It is hot in Texas, so we are taking refuge at our neighborhood pool quite often. Our 3 and 2 year old splash away the heat while the little guy rides on mommy, as per usual. I have found myself tucking the sling fabric in odd places and trying to stay in shallow enough water so that the sling can stay dry for use later in the day (the ergo doesn’t let him reach to the water). But little Incredibaby... Read more

If you’re (1) a procrastinator and (2) gift-giving is NOT your love language, you might (like me, every year) be very consciously ignoring the fact that Father’s Day is this Sunday. But chances are, if you’re not a gift-giver yourself, you married someone who cares at least a little about being recognized with a thoughtful gift. Opposites attract. I already put the handmade kid cards in the mail to my dad (grandfathers are wonderfully easy to please). The only thing... Read more

Above is the nest in a bush right by our back porch. The robin has been kind enough to make it in a place that can be scene from our dining room windows, so we can often look on without disturbing her. This picture was taken just a few days ago, you may be able to see that one bird had hatched. There were four eggs. As of today, there are three chicks and they have gotten quite large, we... Read more

My day ended like this — get home late, start the bath, get called to the kitchen because the dishwasher is backing up and flooding all over the hard wood floors, grab (fresh, clean, white) towels out of dryer and throw directly onto dirty floor, hear baby crying, run back to bathroom to find that he has gotten into the bath fully clothed. I had to laugh and grab my camera, while my daughter kept saying, Mommy, poor baby, don’t... Read more

One unfixed vehicle returned to the mechanic after already spending 3 days there+One 2yo with a bread ball shoved up his nose (O Lord, not this again!)+One escaped, collarless (and beloved) yellow lab found two hours, two neighborhoods, and a forest later+One PMS’ing, frazzled mama____________________________One very stressful morning!!!How’s your day gone? I hope better. 🙂 Today I am praising God for offering me the Grace to step back and laugh about all of this. That’s really all I can do... Read more

We have made it a little family tradition to stop by our local “donut and kolache” shop on our way home from Sunday Mass. The order is almost always identical, sometimes with one or two substitutions: one cinnamon roll, one cherry kolache, one donut with pink frosting and sprinkles, and one donut with vanilla filling. Our tab is always under $2 – not bad 🙂 In any case, yesterday morning I was standing in line with two customers in front... Read more

For the last couple of years, I’ve taken a hiatus from matchmaking. My success rate was a perfect 0%. Demoralizing. I’ve always been a romantic, easily carried away by all things eros, guilty of losing hours and hours of time and energy in daydreams. Even before Prince Charming won my heart, I was one of those slap-happy busybodies at the co-ed get-togethers dropping (not discreet) hints about who might be interested in whom, “pretty cute, hmm”, “aha, well I’ll leave... Read more

Don’t these look delicious! We spent our afternoon picking some green beans from our garden, and then venturing out for a late afternoon walk to the mid-week town farmers market. To my surprise, peas are officially in season–and boy are they sweet! Removing the peas from their pods was an amazing way for my two children to spend the late afternoon hours. Busy little hands make light work for this mama and I am thankful for the many quiet minutes... Read more

Raising my little angels has been a journey with challenges I never anticipated. Just the other night I was commenting to my GG, “Man, this is the hardest job I’ve ever done. And I had to take organic chemistry!” Concepts like polymerization and hydrolysis sound energizing? and fun?! O Lord, help me! I have to be honest, though, it really isn’t motherhood as a whole that has been putting me into tangles lately. It’s the challenge of mothering one of... Read more