All The Laws of Physics were contradicted this past week. 1. It snowed, in Alabama, in early December. Significantly (for Alabama) – 4-12 inches. 2. Said snow stuck, stayed around an extra day, and some snow is still on my yard as I type. 3. I had my uterus removed yet came home looking four […]
A Week In The Woods
From Monday to Thursday evening of last week, I was in the woods. No wi-fi, perilously spotty cell service, and all the fallishness I could ask for. (And Ali didn’t mind it, either.) We rented a cabin at Oak Mountain State Park, which is close enough for Chris to commute to work, and the children […]
It Doesn’t Take a Village [Of Strangers.]
Most of the time, I am highly amused at the odd antics of strangers – especially since I seem to attract so many of the especially bizarre. However, there is one stranger behavior that irritates me like no other – the “volunteering” to parent my children. I need my friend’s and family’s help in parenting […]
The Secret Life of a Happy Hiking Heart.
My children, particularly the youngest, have a propensity to whine when I tell them we’re going on a hike, which is a once or twice a week occurrence, especially in the fall. But forced hiking is the mother of invention, and my children are never as brilliant as they are when the mood hits them […]
Blogging: May Cause International Friendship.
I regularly struggle about this blog. Besides the fact that blogging is a dead art, I have less to write about than when my kids were tiny, I have less time (thanks, kids, for not napping anymore), I have more varied interests that take up my time (running, hiking, photography, reading), and it’s harder for […]
The Last (Beach) Stand.
It was our last trip of the summer, and our twelfth(ish) annual family vacation – the one we take with my family instead of buying each other presents. Not having to buy presents AND a “free” vacation? It’s such a win. We started this tradition when there were no kids, then eventually began adding one […]
Mom’s Worst Adventure Ever.
Sometimes Moms make mistakes. Sometimes Moms have inadvertently terrible timing. These things could both be said of me on Wednesday, but I’m going to choose to blame Noah instead. You see, we had to do an errand. And he decided to wear his extraordinarily dapper hat that Chris and I bought him last year when we […]
On Discovering Michigan.
On the First of July, I and my six fellow small group ladies found ourselves in the great state of Michigan. We take a girl’s trip once a year, and whether it is hosted by an Irishman in Bugtussle, includes a contest to find the highest heels in Unclaimed Baggage, or involves the breaking of […]
Stepping Into The Light.
Trigger Warning: Dear Mom, don’t read this post. (I made the mistake of telling my Mom the some of the details of this adventure on Sunday. She asked me to please never ever tell her if I did this or anything like it again.) Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve (no relation to any Callahans or […]
Hands-On Alabama History: The Conclusion.
From the beginning… I promise this was from the beginning of this school year. Ignore the wrong dates. I’m a qualified teacher really I am. To the end. It was an absolute adventure. And my most ambitious and longest school year yet is finally over. Although we’d finished most subjects, we officially ended it all […]