I am reading my children poetry from The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children’s Poems and I thought today’s poem was worth sharing. I am overtired and a bit of a sap but I couldn’t hold back tears. This poem led us in to a great conversation about metaphor, struggle and civil rights. Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And... Read more
At the dinner table tonight: Me: Christopher, would you like some more pasta? C: C’mom, dude, no thank you! Me: Excuse me? C: Oh, I meant “dudette,” sorry! Me: C, where did you learn to talk like that? C: Oh, from my friends. Apparently we have a high concentration of surfer families at the local elementary school. Who knew? And later, before stories: Dad: C, you’re going to have a spelling test on Friday. Do you know what a spelling... Read more
“All parents, whether their kids learn at home or in a classroom, should lean hard on God’s grace. Because though our details might differ, God calls every one of us to sacrificial love through our family lives. And that’s not likely to come easy to any of us.” –Danielle Bean I so appreciate these words from Danielle. She especially speaks to my heart this week. Like many of you, I’ve wrestled with the possibility of homeschooling my young brood. I... Read more
Just arrived home on Tuesday afternoon from a 2.5 week-trip to the States with my family – flew standby on military aircraft. This is free travel, but wildly unpredictable and logistically difficult. Jet lag is heavy upon us. What am I cooking? No fancy picture here, but we will be having chicken stir-fry. I love to tap into the Hoisin Sauce in my fridge drawer, and stretch a few chicken breasts with lots of veggies. We will be including a... Read more
Well, if you know me you know that I am always happy for an excuse to tackle the clutter. So, back to school time is a great time. The kids need organization to get their work done and the holidays will be here before we know it. It will be so much easier to plan and host Thanksgiving with less clutter, and to make room for any new Christmas toys. The change of season here in the northeast is also... Read more
In her comment on a recent post, KT wrote, “I was wondering if you would consider doing a post advising on, or asking for advice for families that operate on a low income due to a husband in grad/law/med school. We are about to embark on this journey and I would love some input on how families with kids make it work on such a small budget. Any tips, advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I work part time... Read more
As you all know, my family will not be going “back” to school this year, since we homeschool, but we did take the summer off and we will be starting school again next week. We have found it is easiest on the kids if we keep our schedule similar to that of the rest of America, since most of our friends and many of our activities are on a traditional school schedule. To that end, we are finishing up our... Read more
What am I cooking tonight? Mandarin Chicken Salad. It looks delicious, doesn’t it? It’s quick and easy to make. I will post the recipe in the comments. What am I reading? I just finished Anna Karenina and I’m heading to the library today to pick up a new book. I’m leaning towards A Tale of Two Cities, as I haven’t read it since high school, but I’m up for alternative suggestions. What are my weekend plans? I’m headed to the... Read more
Anyone watching college football this weekend will want to check out the pre-game for Michigan v. Connecticut. An Ohio State U. grad student will be leading the Michigan team onto the field… You can find his family’s inspiring story here (written a year or so ago). Watching him WALK out onto the field will undoubtedly be a tearjerker for this not-so-tough football fan!!! Read more
I found myself at a shopping mall recently on my way to the airport for the first (and probably last) time in a very long time and I saw this dress and thought it was so very cute. Now I am not a fashionista (a good chunk of my wardrobe is still from high school) and I am not even particularly fond of shopping, because it eats into weekend time. So I had to really think for a few minutes... Read more
Building Cathedrals
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