Crazy Home Photo Shoot and Other Goings On

I have been wanting to take the kids photos for ages, but the littlest one got a black eye (his sister got him with her elbow when swinging) that lasted forever (okay, just a few weeks, he bumped it in the same spot when it was almost better!).  Our schedule is a bit busy at the moment, we have something going on after school nearly every day.  And our hot water tank has decided to work sometimes, and not other times, so there were times when I couldn't give anyone a bath.  Sorry, too much information!  We finally got around to doing photos a week ago, but I got out the door a few minutes too late and so we had to just jump out in a spot that wasn't where I'd planned to take photos, and it got dark so fast I wasn't able to take very many.  I didn't get a single picture with everyone smiling or looking at the camera, darn it.  Oh well.  Turns out one at the first of the post is one of my favorites.

 Frisco, Colorado!  So beautiful.  Now I want to go back and spend some time there!

 This is where we stayed on the scrapbook retreat-- it was so refreshing.

So many of my most favorite, inspirational, funny, kind ladies in one spot.  I am so lucky to count them as friends!  (and some other favorites not pictured here!)

 I heard noises one night after the kids were supposed to be in bed.  When I went upstairs I found them dressed in black playing "ninjas."  Nice.

My favorite time of year!  I got to look at these gorgeous mountains while I wrote my book-- perfect inspiration!

One reason I wasn't around last week like I meant to be (hall of shame, I'm so sorry), is that I had surgery on the varicose veins in one of my legs.  I'll update you soon.  (it hurts!  but I think I'm going to be glad later when my ginormous purple bruise finally stops hurting!)

Love to all.

Raising Emotionally Healthy Children

I should just stop saying sorry for being around less than I meant to be!   I had surgery on the veins in my leg yesterday, which went well, though I'm a bit sore today.

I did some research for a character in my book and I learned some really fascinating thing about how certain child-rearing practices affect people into adulthood.  I read a book by Alice Miller titled The Drama of the Gifted Child.

A Little Update

I was going to post twice this week, and here I am.  I can't stop fiddling with my book, as terrible as it probably is.

The kids have been home on vacation this week, so we've done some fun things together; we visited a Planetarium, the pumpkin patch, and several parks.  We've had a good time.  :)

There are some funny things my kids have said recently, here goes one of them (I thought I'd been storing them up, and I just can't remember!):

One day we were getting out of the car and my oldest son (12) said to the little boy (2), ruffling his hair affectionately (and rhetorically, I might add), "are you my minion?"  to which Emerson replied in a tiny halting voice, "we're.....all.....minions."  We laughed so hard at that.  :)

I wish I could remember the rest, sigh.

One day I filled the bath for an older child and then went downstairs to work on the dishes.  I could tell by the sounds filtering down the stairs that Emerson had gotten in too, which was fine with me since he was with said older child and the sounds of the two playing were so happy.  I didn't even think too much about it until he came squishing down the stairs fully clothed!  He even had his rain boots on, which squirted and squished out water with every step.  His held his little arms away from his body, his clothes hanging on him heavily while he dripped a puddle on the floor!  I laughed so hard about the boots-- they were hard to pull off when full of water!  I didn't get the best photo, but here it is:

And you get to see my nice clean floor to boot.  Just to make you feel like you've had a vicarious adventure today!  I hope you have a great weekend.  I have more photos for next week.

Long and Lost

I have been away so long, dearest ones!  Way longer than I meant to.  I started writing a novel during nap time, which is normally my blogging time, and I didn't have time for both because I didn't want to take time away from my kids!   I found writing to be really thrilling and fun, as the writing took me in directions all on its own, time melting by way too quickly!  Maybe the novel is truly terrible, but it was very fun to write, and a first draft is done.  As per my normal, I always talk too much, so it is a little long.

Here are a few other things I was able to do.

A local college rivalry football game with my husband and my oldest son. We lost, but we got to spend some fun time together cheering at the game, as well as enjoying memories of my beloved alma mater, including dinner at the track where I used to spend many hours running with the track team (kind of ironic, eating there, because I think I lost my lunch there a few times).

I went to a Gordon Lightfoot concert with my dad.  Amazing.  The man's voice was a little shaky but it transported me back to my old river guiding days, his voice is so organic sounding and beautiful.  And his prose is so beautiful.  I found out that he has been named by some as Canada's greatest songwriter of all time, a title I think he deserves.  And I so enjoyed being with my dad!  Speaking of music goals (remember when I made the goal to introduce my kids to good music?)-- I realized that my taste in music, which leans toward folksy-guitar music of the type played by the likes of James Taylor, John Denver, and Jim Croce was probably inspired by my dad, who used to listen to them on an 8 track player in a little work room of our old house when I was a little girl.  I loved to visit him there and look at the little intricate carvings he did as a hobby.

  (to listen to the gorgeous lyrics he wrote about Canada in his Canadian Railroad Trilogy see here....He was quite entertaining, putting a lot of energy into his songs even though his voice was weak with age at times...and he wore a velvet jacket, what's not to love about that?)

I went to a scrapbook retreat with friends from Colorado.  I have gone once before, but it has been five years!  I have missed them so much, they have been such kind and caring friends over the years, even when we have lived away.  We ate junk food and deliciously prepared meals, watched TV in our pajamas, and our church's annual conference.  We chatted, cried, and laughed and generally had a great time!  I missed my kids nearly the whole time, worrying a bit about the littlest, who I've never left, even though I had such a great time.  But I do think it is important enough to maintain those friendships and get a little time-- and I enjoyed seeing the kids so much when I got back.

So, it was a lazy-ish month, I guess, and I will be back to posting at least twice a week around here from now on.  I need you to keep me honest as I try to get back on track with my goals!

This month I'm going to work on some goals we set as a family at the start of the school year.  We decided to continue making home lunches throughout the year and decided to make sure all electronics are turned off on school nights, replacing some of that time with more consistent reading.

Clear as mud!  I sure missed you and hope you are well, and sorry to be gone for so long!

Missed You

Dearest ones,

I missed you!  We had a good, busy month.  My oldest son started junior high, which I touched on briefly before I left.   It has been a busy adjustment but we've been weathering through it just fine.

I am feeling terrible about being such a slacker!  And yet, I guess it's probably good I haven't blogged, because I worked on my book during blogging time.  I just didn't want to take time away from the kids, though I think I did so after all anyway.