I’ve always loved planners and calendars. When I was little, my favorites were ones with puppies on them. I didn’t really have much use for them at the time but I still loved them. I’d flip through the months, oohing and ahhing at the cute puppies. I marked all my siblings’ birthdays down, even though I knew them by heart. As I entered high school … Continue reading A Giveaway! The Calendar and Planner for All Your Needs
Ok, so maybe this isn’t the classiest title I have ever come up with, but this isn’t going to be a very classy post as it is about poop. Hopefully you will forgive me for my crudeness…. Maybe you’ve seen Christmas Vacation as many times as we have and can recite the lines by heart. If that’s the case you’ll understand the picture below all … Continue reading The Day the Shitter was Full
I don’t think I will ever forget the day I found out I was pregnant with Leo. I recall the overwhelming feeling of joy and fear mixed so thoroughly together. To know that I was pregnant so soon after almost losing my life with Jake and after being counseled to never have another child again, was terrifying. But, as I stood there, shaking and crying, … Continue reading For the Love of Leo
I was sitting in my room, folding clothes, when Caroline came and asked me a question. “Mama,” she started, “is Daddy going to die?” Her questioned startled me. “I don’t think so. Why do you ask that?” I responded. She looked at me and said quietly, “Because he’s a policeman and bad guys want to kill him.” I didn’t know what to say. We have … Continue reading The Other Side of the Badge
After Mass today we stopped at the cemetery to see William. Today is his birthday. We gathered around his grave and one of the kids asked if we could sing Happy Birthday. And so, we sang. Afterward, we prayed as a family. We talked abut how old William would be had he lived and a couple of the little ones asked me if I thought … Continue reading Singing Happy Birthday to Heaven
It’s hard to believe that Chris, our elf, has been a part of our family since 2006. I saw him sitting in a little boutique in Marietta before he ever sat on shelf in Target. Not many had heard of him at that point, in fact, no one we knew had ever heard of him. I looked him over and worried about the cost. He was … Continue reading Just Elfing Around
Today in the Catholic faith we begin the season of Advent. Advent is the prayerful season in which we prepare for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Christmas morning. The word actually means “coming” or “arrival”. It starts four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. It is a wonderful time to come together to learn about our Catholic faith, … Continue reading The Jesse Tree- An Advent Tradition
Dear Mrs. McSpadden, I’m sure you are wondering why I am writing to you. You may wonder what we have in common. After all I am a white woman living in the rural south, I am a stay at home mother to 11 children, and I homeschool. I am also married to a police officer. It may seem that we are worlds apart, both in … Continue reading From One Mother to Another: A Letter to Mrs. McSpadden
I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. I wish you could see how beautiful you are; how strong you are; how giving you are; how amazing you are. I wish you could understand how proud I am of you. I wish, for just one moment, you could see yourself through my eyes. Last night you broke down in tears. You hated the way … Continue reading A Letter to My Daughter
Last night I decided to read a new book to the kids before they went to bed. It was entitled How Does Sleep Come? by Jeanne C. Blackmore. I gathered the kids in the living room and they spread themselves out all around. Some were lying on the couch, others were perched right in front of me, eager to see the pictures, and still others … Continue reading How Does Sleep Come?
tales from the side of the tub 