General consensus holds that Nell at Whole Parenting Family may be the most encouraging blogger the Internet has ever known. It is a gift to call her friend and a riot to watch our behemoth six-month olds drool at each other while their older siblings run wild and feign polite play together. (Some day they will all be in therapy for the things their mothers wrote about them online, so we are glad to encourage budding friendships from a young age.) Nell embodies graciousness and hospitality, both online and In Real Life, and it is a delight to have her kicking off Week Two of the blog book tour for Everyday Sacrament! Nell is not only the queen of crunchy living and sage parenting philosophies, and the creator of gorgeous baby items at her Etsy shop, she's also a genius at giveaways. So head over to win a copy - or one to give as a gift! (While you're there, check out her hysterical photo of aforementioned baby Goliaths. Our almost birthday twins - one day apart!) And tune in … [Read more...] about the blog book tour: day 4! whole parenting family
friendship
a new year: what to treasure, what to trash
We've been playing endless rounds of Sorry! Two, three, four games a day aren't enough for my boy's insatiable appetite. Maybe it's the combination of cards with numbers (which he's always loved) and games for a group (which he's learning to love). Or maybe it's because beloved cousins introduced him to the board game at the cabin over New Year's, thus cementing in his 4 year-old mind the concrete connection of coolness that links friends and getaway and holiday. Whatever the reason, we're stuck playing Sorry! from morning till night. There are worse childhood games to get roped into, as any adult who's ever tried to cheat to end Candyland can attest. And I actually enjoy playing Sorry! (at least the first time or two) because it takes me back to sprawling on the living room floor as a kid, flipping over the dog-eared deck to crow at the cards that would send my younger brothers back home. Even more than Memory, this game offers enough surprise and strategy to hold a grown-up's … [Read more...] about a new year: what to treasure, what to trash
mary & elizabeth: back booth, corner bar
We met up at a sports bar, around the corner from the dive where we used to dance until dawn, down the street from the stadium where we spent all those Saturdays every fall. The place was packed with football fans flocking inside from the swirling snow, beer flowing before noon, TV announcers barking out touchdowns and tackles on the sound system blasting overhead. But in the back corner booth it still felt like our small world again - the world that was cozy enough for one college quint and wide enough for all of us to dream our ways into something bigger. The gift of friends who pick up exactly where we left off. We laughed and caught up and cracked old jokes like we always did. Except this time when we hugged, we each bumped bellies. Four babies on their way to join us. How far we've come down this road together. One friend is set to deliver in just a few weeks, and as my husband and I drove home we reminisced about the wonder of that moment, the tipping point when you … [Read more...] about mary & elizabeth: back booth, corner bar
and our hearts forever…
Forgive me, friends. Today I can think of nothing but Notre Dame. We're playing for a National Championship for the first time in decades. And I say "we" because Notre Dame is a place and a people that have always been plural: ours, us, we. Our team hasn't gotten this good or this far since I was a child, but I couldn't sleep last night as if it were Christmas Eve, thrilled with what the prospect of this day might hold. Regardless of the game's outcome, it's a day that Domers will never forget. Last night as I lay awake in the dark, I thought about how Notre Dame has changed my life. All the "soggy sentimentalism" of an alum, of course. Because it was where I made my closest friends. Where I fell in love with the suavest engineer this side of South Quad. Where I learned how to be part of something bigger than myself. Where I even learned to follow football - the sport I swore I'd never understand, let alone love - as it taught me rituals all its own. But as my thoughts trailed … [Read more...] about and our hearts forever…
