My family is a “from scratch” kind of family. As I was growing up, we ate three homemade meals a day together, all made lovingly from scratch, as were any desserts that were ever made. (At least that’s how I remember it – albeit potentially a bit idealistic-childhood-memory-esque.) And my Mom wasn’t the only cook […]
If My Child Has Nightmares About Boats…
We’re in Orange Beach this weekend visiting Chris’ Aunt Kitty and Uncle Leo. They live on the bay, so one of the things that Leo wanted to do this weekend was get their boat in the water for spring, and in so doing, take Ali for her first ever boat ride. Granted, it’s crazy-windy on […]
I’m Officially a Fluzy.
Ali and I have The Flu. Swine? Maybe or maybe not. I’d rather not know. The term Swine Flu brings back memories of my missions trip to Cyprus where I had the unfortunate timing to walk around a corner just as the doors on a meat truck were swung open to reveal a dozen gutted […]
A Tortured Romance.
I told the story of our cat, Oreo’s rebellious peeing-on-the-bed teenage years a while back. However, I left out an important part of her saga. If you don’t remember the original story and don’t want to go read it, the basic idea is that Oreo has an odd and unexplained abhorrence for crutches. And since […]
That’s Because Daddies Fix Everything.
It’s amazing how differently the same three-year-old logic can sound based on the situation they choose to apply it to…and how completely oblivious they can be at the things they say. And really, that obliviousness is a very, VERY good thing. As I’ve complained about mentioned before, we all know that Mommies get no privacy. […]
Rachel, Child Not-So-Star.
The year was 1987. I was six years old. There was a movie being filmed in town, and they needed antique cars. My Dad and Granddad both had Model Ts, so they were loaning them to the producers for the movie. And, it happened to be my lucky day that they needed some children as […]
Amazingly Racing Into Trouble.
Our Church Youth Group had a Retreat this past weekend, and somehow I got dubbed as responsible enough to be a driver for the Senior Girl’s team of The Amazing Race, which included clues, riddles, assignments, and adventure. Our clues led us all over town, including Vulcan, our city’s pants-less statue, famous for mooning the […]
If You See Me Stopping Exceedingly, This is Why.
One block from home, nearly 2pm. I’ve hit my pre-naptime wall of energy and ability to carry on conversation – ready for Ali to go to sleep and me to not have to say a word for a few hours and recoup, all while getting work done, of course. Not that Ali’s been any trouble […]
Rachel and the Very Chewy Mistake.
I don’t chew gum, nor does Chris. Yet Ali is completely fascinated by it. Not with the someone-blowing-a-bubble part, or even with the chewing-it-endlessly-until-your-jaw-falls-off part. She’s never tasted it. Her obsession with bubblegum is with the stuck-under-the-table type. Her favorite hobby at any eating establishment is to get under the table and inspect the bubblegum […]
The Present.
Ali has mentioned several times over the last couple of months that she would like a ring. Oftentimes, it is said in an unbelievably endearing and wistful voice, something along the lines of: “Mommy has a ring…and Daddy has a ring…but I don’t have a ring yet. I sure would like to have a ring […]