It’s been three years since I went on “indefinite mat leave” after my daughter was born, and I have to say: the job of being a “full-time parent” is becoming less arduous and more rewarding as our kids grow older. Our days are still busy and chaotic, but full of energy and fun too.

After getting to have our adults-only trip to Madrid in May, our summer vacation this year was totally kid-centric: Legoland and then playing with the cousins an hour away inland.

After being grounded for seven years, we have finally taken an international trip after securing childcare for the kids so that we adults could get a chance to travel unencumbered. Hola, Madrid!

Hubby and I are celebrating our 15-year marriage anniversary this summer, which we managed to commemorate with a photoshoot on Stanford campus, despite the kids being, well, kids.

After many years of waiting for the right time, we have purchased our first home (which is more like a glorified rental TBH) through Stanford’s extensive faculty housing programs.

Two years after going on mat leave for the second time and then deciding not to return to work, I find myself happy with my choice to leave the corporate world. There has been a lot keeping our family busy, and it’s refreshing to finally have the bandwidth to manage the chaos.

With a 1.5yo and a 5yo, we are decidedly unadventurous when it comes to travel. But we do our best to find close(ish) destinations that still offer a change of scenery. Our summer this year was bookended by two trips: Pasadena in June and Santa Barbara in August.

Happy “Christmas Eve in July” to my one and only. I was on this earth for 6,529 days before we officially started dating, and today marks 6,529 days together since then.

We have made a decision as a family for my husband to return to academia (he will be a professor at Stanford starting fall 2025), and we are ready to put down roots after 18 years of repeatedly moving around. Academia comes with a set of challenges, but also holds many advantages for our family. We are so excited and grateful to begin this new chapter together!

My son got two weeks off school this spring, so we took “micro trips” to Monterey and Paso Robles. The partial babysitting from grandma was a big plus too!

I live my life by the KISS (keep it super simple) philosophy, and that applies just as much to my financial life. Plus, personal finance FTW!

While my husband and I don’t engage in gift giving for each other, we use a wishlist for others in our lives who do like to give gifts, and we often default to consumable items rather than durable goods to keep the clutter (and stress!) under control.

I love Halloween for so many reasons, but I need a system to deal with the attendant plastic junk and overflowing candy stash in a way that avoids meltdowns (either mine or the kids’).

Even if you don’t like to (or can’t) invite people into your home, you can still have company – just take it outside! Whether indoors or outdoors, shared/public spaces may be the answer to your hosting woes.

My husband and I were bitten by the travel bug during my MBA, and are eagerly anticipating the day when we might resume globetrotting (assuming we can figure out some childcare plan for the kids … that’s the catch!)

I made the difficult decision to pause my career after my second child, even though it went against everything I was raised to do and had worked so hard for.