Soaring and Stillness: Life with the Chickadees

Taking five... 1. The Big's solo costume came in via UPS. We were all extremely thankful it arrived, seeing as she needs it to compete next weekend in GA. 2. My brother. sil, and niece left North America to live overseas for at least the next four years. Most likely for their lifetime...it's for work and I know they'll love it, but saying goodbye via phone and Skype was bittersweet. 3. Little Bit finished second grade math and is almost done with second grade english. She's only six...Looks like I need to order new curriculum and write into ABC asking them to do a show called "Dougina Howser". Wink. 4. We played rousing games of both Quirkle and Bananagrams all weekend. I highly recommend these to anyone who wants to have fun but not spend hours at a time on a game. 5. I spent a lot of time in prayer. God really kept me on my knees this week...I usually pray a ton, but my heart was extra burdened. Between my best buddy just not getting any better, Joanne in...

She needs a friend. She searches it out in me, her Mama. The one who sets the rules, makes her brush her still falling out baby teeth, tailors her curriculum, disciplines, and tucks her into bed at night. I look forward to the day where I am less parent and more friend, but that is a good decade or more in our future. She desires it now ...and it makes me wistful that I cannot yet gift it to her. For the time being, I am charged with shaping her heart. She needs a comrade to pal around with, giggle, and share secrets...with which she can be a goof. Her soul, sweet and tender, often bruised by the unkindness of those around her. She’s always been Sensitive Intuitive Reactive In one-too-many ways, grown-up before her time Being incredibly intelligent doesn’t help things; other ten in less than two weeks eleven year olds don’t enjoy better yet prefer conversations with adults or consider those three to four years older “peers”. Most of the tweens she knows are into Tiger Beat magazi...

I said last Thursday I'd back on Monday... Or, on Tuesday.... smile Because Monday? It got away from me. ___________________________ ...He was there with me. I was not alone. I mean, I've sung the perennial favorite What a Friend We Have in Jesus and read the poem Footprints more times than should be allowed by law, but coming to the realization that He never leaves me was to say the least daunting. In fact, if examined from a logical viewpoint, even a bit creepy, as pointed out to me by my then three year old. “Mama, does God watch over you when you’re sleeping?” asked Little Bit as I snuggled her into bed a few years ago. Never skipping a beat my reply was, “You betcha!” “Even when you get out of bed to go to the bathroom,” she paused “Is He there, too?” She sounded slightly nervous at this point, and I was beginning to get her drift. My response, blithely, was to the effect that she’d never need to be weary of the dark again. Unfortunately, I should have been a bit clear...

Friday is all about taking five...five minutes, five instances (good, bad, or ugly), five memories, five reasons to be thankful for the week or simply grateful that it's over. 1. I'm most thankful this week that my amazing husband let me fall asleep on the couch last night. Yes, seriously. Best three hours of my week, hands down. I've not been sleeping consistently, so when I fell asleep during the second showing of White Collar at 11p.m., he sat next to me and let me snooze...until I woke at 1:40a.m. Although he had to leave for work at dark-thirty, he remained there because I looked so restful and he didn't want to wake me. What did I ever do to deserve this man? 2. I chose not to get groceries last night because all of the handicapped spaces were full at Kroger. All the close spots were gone too. Seriously, has no parking lot engineer ever heard of the Americans with Disabilities Act? Sometimes I wonder. It was one of those days where you feel every joint before a s...

I've planned to do this post in a few segments, a little now and a bit later; I'm working on thoughtful consideration. _________________________________________ Have you ever been in a ditch, either literally or figuratively? Were you able to climb out? Did strangers appear and lend a hand, or was it close friends and family? Or ... Were you left, alone, just wondering if you’d ever be rescued? I’ve never literally been in a ditch. We’ve had car issues of course, and I remember a few accidents and being “stranded” as a kid, but in a ditch? Nope. However, I’ve seen multiple cars in a such a spot. Cell phones come out and friends arrive. People stop. I think that physical ditches are a whole lot easier to escape from. You might need a tow truck, but generally, you are visible there. Given aid. Lifted up. Freed. It’s the figurative ditches that tend to do us in. The ones that people have no idea we’re trapped in...Maybe we’ve fallen there, or maybe we’ve dug them for ourselves. N...

I've been quiet for the last month, mostly due to the fact that the holiday and travel in addition to school, dance, and real life was pretty much all I could handle. I'm working on getting back into the swing of things and figured when Sara needed an off day I'd jump back into blogging. Yep, that's how all the wildly overachieving kids do it...guest posting on GitzenGirl . Wink. I plan on being much more regular. It's good for the spirit, and reminds me that I'm something other than a mother and wife and homeschooler... Sparkle. Such a simple word; it brings to mind images of stars in the night sky, engagement rings, and bright, wonder-filled eyes. Sparkle. I’m taking liberties and off the cuff calling it a scientific phenomenon that was witnessed and documented copiously with digital images. Sparkle. It is what five humans are capable of doing when put together in a cozy condo for four glorious days. We did all of the “usual” stuff...trips to Sonic for Happ...

This has been an off week here in the nest...I'm attributing it to all of our activities resuming a "fast forward" mode after Thanksgiving weekend. Or, perhaps it is just me. Either way, there's never a dull moment around here. Taking 5 is about moments. We've enjoyed them aplenty. A highlight of the top 5... 1. Our leggy wonder danced at an event which benefits Children's Hospital called "Fantasy of Trees". On the eve of Thanksgiving, we watched our girl do both Kickline and Bollywood. I keep marveling at how she's grown, but realized she still looks bitty next to all of the other lasses. A big treat of the evening was having one of Little Bit's dearest friends (and mine too) come and join us to watch our Big. My absolute favorite part of it all was watching maybe the sweetest six and seven year old on the planet walk around, hand in hand, looking with wonder at sparkling trees and gingerbread houses. It was magical... JUST LIKE THEM. 2. M...