There are things we will miss One day I will miss the shoes on the floor, the tiny pair, a miniature version of his father’s shoes. There are piles of clothes around the house as I attempt the annual sorting of four outgrown children’s clothes, discerning what to donate, what to save, and what toContinue reading “One Weird Thing about Suffering”
Get Real
When I was young I grew up in that age of development when the internet began to spread its web around the wide world. In 6th grade, I spent hours online at my aunt’s house reading poetry from the earliest forms of blogs. In 7th grade, I entered chatrooms. In 8th grade, we had theContinue reading “Get Real”
Moments of Wonder – Better than Clicks
Our moments matter. I look out the window to check on the garden and anticipate its blooms for the day, making a plan for the early hours of the day. Opening the window, I think of the potential cross breeze now that our bed is pulled away from the window on the adjacent wall. AsContinue reading “Moments of Wonder – Better than Clicks”
How to take the next crisis in stride
The world reopened but then it shut down again. The smoke cleared but then came another hazy day. The heat dissipated but then came another high-temperature, red flag warning wave. Are you in the camp who continues to think, “It will pass. It will pass”? When it passes, do you breathe a sigh of reliefContinue reading “How to take the next crisis in stride”
Lessons from The Hospital
What a long week it was. It was alarming but not life-altering for my family when the shutdown began in March. When the smoke billowed into the San Joaquin/Central Valley, that changed our lives for the time being. We had just bunked the four older children in one room to create a nursery for theContinue reading “Lessons from The Hospital”
Sick of 2020? Take this Medicine
It is September. Online I observe sighs of relief as decor and craft enthusiasts bring out the pumpkins, the harvest colors, and scents of the season. Like Christmas time, autumn is filled with sensory triggers that invite us to take a moment just to be. How does this work? Our bodies are wired for habituation.Continue reading “Sick of 2020? Take this Medicine”
Is HomeSchooling the Right Path?
For me it is, right now. How do I know? This week, the baby decided nighttime sleep was overrated. As a result, my mental capacity for homeschool management waned. In this limited state, I called upon one of the overlooked benefits of schooling multiple children at home – making use of readers. In high schoolContinue reading “Is HomeSchooling the Right Path?”
Navigate the Homeschool day
The setting A fifth-grader, third-grader, first grader and preschooler began their school year in my house August 17. The fifth-grader dove into the myriad of subjects, well-rested from a summer of exploring the fields, imagining stories of fine and heroic ladies, horseback riding and adding braces and glasses to her ensemble. Despite the order ofContinue reading “Navigate the Homeschool day”
This Hard Thing is Worth Doing
The Setting I write this on Thursday, four days after the lightening siege, the aftermath of which we are still witness to. Yesterday, a red sun rose as ash slowly sifted through the air landing on our flowers, our furniture and our concerns. I called my aunt to see if they were already evacuated. LightContinue reading “This Hard Thing is Worth Doing”
Learning Routines: Accounting for Weakness
Set the scene There is a scene in “The Gilmore Girls” in which Rory at Yale finds the perfect study tree. It fits her back perfectly with an atmosphere or not too loud and not to quiet. In the end, she is willing even to pay someone to vacate its trunk so she can enterContinue reading “Learning Routines: Accounting for Weakness”