When I was a second grader somebody let me pick up and scratch out a few notes on a violin. I can’t fathom why I wanted to. Might have been a Laura Ingalls kind of thing. The class was held in a building I remember looking a little like a one-room schoolhouse. It was probably […]
Maturity is overrated
This weekend we were at a conference with a bunch of people I sincerely enjoy being around, and one person in particular I’m trying to avoid. Because apparently I lack the maturity God gave a fifth grader. He ticked me off earlier this year and owes me a conversation. I know he knows. I know […]
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Papa’s got a brand new bag
Mike has a picture somewhere of himself standing with his sister, mom, and dad next to a sign shaped like Idaho. He is five years old and wearing the same wide grin we get from Colin when he poses for a picture. His sister is wearing short shorts and his dad has the most awesome […]
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I’m (mostly) kidding about the grass clippings
I was just thinking about posting something about our experience with food allergies, and it turns out it’s Food Allergy Awareness Week, which makes it seem like I have a plan, you know, like, ever. Anyway, I’ve posted stuff before about our first exchange student, Saara, and her multiple food allergies. To recap: Saara is […]
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A riff on the ride home
“I’m so thirsty, I could carjack that Coke truck for something to drink.” “How would you do that, exactly, Jack?” “Well, I’d jump on the bumper and cut a hole in the back with a laser and pull out a coke at the next stoplight. You want one?” “That’s way too complicated, and I don’t […]
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Hold on, new phase alert
A Lamborghini will run a person anywhere from $200k to $4.5 million, which is totally news to me, but not to Jack who seems to have moved on from an obsession with video games, set in post apocalyptic zombie land, to a more expensive, but still fantasy-based hobby. He’s also a fan of the Corvette and the Ferrari. He […]
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Take this job …
This month Jack is schlepping around, looking for someone who will hire a fifteen year old with no experience. He has very high standards. Nothing in food service, or with pets, kids or yardwork. He’d like full time with a little more than minimum wage. Something having to do with playing video games all day would […]
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It’s either this or interpretive dance
Last week I spent a couple days at a conference for writers, the same conference which last year inspired me to quit neglecting this poor blog. There was plenty of inspiration this year too. What’s rather uninspiring is how the craft of writing raises the question of publishing, and a need to understand an industry that […]
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The Tree I Be
Later this month I have a retreat with a group of ladies who serve on a board with me. We’re supposed to take a personality quiz beforehand and bring the results with us. I love these things. I don’t know why. I take them and then read over the results and think “yup, that about sums […]
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Coach mom roadblock
We’ve kind of plateaued in Jack’s half marathon training. And by ‘plateaued,’ I mean stopped in our tracks. You knew this was going to happen, right? Fourteen year old says: “I want to run a half marathon,” he doesn’t mean: I want to run for weeks and months for what seems to be no particular reason. […]
