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Exhausted mom sweating on Ashlyn Peaks trail with baby gemini in carrier

My Chaotic Baby Gemini Hiking Story On The Ashlyn Peaks Trail

Whatever you do, please learn from my colossal screw-up and avoid attempting the south ridge trail at Ashlyn Peaks with a six-month-old Gemini strapped to your chest while wearing non-breathable Lululemon knock-offs, because it'll end in chafing and tears. Mostly...

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Toddler eating messy barbecue ribs on a summer patio

How Long to Smoke Baby Back Ribs Without Ruining Saturday

It was 5:42 PM on a Saturday in July, and I was sweating through a gray tank top that already had a suspicious smear of Sweet Baby Ray's on the hip. My husband was standing on the patio, staring into...

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Toddler reaching for a green baby gem boxwood bush in a London garden

Why that "Baby Gem Boxwood" in Your Garden is a Toddler Trap

It was Tuesday, 4pm, and the sky over South London was that specific shade of bruised plum that threatens rain but only ever delivers a sort of aggressive, damp mist. I was staring at a landscaping quote from our landlord...

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Portland dad holding a baby back rib next to a messy 11-month-old at a summer BBQ

Troubleshooting BBQ: Baby Back Ribs vs Spare Ribs for Babies

There we were in our backyard, forty-five minutes into a rare sunny Portland afternoon, when I casually handed my 11-month-old son, Leo, a massive, sauce-drenched spare rib. In my sleep-deprived brain, this seemed like a brilliant Baby-Led Weaning victory. I...

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11-month-old baby eating baby back ribs in a Portland backyard

Spare Ribs vs Baby Back Ribs: A Dad’s Guide to Debugging Toddler BBQ

I was standing at the meat counter of our neighborhood New Seasons in Portland, panic-googling whether "baby back" meant the ribs actually came from a baby pig. My wife Sarah was three aisles over dealing with a minor avocado-related meltdown...

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A cardboard box tied to an oak tree in a Texas backyard

What to Do When Your Kid Finds a Baby Squirrel in the Yard

"Drop the Similac, Tucker!" I yelled across the patio, lunging over a scattered pile of wooden blocks while clutching a squirming newborn to my chest. My oldest sonβ€”bless his animal-loving, highly impulsive heartβ€”was kneeling in the damp Bermuda grass, holding...

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Jess wearing a framed child carrier on a dirt trail in Texas

Why I Traded My Spine for a Cheap Carrier (And What I Buy Now)

We were halfway up Enchanted Rock in the dead of a Texas July, and I was absolutely convinced my spine was going to snap in two. My oldestβ€”bless his heart, he was the guinea pig for literally every parenting mistake...

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A soft bamboo baby blanket with a blue woodland pattern draped over a nursery chair.

The Woodland Nursery Trend That Almost Gave Me a Heart Attack

It was late July in 2017, and I was standing outside a strip-mall Starbucks wearing high-waisted yoga pants that I had absolutely no intention of doing yoga in. Maya was exactly three months old. I was holding an iced Americano...

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Ein kleiner Junge im Skianzug sitzt lachend im Schnee

Skianzug Kinder Jungen: Warum wir drei kauften, bis einer passte

Ich saß auf dem eisigen Fliesenboden dieser extrem nach feuchtem Hund und ranzigem Pommesfett riechenden Skihütten-Toilette in Laax, balancierte meinen lauwarmen Hafermilch-Cappuccino auf dem Rand des Waschbeckens und versuchte verzweifelt, meinem Sohn Leo (der damals 3 war und heute 4...

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