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the state of things
I know it’s not summer yet. I know it isn’t. But around here – it sort of feels like it is already. And we are all finding it pretty hard to concentrate. What with all the bright sunny days. And the introduction to the world of fishing with Daddy. And discovering that all of the kids are pretty great fisher people. (Since they can’t all be fishermen. You know, due to their gender and all.) And birthday celebrations that include baby dragon hunting and carrying maces around the lake trail and cake consuming and present opening. And visits from friends. And trips to the zoo. And picnics in the…
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Beauty Secrets 101
I think it’s okay. I think this is a safe place. Today, for one day only, I want to share with you something very special. Something you won’t find on other blogs. That’s right. Beauty secrets of busy people. That’s what we’re talking about today. Can you dig it? I’ll break down a few for you and then you can join the conversation in the comments sections today. I think that’s only fair. Secret Number One. It is perfectly acceptable to use the iPhone on its reverse setting as a mirror before entering any establishment. Secret Number Two. There is no shame in wiping the sticky residue that inevitably results…
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Tuck In Time
Last night I tucked in a five-year-old. This morning I woke up a six-year-old. Happy Birthday Bergen Hawkeye Norton. You know, I love tucking this kid in. I love it about as much as I love the fact that he calls his back teeth his “boulders” and I just cannot bring myself to correct him yet. Last night he asked me to cuddle with him. (Like he requests every night of his young life thus far.) And I know and I know and I know that he won’t keep asking me for long. So I climb the ladder to his loft bed and I place my head beside his on…
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making summer plans already
London is a lot like me. She likes to know the plan for the day. She loves to read. And she has a fondness for placing human feelings onto stuffed objects. And, like me, she is already thinking about this summer. We had our first taste of watermelon yesterday After which she announced, “Hey, this summer, let’s get a huge watermelon, go to the yard, get naked and let daddy cut our watermelon with a sword.” (For the record – I don’t recall there ever being a moment in family history where we all devoured watermelon clothes-less in our yard. Yes, we have cut a watermelon open with a sword.…
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What I Was Trying To Say
Last weekend The Avett Brothers played after the Atlanta Braves game. And I was there. Maybe you don’t know who these brothers are. I don’t really know who they are either, of course. But I want to introduce you to what I do know. I know that I love their music. It’s folksy and rock and lyric-driven and they play guitars and banjos and other stringed instruments that sound first-rate together. I know that I love their lyrics. I’m pretty much tone-deaf. (I think that makes Kevin more sad than it makes me.) So when I like a song, when I really like a song, it’s probably because I really…
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something borrowed
For more than eight years now only one magazine subscription has faithfully been renewed year after year at our house. Family Fun. Because the ideas are good. They are practical. And because I sometimes imagine acquiring a paid, regular writing gig for them. They have a section of their magazine called “My Great Idea”. Or at least – it used to be called that. I think now it’s called “Creative Solutions” but me and Family Fun go way back so sometimes I get a little Old School with the names of their departments. And on one recent month one of the reader-submitted “Creative Solutions” was a winner for our house.…
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weekend options.
I cannot believe that I didn’t get a post up Monday. But then again, I can. I was pretty sleepy. It was a big weekend. And ain’t nobody paying me to type on this here blog so sometimes I am just forced to make grown-up choices between caring for my many children or ignoring them to write a blog post. Every event this weekend deserves its own post. (And maybe I will indulge myself and do that later this week.) I could write about London and Mosely’s big Friday night. Their first play. Followed by their first violin recital. Or I could write about this kid’s big Friday night. And…
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Maybe I don’t clean enough after all.
I was reviewing some phonics with Mosely. We were matching the drawing to the correct sound of the first letter of the item drawn. Mosely finished three or four in a row by herself but was really stumped at one drawing. She wouldn’t even make an attempt at a sound to match the drawing. The drawing was a picture of a word that started with a “V”. “Mosely, do you know what this drawing shows?”, I asked her. “No,” she responded. “What is this drawing Mosely?” I persisted. “I don’t know Mommy,” she continued. “Seriously?” “No, I don’t. What is it?” Mosely asked, quite in earnest. Uh. Do you know…
Keep Reading . . .
just recounting a day . . .
A Heart’s Home: Lost Valley Ranch
In Praise of Small Homes
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a couple of seven-year-olds
It’s usually at night when I am most aware of it. Lying between London and Mosely in their single loft bed. Listening to them recount their days. Answering the same series of questions London asks every evening about the next day. “What’s for breakfast? What’s for lunch? What’s for dinner? What are we doing all day? How many hours until morning will be here?” It’s during this nightly ritual that I notice all the details I have been too busy to see all day. The way these two girls really know one another. The way Mosely’s two new front teeth are inching their way fully into her wide little smile.…
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made for one another.
Relationship. I think we’ve been designed for it. Community. I think it’s where God’s love is most evident. In my life, I know this to be true. Jesus – He’s our rescue, ultimately. But I think His means is through people. Regular old people. The me’s and you’s in our lives. Alone is bad, really. (I don’t mean the afternoon alone without the kids or being single or planning a weekend alone from your customary routine.) I mean, when I spend too much time alone in my own head, rummaging through the past or frantically making lists for the future, I lose all perspective. Alone in my mind, I make…
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a word of advice.
If you happen to be a fellow human living in a home with small children, I think it is my duty to share with you a bit of advice that experience has taught me. Always look inside your cup before consuming said cup’s contents. Recently I was drinking. Enjoying my icy cold water. Sipping, gulping, while I worked tirelessly in the kitchen. Assuming what I saw out of my poor peripheral vision was an ice cube. A creamy looking ice cube? Pause. Investigate more closely. No. No, it was not an ice cube in my glass. Which would be perfectly normal. Completely acceptable. No. It was instead a chunk of…
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photo dump. true and false.
We are home. The Suburban has been unloaded. Two loads of laundry have been washed. I’m going to unload a plethora of photos on you. And relay a few true/false statements for you as well. Get comfy, here we go. Hiking is a fantastic whole-family-inclusive activity. True. The predicted rain ruined our first day of outdoor adventure. False. Hiking with a guide allows you to learn details you would not otherwise know. True. There is a tree called the black birch whose branches taste like spearmint and can serve as a natural mouth freshener. True. Our N.O.C. guide, Charles, taught us this. True. Charles made a friend of Piper the moment…
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Adventure: Day Two
Day two. It’s like this. Internet service is sketchy in the mountains. We are traveling with six children who are off their normal routine of eating and sleeping. One of them is not yet even two years old. I can only type this post from my iPhone. And we do not always have service. As previously mentioned. And I do not yet know how to add a photo to a post through the iPhone. King Solomon is that good. I am not. So. Forgive this abbreviated post. Please check out the many photos I have been sending through Twitter. (When it is available.). And trust that when I return home…
