Be Still, My Beating Heart

Jack? In kindergarten? How can it be...? Everyone seems delighted with this arrangement and there was an air of excitement as all the kids prepared for the first day of school. Still, there was a small wrenching of my heart as Jack jumped out of the car and trundled off to class with nary a backward glance...

After You...

The elevated temperatures can make even the most laid-back fellows feel hot and cranky, so I was delighted to see patience and good manners on display at the playground water fountain. Maybe these little guys could teach the parents in our school car lines a thing or two about waiting your turn with good grace...

Perspective

A neighbor invited a few families to a spur-of-the-moment cookout at her little bit of beachfront and I have to say it was a refreshing change from the usual. Why are we sometimes so challenged to step outside our spheres? Even the kids show a tendency to fall into a rut. Dinner at the beach? On a school night? With banjo-accompanied songs around the campfire? YES, we say, why NOT?!

Whisked Away

Mostly, I find myself alone in the kitchen except for the occasional passerby foraging for snacks. So when someone wants to jump into the fray, by all means, I say put on an apron and let's get down to it. If children grow up with an appreciation for home cooked foods made from scratch, they are that much more likely to eat well once they start cooking for themselves. Or better yet, once they start cooking for me!

Little Wonders

Jack's was astonished and delighted with this "underground" fountain; his brief moment of water play was a good reminder to stop and appreciate the small joys of any ordinary day...