Newsletter, past issue links
Jan 23, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw
Links to past newsletters!
I Have Not Loved a Car for 26 Years. Until Now.
Jan 18, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw
I have loved convertibles since I was a kid and my dad had several that were so fun to ride around in; an MG and a Fiat. When I bought my first car, it was a convertible, a Miata. I loved that car and only gave it up when I absolutely had to; I was a week away from my due date and I realized a stroller would not fit in the trunk. I have not loved another car for the last 26 years. Until now.
How to Eat Cereal
Jan 06, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw
My boys left me with a Costco-sized box of Frosted Mini Wheats that they opened but didn’t finish. It’s making me question my sanity.
I don’t consider myself a particularly fussy person, but Frosted Mini Wheats bring out an intense desire for order, organization and doing things the RIGHT WAY.
I don’t consider myself a particularly fussy person, but Frosted Mini Wheats bring out an intense desire for order, organization and doing things the RIGHT WAY.
Connection Was My Word of 2022: How It Went, And Why Social Media Got In the Way
Dec 07, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
At the start of a new year, I choose a word of the year. More than eleven months into this year, my word is still going strong. I find it more interesting and powerful than a resolution. A word has a way of echoing back to you in a song, in something you read, in a conversation with a friend, and asks you to pay attention. This year I chose the word connection.
Know Thyself: The Practice of Journaling
Dec 01, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
I’ve kept a journal since I was in about fourth grade, on and off. My first diary had a lock on it, which I thought was such a great feature. I could pour my heart out without anyone else being able to read it. The fourth-grade me apparently had a few secrets to keep. But that lock was easily picked with a hair pin and whatever secrets I had were no longer secret.
I Cried at Erma’s Bombeck's Grave
Nov 16, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
When I visited Erma Bombeck's grave, something totally unexpected happened. I started crying. I wish there was something funny about why I cried at Erma’s grave. That it was something poignant she wrote or said. But my emotional response was about something Erma did not say, and kept secret for most of her life: a lifetime of living with disease. A disease I am very familiar with. Erma had polycystic kidney disease (PKD), diagnosed at the age of 20, and endured daily dialysis for years before undergoing a kidney transplant at the age of 69. She died from complications of the transplant surgery.
What Can You Let Go Of? Comfort is the Enemy of Progress
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Nov 09, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
In the fall, my yoga teacher asks her class to consider, “What can you let go of?” This question echoed around in my head, and I knew there were some things I wanted--needed--to let go of. What has gotten too comfortable, too habitual? I wanted to examine some of my routines, habits, and thought patterns and determine whether they serve my overall wellness.
Comfort is the enemy of progress. --PT Barnum
A Comfort Zone is a beautiful place, but nothing grows there. --Robert Stevenson
My Neighbor Wrote an Amazing Autobiography and I Helped to Publish It
Aug 19, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
I’m excited to announce that my neighbor Dr. Werner Stamm has published a book! And I am honored to have been a part of the process, helping him to self-publish it.
Choose Your Own Adventure: Night Market
Aug 16, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
Are you ready for a fun food adventure? Go check out a Night Market! Here are ten things to know before you go so you can have a great time.
When the Mountains Fell In Love with the Sea Mural
Aug 09, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
The most unexpected, wonderfully marvelous, and fun surprise this summer has been watching a beautiful mural painted right across the street from where I live.
I'm at the Book Fair!
Jul 06, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
The Tiny Book Fair is all summer long. I'm a participating author. Please go check it out!
Some Things Don't Change
Jun 23, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
As a young child, Kieran loved mud. I was delighted to see this vacation photo he sent. Some things don't change!
Another School Shooting
May 25, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
In high school, in the early 1980s, a boy I didn’t know very well looked at me through his long fringe of bangs and asked me to come to see something in his locker. He stared at me, eyes mostly hidden. We were not friends. I went, I don’t know why. His locker was near mine.
Inside he had a gun.
Inside he had a gun.
Coastal Grandmother
May 06, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
How to channel the Coastal Grandmother vibe even if you are not a grandmother.
If I Knew I Was Going to Have Three Boys, Volume 1
May 05, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
The title of my book has been my personal tagline for quite some time.
Write it Down!
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Apr 27, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
Do you have a goal?
Write it down. Take a photo with it.
Write it down. Take a photo with it.
My Book Had a Glamor Photoshoot!
Apr 01, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
My book got the glamor treatment!
Why (and How) I Joined A Running Crew
Mar 10, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
I turned a solitary running practice into a social one and so far it's the best thing about 2022.
I joined a local group, Bay Area Run Crew, and running is now FUN.
I joined a local group, Bay Area Run Crew, and running is now FUN.
My First Cocktail Review: Dirty Pernicious Flower
Feb 12, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
1. Follow the recipe I send you, no matter how obscure, exotic, difficult to find, or expensive the ingredients.
2. Have your drink made and ready to sip.
3. Be on the zoom call 5 pm sharp.
These are the rules of my mom’s Friday night zoom happy hour.