The week your dad dies and all of her grown up kids come home feeling small, quivering like a clutch of ducklings caught in a flash storm, is the week you see what your mom is made of. You see her strength as her adult kids intermittently bury their heads in her neck leaving it […]
It’s interesting how nostalgias are passed down through generations. And it’s significant how strong a reminder food is of the stories that go with it. Growing up, mom would occasionally buy this bizarre tubular food, Boston Brown Bread, known to me as “brown bread in a can.” She bought it because it reminded her of […]
20 years with Shawn. That’s a lot of socks picked up, a lot of stray cereal bowls recovered, a lot of coffee, a lot of lessons learned, a lot of arguments, a lot of “I forgives,” a lot of kisses, a lot of places lived, a lot of pets, a lot of laughter (and a […]
I love all my boys, but I particularly love staying up late and getting to know the hearts of my teenagers better. I love it every bit as much as I did rocking them to sleep when they were babies. Parents, don’t let your frustrations with all the emotions and attitudes that come with the […]
Little One in hibernation let us start your education on the mathematics of your current incubation. Your first lesson, you know, is easy as a piece of pi. One plus one is two and there you are: a gote of zy, a little addition going through cellular division. You grow and grow quite exponentially and at […]
Give me a stick and a box Or an old bald tire. Give me some rocks and a rope, And a place to make fire. Give me your junk and I’ll make worlds to transpire. I’ll make me a sword and a house, A swing and stone wall. I’ll be both pitcher and batter and […]
I’m in the process of reading a great deal of writings by Margaret Sanger in an effort to understand the mind that went into the formation of one of the most diabolical organizations in America today, that of Planned Parenthood. Tonight I spent a good amount of time reading The Pivot of Civilization. (Lots to wade […]
I’ve been reading some of Margaret Sanger’s writings lately to catch the many obvious flaws but also the many ironies in her thought processes in order to elucidate the trajectory of ideas that led to Planned Parenthood in its current diabolical iteration. Ironically she nailed some real societal ills. She effectively calls out Christians for […]
I used Grammarly to grammar check this post because I am suffering from Summer-induced Grammnesia. It’s a serious ailment, common to homeschool moms (and maybe any teacher), wherein your ability to find and detect grammatical errors has been temporarily debilitated due to the summer heat and sudden onset of freedom. Speaking of homeschooling, we are […]
We sure do miss our sweet doggy, Bruce. What a gentle friend he was to my boys… and to me over the years. He was an indoor dog which meant he really was part of the family. And even though most of the time he was just lying around the house like a farting, snoring […]
I’m not sure what happened. It’s all a blur. I went to the feed store innocently seeking a few bags of chick feed and somehow I accidentally came home with 10 pounds of chick feed, 2 little rats and 5 pounds of rat food. You are probably now EEEKing or (like me) AWWWing. I had […]
I’m sort of actually misquoting a malapropism once made by my then three year old. He was jumping and spinning circles on my bed when he declared with a pirouette, “I’m a Ballaweiner!” Also known as a Ballerina. Conflicting visions of Oscar Meyer Hotdogs smothered in mustard and onions wearing tutus and toe shoes danced […]
Write a post about How to Write A Fabulous Blog Post. The end. Now that I have that out of the way I’m going to get on to what I actually want to write about. It’s going to be a fabulous blog post. Or not. That was so mean. I’m sorry SEO people!! But go […]
We like to pronounce Yosemite as though we are making a Hooked on Phonics infomercial. Yo Semite. Yo. We went there, yo. Totally dude. Um… check out the butterfly. It’s been forever since we had been to Yosemite…. Since our honeymoon more than 15 years ago which is actually just shy of forever. Funny story that… […]
I got to do a pop-up photo shoot last weekend for my niece and her BFF. They’ve been pals since they were embryos. Okay, so I snuck a few pictures of my other nieces too. Who could blame me? Best friends are… well… the best. My best friend, growing up, was April. We met on […]
Mine in particular.
Over the past few months I’ve taken to calling my oldest son, “Tonsil Boy.” He has had Strep Throat 5 times in a row… I think it’s 5 anyway. A lot. I’ve lost count. No sooner would he finish a round of antibiotics before coming down with it again. Essentially someone in our house has […]
You never expect that repatriating will be more difficult, financially, than expatriating! I’m no finance guru. And I’m not planning to blog about money or financial advice on a regular basis but I just wanted to share one important thing we’ve learned through the process of being expats and then repatriating and trying to reestablish […]
Are there ever really enough flowers? No. Heaven will have never-ending flowers, I think, because flowers are good for you. It’s true. That is a lovely one, is it not? I feel healthier already. The happy tulips smile still, their cheerful petals like a frill, like a laugh, a twirling girl whose skirt spins ’round […]
I don’t know why I thought of this today. Maybe it’s because we went in to sign our tax forms today and the lady at the reception desk smiled at our brood and said, “It looks like you have a couple of deductions!” I just thought it sounded like a great congratulatory greeting card from […]
Today I bought an old ugly dresser with nice bones at the local thrift store. It was just your standard 1970’s wood dresser. I brought it home, sanded the living daylights out of it and painted it a vibrant teal. Yes. You heard me right. Teal. Pictures to come soon. But as I wait for […]
They are literally threatening to go naked. Now granted, part of this is due to the fact that they have not been faithfully bringing their laundry down and running it through. But the large pile of clothes on my floor will attest to the fact that I’m not always the best at getting the laundry […]
My kids have been home educated pretty much their whole lives. Two of them did a brief stint in public school when I was down with a pretty brutal virus and its brutally brutal neurological after-effects. For the most part homeschooling has been something we have done not only out of personal conviction that it […]
I really want to post about Blissdom and I will. I really will. (promise!) I will post a ton of pictures and spill my everlovin’ guts about the whole experience. But it was so big. So very big. Nothing else seemed to exist for those days outside of the Opryland Hotel. But for some reason […]
I love everything about this picture. It was my Mom’s SOMETHINGth birthday. (She doesn’t believe the number and neither do I so why mention it?) And we sort of surprised her by showing up at lunchtime and then staying all day and then making fajitas for dinner and then making a 4 layer vanilla cake […]
Last night, I got home from Blissdom and was exhausted in every way. Top that off with the fact that I was sick. I think gastroenteritis is the culprit. Ugh. I did not want to cook and hubby had just done 5 days solo with our 4+1 kids and wasn’t up to cooking either. My […]
When we lived in Canada, we used to go to the mall just in order to get out of the house when it was too cold to go anywhere else. Since moving back home to California, we have only set foot in a mall about maybe 10 times (not including strip malls that include things […]
Before my husband left for his orientation in Phoenix with Food for the Hungry, we decided that we wanted a fun way for Daddy to share with the kids where in the world he was and what he did throughout his time. While his travels won’t necessarily be far and wide just yet, he will […]
My hunkahunkaburninlove comes home from Staff Orientation in Arizona at Food for the Hungry tomorrow. Oh, I’m so happy. I’m so happy he’s coming home but I’m so so happy he loves his job. I’m so excited about this organization. I’m very thankful. But I’m still really happy he’s coming home tomorrow. It’s not quite the […]
My “old” bloggy buddy from way back when, Darcy, reminded us that we moms need to get in the picture. As a photographer and as a self-critical woman, I am definitely one of those that does not like to get in the picture. I like my place behind the camera thankyouverymuch. I don’t seem to […]
It had been so long. I can hardly remember our last family hike, something which we used to do quite often, especially when we lived in Calgary. Here we seem to have become so busy with all of life that hiking has sadly managed to slip way down on the list of possible things to […]
I, as you know, am a mom of four boys. Four boys who, tonight in particular, can sometimes drive me mad with their incessant boyish craziness. Love them and all but sometimes I seriously just feel a wee tad alone (no offense, Cupcake, but you don’t much count for making me feel a lot of […]
My baby is now six. Last night I was recalling with my sister how I felt the day that I gave birth to my fourth baby. My belly, mere moments after birth, for the first time in four deliveries, seemed to know just how to behave and went back to its prior size (not that […]
My oldest child just turned 11 yesterday. It’s hard to believe I’m old enough to be the parent of a pre-teen. Really hard to believe. As in, I don’t think it’s possible. I’m still 23. He received art supplies, as per his request, for his birthday. Paints, brushes, etc. Today he whipped them all out […]
The boys are involved in a local church’s AWANA scripture memory program which they all really love. Each week has some sort of theme. This past week was crazy hair night. While one of my kids was initially reticent about participating (well, actually more negative than mere reticence) I eventually convinced him to “let down […]
Stuck-on sparkles, old elastic metal clips and see-through plastic, Bits of paper, string and glue, little flecks of I-love-you. A stick with arms, some legs, a head, some frizzled hair (just bits of thread) “It’s you!” a finger points in ballyhoo to little marks of I-love-you. Some hearts float ’round about the air A rainbow […]
I have silly boys. They are funny and witty and artistic and creative and all the wonderful (and maddening) things that come along with that kind of personality. They surprise me with their creations. Sometimes I’m floored by the ingenuity. And then other times I just scratch my head and wonder. And then let out […]
Life has such a way of sneaking up on you and getting busy doesn’t it? I for one like it. And then I experience the relief of getting back to routine. It’s all just a matter of riding the waves on the peaks and the troughs. This past year has been more of a ride […]
It is real, man. It’s a pretty special bond. And it goes both ways. What do you think he’s thinking about here? I can tell you. He wants a sandwich. Dream on Bruce. You wish.
I’m going to start this by saying that there are several reasons we homeschool. This post is not meant to capture all of those reasons but merely a facet, or small portion, of just one of those many reasons. A lot of Christian people I know think that home education is somehow doing a disservice […]
I’m sitting here at the park watching my boys play. Jumping, leaping, climbing, and pretty much doing anything that they think worth the risk of failure and injury. Play is work for them. It is learning. They are playing at what is a good risk and what is a bad risk. I once had a […]
Emphasis on NUT. Cause my kids are nuts. But their my nuts. And I love ’em. This is a soldier. Private Ryan? I don’t know really. Someone brave and rugged though. And looking shell-shocked. My Motley Crew This is what happened when I said, “Get in character!!” This is Igor. This is my little Rescue […]
Over the past few months you have followed my story and prayed with me and for me, that God might heal me and give me rest. There were many nights that I lay awake remembering, admittedly at times with bitterness, His promise, “…for he grants sleep to those he loves.” I am pleased to tell […]
Today I walked in on my kids doing this: Kids Singing Welcome Wagon from Nancy Doud on Vimeo. And lest I be accused of false advertising, my kids do not spend all of their time in exuberant praise and worship, singing songs from Malachi. If only it were so. They spend the other 3/4 of […]
Please note, this is NOT my son! :^) Sorry, I did not make that clear!! My mom saw this on YouTube and sent it to me! Okay and because it’s equally as funny…. According to the US Census Buruea, there are only 305,749,091 people living in America.
Ive Got a Golden Ticket – Charlie Today we got to take a field trip with our homeschool group to a local world famous chocolate factory. And to our dismay there were no little tiny orange people working der inventing room, nor was there any doublebubbleburpacola… NOR may I add were there any fizzy lifting […]
Our boys love history. I think it is all of their favorite subject. We are taking our study of Medieval times to the next level this year. Both of our big boys decided to forfeit birthday parties and gifts in order to get a sweet new room decor. We are turning their tiny lair into […]
I’ve been gone for a couple of days. We had a lovely Christmas. A silly Christmas too. This guy ^ is named Hamburger. And this ^ is Chocolate Milk. We specialize in naming stuffed animals and puppets. We’ll name yours for you for a nominal fee if you can’t come up with a workable […]
(picture taken from JO’s website) I just have to tell the world that I am forever indebted to Jamie Oliver. I think I shall write him a fan letter. You know why? My man, The Pastor, has cooked dinner three times in the last 7 days. Thanks to Jamie Oliver and his free five minute […]
You know, there is nothing like exposing your kids to all of the right t.v. and movie characters throughout the generations. You know, like Wallace and Beaver Cleaver, Gilligan and the gang, The Brady fam, The Jetsons and their Hanna-Barbara ilk. Nothing will give kids a strong sense of television and movie history and a […]
Even though we are up here in Canada, today is still a special day for us. We celebrate Thanksgiving on American Thanksgiving every other year and on the off years we celebrate at Canadian Thanksgiving day. This year we had turkey and all the fixin’s with our friends early in October with the rest of […]
Just a super friendly reminder… just an über gentle nudge… from your three year old pals everywhere…. school is very… very… very serious. Especially when you’re three and working on quadratic equations and honing a fine tuned understanding of Einstein’s theory of relativity. It’s a very serious business. Do not trifle with the studiousness of […]
True friendships are not always easy to come by. They are wonderful gifts from God. Like other wonderful gifts from God, such as creation and children, they have to be cared for and nurtured to maintain strength. Sometimes when children who are best friends grow up there is such a cataclysmic change in the friendship’s […]
We are home and so happy to not be on the road anymore! And what a warm welcome we received. When we walked in the door of our house we discovered that our church family had cleaned our whole house, including the garage which has recently (during our basement renovation project) been nicknamed, “One step […]
We have decided that we are going to California to be with my family. We need to be there. We are heading out early tomorrow morning and are going to try to make the trip in two 13 hour days. Please pray for safety, clear road conditions and just a very smooth trip. So I […]
We wait. Mike is unresponsive still. He is scheduled for an MRI this morning. Please continue to pray. We know that over all, God is good and faithful and we are taking comfort in his promises. I’ve set up a separate blog just for updating people on his condition and how to pray.
Tonight I got a frantic call from my Mom. It was about my brother Mike… Mike hung himself tonight but my brother Matt found him and he was still alive. My Dad and Mom cut him down and my Mom performed CPR and he started to breathe again while the paramedics were coming. He was […]
Last year we bought the kids some goggles for their swimming lessons. My two little ones love wearing their goggles even when they’re not swimming. I just can’t help but laugh… especially at my three year old… who also dresses himself. His ensembles plus the goggles are enough to make any eyes bug out. And […]
NEVER NEVER NEVER WALK UP THE STAIRS WHILE PICKING YOUR NOSE!!! You never “nose” what can happen. If only my baby could say in his best Seinfeld voice, “It wasn’t a pick! It was a scratch!!!” This popular dual thumb-sucking and nose-picking maneuver is what got him into trouble in the first place. An addict […]
As you may know sometimes I like bragging on my kids on this here website. It’s a mother’s prerogative. It’s the beauty of owning a blog. It’s totally shameless. And I’m about to do it again. Not too long ago we had some dear friends staying with us. Among them were four boys. Among those […]
This morning we had five dentist appointments. Yes, five at once. BUT thanks to a bit of a tummy bug starting to make its way around the house, two of us had to cancel. So my #3 and I stayed home together. I got a couple of things done and he watched Loony Toons. It […]
My sweet friend, Heather, took this picture of our family at Lake Louise a couple of weeks ago. I think it’s what I’m going to use for our Christmas letter this year. Family pictures are not so easy to come by when you’re usually behind the camera. Thanks Heather!!
Sometimes I have a hard time saying “no” to free clothes for the kids. We have been very blessed to be surrounded by so many kind friends who graciously pass their kids’ clothes that they have outgrown on down to us. This has been a huge blessing and has saved us so much money that […]
And I don’t mean that in a sinister way… like someone would if they said it right before they were about to tell you something really bad. I just mean the party is over. And it was fun while it lasted. There were decorations… A pony ride… (Yes, I made that hobby horse… that explains […]
Some days. Some days are all good. Some days are all bad. And some days, like this day…. some days, if they were printed out on a graph would look like the peaks and troughs on a heart patient’s doppler read out. Good, bad, up, down, happy, sad… Can I get a little bit of […]
My baby is three today. How does that happen? You can expect me to ask that every year until he’s 40 I think. By then I may have clued in that he’s pretty much going to keep getting older and bigger and more independent every day no matter how long I insist on referring to […]
Do you remember doing this? I do. I also remember getting really itchy every time I did it. I have to tell you, having a houseful of kids and friends that are more like family is more fun than I can say. It’s busy… and we are going through a lot of food but, man, […]
I love my big boys. They make me proud.
Last night as I was tucking my boys into bed this conversation took place: Two year old: Mommy, (grabbing my face and squishing my cheeks between his two little hands) you’re my BEEEEEEST Fwend. And my Daddy…. he’s my best fwend too. Me: Awww… you are so sweet. Two year old: Yes, I AM sweet […]
Can you guess what book my boy read today? It called for a change in our lunch menu… I’m very proud of him.
I love taking fall portraits of my boys. The intense colors of the season just call my camera’s name. “Hello….” They call. They sing to me. They beckon like as unto the Hills calling Fraulein Maria. And Fraulein Maria and I just can’t say no to the talking trees and leaves and the laughing breezes. […]
Hi, my name is Nan and I have a hyperactive child. Here he is. Oh wait a minute… that’s a kind of dated picture. Here he is… I love this child dearly. But this child is not fond of sitting at a desk. He’s not fond of having to look at books because it […]
But I don’t mean it in a bad way. Don’t you love it when people say things that are really rude and then suffix it with this self-protective sheath of “But I don’t mean it in a bad way.” Or when they are about to say something totally insulting and decide to prefix it with, […]
Tonight I made a really fabulous dinner. It was sort of a mix between this and this with a couple of extra twists. The twists were big enough though that it really seemed like quite a different dish from both of those though. In fact, it was so different that I it might not be […]
Update!! (((sigh))) Much better…
Grandpas are the best, are they not? Grandpa and Uncle Phil have been here for 10 days helping us and spending time with us and we have had a wonderful time together. Grandpa has installed numerous pipes, faucets, sinks and a garbage disposal (he’s going to get a special place in heaven for that good […]
Where does the time go? How is it that this child is almost three years old? When did that happen? I thought I just had him? I thought he was just nursing and sleeping next to me in my bed. I thought I was just bringing him home from the hospital when he was ten […]
I am the most shameless tooth fairy ever. I also am not very stealthy. I’ve therefore given up trying to dupe my son into believing in the tooth fairy. Today his tooth was so loose that he looked like the 8 year old boy version of Nanny McPhee. In fact we were calling him Nanny […]
I haven’t been at my computer a lot lately which is great as my bottom tends to take on the shape of my chair when I sit here for too long, ya know? Or at least it feels like it. We’ve just been really busy. My Dad and brother are up from California for a […]
Yesterday was such a perfect day. The weather was beautiful and the mountains were calling our names. (Can you tell that I have a Fraulein Maria complex? The hills are alive. For real man.) In the morning we woke up and felt the definite need for donuts. This is a need that must not be […]
So he’s not a baby. I get that. But dangit, he’ll always be my baby so get used to me calling him that. Okay? Good, got that out of the way. Okay, so my baby is the most verbose of all of my children at this age. Truthfully all of my children have been very […]
I actually won something. I never win. But I can’t say that anymore because I actually won something. Okay, so the truth is that the blogosphere has given better odds of winning really cool stuff to losers people like me who rarely if ever win things in the real world. And it’s great because whenever […]
Recent boyisms include, but are not limited to, the following: I had to take my two year old into the dressing room while I tried something on recently. I did my best to not be entirely and 100% visible to him but he managed to pop up and turn around in his stroller and have […]
I have to ask you other mothers and fathers this question. Do your children make up songs that include lots of made up words? And do these songs sometimes surprise you with the accidental and occasional F-bombs or other shocking words? My four year old, who as usual will remain nameless, is my singer. He […]
It must be hardwired into them. Killing things is generally not something we tend to encourage around our house. You know, besides things like germs and giant helicopters mosquitoes and houseflies whenever possible, we really try to avoid killing things. Last year when we discovered we had a few four legged boarders of the rodent […]
My littlest man loves boxing. It’s his favorite game to play on the Wii and it’s one of his favorite things to do with his Daddy lately. (His other favorite is cuddling.) Call me selfish but I really don’t want my kids being in any sport that has a likely potential to cause facial disfigurement […]
Today The Pastor celebrated the life of his Mom with family and friends. I know it was a joyful celebration of her life and an expression of how much she will be missed by many people. Today the children and I, still back at home, spent the day at the zoo with my dear friend […]
This girl is my soul sister. Not only is she my soul sister but she is beautiful. (And sassy.) This weekend we were blessed enough to enjoy a much awaited visit from some very dear friends of ours whom we met 9 years ago when we moved to a little place known as “Aggieland”, Texas. […]
They can be sort of funny. For the record, we did not know he would sing it this way. (That part is true.) And once we did know he would sing it this way… well, I swear that we did not try to make him sing it… no matter what it looks like on the […]
Before I say anything else, I want to say thank you to all of you who have expressed condolences for the loss of my husband’s Mom. While we are sad that she had to go, we are relieved that she is no longer suffering. It was so hard to hear of all of the ups […]
to say thanks to all of you who had been praying for my Mother in law, Kathleen, over the last few weeks. Tonight our prayers have been answered that her suffering would not be prolonged. She went home to be with Jesus earlier this evening.
Whenever we go out we inevitably get asked one of two questions, but usually both, at least 14 times per hour. The first question being, “Are they all yours?” and the second one being, “Are they all boys?” and the third one being, “Are there any twins?” and the fourth one being “How far apart […]
A boy’s work is never done.
Not to bore you with all the gory details of sickness but tonight my son came in and handed me these handy little symptom lists which he wrote up in order to help me identify various common family ailments. Who needs Google or advice nurses when you have this sort of thing at your fingertips? […]
Plans are always subject to change. Aren’t they? I know this to be true because so far I’ve planned three different trips for this Summer, none of which will be happening! Last week our toddler came down with a wicked tummy bug. He was over it after about four days. I thought he had managed […]
Do you pass on the music you love to your children? Or when you had children did you immediately stop listening to your favorite music and turn on kinder-tunes and nursery rhyme songs? Growing up I remember listening to Johnny Cash in the car with my parents, the Everly Brothers, the Beach Boys, The Messiah, […]
Boys like mud. And when snow melts there’s plenty to be had. And boys don’t seem to care if they forget to wash it all off the minute they come inside. They don’t seem to mind that crispy, crusty feeling. I don’t get it. But it’s very boyish of them isn’t it? I realize his […]
That’s what the high was for today and we couldn’t have been happier. We decided that we had to commemorate the gorgeous weather by donning shorts (or capris in my case) and going on a family hike to our favorite natural place in our city, Fish Creek Park, Canada’s largest urban park according to Alberta […]
Maybe I’ve mentioned before what kind of resilient people live in Calgary. They are the kind who are determined and bent on doing the things they love to do come hell or high water… or snow storms in April. Click the following link to see what we watched out our window as we ate dinner […]
That The Pastor is home safe and sound and was greeted with many hugs and kisses and “Never leave us agains.” I am finally getting my voice back and starting to feel human enough again to attack the many daily duties that were left relatively untouched over the last several days. Mount Laundry is calling […]
My mother in law is actually improving. She is awake but because of being out for a week and on all the drugs she is really loopy and hallucinating. Today she thought my dh was a mafia man coming to take her away. He and his brother and Dad were doing their best not to […]
My Mother in Law is just teetering on the edge today. She is in a great deal of discomfort whenever she is awake. I won’t go into the details. Just pray that God will have mercy on her and take her home today. My husband sent this prayer request to our church family last night… […]
the mice are sad. I put The Pastor on an airplane headed toward his Mom, Dad and brother (in the Southern U.S.) just this afternoon. I already miss him. I really really hate it when he travels. I’m sure part of that is due to the fact that I absolutely abhor flying… I absolutely hate […]
We are just waiting for news on how my Mother in law will fare today. They are going to try to wake her up and extubate her. We should know more by this afternoon. In the mean time my vacuum cleaner broke when I tumbled down the stairs with it, I’ve come down with a […]
I have to step out of my normal, light hearted way of writing to ask you all to pray for my Mother in Law. She has battled cancer off and on for the last 28 years. She had her first battle with breast cancer 28 years ago, had a single mastectomy and chemotherapy. Then just […]
My oldest boy turns 8 today. We all went swimming at a local aquatic centre this morning for his birthday celebration. Tonight we are eating tacos and then birthday cake. I can’t believe this child is 8 years old. I don’t know how that happened so fast. He knows how proud I am of him. […]
This evening I was repeatedly told I was the best Mom ever and that I was like Mr. Magorium because I “made” some new bath toys. All of the kids old bath toys had gotten disgustingly corroded. I never did find a good bath toy storage solution. Plus I’m just lazy about bath toys. So […]
One activity that I find so important in nurturing a love of reading in my children is reading aloud to them. I admit, we are not as constant in this area as I wish we were. We vacillate between voraciously consuming books together to the opposite extreme of not reading aloud for several weeks. Whenever […]
These pictures aren’t quite as old as the one I posted yesterday obviously, since the subjects are still little, but they were taken before my Photoshop craze days. So I deicided to pop some of them over to Photoshop to see what I could do with them. I mostly just like making them into black […]
So I’m a very sensitive sleeper. I have sleep issues. Lots of them. Frankly, I am a weirdo when it comes to sleep. From night time teeth grinding to very vivid dreams that I can I recall with clarity and torture my husband with in the morning to recurring night terrors (actually a sleep disorder) […]
I love it that when my boys go out to play, in their minds they are going out to work. They have business plans. Entrepreneurial dreams and visions. They have a chain of command and they are constantly reviewing the progress made on the many projects they have going on at any time. I am […]
Brothers will never fail to surprise me. How they can go from throwing clumps of dirt at each other because they are mad that “he was digging in my mud pit!!” to showing the sweetest affection, I’ll never know. I’m sure I was never ever so volitile in my affections, ever in my life. Never. […]
is not mine. It’s pretty though isn’t it? I love how shiny it is. The piano. It’s a wonderful, amazing, beautiful instrument. I should know. I took lessons for five years as a child, which I’m sure you realize is not enough to warrant me saying, “I should know” about it. I’m lucky if I […]
Mom: Okay, you finished your lunch. Now it’s nap time. Toddler: I don’t want to take a nap! (said with an angry furrowed brow while getting his face washed.) Mom: I know, but it’s nap time. Toddler: It’s not naptime. It’s Winta time Mom. (brow still furrowed) Mom: Thankfully it can be both!
You know how I posted about little boys and their guns the other day? Remember how I told you that my two year old has a definite flair for the dramatic? Well… I didn’t think you quite got my meaning. I thought maybe you were doubtful as to just how much of an actor he […]
Ha ha. Just kidding. This isn’t a political post. (Well… it isn’t meant to be anyways.) I read somewhere that boys needed to have play guns and that if they don’t have play guns they will turn just about anything into a play gun. I can’t remember which book it was but we’ll just blame […]
Light and shadows. They go together, ya know… like a horse and carriage. They work. They are like peaches and cream. They make good bedfellows. They fit like hand and glove. They are a couple. They got hooked up… like a super long time ago. They are BFFFFFFFs. So today I was going to post […]
Last night somewhere around midnight the Pastor and I decided that we needed to rearrange the house. Really. We moved parts of the family room to the living room and parts of the living room to the kitchen and family room and parts of the family room to a bedroom. And we are all much […]
You never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes they wake up cheerful and sunny. They smile and sing and say you are pretty. Other times they appear to have been run over by a freight train and look at you like you were the engineer that caused the wreckage that is their sad sorry […]
They do. Oh, do they ever. And their mothers take pictures of it.
Look at this face. Does this look like the face of a person who is thinking about the state of the global economy? Does this? Maybe not. But he really is. He is wondering if Pampers stocks are going to plummet because of the recession. He is worried about his 401K. He is actually not […]
Third children are the best. They are happy, cheerful, helpful, adorable, outgoing, shy at the right times, funny and intelligent. They really are all that. I got to spend a little bit of time with my third child today and we had a blast looking out the window at the crazy swirly snow. And who […]
Nothing puts me to sleep faster than li-s-t-e-n-ing t-o a ch-i-l-d s-ou-n-d ou-t, n-0-t j-u-s-t e-v-e-r-y sy-ll-a-b-le of e-v-e-r-y w-o-rd, b-u-t al-m-o-s-t e-v-e-r-y l-e-tt-er, in a f-i-f-t-ee-n p-a-g (I mean p-a-g-e) ph-o-n-i-cs r-ea-d-er. I-t i-s v-er-y v-er-y p-ai-n-f-ul a-n-d y-e-t v-er-y s-oo-th-ing. P-u-t-s me t-o s-l-ee-p e-v-e-r-y t-i-m (I mean t-i-m-e). **sigh** Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…….
Children grow so fast. It makes the mother’s heart go pitter pat doesn’t it? It sometimes even draws a tear. Or two. One day they are just little kids… And before you know it they are big. Real big. Super tall long legged strangers. And husbands… well, they go the other way I guess… You […]
Nan
So we’ve had a few discussions about human reproduction lately with the older two boys using science books from the library. We’ve had some really great conversations. Not at all “scary.” In fact we take joy in teaching them about these things, knowing that we are teaching them that sex is not only a really […]
This morning came too early. My eyes found themselves being rubbed out of their closed state after a short night of Unisom induced slumber. My eyes were forced out of bed by two yelling and laughing scratchy little voices. My eyes bumbled their way to the bathroom and then stumbled down to big white rectangle […]
It’s nose to the grindstone day. It’s get back to “normal” day. It’s happy pleasant everyone loves each other day. It’s back to the joy and heart-pounding thrill of learning day. It’s pain and suffering because my brain hurts day. It’s thank God for some structure again day. And so what if I’m still in […]
I seem to have forgotten to mention how the big gift went over with the kids. First, I have to say that I was really proud of the kids because though they had very few gifts to open, they didn’t complain. In fact, our gift opening time lasted about ten minutes at the most. It […]
You will now witness for yourself what kind of malarky will ensue when you let boys do any silly thing they want to in front of a video camera. (Pay no attention to the background mess… we cleaned it after making the video. Mostly.) Now you have seen and know for yourself what I live […]
That’s the stuffy nosed version of, “Merry Christmas! Pass the Nyquil!” just in case you aren’t a licensed interpreter for Sickese. I woke up with a head cold this morning. I sound like that girl on Sesame Street back in the Seventies…. remember the one who sat on the big couch and always talked about […]
And I’ve made up a new little jingle in honor of this… ummm… tradition… Nan
It seems that I gave birth to a poet. A sentimental one at that. This shouldn’t be terribly surprising. His father is a poet. His mother is a poet. His grandmother is a poet. His Great Great Grandmother was a poet. But still, can you try to imagine my amazement when I discovered in my […]
If you are not the Grandma of my kids, you may go on your merry way because I am just using my blog as my refrigerator door for those who live 1,700 miles away. Mom, if you were here, you would have this crammed in your face only minutes after your arrival. Of course, if […]
Today we went on our first sledding expedition of the season. It’s been bitterly cold this week with highs hanging right around the minus teens (C) but with wind chill it feels quite a bit cooler. Needless to say we don’t do a whole lot of playing out in this weather. Minus 10 Celsius is […]
Just try taking Christmas pictures with four boys and a dog. I’m betting some of you have. I’m sure success will come eventually. I just took about 10 pictures (granted I just decided at random — didn’t even make sure their clothes or faces were clean…) and I think only one of them is remotely […]
Don’t you love it when you overhear your kids playing and they say something terribly cute? My three younger boys were playing trains and cars while my oldest was just delving into his first multiplication lesson (which he is loving by the way!) The children of course were making the cars and trains talk to […]
Recently I’ve been reading Beverly Cleary books aloud to my boys. They are really enjoying them. We’ve been going back and forth between Henry Huggins books and Ramona books. So far we’ve read Henry Huggins, Henry and Ribsy, Ramona the Pest, Beezus and Ramona, Henry and Beezus and now we are reading Henry and the […]
This post is just going to be like so many of my other recent posts, a bland retelling of everything that is happening or not happening around here. Because most of it is so fatiguingly and tediously boring I’ll try to spice it up with a few funnies strewn throughout. I’ll let you judge if […]
Is it really possible? I don’t know for sure and I sure as heck am not holding my breath but today was the first day (knock on particle board) that nobody felt truly awful. I mean, everyone still has stuffy heads and runny noses and coughs but by golly, we felt somewhat human. Tonight we […]
So today my three year old broke out in hives that migrated from his lower back (just after breakfast) to his torso, chest and head (where they currently still remain.) I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out what it is (Acute Urticaria) but goodness, does the madness never end?! (We did take him in to a […]
I’m sorry but toys are the bane of my existence! Not all toys… just the many that pretty much go unplayed with except for the odd time that they are dragged out of a box and left strewn across the house. So much of it is just JUNK. I can’t stand the clutter. Who bought […]
Surely that is the title of a book. It’s about a little blind girl who spends all day in her Grandma’s garden listening and talking to the little birdies that come to splash in the happy little bird bath…… Hmmm… that’s starting to sound eerily like another story I made up read once… This afternoon […]
According to my boys. I was commanded heartily emplored to take a picture of these things. The most amazing things in the world. It’s awfully lucky I had a camera with me to document these amazing finds. Otherwise the world would never know and surely our systems of government would fall, our spleens would all […]
I like faces. I particularly like these faces though. I guess I’m sorta partial to them. A person tends to feel that way about people that she birthed. Ya know? You tend to feel that way, no matter how much they drive you crazy sometimes, because once upon a pregnancy you dreamed what these faces […]
My baby is two. I feel old! Here he is the day we brought him home from his 10 day stay in the hospital. He was five weeks early and spent his first week and a half in the NICU and special care nursery. Those were the longest days… but it’s simply flown by since […]
I have been a bad blogger lately. But a better human being. So I’m not going to bother flogging myself for my lack of posting here. Sometimes I do just have to take a few steps away from the computer in order to distance myself a bit from everything in it! So that’s where I’ve […]
The Pastor has recently become determined, thanks to finding a handy little book on the subject for only $1 at the library, that he and the boys need to begin letterboxing. And there’s not a moment to waste. They hope to head out on their first adventure tomorrow. I am not the letterboxing head honcho […]
We decided to go out for a mid-morning jaunt today. We needed to pick up a few items for various art and hobby related projects. Imagine our co-mingled feelings (mine, displeasure – the Pastor and the children’s pure excitement) when we found that this was happening: Yuck. Ick. Blargh. Don’t get me wrong. I like […]
The Pastor is the best Dad. Tonight was a “wrastling” night. On wrastling nights we move the coffee table and everyone pretty much tries to take each other down. Dad is the centerpiece of the whole affair. Usually there are a few knocked heads and a couple of tears shed but most of the time […]
Broken Sojourners 