When I was a school teacher, one of my favorite exercises was to have the students draw a picture of themselves, their family, school, community, city, state, country, continent, earth, and galaxy; each getting progressively bigger. The point, probably quite obvious, was to teach them that they’re a part of something greater, that although their(…)
Riding high after she performed her newest ultra-cool feat – buckling herself into her car seat – (yes, no more wiggling my back in the rain thinking I can somehow dodge the drops while strapping her safely to her seat!) Hazel bounced and sang a version of “Heeeyyyy sexy lady.” Errrrrew. Record stop. “What’s that?”(…)
When you’re a parent, opportunities to get away by yourself don’t present themselves often. Nor do we necessarily want every weekend without our children and spouse. Mostly, we thrive on being together as a family and experiencing old and new adventures through our collective perspectives. But, shifting perspective is important. When we walk through a(…)
We had the perfect plan, don’t we always. With a weeks vacation on deck following Amelia’s sixth birthday, we intended to invite her friends for chalking, bubbling, and bike riding in our driveway while noshing boxed pizza. All outside, no mess, no fuss, logistically light, and nightfall would naturally end our event. There are things(…)
And then, there are those songs that cut through the chaos of a child’s, or adult’s, screaming, whining, just don’t want to comply fit. Music that with the drop of a single note has the power to pacify a situation’s storming energy, and turn it into a gentle rain guided by harmony. We were driving(…)
They create messes together, it’s what siblings do, and ours, if I may say so myself, are masters of mixing a menagerie of manipulatives in manic piles around our house; a line of thrift store chotchkies here, a pile of stuffed animals there, and your occasional four-puzzles-on-the-floor festival everywhere. There are times I look in(…)
I remember a framed knit wall hanging from a place and time in my childhood that read, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” As a youngster, I often pondered this phrase while admiring the filigree and flowers that flowed around it, though I never grasped its true intention. Actually, it(…)
