What my kids think is an “emergency”
Those who know me, know I am an anachronism: I do not
December 14, 2021
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Discover the journey, tips, and ideas from Claudia Yeoh’s writing desk.
Those who know me, know I am an anachronism: I do not
Illustration 1: THE SHIRT. Meet “The Shirt.” AKA “The Apple Festival t-shirt,”
Yesterday, a friend and I helped organize donations for our local Refugee
The scene: the after-school carpool, yesterday. The characters: A second grade girl
In the past week, a couple things have happened in my world.
If you’re on Facebook, you already saw these, but it’s worth preserving
Two sixth graders in black T-shirts, in a garage on a warm, windy
“Mrs. Basi!” yells Kindergarten Carpool child, upon leaping into the van after
CAPTION CONTEST!
This past Friday, it rained some trace amount that couldn’t be measured,
Can YOUR kids crack a countertop with nothing but a toothbrush?
Alex, 11, as we pull in the driveway after school: “You guys
A lot of days, I feel like I live in a war
I came downstairs after my shower yesterday—midmorning, post-workout—to find Michael lying on
Julianna: Julianna’s newest “Julianna-ism” is: “But I like you!” As in, “Julianna,
The thing about boys is that they’re confusing. Like my laundry pile.
-1- The kids have been entranced by the Olympics lately. Michael calls
“What come next?” There was a period of several months recently when
When kids grow up with musical parents…especially ones who lead a choir (“conduct”
At present, the web is a hornet’s nest of outrage over the
I can’t be the only parent who lives in dread of playing
When I first started writing, I had this vision of how it
Every so often a mama has to enshrine the kid moments, even
It has been a source of constant delight for me in recent
Time for another round of “Kids in Church” moments: the funny, the
The first “Hulk” story comes from Halloween of 2013, when we all
We’re going to do something a bit different today: it’s your turn
-1- You know how you can say one thing one time and
3:05 p.m. and I hear hands rattling the spokes on the stairs.
I was driving home last night from Julianna’s last horseback riding lesson
A little boy comes to me tiptoeing in a whisper, half an
It sounds weird to say, but ordinarily, a country cemetery is a
In grade school, I had a principal who had once been a
The moment we arrived for our play date with Julianna’s bestie and
My kids are such jerks after they’ve had screen time. It’s so
After a week that’s involved this much kid/parent drama, sometimes you need
Summer break? Break for whom? News flash: NOT ME.
What we’re doing lately: Swim lessons. The little boys started yesterday. Nicholas
1: Horse or Purple Unicorn Almost every day, Julianna’s bus driver has
There’s a repertoire of “farm kid” stories that country kids have to
But not my words. Michael’s words, about his dad. Which are a
“Which bone is the extra chromosome in?” This is the question I
Star Wars, Iron Man, and…well I don’t know what to call that infield dance. Boy moments. Gotta love ’em.
He hides his smiles. Or at least, he tries. He can’t say
It is the beginning of a hectic weekend, so I leave you
One of the great things about the magazine writing I do is
We’ve had a DSLR for years, and although I know the theory
The danger in raising children in a musical household is that car
Things I Don’t Want To Forget: Michael saying “I want to tuggle
Note to self: stop trying to take your family to Saturday evening
Today is about (insert epic announcer voice) The Thrill Of Victory and the
On the tail end of a three-way after-school light saber duel, Nicholas
Okay, we didn’t give it to him. He found the brush that came
-1- Julianna is sitting on the couch with the Night Before Christmas
#1: Alex Unusually for Alex, he’s been bringing homework home this week.
-1- It has been a week of medical drama. Julianna has had
1. If I ever write a memoir, I think I will call
(Text, more or less): It has been about ten years since I
There was an article in the Washington Post last week about
I intended this 7 Quick Takes to be all about the kids,
It lingered so much longer than I expected. When Nicholas first left
There are days when a blogger has to rack her brains for
I suppose I need to start with this Facebook status last week:
___1___ Let’s start with a story about this boy: Alex loves to
___1___ Michael’s newest word: “baby doll.” He also, abruptly and without prompting,
I’ve been feeling particularly snarky lately, and although I realized it before
There comes a day in the life of every toddler when the
___1___ ___2___ ___3___ ___4___ ___5___ ___6___ ____7___ And this one speaks for
___1___ We had a friend over for dinner last weekend, and as
Things Nicholas said and asked in the twenty-minute drive from Daddy’s office,
On a beautiful Sunday evening, the whole neighborhood goes outside, something deep
1. Julianna funny A: Julianna’s been cracking me up lately. She’s missing
Sunday nights when I have novels critique group, I usually don’t sleep
It happens more often than I’d like to admit: Someone comes up
Here’s what I didn’t share while I was cleaning, cooking, running errands,
I’m supposed to be writing about being taken down from the cross
Because I can tell those Stations of the Cross posts just aren’t
___1___ Twice this week I was asked if we bought a new
Bedtime on a Tuesday evening is a zoo. Christian is in the
___1___ Michael is in underwear! I admit, when I
A commenter once took issue with a post I wrote about parents’ responsibility
When I was twelve years old, a teenage kid working the ticket
By the time the fourth child passes milestones, they often slip past
My mother told me once, “There were a lot of Masses when
Julianna is in love with Mary Poppins at the moment. She asks
I have a sneaking suspicion that nobody’s reading blogs today anyway, so
Let’s face it: My house is stuffed with Stuff. I am engaged
**Note! Please take this as a lighthearted reflection, not finger-wagging! I’m well
“I’m sure you know this already,” said Julianna’s teacher, sitting in our
It’s been a month of Tuesdays with Julianna in honor of Down
___1___ We finished Jazzercise last Friday and Michael ran away from me
“What d’you wanna be when you grow up?” asked Steve. “What kinda
As promised, it’s time for a post of Nicholas-isms. Are you ready?
A couple of weeks ago, we had quite a discussion here about
This week, I had occasion to spend two hours in the back
When I was a kid, we had one spoon in our silverware
Over the summer, I have been to the doctor with my kids
It started out so well. We’d had two days of solid-packed family
(The world’s all-time record for a long blog post title?) ___1___ I
___1___ It seems to be one of those universal truths of parenthood
It’s time to admit it out loud: This has been a rough
___1___ After much deliberation, we decided to go to the county fair
Friday was not a good day. I’ve had several months to accustom
For the last two weeks, my mind has been on family
My sister and her baby girl were in town for Memorial Day
___1___ Today is the last day of school. The kids have been
___1___ Alex brought this home from school this week. They had to
___1___ A couple of years ago, I read about a study that
Spring Break simply Will.Not.End. For that matter, neither will winter. Today’s forecast
Triduum with young children is not a blissful devotional experience. But we
It’s been so busy lately, I hadn’t realized how many beautiful moments
(You all love my descriptive 7QT post titles, right?) ___1___ What a
___1___ Alex is a great kid, but he can’t find diddly squat.
Time for some updates on the kids. ___1___ Alex received a “cultivation
There is nothing quite like a Sleeping Through The Night night…especially after
___1___ The other day Alex and I were walking through Macy’s on
Sunday morning, exhausted after weeks of sick kids and bad nights, we
Something is not quite right in my nursing corner. Something is missing.
Every January there’s a day or two like this: shorts weather in
___1___ Last night Alex had a Cub Scout pack meeting. His den
I capitulate, and confess: my fourth-born has officially outstripped my third-born for
___1___ The day after Christmas, we were at my parents’ house, and
He never stops moving these days. I could spend my entire day,
Loading the car to go to the in-laws’ house takes forever. There’s
It’s been quite a while since I did an edition of “Things
For weeks after Alex was born, I cried every day. I was
It’s no secret that I have a healthy skepticism of a lot
Of course you do. So let me share some kid moments. This
In the dead of night, something wakes me, I don’t know what,
___1___ Alex and Nicholas have been adorable lately. They’re playing Batman, Transformers,
___1___ “Oh Iiiii-saaaaac. Here boy!!! Come on! Come here!” This was my
No one likes having to confess that they lost their cool in
Conventional wisdom takes one of two arguments. Some say the transition from
A few weeks ago, I was driving to a neighboring town to
___1___ We went to the pool on Wednesday. I put one toe
It’s been a summer of field trips: to the observatory, to the
1. You know what the worst part about having four kids is?
I’m teaching at a liturgical music camp this week, and yesterday afternoon
The thing about having four children close together is that I’ve been
___1___ I’m combining posts tonight, so I begin with ~100 words of
I know you have all been dying to find out how our
(WARNING: This is another one of THOSE POSTS. Read at your own
During my first pregnancy, I was a voracious reader of all things
Nicholas rode in the tractor with his grandpa for a couple of
We made the decision on the spur of the moment. “Julianna, do
Remember this picture? When Christian saw this picture, he shook his head
My baby, the child of my heart, turned seven this week. With
“Mommy, that boy called me stupid.” I shaded my eyes against the
I used to think I was an “attachment parent.” I have kept
For example: ___1___ Early this week, in the middle of the night,
It’s a crazy day as usual in the Basi household. My mother
I’m typing these up on Thursday night as I listen to my
Scene: Morning on Spring Break, time to go outside and play. I’m
There are days that are full of moments. Moments of pristine clarity,
___1___ I wrote yesterday about teaching a holistic, healthy sexuality to our
Nicholas needs to go to preschool. He’s extremely precocious and determined that
It crept up on me, this wistfulness. A feeling that these days
“Julianna, stop grunting and use your words.” Christian rested wrists on the
This isn’t something I do often, but just for my own sake,
Call me dense, but I just realized the other night that the
It was one of those days.To wit: Michael would not consent to
When your voice rouses me from deep sleep, a hair shy of
About a month ago, a friend stopped me after church and asked
Click here for Part 1 Click here for Part 2 There’s a
I feel bad. All personal writing is cyclical: it reflects the overall
One of my blog friends has been doing a series of posts
___1___ It’s almost Lent, folks! I know, I’m ahead of the game,
There comes a time in every young child’s life when he or
___1___ Last night was one of those nights when I think we
I think I’ve been pretty clear that I am not a great
The smell caught me…that distinct, absolutely divine scent that only comes in
In natural family planning circles, there are certain words you’re not supposed
The moment snuck up on me on a night when I was
They’re so small. You’d think that a mother approaching the birth of
I know this will come as no surprise to those who know
They were doing so well. So far, they’ve braved a two-hour trip
(Note to 7QT readers: I’m doing a Fiction Friday this week, so
If I wasn’t a mom, I’d have so much time to for
___1___ It’s been so long since we got to experience it, I
Not long ago, someone very dear to me expressed reservations about parenthood:
“Okay, everybody!” I call. “Time for books!Everybody onMommy and Daddy’s bed!” The
The idea that our children teach us at least as much as
___1___ When I was in college, my family drove to Cape Cod
I wish I had a picture. But there is no way to
It’s official: we’ve reached that icky time of year when stepping out
Julianna has a pair of pajamas covered with strawberries. It says, “Being
So I’m a slow learner. I know that attitude changes everything. I
___1___ Okay, this is just weird. What a way to open my
Sometimes Alex gets short shrift on this blog. At the moment, he’s
It was a bad, bad night…I was up for three hours with
Yesterday morning, after the big ones were off to school, Nicholas and
If you’ve spent half an hour in my presence, you’ve probably heard
They bicker all the time. Julianna takes Nicholas’s toy. Nicholas falls apart.
“Mommy,” Alex said as he reluctantly brought his plate and cup around
We (or more specifically, Nicholas) are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,
Do you go through stages where you keep talking about the same
Early in March, I participated in the local Children’s Miracle Network radiothon
Before I begin, I need to be clear: the following post is
There’s only one rule on a day when the weather hits 65
(For volume 1, click here.) “Honey, knives are not for two-year-olds.” “I’m
One of the most unsettling things for a stay-at-home parent is that
7:30 a.m., breakfast finished, and both my little ones transfixed by the
Call me crazy, but I actually like matching socks. I know, most
I guess I got spoiled. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard
It’s a funny thing about parenthood: the moment you have a child,
I realized something yesterday. I really don’t “get” my daughter. As much
___1___ Here’s something to listen to. This is a CNS report about Mass
If you’ve ever expressed frustration, annoyance, or anger over something your kids
Late on a Wednesday evening, past time for bed on a choir
Remember the boy named “trouble”? It was Saturday afternoon and the poor
Because I’ve finally tipped the scales into the brain-dead zone after more
On a New Year’s Eve when the old, tired year refused to
I’m beginning to realize how brief is the period of time in
It’s one of the critical memories of my childhood. No year went
It seems like I’m always looking for one moment each week that
You know that pig in the Geico commercial, that says “wee wee
___1___ We took an overnight trip to the Lake of the Ozarks last
On a busy day, I didn’t have time to brainstorm something deeply
They tootle down the sidewalk this morning as I sit with my
Christian likes to say that baby drool has explosive properties. After all,
On the day we baptized each of our children, we heard these
There’s a commercial on TV these days for Kleenex. The woman goes
…with some help from Christian, who took over at #6. Top ten
Here we go again. Did you see the piece in New York
1. I always love to see what search parameters bring up my
It hangs in the the closet, tucked in the back with all
Takes 1-3: Wardrobe Malfunctions 1. On Wednesday morning, we actually got going
New Boxing Gloves Originally uploaded by markhillary He’s at it again. After
(or, What Happened Because of a Tire, Part Two. ) Post-tire adventure, we
1. Feast or famine, that’s the title for this week. Last week
Yesterday, I realized that two weeks in, we were wasting the summer.
Yes, I’ve got a lot of links today. But they’re awesome! 1.
Like all school kids, I adored Spring Break—no school, no homework, but
1. I’ve spent this week finishing my novel. It’s a job I’ve
There are times when, as a parent, hysteria reigns. You don’t know
It’s been a while since I took the kids to the
A few weeks ago, we gave Alex the opportunity to earn an
A few weeks ago, we got an unexpected windfall: a $50
If your family is anything like mine, bath duty is one of
At the moment, my children are displaying tremendous generosity of spirit: They
1. My favorite blog post this week came from Jennifer at
The Basi family, twenty-six strong, gathered on New Year’s Eve to celebrate
I originally wrote this last year, but when I ran across it
Julianna loves books. She loves music. And especially, she adores reading books
Christian likes to make fun of parents who think their kids are
Ah, Nicholas. You wake up in the night for reasons I can’t
The house smells like gingerbread this morning, which I suppose makes the
There are occupational hazards to motherhood. “Mommy, I haven’t got to pway
There’s no doubt about it: in the “Love Languages,” my primary language
It’s happened three times in as many months. The first time, we
Of course, as soon as I wrote about how much I had
As I write this morning, Alex is sitting beside me playing the
With number 1, I spent nursing time watching hours of movies, reading
It hasn’t been a great week so far. I haven’t had much
Dear Nicholas, In some ways, it is much harder to write this
I have one more letter to my children to write, but I’m
9/8/09 Dear Alex, You’re crossing a milestone, little man. Last night, I
Moonlight has a color all its own. We call it silver, white,
My whole life, I have been a poster child for Catholicism. I
I have a new hero: John Lithgow. He is an inspiration to
My birthday and I have a very checkered history. On the plus
I don’t know when it happened…after all, every nursing baby belongs to
We have chosen to have our kids close together—21 months between Alex
Scene: Overland Park Arboretum, my cousin’s baby shower Time: mid-afternoon nursing KATE
Thursday, Aug. 13th 10:45a.m. During the homily at the Mass for principals
It happened for the first time over the Fourth of July weekend.
They say that the hardest transition in parenting is not from 0
Things are changing in our household, as the advent of walking shifts
This week, I mowed the lawn with Nicholas in the Snugli. This
Since returning from NPM, my baby boy has become a demanding child.
The other day I was listening to my WLP showcase CD in
This morning, with baby screaming and toddler whining and preschooler asking nonstop
Amazing, how long it takes to write 97 words. Ten days of
The summer we moved into this house (two years ago), I was
I’m really mad at my kids today. But let me back up.
Nicholas and I had such a beautiful week together. He gurgled and
At the end of a couple gripey, negative weeks, it seems appropriate
In six months, Julianna will exit First Steps and enter the public
1. If I am to have my picture taken, I must have
Yesterday, I took Alex and Nicholas to a children’s concert by the
I don’t understand why, if the whole floor is clean except for
When a famous person dies, it’s always interesting to see how important
I want to follow up yesterday’s post about unstructured play by saying
To Nicholas The connection between us stretches back to the moment you
When I was a little girl, my grandparents had a player piano
After a day of noise and chaos, of grandparents and carnival rides,
I had a writing goal for today, and I have a very
Alex eats everything in very small bites. The more he likes it,
Fresh home from the grocery store, where Julianna flirted with every person
Vignette #1: Seriously Scary Foliage Perhaps you might remember how Julianna deals
Life with Alex has not been easy in recent months. Not so
Alex doesn’t nap much anymore. He goes to bed willingly enough, because
It was a perfect morning—70 degrees beneath a flawless blue sky, washed
They say there’s no such thing as magic, but they’re wrong. There’s
Last week, I parked myself on the floor with a boppy and
Whenever I watch Nicholas sleep, I think of my brother-in-law Matt, who says
Amazing, how those alliterations roll off the tongue these days. For
Out of the blue, as we drove down the road today, Alex
Ah, the things you forget. Saturday evening, Christian and I went
Lunchtime at the Basi house Alex: HAHAHAHA, I’m gonna get you, my
The focus has been on the younger two kids lately, such that
Isn’t it odd that Nicholas can’t sleep upstairs in a crib, but
(…or Flying Solo in Triplicate) She is two, and although she may
I have another post in process, but a friend sent me an
These days, it’s all I can do to take care of the
If I have the date right, we are now eleven days into
…with an overtired almost-4-year-old, a sick 2-year-old, and the new baby.
The weather is beautiful, the earth is stirring, the minnows are swimming
Alex is big enough to understand. In a couple of days, the
I used to think “white night” meant that you just couldn’t get
“Mommy,” said Alex at lunchtime, “strawberries are red, just like blood.”
The best parts of the day are associated with bedtime. I’ve
Lately, Alex reminds me of a Garfield cartoon from my childhood. Odie
I’m up early this morning and don’t have my writing materials, so
Yesterday, between thunderstorms, the kids and I went outside. I knew it
Scene: the circulation desk at the public library. Behind the counter, a
Some fine day, a tiger is going to get loose from the
Alex was tucked into bed. We were finished with prayers—including those for
“I take” my baby “to the park…hold it in a blanket,” the
If 3 cushions + 1 throw = Play House… then how many
Last night, my critique group finished reviewing my new novel. In An
Parents, you all know what I’m talking about. The first time you
Long vs. short writing projects Lately I’ve been chafing at how
Lately the focus has been Julianna, so when Alex had this gem
Miss Julianna has a couple of new nicknames: “Miss Sneaky” and “Superspy.”
When Christian was a kid, his mother used to tell him stories
Last week, Christian shared with me his overarching parental concern for Julianna:
To tell, or not? That’s the question. When Julianna was a
One year and 354 days ago, Christian and I found out that
It was really too cold to be outside, but Christian appealed to
Today in Washington, D.C. was an extraordinary day. Unfathomable numbers of people,
His name was Samuel. A child who heard his master calling him
One of the things that happens when you start a blog is
Yesterday the kids slept too long for us to do what we
…I know, the post was boring. So here are some pictures, to
It is an occasion for thanks, and a little bit of frenetic
Last week we were “interviewed” via email for an article on raising
Julianna whined all the way home from Illinois. She was heartily sick
It’s happening. For weeks, I’ve known it was coming…the days when Alex
There are still two doors left to open on our Advent calendar,
That phrase is as familiar as any in the Christmas repertoire—so familiar
I just posted this review at Amazon: Farkle & Friends: CD by
Christmas is not about kids, but I will admit that having a
(incorporating the Advent Reclamation Project Report for Week 2) Julianna’s first, tottering
When I was a kid, I swore I’d never forget what it
Today is the second Sunday of Advent, and now that we have
Thanksgiving Day, my grandmother shook her head at me, marveling at all
Alex’s Christmas letters to his grandparents (as dictated to Mommy): Dear
Julianna’s Turn I have to chuckle sometimes at the difference between
Most of the time, I can interpret Alex-ese with relative ease J.
The last week or two have been disheartening to me as the
It’s quiet in the van—a rarity, and one that I’m relaxing into—when
There’s a photograph, from 9/11. I’m sure you all saw it: a
I’m a little late sharing these two gems, but better late than
Thirteen years ago tonight, Christian and I went on our first date.
6:45 a.m. The kids are out of bed. Alex’s bed needs changing
Lately I’ve been focusing on Alex, who continues to add to the
Last night, I finished reading a book that has been occupying my
He can’t be doing it on purpose. He’s just too young for
It was an unnaturally long weekend, beginning Thursday night with Julianna wheezing
It seemed the easiest thing in the world—once the outdoor pool season
Yesterday evening I glanced over at Alex during dinner. It was one
So tonight, I’m putting Alex to bed and we’re praying for people.
It’s great weather for August—cool and clear, a far cry from the
During our trip to Mackinac, Christian had Julianna duty at virtually every
Because I’m lacking momentum on my writing projects right now, I’m looking
My first published short story, “The Prison at the Edge of Forever,”
Every day at naptime, we go up to Alex’s room to read
It happened so suddenly. I knew it was about time. She hardly ever
Three weeks ago, or thereabouts, Julianna got glasses. “Oh, she’ll take them
And then there are those moments when you shake your head in
There is no machine cooler than the combine. I’ve known that since
I’m five weeks postpartum, and I’m wearing my own jeans. There, that’s