A Corner Table in My World

So I decided with the recent rash of family deaths (for various and possibly genetic-carried causes) that it was time to go in and get a physical. Of course it was brought to my attention when I booked my appointment that it was (uh, past) time to have my IUD either removed or replaced with a new one. Which put Heli Dad and I in the position of having to make a decision about having, or at the least attempting to have another baby. This topic is one that has been circling in our house for a couple years. When Big Sis got pregnant with HG 4 years ago we started talking about it. At that time, it wasn’t a good time to make another attempt. Too much was going on in our lives, we were incredibly busy, stressed and, quite honestly, quite simply, it just wasn’t a good time to try. When Big Sis became pregnant with Genie nearly 2 years ago the discussion came up again. The timing was better, life was certainly looking better at that point but we put the dis...

We’ve always tried to instill a love of a physically active life style in our kids. Whether it was bike rides in the neighborhood, swimming lessons, hiking in the mountains, gymnastics, football, or simply walking to the library instead of walking – we’ve tried to make sure that they are being active, trying new things, and having fun. Because, honestly, it sort of drives us crazy (as parents) when all the kids do is sit on their butts playing Minecraft or other video games, or watching TV or movies. And let’s be frank, the more I focus on my writing career and blogging gigs the worse I’m being as an example of what they should be doing to stay active – because I’m constantly reading a book (hardcopy or on a digital device), working on my iPad or iPhone, or sitting in front of my computer writing. Which is why I push for sports and physical literacy programs. And is why Heli-Dad (even though he loves going for hikes and bike rides with the kids on th...

--> Life in our house is an ever-changing whirlwind. It is almost always busy, sometimes to the point of chaos. There’s a lot of crazy, a good dose of fun, and the occasional bad times, which are generally offset by good ones. One thing that is a constant is that life is always interesting. When the kids were young(er) chaos at our house often took the form of rampaging toddlers, mysterious stains, magically appearing messes, completely edible un-eatable meals, tantrums, tears and tiredness to the point of exhaustion. Now, well now we deal with sullen pre-teens, arguments over chores, play-dates, sleepovers and electronic play-time. We drive ourselves crazy driving to football, swimming, basketball, badminton, school functions, friends houses and the mall. Our schedules often look a kaliedscope and sometimes so conflicting that it feels like we need a time-machine just to manage it all. But there are some times when we get a break from it all. Some times...