Upon waking, I sip my coffee either upstairs or downstairs, depending on which living space is less messy. Today was a toss up. These are my slippered feet and my PJ's; that is my cat, and this is what my view usually does NOT look like in the morning. Warning: this may sound like …
Author: GriffithsKL
We didn’t like that anyway.
"We didn't like that couch anyway," my son said with the glazed look of a soldier recently returned from a violent front. In our family that sentence is code. It means: The dog just ate x. I was in bed reading. I didn't believe him at first. Mostly because my son is joking 90% of …
Memories That Define Me
Gymnastics. That defined me. We practiced two nights a week and four hours on Saturdays. Meets were Sundays. I breathed gymnastics and can still mentally perform a round-off, back-handspring, double full twist. That's 360° twice while revolving in plank position. And I can even get this 41-year-old body to perform it off a diving board. …
Love, Wrapped Up
It's Christmas time. And as Scroogie as it is to talk about this, most of what my thoughts gravitate toward is... money. I wish it weren't true. I am constantly planning how I can get awesome, appropriate, and unique gifts at the best prices. A fourth generation bargain Betty, I can't resist a thrift …
The Agnostic Goes to Church
Brittle as my polish was, and subject to my ensemble's perfection; yet it so swiftly deteriorated, as if God wanted that I should not be wearing my best, but honestly clothed in the dust I carried around each day, and would become soon enough. Impulse buying does not work with God. He wanted me to …
The Apple in my Eye
Apple picking. You can't do it at very many orchards anymore. Now I know why. We're why. Apple baseball, apple basketball, apple golf, apple Frisbee, apple explosion... those rotting apples under the trees didn't stand a chance. It got me to thinking about the element of fun inherent in destruction. It's why kids like to knock …
Excellent, Not Perfect
My greatest challenge: teaching my children. I began more than ten years ago with the crushing pack of my children's education pressing down on my shoulders, and it has become a burden light and wonderful to carry. There are some days when the weight again seems unbearable and any mistake whispers the lie: "You're …
Come Home With Your Shield Or On It
The first week back to homeschool. One week down, 31 more to go. Week increments don't sound so bad. Like marathons... just 26 miles. Week 1. The bad news is that we had tears every day. The good news: they weren't mine. I'm reading The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, in which …
Running. Literal Running. As Opposed to the Usual Figurative Running.
Running the zoo race today, my first 5K. My goal is to keep up with Gabriel. This has me thinking of the goals and benchmarks we set up for ourselves. It is good to have extrinsic motivators. I like to use them for academic purposes too. Things like spelling bees or speech events-- any platform will serve …
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Knowledge is Power
My children enjoy making "forts" to sleep in or read on, whatever. It's becoming clear to me that my children hate to use items in the manner for which they were intended. Whether it's playground equipment, stairs, dowel rods, couches, beds (that's a big one), they would rather create a new use for it because …
KL Griffiths 