Ah, yes, perfection. Who doesn't love the idea? Here's the thing: perfection -- the idea of it, seeking it, achieving it -- is actually o ne of the most toxic ideas that grips our minds. We expect it, we crave it, we wish to see it in our lives and relationships, but reality and the idea of perfection are in a constant state of friction. Reality is ever-changing. It is transformation combined with unpredictability. Perfection is the opposite. It is an attempt to control an

Join Susie Brown and Sex Education Expert Scotney Young talk sex ed: global sex education standard disparities, age appropriate sex/gender education, helping parents with difficult (and awkward!) discussions with their tweens/teens, empowering teens for gender equality, & what you can do to support child safety. Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2304981/episodes/18223385-sex-education-your-tween-teen-and-you Scotney Young: https://www.instagram.com/rootsandboundaries?ig

Do you feel as though you and your teen are from different planets, speaking different languages and your responses rarely if ever align?  Ever wonder why you can be ever-so-efficient and your child is oh-so-not?  Listen, it isn't you, and also there is nothing wrong with your teenager.  Most likely their bizarre-to-you response — or lack there of — is due to the completely normal and expected developmental processes of their executive function (read: brain development).   Le

My mornings begin the same. Get up, fix myself some coffee, gaze out the window at the birds at my feeders, watch the sun rise. Here, I know the rain will never fall, but other places I have lived, this has been an option. This is followed by quietly talking with my spouse, my kitties. All of these things root and center me so that no matter what chaos comes that day, it began in beauty. To step out of my house and be greeted by the smell of trees and flowers in bloom. My go

You did your best. You told your truth. You have your version of enough. You understand wealth -- freedom, people, purpose -- is more important than money. Slow down and let the extraordinary things emerge from the ordinary. To live content with small means. To seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion. To be worthy not respectable, and wealthy not rich. To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars, birds, babes, an

Thoughts about designing (“designing”) an ideal life: From Alice in Wonderland “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where—” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat. A truth: If you aren’t clear on where you want to go, any road will take you there. In an attempt to design an ideal life, ask yourself this: What do you actually want you

There comes a point where our foreign service journey ends, and we find ourselves leaving this space, this label, this persona for ... who knows what to expect?  Finding yourself facing this as your next move?  Listen to Sharoya share her wisdom, and Lisa shares some of her concerns and solutions.  Join us for the chat. Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2304981/episodes/18062301-moving-out-of-the-fs-heading-to-the-u-s

(ha! See what I did there? No? Read on, you'll get why that's funny!) You've all heard about osteoporosis.  Like almost all ailments...

New podcast: It used to be that employment with the government was a stable option. Now, it feels like we are in an in-between place, where job certainty is iffy and now, no paychecks thanks to the government shut-down. What to do? Angi and I talk about the situation, and offer empathy and support. I wish we could offer jobs and funds, too, but we are in the same boat as everyone else. Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2304981/episodes/18027629-unexpected-financial

Sharoya, Angi and I talk about different aspects of kids leaving the house, having fewer family members around, and what happens when they come back home?  Some great suggestions for keeping the peace, making the most out of the new additional space ... and making sure you have beds for everyone when/if they come back home! We all know that our kids are supposed to grow up, go to uni, and then go off on their own. This is our primary goal as parents: help foster independence

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your body is to rest. How many times have you just not been motivated to exercise? Or to move? ...

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting." ~ Joyce Meyer  "Adopt the pace of nature: her...

I do love a good run. Having been following this pattern since college days, it feels comfortable to fall into the rhythm that is...

Please see below for the episode posted in the last few weeks.  We’ll be back up to our normal posting pace as the Fall gets rolling....

Wonder is not exactly knowing. “The world is full of poems,” Mary Oliver said, “but you have to be quiet to hear them.” An important...

Why I wake up early Hello, sun in my face. Hello, you who make the morning and spread it over the field and into the faces of tulips and...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM “… people can say whatever they want about us at any time, and we cannot control that. The...

Dear boys, We’ve talked so many times about change.  We’ve experienced big hard changes, our little family unit.  One of the prices we...

Links to recent episodes on The Big Purple Blob, a podcast supporting Diplomatic families From July 189: Service Work, Purposeful work in...

I have a big secret to share with you: you are what you eat.  Literally, what you put in your mouth -- every.single.bite -- is the...