Licking the Blender Whisk
It’s a snow day in our county, and the children and I make cookies to frost. The girls crowd around me and eagerly reach for the blender whisks after I’ve made the vanilla frosting. I hand the whisks down, and I purposefully arrange some extra frosting on each one. A child licking the blender whisks […]
What We Most Want
Finally, at 6:00 AM, we agree to open presents. This is only after the 2:00 AM squeal alert that presents had arrived under the tree. My living room sparkles with shreds of wrapping paper, bows, and tissue paper. By now, the little girls play happily with their new dolls, and I drink coffee–lots and lots […]
A Christmas Gift to Yourself
I’m sitting around a table with other couples, all in their 30’s and 40’s. As we talk about the different activities we’re encouraging our children to try–voice lessons, dance, musical instruments, acting–one mother suddenly announces how much she wishes she could take ballet lessons. “Why don’t you!?” we all exclaim just as another mother confesses […]
When Your Cat Looks Like a Skunk
My Skunk Kitty When you’re sick in bed, you have a lot of time to think about your life. You can have bizarre thoughts, brought on by fever and narcotics and the reality television shows you’ve been watching to pass the time. You start asking yourself if you’re dying, and you wonder what the whole […]
You Cannot Contain This
My morning begins by watching children race down the street so the speed limit monitor sign records their speed. I still haven’t had enough coffee to move properly, and these kids are racing. They know how to walk to school with flair. I secretly want to record my own speed. I still might, but I’m […]
Your Most Memorable Act
Last year, my daughter’s teacher asked me to provide some healthy Halloween treats for the 2nd grade party. Everyone knows how terrible I am at anything involving baking, crafts, or decorating. I try, but when it comes right down to it, I’m just not good at these things. Halloween Boo Platter I am good at […]
Am I a Husky or a Collie?
I recently walked in the woods with my neighbor and her Siberian Husky. While other owners let their dogs run free in the woods, she keeps hers tight and close on a strong leash. “I wish I could let him run free,” she says sadly. “Why can’t you?” I ask, watching other dogs bounding off […]
A Taste of My Own Medicine
For all my talk of releasing children into nature, with nothing but pure imagination and the grass beneath their feet, I’m not one to take any time–as an adult–away from technology to just relax outside with no plan, no agenda. Is nature only good for the young? What would happen if I joined them? How […]
What’s Worth Keeping?
Yesterday, my oldest daughter had to choose one object from home that best represents her to share with her class. The teacher wrote: “Find one thing that best describes who you are.” She said she’d choose one of three things: her Bible, her journal, or a photo of her cats. She values God, her writing, […]
You, the Expert
I know many experts. I have friends with cooking expertise, exercise expertise, teaching expertise, spiritual expertise, and parenting expertise. They read, they study, they take classes, they interview others. These folks are wise. I call them all the time. Just this morning, my sister, an education expert, talked me through my stress about my daughter’s […]