It’s nothing new to say that dinners with toddlers can be frustrating. See this post and this post and this post and this post and this post. But sometimes (dare I say, lately, often) it can be lovely. I grew up eating as a family around the table, and since our children have been in […]
I make wishy-washy New Year’s resolutions. To write them down would simply be overwhelming. There’s so much I want do do but mostly, I just want to do better. But if I were to write them down, “do better with my blog” would top the list. Gosh I was terrible last year. I love to […]
This picture was taken at 5:22pm. Sophie woke them up at 6pm. They immediately started crying. We whispered softly to them. Scratched their backs. Dinner was already on the table, on their plates, parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, their favorite drinks in their favorite cups. They started screaming. And then kept screaming until 6:55pm. Whenever […]
Dinner was late tonight. Andy was at Target with the kids, I was at Trader Joe’s (thankful to be solo on my trip, given the whining I heard in the background when I talked with him on the phone). While at Trader Joe’s, I picked up sushi for dinner on a whim. I don’t know […]
Tonight Sophie and I went to get haircuts. At 6:42pm I received an e-mail on my phone with the subject line: “Dinner is going well.” I opened it and saw this: And at 6:48pm I received another e-mail with the subject line: “Even better now.” And then there was this: We’re having a rough week. […]
At dinner. Owen: “Knock knock.” Me: “Who’s there?” Owen: “Joke.” Sophie: “Did Owen just say, ‘Knock knock who’s there joke?’” Me: “Yes.” Sophie, laughing: “That’s funny.” “Family jokes, through rightly cursed by strangers, are the bond that keeps most families alive.” —Stella Benson
dinner alfresco Sophie solo kite flying for the first time apple picking throwing bad apples in the cornfield teaching the art of swinging a baseball bat James to Pop Pop: “Hat, please.” He wore it for the entire game. “Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.” —George R.R. Martin
It had been a trying day. It was one of those days in which the tiniest bump or the smallest “no” or the wrong song prompted tears. Every diaper was a “seriously? again?” diaper. No one ate well. No one napped well. A toy no one was playing with became the toy everyone wanted to […]
While ripping off Sophie’s latest easel painting in order to pull down some fresh paper, my mom suggested using it as a table runner. It’s perfect. The table is a cheap Ikea pine number with deep scratches on it (Tucker). The painting covers much of the surface nicely and serves as a fun conversation piece. […]
![I’m taking a break from 5th-grade graduation dress drama ... [Sophie, modeling the dress I found at TJ Maxx for $7: “Mom, this looks like a dress the people at Connor Prairie wore today.” Me, as I send her a link to Who What Wear: “Then you’re in style! There’s a prairie dress trend happening right now!” Andy, who chaperoned today’s field trip, takes one look at Sophie and buries his head into his hands, laughing, which is not at all helpful.] to post pictures from a much more magical evening last Saturday night, at my parents’ house, where we played baseball, cut daisies (my dad grows them every year) under a full moon, ate pizza and celebrated a belated Mother’s Day with my mom. It was perfect. Not all days are. ❤️⚾️❤️](https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/vp/50d8d7585646b96512218499b592e195/5D97EA6C/t51.2885-15/e35/s320x320/59578384_2897095117182486_3302328724105296137_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent.cdninstagram.com "I’m taking a break from 5th-grade graduation dress drama ... [Sophie, modeling the dress I found at TJ Maxx for $7: “Mom, this looks like a dress the people at Connor Prairie wore today.” Me, as I send her a link to Who What Wear: “Then you’re in style! There’s a prairie dress trend happening right now!” Andy, who chaperoned today’s field trip, takes one look at Sophie and buries his head into his hands, laughing, which is not at all helpful.] to post pictures from a much more magical evening last Saturday night, at my parents’ house, where we played baseball, cut daisies (my dad grows them every year) under a full moon, ate pizza and celebrated a belated Mother’s Day with my mom. It was perfect. Not all days are. ❤️⚾️❤️")
