One summer time (actually all year round) activity anyone can participate in regardless of Internet access or mobile devices is reading. And, most cities have at least one public library where you can check out books for free. As parents we need to turn our families onto reading. Growing up books were never further than an arm's reach away. Every room had at least one floor-to-ceiling bookcase, if not more. My favorites were anything from the Time-Life Foods of the World series, especially those countries that my grandfather traveled to regularly for work. I firmly believe this unlimited access coupled with my dad reading out loud to the family a chapter or two from a book is why I'm still an avid reader to this day.   We began reading to Gates when she was in the womb, probably like most parents these days, and we have continued this practice. (Nurturing a love of reading in Gates is so important to us that we even included it in last year's Summer Bucket List Challeng...

Often what we say is important to us differs from where we spend our time. It's only when look back later do we see any disconnects. Writing in a journal and/or compiling lists are popular ways to chronicle one's life, but lately I'm preferring more visual snapshots. When it comes to reflection I have a hard time pausing long enough. In mid-March, I recognized the value of keeping a journal and decided to chronicle my journey of re-starting my business . Yet, while I realize it's important, I've averaged about two to three entries every other week.   Instead, I find myself turning more and more to my iPhone and to Instagram. My new found preference for visual "scrapbooking" of my life is surprising as I've always been one to prefer prose, wanting to examine a character's motivation and life story in excruciating detail. Maybe it's a result of becoming a parent, long uninterrupted stretches where I can ponder life and write about have become...

San Franciscans must like sweets--it seems there's a bakery, a donut shoppe, or an ice cream parlor on almost every corner. Maybe I exaggerate just a little. But without really trying, I counted over a dozen in the mile radius around our flat.   Sweets must be important to us as well; Gates' first taste of Bi-rite ice cream was one of our Summer Bucket List items last year. (Visiting Mitchell's Ice Cream in Bernal Heights is on our Summer Bucket List this year.) And when Kait of Yuppie Love visited last summer, I took her two of our favorite haunts: Anthony's Cookies and The Creme Brulee Cart .      Where to Find Ice Cream, Donuts, and Cookies in The Mission Here are our top 5 favorite spots in The Mission where we satisfy our sweet tooth: Anthony's Cookies on Valencia between 25th and 26th Bi-Rite Creamery (if you're not feeling the lines and all you want is a pint, you can totally grab one from the market across the street or if you're the typ...

It's said confidence can't be taught. As a parent that's frustrating because we want our children to be confident and we want a proven methodology for imparting that confidence.   So, you can imagine my surprise when I found confidence I didn't know I had. For me getting out from behind the camera--and in front of it-- resulted in new found confidence.     What's your secret to building your confidence?  

From an early age I've been obsessed with paper goods and letter writing. I love the thrill of going into a card store or a paper store and being surrounded by color and by cheer. So I'm especially excited to talk with Clarissa Nicole of Five12Studio about what The Good Life means to her. Clarissa and I met a couple of months ago online over a weekly Twitter chat that Alt Summit hosts every Wednesday at 9AM Pacific. I immediately fell in love with her work--her designs and her photography. I especially loved that she was from Texas; her portraits made me homesick for Austin. (She's a contributor for The State of Awesome .) I hope you'll give her a warm welcome! 1. How do you define The Good Life? Being happy and content with the every day simple things in life. It’s easy to get caught up in fancy materialistic things, but if you remove those things, you need to be able to have peace and happiness without them.   2. Do you think it's possible to pursue The Goo...

Everyone's been--or will be--there. Where? Facing a deadline while grappling with writer's block. Getting past your block requires a bag of tricks.     Today I'm sharing my bag of tricks--where I find inspiration along with an example of how I turn that inspiration into an Instagram series or a blog post.   How do you get inspired? Do you participate in memes?  

Thinking about the clothing we buy and making informed decisions is arguably a smart thing to do. Jumping into a six items for four weeks challenge to raise my awareness was a little rash, especially with a toddler, 20 degree temperature swings, and a nebulous definition of what environmentally conscious means. Lately I've been barraged with pleas to Shop Local, Buy American, and so on. I'm all for well made garments and for Living Wages. But, how much is just marketing hype and how much is real? I wanted to raise my own awareness of where the clothes I was buying came from and how they were produced. So, for May, I pledged to wear the same six items of clothing for the next four weeks with certain exceptions. I didn't really think about the feasibility of such a challenge. I saw write ups about successful completions and figured I too could do it. And off I went.   Personal and Environmental Opportunity Costs I carefully picked out my items , and planned to wear only ...

Snail mail that isn't a bill, a debt consolidation or credit card offer, or a poorly designed direct mailer for a political candidate or telecom provider is rare. Well designed pieces, catalogs from one's favorite brands, and packages stand out as treasures. In today's highly visual world, carefully thought out goodie boxes find themselves in multiple social feeds. Take some tips from Alt's goodie boxes to create a memorable, sharable package. What's your secret to a standout package?  

This past weekend I had the opportunity to hear Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks speak at Alt for Everyone, an online conference hosted by Alt Summit for design bloggers, lifestyle writers, and creative entrepreneurs.   I was especially lucky that I was able to sit in on her keynote twice--picking up a different insight each time. One thing that was immediately apparent is that Karen leads by example and inspires us all to live a full life by following three C's: Creativity, Community, and Confidence.     How do you live your life? What do you value?  

At my bridal shower, everyone put a memory and a wish into a time capsule for me. Yesterday, I opened it again--the first time since we'd moved into our railroad flat and the first time since Gates was born. It made for a pleasant trip down memory lane and got me thinking of creating a time capsule for our family to share. Today marks the fifth anniversary of cubes and my first kiss; an anniversary I remembered as I was slippping surprises (some left over papers from wedding DIY projects) into the snail mail packages I was sending out. (I originally shared the story of our first kiss with readers here last year.)   So that I could share the significance of the papers (and retell the story of our first kiss), I had wanted to re-photograph our programs using my Canon 5D for a richer visual experience than that captured with my Canon G12 last year. In the search for one of our wedding programs, I came across the time capsule from my bridal shower. (I opened it thinking I might h...

Struggling with what to get for the mom who has everything? Want to top what you gave her last year but don't have a lot of time? Tell her why you love her with personalized gifts you can make this weekend or one night next week. In about an hour or so, for $30 or less, you can give her a personalized coupon book or gratitude journal that will touch her heart and bring tears of joy to her eyes. Growing up I always thought store bought gifts were what my mom wanted. Later after I gave her a book of moments we'd spent together that had positively impacted me, I realized telling and showing your mom why she's special is priceless.   This weekend, Gates and I will be working together to create a coupon book of experiences similar to the one I gave cubes for our one year wedding anniversary (gift for the first anniversary is paper). Gates will pick out the colors of paper that she wants to use. I'll cut them in half and bind them together. Then, Gates and I will go throug...

Picking six pieces of clothing for four weeks requires looking at your wardrobe in a new way. And, depending on your signature style, this is harder than it seems. After spending days agonizing over my decisions and rethinking them, I'm ready to commit to six items and sharing some tips to help you pick your items if you're struggling. First a bit of background on how I choose what I'm going to wear. I start with an outfit in mind when I add an event to my calendar. Because I attend a variety of events from casual to formal and from actively chasing a toddler to calmly sitting while listening to a speaker, I have a variety of wardrobe choices. Those choices differ in color, material, silhouette, and care instructions.   Limiting myself to six pieces of clothing required a few changes to how I get dressed or plan my outfits. Instead of looking a week ahead for upcoming events to determine what needs to be washed or dry cleaned, I found that I needed to look at the entire...