Life
A mother’s plea for vaccination: Please let my kids stay in school
This former teacher says schools should be safe places from polio, diphtheria, mumps, rubella — and, yes, coronavirus.
Life
Are you vaccinated and ready to dine out? Not so fast
Here are six things to consider — all due to labor shortages — before you visit your favorite…
Life
Back to school with worry, hope — for parents and students
With the new school year here, she’s never seen her kids so excited to wake up at 5:45…
Life
No wagons: Some fair memories are best left in the past
They took the train from Edmonds to Puyallup for the Washington State Fair. It wasn’t such a good…
Life
Hot household was just one fuse away from total meltdown
Lost electricity during the heatwave and wildfires turned their whir of multiple fans and air filters into heated…
Life
So you want to be a writer? Here are Jennifer Bardsley’s tips
Tip No. 1: Don’t start your writing project unless you can describe it in two succinct sentences.
Life
Last year was one for the books — family albums, to be exact
She’s got a backlog of photo albums to finish for 2015-2019, but she’s glad she skipped ahead to…
Life
Be careful with those carrots — she’s on an air-frying rampage
After mastering a variety of vegetables, this mom was ready to pop a 4-pound bird into her new…
Life
When you get a cold even though you’re still wearing a mask
She stocked up on over-the-counter medicine at Walgreens after getting a drive-thru COVID-19 test.
Life
Dear 26-Year-Old Me: A letter to my younger self
Seventeen years ago, Jennifer Bardsley was a new mother. She reflects on that time in this column.
Life
Do-it-yourself hacks to beat the heat — do they actually work?
After the June heatwave, she’s taking stock of which heat prevention tricks worked and which were a waste…
Life
Small-town tale of sweet romance ignited on the Fourth of July
Edmonds author Jennifer Bardsley’s new novel, “Sweet Bliss,” inspired by “An Edmonds Kind of Fourth.”
Life
All strapped in: Help, I’m trapped in the baby backpack!
A newer model of the Ergobaby backback was a challenge for this aunt, even though one from 2005…
Life
Embracing new technology that gives security and independence
It’s important to adapt to wearing a smart watch, for example, while your brain is healthy enough to…
Life
Some practical tips — not pipe dreams — for a laundry room makeover
If you get frustrated about home design, just remind yourself that old-but-clean is better than new-and-unkempt.
Life
Girl Scouts makes the world bigger even during a difficult year
A local troop of sixth graders read “A Place at the Table” by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan.
Life
New parents? Protect yourself against possessed baby toys
A battery-operated ball for babies talks — unprompted — like it should be in the movie “Ghostbusters.”
Life
Nine years later, the ‘I Brake for Moms’ journey continues
In her debut column in 2012, Jennifer Bardsley reflected on driving with little kids. Today, it’s the kids…
Life
How to call your mind back home after it has wandered away
Here are some tips for easing the mental load that parents — and especially mothers — carry.
Life
Mother Nature provides room with a view when reservation didn’t
A weekend holiday at Suncadia Resort shares sentiments made in E.M. Forster’s “A Room with a View.”