enjoying an unexpected journey
You may have heard of the Elf on the Shelf. Perhaps it’s a long standing tradition in your home.
If you haven’t heard of it, you can check out the Elf on the Shelf official website, or check out some fun Elf pictures here.
Well, we don’t have an Elf on the Shelf at our house. That doesn’t mean our shelves are entirely empty. Nope, we have something on our shelf.
Brace yourself. [Read more...]
Have I told you that I’m pretty sure a man invented Trick-or-Treating? A man without any children of his own? Because seriously, folks, would a woman–a mother–invent a tradition that involved elaborate costumes and unlimited candy for children? I rest my case.
Despite the fact that I had to pack for, unpack, and organize two back-to-back out of town vacations in the past week…despite the fact that I had several writing deadlines…despite the fact that just the mere effort of turning on my sewing machine these days causes me to say creative non-swearing epithets…I told two of my children I would make their Halloween costumes.
This is what my sewing room looked like by the end of the day, yesterday.
Though it may look as if poor Hunter the Dog got too close to my sewing shears, or as if I sacrificed some small animal to appease the evil spirit that dwells within my sewing machine, I can assure you that no animals were harmed in the making of our Halloween costumes. [Read more...]
1. By 10 A.M. this morning, I had baked 2 batches of bread and 1 batch of muffins. I was totally impressed with myself. It brought to mind the time when the Bionic Man and I loaded up with flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder at Sam’s Club, and the clerk asked if we owned a bakery. Why yes, yes, I think I do.
2. Also by 10 A.M. this morning, my kitchen was a Disaster. Note, that it is “Disaster” with a capital D. Naturally, that is why I have escaped to my office to do some writing. Because it is one thing to bake, and yet another thing to clean up after baking. Where’s my sous chef?!?!?! [Read more...]
The Bionic Man and I have a rule that our children need to do some kind of activity on a regular basis that will keep their bodies moving. Our goal is not to produce Olympians, it is simply to give them the opportunity to find activities they will enjoy that will help them stay healthy.
Fall means cross country season for Endeavor.
This is her second year as part of her middle school’s cross country team. Last year, when she started, it took her 23 minutes the first time she ran the 3K course. This year, she can do it in less than 14 minutes. Running has helped Endeavor to deal with stress. She’s learned that she feels better after she runs, even when she’s had a hard day at school. Running has also taught Endeavor to eat. She has learned to recognize the connection between her body and it’s need for healthy food to power it up. She’s ravenous after she runs, and I’ll tell you: for the mom of what used to be three very picky, sporadic eaters, it’s good to be down to two. (Her grandmas will be interested to note that Endeavor still won’t eat cereal with milk, though.) [Read more...]
It’s been a hot summer in our neck of the woods. We’ve spent way too much of it huddled around the air conditioning for comfort, hardly daring to set foot outside–lest we cook ourselves. At long last the heat wave ended, and we’ve been able to go out and look around. While the heat kept our grass short, I saw a few things that had suffered from neglect. Our front porch was one of them, landing a top spot on the to-do list this week.
Sadly, until I rolled up my sleeves and got to work, this was what greeted our guests:
It was obviously a much more comfortable spot for spiders than humans. 
They were definitely spending more time out here than we were. Until we made it look like this:
So, how did I transform this neglected spot with a little elbow grease and $30? [Read more...]
While we were in Utah this summer, we went hiking with some of our cousins. My sister-in-law has organized weekly hikes with some other mothers. They drive up a little way into the nearby Logan Canyon, and take all of their children for a day hike, once a week. Doesn’t that sound fantastic?
Tell me again why I moved to the prairie. I’m jealous of these people with mountains in their backyards.
“Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?
Do you swim in a pool, to keep yourself cool, or swing in a tree up high?Is that what you do? So do I!”
- Songs for Children
Great-grandpa has some of the best trees for climbing my children have ever seen.
Hunter the dog thought they were okay, too. [Read more...]
We had a happy gardening accident this summer: sunflowers popped up alongside our bamboo!
Endeavor went outside and picked some of them to make a bouquet for our mantle.
I have a thing for sunflowers. They are just so big and bright and HAPPY. [Read more...]
Wait, stop–don’t call the Division of Labor or the Office of Child Welfare, just yet.
Their salon is in my bathroom. And there are only so many mani-pedis a woman can get in a single day, so trust me–these girls aren’t getting overworked.
