw a movie about a sometimes rough relationship between a mother and a daughter without bursting into tears. It's a great movie, but one that's really got me thinking about mother/daughter relationships and how fraught they become during the teen years. I'm sometimes amazed my mom and I ma...

It's Inauguration week here in Saint Paul, and it's been a great week to welcome our 46th mayor — and our first mayor of color — my long-term (if not close) friend, Melvin Carter! As my friend Katie noted last night "Saint Paul has not had an inauguration in so long that I love that we've just taken the chance to make up what we want it to be." And she was right — it was a whirlwind week of coffee shop meet and greets, painting  community mural, a swearing-in at Central High School, and an inaugural ball at Union Depot last night (where Melvin's grandfather served as a Red Cap porter yard ago). Apparently, a solemn and quiet swearing-in (like Minneapolis just had) is much more the norm. But I have to say I loved the energy and involvement of tis series of events. When I stopped in to Coffee Bene for a meet and greet yesterday, the place was packed, and Melvin was talking, and listening, to a lot of people. And last night, I guess we were lucky to e...

What the slips of paper in our "good things from 2017" jar said: Beatrix braces off Beatrix' fiber arts scholarship Hyacinths blooming Glass birds from Vibrant CJ volunteer party Getting a Hatchimal Dropping things off for the KidsPark sale Harry Potter Year 2 Patio night 3 Cirque shows (O, Love, and Mystere) Bethany's craft area cleanup Brunch with Amy and Jaye/playdate with Scarlett Built swingset for Beatrix Stillwater day Women's retreat Tenant restaurant Installed new under cabinet light in kitchen The Oscars Dinner party at Kate and Baxter's Hidden Figures Elderberry cocktail at Revival with Heidi and Denise GTYS concert with Dylan in it and out afterwards The Grand Canyon Using the real silver Bethany got me for Christmas Felipe and Juliana's wedding Amelia Island beach Lobster rolls eaten with silver Dancing on the Edge Dining room remodel Tiger Lily Bottle Rocket with Jenn and Erica A bathing suit that fits Or...

We started out 2018 right by going to brunch at Delicata . I love me some Matty O'Reilly restaurants, and Delicata and Arc Value Village had done a great promotion called #ThrifTABLE, where brunch was served on dishes from the thrift shop and the newly minted basement rec room had games and decor from them as well. Their social media efforts were truly on par, with even an Instagram contest. We got to brunch at 11 (they started at 10), and you could tell they were not quite ready for the rush; they were out of cinnamon rolls, strata, and baked french toast, which left relatively little for the non-meat-eaters to eat. Also, after a late night, we did not opt for the $8 bottomless mimosa. That all said, brunch was nice enough, and it was a great way to start the year. We'll definitely be back! That afternoon, we decided to head over to the State Capitol, for one of their free tours (because let's face it, we had not done too many educational events over the break!) ...

Wow, was last year really so bad I did not even have any New Year's resolutions? That's really unlike me, but if I did have them, I undoubtedly failed, since I can't find them or remember anything about them. So, as I lie in bed with a lot of cats after a couple of New Year's parties last year, I only have one resolution for 2018: To set up systems so that everything in my life runs smoother and better. That will of course lead to all sorts of magical extra time to do things and much less stress, right? Happy New Year to you all!