Twirls 'n Curls

Like many of you, we've had plenty of time lately with our furry (and not-so-furry) friends at home, and they've been teaching us a lot. Augie is our good-natured Golden Doodle who is about ten, and Ginger is Amaya's four-month old bearded dragon. (We still technically have a 5th grade class fish named Pancake too, but she's not quite as much fun as the others.) They have definitely helped fill these long summer days, and they both seem to enjoy the extra attention they're receiving... most of the time, anyway. Here are few lessons we've picked up from them along the way, about doing life together at home:  1. Respect each other's boundaries. People often ask me how we've survived the pandemic cooped up with a fairly large family. My motto: "Give 'em grace, and give 'em space!"  2. Go where the fun is. If you're lonely and someone else looks like they're having fun, just join in! (Keeping in mind of course, Rule #1) Boredom ha...

I saw it.... in the way my nine-year old came up beside her sister during the worship service, circled her arm around her sister's waist, and began singing softly.  I heard it.... she was talking cheerfully to a roomful of preschoolers,  "Okay now, in 5 minutes we're going to clean up, and I need you all to help, ok?"   Two minutes later, with strained politeness, she added: "Let's be sure we're talking nicely to each other, ok?!"  I felt it... at 9:00pm, just after I'd tucked her in, when her eyes flew open in panic, "My spelling! I forgot to to my spelling! Mom, I CAN'T turn it in late. I have to do it NOW!"  I flinched, knowing she came by her perfectionism honestly.  The good, the bad, the sweet, the ugly. My girls are mirror images of me and my parenting, with smatterings of my husband thrown in. The way they speak to each other, take care of each other, and leave trails of discarded activities behind so...

Pretty much any parent will tell you, our kids teach us MUCH more than we could ever teach them. Here are a few lessons they've had on display this summer that I just had to share: Character Traits Empathy : the art of making your expression match someone else's for awhile   Industry : Our willingness to learn from the generations before us  connects both teacher and student to something bigger than themselves.      Serving : Learning to do things for yourself is great.  Learning to do things for others is even better. On Style      Flair : There are certain mundane tasks one simply can't avoid in life.  However, one always has the choice to do them with style. Uniqueness : Be proud of who you are, quirks and all. "Today you are you! That is truer than true.  There is no one alive more you-er than you!" - Dr. Seuss     Tech-Savvy: ...

Hi! You haven't heard as much from us lately with new schedules and activities and jobs to adjust to, trying to get back into the swing of things though. I thought I'd start with some highlight activities for our family the past few months, what we've been up to since our transition to AZ. Activities : It's been great having more family time since we moved, especially on the weekends. We go hiking at least monthly, which is totally fun and addicting. I never get tired of the desert mountain view! The girls do great too, and we usually try to drag at least one or two people with us, so that's an added perk. Hannah loves collecting rocks on our hikes! New rule: she carries them down herself :) Phoenix Skyline We also have fun doing "city" things we haven't ever really lived near before, like having a zillion movie theaters and restaurants to choose from, and more stores than I could visit in a year (although I'm trying!) Our lo...

Dear Nattie, As my youngest, my heart is torn watching you grow up. I love it - and I hate it. I love that you're getting more independent and doing more of those things "the big girls do," And I hate that this means you don't need me as much as you used to.   I love that you're old enough to have your own style - But I hate that it often conflicts with mine (and that of mainstream society!) "Mo-om, I'm ready for school!" So after much thought, I've decided: if you will agree to stay little, just for an extra decade or two - here are some of the perks I can promise you: You will be able to eat all the chocolate you want and never gain weight (trust me, this is a big one!!) You'll never get too big to sleep with your candy cane Christmas blanket, which you've slept with every night since you stole it from Linsey's room as a baby. (she didn't mind!) Additionally, I promise t...

I love having girls. I love the giggles, I love the baby dolls and Barbies. I love fancy dresses with ruffles. I love getting out makeup and nail polish and doing facials, such as I wrote about here . I even love the hair accessories, to a lesser degree. But more than any of those, today I love that, in homeschooling three little girls, any one of them is likely to walk out of their room at any point of the day looking like this: It's great. Life with my crew is so entertaining, we don't even have television. We don't need it! There is ... bling everywhere we look. They say outrageous things, they do outrageous things - I LOVE raising girls! And laughing at with them. And blogging about them. The other day my oldest said something we found hilarious, and she cried in horror, "MOM!! Do NOT blog about this! Or Facebook it!!" Apparently, I've been found out :)

   Now at first this may sound cruel, Do you only like your kids while they're sleeping? Let me assure you this is not the case. They're just so...peaceful. And still. And...clean. After a long day, seeing my kids sleeping angelically in their beds reminds me of just how precious they are, and what a gift God has given me. It even makes me miss them a little bit when they sleep in! Plus, they're just so cute when they're asleep! Seriously, I have been known to flip on their light and snap a pic at midnight. And you know what else I love about bedtime? BEDHEAD!!