Mari Inshaw
Mari is a Florida native who moved to the area for work after grad school and bought her home in the DC Truxton Circle neighborhood in the early 2000s. A few years later she began blogging about the Shaw. The InShaw Blog ran for 10 years until she took a break and quietly restarted it in 2017. That same year she became a new “old mom” through the adoption of an insanely handsome little boy. She loves swing dancing with her husband and exploring new things with her son.
Paradise is a Parking Lot
Yes, this is a play on the song Big Yellow Taxi's line "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." Another part of the song has been hitting me: "Don't it always seem...
Hunting for Diapers and Wipes in the Time of COVID-19
When the coronavirus or COVID-19 crisis began there was a run on the toilet paper. Then later I noticed that there was going to be a problem getting my regular Amazon delivery of baby...
Get Help With a Sick Kid Fast: Why We Used an Advice Nurse Service
Our health insurance's advice nurse services were a much-needed lifeline when we became brand new parents. "Is that normal?" was a frequent question. In Junior's first year, he was sick—a lot. And we called...
Surviving the Baby Shark Attack
Our son Junior, is a Baby Shark fan. It is a really popular song among the toddler set. Junior will sing his punk/metal version of Baby Shark at home, at church, anywhere, and at...
Working Mom vs COVID-19
So this is happening. And everything keeps changing. The plans for work and school and every other place that existed last week for COVID-19 or the Coronavirus, have changed. Whatever I write here could...
Saving for Education: My 529 Experience
This year we finally got around to setting up a DC College Savings Plan, a 529 plan, for Junior. I really didn't think too hard about it, as this is not my first experience...
Lessons from EdFEST: Post-School Fair Notes
Well, I survived EdFEST. It was informative, busy, and crowded, and I'm glad I went. EdFEST is the District of Columbia's annual public school fair, where families can talk to representatives of public and...
Strong Start DC: Early Childhood Intervention
When our adoption agency placed Junior with us two years ago, he was perfect in our eyes. However, he was a preemie who spent nearly 2 months in several hospitals and his pre-natal care...
My School DC Common Lottery: What Are the Chances of Getting into the School...
As a parent, when I think of the My School DC common lottery, I don't think of Powerball. I'm thinking about the DC school lottery. Instead of winning an extra scratch-off card or several...
DC School Lottery Strategy: Our Pre-K plan for 2020
EdFEST is December 14th at the DC Armory and school lottery applications for 2020-2021 open on the 16th. EdFEST is an annual public school fair where families can check out various public and charter...
Getting Around DC with Kids without a Car
I haven't owned a car since the Clinton presidency, so it was a very long time ago. Since being car-less, I've become adept at using public transit and curating my life in a way...
DC’s Awesome Pre-K Program: What working moms need to know
I've lived in the District for nearly two decades and when I was a childless singleton I saw DC's free Pre-K program (combined with charter schools) as a tool to keep middle-class families in...
Diverse Schools Dilemma: Black Boys in School
My goal with my son is to replicate the successes of my maternal aunt and uncles with my male cousins. These cousins attended top-ranked state colleges and currently live middle or upper-middle-class lives as...
DC Area Daycare: Let’s Get Real About Childcare
Childcare in the DC area is hard. Daycares have waitlists. Nanny-shares and home-based care have their own complications. And in this region none of them are cheap. This is not a post about what...