Beyond the Bell

This morning, I gathered with teachers and parents outside our school as part of a national walk-in effort. Here are my reflections

January Reads

It was a great start to the reading year for me. Every book I picked up was enjoyable in its own way. I predict that at least two of this month’s books will make my end-of-the-year list of favorites. 

Wordy Wednesday

It’s Wordy Wednesday on the blog today. This week you get a great new word that is equally handy talking about parenting or politics.

Wordy Wednesday

It’s Wordy Wednesday on the blog today. This week you get a stunning passage from The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain (which I highly recommend).

My Favorite Books of 2015

I read 70 books this year and selected 15 of my favorites. Three from each of the following categories: adult fiction, young adult fiction, non-fiction, read alouds, and unexpected pleasures. 

From Our Herd to Yours

Dasher

Dash—in the moving quickly sense of the word, not the hitting things forcefully sense of the word—pretty much sums it up for our family of four.

A Tale of Homework and Husbands

 

Husband and I tolerate the sugar highs and lows of Halloween with (enough) patience and (sometimes fake) smiles on our faces because we know that when the kids finally go to sleep we will reap our reward.

Love, Marriage, and Other Options

This week has seen more than its share of conversations about love and marriage at our house. Daughter (6) and Son (8) approach the topic from different perspectives

A Nightlight By Any Other Name

Last week, our family said goodbye to Roxanne. We’re still mourning.

Roxanne was the kids’ nightlight. She was a small, plastic lamp purchase at IKEA for five dollars. She served us well for nearly eight years. As you may have guessed from The Police song reference, Roxanne was a red light.

We miss her more than I thought it was possible to miss an inanimate object.

Roxanne was a small win in the bleary days of early parenthood. She gave off just the right amount of light to fend off monsters (for the kids) and avoid Legos on the floor (for the grownups). But mostly, Roxanne was proof that while the transition to parenthood had taken many things from us (e.g. freedom and free time), Husband and I still had our sense of humor.

Soccer and Sentimentality

When the coach pulls out the long-sleeved jersey and padded gloves and turns toward Son, one of us grins and the other cringes. Son loves the Saturdays he gets a chance to play goalie, but I dread them.