• Random

    Hi Again.

    I know it’s not quite December yet, but it’s snowing out and feels so Christmasy and the first is tomorrow and I don’t want to wait anymore, so… …hi again. Let me begin by saying: I missed this. I missed you. I knew after two days of not writing that even when it’s hard, this is such a source of joy in my life. This community is such a source of joy. I did need the break, and I’m glad I just took a bit of time to draw inward. It was good for me, and it helped me gain a bit of perspective about what I want to do…

  • Deep Thoughts*

    I think that I need to retreat for a little while.

    Sharing your life online is a funny thing. There is so much about it that I love– the connection and community that has come from it has been invaluable to me in so many ways. I often joke that this is my therapy, and somehow knowing that there are kindred spirits in the world reading my ramblings makes me feel less alone in the ups and downs of my life. …but there are hard parts too. I know that I share so much, but even with all that I do, it’s still only a small window into my life. Into my heart. Sometimes it’s hard putting all of that on…

  • Small Town Stories

    There are good people in the world.

    My kids love Hallowe’en. It’s this magical evening of dressing up, staying up a little late and eating all the treats they wait all year for. They were SO excited to go Trick or Treating, and this year they were practically sprinting from house to house. Our new neighborhood was so generous, and they came home with huge bags of candy. Each year, when they get home, they do the classic bag dump to check out their haul… and that’s where I come in. Almost immediately S & H begin holding things up to ask if they are “safe” for their “special tummies”. Neither one can have dairy, which means…

  • Kids

    Snack Attack*

    Occasionally, as a mother who has had their insides ravaged by pregnancy, I need to pee. (And by occasionally I obviously mean all the time.) This is usually when my children feel is the MOST IMPORTANT time to ask VERY IMPORTANT questions. Questions that CANNOT wait. The fate of the universe rests on the answer, kinds of questions. …and they almost always involve snacks. As I disappeared for two seconds to use the bathroom, P realized that he had never eaten before ever in his life and was STARVING. He found me, and started yelling / asking (yasking?) through the door if he could have a snack. Wanting to be…

  • Parenting is hard sometimes.

    This is hard.

    I wish I could say that our day yesterday somehow magically made everything better. We had a great day. After I wrote, she came down and we snuggled on the couch and finished Chronicles of Narnia, which we’ve been watching in pieces over the last little while. We went to pick up the boys and made a big show of “pretending” she had been at school. She loved it. This morning we were back at square one. Actually, to be totally transparent, we were about 10 steps behind square one. It was a rough go. You see, on top of her just feeling a bit burnt out by the routine,…