Two types of people walk on the beach: those who pick up the shells and those who don’t. For forty years, I didn’t pick up shells. Taking home bucketfuls of shells seemed like something a tourist would do. The only people who collected shells were the ones who needed souvenirs of the beach, right? Also, taking shells home felt...Continue Reading
For days, the kids have been asking to go shopping, specifically to the Dollar Spot at Target. This is not because they need anything, but because this is their happy place. They are absolutely giddy about the idea of sifting through cheap clutter, looking for a treasure. I’m afraid I taught him this. When you’re...Continue Reading
1. Seven-year-old twins are just starting to assign identities. “You’re the tall one.” “He’s the older twin.” “She’s good at reading and I’m good at math.” They only see themselves as a twosome so they have to even it out. They can’t both be the funny one. 2. They’re still proud of their twinniness. They make...Continue Reading
As a kid, I read more than I did just about anything else. Piles of my books were scattered everywhere in the house. Books stuffed in my desk drawers, in the bathroom, on our back porch, and in the backseat of our family van. I learned everything from those stories. I read about broken families, kids...Continue Reading
The title for this picture should be, “Idealistic Maniacs Before a 5K.” Because that’s who we are—unstoppable runners who will tackle any obstacle. Who cares it’s early and cold out? A little chill can’t diffuse our excitement for ROCKING this race. We are the champions. Cue Chariots of Fire music. But the caption for the...Continue Reading
A few years ago we found ourselves with four kids and two bedrooms. We hacked Kura beds to give each kids a cool bed, with lots of space of their own. Buzzfeed and other sites have picked up the original hack and that blog post has had hundreds of thousands of visitors. IKEA lovers from...Continue Reading
Everybody’s got a story. What’s yours? What are your family heirloom stories, the ones you tell your kids about their grandparents and great-grandparents? When you think of yourself in junior high, which story comes to mind? What’s your best college road trip story? Tell the story of meeting your spouse and seeing each of your babies for...Continue Reading
This is a week of prayers. Me praying, friends praying for me, us praying for each other. I asked for prayer because this week was shaping up to be an intense one. Three of the kids were starting new sports, which meant lots of nerves, schedule changes, and hectic nights. Mike is crazy-busy with work and...Continue Reading
For a million reasons, I feel like I’m waiting to exhale. My breath stays permanently stuck in the back of my throat. I’m stalled here—waiting for so much before I can relax. My lungs are burning, my head aches, and I want to decompress, relax. Holding this exhaust in my lungs is exhausting. Are you...Continue Reading
We rearranged our kids’ rooms last month with the goal of giving all of them more space. Sam and Elisabeth, our seven-year-old twins, still loved their Kura beds, and so did Nate, our four-year-old. But I wasn’t sure our ten-year-old, Catie, would want to keep hers. Part of the reason for the room redo was...Continue Reading
