We awoke to a breakfast table including this (quick--cover your keyboard to avoid shorting it out from drool):A bowl full of chocolate croissants!I love this country.Also, we were offered some of this Belgian bread:We had some of both, of course, because you know what they say...when in Belgium, eat as the Belgians eat.Shortly after, we saw yet another pleasant … [Read more...]
Ichthus Smoke, Lye Bread, and Other Minor Travel Notes
To save some money, we purchased tickets that required several connections. Had the trip gone without a single glitch, our total traveling time would have been longer than ever before.Unfortunately, the trip had a glitch. So the trip was wayyyy longer than ever before.The glitch doesn't even include the 14 or so Eagle Scouts on the long, transatlantic flight who stayed up … [Read more...]
Where O Where Has This Blogger Been?
Hi, faithful readers!Perhaps you've been thinking, "Where's Ann? This isn't her usual pattern to let things sit for days on end. Why isn't she posting?"Or maybe you're summer-busy with swimming pools and sprinklers, and haven't really wondered or cared.Well, whether you care to know or not, I'll explain.I've been busy getting ready to go here.Every few years, a big event … [Read more...]
Leftover Spaghetti? Try a Spaghetti Pancake!
Sometimes the kids slurp up great gobs of spaghetti; other times, they nibble one small bowl and announce that they're finished. Because I never know which response is coming, I make enough for a "great gobs" night. Last week's spaghetti night, however, was a "nibble" night. I had a lot of leftover noodles. We don't mind leftovers for lunch or dinner, so heating … [Read more...]
Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places
When I was relatively new to blogging, every once in a while I'd be scanning comments on somebody's post and spot one by L.L. Barkat. I'd read the well-formed response and think, "Wow. That person's smart!" I wasn't sure, at first, if this person was male or female. No photo confirmed gender, and the initials L.L. didn't help me know for certain. At some point I finally … [Read more...]
Several Summer Solutions to "Mom, I’m Bored!"
To avoid hearing kids exclaim "I'm bored!" in the summer months, it's tempting to fill the weeks ahead with camps and clubs and outings and activities, isn't it? Maybe we think, Keeping them busy keeps them out of trouble. Or, They gain skills they wouldn't have time to develop during the school year. And although not everyone will admit to it, there's the argument, … [Read more...]
Uninterrupted Conversation? This Can Happen?
After 14 years of parenting, I'm about to find out.We parents of four are going on a little outing, just the two of us.Seven years ago was the only time we've traveled anywhere on our own since we've had kids--a short, chilly camping trip. We like camping with the kids, and we hate to complain, but we're hoping to improve on that a little bit.Since then we've tried to go … [Read more...]
Crockpot Broth
** Excuse me...this should be titled Crockpot Stock **Turkey breasts were on sale last week at Kroger, so I bought one and cooked it all day in the crockpot.We enjoyed it as our main course this evening. After dinner, The Belgian Wonder cut every morsel of meat from the carcass. We'll use the leftovers in sandwiches.Then super-frugal, domestic Ann put the carcass … [Read more...]
The End of Fun as We Know It?
Until Robin pointed it out, I didn't realize that there was a traveling carnival bopping around the blogosphere called "Fun Monday." It's shared by several bloggers, so there isn't one central location (though Robin decided to set up a clearinghouse of all the previous Fun Mondays here).Today's Fun Monday invited participants to post photos or descriptions of their … [Read more...]
If You Could Ask Jesus Anything…
In an earlier post, I listed several questions that I find worth asking of myself. Occasionally I ask these questions of others.Kerry at The Ten 0'Clock Scholar proposed that I ask them of my blog-readers. And I thought, "Why not?"Here's the first question:If you could ask Jesus anything and know you’d get an answer, what would you ask Him?I got this question from Garry … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Enjoy Everyday Fun with Chores
Daily life can be such a drag, so blah. The chores can be tedious. The drive to work, dull. Some days can be reduced to scrub, swipe, fold, wash, rinse, repeat; others, to conquering an overwhelming to-do list or in-box. One way to approach the daily grind is simply to take a deep breath and dig in, applying self-discipline, determination, willpower, and grit. … [Read more...]
7 Keys to a Happier Mother’s Day
Sure, we hope to be honored in some way on Mother's Day. And some of us will. For some of us, Sunday will be a day of extravagant gifts and champagne brunches. Some of us will have creative spouses and industrious children with lots of resources and initiative--we'll have scones and strawberries for breakfast in bed, and chocolate truffles with lunch. Or our … [Read more...]
13 Tips for Finding Free Time for Mom (without multi-tasking!)
Finding free time for mom—at least, for this mom—used to seem impossible. People would suggest multi-tasking as a way to gain time, but multi-tasking simply doesn't work for me. Research reveals the inefficiency of multi-tasking; as quantity of work goes up, something suffers. A 2008 report called "Cramming the Most into Time" on ABC World News with Charles Gibson affirmed … [Read more...]
Multi-tasking Doesn’t Work for Me
Multi-tasking has never really worked for me. I've tried. Over the years, I've felt like there are many times when I've had no choice but to do a dozen things at once. But when I do that regularly—when multi-tasking is my mode of operation, nonstop, every day, from sun-up to sundown, I get agitated. I feel all frenzied and harried. I leave one of the two or seven … [Read more...]
Indiana Voters-in-Training
I could have gone by myself to vote, but I didn't. Instead, I took all four kids with me late this afternoon. I like for them to see the process.They watched as an acquaintance from our neighborhood flipped the pages of a three-ring binder with names and addresses to "K" and pointed to my name. They watched me sign.A volunteer offered them each a malted milk ball and … [Read more...]
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