August means allergy season in our house. Sneezing, eye-rubbing, and allergic salutes can be seen performed by any one of three family members. My entire life has been plagued by seasonal allergies. It is easy to recognize the signs in two of my sons (one has luckily escaped this fate). By this time of year,…
I was telling a friend this weekend, as we stared at a tub of old doll clothes, my grandmother made all the Barbie Doll clothes my sister and I had in the late 60’s and early 70’s. There were gorgeous velvet formal dresses to skimpy bathing suits and modest cover-ups. All we needed to purchase…
Last night I had trouble sleeping. What’s new, right?! I have written about my problem with insomnia before. When I went to bed, I read as I usually do. I felt sleepiness and relaxation coming over me, slowly overtaking my limbs, creeping up to my eyelids, making them heavy enough to fall. I shut out…
Due to changes in the laws regarding privacy and such, a parent is no longer able to access health records, tuition bills, or any kind of private communication deemed to be for your “adult” son or daughter once they turn 18. I am finding this hard to deal with. In early June, my second college…
Today, our front porch was cleaned, as I was expecting a guest. The front porch is only a small spot, taking up a square of five feet by five feet. It attracts spiders with their cobby webs, other dead insects and plant debris. It is somewhat dark and not all that inviting. Plants do not grow…
Over the years, I have known many of my friends to take time away from their families. Mind you, this isn’t, and not meant to be, an extended break. Most of it consists of a day or a weekend; some might possibly take a week. The time spent away might be a trip required for…
May becomes June Seriously, I do not know what happened to the month of June this year! Having an extremely busy May due to a high school graduation, family coming in from out-of-town, applying for an interim seat on our school board, and getting 400+ school children in the school garden to plant, as well…
Looking at my drafts file, there are a lot of things I could write about today. But, what’s on my mind is finding joy. Over the last year, this emotion has seemed elusive to me – so elusive that I find myself now consciously looking for it. Once again, it’s been a time of transition…
“Who are you again?” My three-year old asked my sister-in-law while sitting on her lap on a ferry at Walt Disney World ushering them from the Animal Kingdom to Epcot Center in the early evening. It was a mild October night and they were off to meet my husband and oldest child who were already…
Recently, we had family here for one of our son’s high school graduation ceremonies. It’s been a busy few weeks as we elected to have his party last weekend, the week following our family visit and the actual ceremony. So, this week has been the first chance there has been some time to slow down…