Interruptions
Resolved: I will aspire!
At the New Year’s Eve party that my daughter Em gave for her friends, my son (age 12) was asked if he had any New Year’s resolutions. He thought a moment and then said, “Yeah. Eat a high fiber diet!” Wait a sec. Unless Pop Tarts are now considered a health food, I pretty much…
Our Radical Sabbatical Part II
There are only twenty-four hours in a day. Why was it then that I felt like I was spending twenty-three of those hours behind my steering wheel? Last January, in an attempt to regain control of our busy and sometimes chaotic lives, my husband and I decided to give our four children (ages 6-16) an…
Writing Letters to Jesus
Years ago I started something with my children that has now turned into a Christmas tradition. We write letters to Jesus. I started writing these letters out of a desire to give a gift to Jesus on Christmas. After all, it is HIS birthday. When my kids were too little to write, I wrote for…
Close Your Eyes, Say a Prayer, and Kick It
I truly love how many life-changing lessons from God are brought home in the simplest of situations. Recently one such situation was related to me from my younger sister. Her son is playing soccer for the first time this year. Being a natural athlete, he took to this sport with his usual grace and ease.…
Writer Off Schedule!
I thought I’d have more time to write when my kids were in school. I thought I’d be able to crank out pages of perfect prose now that I wasn’t homeschooling. I thought I’d be finished editing my WIP by now. I was wrong. When I was homeshooling, I used to hire a babysitter to…
A Central Park Writing Lesson
I sometimes sit down to write and make the mistake of “just checking a few things” before I start attacking my own work. I check email and see a note from my sister — so I write her back (real quick). Then I skim through a yahoo loop. I’m in the zone, inspired to get…
First Quarter School Update
It’s already the end of the quarter, the boys, Grace and I have settled into a nice routine. The house is virtually stress free from the hours between 8am and 3pm and everyone is thriving! At first school was an adjustment, mostly for Joey (5th grade) who has to have all his ducks lined up…
The Best Medicine
It’s that time of year again. School. Awanas. Colds. Flu. Allergies. Humidifiers. Soup. My childhood sicknesses always involved flat 7-Up, homemade chicken and dumplings, and sometimes milk toast for breakfast–a tradition handed down by my mom’s mom. In my newlywed days, my hubby fussed over me with a mug of hot Campbell’s soup. He even…
Inspired by the Great Oudoors
Chrysanthemum, King, Emperor of Autumn, who will rule while you sleep? (from Siri Mitchell’s Moon Over Tokyo) I love October. I’m starting to think it might be my favorite month of the year. Finally, a reprieve from our hot, sticky Georgia summer. Nearly every week, I’ve joined other photo-snapping parents on field trips to farms,…
New Beginnings
It’s hard to believe that my kids have been in school for two weeks. After three years of homeschooling, I finally felt a release to let them go. I knew it had to be God because despite all the struggles from year to year, I wanted them near, to have control of them and their…