I have strong personal convictions about Valentine’s Day. I think it is inanely stupid. It’s contrived, it’s expected, and it’s downright annoying. It forces single people to feel sad, it obligates non-single people to feel pressured to write something disgustingly mushy on Facebook, AND it’s the single worst night in the year to attempt to […]
Blog Roll
The Inner Poet.
My daughter is the epitome of a cheerful optimist. She is nearly always happy, always pointing out the beautiful and amazing things around her, and is constantly looking to thank me for something or state how much she enjoys whatever it is we’re doing right then. “Thanks for taking us on this run, Mom. I […]
Tinglewood at Orr Park – Faces in the Trees.
A study pops up in my orbit semi-regularly that makes the case that neurotic people are more likely to see faces in random objects. If this idea scares you with regards to your own mental health, do not – I repeat DO NOT go to Orr Park in Montevallo. If it doesn’t, though, you need […]
Hands-On History: Brierfield Ironworks
After a few false starts, we finally got back into the groove of history field trips after the holidays. It’s harder now, because our dear friend and adventure comrade Carla Jean has moved to Colorado, and nothing is as much fun when you lose your buddy. We set out to Brierfield Ironworks, a furnace built in 1862, […]
Diary of a Tired Mom: New Year, New Rambles.
Musings, stories, and random observations of a tired mother don’t always promise to make sense. Saturday morning, as I was driving to my favorite place to run, which happens to be in the middle of Birmingham’s fanciest suburb, I saw a fully grown man, with a salt and pepper beard, skateboarding down the road, in […]
The Politics of Poop.
Noah has decided, with certainty, that he is a once-a-week pooper. He informs people this at random, and they are more educated for it. But when that once a week time slot comes along, he’s as dramatic as 100 senators complaining about each other. “I’m gonna need twenty minutes. Do we have twenty minutes?” “No […]
A Round-Up of the Random.
Let’s have a round of not-at-all-important distraction, shall we? As I’m sure you can tell by the way I live my life, designer copy paper is an absolute requirement. So thank goodness Staples had this deal on Cynthia Rowley’s designer case of plain white copy paper. …Because my paper deserves better than to come in […]
Hands-On History: Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum.
Birmingham was founded on the iron industry, and the iron industry required some heavy transportation to succeed. Therefore, trains are a vital part of our history, too. The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum is our favorite place to experience that piece of our past. The HODRRM can be found in Calera, about 45 minutes outside […]
On Creating a Roadkill Kit.
The cliché “You Snooze, You Lose” has never been truer than it is with regards to roadkill. I sadly lost both a raccoon (would’ve been my first!!) and a beautiful armadillo last week because I put off for tomorrow what I could have done today. These two sad misses occurred for two reasons: 1. Both […]
The Reset Button.
It should be mandatory that all mothers get a day to themselves after the holidays are over, and perhaps two days if their children’s birthdays sandwich the holidays. There is a significant amount of damage done to the maternal figure’s inner wiring that can only be repaired by complete isolation and a significant break from […]