Family News

The children are “ice skating” to their self-created music in the nook normally used as the dining area.
Jay is filling out some huge survey, occasionally trying to engage me by asking questions.
I am trying to cruise through my reconceptualized novel despite the activity, and Jay reads from the survey:
“Do you have trouble concentrating or making [...]

This has been the most peaceful trip Jay’s ever been on.
And that was with the 7-years-old birthday party with crafts, donuts and snow-in-the-house.
I can’t imagine it being this peaceful if we had to keep a schedule with the outside world (school, outside work, playdates), but slowing down and doing everything with less intensity.
We’ve gone to [...]

A long time ago I wrote about how I was careful to change the way I told Cinderella to clarify that work is not abuse. (I was not going to train any attitudes to a false martyrdom. Yuck.)
Anyway, when we watched the R&H Cinderella last week I was delighted when one of the girls leaned [...]

Got a bunch of books yesterday, and sat a while reading the new ones to the kids.
One really cute one is Lingingstone Mouse where the little critter is searching for China, where he wants to set up his new nest after leaving home.  The first time we read it I had just said the bit [...]

I went and auditioned last night for a play I know next to nothing about.
It felt a bit like an ethical quandary, truly:
Is showing up like an eBay bid, where if you “win” (are selected) you are bound to follow through and roll with whatever’s given you?
I resist being bound, but understand the thinking that [...]

We took the kids to a playgroud last Saturday morning. There was a family of three kids already there, the oldest brother (maybe 10) seemed to be vaguely in-charge and eager to converse with an adult (hey, that’s me!).
He asked if that school was where my kids went. I said they weren’t old [...]

(Extra points for anyone who recognized that line from Mad About You.)
I don’t know if anybody really uses the “Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free” line, just like I don’t know anybody who uses the “If all your friends jumped off a cliff would you?” line, but I just [...]

Natasha was playing on her bed today, flopping backwards onto her pillow. After a while she misjudged and fell into her headboard instead (there was a nasty crack).
For a while she could only cry while I held her, and wouldn’t answer my how-are-you-feeling question.
“Can you see okay?” I asked, trying a different tack. [...]

…but at least I can still feed them well.
We had ham and chix chowder for dinner and homemade choc ice cream for desert.
While finishing up in the kitchen I had fun thinking about the different things being said around our front room (one of them was me, and one was Jay. The rest were [...]

They use them.
“Melody needs to lift up her countenance,” Natasha said matter-of-factly this morning.
Melody’s current M.O. is to dissolve in cries and screams when she’s scolded for misbehavior. It’s gotten real old really fast.
~~~
I made sure I used the same phrase on Natasha the next time I had occasion to. I don’t want [...]