I’m half Japanese American but I’ve never celebrated Hinamatsuri, known as Girls’ Day or Doll’s Day, in Japan. It is celebrated on March 3 every year with a display of dolls representing the Heian court in a celebration to celebrate girls and wish for their continued good health and happiness. An expansive hinadan in Katsuura,…
My favorite thing about North Captiva Island in Florida is the manatee sightings. I’m not alone. There are always throngs of people parking their golf carts when the manatees come to this small dock to just hang out. They don’t need to do much — just emerge from the water to pop their heads out…
Please join me for our tenth Multicultural Children’s Book Club. We host a FREE multicultural children’s picture book virtual book club on the first Thursday of every month from 7 pm to 8 pm EST. March’s event will be held on March 3rd and we are celebrating Ramadan using Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by…
I finally visited Henry David Thoreau House at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. It’s about 20 minutes from where I live and I have passed it many, many times, but never stopped to see it. He was a precursor to the Tiny House movement. His house can be described not just as tiny but also…
Welcome to the Speak Up, Speak Out! by Tonya Bolden Blog Tour! To celebrate Black History Month and the release of Speak Up, Speak Out!: The Extraordinary Life of Fighting Shirley Chisholm by Tonya Bolden (January 4th), 5 blogs across the web featuring posts from the book and author, as well as 5 chances to win! Foreword by…
In an age of digital distractions, it’s difficult to get kids interested in exercise. Still, as parents, we realize this is a habit that will empower the rest of their lives. It’s unnecessary to enroll your children in an expensive activity or demanding sport to motivate them to exercise. Many other ways can help you…
I started DuoLingo Japanese several years ago but didn’t have a very long streak of consecutive days. I decided to try to spend 5 to 10 minutes in the morning, instead of rushing to get it in at night before midnight. Since this change, it’s been easier to practice my Japanese consistently. That being said,…