Dana Burland

I have a serious case of weekend hangover this morning. We had such a good, good weekend. The weather was great in West Michigan, cool but not cold, sunny and bright. On Saturday we met up with friends at a (sorta lame) Spring event at the library, played outside and ran errands in where our whole family fell in love with a Trader Joe’s re-fried bean, roasted corn dip free sampler and immediately purchased for dinner. On Sunday C and I went out on the town for a mama/son day date. We went to a yummy coffee shop I use to work at when I was pregnant. C was enthralled with the coloring books they had in a area for kids, and the coffee house music. We went for a sunny walk, popped in a few shops and watched funny doggies trot by. Later we went to the YMCA and played basketball as a family, then played outside at home before a yummy dinner. It was one of those weekends that didn’t feel rushed, but felt very full. A weekend of happy smiles, new adventures and toddlers learning how to...

Life took a specific turn when C was five months old. On a Saturday morning and with him happily bouncing in a nearby seat I made pancakes. Extra fancy ones with a homemade berry sauce. It was the first time I’d done that since he was born and a clear spot on the roller coaster ride of being a new parent where things leveled out a bit. I felt that leveling relief again when C approached a year, and again recently. He’s a little boy, not a baby, now. He “gets it” more, and I get it too. I get that whatever mood or moment we’re in will pass. The good ones and the bad ones, both are fleeting. Mom life at 20 months old is fun. We’re introducing C to things he can better comprehend--colors, numbers, dribbling a basketball, how he always gets a banana from the free fruit stand for kids at the grocery store, bubble baths. Can you imagine not having even known a bubble bath before?! It feels like a page has flipped, in so many ways. Recently B and I have been navigating big changes l...

When did I get to be 32? This number feels hard to imagine. So, so much is different from when I was 22 but I also now live in the same area, work at the same place and own the same sweatshirts and jean jacket that I did when I was 22. This number feels great. I finally figured out what to do with my eyebrows, I care a lot less about passive aggressive shenanigans, I know how to make challah bread confidently from scratch. This number feels old. Sometimes I’m sore from not having done anything. Sometimes I’m really sore from having done too much. I pay attention to my 401K. I’ve been thinking about a “family car”. This number feels like a privilege. I have a family that makes me think about a “family car”. I’m a mom, just like I always wanted to be, to a thriving sweet boy who is that way because I’m a good mom to him. I’m a good partner who has a good partner. The people I love most are healthy and I get to spend good (even if it’s not enough) time with them. This past...

Does it blow your mind like it does mine how little our kitchens have changed? I mean think about what TVs and cell phones looked like less than 20 years ago. Then think about what your grandparent’s kitchen looked like. Fridges are still huge boxes with basically the same doors and shelves, dishwashers follow basically the same process, stoves/ovens are either gas or electric but the same. Minus some minor enhancements, and some of them stupid--looking at you WiFi fridge, it’s THE SAME. How can it be that there’s been no major enhancement to storing food, boiling water and that we’re still baking everything at 350 for 30 minutes in a huge box? Why do I have to have a separate InstantPot and slow cooker versus doing a software upgrade to my stove to get this functionality stove top? Why can’t my fridge assemble something for me if the basic ingredients are in there? This recent Fast Company article about restaurants getting rid of stoves almost made me say out loud “HERE IT I...