We were in Alabama over the weekend . . .
. . . but not to watch the big game. 🙁 No, we were in Mobile, at Spring Hill College, to visit Emily, our oldest, for Family Weekend. Emily is a Junior, and some of us have attended the weekend each year, but this time it seemed especially important for us to be...
Savannah Smiles
For the past umpteen years (twenty, at a guess), we have spent several days in Baltimore every summer. Our very good reason for our faithfulness to Charm City as a vacation spot is that my husband was born there, and that once-a-year trip is usually the only chance...
Vacation, all I ever wanted . . .
We just returned from our summer vacation (more on that later) and I thought I would share some of what has worked for us as a big family (five kids, two parents) planning and paying for and enjoying out-of-town trips. Planning ahead is essential. I can remember...
Two Little Girls
Do you remember this little video from Sesame Street? It reminds me of me and one of my first best friends, Mary Jo, whom I met when we were about that age–six, to be exact–as first graders at St. Joseph School. We hit it off immediately and from then...
Good morning, Baltimore!
Baltimore, Maryland was not a place I ever thought much about growing up. I doubt it was on my list of places I wanted to visit. But I married a man who was born and raised in Baltimore, where his mother and other relatives still live, so I have spent a lot of time...
Pink Salt Riot
Catholics Online
Life in Every Limb on Facebook
Very interesting article, but what strikes me most is the idea that the reason we have kids is to make us happy. I am not saying that my kids don't make me happy, but that's not what my primary motivation for having children was.To me, the opportunity to be a co-creator of unique human beings is the primary reason to have kids. What do YOU think?
Since I share a post yesterday sharing what I DON'T know, today I will tell you what I DO.I wrote this many years ago, and nothing has happened since to change my mind.My basic parenting philosophy for ALL kids, from birth to adulthood can now be boiled down to just this: Love them and make sure that they KNOW you love them.That much, I know I did right.
THINGS I KNOW: Raising Teenagers - Life in Every Limb
lifeineverylimb.com
In an uncertain world, there's a certain appeal in believing that there is anything we are sure about, and pride in celebrating and sharing lessons learned and wisdom gained. And I do know a lot of th...
I first wrote this when my boys were 15 and 16. Let's just say that I had no idea then just how terrfying teens could be.Having by the grace of God raised five children to legal adulthood (my baby is 21), I can tell you that I still know very little. I have regrets and things I wish I could go back and do over. But my kids survived, and they still come home.
The Terrifying Teens - Life in Every Limb
lifeineverylimb.com
The thing about being the mother of three preschoolers is that eventually you will be the mother of three teenagers. You hear a lot about the Terrible Twos, but what about the Terrifying Teens? With t...
This falls into the annoying category of "they grow so fast" posts (spoiler alert: I have MORE), but, y'all, they DO.The "baby" in this story was 19 when I first posted this well over ten years ago, and my actual "baby" is 21 now and spending July in Germany. I've got one grown son in Philadelphia and one in San Francisco. I have no clue where all that time went.
She'll Be Gone - Life in Every Limb
lifeineverylimb.com
It's late, and I haven't had time to post anything today, so I thought I'd share something I wrote a long--VERY LONG--time ago (about 15 years ago). [edit: this happened in 1993] The incident I recoun...
I wrote this a long time ago, and I stand by it today. Maybe I am not 100% sure about the secret to a happy life, but I definitely know what it isn't.
The Secret to a Happy Life - Life in Every Limb
lifeineverylimb.com
The following is a reprint of a column that appeared in The East Tennessee Catholic in 2002. When I was pregnant with my third child, friends, family, and strangers in the mall all seemed desperate to...
