I Brake for Moms

Caption: One of the first things you learn as a parent is that your child has their own plans for what their room should look like. (Jenny Bardsley)

No matter what you do, your child will redecorate their room

From toddlers to teenagers, kids invariably put their personal stamp on their spaces.

Caption: One of the first things you learn as a parent is that your child has their own plans for what their room should look like. (Jenny Bardsley)
Caption: It took a Mother’s Day gift to Washhpodd and 10 hours of labor to bring her car back to pre-kid condition.

The trusty Mom-mobile deserves a fresh start

Hard work by the crew at the auto detailer makes her a rarity: a mom with a clean car.

Caption: It took a Mother’s Day gift to Washhpodd and 10 hours of labor to bring her car back to pre-kid condition.
Break out of a cooking rut but thematically planning your menu according to cuisine. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Eat around the world from the comfort of your home

Trying recipes from different cuisines breaks the author out of a home-cooking rut.

Break out of a cooking rut but thematically planning your menu according to cuisine. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: Food delivery services offer tempting—but pricey—answers to that age-old question: “What’s for dinner?” (Picture of a Hungryroot box.)

6 meal delivery services that offer convenience for a price

When something throws your daily routine out of whack, meal kits can be a godsend.

Caption: Food delivery services offer tempting—but pricey—answers to that age-old question: “What’s for dinner?” (Picture of a Hungryroot box.)
Grandpa’s vintage sweaters are high fashion in 7th grade. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Middle-school fashion sense makes Mom scratch her head

Ragged jeans and grandpa sweaters — the baggie the better — are what The Kids Today are wearing.

Grandpa’s vintage sweaters are high fashion in 7th grade. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Here’s how to save time on a mundane household task. (Jennifer Bardsley)

How to save time on a boring task: unloading the dishwasher

You, too, can put clean dishes away in about three minutes if you follow these four tips.

Here’s how to save time on a mundane household task. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: They might be too old for lunch box notes, but teenagers benefit from TLC too.

Fun ways to show the teens in your life that you care

The teen years can be challenging but they don’t last long. A little bit of extra attention can go a long way.

Caption: They might be too old for lunch box notes, but teenagers benefit from TLC too.
Caption: When the furnace broke in freezing weather, they were glad to have a wood burning stove and a newspaper subscription. (Jennifer Bardsley)

In need of a winter rescue, the newspaper delivered

When the furnace dies, “logs” of Daily Heralds stuffed with dryer lint ignite a warming fire.

Caption: When the furnace broke in freezing weather, they were glad to have a wood burning stove and a newspaper subscription. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Bardsley

Holiday disasters that will live in infamy

Sewage raining from the ceiling onto the dinner table, and other red-letter days in Bardsley family lore.

Bardsley
Caption: CBD ointment can make a great present—unless it is orange.

She gets a spicy lesson on the importance of reading labels

A fiery encounter with a lotion that was the opposite of soothing would have been avoided had the word “capsaicin” been noted on the packaging.

Caption: CBD ointment can make a great present—unless it is orange.
Bill Howell, a plant pathologist from Prosser, created the Lucy Rose apple variety as a cross between the Honeycrisp and an Airlie Red variety. They are notable for their red centers.(Jennifer Bardsley)

Sweet treats for the holiday season direct from Washington growers

Washington State farmers survived a difficult year. The fruits of their labor deserve admiration.

Bill Howell, a plant pathologist from Prosser, created the Lucy Rose apple variety as a cross between the Honeycrisp and an Airlie Red variety. They are notable for their red centers.(Jennifer Bardsley)
Get the china ready! Your holiday meal might come with a side of drama. (Jennifer Bardsley)

If Thanksgiving stresses us out then we’re doing it wrong

If Thanksgiving stresses us out then we’re doing it wrong

Get the china ready! Your holiday meal might come with a side of drama. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Tea, tissues and a COVID-19 test. Staying home sick from school presents new challenges. (Jennifer Bardsley)

A case of the sniffles isn’t what it used to be

When her daughter catches a cold, mom must navigate the flow chart from hell. It’s part of helping stop the spread of COVID-19.

Tea, tissues and a COVID-19 test. Staying home sick from school presents new challenges. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: Green your holiday present wrapping process by choosing reusable fabric and recyclable paper.

Put down the holiday wrapping paper and use your imagination

Here are some green alternatives to metallic silver and gold gift wrap that goes to the landfill.

Caption: Green your holiday present wrapping process by choosing reusable fabric and recyclable paper.
Be the house with the good candy. Halloween is an opportunity to treat your neighbor. (Jennifer Bardsley)

The best part of Halloween? It’s trusting your neighbors

When you open your door to trick-or-treaters, wear a mask for the unvaccinated kids standing in front of you.

Be the house with the good candy. Halloween is an opportunity to treat your neighbor. (Jennifer Bardsley)
School meals, like this sloppy Joe, chocolate milk, pear and baby carrots, support kids and local farmers. (Jennifer Bardsley)

School lunch: Every child deserves to eat, so let’s feed them well

Breakfast and lunch are now free for all students in the Edmonds School District. Here’s what else we can do.

School meals, like this sloppy Joe, chocolate milk, pear and baby carrots, support kids and local farmers. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Old dogs like Merlin provide great company, even while snoring. (Jennifer Bardsley)

This old dog of mine: A tribute to my fluffy couch potato

Sleeping has become this poodle’s full-time job. He’ll take five naps a day, in between turns around the yard.

Old dogs like Merlin provide great company, even while snoring. (Jennifer Bardsley)
When the deadbolt jams shut, only a pirate sword will do. (Jennifer Bardsley)

In a deadlock: When TGIF gets off to a very bad start

He has no access to a toolbox. The deadbolt to the garage is jammed. He has 30 minutes before a meeting.

When the deadbolt jams shut, only a pirate sword will do. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Get in the fall spirit by decorating your house for autumn. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Decorate for fall on a budget the ‘Great Expectations’ way

This mom takes a page from Charles Dickens’ novel to add her own style of satire to the fall season.

Get in the fall spirit by decorating your house for autumn. (Jennifer Bardsley)
A pit stop in Forks to see the trucks from the Twilight franchise is fun when traveling with teenagers on the Olympic Peninsula. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Traveling with teenagers isn’t so easy-breezy as she thought

The new challenge: Now mom can count on her hand how many vacations they have left as a family.

A pit stop in Forks to see the trucks from the Twilight franchise is fun when traveling with teenagers on the Olympic Peninsula. (Jennifer Bardsley)