I got an email today (and I get similar ones pretty often) that said “I love your blog and was reading through the archives. I noticed you don’t have any of your birth stories posted. I hope you’ll write them someday. I’d love to read them.” To which I say “Good luck with that. You’re in for a long wait.” There are women in this world who dread play dates, shun mommy groups, and are wary of homeschool support groups... Read more

I saw a breathing specialist last week about the asthma that no inhaler can tame. I’ve tried all kinds of medication, added in allergy pills, tried changing parts of my life….no dice. When I run or do a hard aerobic workout, I end up wheezing and gasping for breath. It really stinks. Which landed me at a specialist ladt week who ran all kinds of tests. The end result? I have a separation of my abdominal muscles which is making... Read more

The house is quiet tonight. My husband is on a business trip, my eldest is off with friends, and the littles are all in bed. It’s just me and a blank computer screen. Dumb computer games lost their allure about an hour ago, and there’s nothing to watch on television except the latest installment of The Real Housewives from Somewhere that’s not here. I always found that name to be funny. I know housewives, I even know hot housewives, but... Read more

Grandma has amazingly good teeth. Especially for someone in her 90s.I finally got her to tell me her secret – hydrogen peroxide. She gargles with it. To be specific, with a 50/50 solution of water and hydrogen peroxide. She said that it bubbled and foamed and killed the bacteria in your mouth. Since it’s the same solution the dentist told #4 to use after her scooter accident, I figured it was fairly safe. I gave it a try last night.... Read more

I grew up in the very southest part of South Texas. It’s not a place that sits softly in the heart the way my beloved Oklahoma can. It’s hard and inhospitable. The land is flat without a hill between you and the horizon. I’ve often heard it called ugly or forbidding and I can’t say that I disagree. The plants that grow there are covered in thorns. The trees that manage to grow are stunted and gnarled by the heat... Read more

What do you say to a friend when she says she thinks her marriage is over? How do you console a wife of twenty years who is afraid the life she loves is ending? How do you comfort her and tell her that somehow it will end up okay when you’re not sure you believe that yourself? Twenty years. It’s a long time that saw her grow from her teens into an amazing woman. Smart,funny, accomplished. I don’t know what... Read more

I’ve reached the point in my life where I officially hate Legos. I used to think they were this great creativity toy. Then I decided that they were great for teaching developing brains how to engineer things and make them happen. They taught my children math, geometry, creative thinking, etc. I just knew my kids were benefiting from their near constant play with Legos. My love affair has waned as I’ve stepped on them (ouch!), vacuumed them up, found them... Read more

Hey! Haven’t you heard? Homeschool posts are now at rebeccafrech.com  Here’s the link! Read more

My son broke my iPad this weekend. In his hurry to get out of the car after an 8 hour trip, he dropped it face down on the driveway. He burst into tears and sobbed an apology. He was absolutely certain I’d be angry. I wrapped him in my arms, kissed his head and told him most of the truth, “It’s just a toy, an expensive toy, but a toy. You are infinitely more precious to me than it could... Read more

I met one of my favorite neighbors and her family at the pool this afternoon. I was puzzled for a moment when I saw that her husband was there. On a Thursday. I’m so used to the idea that husbands go off to work that when I run into a work-from-home dad, I’m always caught momentarily off guard. It turns out that this is a regular lunch-time activity during the summer break. My friend packs a lunch and their whole... Read more