The kids are in bed, the TV is off, but we’re sitting on opposite sides of the table, me typing furiously on the NEO, Christian shuffling iPhone, bills and checkbook. I sigh irritably. This is not how we should be spending a Saturday evening. I’m tired. Really I just want to sleep. But now that…
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The (melo)Drama of a Scraped Knee
This is a story about this child of mine: The one I’ve called the drama king, whose toy conflicts require trial by jury, whose every sniffle becomes a matter of national security. I don’t think the title quite does him justice. We went outside after dinner last Thursday to play for an hour before baths.…
Read MoreThe Hardest Naptime I Ever Came By
They were doing so well. So far, they’ve braved a two-hour trip in a car with windows they can’t see out of; they told me when they needed bathroom breaks; they ate well in an unfamiliar house, tag-teamed their catnaps in the car, and tolerated an unexpectedly long wait at the doctor’s office. Now, at…
Read MoreSpring, Sprang, Sprung (wearing out the cliché)
It’s that time of year again. Sloppy rows of birch, maple and sycamore, hugging the writhing creeks, weary after a long winter’s worth of holding their breath, exhale a soft halo of glowing lime. The understory stretches, a dense, impassable wonderland of redbud and dogwood and wild blackberry flinging its splendor out for all to…
Read MoreMama’s On Live Radio! Quick, Time to Run Away!
Early in March, I participated in the local Children’s Miracle Network radiothon benefiting what we call in our house “Julianna’s hospital.” I’ve been meaning to write about it ever since, but I kept hoping I’d get my hands on all the photo files I wanted to share. But I finally decided to go with what…
Read MoreSearchability
One of the funniest things to do as a blogger is to see what search terms bring people to your blog. Most of the time, they’re utterly ordinary: “kate basi blog,” for instance. But included in the mix are some real gems, and today I feel like sharing a few. In case, like me, you’re…
Read MoreThings You Hear Around the Basi House, vol. 2
(For volume 1, click here.) “Honey, knives are not for two-year-olds.” “I’m gonna get you!” (You must understand, they want to be “gotten”! This seems to be the easiest way to get the kids up the stairs for bed. ) “rrrrrRRRRRAAAAAAAARRRRRR!”, accompanied by Julianna’s screams and Nicholas’s warbling giggles. (I have only myself to blame…
Read MoreYou Know You Need A New Wardrobe When…
You know you need a new wardrobe when your not-quite-4-year-old daughter has this to say about it!
Read MoreStand-Up Comic or Saint in Training?
Remember the boy named “trouble”? It was Saturday afternoon and the poor kids got dragged to a special Mass with the Bishop. But it had its compensations. Alex always thinks the Knights of Columbus, with their sabers and capes and feathered hats, are worth watching. And Nicholas put on a one-toddler comedy act during the…
Read MoreIt’s Santa’s Fault (a study in parentheticals)
Image via Wikipedia Last night, we left the house for choir practice at 6:35p.m., leaving the all-important Music List lying on the kitchen table, which led to me being roundly mocked by one of the basses, who thinks we play fast and loose with the lists anyway. (“They’re more like guidelines,” we like to joke.)…
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Kathleen M. Basi 