My Five Favorite Posts from the Last Five Years

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William Butler Yeats once said, “I write to remake myself.” I have always found comfort and peace in writing, in putting pen to paper. I have always felt free when I’ve written anything, from writing poetry in high school to soothe my unrequited affections to keeping a daily journal. Up until the last five years, I wrote the occasional poem about a life event or I jotted a thoughts in my journal. Five years ago, I saw a call for writers for a local moms’ blog in my Facebook feed and replied to it with questions. After exchanging emails with Kelly (the site’s founder), I submitted a writing sample and have been writing for the blog ever since. My writing has been inspired by current events, (i.e. the election of our first female VP, hate crimes against Asian Americans), my own life’s events, (i.e. searching for daycares, the trials of a second pregnancy) and life in general. It is a joy to write and in honor of my five year anniversary with San Francisco Bay Area Moms Collective, I want to share my five favorite posts from the last five years.

2016: Ode to Our Fathers 

My love for poetry comes into a post every now and then. I love a good rhyme! For a non-traditional Father’s day post, I had the idea of a dedication to our fathers. I asked my fellow contributors to write a few lines about their own fathers, and I curated those lines into a love poem to all our fathers. It was a touching, collaborative effort. The following year, I did one for Mother’s day to honor our mothers.

2017: Notes on Raising a Family in an Apartment 

I love San Francisco. I’ve loved it my entire life. Everything about the city: the weather, the sights, the walk-ability, and restaurants delights me. However, those delights are tempered by realities of living in the city, particularly apartment living. This post tackles the issues of space, noise, and rental agreements. One day, we will outgrow our two-bedroom apartment, and move into a house. For now, we make every inch count.

2018:Celebrating your Parent Milestones

As parents, we look forward to and celebrate every milestone our children have. We photograph, we video, and we praise. We catalog their artwork in a file cabinet. From the moment we decide to become parents, our lives become about them. This article puts the focus back on us parents. Our own milestones are just as important and as significant as our children’s milestones. 

2019: The Death of Adolescent Crushes  

In the last few years, pop culture has influenced my posts. I was having lunch in a café in New York when I heard the news that Luke Perry died. The news hit me hard, like a part of my adolescence had died. We expect our crushes to grow old with us, not pass before us. It was another example of the frailty of life.

2020: Secret-cations and Four Other things to Stop Shaming Ourselves

2020 was hard and wholly unexpected: the pandemic, the months of smoky air, the day the sky turned orange, and a Zoom existence. Who knew we would spend over a year doing “video conferencing”? But I am an optimist, and I try to find joy wherever I can. This post was a reminder for me that there is no joy in shame, so why do it.

I look back on my posts as a personal history of the things that excited and worried me, of the things that I loved and loathed. I enjoy the evolution of writing and how every time I write, I learn a little more about myself and the world around me. Thank you San Francisco City Moms Collective for the privilege of sharing my stories.

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Jeanne is a married, full-time working mom with an MBA in Marketing from Golden Gate University and BA in Communications from San Francisco State University. She is an Associate Director of Sales for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and loves that her career enables her to promote the city she loves. Jeanne and her husband Daniel live in San Francisco with their two daughters, Ilse and Alice. When Jeanne is not working, writing, or volunteering at Ilse's school, she enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and cooking from her collection of cookbooks (70 and growing) while sipping Hudson Bay Bourbon. Follow her adventures on Instagram.

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