Little Magpie

chasing shiny objects

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I Was Raised By A Pirate

This post originally appeared on Arkansas Women Bloggers in early 2016 for the "Adventure" theme. After our recent family adventure to check out the solar eclipse, it felt like time to share it again.   In Singapore in the early 1990s. I was raised by a pirate. A Frenchman running from the law sold him his vessel, and together we sailed out of Port Royal - the city so wicked it sank into the Caribbean Sea - and out into open waters to circle Dead Man’s Key. The boat would pitch ... View Post

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My Ritual: Grown Up Vitamins

Note: this post contains affiliate links. I love Ritual vitamins and believe in them wholeheartedly. If you end up trying Ritual via my links, I receive a commission or fee. [dropcaps]I[/dropcaps] wrote recently about how I'm coping with my 40th birthday (hint: not well, but coming to terms). One of the most significant changes I've made? Seriously upgrading my daily multivitamin. Quick background: I've been on a little bit of a maniacal hunt for a great vitamin through the years. I ... View Post

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Facing Forty: A Reference Manual

[dropcaps]M[/dropcaps]ayday: my fortieth birthday is approaching. It somehow feels less affronting to spell out that number rather than type it out... like it isn't staring at me and reminding me of all the things I meant to do by now. But here I sit, T minus 7 days to the big day, with a sense that I need to run out and go all the places, do all the things and just generally have it far more together before... forty. And all of this from someone who is fairly laid back about life ... View Post

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#NineForTheNewYear: Life Challenges

Looking for a swift kick in the rear? This time of year, I usually am. Like everyone else, I usually come skidding into the final days of December with a mix of exhaustion, guilt and looming disaster. Honestly, it isn't the holidays - I decided long ago to never turn into a person who allows chaos to take control to the point that I dread or can't enjoy the season. I've got a pretty healthy dose of chill about it - there are things I want to do, but I've gotten a lot more comfortable with ... View Post

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The Restorative Effects of Risotto on Tweens & Parents

"We had a situation last night..." she said. I know this mom, and when I look into her eyes, I feel good about what I see there. Her tween daughter and mine are not the same, but there is a valor I see in this mom that I find reassuring. We had our time in the iron shackles: the morning after the sleepover, each mother arrived and marveled at the situation: surely not! we thought. Not my child! we assured ourselves. But it was. It was our children. We'd like to think they know better, that ... View Post

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Moins Mais Mieux

[dropcaps]I[/dropcaps]n the summer of 2009, we packed our bags for Paris to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary... with our five year old in tow. Sophie was always a miniature adult, so there was never really any question that we would take her - she was an easy kid. Many of my best memories of our time in Paris are the impromptu moments that unfolded without any scripting or planning. The restaurants and world-class museums were fabulous, of course - but it is the simple, ... View Post