I dropped my kids off at grandma and grandpa’s house so 1) I could have some respite, 2) grandpa could get the time with them he’s been asking for, and 3) the kids could have lots of outside time and some respite of their own.

As I left, here were the responses from my three very different children:

Grace: When is mom leaving?  I’m ready for some time without her.
Eli: Stop kissing me.
Ada: Don’t leave!  I will miss you!  Why can’t I come with?? (with lots of tears)

I’ve had four phone calls so far from my homesick … Read the rest

I’m sitting at my laptop getting caught up on the morning, and I realize there is just a lot of noise going on in my home.  But when I stop and really listen to what the noise is, I realize I am hearing happy children.

Eli is building one of his new birthday Lego sets.  Ada is playing the piano.  Grace is eating cereal and joining in the conversation.  And all of this is happening in the dining room.  All of my children are in one room, enjoying each other’s presence and conversation.

It is not noise, it is togetherness.… Read the rest

We went to North Carolina last week with my parents, my sister, and her husband.  I was rather stressed the days leading up to departure making lists, going shopping, baking, going shopping again, taking the kids shopping, then finally packing.

I’ve learned throughout the last few years that vacation with children (at least for me) is more work than rest.  In order to go anywhere we first determined how long we would be there, decided what we would need, then packed a bag.  Or two.  I was packing car bags every day – for the ocean, the sound, the museum, … Read the rest

After school today, I informed the children that because they had lost our new Apple TV remote they would not be allowed to watch TV until it was found.  I also informed them that they were still on bedroom duty because their rooms did not get clean yesterday.  Ada went to get a snack, Grace and Eli proceeded to grunt and groan and stomp their feet about how unfair it was.  I explained to them that we did not lose the remote, and we did not make their rooms a mess, so in fact it was fair and that would … Read the rest

I bought a Disney Puzzle Pack this weekend that has 8 different puzzles in it, and just in time with a snow day today!  Each of the kids took a turn selecting a puzzle to do with me. They’re fairly small puzzles, so having two people work on them is about right.  We’ve done four puzzles so far, and here is an observation I made.

Ada was first, and she likes to sort the edge pieces from the inside pieces.  She also makes sure NONE of them are connected already.  That would be cheating.  She then delegates which two sides … Read the rest

Ada and I get along splendidly, because she’s mostly a 7-year-old version of me.  Chad gets along with her splendidly because she’s a 7-year-old-version of me.  Actually, he calls her the “unrefined version” of me.  I understand (for the most part) how she thinks and feels.

Today is a stark contrast to the norm.  Today is Valentine’s Day, and I will not be wearing red or pink.  If we’re traveling on Valentine’s Day I plan ahead so I don’t accidentally have those colors left to wear.  There are just some things I cannot do.  I also don’t wear green on … Read the rest

My parents have this sign hanging in their home, and my dad likes to reference it as needed.  I’ve been inspired by my friend Cassie to make a picture list of things that happen when Grandpa is around…

I love my parents.  They are great at being grandparents…and making my house seem terribly boring.

… Read the rest