Sarah Rise Weekly Updates

I don’t know if I have mentioned that one of Sarah’s favorite songs is Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” More often than not that is what is playing in our house on repeat. When Carl and I got married it was the second song we played at our reception, so we don’t mind hearing it one… Read more »

Friends! On Friday, we saw Sarah with her school friends and it filled our hearts. Well, Carl’s and mine. Amy was rather jealous whenever Sarah was part of her school group getting pictures taken before their performance at the St. Anthony School Program holiday party. The way Amy expressed her jealousy was by complaining about… Read more »

Last Sunday we got our Christmas tree and decorated it. This process was less stressful than it has been in some years. I gave myself more time to get organized before the kids came to help, and I set up a card table with hooks and ornaments. This made for a more controlled process instead… Read more »

Happy Thanksgiving! This year was possibly the least stressful, most relaxed Thanksgiving I’ve had since becoming a parent. I kept thinking that I must have been forgetting to do something. I did almost all of the cooking ahead of time so it was just a matter of reheating for the actual feast. Carl facilitated packing… Read more »

On Monday Amy fell during an indoor flag football game in PE and hurt her left thumb. It was swollen and bruised. She told me about it just as we were getting ready to go to swim lessons, so I didn’t do anything about it. Tuesday  Sarah and Amy and I tried in vain to… Read more »

Carl had Veteran’s day off, which was fortunate since Sarah had a half day, but I was teaching and wouldn’t be home in time to meet her bus. Carl met her bus and later picked Amy up from her after-school activity. He also took Sarah to the park to ride her bike. She is getting… Read more »

Trick-or-treating went well. It wasn’t too cold and the sun was even shining when the girls started out. Amy went with some friends of hers and Sarah went with Anna. Carl and I stayed at home to hand out candy, realizing how little we were needed as parents at that moment. Everyone was well all… Read more »

Happy Halloween! Tonight we will have one house, two sorceresses, and one intersection walk sign that changes color and flashes. Carl’s costume, that he made, is the walk sign and Sarah absolutely loves it. When she first saw it she held it against herself, said she was a walk-sign robot, and said, “beep boop beep… Read more »

We are enjoying a wonderful weekend with Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop. There have been Conversations with Mom-Mom, where Sarah and Amy play with Mom-Mom in her room. Sarah, sometimes known as Door, falls and breaks her nose and needs the aid of Dr. Mouse, also played by Sarah. Speaking of doors, Carl and Sarah went to… Read more »

Surrounded by the silent cacophony of my own judgements about my feelings, I cease to notice them as optional. Inspired by Glennon Doyle’s encouragement to not abandon myself, I have started to notice when I condemn my reactions and to stop the condemnation and start accepting the feelings as rational. For example, yesterday had some… Read more »