I rarely do the Facebook status update thing, but I did post today. Here is what it said: “Eight years ago today Ronald Reagan died. I know this because I was in the hospital, fuzzy with nearly 24 hours of labor pains, wondering why the muted tv in the corner kept flashing Reagan’s images. Had I been in labor since the 80’s? It felt like … Continue reading The Kingpin is 8!
Our daughter is downright giddy tonight: A few weeks ago one of her bottom teeth started to wiggle. I figured it would be a good six months until she lost it, judging by her brother’s loose-to-loss ratio. But this girl is tenacious. She has been viciously biting into apples and carrots, rotating it with her index finger, and pushing on it with her tongue. Her … Continue reading Losing Our Baby… Teeth
If I recall correctly, I typed my last post with dirty fingernails and weary muscles. Well, tonight I type with nearly severed tendons. I think that is worse? It all started this morning when I decided to make the kids blueberry muffins (just from a box, so don’t go all Supermom on me). I reached into the fridge for the eggs, and somehow flipped a … Continue reading One Fine Day
I type tonight with dirty fingernails, weary muscles, and sunburned skin. It is Memorial Day weekend, and for that I am grateful. Especially grateful to the men – my grandfathers included – and women who fought to make this a country where we can all make our own choices about most anything one can choose to make a choice about. Thank you. This weekend we … Continue reading At Least We Smell Like We Went Camping
Week 1 of summer is down, so it’s time to check in on some of those lofty goals I set. Let’s recap: Goal #1. Relish my children, and dedicate special time to them every day. Success! I took the kids bowling, biking, hiking, and swimming. One day Sam was off playing with an old preschool pal, so I surprised Maggie with a visit to that … Continue reading Big Wild Week
I still vividly remember sitting in a classroom at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln back in 1992ish. It was a small course at the Teacher’s College, and the professor asked the 30 or so of us why we wanted to become educators. One curmudgeonly old dude (he was probably 30) raised his hand and said, “Three reasons: June, July, and August.” Half the class laughed, but … Continue reading Hail Summer!
Lately I’ve been dabbling my toes outside my comfort zone a bit, and on all accounts I’m coming up short. It’s got me in a funk, because these shortcomings are making me feel like a lame mother. It started a few weeks ago when we took the kids skiing at Alyeska. I don’t ski, so I deemed myself the photodocumentarian. It was adorable to watch … Continue reading Old Mom, New Tricks
Today we delivered Maggie’s donations to Anchorage’s Bird Treatment and Learning Center. Instead of birthday gifts, Maggie’s classmates brought everything from bleach to toilet paper to help stock the supply cabinet at the Bird TLC. The Bird TLC volunteers and employees were so appreciative that they offered Sam and Maggie a mini tour of their facility. The kids met a crow (yes, a crow… not … Continue reading For the Birds: The Finale!
We survived the bird-day party without too many ruffled feathers. Oh sure, there were a few bonked heads and plenty of tattling, and some odd moments (like when a little girl locked herself in the bathroom with a hijacked doll stroller). But but what can you expect when you invite 14 kindergarten girls to your nest? All you can hope is that you will learn … Continue reading For the Birds: Part II
So the past two nights have basically been spent in tears. Self-inflicted, and all in the name of recreation thanks to a couple of books that were intended for teenagers rather than blubbering 40-year-olds. Actually, one of them was intended for 5-year-olds: Ramona and Beezus. Who knew I’d need Kleenex for that?! It wasn’t just the cat’s funeral (although that was brutal) but more so … Continue reading You Go Girls: Katniss, Clementine, and Ramona!!
Profoundly Ordinary 