It’s been about two months since I traded in my smartphone for a modernized “dumb phone,” which I feel pretty much completes my transition to a lower-tech lifestyle for the moment. I won’t be getting rid of my laptop anytime soon—as I need it to navigate school work and communication for my older two—and I still have a Facebook profile, in order to post/browse our local Buy Nothing group and communicate with a few faraway friends and family members. But I’ve eliminated all other social media and screens–some simply by virtue of not having a phone with apps anymore (PixelFed and the social-y portion of Substack come to mind).
Overall, my life without a smartphone has been, well, great! I am not contemplating going back. However, there are a few effects of life without a smartphone that I didn’t anticipate.… Read More »
This morning, we were at Target (where else does one find a midwestern family on Saturday mornings?). I don’t love shopping at Target, but we needed some household items–baby wipes, water softener salt, dishwasher detergent–and it’s by far the easiest place to buy them.
It’s been over two months since I (somewhat spontaneously) 
Last month, in the midst of my own major post-holiday declutter, I learned a new-to-me term: osoji, which Google tells me literally means “big clean” in Japanese. It’s not a new tradition at all, however–it dates back to circa 800 A.D. At that time, the Imperial Court was ritually cleansed of soot at the end of each year to welcome the deity of the new year (
When I’m in a slump in parenting, relationships, or life in general–it’s usually because I’ve forgotten to embrace uncertainty. It’s so simple, but so easy to forget.