HomeLife
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard
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Because you asked
The watermelon-cut-with-a-sword really was an event not to be missed around these here parts. And my husband, the funny guy who owns a sword that he keeps stashed under our bed, has done a play by play of the sword swiping event. It actually was pretty impressive. (And a better method of cutting watermelon than my weak little kitchen knife ever provides.) Seriously – he sliced the whole watermelon. First in half. Then in slices. And then, because he doesn’t play around, he came at the sliced watermelon from an angle and cut the whole thing in half lengthwise again. If you really want to see the pictures for proof…
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we do
Who buys a watermelon bigger than her one year old son? I do. Who sees that huge watermelon sitting on our butcher block and tells his children that he would like to cut that green guy open with a giant sword? Kevin does. Who takes their father’s word as truth and waits in anxious anticipation for Daddy to arrive at home? The Keiglets do. Who actually follows through and gets the sword? Kevin does. Wait – who actually owns a sword? Kevin does.
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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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It’s Not Unusual
I like this house best when it is laughing. And I cannot seem to escape the fact that I live with seven funny people. And I think you might laugh at this little tale as well. One sunny afternoon in our very recent past we set out to battle the heat with two plastic pools. Two plastic pools. (Six kids.) But the kids were satisfied. Two pools suited them just fine. They declared the larger one a pool and the second, much smaller, pool was labeled a hot tub. (Their logic was sound. Less water + sunnier location = hotter pool = hot tub.) I watched them jump from hot…
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Summer time . . . and the livin’ is easy
It’s true around here. Summer time . . . and the livin’ is easy. A little too easy, actually. A lot too easy in fact. Remember our schedule? I think I forgot that it served a purpose. A really good purpose. I am okay with summer. I like it, in fact. A big fan, really. We all need a little summer. But as for our family, maybe we have been letting summer have us a little too much. I’ve been letting it all slide. I forgot to fix eggs for breakfast for the last three Wednesdays. Which is not at all serious. I know. Eggs are not the issue. (They…
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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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my diet
Disappointment is my daily bread. Yes. You guessed it. This post might just be a downer. Click somewhere else if you want. I’ll never know. But today . . . I don’t have anything to offer. No weird vomit tale with which to regale you. No everything is spiritual epiphany. Only a ranting. I just don’t feel like suffering in silence today. That’s all. It’s seems I keep moving back over to that edge. On the verge of tears almost always. Sure – for big reasons. And for smaller ones too. It just seems lately that I fall asleep to disappointment and then I wake up to disappointment. It sits…
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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…
Keep Reading . . .
the burrow: a dining room tour
mid-week ramble. is that a thing?
pendulum swinger
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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…
