Last week God gave me a miracle of closure. Almost a year ago, a long-time friendly acquaintance, a would-be friend had we shared greater proximity in the time we've known one another, well, she threw me under the bus. She observed and entirely misunderstood an encounter I had with someone else. Instead of talking to me, she … Continue reading Let it Be
Tag: parenting
Summer Reading – Non-fiction
Sustain Summer! That's my theme over here. So what if school started Weeks Ago? So what if it's Raining in Cali today (yippee! SO happy it's raining, and yet, I still maintain... It. Is. Summertime)? Fall officially begins September 23rd, which means No Matter What the activity calendars have decided, summer reigns until September 22nd. And that … Continue reading Summer Reading – Non-fiction
The Kids are Okay
We have completed Week 2 of the school year and I can happily report that we are all doing OK! At least mostly. I think. We've only had... ...one lost backpack, ...one slept-through alarm clock, ...one forgotten bike lock combination, ...one forgotten lunch box, ...one "oops, I forgot to turn it in" homework assignment, ...a couple "oops, … Continue reading The Kids are Okay
Moms’ and Kids’ End-of-Summer Camp Out
A queue of 40 email responses filled my inbox before I saw Email #1 inviting me to participate in an end-of-summer overnight camp out with moms and kids, and by then the sites had been booked. Besides, I expected (hoped!) to be just returning from a sixteen-day family camping trip, so the timing wouldn't work … Continue reading Moms’ and Kids’ End-of-Summer Camp Out
Slow Down
An ordinary afternoon dog-walk around the neighborhood turned gruesome. A car passed just as I noticed a squirrel hunkered in the middle of the lane. Car 1 slowed down, paused until two cars were directly opposite in the other lane, and then blared its horn. Horn terrified Squirrel who leaped sideways under the tire of Car 2, followed by … Continue reading Slow Down
The #Day Challenge
I've picked up an odd habit this year: I have said Yes! to an assortment of (mostly) online challenges, all for a set number of days: The 30 Day Power Purge Soulful Spring Cleaning: A 30-Day Life Reboot Lenten disciplines, an annual 40 day adventure The Body Love Experiment 21 Day Challenge 40 Days of Prayer … Continue reading The #Day Challenge
Superhero
Tonight was Open House at Tween's elementary school, our last elementary school Open House ever. One year ago we toured Tween's class in under five minutes - his classwork hardly represented, his teacher avoiding eye contact, my stomach in knots. We moved quickly from his 4th grade classroom to the 5th grade classrooms. We closely inspected work by kids … Continue reading Superhero
Adventures in Parenting: We Have a Teen Driver
Once again I have allowed a major parenting event to sneak up on me. Teen has had his driver's permit for the requisite six months and actively practiced driving for the last four months. The license exam was scheduled about two months in advance, and we anticipated that he would pass. So why did it not … Continue reading Adventures in Parenting: We Have a Teen Driver
Project Week
It's been a week of projects around our house. Tween has been working on a science project. Teen completed a career project. Tween had a music lesson in preparation for his first big concert. Teen and I both finished reading books; Tween has almost finished the book he's reading. And of course Guy and I both … Continue reading Project Week
Mommy Guilt
Sometimes the person we need to forgive, the one most in need of the gift of grace, is ourselves. We need to release our own guilt. A few years ago I had the opportunity to speak to moms of preschoolers on social/emotional development. As I reflected on my children during the preschool years, the topic … Continue reading Mommy Guilt