Keiglets
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs.
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Actually Said Out Loud
Ridiculous Things People Have Actually Said Out Loud To Me You have your hands full. You are so brave. Two six-year olds? How did you manage that? How old are you? How do you manage it? You look too young to have this many children. How old were you when you started having kids? Are they ALL yours? Don’t you know how this happens? What were you thinking? Girl, you need to stop having babies. What ludicrous comments have people actually said to you?
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a good way to spend a day
It’s a long walk (especially if your legs are only about two feet tall). And carrying your baby brother only adds to the heavy load. But the hike is always worth the effort when we reach the top and stand in front of one my favorite local spots. Connemara. The home of poet and writer Carl Sandburg. I just love this place. I like the rooms that are teeming with books that Sandburg touched, read and studied. I love the view from this house and smile just thinking about the poet sitting in his chair on the rocks being inspired by the same image. I love remembering that I actually…
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Do the Math
So Jon said something recently that made me realize a sort of sad fact. A depressing numbers game. I was changing a diaper. (That’s no surprise. No surprise.) And that’s what he said, actually. Jon said, “Hey. You are pretty good at that, eh?” (Well. Maybe Jon didn’t say “eh”. I like to say “eh” though. So I thought maybe me-quoting-Jon-speaking-in-my-blog should say “eh”. Eh?) So Jon said, “Hey. You are pretty good at that, eh? Because you know, you’ve been doing that for, what, seven years?” I laughed at his exaggeration. Seven years? Yeah. Sure. That’s crazy. Seven years. Wait. Seven years. Yes. London is now seven years old.…
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if . . .
If you take your six children to a free outdoor theatrical performance of Shakespeare’s MerryWives of Windsor and you realize that although the kids are behaving splendidly, the story line is just not moving along on their level. And it is really hot. And you realize that you actually wish you were sitting somewhere else so you imagine they probably do as well. Then it might be a good idea to take them to another end of the park. Where ducks are your best friends and you get to test your newly acquired skills of holding your breath and shoving your face under water. A place where you can’t help…
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what do you think?
Do you think when e.e. cummings penned the word mudluscious he was thinking about something a little like this? Could there be a day more puddle-wonderful Mr. Cummings?
Keep Reading . . .
thirty years of July Fourthing.
close to midnight/ sisters
back to the grind . . .
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universal.
Our little (as in the children are mostly small, although the number of them is not – alright?) family was eating street side recently at a favorite wood-fired pizza joint. ( Side note: I like eating outside at restaurants. 1. Our noise level seems less obvious out of doors. 2. Our mess level seems less obvious out of doors. 3. The kids seem more entertained out of doors. 4. Fox can stay in his stroller and there is plenty of space to park that big rig out of doors. ) Oh – and I like people watching. Which is what I was doing when I saw a…
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I Can & I Can’t. I Will & I Won’t.
Dear My Children, I can’t or I won’t pay the full cost of your first car. Your father and I probably won’t be footing the bill for your entire college education. The latest fashions at Abercrombie (or fill-in-blank-overpriced-popular-store-at-your-appropriate-age) won’t be paid for out of my debit card. I might not be able to afford one hundred percent locally grown, organic foods from the Whole Foods market for every meal. I can’t promise to answer “yes” to every question of “Can I?” that you will inevitably present to me. You will have opportunities that you will have to miss. Parties you will not be allowed to attend. You will hear the…
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Revisiting the River
And while I’m talking about the river. (DuPont State Forest – in the mountains of North Carolina. Worth the drive.) Here’s what we like about rivers, streams, creeks and flowing water in general. Wilder’s first ever experience walking in a stream. He liked it. He showed no fear. And he showed no concept of slick rocks and quick moving water, either. (That’s my boy! Here we go, son. Round Two for the Keigleys I guess.) Sticking the Nalgene bottle in the stream to keep it cool. Country refrigeration. (And this bottle glows in the dark. Which makes it even cooler. Bergen believes that having the bottle sit in…
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Location, Location, Location
They are right. Those cliche writers are right. Those real estate gurus know what they are talking about. It’s all about location, location, location. Today I served my kids a hodge podge, mostly boring though basically nutritious, type of lunch. But here’s the thing. They loved it. They devoured it. They thanked me for my offerings, meager though they were. They said everything was delicious. They asked for more. Literally, among six children, there was not even one complaint. And listen . . . . here’s what was on the menu. Peanut butter crackers. Raisins. Bananas. Applesauce. Grape juice. That is it. No fancy cups. We didn’t even have plates.…
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And The Answer Is . . .
These are the kinds of questions I get asked on any given day. All day. Can we go to the dollar store? Does Jesus have a head? What are we going to eat for breakfast? Where is my dragon? Can we watch a show? Can we go swimming? What are we going to eat for lunch? When is lunch? Why do I have to wear a seat belt? What does “insatiable” mean? Can you kill this spider? What’s for dinner? Can we eat macaroni & cheese? What is a hornet? Can you scratch my back? Why do you think God made me so hungry? What does a turtle eat? Can…
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What I’m Hoping For
This year’s summer staff includes a set of siblings. And I was watching the brother and sister pair recently. They were chatting. Laughing. And before they parted, the brother gave his sister a hug and a hair tousle. Something motherly (or whatever) went off inside of my heart. Watching Andrew and Erin made me think of Berg and Piper. Or any other combination of siblings at our house that you want to toss about there. I just want them to like one another. To know one another. To be involved in the lives of each other. So I love it when I see Bergen and London cuddling on the sofa…
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Can Someone Please Define Normal?
Yesterday was a normal day. I have a lot of those. I’ll just go ahead and highlight three examples of events or conversations that contributed to the normalness of the day. Just three, mind you. Three examples of normal. (Except maybe I am not entirely sure what normal means anymore. That’s possible. Indeed – probable.) Example One: Disclaimer: Some of my children may be rapidly approaching the age when I can no longer share these stories unless I use an alias for them. So we had better all enjoy this while it lasts.) Piper Finn and Otto Fox were napping. Riley was reading a book. (Wait – that can’t be…
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grateful.
Grateful. I am. When you leave a home that includes six children, five of whom are still under six years of age, for several days, it’s kind of big deal. Shoot, when you do anything at a home that includes six children, five of whom are still under six years of age, everything is kind of a big deal. (Or at least it feels that way most days.) So when the idea for an adventure with Beth was just in the beginning stages, I immediately started planning what to do with kids 1 through 6. Kevin wouldn’t be away from home, exactly, but his job at a camp makes him…
