Piecing it together #5

Sixth year of homeschooling, here we go! I cannot believe I’ve made it this far and that my kids and I are all in one piece. It says something for all the blogs and reviews I’ve read over the years that have helped me meld together a school program that works for our family’s goals, […]

Twizzy’s Simchat Bat

Simchat bat means the joy of a daughter! Oh, what sublime joy! Her fair, creamy skin, soft and delicious in its perfection like one of those disgustingly sweet frosting-filled cannolis from Cinzettis – this is the 12 lb rolls of baby delight named Twizzy Love. Each time we bring a daughter to her introduction to […]

F.L.E.X.I.B.L.E.

Between having a baby, starting college, celebrating the fall festivals, and a plethora of little mishaps like a clogged kitchen sink, a leaking water heater, and an emergency trip to the dentist after Noki had a close call with the deck and lost three front teeth, the past several weeks have been a flurry of […]

Completion and a new beginning

My five year old son defines wealth as the cuteness of his baby sister. “Mommy, we’re SO rich.” His earnest little face looks with adoration on Twizzy, and he constantly tells me how adorable she is and how he feels like he is as rich as a king because he gets to be her brother. […]

A rainbow after the storm is past

“Pain is only pain; unless we resist it, then it becomes torment.” I haven’t talked a lot about pain in my previous birth stories because I have always understood that the pain is truly secondary to the fact that a new life is born into the world. Yes, it’s present, but it doesn’t have to […]

Of bloody noses and yearning eyes

My children can probably set their clocks to their mama’s hormone-induced rushing about that occurs toward the end of every single pregnancy they have witnessed. This summer has been no different. My planning and organization often gets the better of me as I try to cram mercilessly fit every possible item I can into our […]

A 10th birthday blessing for my eldest daughter

It’s your 10th birthday! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone between now and when I first welcomed you into my arms. I love so many things about you – from your artistic side to your quirky sense of humor. I can’t wait to see the young woman you are revealed to […]

You have turned my mourning into dancing

…YOU have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness. Psalm 30:11 As a family, we honored the tradition of lighting a Yahrzeit candle and saying the Mourner’s Kaddish over our little boy Joshua Zion today on the one year anniversary of his death. Having had a full year to mourn and grieve has […]

Repetitio mater studiorum

“Repetition is the mother of learning.” Mention this saying to my children and they will probably muster a dramatic eye roll for you. Truth be told, we memorize a lot of things in our homeschool. Not because I adhere to everything “classical education” but because repetition comes so naturally to them in this stage of […]

Prayers that cannot be refused

“Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it; not figures of speech, but earnestness of soul.” ~ Hannah More