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Monthly Archives: June 2012

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On Why I Should Check My Children’s Work

June 28, 2012 – 6:19 pm

asked Sophie to put her markers away before the boys got up from their nap. She forgot one. “All of us have moments in out lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them.” —Erma Bombeck

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged markers, mess, Owen, parenthood, Sophie | Comments (2)

My Pantry

June 28, 2012 – 12:45 am

promise, this is not a how-to post on how to organize a pantry. There are no links to the baskets I purchased or tips on how to organize canned goods—there is nothing pin-worthy here. Rather, I had to post this picture. Because my pantry never looks like this. I’d like to blame it on the kids. I could blame […]

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged clean, organize, pantry, steroids | Comments (4)

Picking Daisies

June 26, 2012 – 3:49 pm

very spring I look forward to the small field of daisies in my parents’ yard. Early May Nini brought out three Mason jars and the kids delighted in walking in the field, picking flowers and making bouquets. James struggled with the picking. He’d find a daisy, grasp it, pull and then yell (so loudly) “Help, […]

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged daisy, family, James, mason jar, Nini, Owen, Pop Pop, Sophie | Comments (2)

A School Year

June 21, 2012 – 4:35 pm

Sophie’s first day of preschool, September 6, 2011 She was so excited. Sophie’s last day of preschool, May 23, 2012 Her teachers said she was so quiet, her last day. I think she was sad. She’s still telling everyone she’s just on spring break. I imagine she’ll appreciate summers more in her later years. “Time […]

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged 2011, 2012, first, montessori, preschool, Sophie, year | Comments (0)

Happy Summer

June 20, 2012 – 1:05 pm

admire those who do not give their children sweets or whose organic, all-natural Trader Joe’s lollipops are the only candy allowed in the pantry, I do. But if I’m really honest, I also love that, after a trip to the library (in which Sophie picked out five princess books, the boys squealed much too loudly […]

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged candy, rules, summer | Comments (0)

Your Second Birthdays

June 19, 2012 – 11:31 pm

Dear Owen and James, On your birthday you woke up to find … a new train table from Mommy and Daddy in our living room (it’s now in your bedroom). You both love it but Owen, you, especially do. (James, you’re more into taking the track apart right now.) Nini, Pop Pop, Grandma and Paw […]

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged 2 years old, birthday, family, James, Owen | Comments (1)

Becoming 2-Year-Olds

June 19, 2012 – 10:33 pm

James, May 19, 2010 James, May 19, 2011 James, May 19, 2012 Owen, May 19, 2010 Owen, May 19, 2011 Owen, May 19, 2012 “The years teach much which the days never knew.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged 2, becoming, birthday, James, Owen | Comments (0)

Happy 30th Birthday, Katy!

June 19, 2012 – 10:15 pm

“Thirty is the new 20, unless your 20, then it’s the new 40.” —Dane Peddigrew

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged 30, birthday, family, Katy | Comments (0)

The Brook’s Song

June 14, 2012 – 1:37 pm

This morning I walked past unmade beds … and a laundry basket overflowing with dirty clothes … and a playroom that, honestly, more often than not looks like this. I walked down the stairs past the frame in our wall gallery that still has the model family in it, as I haven’t had time to […]

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged breakfast, freelance, frustration, mess, morning, parenthood | Comments (4)

“They Grow Up So Fast”

June 13, 2012 – 1:32 am

Turns out I’ve managed to screw up Sophie’s sense of time. After celebrating Andy’s birthday with us, my parents took Sophie back to their house to spend the night. Sophie was watching Andy and my dad install her car seat in my parents’ car. Andy later told me that he and Sophie were talking about […]

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged fast, funny, parenthood, quote, Sophie, time | Comments (1)
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    I needed this. marker board drawing in the boys’ bedroom ... Told the kids if they want anything from Target/Fresh Thyme for our weekly shopping trip, to make me a list. Family game night/Family Business/all sorts of family education happening here ... Best I could do. (I’ve been saying that a lot lately.) Last day/first. Goodbye 4th, 4th and 6th! Owen asked me close to midnight last night. I know the story: VBAC (my choice); no epidural (not my choice); regrettable IV drugs that stole my concentration; amazing parents and doula who unexpectedly helped me through transition; Andy, in that bright room with so many faces, who acted as husband/doula/dad in all the best ways. I can never remember the numbers, so I looked them up. "You were born at 8:27 a.m., 4 lbs., 15 oz.," I said. "James was born at 8:29 a.m., 2 lbs., 13 oz." I didn't tell Owen how they were both whisked away from me before I could even touch them. Andy and I made a long slideshow filled with pictures and videos and songs, and while watching it I could feel that early fatigue in my bones, their small body weight in my arms that calmed me like a drug, the heavy weight of near-misses when they loved to run in opposite directions both intent on finding peril. I remembered their bright eyes, near-constant "mamas," their rage over broccoli or a fallen train, their soul-deep love for their sister (still hinted at today, with uncharacteristically sweet thank-you's for the fab Nerf cake she made for them). While sorting through 10 years worth of pictures I was struck by the number of photos of both of them sleeping together: entwined, side-by-side, curled up like baby kittens, head-to-head, back-to-back, limbs thrown over each other. Sharing a room and clothes and toys and a cracked Wiffle ball bat and the "better" Nerf gun and the swing that doesn't hit the branches and the last of the Cheerios during a pandemic is a lot for anyone. And yet, they so often seem to be together. They look like brothers, but not alike. They are so very different from each other, in so many ways. And yet so parallel. I look at them and don't see miracles. Rather, I marvel at their very existence, once within me, now beside me, their separateness and connectedness and ability to eat all.the.food when once I counted breaths as they swallowed. Today they are both strong. Funny (the butt jokes my god). Compassionate (especially with babies, toddlers, animals, matters of social justice and, for the most part, each other). Complex. Alive. And 10. May, 2010 Some Friday beauty: this (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2020/05/15/answer-the-door/), written by the guy who signs my checks at Lost Art Press, and a peony about to bloom. Happy Mother's Day to this mom, who has given me many wonderful things, including a love of adventure and travel. (at the Grand Canyon in 1998 — our family drove from Ohio to California and back that summer, “a trip of a lifetime”) Happy Mother’s Day, Jill! You love us all so well. This cat better not destroy our indoor greenhouse tonight ... Sophie’s last strings assignment is to teach someone in her family how to play the violin, accomplishing the D scale and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, with video proof. So far she’s laughed at me, a lot. At least it’s a loving laugh ... It’s here, it’s here! Chris: “Just pick your favorite essays from each year.” Me: “OK, no problem, will do.” 474 pages later it’s here! Also Chris, in the book’s introductory note: “When you’re a publisher, you’re not supposed to express doubts about your books. But I was (and I still am) worried that this will be a years-long waste of effort and tree pulp.” but I get it. It’s essays, not how-to. And yet Chris let me work on this (and paid me for my work on this) for years just because I loved the essays and he loved the essays and we thought they were important enough to print. So hear me out: The illustrations alone will hold any woodworker’s interest for hours. And while the essays themselves serve as a perfect dessert to the four-volume series of Hayward books, they also stand on their own as timeless, delightful and insightful commentary on craft, labour, art, politics, nature, war, peace and everything else in between. Hayward serves as a mentor for any creator, whether they’re a craftsperson, writer, artist, potter, quilter, weaver, illustrator, gardener, maker of any sort. The essays begin a few years prior to WWII and continue through its aftermath. The similarities to society today are stunning. So if you’re looking for something new to read, check it out @lostartpress It’s like a bottle of bourbon or a book of poetry — you should only read a few essays every night. It has given me such joy to bring Hayward’s more lyrical writing to light. Me: “What do you want for your birthday dinner this year?” James: “Steak, salad, mashed potatoes and (Julia Child’s) chocolate mousse.” Owen: “Domino’s cheese pizza, Cheetos, Doritos, root beer and vanilla cake.” (picture is of Owen and James, 9 years ago today) One of our kids hit a wall today and I wasn't mad. Instead, I just felt so sorry for them, for all of us. They should be out of the house so much that I miss them, on their bikes, at friends' houses, at the ice cream place, at the park. Tonight I spent 32 minutes watching the compilation of pictures and clips I put together for Sophie’s 10th birthday as I prepare to make the same for the boys' 10th birthdays and with each photo I was reminded of how much we thrive on people, places and experiences outside of our home as much as we love our home and even though I keep saying how lucky we are to have jobs, to be healthy, to have each other, I also think it's OK and right to acknowledge to our kids, especially, that it’s OK and right and normal to miss and grieve what once was (I’m too tired to edit this). The songs we chose to go with Sophie's 10th birthday video ... "I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do / They're only saying I love you ..." + "The times you were born in / May not have been the best / But you can make the times to come / Better than the rest." Andy, handing me a box of tissues — "Are you OK?" Ugh, this g-damn beautiful/awful life. (Photo by @mpace1 ) Found underneath heavy and impossible-to-move couch while looking for a slightly cat-damaged mouse. Everything here is fine, just fine, we’re all fine ..................... Andy and I were sprawled out on our bed listing the things we have in our fridge and pantry, in no mood to make dinner. So we called the kids to our room, asked us if they would make dinner, and told them they could make whatever they wanted as long as it was somewhat healthy. And Sophie and James did! They cook for themselves all the time but with this I feel like we’ve unlocked another parenting level ...
    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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    andy art birthday christmas colleen dinner discipline family fashion florida food friends Grandma handmade happiness health holiday James Katy life love mess motherhood music Nini Owen parenthood parenting Paw Paw play Pop Pop preschool siblings sleep Sophie spring summer thanksgiving time toddler tucker vacation welcome winter worry

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