While listening to the Mary Poppins soundtrack: Oh, it’s a jolly holiday with Mary, Mary makes your heart so light. When the day is gray and ordinary, Mary makes the sun shine bright. Oh, happiness is bloomin’ all around her, the daffodils are smilin’ at the dove. When Mary holds your hand, you feel so grand, your heart
If there is any silver lining to my thumb injury, it’s that we got to spend extended time with my mom. After my surgery my mom basically moved in with us. There was a whole battery of things that I simply couldn’t do (buckle carseats or life jackets, manipulate diaper tabs, lift Thomas in and
Since she was 15 months old, every time we go to the doctor for a well-check everyone comments on how verbal she is. It’s true, she is, and I take no credit. She could speak in complete, articulate paragraphs by 24 months and by three we were actively trying to discourage her language development. Just kidding. Kind
Oh, Mary Virginia, where do I begin? I’ll begin by saying this: before I hit publish on this post, I’m going to read it and re-read it and then send it to my friend Candace to check for errors, because Mary Virginia, at age four, already corrects my grammar. “Mommy. You don’t NEED to go
Last week we celebrated the kids’ last day of school and David’s preschool graduation. Look at those excited faces! Those faces say WE CAN’T WAIT FOR SUMMER! We can’t wait to explore and go to the park and swim all day! And I’m like, AHA! JK KIDS! Mom only has one working arm so we
I completely forget the circumstances that sent me there (which is maybe best?), but one day I was standing in the kitchen, shoving pretzels in my mouth faster than I could chew. Mary Virginia: Mommy, why are you eating pretzels like that? Me: Well, Dear, It’s because you’re stressing me out. Mary Virginia: [starts laughing] But,
When our kids were babies, we always sang the song “Sanctuary” before bedtime. Now that they’re older we’ve switched gears a bit to a version of, “IF YOU ASK FOR ONE MORE THING…” Nap times have always been a little different, especially Mary Virginia’s nap. For her nap I tell a story, then sing a
A few weeks ago I realized our church’s annual Father Daughter Dance was coming up, but I hadn’t heard anything about it. I did some frantic poking around and asking questions and found out that it wasn’t happening this year. This was only a problem, of course, because Mary Virginia and I have been preparing for the dance
We were driving home from the playground one day and Mary Virginia announced that she was bored. I guess that’s what happens when you spend all morning frolicking at a playground. I was on the highway and focusing on the road so instead of my routine of twirling flaming batons to keep Queen Mary entertained, I said, “Ok! Let’s
Any serious baker or pastry chef knows — the secret to amazing results is precision. Serious bakers weigh the ingredients because measuring cups are approximate at best. They use temperature-controlled cookware, and regularly-calibrated ovens. ‘ You can’t just dump all the ingredients in the bowl, you have to follow the instructions. You must not over-beat, you must not over-knead. You have to