A Running Collection

On days like these. The day that William can't communicate without a siren whine. The day George is gone from sun up to sun down. The day it rains all day long. The day that has clinging fingers on arm at all times. The day that sitting still doesn't happen. The day that I would happily walk out the front door if anyone walked in the front door willing to take a shift. Days like these.  I'm glad to post pictures from the sunny day. From the day Amelia stayed cuddled with Laura Ingles Wilder for hours. The day they went out and played soccer while William hunted and drove his car all over the place and his airplane took off and landed over and over. The day George Wilder and William couldn't stop making music.   It isn't supposed to be pure bliss and it isn't. Quick thinking is a must. We play legos, we put noodles through holes in a strainer, we toss a little ball, we build with blocks, we sing songs and more songs and more songs. We have warm soup for ...

 The snake and the manatee were under the Christmas tree. They'd picked them out. Incorporated into daily routines, play time, car rides, bedtime, mealtime -- they even take them up into the trees.  A manatee in a tree. They called me outside to watch their show. At the base of the trampoline, manatee sat silently with snake curled up on her head. They told me it was the sign that the show was going on. "Your mascot?" I asked. "Maybe you could make a flag with them on it, so you could carry it in your show or have signs posted for the show. Immediately, papers, pencils, markers, scissors, rulers, sketch books, drawing books, ideas, and chatter were scattered across the floor. Two hours later they returned with a name for their show, flags, signs and posts for pay. Amelia thought they should wear plaid. They found plaid.  I paid for William and I. Four quarters. Two for each of us.  They sang "Let's Go Fly A Kite" -- completely choreogra...

I had a job interview on Friday. It came in the midst of some rather    massive milestones in our lives. George was in San Francisco at a conference – a very important juncture for him. We signed a contract on a house a few days before he left and the loan company wanted lots of information from my files and from my bank accounts and from my life. The children needed dinner and breakfast and an education. Animals needed feeding. Normal life had to run and so did this new rising. I’ve wanted to get back to work, and it seemed close, but I didn’t realize it could be right under my nose! And here I was, with an interview.  I thought a lot about our world and the world of the company -- A family, run dairy and restaurant in need of a marketing coordinator. A place George and I have loved since we arrived in Tallahassee. They have their own cows and goats and pigs and chickens and they make amazing cheese! Coordinator. I think I focused too much on my pr...

Taking Shape. We are glad when things seem to be shaping up and when our children seem to interfere with that process, we ask them to shape up too. We like to be in shape. No one wants to be "out of shape."  Shapes. We like to feel shape. The children are shapers. They shape building blocks into playgrounds and horse barns.  They shape sticks into harpoons for hunting wild animals they might encounter in the midday sun. They take their pencils and shape ovals and sticks into beautiful birds and flowers. Oh, but when it is time for something new, something they might mess up, then they get frustrated that it won't be perfect the first time. They feel out of shape and don't want to start the "shaping" process. It's time to remind them, and mostly myself, that no one gets it right the first time. Experimenting, trying, recreating, mixing this and that. So George Wilder decided to take a first solo step into the kitchen. The m...