I hope you and your family are fever-free, virus-free, bacteria-free this week. We have not been so lucky around here. We are on our fourth week of fevers, viruses, and bacteria. Thanks to a sloppy diagnosis, some unneeded antibiotics, and an ugly virus, these past couple days have been especially frustrating for our family. Sam,...Continue Reading
My friend, who is a vet, calls me a breedist and cringes every time I stereotype dog breeds. She insists that each dog has a unique personality and stereotyping breeds makes people overlook the individual animal. Maybe so, but I think most people are breedists. It’s just sort of conventional wisdom that Golden Retrievers are...Continue Reading
Seventeen days of vacation together gives you family stories. Family stories are those memorable little tales that happen when you least expect it. They are the delight and surprise of life not going according to plan. They are the stories your family will tell the next generation. Hergenrader Family Stories from 2013 Christmas Break 1....Continue Reading
Walking through downtown Galveston, on almost the last day of the year, we spotted this cute, handwritten sign. Even though we were all somewhere on the Virus Train of Death and not feeling very well, this stenciled sign made our family smile. Thank you, Charles Dickens, for the poetic words. They have named my blog,...Continue Reading
I am surprised at how quickly a bad bout with the flu rocked our world this Christmas. In a couple short weeks, we went from an active household running in six different directions to a hot viral mess. I went from doing Pilates several times a week, walking the dog in the sunshine every day,...Continue Reading
It happened exactly one week ago when we were eyeball deep in December to-dos. Elisabeth came down with a fever the morning of her class Christmas party. Poor kid never misses school, unlike her siblings she doesn’t even want to miss school, and now she would have to miss her Christmas party. M was working from...Continue Reading
1. The Sound of Musicis my all-time, absolute favorite movie. But, wow, you just don’t realize how slloowwwww it starts until you watch it with your three-year-old and six-year-old sons. 2. Nor do you realize how much Maria and her nun friends discuss the plusses and negatives of Maria at the Abbey. I had coerced...Continue Reading
Every year we start December with that same feeling you have waiting in line for a roller coaster. As we stand in the snaking line, listening to the riders screaming from the ride, we try to remember, why did we want to come back for more? Where were the twists and dips and stressful parts...Continue Reading
Today’s Fraudulently Asked Questions is with all the Hergenrader Kids about the Week O’ Christmas Programs. As an audience member, I heard the rave reviews from the huge crowds. “Awesome!” “The kids did so well!” “How did they learn all those songs?” Now to hear from the stars themselves… FAQ #1: Catie, great picture! How...Continue Reading
We are up to our halos in Christmas Programs around here. Tonight all the kids are in the church’s Christmas program. Tomorrow night, they’ll all in the school Christmas program. You know what Christmas program practices are like? They are that hour before we have company come over to our house. They are stressful chaos....Continue Reading
