tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-370370922012-02-16T00:38:32.094-06:00One mom's thoughts on faith, parenting and life in general; along with some inexpensive gift ideas and instructions.Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.comBlogger3091100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-55028751388981608402011-07-01T14:08:00.001-06:002011-07-01T14:08:43.805-06:00

Haven't heard from me in a while, eh? I'm still around. I have a few musings about life in my household rattling around in my head. Bear with me until I can capture those. In the meantime, I invite you to join me in a new conversation. If you've ever wondered about what it takes to be satisfied in life, if the thought of counting what you have and watching what happens when you reach "enough"

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-87950126847437955272011-02-23T08:19:00.002-06:002011-02-23T08:31:50.001-06:00

I'm excited to introduce a new book to you today. I've been reading it for the past few weeks and have been encouraged to keep taking steps toward living my dreams. First, hear some words for you today from author, Kathi Lipp. Then leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-59849541318854803992011-02-17T21:16:00.004-06:002011-02-18T12:25:21.091-06:00

If you live in Chicagoland and haven't heard about it yet, a certain food store chain was just put on life support. My prediction? They're not long for this world. In fact you might say they're past their expiration date.Oh wait. That's the food they sell. Ironically, last month this particular chain announced that they would no longer be accepting expired coupons from customers (they were one of

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-34720119390802586122011-01-21T16:37:00.003-06:002011-01-21T16:54:13.345-06:00

Boom! I jerked awake, certain I'd heard a loud noise. This happens to me sometimes, especially in the winter, and especially on really cold nights. I usually shake my husband and ask him, "Did you hear that?". He then mumbles that he didn't and I try to fall back to sleep, wondering if I heard something or not.Last night it happened again. Boom! This time when I jerked awake I heard the dog in

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-38874801335135592132010-12-13T10:19:00.004-06:002010-12-13T11:05:21.551-06:00

I watched the movie Little Miss Sunshine last week. It was kind of weird and quirky, but touching too. It actually left me feeling a little off-kilter. But I connected with one aspect of that family's life and that's this: their cranky old VW bus.I don't have a VW of any kind. And some might not even call my twelve-year-old Chevy "old". But in winter weather it certainly gets cranky. This morning

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-46926071813561892072010-12-07T13:27:00.005-06:002010-12-07T13:48:06.183-06:00

As you can see, the lag between my blog posts grows. I'm still here. I hope in 2011 to get back to a more semi-regular schedule of posts.The latest and greatest thing in our household has been the addition of a dog, Alex the Schnoodle. I had been the holdout in our family and finally gave in to the longstanding pleas to "just look" at a dog. I had my reasons: the humane society in our fair city

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-78575712653327272402010-10-23T10:22:00.005-06:002010-10-23T12:00:44.838-06:00

You know the feeling you get when someone in your family is recovering from the stomach flu and is feeling just better enough to be hungry? That feeling you have when everyone else is well and sits down to eat a normal meal while the formerly ill person is stuck with jello and applesauce. The feeling you get when the sick one is a little person who gives you sad eyes when you tell her (again),

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-35139519553682738772010-10-13T12:03:00.003-06:002010-10-13T12:34:43.715-06:00

Thankfully the title of this post doesn't entirely capture life for me recently. But sometimes it feels like it. Between new school routines, work and a class I'm taking that's proven to be rather rigorous, this little blog has gone by the wayside for a while. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, but that there's so much to write about and not enough time.Here's what I'm thinking

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-21020080619557922212010-09-03T11:37:00.004-06:002010-09-03T11:54:55.554-06:00

Anyone remember back more than a year ago when I said I was going to try and get my email inbox to zero? Even I thought it was going to be a stretch. And I was right, it was a stretch. But here's the thing - without stretching, we can't grow.I've been reading a lot lately on ways to promote contentment in your life. The latest is Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity by Keri Wyatt Kent. In it she

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-53530429914079243792010-08-27T05:22:00.001-06:002010-08-27T05:22:00.302-06:00

Over the summer I worked on clearing out the clutter and organizing our house. In the midst of it I went on a binge and bought a dozen storage containers for our crawlspace. My girls' outgrown clothes filled up most of those. But two remaining containers seemed perfect for storing the keepsakes DH and I each had stashed away in old cardboard boxes.This week, as my daughters worked to shift some

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-25587843928933147382010-08-25T12:31:00.006-06:002010-08-25T13:12:23.971-06:00

It's here! That day is here that I have been looking toward for... okay, I'm not going to embarrass myself by saying how long, let's just say a long time. Today my baby started first grade, which in our school district is the beginning of full-day school. I'm home alone!What's that you say? You already knew this because you could hear the whoops & hollers for miles around? No, no, couldn't be.

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-29569376884511907412010-07-22T06:07:00.004-06:002010-07-22T06:35:40.946-06:00

Last week was "Camp Week" in our family. I haven't been big on sending my kids to summer camps (I know - I'm a weird Naperville mom. Everybody in Naperville seems to send their kids to summer campS). But this year a few opportunities came up that seemed to fit my kids. Rather than spread them out and lock up multiple weeks of our summer, I chose to stack them all in one week. Can you say, "

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-11011513739188466642010-07-09T07:16:00.002-06:002010-07-09T07:32:52.970-06:00

There is something about the Fourth of July holiday that compels people (moms mostly) to start talking about how quickly the summer is going by. "It's just flying!" they'll say. And every year, but particularly this summer, I think the same thing. I stand there and listen to everyone talk about the fact that summer is nearly over on July 4th and think to myself, "Really??".I haven't figured this

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-55438145997003837922010-06-09T14:32:00.006-06:002010-06-09T14:55:40.878-06:00

Summer to me, at its best, is about devouring books. It's about finding a cozy hammock or lawn chair or pool lounger and immersing myself in another world. As a child and young teen I could spend hours upon hours reading. Now? I'm happy to sneak a brief quarter- or half-hour stint of reading while the kids play. Which has been so frustrating given the material I've had in my hands for the past

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-62396116246871662010-05-11T12:35:00.004-06:002010-05-11T12:51:25.194-06:00

I arrived home last night from a long weekend with LMH & Timid Daughter in New York City (more on that to come in a later post). We crammed in a quick rundown of our weekend during the car ride home with AmusingDad and the Uber-Princess. We followed that with a swift distribution of gifts - from us to the two left behind and from Uber-Princess to me for Mother's Day. Finally, once the exhausted

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-32178375328117685912010-04-30T14:36:00.003-06:002010-04-30T14:52:48.526-06:00

Have you noticed the new packaging for old foods? Lately there's arisen some 100-calorie craze. I think it started with cookies and stuff (I am particularly fond of the Oreo 100-calorie packs). And then I noticed the dried cranberries 100-calorie packs. Now the latest are packages of Kraft processed cheese squares (no, I did not notice that they were processed when I bought them or maybe I

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-70835651048833290282010-04-27T09:00:00.002-06:002010-04-27T09:03:02.215-06:00

If you are the mom of a preschooler or have ever been the mom of a preschooler or even just know a preschooler, you might want to check out an essay of mine that MOPS.org is running on their website about some things I've noticed about the perils of public restrooms. You can find it here.

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-77791385821508231682010-04-07T13:19:00.003-06:002010-04-16T12:51:33.813-06:00

Can you believe that my husband and I lived without a budget for most of the past 14 years? How did we do it? Well, I guess we both mostly just tried not to spend much and tried to save lots. It worked fine since our bank balance always stayed positive. Sure, we did have fun and splurge from time to time, but there wasn't a plan for it.Then in February I read Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-11878753404138702642010-03-22T13:15:00.002-06:002010-03-22T13:33:58.242-06:00

After a trip to Russia a couple decades ago, a the part of culture shock that I experienced on my return to the U.S. related to the huge amount of choices available to us. Take a trip to the grocery store for a simple gallon of milk and you can see this at work. If you want milk, you can choose from name brand or store brand. And then there's fat free, 1%, 2% or whole milk. Or maybe you'd like

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-31784495118840854212010-03-09T14:10:00.002-06:002010-03-09T14:21:22.683-06:00

My husband usually rolls his eyes, groans or in some other way, expresses his frustration at me whenever he uses the internet on my computer. "You have too many tabs open", he complains.I glance over his shoulder to see what can be closed. Then I click on one or two tabs. He rolls his eyes again and I shrug my shoulders back. I can't help it that I'm never sure if I'm done with something. I

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-26881616087622816162010-02-26T15:10:00.003-06:002010-02-26T15:28:01.400-06:00

Three day weekend! My kids are off school today and I find myself wondering just when it is that they are at school any more. In the month of February (granted it's a short month), my kids only had one full week of school. Looks like it will be five days of school next week, but then only three the following, followed by another five day week. Then it's a four day week before Spring Break starts

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-84552634464615000462010-02-18T12:10:00.005-06:002010-02-18T12:31:12.916-06:00

I made a mistake today (big surprise, huh?). I got caught up being social and forgot a group of children who were waiting for me to come during their lunchtime to discuss a story with them. A friend pointed out that the children would have waited a little bit for me and then gone on to eat their lunch and enjoy recess. End of story for them.When I realized my mistake, I quickly emailed the

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-16108033670620019862010-02-12T05:30:00.002-06:002010-02-12T05:30:01.491-06:00

Last month, in keeping with New Year's, I set myself some goals for the year. I made goals for my writing and goals for my food consumption and goals related to personal fitness. And...I made some reading goals. I made it a goal to read one parenting book, one marriage book and one book on the writing craft each quarter. So far I'm on target with those goals. Admittedly, they aren't that

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-50614486131584160002010-02-10T05:30:00.000-06:002010-02-10T05:30:00.490-06:00

Today's featured book is a new novel by Lisa Wingate. I've been up late more than one night following the stories of Kai & Donetta in this enjoyable Texan saga.* Paperback: 352 pgs Publisher: Bethany House Release Date: Feb. 1, 2010 ISBN-10: 0764204920 ISBN-13: 978-0764204920 Retail: $12.95About the Book: Kai Miller floats through life like

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-28061983483676046522010-02-08T05:30:00.000-06:002010-02-08T05:30:00.177-06:00

Today I'm glad to share with you about a new book by Mary DeMuth, called Thin Places. I've had the opportunity to meet Mary at a writer's conference and have benefited from her wisdom on writing and navigating the publishing industry through her blog, So You Want To Be Published. She's both an excellent writer and a delightful, authentic woman.Mary has worked hard to earn her right to be heard

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-22369478994546908022010-02-07T17:57:00.002-06:002010-02-07T17:59:08.894-06:00

It's Book Week time again! This week I'll be introducing you to two new books - one on Monday and one on Wednesday. Then on Friday I'll be sharing my current reading list, along with some goals I've set for reading this year.So check back in the coming days. In the meantime, what have you been reading lately? Any good books to recommend?

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-70178647622165924992010-02-06T16:22:00.002-06:002010-02-06T16:35:18.736-06:00

I'm beginning to wonder about whether Facebook is actually good for some friendships. It is getting more and more hype these days, particularly for it's ability to reconnect people. But what isn't touted are all the other activities that one can engage in on Facebook that can actually harm a friendship. I'm serious here.Take the whole "becoming a fan" thing. Just the other day one of my Facebook

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-88697411177527473142010-01-28T14:20:00.009-06:002010-01-28T14:58:01.002-06:00

you just might find...you get what you had been hoping for all along.This past weekend I took my husband away for a night in Chicago. It's not something we've ever done before and (for economic reasons) we're not likely to do it again real soon. It started a few months ago when I spotted a really good rate at a hotel on Michigan Avenue. With a little planning, it turned into a great night on the

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-73017858416845023842010-01-20T13:17:00.008-06:002010-01-20T13:51:41.696-06:00

It's only a small thing - the fact that every toothbrush we've gotten over the past 5 years hasn't fit into the toothbrush holder in my children's bathroom. But it's enough to set my teeth on edge. Why, oh why, can't the manufacturers cooperate on this? If the toothbrush makers are going to insist on making only wide, ergonomic handles for their brushes, then why can't the people producing the

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-46829726823162674072010-01-13T13:05:00.005-06:002010-01-13T15:09:55.914-06:00

His eyes were rimmed red and he barely looked up as he spoke. I listened as another hot lunch mom asked the distressed fourth-grader to repeat what lunch he had ordered. The other students at the lunch table chatted and ate, moving clumsily in their bulky winter coats and snowpants. Beside them, the teary-eyed boy looked thin in his striped shirt and jeans. He burst into a fresh flow of tears as

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-37300113182268567872010-01-08T12:53:00.005-06:002010-01-08T13:12:57.665-06:00

Poor Uber-Princess. Seems her social life isn't what she's been hoping for. At school she enjoys hanging out with her friends and will often talk about plans to play later. Her homebody mom tries to accommodate this as best she can and generally arranges at least one playdate each week. But that's too slow for the Uber-Princess. Recently she's begun taking matters into her own hands.Over

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-90790970568856434872010-01-04T13:19:00.006-06:002010-01-04T15:18:07.254-06:00

I keep thinking about an occasion over our Christmas break that I've been meaning to post about. So here it is (for what it's worth):We had a great, low-key Christmas. Not a lot of running around and still plenty of good family time. The only thing I felt was missing for me was a break from cooking. It felt like, between holiday baking and fixing goodies, plus regular meal prep, that I was in the

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-5270167631700993552009-12-25T14:08:00.005-06:002009-12-25T14:27:27.052-06:00

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. " Luke 2:11"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27I wish you peace today - in your home and your neighborhood, with family, with friends and yes, even with enemies. But most of all, I wish you peace

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-74067688745362148752009-12-17T11:47:00.004-06:002009-12-17T12:15:21.167-06:00

Remember that commercial? The one with the harried mom, who escapes to her bath to relax? Seems appropriate for this busy time of year, doesn't it. After all, who wouldn't go for an evening of quiet to relax in a warm bath right about now.I got to thinking about Calgon the other evening as I poured some bath salts into the tub for the Uber Princess."See how it makes the water feel smooth?" I

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-15511074386099009602009-12-11T12:30:00.003-06:002009-12-11T12:54:35.078-06:00

Yesterday I was thinking about writing a post on staying organized during the Christmas season. I'd been pulling things together for holiday food prep and was feeling super on-top-of-things. Then today came. With no bread in the house (even though I stopped at the grocery store yesterday) I scrambled to pack lunches for my girls. I scrounged up a couple of hamburger buns, slapped on mayo and

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-80984351576835780692009-12-03T14:18:00.004-06:002009-12-03T15:08:37.070-06:00

The other day I had a conversation that was very telling of a phenomenon in our culture that has backfired on itself. Here's the conversation, see if you can catch what's wrong with the picture:Grandma: I found a really cute matching t-shirt set the other day at Bass Pro Shops that would be great for the Uber-Princess and her Grandpa. They say "My Fishing Buddy".Me: Cool! That does sound perfect.

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-56899219451938904792009-11-24T13:54:00.014-06:002009-11-24T14:51:09.474-06:00

There's no denying it: I'm a crafty gal. When I spot a new craft idea, my heart pumps at top speed and my mind clicks and my hands start itching to get down to work. Naturally with the holiday gift giving season upon us the number of new craft ideas to be spotted seems endless. And my dining room table has been a wreck for the past week or so as a result. Here are a few of my latest projects:BATH

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-16400227770723378842009-11-19T09:01:00.003-06:002009-11-19T09:34:43.741-06:00

Did you ever notice the regional pride that some Americans exhibit? Depending on where you live in the United States, you'll pride yourself on those things peculiar to your area. East Coast it's often seafood, like lobster boils or clam bakes. The Southwest has it's cowboy boots and Navajo art. And naturally, we can't leave out the Southerners with their sweet tea and hos-pi-tal-i-ty. Everyone's

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-62805891580748204322009-11-17T15:45:00.003-06:002009-11-17T15:59:47.583-06:00

Next week is Thanksgiving. I'm hosting. This is a good thing. My kids "get" the hospitality thing. They know when we're going to have a bunch of people over that it takes us all working together to make it happen. And we do and it does. So I'm not at all stressed about hosting. But I am thinking about it, a little bit each day, wondering how much I should start doing now to prepare.I guess it's

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-2658988993187371092009-11-13T08:22:00.009-06:002009-11-16T06:38:24.935-06:00

I'd like to introduce you to another new book today co-authored by a man (Cec Murphey) who has been an immense help to me as a writer. And I'm interested to learn more about Marley Gibson, who partnered with him on this project. Anyway, Christmas Miracles promises to be a good holiday read, so check out the description and interview that follow to learn more. Also, please note that this tour

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-45873522041099543012009-11-11T21:08:00.006-06:002009-11-11T21:19:28.167-06:00

This is the second installment on the new Bible study guide by Jennifer Kennedy Dean, called Set Apart. Today features an interview with the author about the book, along with a few extras.An Interview with Jennifer Kennedy Dean You are known for your extensive research and your fresh insights. Do you have a method for gleaning new concepts? Of course, the truths are not new, but I think I

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-40840209422868294132009-11-10T15:17:00.006-06:002009-11-11T13:39:02.743-06:00

For Day 2 of A Musing Mom's "Unofficial Book Week", I'm pleased to take part in a blog tour introducing you to a new study guide on the Beatitudes. Note that this tour features a special drawing for those who leave comments on this post (hint, hint). Tomorrow I'll share an interview with the author and some links to a video commentary and a theme song designed to accompany the study. Check it out

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-61828753156680538432009-11-09T19:48:00.003-06:002009-11-09T20:30:07.882-06:00

I'm unofficially declaring this "Book Week" here at A Musing Mom Speaks. Later in the week you'll get the scoop on two books just released. But for today, I'm going to get personal and share with you the contents of my bedside reading pile. It has maintained a good height for the past few months and I have often lost track of where I am in which book (thank goodness for bookmarks, huh). That

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-44892343778444953772009-11-04T09:32:00.004-06:002009-11-04T10:03:35.168-06:00

There are certain things from childhood that stick with you, for better or ill. Like the time a boy (the only person in my childhood to share my birthday) gave me a black eye during kindergarten recess. Or playing Breyer horses in my best friend's basement. Or in first grade when my eighth-grade buddy insisted on carrying me around during our school Halloween parade because he thought I was so

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-32342741142350268132009-10-26T19:29:00.004-06:002009-10-26T20:03:49.259-06:00

This Fall has been filled with a series of much-anticipated firsts for the Uber-Princess. It began with the start of kindergarten in August, which came at last for this little girl whose birthday misses the age requirement cutoff for our school district by NINE DAYS. Last year when a bunch of her neighborhood friends started kindergarten, Uber-Princess watched them go--without her. With her

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-8164394262176551922009-10-23T09:17:00.003-06:002009-10-23T12:33:56.396-06:00

I'm still on my quest to whittle the contents of my electronic inbox. It's been an up and down battle - not much different than before. Whittle the number of messages down during the work week, what the number soar over the weekend. Rinse and repeat.I've tired of the time involved in attempting to taim the virtual and real influx of communications. As it is, my counter is almost always littered

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-12903056524634545682009-10-21T17:47:00.004-06:002009-10-21T18:42:51.961-06:00

H1N1 has arrived in our little city. Who knows when exactly, maybe the county health department. They have been active in keeping the community informed, and the school community in particular, due to the unusual threat the disease poses to younger people. So we know it's "here"-- meaning out there in the far reaches of our city. It's "here" in terms of being the subject of reports in the local

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-55245059323486669732009-10-19T05:30:00.003-06:002009-10-19T05:52:18.475-06:00

The decorating this time of year can sometimes bug me. Some of it creeps me out. It makes my skin crawl. It scares me. Why? Because I can't stand spiders. And we all know that the spider ranks up there in freak factor for Halloween decorations, particularly very large, very hairy spiders. Ugh! Just typing that wigs me out.Spiders, living or dead, fake or real, drive me nuts. Something about the

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-41377463498307164032009-09-28T14:39:00.006-06:002009-09-28T16:24:27.612-06:00

I first learned of writer Mary DeMuth (author of parenting books: Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, Building the Christian Family You Never Had, and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God and novels:Watching the Tree Limbs, Wishing on Dandelions and Daisy Chain) online through her Relevant Blog. Then I began learning from her on her So You Want to Be Published blog. As if that weren't

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-73728845376182551232009-09-24T05:32:00.004-06:002009-09-24T12:59:11.654-06:00

I bought 50 pounds of bread flour last weekend. Not ten 5-pound bags. I bought one 50-pound bag. The price on bread flour has really gotten to me lately. Buying the 50-pound bag at Costco cost less than half the price at the grocery store. That can really make a difference for us, especially since we go through a bag about every two to three weeks. I use it for weekly pizza night and for dinner

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-84891708725953812342009-09-21T05:22:00.004-06:002009-09-21T05:51:59.700-06:00

My plate is nearly empty. I am now officially on sabbatical. And it feels so incredibly good!What is this about? It's about rest and recharging. It's about taking time to breathe and be. It's about margin.Taking a sabbatical means that I have intentionally dropped all (well, nearly all) volunteer activities that I have been involved in. It means my personal schedule has been trimmed as much as I

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-70374448218511348472009-09-15T05:43:00.004-06:002009-09-15T06:06:51.599-06:00

Nature's first green is gold,Her hardest hue to hold.Her early leaf's a flower;But only so an hour.Then leaf subsides to leaf.So Eden sank to grief,So dawn goes down to day.Nothing gold can stay. -- Robert FrostLast night as we reassembled our room, my husband went through some poster tubes that had been languishing in a corner by his dresser."Hey, I think some of these are yours," he said. He

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-41074740067589806752009-09-14T08:38:00.002-06:002009-09-14T09:05:21.309-06:00

My house is a wreck today. All of the rooms upstairs have been nearly gutted, except for the one room packed floor-to-ceiling with furniture (through which I had to crawl spelunker-like to get to my printer this morning. With all the contorting and twisting I had to do, I was sure I was going to get stuck and they'd have to send a rescue crew. Thankfully it wasn't dark in there like a real cave

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-11360453425524147922009-09-03T05:27:00.004-06:002009-09-03T05:35:14.601-06:00

I have so many thoughts rattling around in my head these days. Five or more posts are waiting to get written down to share with you. But in light of the long weekend, and perhaps everyone's last chance to sit beside the pool with a good book, I'd like to share a book review with you. So here it is:I recently read a book that altered my perception of the earth’s first woman in startling ways. If

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-46073689479997439752009-08-25T05:31:00.004-06:002009-08-25T05:54:10.571-06:00

Several weeks ago my children found newly hatched caterpillars on the underside of a milkweed leaf at a friend's house. They were tiny mites, one barely visible. The friend kindly tucked the leaves with the caterpillar nibs into a Panera cup for the girls to bring home.Over the next few days and weeks we would watch them grow as they nibbled their way through those leaves. They and their Panera

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-2901519285985544712009-08-23T07:11:00.003-06:002009-08-23T07:42:38.050-06:00

In an odd confluence of events that occurs, oh, about once every 3-5 years, a friend wanted to see a first-run movie that interested me on a night where I had nothing going on. So we went, along with two other friends. And can I say that it felt an awful lot like coming out of a cave after a long hibernation? We all blanched at the ticket price and gagged at the outrageous cost for popcorn and

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-85956170020434708382009-08-19T13:11:00.004-06:002009-08-19T13:21:08.908-06:00

Maybe that's why I'm feeling like things are all scattered and needing to be put back. So first things first, I'm getting the kids put back. Back on schedule. And back in school. The Uber-Princess is still here with me for another day, so I'm not actually alone until the other two get back. But once kindergarten starts, then it's really time to get back on track. Hopefully in the meantime,

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-69348102737767764932009-08-12T05:29:00.004-06:002009-08-12T06:01:27.227-06:00

This week teachers in our town have begun setting up the classrooms for the new school year that starts next week. But they're not the only ones getting space ready. I've been at work on my space too, getting ready for the school year.I own my own business. It's small, very small. Just big enough to fit into the life of a mom of young kids. But it's primed to grow. The Uber-Princess starts

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-7083645128239955522009-07-29T09:17:00.002-06:002009-07-29T09:20:50.198-06:00

Do you remember Romper Room? It was a children’s television show when I was a kid. I watched it often and what I remember most about it was the sweet-voiced hostess who closed (and/or opened, I can’t exactly recall) the show by looking through a small open “mirror” to “see” the children who were watching. “I see Joey and Amber and Mikey. Oh look! There’s Tracy and Robert and Millie,” she’d

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-62375296484438139402009-07-22T13:02:00.005-06:002009-07-22T13:45:12.884-06:00

Warning: I am about to rant here. I try not to do that often in this forum, but there are cases where I feel it's warranted. This is one.If you are pregnant and have not yet reached full term (and not the fakey, "you could go any day" full term, we're talking 39 or 40 weeks pregnant), unless you are of advanced maternal age or have a high-risk pregnancy or are expecting multiples - do not act

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-35312813195451235882009-07-19T15:15:00.006-06:002009-07-19T20:38:12.438-06:00

I'm beat! I sit here in my big chair with my feet up, longing for a neck message and maybe a hot cup of tea to go with it. I've worked hard today on one of my favorite kind of projects: a transformation. We are painting the bedroom that two of our girls share (on a rotating basis - the Uber-Princess is on her way out and Timid Daughter is joining Little Miss History). The older two had decided it

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-50435475339583468472009-07-15T07:33:00.004-06:002009-07-15T07:47:45.109-06:00

Right now as I type, my children are happily setting about getting their morning chores done. Did you get that? They're happily doing their chores. In fact, breakfast is rarely over before they start asking about the special chore for the day.How do I do it? A "chore jar". Each week I make a bunch of slips of paper containing the chores that I want my children to get done for the week. I usually

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-5282845199666856182009-07-09T14:22:00.005-06:002009-07-09T14:33:57.934-06:00

My iced tea machine broke today. My new one, that I got for Christmas last year. It's July. I live in Chicagoland. And I need my iced tea.The thing is, I'm pretty sure I sometimes made iced tea before I got the fancy machine. Sometimes. But I can't remember how I did it. It certainly couldn't have been as simple or as fast.I started thinking, 'I sure was looking forward to that iced tea this

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-62312877884521314972009-07-06T11:00:00.002-06:002009-07-06T11:15:11.383-06:00

I'm on my own for the next three days. The kids are off for some fun with their second cousins out at Grandma & Grandpa's Lake House. Amusing Dad is mostly at work. So it's just me. Solo. Alone.This fact was not lost on the Uber-Princess. As we were driving to their grandparents' local residence to drop them off for their trip, she suggested a puppy."You know, Mom," she explained. "Once I go to

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-7321032419974486242009-06-25T15:30:00.004-06:002009-06-25T15:49:32.979-06:00

A month or two ago I read a post by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, Inc. about keeping on top of email. It had me inspired and motivated to weed through the mess that had become my inbox and empty it out. Previously I had been satisfied to get it down to 50 messages. But Hyatt talks about clearing it out. Making it completely empty. As in zero messages.I can't remember ever seeing my inbox

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-20698936150856742062009-06-22T14:30:00.003-06:002009-06-22T14:53:09.159-06:00

The house is quiet today. It's empty. Amusing Dad is off at work. The children hopped into their grandparents' RV at the campground this weekend and should return sometime this afternoon. I'm alone.Funny thing is, without a husband and children around today I find that I'm...still a wife and a mom. I woke up to a house empty of people, but filled with needs. The need for food prompted a trip to

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-47097925749412415462009-05-28T20:41:00.004-06:002009-05-29T06:50:27.470-06:00

starts tomorrow!!! After taking a year off (which, frankly, was a good thing for my pocketbook since we never manage to emerge from there spending under $50), the big white tents are pitched again.If you need any cake decorating supplies (including this really cool spray-on food coloring that is great for backgrounds on cakes when you're doing something like water or grass), it's the place to go.

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-4676038747747321142009-05-12T20:18:00.003-06:002009-05-12T20:44:11.828-06:00

Rebel or conformist? Which are you?I'm a conformist, through and through. Rules are meant to be followed. It drives me nuts to see people not following the rules. To me they seem rude and self-centered. I've always taken it that people who go against the grain are just being selfish.Now I'm beginning to wonder if they're just self-aware. Going along with the program often comes at a cost. As a

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-78906699602375055702009-05-09T16:54:00.002-06:002009-05-09T17:06:46.045-06:00

If you have a little one in diapers, chances are you go through a TON of baby wipes. And that can be pretty expensive after a while (as if all those diapers weren't enough). Well, I found a recipe for homemade wipes shortly after my first child was born and I used it through all three of my girls' days in diapers. These things were cheap, easy to make and worked just fine, thank you!Wanna know

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-29799031022789170582009-04-21T18:57:00.004-06:002009-04-21T19:21:41.772-06:00

Can I tell you something? I like the dentist's office. Oh, not my dentist's office. Not at all! No, I'm talking about my kid's dentist. Ever since they started going there it's been an appointment I look forward to. Do you know why? It is an hour of uninterrupted Mom Time.It's not such a big deal to me now. With my three kids in school at least part of the time, I get Mom Time often enough. But

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-70943755677468591902009-04-08T11:55:00.003-06:002009-04-08T11:55:00.277-06:00

I was tagged today by everydaymom, who apparently has not picked up on the unwritten code of amusingmom to keep her identity a tip-top internet secret. But since I'm in need of some creative prompts for blog posts, I decided to take her up on the game.Here are the rules for "Keeping it Real": Take a picture of yourself right now.No primping or preparing.Just snap a picture.Load the picture onto

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-82791389648534783792009-03-29T18:24:00.003-06:002009-03-30T16:22:54.702-06:00

Do you like breakfast cereal? What about Post breakfast cereals? Do you live near a Jewel (or another grocery store in the Albertson's chain, possibly)? Here's a good deal that's going on from now through Wednesday, April 1st:Select varieties of Post cereal are on sale 2 for $3, but you must buy two to get the deal (or else they're $2.50). And you must use your preferred card. $1.50 a box sounds

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-86929238351763634942009-03-24T12:48:00.005-06:002009-03-24T13:02:07.068-06:00

I haven't posted any pampering ideas for a while, but had so much fun putting together a sample craft for my daughter's birthday party that I had to share. Isn't it cute?It's a 5 7/8" x 5 1/2" canvas bag that we found in groups of 5 for $6 at Jo-Ann Fabrics (get them for less with a coupon). I stamped it with the musical notes image and glued on the ribbon. All told, it took less than 10 minutes

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-90025587848106317642009-03-16T19:56:00.004-06:002009-03-16T20:00:20.121-06:00

Every year at this time, I find myself proud to be able to trace some of my ancestry to Ireland. And it's nice to see that I'm not the only one. Even our president has some Irish in him. If you don't believe me, watch the video - he explains it himself. Actually, watch the video anyway. YouTube wouldn't allow me to post it here. Trust me, your St. Patrick's Day isn't complete until you've seen

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-42396372744497281752009-03-08T21:13:00.005-06:002009-03-08T21:36:40.571-06:00

I came up with a new idea for blog content (which the few faithful followers I have know has been lacking as of late): Frugal Friday. These would be posts sharing a money saving idea or tip or deal alert. The only thing is, I don't expect to post them only on Friday, nor will I post something every Friday. In fact, this first frugal post isn't coming to you on a Friday. So maybe it will be a

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-21026455658331222972009-03-06T10:48:00.003-06:002009-03-06T10:58:06.650-06:00

"Let's sing a shanty," LMH said to her sisters this morning. Because that's what all kids sit around and sing, right?And so they did. Little Miss History, Timid Daughter and the Uber-Princess belted out The Drinking Gourd as solemnly, deeply, and loudly as three little white girls can."Follooooow...the dri inkin' goooourddd. Follooooooww...the dri inkin' gooourddd. The old man is a waitin' gonna

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-65862108007318133022009-02-25T16:00:00.005-06:002009-02-25T16:25:50.076-06:00

Last summer we let LMH get her ears pierced. Nine years old seemed a little young to me, but she really wanted to and her father thought it would be fine. So I agreed. We all went as a family for the big event. She was brave. Her sisters were awed.Fastforward to last month. Timid Daughter had been gleefully wearing the clip-on earrings she received for Christmas every time she could:not to the

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-12143139556890376852009-02-20T15:33:00.003-06:002009-02-20T15:44:53.819-06:00

I woke up with a question running through my brain this morning: what kind of day would it be? And along with that question came the thought: wouldn't it be nice if someone could preview our days for us and write up a handy review? That way we'd know whether we should get out of bed or just pull up the blankets and stay put.A simple movie review format would work fine for me. Give me the star

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-27156033868537845962009-02-10T16:32:00.004-06:002009-02-10T16:49:21.244-06:00

I'm getting back into scrapbooking again after some months of being away from it. The past year or two has simply been a drudgery for me. It wasn't fun, only work. And with each month that I didn't scrap or did only a little I was that much "further behind". What kind of hobby is that, really? I mean, who wants to do something with that kind of setup? Do people with other hobbies ever "get behind

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-2711725498456874522009-01-27T13:38:00.004-06:002009-01-27T13:54:03.698-06:00

Today marks the release of Jamie Ford's first novel: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet. I heard about this book through his agent as she shared on her blog different aspects of selling his book to the publisher. And somewhere along the line, probably through this agent again, I read an excerpt. It was fascinating! So take it from me (like I really know anything about it, but still), this

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-20256412038568530512009-01-24T09:36:00.004-06:002009-01-24T09:52:32.002-06:00

When you need bread where do you go? The bread store, right? I mean, where else would you get bread?Oh, you say you get yours at the grocery store?Yeah, me too. Only we used to get bread at the "bread store". Until yesterday, when Amusing Dad stopped there only to find the place shuttered - another victim to the current recession. It made me sad. There are a lot of fond memories for me because of

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-63389797424089876522009-01-15T07:51:00.003-06:002009-01-15T08:05:03.056-06:00

We went to Disney World this week, home of immersive movies, beloved cartoon characters and fast-moving roller coasters. AMusing Dad didn't get to ride the Rockin' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios theme park, which boasts an impressive exceleration from 0 to 60 in something like 2.9 seconds. But that's okay, because Southwest Airlines gave us a ride to rival that one. We traveled from

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-25411788950937164642009-01-07T14:22:00.003-06:002009-01-07T15:18:25.132-06:00

Can you remember the last time you bought a candy bar for a quarter? That was the going rate for candy when I was a kid. And if you were lucky enough to have a quarter, there was a tiny shop in town called Jimmy's that had shelves upon shelves of candy and you could squeeze in there with your friends and pick out a treat.Ah, memories! But guess what? I bought two candy bars today for 25 cents

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-84245863881071830232009-01-03T14:06:00.003-06:002009-01-03T14:34:29.208-06:00

I suppose you may have been wondering where I've been. Life has been oh so demanding during these past few weeks of winter break. I've had to help occupy my family by playing many rounds of Bananagrams. I've been baking gingerbread cookies and crafting cards, playing Mario Kart on the Wii and consuming endless calories of gingerbread cookies and other holiday goodies. Yes, I have been busy.So

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-2175992331637446392008-12-25T18:46:00.003-06:002008-12-25T19:16:20.141-06:00

This morning, in the middle of opening gifts, the Uber-princess spontaneously broke out in song. We joined her in singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. That was one of the best gifts of the morning. A sweet card that described what she likes about each member of our family ("Smart is the word for my big sister. She knows cursive."), given to all of us by Timid Daughter ranks right up there too. And

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-63041391539624434312008-12-11T13:00:00.000-06:002008-12-11T13:00:01.043-06:00

I had the chance to sit in on the preschool lesson in church this past Sunday. My little group of two-year-olds and I marched in and found ourselves a spot on the squishy mats in back and settled in to watch the big kids. Much as the two's are sweet and adorable (some of the time), often their older preschool counterparts can be even more of a hoot and both the two-year-olds and I relish taking

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-13406299687803984122008-12-10T15:27:00.002-06:002008-12-10T15:56:11.368-06:00

Aaaaah! Did you hear the big sigh of relief that emanated from my house yesterday afternoon? I fulfilled the last of my outside commitments for 2008 yesterday morning. And in the process I reached the big goal I set for myself in January. I am free!No more speaking engagements or radio interviews to prepare for. No more articles to be submitted. No more volunteer commitments to remember. No more

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-21357209731060330472008-12-01T14:45:00.002-06:002008-12-01T15:00:06.696-06:00

57,397 words written100's of games of Solitaire played in avoidance of writing48 hours of butt-in-chair, must-get-this-done effort made (roughly)12's (dozens) of cups of tea and hot chocolate consumed10 fingers worked to the bone9 different disasters incorporated into the plot (give or take a few)8 copies of the draft sent by email as back-up7 characters insinuated themselves into A Musing Mom's

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-54940358061664190572008-11-24T20:25:00.003-06:002008-11-24T20:48:47.800-06:00

I dreamt about word counts last night. I'm on the home stretch toward meeting the NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words in 30 days. So I've been clocking in a few hundred words before going to bed many nights. And yesterday I spent a few hours before that at a write-in with other NaNo folks. No wonder the dreams about word counts then, eh?Reminds me of a statistic I learned during sessions with our

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-53851145691597974902008-11-18T13:30:00.003-06:002008-11-18T15:59:07.012-06:00

When I saw this sign on our vacation last month I was tempted to buy it. How true, huh?Well, that was more than a month ago. And you might be thinking that since I'm 18 days into my noveling frenzy that it would be truer than ever. I've spent tens of hours at my computer and typed more than 73 single-spaced pages, totalling over 30,000 words. I've downed dozens of cups of hot chocolate (sorry,

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-68381982410204912392008-11-12T16:34:00.003-06:002008-11-12T16:41:46.980-06:00

Every year I make (or assemble) gifts for my children's teachers. Every year I work with one idea and use it for all three of my daughters' teachers. It's easier to focus on one single concept and I've found economies of scale in terms of cost and time by doing it this way. This year's teacher gift? A footed serving plate made by gluing a tapered candle holder to a china salad plate (or other

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-24132010793725099612008-11-08T06:49:00.005-06:002008-11-08T14:02:35.970-06:00

In life there are models to be imitated and formulas to be followed. One guarantees a specific result, the other guarantees nothing. And this is an important distinction. Make the mistake of thinking you are following a formula when you're just imitating a model can lead you to a lot of frustration and heartache. I know. I'm there.One of the hallmarks of the United States is our adherence to "the

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-74738923784305720362008-11-04T13:30:00.002-06:002008-11-04T13:40:04.177-06:00

Yeah, I know it's only a few days into the month, so what possibly could there be said at this juncture about my stunning work of creative brilliance? Not much really, except that it is historical fiction (or perhaps hysterical since I've engaged in a minimal amount of research about the time period in which it occurs) and I'm over 9,000 words into it. I'm feeling like it was wise to go all out

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-31700048586055294832008-10-31T11:56:00.002-06:002008-10-31T12:14:33.782-06:00

a great adventure! At least that's what I keep telling myself. You see, I decided it was time to keep a promise I made to myself a very long time ago. I promised that one day I would write a novel. Well, I'm not sure what I was thinking when I made that promise because I'm pretty sure it's impossible to write an entire novel in a day. So I'm fudging a little and instead I'm going to write a novel

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-75957715474041761102008-10-29T09:07:00.002-06:002008-10-29T09:22:51.599-06:00

Yesterday Timid Daughter had a wonderful first playdate with her "best friend". They have long hung out on the playground at school and TD has spoken glowingly of this friend. But an attempt last year at an extracurricular playdate failed.This school year, despite them not being in the same class, their friendship has flourished even more. So we decided to make another attempt at a playdate. TD

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-815577292201011072008-10-21T07:28:00.006-06:002008-10-21T08:00:08.419-06:00

Combine one five-day weekend, including a trip out of town, with one laptop in need of a tiny repair that the repair folks turn into a much bigger deal. Result? AMusing Mom is all out of internet sorts.I function very well with routine. Disrupt that routine and I'm honestly lost. I need to have my Monday through Friday "work week" with it's attendant flow of events. I need to have my laptop

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-54750757698014015522008-10-07T07:41:00.008-06:002008-10-07T08:10:30.566-06:00

I love that the second grade teachers at my children's school bring out the book Nobody's Mother is in Second Grade during the first few weeks of the school year. It really communicates the idea of personal responsibility quite clearly. And it's a handy tool for me to refer back to when my children want to blame me for something they should have remembered.Like today, when I reminded my fourth

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-10952302586173946362008-10-03T09:06:00.003-06:002008-10-03T11:40:36.571-06:00

It took me months of saving my allowance and paper route money to get my first Sony Walkman. It was a cutting edge piece of electronics at the time. Not only did it play tapes, but it also had an FM cassette device for listening to the radio. I had that walkman for years, and in typical teenager fashion, used it a lot.In recent years, however, the concept of personal music had all but disappeared

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-5623611231337011912008-10-01T17:34:00.005-06:002008-10-01T18:01:09.557-06:00

Okay, so I kind of feel like I do when I get a really cute new haircut. There's that whole feeling of "will anyone notice" and "will they like it", combined with the "I don't care, because I LOVE it" attitude. And then there's the surreptitious looking in the mirror, trying to steal glances at different angles, marveling that it's really still me under that glorious 'do.Yes, it's still me, A

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37037092.post-52649353992750460322008-09-27T19:39:00.002-06:002008-09-27T19:40:47.908-06:00

When I did shadow puppets as I kid I could never have imagined doing something like this. In fact, I don't really think my shadows ever looked like much of anything at all. But seeing this group makes me want to go back and give it another try.Thanks Aunt G (& Mom) for tipping me off to Pilobolus. Aren't they awesome?!

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17395699574182189503noreply@blogger.com2