Last week, Mike and I finally agreed it was time to replace the old couch in the beach house. Naturally, we turned to our favorite Swedish furniture store. IKEA’s Friheten Sleeper Sofa has clean lines, inventive storage, and a low price. Most of all, it was not the 30(+) year-old couch that thousands of soggy bathing suit bottoms...Continue Reading
Today begins Lent: to give something up or not to give something up? The pendulum keeps swinging, doesn’t it? For a while there, fasting from something was only a Catholic thing. Then a Christian thing. Then the fasting was scorned by Christians everywhere. Shortly after that it was celebrated. No matter what your decision, critics...Continue Reading
We wrapped up our Mardi Gras weekend by marching in the Barkus & Meaux Pet Parade in Galveston. As ambassadors for Greyhounds everywhere, the kids walked our hounds (plus a few that we borrowed) down the Seawall in gorgeous 80-degree weather, throwing hundreds of Mardi Gras beads, and introducing everyone they could to the Greyhounds....Continue Reading
Our new favorite family pastime is watching videos from when the kids were all really young. I know they’re all really young right now too, but these videos are when they were tiny young. Most are 30-second iPhone videos of shaky first steps and first tastes of peas. The kids love seeing their toddler...Continue Reading
For our family, the end of February has always meant Galveston Mardi Gras. Every one of us laissez les bons temps in a different way: I love huge parades with high-stepping marching bands, Mike likes the beer and soul food, we all enjoy seeing old friends and the eclectic crowds. Nate and Sam come for the...Continue Reading
At twenty-two, I was a fresh-faced college graduate, thrilled to be headed to Houston for my first teaching job. I had seen Dangerous Minds and Dead Poet’s Society, so I knew teaching would be hard. Thanks to these movies, I fully expected to introduce my inner-city/poor rich kids to the importance of literature. Shortly after that,...Continue Reading
As near as I can tell, women fit into two categories when it comes to our homes. The first group is those of us who have little kids and are still dedicating most of our time to physically nurturing them. Yes, we know the pictures on our walls are horribly outdated, we realize the fake...Continue Reading
This weekend Elisabeth finally learned to ride a bike. She mastered this skill a full two years after Sam–not that anyone around here is keeping track. (This is a joke. Twins are always keeping track. Elisabeth didn’t notice Sam zooming around on two wheels like Sam doesn’t notice Elisabeth is a full inch taller than she...Continue Reading
For all the cooks who nourish their families, who make three meals a day, who buy all the groceries, who do the sinkfuls of dishes, who freeze and reserve the leftovers, who think about what to make for breakfast while drifting to sleep…this is for you. For the cooks who cook eggs benedict for their...Continue Reading
Am I the only mom who dreads the bedtime routine? Who is WORN OUT from the bedtime routine? This is the time of day when I “forget” to read stories, when sleepy kids cry during prayers, and everyone moves in SLOWWWWMOTIONNNN. Why? Because we are all tired. The day’s wardrobe malfunctions, spilled yogurt drinks, fights...Continue Reading
