2009 November

The weight of expectations

November 28, 2009

I’ve gained a little holiday weight already. Several pounds of dissatisfaction have settled onto the hips of my heart. And I’ve spent the past few days trying to work them off. This time of year there are so many rich lies about what you need to fill you up.
The holiday season seems to be a [...]

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In no particular order

November 25, 2009

I’m thankful for:

Monkey hugs.
Freshly cleaned carpets. Mmmm smells as good as it looks. Good-bye little boy footprints, hello steam-cleaned.
New pajamas.
Four free days to fill as we choose.
Christmas trees and the decorations we’ve collected from around the globe.
Two kids that I never expected to want and now love more ferociously than I could have imagined. (Once [...]

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Every night, it's the same

November 23, 2009

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Shared with the Chatting at the Sky community as they pause on Tuesdays to unwrap the “extra” in the ordinary.

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Laundry

November 21, 2009

Sometimes my mind is as cluttered as my house.
After a long week, the laundry piled high on the table tells the tale of what we’ve been up to. Who wore what when. There are many stains.
I pass that pile every night on the way to my bedroom and promise myself I will pick it up, [...]

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David, Goliath and the Over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder

November 20, 2009

The first time my firstborn son heard the story of David and Goliath it took him months to recover.
I. Am. Not. Kidding.
He was traumatized. Now, this was more a result of how the material was presented than the actual content. It was at a VBS (vacation Bible school) event. Jackson was by far the youngest [...]

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A mid-November love letter to my kids

November 16, 2009

I love you boys.
I love your bellybutton reminders that you were homegrown inside of me. That we know each other inside out. Literally.
I love what a delicious mix you both are of me and your dad. But in such different ways. There goes Pete’s lips and my blue eyes on one and my temperament and [...]

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Where lions fear to tread

November 14, 2009

So it’s just your run-of-the-mill Saturday. We sleep in as late as we can before the kids drag us up and at ‘em. Equal doses of waffles and Barney help get us ready for the day. My four-year-old changes outfits at least twice and the toddler maintains a slow whine over top of everything.
Finally we [...]

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Of lists and things

November 12, 2009

I don’t blackberry or i-Phone.
I make old fashioned lists in ink.
Often on my hand.
Things I need to remember to do, deliver or prepare. They seem important at the time I write them down.
But by the end of the day, after bathtime, bubbles, shampoo, soap and suds, horseplay, diapers, dishes and jammies, it’s hard to see [...]

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View from a toilet seat

November 10, 2009

I think I have mentioned before that my littlest boy, Micah, and I love to pretzel. In the predawn darkness we snuggle it out in mommy and daddy’s bed after he wakes up. When I have to quit the warm comfort of the bed and get ready for the day, he comes with me. Stuffed [...]

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Making time to eat

November 6, 2009

Parenting is hands on.
Many other hands. On you.
Washing dishes while dodging grabs and lunges at your knees is not easy. Cooking with child on hip is tricky juggling of the highest order. Navigating obstacle courses of toys en route to the fridge and bottle of morning milk at 4.30 am could be an Olympic sport. [...]