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Monthly Archives: June 2011

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Utopia

June 28, 2011 – 11:15 pm

“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.” —T.S. Eliot

By kara | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beach, James, Owen | Comments (0)

A Rainy Day Fort

June 24, 2011 – 8:51 am

“The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you’d just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot […]

By kara | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fort, rain, Sophie | Comments (1)

Happy Birthday, Babe

June 24, 2011 – 8:43 am

I love that you’re playing again. And I love all that you are and all that you do. Happy birthday. (And thank you!) “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” —Berthold Auerbach

By kara | Posted in All | Comments (0)

Charlie

June 24, 2011 – 8:31 am

Sophie’s Great Aunt Susan and Great Uncle Dale visited us for a night, along with their son, Charlie. We introduced them to Cincinnati-style chili at Skyline (and they treated us to dinner—thank you!). And Sophie had a blast playing with her ever-patient and ever-fun cousin. It’s not easy being asked over and over and over […]

By kara | Posted in All | Comments (0)

Date Night, Past and Present

June 19, 2011 – 12:45 am

Tonight, while my parents are at Shaker Village celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary, Andy and I hired a babysitter to watch all three kids for the first time and we dined at Brio where I had the lobster ravioli and Andy had some sort of chicken pasta dish and then we saw Woody Allen’s “Midnight […]

By kara | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged parenthood | Comments (1)

Let’s Make Wishes

June 15, 2011 – 12:46 pm

Lately, Sophie is obsessed with wishes. (And the word “obsessed.” She uses it constantly. Like when Owen is trying to take her baby stroller from her—she’ll run to me and say, “Mommy, Owen is obsessed with the stroller. Make him stop!” She demands puffy white dandelions on our walks—she makes wishes while she blows them. […]

By kara | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Sophie, wish | Comments (0)

"Watching" the Reds

June 13, 2011 – 5:31 pm

My dad recently took Sophie to a Cincinnati Reds game, just the two of them. She was so excited for this outing and, literally, grabbed his hand and pulled him out our front door when it came time for them to go. My dad loves baseball. He grew up playing it, listening to it, dreaming […]

By kara | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged baseball, Sophie | Comments (4)

Sophie’s Treasures

June 11, 2011 – 1:10 pm

Many months ago Sophie’s Grandma and Paw Paw made her a small treasure box. They painted it to match her room and lined the inside with lovely fabric. She loves her treasure chest, more so than many of her beloved toys, and is very specific about what’s allowed in it. The contents change, sometimes daily. […]

By kara | Posted in All | Comments (4)

Daddy’s Home

June 6, 2011 – 5:25 pm

“There’s nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.” —Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

By kara | Posted in All | Comments (0)

Now That We’re 1 …

June 6, 2011 – 5:02 pm

Mom decided we could paint! While we sat in our highchairs Mom and Sophie rolled our painters’ paper and taped it to the floor. After we scribbled for about two seconds (on the paper and ourselves), we decided to suck on the paint. And then, we decided to crawl. At this point there are no […]

By kara | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, James, Owen | Comments (3)
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    Hitting grounders to the boys, Sunday night. Io watching. Io found yarn. I can’t think of a better representation for 11, 6th grade, middle school, lockers, braces, than those painted-once-over stripes. Andy’s dad painted those stripes (Did we thank him enough? Why don’t I have a picture?) and when I heard Andy ask Google to play The Steeldrivers’ ‘Where Rainbows Never Die’ as he painted over them ... I’m getting too personal (we both had glossy eyes). I can’t write about Sophie anymore. I can’t even post pictures without her permission. As it should be. So much is changing. She’s had this room since she was 2. It’s time. Andy scraped bits of slime and glitter off the walls before patching and priming. She’ll likely have this new room until she graduates. Confession: I like to complain about the ridiculous 2-mile drive that takes much too long through town to the middle school but I actually love it. She talks. My mom has always said this. Cars are magic that way. Also, this: http://www.pleiadesbee.com/2012/01/an-afternoon-in-sophies-bedroom.html 6th, 4th and 4th! ❤️ I asked Andy if he could do a little yard work tonight. He looked at the situation (we’ve been slacking) and determined we need a machete. No yard work has been done but he and James (who is thrilled with this development) are out shopping for a new machete. This is not at all how I hoped tonight would go. 🤣 Just in case you were wondering, back-to-school clothes shopping with these two is (still) a test in patience. (But I still love them, even when they’re smelling mannequins’ butts.) Walked through her middle school (!) schedule with her tonight. Sat at a desk in one of her classrooms so I could see what she will see. She rolled her eyes and begged me to get up which is 11-year-old speak for “I love you,” right? I grew up on land. Now, in the summers, kids who live on our street are in and out of our house, all day long. And my kids are in and out of our neighbors’ houses, all day long. At first, this was so stressful. I was always frantically picking up for “company.” But then I realized kid friends are less company and more family and, honestly, they don’t care. Especially if you have a stocked pantry. Owen and James are so lucky to have each other, yes. But imagine sharing everything. A birth date. A room. Activities (for now). Toys. Clothes. Minds (so they say). By luck, Sophie has several girlfriends her age on our street (she’s spending the night at one of their houses right now). The boys, not so many except for S, and I’m so grateful. He’s such a cool kid and handles my twins’ love/hate relationship with each other with ease. His presence and friendship has made this summer so much nicer. So while I often (every day) miss SPACE, there are benefits to living within barefoot running distance to your friends’ houses. And for that, I am grateful. Summer Saturday night Bingo at Grandma’s May 2013. Photo by @mpace1. Our time at @fernsidecincinnati has come to an end. Even on the days the kids weren’t thrilled to go, the help they received navigating such a complex death was so much more than just Andy and I could provide. And we are ever grateful. One month ago, through a collaboration with Fernside, the kids met with apprentice artists with @artworkscincy Hero Design Company one-on-one. They talked and played and within one hour the artists gleaned enough information from our three to present these incredible, handmade capes to each one. This world can be really shitty sometimes but there also is so much good if I can just remember to keep myself open to seeing it. I think about organizations like Fernside and Artworks and all that great love out there, from folk donating time, money and bodies that show up, that listen, just so they can add to life’s collective love. And, for me, that outpouring of love just for the sake of love really helps soften life’s hard edges — everything from death and my fears of what’s to come due to dishonorable people in power to hard parenting days and hard marriage days and unexpected mold on the bread and paper cuts. One time, when I was in high school, I was in a foul mood and my dad asked me to walk with him down our driveway (it’s a long driveway). “Sometimes,” he said, “shit happens.” It struck me because (a) my parents didn’t curse much and (b) it was so simple. Usually our talks were l.o.n.g but those three words really summed it up. The shit can be devastating and its effects lifelong but it happens. It always has and always will and it is necessary to dig deep and take the time for anger and grief (which Fernside taught us) but it’s also necessary to note all the love before life hardens completely. Maybe we live many lives, following paths and journeys filled with lessons that all boil down to one thing: love. Shit happens. Love happens. There has to be room for both. I think these capes are a simple, beautiful way of reminding us that by being open to love, love often wins. Thanks Fernside. Thanks Artworks. Thanks to all those who add to life’s collective love. We watched Jake, Grandma’s dog, for a few days. He just left. James is comforting a very distraught Io. @blueoven bread from @fortthomasfarmersmarket, @bethanyrosepottery plates, bowls and tray (our collection is slowly growing!), cutting board from a guy selling them out of his home on FB Marketplace, and @ditmer2018 candlesticks for Wednesday night dinner. I admire those who make things so much. They claim they’re too big for this now. #barebonesmotel #3kidsproblems cousins, crammed into a wind tunnel #summer Dinner before the Dude Perfect Tour, Uncle Tom’s Christmas gift to the boys. They.are.excited. These two were the best bat/ball/water getters at my dad’s Cincinnati Dragon’s game and they took their work very seriously. Except when they forgot. bee
    TAP

  • Favorite Essays

    Choosing Compassion in a Culture of Fear

    Seeking the Bigness in the Everyday

    The Love in Trying

    The View from Up High

    Season of Innocence

    The Huffington Post guest post: Apologies to the Parents I Judged Four Years Ago, a TIME's top 10 opinion piece in 2012

    Simple

    Changing Love

  • Things I Love

  • Links I Love

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