I just want to make sure we have OUR Christmas. I’ve said it to my friends and my friends have said it to me. Somewhere between college graduation and thirtieth birthdays Christmas becomes super, super busy. And we feel like it’s all about other people. All about extended relatives. All about work parties or neighborhood parties […]
When We Play All Day: Part Two
I’ve always thought it would be nice to really celebrate Sunday like a “sabbath”— not just with Church or a break from school or work, but like a true holiday. After the birth of our first child, I realized that this was not simply an intriguing idea; it was something we actually needed. A sabbath […]
Backyard Snakes and the Problem of Evil
Yesterday my older children were playing outside our house and my baby was sitting happily on the grass in the perfect sunshine. We went inside for a few hours and came back out to get in the car. Our kids were loaded up, but before my husband and I got in we noticed a black […]
Why We Don’t (Always) Do Family Dinners
We don’t usually eat dinner together as a family. This is not a decision we formally came to, but more of a gradual shift that we first resisted and then finally accepted. The dining room is still the center of our house, surrounded by our prettiest artwork and covered with candles. We have one of […]
My Favorite Children’s Picture Books
“Read to your kids,” parents are told over and over again. Choosing books in favor of T.V. or other sorts of entertainment is surely a no-brainer. But does it matter what you read to them? With all the reading campaigning that goes on, it would seem like any combination of words and pictures bound together […]
Homeschooling Preschool
Our oldest child is only 4.5 so we certainly don’t have a lot of homeschooling experience. But since I’m about to have a “homeschooled preschool” graduate, I thought I would share our general plan for these early years: When in doubt, do less (in terms of academics.) Every year since my oldest was a baby I’ve had […]
