Today I’m grateful that Maggie is alive. She was not kidnapped, trampled by a moose, eaten by a bear, or lost and frostbitten in the woods. Possibly more miraculously, her father and I did not kill her. I should probably back up and explain. The evening started off in a typical manner: I was tackling the dishes, Maggie was avoiding homework, and Sam was begging … Continue reading Happy Endings
This “Thirty Days of Gratitude” thing is going around Facebook right now. Last year I tried something similar, and it took me around 6 months to post two weeks of grateful posts. And lately I’m averaging one single blog post a month. So naturally I’m on board. I figure if I can shoot for more ordinary and less profound this might be doable. So here … Continue reading Halloween 2015
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. ~Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird I’ve been home sick a few days this week. The first night I was worthless, shivering under the covers with a high fever and sleeping for nearly 16 straight hours. … Continue reading Mockingbirds and Meano
Today Sam won his school’s Geography Bee. For real! Photo evidence: Some of you will remember when Sam was in second grade, how he so desperately wanted to enter a geography bee that he decided to invent one. If you care to hear the tale of our little boy and his enormous lie, you can read it here. But in a nutshell: he created geography bee … Continue reading Gratitude 12: Watching Your Child’s Dream Come True
There is a Gratitude Challenge going around on Facebook right now. It encourages people to spend a few minutes each day reflecting upon their blessings, and then posting about them. Last week I was nominated, and I have decided to accept the challenge. Sorta. I am blessed to say that listing 15 things, people, moments, or experiences for which I am grateful is an easy task. … Continue reading Gratitude Day 1: Maggie & Marley
Tomorrow Sam turns 10, so this is our last snapshot of his single digit years: I think he looks happy? We’re not messing up too terribly, right? He was still up reading at 11:53 pm, so I yanked him out of bed. It was only seven minutes until his birthday, and I needed to clutch him close and tell him that the past decade has … Continue reading Sam Bam
This morning Maggie asked me a very serious question. “Mama, do you know how I put this outfit together?” I was in the middle of brushing my teeth, and glanced at her with a foamy mouth. “Tell me, ” I replied. First she pointed to her leggings. “Puppies…” she declared. Next she pointed to her flowered skirt. “Playing in the garden…” Lastly, she pointed … Continue reading Fashionista
Five weeks ago we implemented a new rule in our home: kids cook on Wednesday nights. They are responsible for planning the meal, making the grocery list, accompanying us to the store, cooking the meal, and even cleanup. I had hoped to lounge on the couch while the kids hummed through the kitchen like little Food Network stars, but it turns out I still have to be present to, … Continue reading Little Chefs
My junior high years bordered on miserable. Every day I launched off the school bus, bolted up the driveway, and shed my back brace onto the living room floor. At that age I was allowed to remove my scoliosis contraption for 4 hours each day, and I always spent my first hour of freedom with Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was my daily dose of sanity. … Continue reading Little House, Big Memories
By now I should be used to our son’s quirky phobias. There have been so may in his 9 short years… First it was the fear of parking lots. Honestly, he refused to walk in parking lots when he was a toddler. It would have been easier to get Maggie, at 3 months, upright and walking than to get our 2-year-old Sam to plant his … Continue reading Dentophobia
Profoundly Ordinary 