It has been two weeks since our Disney getaway–just enough time for the “Disney amnesia” to set in (an amazing phenomenon that clouds all negative memories (like when your daughter had 3 potty accidents at Epcot) and highlights only the good, sparkly ones). Whether the moments were all magical or not, the week was such a special treat for all of us and one that we will undoubtedly look back upon fondly. It will go down in Gasperini lore as... Read more
It is not every year that we plan a winter vacation to Florida. But, as luck would have it, this winter of all winters was the perfect year to escape the northeast. We made the long 18 hour drive to Marco Island in Florida (as far south as it gets on the gulf coast), and boy was that time in the car worth it! I hope these pictures make you all feel just a little bit warmer. Moments after arriving,... Read more
We have seen the Proctor and Gamble “Thanks Mom!” commercials, as well as several mom-tribute copycats, and I do always appreciate that tribute to the hard work that an entire family does to get someone to the Olympics, but as someone whose life often revolves around getting young people to various (non-Olympic caliber) sports activities, I have to say that I was most incredibly moved and inspired by Noelle Pikus-Pace, the US skeleton racer who came out of retirement for... Read more
Today is another snow day. And tomorrow too. And Monday is Presidents’ Day holiday. Yet another five-day winter weekend spent entirely indoors. I don’t know if my children have gone to school more than 3 days during any one week since Thanksgiving. Winter unschooling…. Here are the top five reasons to be happy this morning: (5) Plenty of time to finish every Christmas-gifted science kit, coloring book, craft set, and activity pack, which will make spring purging that much easier.... Read more
…It’s almost St. Valentine’s Day – are all of you Christmas decorations put away? We have an undeclared, disassembled tree in the dining room corner. Enough ignoring it! Just do it! *Mary Alice’s computer is offline, so she asked me to post this on her behalf. Thanks for this, Mary Alice. For all of us who still have a pile of Christmas decorations/cards/ornaments on the bedroom dresser or wherever, this is good motivation to get it put away for good... Read more
Over the weekend, the Cub Scouts hosted their annual Pinewood Derby, an event which features homemade wooden cars that race down a track at breakneck speed in the elementary school cafeteria. This was our fourth Pinewood Derby for our son, and even the girls participated this year by making their own cars and racing them in the “semi-pro” division. Good times. Well, I’m not sure if it was the long day spent at the Derby, the high hopes for a... Read more
Huge disclaimer: I haven’t read this book, which is apparently about how faith is lost or kept over generations, but I’m very curious about it. Still, I have been thinking a lot of its summary via this book review in the New York Times although I’ll admit that my thoughts are a little jumbled this afternoon (I know. I’m writing about a book review, not actually reading something! Sigh). The premise of the book hits a nerve with me, namely... Read more
My children love coloring pages. I also find that an appropriately themed coloring page can help me communicate something effectively to my children. This is especially the case when I am trying to teach, emphasize or celebrate something having to do with our faith. However, I have wasted my fair share of time searching the web at the last minute for coloring pages of a particular type or genre, often coming up empty-handed in the end. Right now, two... Read more
There is a curious barbershop on our military post, near where my husband goes to work each day. It has an inauspicious brick exterior and erratic hours. For the first couple months we lived here at Fort Leavenworth we tried to figure out how to get haircuts at this place… we had heard they were $4 apiece! My husband took our sons in a couple times and was told that they could only get their 30 minutes in a barber... Read more
Take the most magical place on earth, add dear friends, spring-like weather, precious family memories, two of the greatest (most tolerant) grandparents in the world, and we’ve had a vacation close to perfection so far. Okay, minus bouts of whiny children, the potty accident(s) today at Epcot, 3yo implosion moments, tired kids, the 1yo who won’t go to sleep as I type this… You know how that goes. We expected these hiccups and are fighting to remain optimistic! Thankfully the... Read more
Building Cathedrals
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