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Lake Jocassee with the Boys
For birthdays, I love to give experience gifts. And for some time now, it’s been a bit of a tradition for the birthday boy or girl to receive an envelope and inside that envelope they will find instructions or tickets or an invitation to a future date with me. This past spring, the boys each received their birthday dates. One for a guided boat tour of Lake Jocassee. (I had found a great buy one, get one free deal.) One for a day spent out of doors together hiking or fishing. Unfortunately, the boat tour company called and canceled their tour. And through shared conversation, the two boys decided they…
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five finds friday (my weakness for hair products and my friends Jane & Walter and my kids reading classic novels)
I’ve had to do a LOT of writing for Travelers Rest Here this week and sometimes I can only write so much so I’m afraid over here had to suffer a little in the mean time. Let’s see – this week included: Driving places often. Per usual. But my attitude about it is improving. So – progress.Poison ivy smack dab in the center of my left hand. It’s so itchy and uncomfortable. Or poison oak? Or maybe some other bizarre thing?Bergen fracturing his toe because he was fooling around in the kitchen late one evening.Two different days in the same week where I got to sit in the glorious green…
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Raising Girls: embracing help through Awaken
I grew up as the only daughter in a house with three brothers. You know how you just assume certain things about your future? I just figured that if I grew up and got married and had kids – they would be boys. That’s not all I assumed, naturally. But it’s part of how I pictured my adult life. But – here I am – grown up, and out of my six children, only two of them are boys. Even if you’re bad at math (raising my hand) you can see those numbers are way off. My ratio is lopsided. Four daughters. And I love it. I love having daughters.…
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five finds friday. (apple season is the best. and more.)
Second week of school. I’m still struggling to find a decent writing life/work/teaching school balance. It is hard. Also hard? Managing money. You guys – August is a pricey month. That is all. funny London and I were driving home from her last driving school session. (!) And we were talking about all of the possibilities that independent driving will eventually bring. Driving to math class. Driving siblings to practices. Driving on errands for me. And the wide scope of new babysitting jobs that this opens the door for. (Trust me, I know that parents adore a babysitter who can drive herself to their house.) At which point, my sixteen…
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I kissed bumble goodbye
Yes, I’ve already written about it once. About how Bumble just isn’t for me. How it just feels …. off. (I mean, all dating is pretty bizarre at this stage of life – right?) But I also have never actually used Bumble before – more like, just looked at the pictures. But then, you know, you have a day when you just think – well, what could it hurt? So you spend a few minutes and you right swipe a few people and you begin a pseudo get to know you virtual word exchange. And it still feels . . . like the wrong direction. Here’s the thing. I’m reminded…
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five finds friday: “as long as we’ve got each other”
First week back at school. It went pretty well actually. Pleasant mornings at the table. Decent attitudes accomplishing work. But – I am afraid that a portion of the ease came from the fact that our math curriculum has not arrived yet so we have been doing simple review games this week for that subject. Sigh. funny I mentioned we were looking for a new TV show to watch together as a family. While I like hour length dramas – we kind of wanted a sit com. Something short enough to watch just one episode during lunch or after school some days. What we’ve started watching has been hilarious. Growing…
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this day. this life. some sort of a mood.
We started school this week. Which feels sad now in August but should feel pretty happy come May. I have three high school students. THREE. I feel as if I need to shout everything I say today. It all feels monumental. Or something. I’ve been saying to the kids all day – I’m in some kind of a mood today. I really cannot explain it. The start of school. Am I ready? The stress of high school math. Shoot, of all math. The high cost of education. And I do mean that both figuratively and literally. And don’t even get me started on whether public school is free or home…
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tuck in
Tuck in with toddlers was short and sweet. Once upon a time. A bedtime story. If I was feeling generous – two. A hug. Maybe a sip of water and then see ya’ tomorrow, baby. Bedtimes with teens and pre-teens is another story altogether. Seldom do I feel as genuinely overwhelmed with this mega task of parenting as I do post the bedtime tuck in routine. The stuff that is resting in these kids’ minds. It’s gigantic. And it’s not that I think I have to have all of the answers. It’s that somehow, it seems as if these five fabulous human beings, think that maybe I do. That maybe…
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thirty years of July Fourthing.
Yes. Totally aware that it is practically August. And I’m fine with writing a post about July Fourth. This year we think we calculated that it was Year Thirty for our annual July Fourth at the Farm. That’s kind of big deal. What started out three decades ago as a couple of neighboring families and friends taking a tubing trip down the Pigg River, hosting a cook out and shooting off fireworks into the Virginia summer sky, has turned into an annual family reunion and event that calendars get rearranged for and that is held as some sort of holy ground by those of us who love it best. The…
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close to midnight/ sisters
Being a mom is full of contradicting thoughts. Like – nearing midnight, I hear laughter and quiet, rightfully happy chatter from the bedroom my three daughters share with one another. You. Guys. Three girls – three sisters – share ONE small bedroom. They are literally stacked in their like camp bunks. A triple bunk, actually. An incredibly cute and darling crafted just for them triple bunk – but still – a triple bunk. Their personal space is limited. The three of them share ONE closet. Two teenage girls. One tween. And they make it work. Mostly. But they’re normal human girls so there are plenty of disagreements about the…
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five finds friday. (an unusual candle holder & a great movie)
We start back to school in August. So it feels true when I ask – did I even have a summer? I mean, yes – sure. It was fantastic. But it was FULL. London and I both said the craziest thing this week. We said something insane like, “It’ll be good when school starts again. Life will maybe slow down a little.” Because when school starts, at least we’ll all be home more. funny On London’s actual birthday this week we spent the day shopping and eating out. That meant we saved her family birthday dinner for a different night this week. She also decided she would rather save her…
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love. via sour dough bread.
I love my kids. But that’s nothing unusual – right? Moms love their kids. It’s kind of our job. But you know what is extra special and humbling and wonderful? When other people love your kids. When other humans in your life nourish your kid’s strengths and encourage her talents. That’s lovely. That’s beautiful. Mosely loves to bake bread. She has been trying a handful of recipes off and on for years. Some with wild success – rosemary bread, for example. Some with not-her-favorite results. Bread is finicky. Dough rising is affected by temperature and humidity and length of time. I’ve never been a pro at it myself. But Mosely…
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sixteen. a birthday post.
I was 29 years old, just hours away from turning 30, when I met her for the first time. It was a terribly long, incredibly painful delivery. And yes, I have pretty much forgotten exactly how it really felt, although if I let myself, I can remember enough. We had two names picked out for her. We had decided to wait until we met her to make the final decision. Emerson Scout Elizabeth or London Elizabeth Scout. She was beautiful and she was instantly popular. Riley was infatuated with her. My mom adored her. She had a fan club longer than all the letters in her unusually long name. I…
