Two summers ago, right before Elisabeth and Sam were to start Kindergarten the first time, another mom snuck me a list of 100 Sizzling Sight Words. “This is the list!” she said, like she had stolen an advance copy of the Bar Exam. “They’ve got to learn this list of words to go on to...Continue Reading
Dear Catie… I’m writing this on the day of your last volleyball game. Your coach predicts you might win this game, which is good news for your team. They seem tired of losing. You seem a little tired of losing. But really, you’re fine either way. This is you, Catie. You’re just happy. You rarely...Continue Reading
When I found out I was pregnant with Nate, the twins had just turned two. Catie was five, and we had moved into our new house a few months before. We were busy settling into our new town, unpacking boxes, and shuttling Catie back and forth to Kindergarten at our old church. The twins were...Continue Reading
Last week, while preparing to lead a retreat for a group of wonderful women, I forgot everything I knew. I forgot the main points of the Bible studies I had been teaching for the past two months at my own church. I forgot how much I enjoy speaking at events. I forgot how warm and...Continue Reading
Today is my birthday. According to six-year-old wisdom, you should feel different on your birthday. On their birthday, both Sam and Elisabeth walked downstairs and separately demanded, “Today is my birthday! What’s wrong? Why don’t I feel different?!” Later that day, we went to LifeTime and both kids marched up to the tape measure on the...Continue Reading
For the past couple months, my bedside table and audio book playlist has been crowded with Christianish non-fiction. Interrupted and Seven by Jen Hatmaker, Cold Tangerines, Bittersweet, and Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist, and Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle. I’ve never reviewed any of these books on Amazon, but if I did, here’s...Continue Reading
Last Saturday, at 5:30 IN THE MORNING, M and I drove to a very dark park in old Katy. We sloshed through the rain to join the hundreds of other nervous athletes, who were pacing, waiting for the 21st Annual Jeff and Brede’s Intergalactic Triathlon to begin. Athletes on Race Morning are a funny group....Continue Reading
In Subrubia, the good summer camps and VBSs fill up around Spring Break. This past April our summer calendar was still wide open, and I still hadn’t gotten around to signing the kids up for some activities. Just when it was time to panic, my friend Barb, the director of our old church, called. She...Continue Reading
For fifteen years I’ve been learning what works in our marriage. After fifteen years, here’s what I’m good at: forgetting what works in our marriage. We can learn a lesson the hard way, come to a realization about what gives us the deepest happiness, know for sure what puts the sweetness in our marriage. And...Continue Reading
Blame it on One Direction. Blame it on Pilates. In the past couple months, I’ve realized our family needs to get its groove back. Or find its groove to begin with. We don’t have enough music in our lives. Like most things, this all started when we had kids…. You know the scene in Sound...Continue Reading
