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Life Update Or Virtual Christmas Card
Ah. Life. Here it is December of yet another whirlwind of a year. I’m realizing I haven’t posted anything in my mishmash family blog since April. A lot happens in those months when you have a large family. Or really, if you have a family at all. Highlights: We are discovering the importance of the right mental health meds for kids and grownups alike. School is going. Man it’s tough to have 3 in high school, 2 in middle school and 2 grade schoolers. But everyone is getting good grades. Most of the time. Nick and I still have the same jobs. Yay. With any luck, we’ll have a couch…
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Whirlwind
The sound of rain against the glass is my companion all morning. The dog barks, pulling me from my work and reminding me the world exists outside of my den. My phone buzzes with the familiar text: Lunch? I text back: Yup The house is quieter than it’s been in months. All six kiddos are back in school and the cats and dogs are as baffled by the silence as I am. We sit quietly at the table munching on our usual lunch fare. Some combination of a sandwich, chips and a few carrots just to be a little healthy. Nick looks up at me and says, “Want to go…
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Sticky
I walk into the kitchen after dropping off the littles at school and go to set down my purse only to realize the bottom is sticky. THIS must be the culprit behind my sticky arm. And my sticky armrest in the car. And the sticky something on my shorts. “Why is everything sticky?” I say out loud to an empty house. I look around at my you-can-tell-the-kids-cleaned-it kitchen and discover the source. Syrup on the kitchen table. I’m hit with a small familiar wave of overwhelm. That anxiety-ridden thought cycle I’ve had to learn to undo. It goes something like this: Everything is ALWAYS a mess Why are the kids…
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To my daughter on her 18th birthday
Mothers always want to tell their daughters a million things. Things like, you are beautiful. You are talented. You are smart. Most of the time we don’t because we understand why those things are met with rolled eyes and lots of “whatevers.” Here’s the thing. They are all true. 18 is a big deal. It’s the beginning of the next part of your life journey. It’s a time when you are in the great In Between. In between childhood and adulthood. It’s a time of self-discovery and learning and so many life choices. It’s glorious. And terrifying. And we are here for you. We are here to be your soft…
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A Cup of Coffee
I sit at the kitchen table at 7:04 a.m. (the a.m. is important), sipping the glorious dark liquid that breathes life into me every day out of my mug that declares me to be “Queen of Everything” while chaos swirls around me. I “only” have 4 children to scoot out the door this morning. Yet somehow those 4 often create the most amount of drama. How tiny humans can be so dramatic about things like their favorite cereal being gone is beyond me. It’s as if they were completely absent in the consumption of the cereal. This morning we have to also concern ourselves with curling hair because… school pictures.…
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YouTube is not for little kids and the reasons we banned it
“Why did you sleep with your sister last night?” “Because I was scared Slenderman was going to come get me.” “What the hell is Slenderman and where did you hear about that?” “I saw it on YouTube.” Ugh. I will state emphatically…YouTube is NOT for little kids. This is not the first time we’ve dealt with the boogeyman from YouTube. For months, 3 of the kids couldn’t shower with the door closed and I had to buy a see-through shower curtain. Thanks, YouTube. As if parenting isn’t hard enough. I saw a meme floating around the book of faces the other day that talked about how we old moms win…
