Don’t Waste One Word
Today in class, I repeat my new writing slogan: Don’t Waste One Word. As we finish all the lessons in How to Write with Flair, students know that every single word matters. Each word creates a precise mood and image. Don’t waste one word. Don’t settle for a weak or imprecise word when you can […]
Beyond the Boo Platter: Now She Wants Spiders
We gather in the kitchen to make the annual Halloween Fruit Platter for the class party. It’s tradition now. “What if we did a spider shape?” she asks so innocently. Why not? I like it. She loves it. It’s nothing but a foil blob with legs that divide the fruit, and still, she loves it. […]
“You Are Not Essential”: Go Home and Be Safe
Today, the university shuts down. I receive an email telling me to go home and be safe. In this email, I read this line, “Although we are all important, no one is essential.” It’s humbling and strange to think about how non-essential we actually are. Over the next few hours, blogs will shut down (not […]
Storm Ready
Today we–like most everyone else in our community–spend the day becoming storm ready. Hurricane Sandy’s on the way, so we make sure we’re ready with water, food, lanterns, candles, and batteries. We’re also bringing in lawn furniture, propane tanks from the grill, garbage cans, and anything else that high winds might send flying. We’re storm […]
Never Too Old
This morning my husband tells me about an interesting encounter he had during my daughter’s music lesson. While waiting for her turn with her piano teacher, a very old man shuffles into the waiting room. He sits down and carefully pulls out his beautiful violin. My daughter turns to him to ask if he’s the […]
A Child’s Time Management Advice that Just Might Change Your Life
I’m losing my voice after my cold, so I write my youngest daughter a note to tell her what she needs to remember to do before bedtime. She disappears and then comes back to tuck a note into my hand. Yes. Finish the important things. Do the rest later. ___________________________________________I love learning from children, don’t […]
What It Needs
I was thinking the other day about the millions of acorns on my lawn. What does it take for one little seed to take root and grow into a tall oak? Why aren’t there millions of spouting acorn seeds all over my lawn? So many don’t survive. They’re eaten. They dry out. They rot. They’re […]
Confessions of a Tailgater (The Driving Kind)
It’s a rainy day, and on the way to the grocery store, I nearly collide with two different cars at various stop signs. My tires spin and the brakes hesitate on the slick pavement. I’m driving way too close to the car in front of me, and these driving conditions showcase my problem: I’m a […]
Crayon Drip Pumpkins: A Fun After School Craft
My youngest daughter bursts out of the school telling me how we must melt crayons on our pumpkins because her incredibly creative and wonderful teacher showed her one of her own designs. “It was so beautiful in all those melted colors! Let’s do it!” At moments like this, I feel we are an ill-matched mother […]
Take a Minute
The weather report shows snowstorms for next week, but today, I’m not even wearing a jacket to campus. It’s going to be nearly 70 degrees. I take a minute to savor it. I stand beneath the oak tree and gaze up. I go inside the Weeping Cherry and let the sun peek in. I part […]