These Little Waves

I’m tired in the body and mind way.

I curl into my layers of covers and comfort — tea, Louie, a book.

My laptop remains closed by my side.

I lose the fight to catch up and remain quiet. It’s nice.

Go Kayli. Girlfriend loves heights, I kind of love that about her.

“Brody!” I hear. Her voice is loud, cutting, “vicious” in the sisterly way.

They’re trying to get out the door for the morning. I know that voice is more about the boots she can’t get to or the water bottle she forgot in the other room than it is about her brother.

But, still.

So I call her over, pull her close, repeat what feels like has been this week’s recording. Old tapes to me, new-ish to her.

I want her to loveembraceuse her big voice. But I’m worried that if she uses it all the time, she’ll stop being heard.

I think this is true for all of us.

Chloe’s first time ringing the bell at the tippy-top.So, so proud!

Jason and I are making a quick dinner before we’re all out the door for the night.

Spring sports haven’t started and we’ve loved every minute of the winter lull. But we’re out of practice at this and we’re rushed, harried, about-to-be-late.

But the sun is surprisingly still slightly out at this time and it eases our way into the routine.

Kayli comes downstairs to show us her outfit. She twirls, we smile.

Chloe and Brody are finishing a puzzle at the table. They’re both sock-less and the relics of their previous play trails into the other room. I let it go, because puzzles.

And Jason and I are trying to close the chasm of the workday.

He’s stirring, I’m chopping. Our kitchen is small enough that I can hear him over the whir of the fan, the rhythm of our cooking, and the chatter of our kids.

He’s describing a meeting, what he said, and how others responded.

I can picture the scene perfectly, because I’ve seen “business Jason” exactly two times — when he negotiated the sale of our town home and the purchase of our current home.

When he’s in his business mode, he doesn’t say much, so when he talks he means it, and it shows.

Brody’s first time climbing! I love everything about this picture!

I started this blog post earlier this week. I sat and started at a mostly blank screen because I didn’t know what to say.

I painted my nails, refilled my coffee (twice) and still wasn’t quite sure what words to spill. So that time I didn’t press on.

Last night I did have things I wanted to write about. The sweetness of Kayli’s fourth grade concert, the bitterness of comments sometimes written on-line, the book I’m having a deliciously hard time putting down.

But I’m re-learning the revel of not always speaking up and out and over everyone else.

There’s so very much to be said for listening, for choosing when to use that big voice, and when to quiet your words.

(Which incidentally autocorrected to “diet your words” which if you think about, is sort of fabulous.)

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I have a few articles up at allParenting that I loved writing and so want to share with you!

I curated Easy St. Patrick’s Day Party Food — a collection so fun and green, I can’t wait to try them all. It’s not too soon for a homemade Shamrock Shake, right?

I also gathered Must-Read Memoirs — a list of books I literally couldn’t put down or am ridiculously excited to start. The power of memoir is that through storytelling and storylistening, we find we’re really more similar than we are different. I love that, so much.

And last, I found Enrichment Activities for Kids — a set of activities so fun, creative, and doable, and every single one is teacher and kid-approved. Love.