Keiglets
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs.
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the christmas chain
Every family has something like this – don’t they? You know . . . some count-down-the-days-until-Christmas-arrives sort of system. I’ve seen exquisitely decorated ones, numbered do-dads with a series of intricate doors and surprises, and even a chocolate for every day of December one. They all look good to me. But I’m pretty sure the appearance is not the point. Or at least I hope so. Because this year our family took the basic route. The classic old paper chain – one link for every day until Christmas day. (The great thing about having primarily younger children is that even old ideas are new to them. Which is why slap…
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One Thing Leads To Another
Once upon a time there was a little girl. Let’s call her . . . . Mosely Elliot. Mosely Elliot had a loose tooth. That loose tooth came out. (During church. With the help of her older probably-should-have-known-better-than-to-mess-with-a-loose-tooth-in-church sister.) The next day Mosely wants to instantly spin the cash load of two dollars that some fairy traded for her tiny old tooth. I am convinced by many children to drive to the dollar store. After a fruitless half hour Mosely declares that purchases made at the dollar store have a short shelf life. Her money’s on the stuff she can acquire at Wal-Mart. Aaack! I am somehow coerced into the…
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One. Person named Lacey who had not planned on cooking a turkey on Thanksgiving day. Five. Pounds of potatoes that the Keigley family consumed at dinner. Two. Times that Riley defeated me in a roaring game of Careers. Six. Servings of cranberry sauce Bergen devoured. One. Time that I convinced the entire family to play Chicken Foot with dominoes. Fourteen. Biscuits that Riley made from scratch for our family’s dinner. Seven. Bars of Ivory soap we used to teach the kids how to carve. Two. Successfully completed carvings. Twenty-four. Spears of Goodness crafted by Kevin for brunch. Thirty-six. Times that some kid asked us, “Can we have ice cream yet?”
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Thanks Giving.
I am thankful. For these people. Who fill up my heart. And crowd me out of my own bed. Who make my life happy. And make my life loud. Who add purpose to my life. Direction to my days. Who cry and laugh in equal measures. And make me do the same. I hope you are spending your day being thankful with the people who color your life as well. Happy Thanksgiving.
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The Cereal Survey
Apparently, the Keigleys eat cereal in an odd manner. And by “apparently” I mean Emma says we do this. We’re kind of fastidious about the temperature of the milk. And by “we” I think I might mean Kevin. And by “fastidious” I mean that the milk must be at maximum possible coldness. As in, the pattern is always the same. Leave milk in fridge. Choose cereal. Pour cereal in bowl. Get spoon out of drawer. Face your body in the direction in which you plan to sit with your bowl of cereal. Quickly grab milk and quickly pour milk. Do not be the last person to get milk poured. Even if…
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Backseat Conversations
A lot of amusing comments are tossed about in the backseats of our trusty Suburban. I can hardly drive for all the laughing. That’s not really true. It would probably be more accurate to say – I can hardly drive from all the crying. Anywho. (Why did I type that? I don’t even like it when people toss that nonsensical word into the empty spaces in conversations.) So. (That’s my preferred conversational pause filler.) Um. Here’s what I heard from the backseat on a recent outing. Piper: I’m making my hair pretty wet right now. Me: (Somewhat alarmed.) With what? Piper: Love. Me: Seriously, are you using spit? Piper: Ummmmmmmmm.…
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The Anatomy of a Haircut or The Longest Post I Have Ever Written
When you have six children and five of them are with you all day and those same five with-you-all-day children are all under seven years of age simple tasks become large hurdles to overcome. Or avoid. Tasks such as stopping by the post office to mail a package or to buy stamps. (So if you ever receive a letter from the House of Keigley then that might explain the outdated contents you may discover inside.) Tasks such as running into the grocery store for a gallon of milk. Going to the dentist for yourself. Shoe shopping for rapidly growing small feet. Or getting a haircut. Getting a haircut is kind…
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A Little Drive South
Sometimes when we visit friends for an overnight stay I feel as if the word invasion is more appropriate than visit. I mean – there are eight of us after all. Eight. Of. Us. Eight. That’s instant gratuity at restaurants. That’s no-way-we-can-all-ride-in-one-car-with-another-family-to-save-gas. That’s a party. (Whether a party was planned or not.) But we are somehow fortunate enough to have amassed a fair amount of friends who willingly open their doors to our chaos and hug our necks as we clutter their homes with our suitcased possessions. This week we crash landed at the home of Tyler & Amy and their two very handsome young sons. What a wonderful field…
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the original
It seems as if in almost all cases the original is better than the imitation. Like popcorn. (The real kernels popped on your stove taste better than the microwave variety.) And hot chocolate. (The little paper packet mix has got nothing on heating up genuine milk combined with real cocoa powder.) And the original Chick-fil-A sandwich. (Don’t even get me started on the inadequacies of that spicy version.) I guess Willow feels as if the same concept is true about her toys. Old Eagle is loads better than his new, never-been-loved, duplicate.
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big benefits
“So how many of these children are yours?” I hear that question almost every time I leave my home and venture forth into the world as we know it. Grocery shopping takes more than an hour. (A lot more than an hour.) In part because I have five young children with me. Also in part because I am sorting through coupons, doing (very) slow mental math and calculating good deals. And also in part because I am stopped frequently by strangers. Yes, I know I look as if I am running a daycare. (I kind of am. I just make no income from said daycare and the students are in…
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playing along
Yesterday afternoon I stopped what I was planning to do (wash that two-days-soaking dirty pot in the sink) and allowed myself to be caught up in a game with my children. It was time for copywork and I overheard the game plan of the gaggle of small humans I am raising. (Is it really overhearing when you are in the same room and it is your own children speaking loudly enough for your neighbors to hear?) The kids were staging some kind of involved game of police officer. (Remember when you called every game by its title? Grown Up. Mommies. Church. School. Grocery Store.) Well. This game was called Police.…
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The Art of Beethoven
Sometimes I get homeschool so wrong. And sometimes I get it a little better than that. But mostly I am in the middle of the mundane. And I get weighed down with the lists I fail to complete the schedules I forget to follow the mess and mire that swirls and settles on our house of a Monday. I can get pretty lost pretty fast. Which is why moments like the following can shock the sunshine right back into my day. I have this idea for our homeschool for a weekly music lesson. (And by “I have this idea” I really mean “Charlotte Mason had this idea”.) We study one…
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The One In Which I Let My Children Speak For Themselves
The weekend’s coming up. For our kids, that means full days spent with both Mommy and Daddy. And they say they like that. I bet your kids do too. I thought I’d spend this post finding out exactly what my kids think would make a perfect weekend together as a family. Here goes. Alright kids – How would you like to spend this weekend? What would make it perfect to you? Mosely: Ummm. Go to Chuck E. Cheese’s. Piper: I want to go to see all of Eagle’s friends. Mosely: That’s not somewhere. But you can’t say Chuck E. Cheese’s. I already said that. Piper: I want to go see…
