Fresh Air and Porridge | Simple Ways to Create a Vibrant Life

Who Are We, Anyway? So who are the Dawsons, and why would you be interested? Well, we are a family of 5 from Massachusetts. We just went on vacation in New Hampshire, so this is pretty much what we look like right now! Our oldest girl is 11 and just about to enter middle school; our son is 9 and going into 4th grade; and our baby girl is 21 months old, going on about five. We do a lot of things that some (including our children) might consider outdated, unconventional, or just plain weird.

Fresh Air and What? When it was time to think of a name for my blog, the phrase “fresh air and porridge” swam up from the recesses of my mind. It comes from the All Creatures Great and Small books by James Herriot - you might remember them from the public television series by the same name - and it captures the essence of what I want to share with you: simple things that help our family thrive.

Begin It Here we are at the foot of my Blogging Mountain, and as I write the first posts and figure out how to show and tell you all that I want to share, this Mary Engelbreit card that I’ve had since high school graduation in 1989 captures the feeling so perfectly.