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Sunrise at the lake
You can see a glimpse of the clothes line through the trees. I don’t often shoot these sunrise shots. We face the west, so the highlight is usually the sunset, and we often ignore the sunrise. From our view, we don’t see the morning sun hit the water. Before now, I’m not sure why I have neglected this view. (un)Wordless Wednesday.
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The One Mistake I Always Make
At the end of my exam, my gynecologists always looks me in the eye (I’m sure she does this to all the moms) and asks me this: Before you had children, you probably imagined yourself as a beautiful swan, having lots of children around you, because you loved children, and that’s what you wanted around you in your life. If you’re not acting like a swan, and you don’t like how you behave toward your children, it’s time to get some help. This is why God invented crock pots, mommy’s helpers and children’s television. Use them. I try to explain that it’s just not that easy. I probably do need…
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The 40s: The Most Delightfully Dangerous Years of Your Life
This is hardly about thinking when you were 10 that when you turned 40 you would be old; and then becoming 40, and discovering that you don’t really feel that old. Being 40, you may, or will discover, to your delight, is much like your 20s, only better. When you’re in your 40s, you’re old enough to have all the legal fun you want; and most likely, you have more money to do it with. In your 40s, you already know what it is you want. The 20s are the era of exploration; the 40s are the era of actually getting what you want. People in their 40s are fascinating…
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A weekend in 24 hours
Saturday 7:15 a.m. Make cream of wheat, pull clothes out of dryer and rouse sleepy kids for various sports practices and one game. 10:15: Pick up last child from sports practice, and enter loaded car for overnight trip to the lake. 11:00: Realize we should have stopped to take the time to pick up a book on tape from the library for the kids. Unable to agree on music that keeps peace. We still have more than two hours of driving ahead of us. 12:15: Now, we realize we didn’t pack any meat to cook. We stop for gas, and a trip to the grocery store for a steak. 12:59:…
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The day Texas soil blew into my eyes
The boy’s football game just started when the winds came. Seventy miles per hour, later recorded at the airport. We held the little boys close to us on our laps while we sat on the ground to watch the game; we couldn’t let them run off to the playground, the trees made it too dangerous for play. So we sat there watching the game, putting our heads down every time the wind kicked up because the sand from the baseball diamonds blew into our face. In between football plays, we either turned behind us to watch the wind tear out branches from the trees along the playground, or looked at…
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Organic Seating
We needed something to sit on around our campfire at the lake. For too long, we carried those folding chairs up and down the steps, that were never there when you really need them. The most practical solution was always right in front of us. Trees. Tree stumps from trees damaged by high winds and storms. Once we had the seats all in place, after we adjusted them quite a bit for correct spacing, I became enamored with the way the tree stumps look so natural… as if they were rising straight out of the ground, and had been there forever. BSM By the way, I didn’t watch the game…
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Now he knows my toughest rule of all
It’s 12:30 p.m., I’m maneuvering a grocery cart at Krogers with my buddy, who refuses to sit in the cart, and my cell phone rings. The nurse from elementary school explains that my first grader has been stung by a bee. He’s OK, but wants to talk to me. As soon as he hears my voice; he decides he’s not OK, and must be picked up immediately. Strange, I know, but I am the most eager one in the house to call it a sick day. I love having the kids home with me; so I try to exercise restraint whenever I can; but the nurse sided with my first…
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Before that day, what were you grateful for?
The words from last year, still resonate: August, 2001Lake Michigan A baby grows in my belly A sand dune, and lots of wind. My legs are tired – my boys are calling down to me to come up to the top The baby is pushing up against my lungs; I just want to sit I climb, and meet them, my husband pulls me up. The boys are are ecstatic We watch a pink sunset on the lake My son blows into the horizon, believing he is blowing out the light of the sun; as if it were a candle I grab his hand, but do not say what I’m thinking;…
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13 Fixes for Tired Moms
At my annual check-up this week, my doctor pulled out that little stick, drew the blood like a vampire and certified that I am low in iron levels; a major contributor for my exhaustion. So, together, we worked out a plan of foods, herbs and supplements, she approved of, to help me feel energized and happy. So far, I’ve emailed portions of this list to many friends, other tired women who say the same thing, “I’ll do anything to feel better.” And they mean it. We’re sick and tired of walking around exhausted, while our kids are running circles around us. So here, is the list, hammered out with the…
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