Last weekend, I was alone in my house for 48 hours. This might seem like a non-event, but for the matriarch of a gang of 6 (did I really just refer to myself as a matriarch? Ugh!), it really is an event. I do not think I have been by myself in this house overnight…
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the thick of it
One of my mantras over the past sixteen years of motherhood has been “This is the season of life I am in right now.” It’s a simple mantra—a recognition that what I’m experiencing is not permanent. (As an aside: sixteen years? How did that happen?) When things started to reopen this spring, I felt suffocated…
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Kisses In The Outfield (Photo Friday)
Monday night, when the coach dismissed the boys from their last (praise God!) baseball game of the season, he followed it up with, “Let’s get together for a parents-vs-kids game on Wednesday!” I clamped down on the biggest “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” ever heard in the history of humankind. (Yes, I too can do idiotic superlatives that bear…
Read MoreIn Which I Win “THE VOICE”: Van edition (and other Friday Funnies)
Michael, holding a paper back mouse with whiskers on one side: “I’m naming my mouse ABCMouse.com!” Me: “I’m definitely raising 21st century children.” Julianna, holding a baby doll: “Mom, my baby name, is, Dzustin…Bieber!” Me: speechless. Nicholas, at prayer time following an ice storm: “I pray for good roads and a lot of snow.” Me:…
Read MoreWhat An Ice “Storm” Reminded Me About Family
This past Friday, it rained some trace amount that couldn’t be measured, and my entire city went berserk. All weekend, the weather, the accidents, and how long it took to get home were the only topics of conversation. Hours. We spent hours talking about it. It caught everybody off guard. See, it was supposed to…
Read MoreKid Moments, To Brighten Your Day
Alex, 11, as we pull in the driveway after school: “You guys used 30 pronouns in the time between the stop sign by the pool and here.” Me: “Were you counting?” Alex: “Yes, and that was another one.” ** Julianna, 9, in the van, listening to Puff the Magic Dragon on the beat-up Peter, Paul &…
Read MoreTen Simple Ways To Model Mercy For Your Kids
Modeling #mercy doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are ten simple ways to teach your children to live #mercy.
Read MoreThe Incredible Sick
Every superhero movie these days involves a mind-blowing escalation of the final battle. You know. The Avengers are fighting creepy mechanical creatures that fly around knocking New York City to pieces. You think it can’t get any worse, and then it does: there’s a lull in the action, a low-pitched roar, and my kids start…
Read MoreI Give My Kids Experiences
It turns out that physical things don’t buy as much happiness as experiences. It’s experiencing things together that binds us. This makes sense to me. My kids want an Xbox. We’ll let them earn money to buy it themselves, but we’re not buying it ourselves. We don’t have room in our living room for any more…
Read MoreWhy, Hello, Summer.
It seems that lately, most of the people I talk to about summer plans say, “We have no plans. We go to the pool every day!” Speaking for myself, I might not mind going to the pool every day under two conditions: 1) the water is warm; 2) there’s plenty of shade. But since those…
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Kathleen M. Basi 