Category: This Thing Called Life

This Post is Not About Sleep, or, Lessons in Community

Posted: October 20, 2022 Under: Loving Others

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A few months ago, a friend asked how we were doing. I shrugged. “Another rough night last night.” She commiserated, and I shook my head, rallying myself out of my own self-pity. “I’m sorry!” I told her. “I’m sorry I’m always talking about how little we’re sleeping.” She smiled. “It’s ok,” she said. “It’s your … Continue reading "This Post is Not About Sleep, or, Lessons in Community"

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It Seems Like God Would Have Wanted to Answer That Prayer

Posted: May 30, 2022 Under: Loving God

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A few weeks ago, at the end of our bedtime routine, I put an arm around Katie’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Want to talk about anything, kiddo?” It had been a tough day. We’d intended to leave for a much-anticipated camping trip that morning but had needed to make a sudden change in plans … Continue reading "It Seems Like God Would Have Wanted to Answer That Prayer"

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There Will be Time for the Other Stuff Later

Posted: May 07, 2022 Under: Family and Parenting

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I’ve read a lot about abortion over the past week. News articles. Legal analyses. Fact-checking pieces. Personal essays. Opinions. Twitter threads. (Confession: I tend to do this when a big issue catches my attention. I take a deep dive, become consumed by everything there is to read about it. I don’t necessarily recommend this approach … Continue reading "There Will be Time for the Other Stuff Later"

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On Making Lists and Not Wasting My Life

Posted: April 08, 2022 Under: Family and Parenting

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A few months ago, I implemented something new in our homeschool: I started giving Katie a list. It always has the same things at the top. Get dressed. Tidy your room. Brush your hair. Practice the piano. And then, checkboxes for whatever she needs to accomplish that day. Math pages. Copy work. Spelling. Addition practice. … Continue reading "On Making Lists and Not Wasting My Life"

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It Seems Like They Change Every Year: Some Thoughts on Routines and Striving for Perfection

Posted: April 03, 2022 Under: Family and Parenting By No Comments

Sometime when Katie was in preschool or kindergarten, my mom gave her a magnetic calendar. It had bright, colorful tiles, with places to note the weather and the season and the user’s current mood. It was the perfect addition to our nascent homeschool, and I was diligent to use it as a part of our … Continue reading "It Seems Like They Change Every Year: Some Thoughts on Routines and Striving for Perfection"

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On the Road: At Home in the Middle-of-Nowhere Nevada

Posted: May 18, 2021 Under: This Thing Called Life

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The western USA contains vast expanses of land, wide-open valleys dotted with sagebrush and tumbleweeds and basalt. If you aren’t paying attention, if you choose not to look too closely, you might be fooled into thinking the only living creatures are your fellow travelers, zipping past on the long stretches of black asphalt. The desert … Continue reading "On the Road: At Home in the Middle-of-Nowhere Nevada"

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