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Happiness

August on rope swing and happiness

Happiness Project Month 5: an Attitude Adjustment

January 10, 2017 By Jodi

This month I'm working on giving myself something my mother offered to give me countless times throughout my teenage years: an attitude adjustment. I'd been struggling with what to focus on this month (and yes, I know that we're already ten days into the month and I'm late to the game); I really want to...

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Blue and orange sky over water at sunrise

What Is "Enough" In the Middle of Winter?

January 3, 2017 By Jodi

Happy New Year! How's 2017 going for you so far? We've been having a lovely time; the kids are off school, so yesterday we went on a train adventure to the Natural History Museum (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet), and today James and I are trying to get a couple hours of work in while the kids play at a...

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Bonfire at Rosendals Tradgard

Celebrating the Winter Solstice

December 21, 2016 By Jodi

Today is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. This morning the sun rose at 8:43am, and it will set this afternoon at 2:46pm. We won't see any of that, though, because the sun's entire path across the sky is obscured by clouds. Today feels dark and closed-in, and I've felt an overwhelming tiredness that...

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Winter lanterns at Rosendals Tradgarden

Happiness Project: Building Community Through Winter Traditions

December 19, 2016 By Jodi

This month in my happiness project I'm focusing on building traditions and community for our family. Last week I wrote about forgoing Christmas gifts in order to donate money to organizations that help to build the kind of world we want to live in. This whole month, though, I've been working on surrounding ourselves with friends and loved ones to help...

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Autumn leaves on curb

Savoring

December 16, 2016 By Jodi

Today I'm pleased to share another guest post from my lovely friend Sophia. You can read her first post on Dear Sabrina, a rumination on decision-making, here.

Mountains and glaciers

Building a Better World With My Wallet

December 12, 2016 By Jodi

Last week I wrote about focusing on community and tradition for the next month of my happiness project. While we've been trying to fill our social calendar, I've also been trying to empty our bank account. 

Christmas wreath on blue door

Happiness Project: Month 4—Community and Tradition

December 5, 2016 By Jodi

I'm plugging away with my happiness project despite the great lethargy I feel now at the beginning of my third trimester. I'm growing quite uncomfortable, and at the same time unsure of how I'm going to make it through the next three months. The darkness of winter is creeping in (sunrise: 8:25; sunset: 2:51) and our Vitamin D...

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Trail through autumn forest

Happiness Project Check-In, and Some Thoughts on Meaning and Happiness

November 30, 2016 By Jodi

So way back when, at the beginning of October, I got started with the second month of my happiness project, focused on making our home a cozy haven. I was doing quite well with getting our home in order, organizing and sorting (and donating) as well as rearranging and decorating. And then halfway through the...

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August and Lee carving a pumpkin

Thoughts on Family, Geography, and Home

November 17, 2016 By Jodi

While we were in Michigan after my father's death, we had the great fortune to spend time with extended family. One of my favorite moments was the Saturday before Halloween, when James and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch and brought home a haul of pumpkins to carve with my Uncles Lee and Chris. Carving pumpkins...

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Leif painting with yellow

Spending 1-on-1 Time With Kids

November 4, 2016 By Jodi

I'm finally back. I was a bit ambitious to think that I'd be able to get right back to posting on Wednesday, the day after we returned from the US. I was essentially immobilized by exhaustion and jet lag our first day home (I cannot sleep sitting up on airplanes), and just as I was beginning to feel...

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About Jodi

I just repatriated from Sweden to the US with my British husband and three young kids. I started this site while living in Sweden to build the conversations and community we've had with loved ones around the world, and to create a space to share thoughts about life, beauty, motherhood, and everything else. read more →

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Recent Posts

Happy Second Birthday, Leif!

September 29, 2016 By Jodi Leave a Comment

leif-eating-blueberries

Today is Leif's second birthday. Tonight we are having a small gathering with neighbors and a couple friends, and this weekend we will spend a fun day doing things that Leif loves. He's still young enough that he doesn't seem to understand that it's his birthday, or what that means--but I'm sure he'll enjoy his ice-cream...

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Happy 4th Birthday, August!

November 28, 2016 By Jodi Leave a Comment

My crazy love

Today my sweet, hilarious, moody, ridiculous, beloved boy August turns 4. When I dropped him off at dagis this morning, most of the other kids and the teachers came to him saying grattis and congratulations. He was enveloped in hugs, and then he lavished dozens and dozens of kisses upon me. What a way to start...

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Life in Sweden: Community Cleaning Days

May 4, 2017 By Jodi 2 Comments

Boys sweeping the street

Now that spring has (finally!) come to our part of Sweden, communities are having their biannual fixardagar or städdagar (fixing days or cleaning days). Most communities, be they neighborhoods, marinas, apartment or condo associations, or parent-cooperative preschools, have a day in the spring (and another in the fall) when members of the community get together to do whatever...

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Four Fun Words

December 28, 2016 By Jodi 2 Comments

Definition of vernal

I love words. In high school, my English class was roundly chastised by our teacher for not being intellectually curious enough to look up words we didn't know (while reading Crime and Punishment—I sort of felt getting through that tome was task enough without having to stop every page or two to look up new words!). Since that day,...

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About Dear Sabrina

Welcome! Dear Sabrina is a lifestyle blog for the thinking woman (and man, if men read lifestyle blogs). I hope that visiting this site gives you something to think about, makes you laugh, or shows you something new. If you want to further connect, find me on one of networks below or send an email.
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