Let us enjoy the art of living.” -Maya Angelou Not too long ago, I was out with my children running some errands. I’m not sure that I looked frazzled or weary, but because I was out and about with four children, it’s probably pretty safe to assume that I did. A stranger approached, and […]
Schedules
I love schedules. I love making them, I love writing them, and I love checking things off of them. When you have a big family, things have to be written down to get done! I think it is because our active brain capacity is maxed out after the second child. Once you have to maintain […]
Homeless But At Home
Have you ever felt homeless? Been in between homes? Moved in with your parents…or in-laws? Lived far away from the place you call home? Or what about actually owning a home? I’ve been mulling this thought over a lot lately: What makes a home? We are currently “homeless” – living with my parents while we […]
The Misplaced Math Books
In her defense, my lovely 9-year-old daughter, Sarah, is one of the most loving people to ever have walked the earth. Her style of losing her patience is to tenderly whine and bat her long eyelashes and stare pitifully up at me with her giant, puppy dog eyes. It is nearly impossible to be upset […]
Choices
Every day we are all faced with multiple choices. These choices may be small, but they do have the potential to have a large impact upon our lives. Some choices may not be that important, while others are monumental. I thought once I had made the choice to be a stay-at-home mother, the decision […]
Stale Hamburger Buns
Last Sunday I wrestled through my church meeting with five children. This included a baby who woke up earlier than usual and was far past due for a nap, a three year old that had too much energy, two sisters wanting to argue for an hour straight, and an eight year old who kept […]
Life Is Like Candyland
My family teaches me lessons beyond what I could possibly learn on my own. Today that teaching happened in the midst of a game of Candyland. Spencer and I played it for the first time this morning, and he had a great time singing about the colors, flipping the cards, pointing out the treats on […]
Better Together
There’s a song by Jack Johnson that says, “It’s always better when we’re together.” I know Jack was referring to the love of his life, but lately I’ve thought of this in terms of our sisterhood of women. I’ve noticed lately how much we women sometimes just do things on our own. Why do we […]
What Surprises Me About Being A Mom
I am utterly shocked at my confidence in motherhood…five years later. And three children. When my son was born I could barely put on his clothes. I knew I would break him. And his chicken legs were the smallest I’d seen. Wait, had I even held a newborn baby before? I was dumbfounded going to […]
Cutting Corners
I recently attended a writing conference, and received some wonderful advice from philosophy professor and children’s book author Claudia Mills. I laughed when I heard it, but now it has become my mantra. It goes like this: “The key is cutting corners and having very low expectations.” Mills was talking specifically to writers about making […]
Facing Your Fears
Can any mother ever forget that feeling of absolute panic the first time she was tipped out of her wheelchair into the big, wide world with an infant in her arms? Sheer terror. I remember looking around at the nurses and other hospital personnel, wondering if there wasn’t something else they needed to tell me, […]
Life’s Plain, Common Work
Life’s Plain, Common Work The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and […]