Posted in Everyday, Living In Community on Jun 24th, 2010 2 Comments »
The drama next door has proved to be excellent fodder for teaching my kids the benefits of discipline. I mean, nothing says “I do it because I love you” better than observing the neighboring teenagers swear all day long, come and go whenever they please, and threaten your dad. “Do we let you get away [...]
Posted in Everyday, Living In Community on Jun 21st, 2010 7 Comments »
Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn’t have fucked with? That’s me. -Walt, Gran Torino. Things are going awry in my neighborhood, and I don’t plan to be a passive bystander. I’ve been watching kids come and go from the house next door for a year now, during all [...]
Posted in Bryan, Everyday, Living In Community, Startup Mom on Aug 26th, 2009 2 Comments »
I think we were all stretched a little tight last week when Bryan was out every night at events, bookended by working both weekends. It was one of those occasions where it did no good for me to complain about it – whether out loud or in my heart – so I simply embraced the [...]
Posted in Living In Community, Zoe on Aug 15th, 2009 No Comments »
It was beginning to look like I couldn’t participate in the Run for Children’s race today. Bryan had to be at an all day video shoot, which left me and the kids alone, and they’re too big to push in a stroller. I thought of getting a babysitter, but quickly realized our one car would [...]
Posted in Everyday, Living In Community on Aug 13th, 2009 3 Comments »
We finally have a very awesome renter moving into one of our spare rooms. Our house has been empty for a long time – too long. I love having people live with us, because our renters often become like family. We’ve had a teacher, a medical school applicant, and a pilot, among others. They share [...]
Posted in Comfort & Control, Living In Community on Jul 3rd, 2009 3 Comments »
Five years ago in the middle of the night on July 3rd, Bryan and I woke suddenly to a smoke filled house. My heart fluttered in my chest as the adrenaline washed through me, and I rushed into Ruthie’s room to snatch her from her crib. We quickly realized the fire was not in our [...]
Posted in Everyday, Living In Community on Apr 23rd, 2009 No Comments »
Just so you know, a kid threw gum at J__ on the bus and she put it in her mouth “because it still tasted good.” I made her pinky-swear never to do that again.
Posted in Living In Community, Seen, Heard, Said on Jan 2nd, 2009 4 Comments »
This week’s Link Love is inspired by a story I heard on KUOW recently while driving. It was the story linked below, called School Closure Jockeying. For some reason, Seattle is closing down schools. I admit I don’t know exactly why (we live in the Renton district), but I think it has to do with [...]
Posted in Living In Community, Seen, Heard, Said on Nov 7th, 2008 No Comments »
Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting This article came to my attention at just the right time. I was one of those pesky undecided voters. To make it worse, I’m a horrible decision maker. Regardless of how big or small the choice I have to make (chocolate or peanut butter? this school [...]
Posted in Everyday, Living In Community on Oct 27th, 2008 3 Comments »
One mild evening this summer I sat on the front steps with a friend, enjoying the warm evening air while drinking a glass of chilled white wine. There was a party at the rental hall next door, and we enjoyed the backdrop of festive mariachi music coming from the open doors. The rental hall is [...]
Posted in Everyday, Learning, Living In Community on Sep 17th, 2008 10 Comments »
I’ve been pondering over the issues of education and the inner city at great length since last Spring when I registered Ruthie for kindergarten. We are a white, middle class family living in a diverse community with lower class and working poor families. On more than one occasion I’ve heard my neighborhood referred to as [...]
Posted in Blog Stuff, Everyday, Living In Community on Mar 11th, 2008 No Comments »
Lee LeFever over at Common Craft posted a new tutorial on Twitter that’s entertaining to watch. In fact, I posted the video here: I’ve been blogging a lot less, lately, in an effort to focus more on my responsibilities at home. This has been good for my family life, but being a Stay At Home [...]
Posted in Living In Community on Jan 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
Last night and this morning I saw rumblings on the Internet – on Twitter, to be exact. WhyMommy was receiving well wishes and prayers and good thoughts. This morning when I was awake before the crack of dawn, East Coast friend Mommy Needs a Cocktail IM’d me a link to WhyMommy’s blog (after IM’ing: I [...]
Posted in Living In Community on Jan 17th, 2008 3 Comments »
If your family were to come on hard times, or were beset by a tragedy, or were somehow incapacitated, what would you do? How would function? How would you care for yourself or the others in your family? I’m asking you, dear Internet, because you need people. You need call-you-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night friends. You need drop-your-kids-off-at-the-last-minute friends. [...]
Posted in Friendship, Learning, Living In Community, Video on Sep 11th, 2007 1 Comment »
When Ruthie was just two months old, Bryan and I coordinated a babysitting co-op with friends. Every other week we would go on a date and have free babysitting, and on the opposite weeks it would be our turn to babysit. Various families have been a part of this co-op in the past, but for [...]
Be warned: what you see here is not my best work. It is what Anne Lamott describes in Bird By Bird as a series of “shitty first drafts.” Blogging dragged me kicking and screaming out of creative constipation by getting me to actually write. So I do that. A lot. Without worrying about every word choice or comma placement.
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