L.L. Barkat issued an invitation to her place for Thanksgiving!I'm so totally there to see what she can whip up for us...Guess what? You're invited, too!Here's the official invite, straight from the source:You are cordially invited by L.L. Barkat to join a Thanksgiving Celebration. Just post about a Thanksgiving memory, something you are thankful for this year, a special … [Read more...]
Memory Aids to Help Hide It in Your Heart
I can't remember the details of Fahrenheit 451 (which is, ahem, ironic, given that I'm writing about memorization), but I recall that the protagonist committed some Scripture to memory in a world where books were being destroyed.At the end, when the rest of the world is apparently bombed, a remnant, if you will, of people remains--those who have memorized at least portions … [Read more...]
Correction: Make that "Wordleth Wendthday"
Wordless Wednesday
How to Invite Chaos into Your Life in Four Easy Steps
It's easy to introduce mass chaos into your home, if you know how.Step One: Ignore various design flaws in your home for at least eight years. Thanks to the Law of Entropy, ignoring these issues is sure to complicate things immensely down the road.Step Two: Imagine you might be able to do the repairs yourself. Actually attempt a few of them yourself, but leave them … [Read more...]
Mmm…Monday Food Report: Whole Chicken in Crock Pot (a mixture of personal beef with chicken)
I intended to compose some Friday Food Reflections, but Friday slipped away without time to post.So I switched to a Monday food report instead.Because I know you're all dying to know about my food discoveries, I'm such the chef.Ha.So here's the first report:Whole Chicken in a Crock(a mixture of personal beef with chicken)Wad up several pieces of foil in loose balls and … [Read more...]
Olympic Marathon Ponytails
The Boy (6yo) was in my bedroom watching the Olympics, making himself scarce while the rest of us cleaned up after dinner.He came down when he heard some discussion about ice cream sundaes."Were you watching the Olympics?" I asked."Yes.""What's on? Are they showing that Michael Phelps race again?""No. It's running. Women.""The marathon?""Yes! That's it! The … [Read more...]
FWIW: TM Acronym Primer for Concerned Parents
There's been some discussion on various blogs about the appropriate age for kids to get their own cell phones and how much freedom they should have on the Internet, whether its e-mailing, IM-ing, setting up a Facebook account, or surfing the Web.I find it's helpful to gather information as we're making decisions in these areas, so I've been interested in reading comments … [Read more...]
Hey, I'm a 41-year-old Mom, Too! Dana Torres and I Have Sooo Much in Common!
Surely you've read about Olympic swimmer Dana Torres?If you haven't, here's the skinny (if I've cobbled together the details correctly):This former Olympian, now a 41-year-old mother of three (the most recent of the three kids was born only two years ago), came back from a six-year retirement to earn a spot on the team in the 100m freestyle.The 100m freestyle, people! … [Read more...]
Crock-Flops and Minor Crock-Successes
I was so eager to try some new recipes in the crockpot after being inspired by A Year of Crockpotting that I did a little online search and came up with this highly recommended stew: Crockpot Chicken & Quinoa. It looked soooo good in the photograph. The instructions were easy. I even shocked myself by having on hand in my cupboard a box of quinoa and in the freezer, … [Read more...]
If You Want Something Done, Give It to a 10-year-old Girl
One time a speaker said that if you want to get something done, give it to a ten-year-old girl. They're enthusiastic, diligent, hard-working, determined, industrious, earnest...not yet consumed by the boy thing or makeup, yet able to tap into their childlike energy and accomplish a lot. As my kids have one by one turned ten, I've thought how true that is.They're … [Read more...]
Thankful Thursday
Prairie Prologue reminded me that it's Thankful Thursday. She linked to the carnival hub at Sting My Heart.So I pause, in my thinking and learning and reading and writing and cleaning and planning, to give thanks: Laughter from upstairs. Two children putting dresses on stuffed animals. Neighborhood swimming pool. Having one's own pool sounds like a lot of fun, but sharing … [Read more...]
What’s Your Family Culture?
When I wrote this post about family culture, I offered a few simple thoughts and personal examples on the topic. For more, scroll to the bottom to see additional resources. When I ask "What's your family culture?" you might think I'm asking if you use cloth napkins and dress up for dinner; but I don't necessarily mean "culture" in the "cultured" sense of the word … [Read more...]
Let the Little Children Sit by the Water's Edge and Come to Him
Last Saturday, as we anticipated our last day all together in Holland—and given our little family's impending departure, our extended family's last day all together for a very long time—we considered where we might gather the next morning for family devotions. We could have simply cleaned up from breakfast and gathered around the table in one of the rented cottages. Then … [Read more...]
Castle Dreams…or Nightmares?
We're in southern Belgium at the moment, in a town called Charleroi. You can see it on this map. This morning we said, "How about we drive to Dinant? It's not far, and the castle there is pretty interesting."When we described it, the kids were interested in seeing a castle set high on a hill, so we packed a picnic lunch and set off.After driving for a while, we realized … [Read more...]
