fingerprints on the window

My back door is a single French-style door, with a solid pane of glass that goes nearly to the floor. A few days ago I noticed that it had been a while since I last cleaned it. With 3 young children and a dog, the glass is rarely clean. I wiped away the smudges, fingerprints, and [...]

wisdom from ‘Nemo’

I love to find little bits of wisdom in unexpected places. A friend and I were discussing some of the difficulties people have with prayer, and I thought of a great parallel we can find in the movie Finding Nemo.
Do you remember the scene where Marlin and Dory have just been dumped out of the [...]

missed opportunities

Last week I took all three boys shopping with me. I only needed one thing, but it still turned into a nightmare - baby crying, unruly children running around the store. By the time we were driving home I was angry and tired and anxiously awaiting naptime. Then I saw a boy walking down the busy road ahead of me. [...]

change of plans

For the last week I’ve been up very late every night working on the boys’ Halloween costumes. I used to make their costumes every year, but I haven’t done it for a while. This year they are supposed to be characters from the Wizard of Oz - the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and one tiny little Cowardly Lion. Originally we [...]

rainy Monday

Early this morning I woke to the sound of rain.
By now I’m sure that news of the drought in Georgia has reached most of the people who read this blog. In the last month, what started out as a moderate concern over our diminishing water supply has risen to near panic statewide.
Last night my 6 year old son came to [...]

eating dirt

Lately it seems like every time I turn around, the baby has something horrible in his mouth. I try to keep the floors clean, but there is always be some kind of treasure for him to find. He finds little pieces of brick from our fireplace, dirt and leaves that come in with the dog, and a variety [...]

the toy box

My littlest one has developed an interesting habit. He’ll pull himself up to the toy box and browse the array of toys he has available. Then one by one, he picks them up, and tosses them behind his back. After a while, he’ll set his eye on a particular toy that is just out of his reach. He’ll struggle and [...]

Shine

Do you ever hear a song that you’ve heard a thousand times, and realize that you’ve never really listened to it before? It happens to me all the time. This time, my 6 year old clued me in to what the song was about.
We were in the car and the song Shine by Salvador came [...]

babyproofing

I know a lot of moms who would be…well…flabbergasted at what I am about to write.
I don’t believe in babyproofing our home. Well, let me clarify, I do make sure my home is safe for our children, but I don’t go overboard. I take care of the things that could potentially cause serious injury or death, like [...]

Standing up

In the last few weeks, my eight month old has started standing up in his crib. When I lay him down for a nap, he crawls to the rail and pulls himself up. He’s excited and proud of himself for a moment, but soon he realizes that he doesn’t know how to get down. Then the crying begins. If I [...]