Category: Ethos

  • Teen Spirit

    Teen Spirit

    It’s happened: Handsome & m’self are now officially parents of a teen. Firstborn turned THIRTEEN this week… it seems like just yesterday we were nervously securing her into a fresh-from-the-box carseat to bring her home from the hospital. Since she’s apparently not a teensy infant anymore, and as such not particularly keen on fussy themed parties, she opted instead to celebrate…

  • Geek Squad

    Geek Squad

    Handsome Husband turned a year older this week. The kids and I were delighted to celebrate the guy who keeps all the plates of this family spinning, who quells the crazy with his calm, and who generously loves us with seemingly unending acts of service. Generally not one for fanfare or frivolity, honoring his special day simply…

  • WTRW- Every Day is Earth Day

    WTRW- Every Day is Earth Day

    Earth Day falls on a busy week again this year: We’re celebrating Husband’s and Firstborn’s birthdays, have a choir concert & drama production (plus dress rehearsals), plus two t-ball games on the calendar– in addition to our regularly scheduled programming. Still, teaching the kiddos to be good stewards of God’s creation is essential, and all it…

  • Books, Covers, & Homeschool Stereotypes

    Books, Covers, & Homeschool Stereotypes

    Earlier this week the girls and I joined some favorite friends on a fun and informative tour of our state capitol as a homeschool field trip. Our guide explained the history and purposes of the impressive marble building, from the state senate to the legislative house, the ornate murals to the gold man atop the…

  • What to Read Wednesday: Rainy-Day Reads

    What to Read Wednesday: Rainy-Day Reads

    Pluviophile: Any organism that thrives in conditions of heavy rainfall. One who loves rain; a rain-lover.  Surprise, surprise… this Oregonian loves rain. And what pairs better with a romantic, gray day than a mug of hot coffee and a good book against the soothing, rhythmic white-noise of rainfall? Nothing, that’s what. Rain is to reading as peanut…

  • Easter Traditions & Throwbacks

    Easter Traditions & Throwbacks

    When it comes to Easter, we’re not really bunny and egg folk– though I dig a yolky Cadbury Creme Egg as much as more than the next guy. Still, we have one time-worn tradition that helps set the holiday apart as special: Easter dresses! Easter clothes, now that I have a son. My late Grandma Norah started the fun…

  • What to Read Wednesday: A Bookworm’s Holy Week

    What to Read Wednesday: A Bookworm’s Holy Week

    Happy Holy Week! Sunday was Palm Sunday; Holy Thursday, Passover, Good Friday, and  Resurrection Sunday are later this week. Accordingly, for this week’s What to Read Wednesday I’m sharing our favorite Easter book, as well as a few random titles we’ve recently completed. Be sure to also check out the most popular post shared last week,…

  • Lan Su Chinese Garden

    Lan Su Chinese Garden

    We were blessed to take a wee homeschool field trip with some visiting Montana friends recently, zipping north to rendezvous in bustling Portland where we discovered a hidden oasis amid the skyscrapers and food trucks. The Lan Su Chinese Garden is an echo of the lushly appointed parks tucked away within seemingly every city in China.…

  • Spring Fever

    Spring Fever

    Surest Signals of Springtime– Crocus cups and croaking frogs; daffodils, tulips, and cherry blossoms. Babbling brooks, bunnies, and a bevy of birds; creeping caterpillars and clumsy calves. Conflict of compulsions to copiously clean or marinate amid moss and mud.