A Weekend Hermitage
Last weekend, I was alone in my house for 48 hours. This
June 3, 2022
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Discover the journey, tips, and ideas from Claudia Yeoh’s writing desk.
Last weekend, I was alone in my house for 48 hours. This
Saturday night, after taking our kids to church and nearly exploding with
In the month we’ve been on a stay-at-home order, I’ve realized a
I am sitting in the dark this morning. Despite my hopes, I
Monday night, when the coach dismissed the boys from their last (praise
This past Friday, it rained some trace amount that couldn’t be measured,
White lights, colored lights, first aid kits, and Santa beating her head on the desk. Bring on the holidays.
Alex, 11, as we pull in the driveway after school: “You guys
It seems that lately, most of the people I talk to about
We have a tradition of family game night in our house. Actually,
It is Saturday afternoon and I am folding baby clothes—new, soft, tiny
Some days are just really good days. Or good evenings, anyway. And
We didn’t go on any field trips this year. This has been
In grade school, I had a principal who had once been a
We went to the Adirondacks this weekend—just the two of us. We
(Warning: if you are squeamish about breastfeeding and related anatomy…DO.NOT.READ.) It began
I don’t take enough time off. Which is more than a bit
One of the things I’ve always admired about my parents is how
On any given Sunday, you might be sitting in the front row
The most amazing Easter of my life was the year 1998. I
Things I Don’t Want To Forget: Michael saying “I want to tuggle
Saturday morning, Christian and I provided music for a funeral at our
Friday morning, I flew into church at 7:59 a.m. for 8:00 holy
After yesterday’s post about why I don’t like birth control, I think
There comes a day in the life of every toddler when the
I think I was in the sixth grade when it happened. At
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
Reflections on the Stations of the Cross Jesus Meets His Mother Does
Reflections on the Stations of the Cross The Second Station: Jesus carries
There is no such thing as a truly quiet day (holiday or
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
“I’m sure you know this already,” said Julianna’s teacher, sitting in our
___1___ We finished Jazzercise last Friday and Michael ran away from me
Over the weekend we had a memorial service for my grandmother. When
When Alex was a baby, the time I felt most secure in
When I was a kid, my sisters and I stayed with my
It started out so well. We’d had two days of solid-packed family
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
For the last two weeks, my mind has been on family
Thursday: Today about half of the cousins go up the Estes aerial
Tuesday I’ve reached the point in a vacation when I’ve lost the
Sunday-Monday, June 23-24, 2013: After Alex falls off the zipline and sprains
We’re not even to the first stop sign in our neighborhood when
It’s Friday afternoon and out in the country, the air smells sweet
My sister and her baby girl were in town for Memorial Day
___1___ Today is the last day of school. The kids have been
It’s the last day of my blog tour, and guess what? I’m
Having wrestled anxiety for most of my young adult life, I don’t
Can I just say how annoying I find the American obsession with
Financial guru Dave Ramsey often talks about “powdered butt syndrome.” Once you’ve
Where do I begin to detail a First Communion weekend? Perhaps with
This Little Light of Mine: Living the Beatitudes is written for use
I’ve said before that I’m obsessed with sleep. This is because i
Oh, what it takes to get a not-quite-four-year-old to take a usable picture…
Today I would like to welcome Sarah Reinhard back to the blog
I had two ideas for blog posts to enlighten and enrich your
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
At 6:55 a.m., the household sleeps, but I know it can’t last
It must have been the convergence of James Bond with a bedtime
I remember a day, long ago, when we had a long list
There are times when I realize I will never understand my children.
In the dead of night, something wakes me, I don’t know what,
No one likes having to confess that they lost their cool in
A few weeks ago, I was driving to a neighboring town to
It’s been a summer of field trips: to the observatory, to the
It’s quiet outside this morning, and the slim sliver of cream-colored moon,
I completely lost it last week. Twice. The first time was on
I’m sitting in the back of the van with the kids, watching
I made a somewhat horrifying discovery last week. As I excavated the
I have this recurring dream. In it, it’s opening night of a
The words leaped off the page, preventing me from skimming through the
I know you have all been dying to find out how our
Summer break begins officially today. It feels like a watershed summer; in
It has been a month of craziness unsurpassed. I held my breath
I sent my boys off on a trip this morning. For the
In case you missed the memo, yesterday was a big day. Mothers
My baby, the child of my heart, turned seven this week. With
I used to think I was an “attachment parent.” I have kept
For example: ___1___ Early this week, in the middle of the night,
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
I’ve been out of balance lately, and it showed: short fuse with
Today is the first day of Triduum, and I am beginning to
Nicholas needs to go to preschool. He’s extremely precocious and determined that
When I was writing about Lent, an odd theme kept cropping up:
___1___ We registered Julianna for kindergarten this week. Can you believe it?
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
It was a rainy night in Dusseldorf, but not nearly as stormy
If you knew you only had twenty-seven days, how would you live
When your voice rouses me from deep sleep, a hair shy of
I feel bad. All personal writing is cyclical: it reflects the overall
This weekend, I read the most beautiful description of a place, a
___1___ You know you are a confirmed scrapaholic who has been in
One of my blog friends has been doing a series of posts
When sick moves in, you don’t always know it’s happened at first.
Guess what? Lent is less than four weeks away. I know, probably
___1___ Last night was one of those nights when I think we
My life is crazy now. As I try to get back into
“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.“
Image via Wikipedia We didn’t expect much of a crowd this weekend.
I already wrote Michael’s birth story, but since I did it from
There’s an old truism that says, “Man plans, God laughs.” The entire
I think I’ve been pretty clear that I am not a great
I had this post written and scheduled several days before yesterday’s drama…so
…At 9:00, Christian and I make our way upstairs to do a
Lately I’ve been enjoying the mental challenge of writing to a prompt
In natural family planning circles, there are certain words you’re not supposed
They say parenting is a long process of letting go. From the
The moment snuck up on me on a night when I was
It seems like there are stages in my life when everywhere I
On days when crisp fall fades to a dusk that chills the
The magical thing about waiting for a baby is the anticipation of
__1__ Pregnancy update: At 30 weeks, I’m still running. Although it hardly
If I wasn’t a mom, I’d have so much time to for
On nights when the incessant traffic noise mysteriously vanishes and the sound
Photo credit: LWPrencipe, via Flickr I’m beginning to think I take the
We have become a cliché: We can’t keep straight which child we’re
Because Christian’s on vacation, and because we have a long day planned,
I got up on my high horse last week. We’re car shopping,
The problem with special, “all about me” days—birthdays, Mother’s Day—is that you
___ 1___ Saturday is housecleaning day, not because there’s some magical formula
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
On any given day, there’s not a whole lot I can be
(For volume 1, click here.) “Honey, knives are not for two-year-olds.” “I’m
From day one, one of the most intimidating things about parenthood for
This year, Christian and I decided to make some New Years Resolutions
On a New Year’s Eve when the old, tired year refused to
You know that pig in the Geico commercial, that says “wee wee
They tootle down the sidewalk this morning as I sit with my
Conventional wisdom says that writers should never ask family members for feedback.
After our trip to Florida last month, I’m a firm believer that
Here we go again. Did you see the piece in New York
It hangs in the the closet, tucked in the back with all
Father’s Day in the Basi house: …A far too early start after staying
In honor of my daddy, I’m reposting from last fall…. It is
Father & Daughter Originally uploaded by Enigma Photos
Every family needs a motto. I discovered ours one day last fall
Aren’t they pretty? Kudos to Spring Hill. Today I am guest posting
It’s just one of those days, folks, so here’s a repost from
1. Sleeping through the night is a myth. 2. If you don’t
It’s a sad fact of life that it’s easier to set goals
Am I first a wife, a mother, or a writer? Like most
She wrote her story anonymously for O Magazine—the story of a couple
My baby is definitely not a hurried child. No, Nicholas is milking
On Friday, Christian took the day off and we all went to
It’s time for Sunday Snippets: A Catholic Carnival , when we all
I’m rooting for Brangelina. It goes without saying that relationships in Hollywood
Like Emily at chattingatthesky.com, today I have feverish children and a house
Lately I’ve been linking up with various photo Wednesday carnivals…most particularly over
If your family is anything like mine, bath duty is one of
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
We spent last week on Longboat Key, Florida with the Basi family,
Today, I’d just like to share a few links. The first presents
It sneaks up on me sometimes…usually when I haven’t had a chance
1. Last Sunday afternoon at nap time, I tiptoed down the hallway
I’ve been navigating some deep waters this week, so let me lighten
Precious moments. We’ve all had them—those moments that make your heart catch
It’s been four years since we went ice skating. Pregnancy, nursing babies
Advent. It’s a time of new beginning, a time of expectation of
On occasion I have mentioned Gerti, Julianna’s physical therapist. What you may
There’s no doubt about it: in the “Love Languages,” my primary language
Sunday Snippets is a group of bloggers who gather once each week
Who’d’a thunk it? A vaporizer has kept us out of the hospital—twice.
I was listening to Faith Hill yesterday on the way home from
Precious moments. We’ve all had them—those moments that make your heart catch
It’s happened three times in as many months. The first time, we
I suppose that no matter how hard you try to give each
One of Christian’s biggest pet peeves is the treatment of men in
I don’t understand how they get store-bought bread to rise in a
The day after Julianna was born, Christian’s sister-in-law brought two hundred pages
I want a crock pot recipe for life. One that tells me
Recently, I read a blogger whose point was that moms are not
With number 1, I spent nursing time watching hours of movies, reading
Families. They’re a source of comfort and joy, support and unconditional love.
It hasn’t been a great week so far. I haven’t had much
It is fall, and in the mornings now we run in the
What was THAT?????? We had a very nice weekend with a
Dear Nicholas, In some ways, it is much harder to write this
Dear Julianna, As I sit here in the dewy twilight of predawn,
I’ve been thinking a lot about weddings lately. It’s coming into that
We have chosen to have our kids close together—21 months between Alex
Every so often, you get a day that reminds you of all
They say that the hardest transition in parenting is not from 0
“…every now and then I think of who I was and who
Sometimes, you just need to get away. It’s fun for everyone. For
Dear Christian, It’s very hard to be sweet and sincere in writing
Yesterday my dad was on KRCG news talking about cool weather and
Amazing, how long it takes to write 97 words. Ten days of
When my husband and I started wedding planning, the first song on
At the end of a couple gripey, negative weeks, it seems appropriate
It’s a running joke between Christian and I, the difference between my
After a day of noise and chaos, of grandparents and carnival rides,
Yesterday was a good day. The danger in being too busy, particularly
Vignette #1: Seriously Scary Foliage Perhaps you might remember how Julianna deals
Amazing, how those alliterations roll off the tongue these days. For
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
I have another post in process, but a friend sent me an
The heart catches, even in retrospect… …and wounded hearts learn to love
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
Which one is softer, his silky, thick dark hair, or his velvet-satin
…with an overtired almost-4-year-old, a sick 2-year-old, and the new baby.
Today’s the day that the Basi 5 go home. Christian has had
All systems go for tomorrow, despite a nasty, unproductive cough. Here’s a
It’s been interesting this week to see how many people have read
A number of years ago, when Christian moved into his own apartment,
Yesterday, between thunderstorms, the kids and I went outside. I knew it
I gew up on princesses, Star Wars, and Star Trek. Who would have
Do you ever wonder how different your life might have turned out
Last night, my critique group finished reviewing my new novel. In An
One year and 354 days ago, Christian and I found out that
Today in Washington, D.C. was an extraordinary day. Unfathomable numbers of people,
One of the things that happens when you start a blog is
This weekend, we were late for church. Now, you must understand,
…I know, the post was boring. So here are some pictures, to
Last week we were “interviewed” via email for an article on raising
That phrase is as familiar as any in the Christmas repertoire—so familiar
(incorporating the Advent Reclamation Project Report for Week 2) Julianna’s first, tottering
Motivation = progress It’s 10:07 a.m., and I’ve vacuumed the second
I really don’t like being pregnant. No, I’m not pregnant. Not
They’re always better when you don’t have any expectations going in. And