Tales from a Mid-Lifer

  • Annul a 20-year marriage with 7 kids?

    Throwback Thursday 5/26/2013 I ran into an old friend of my Mom’s a few weeks ago at the grocery store.  This woman’s husband left her 15+ years ago with 7 young children.  He left her for a younger woman and his relationship with the kids is estranged at best. Embracing…

  • We’re Taking Bad Manners to a Whole New Level

    Remember when we used to think that it was rude if someone didn’t RSVP to a party but showed up anyway? Maybe more of an etiquette issue, but remember when your grandmother was aghast in the 1990s when people started wearing jeans to church on Sundays? How about a few…

  • Wordless Wednesday…With Frigid Words

    At -11 degrees F, it’s truly miraculous that these beautiful trees experience rebirth every spring.

  • You’re More Than Your Looks, My Daughter, Friend, Sister…

    (Photo:aliexpress.com) One of my daughters is a major fashionista. From the moment we said “yes” to makeup at 13, she wore it daily. Now 19, her wardrobe far surpasses anyone else in the house. I’m fine with it except for the now and then when she begins focusing too much…

  • Paying for Other’s Bad Behavior Is Making Me a Little Cranky

    Now in my mid 40’s, I’ve officially experienced enough of life where paying (in time or money) for other people’s bad behavior, no-show tendencies, and last-minute procrastination is making me cranky. Over my adult life, when I or my kids have received unfair treatment, I’ve definitely handled it firmly, but…

  • Wordless Wednesday – Winter through the Window

  • Throw Back: The TV Show “The Middle” is Funny! Everything Else “Middle”… Not So Much

    Sure we all like the show The Middle.    But I like little else involving “The Middle”. How about you? Middle Age is surprisingly everything everyone older than me said it was. There really are aches and pains when you wake up in the morning. You really do notice that…

  • Wordless Wednesday – School Supplies

    Shopping for my kids school items….then:      🙂   🙂   🙂 And now:       😦   😦   😦

  • Wordless Wednesday – Happy Faces

    photo credit:lovethispic.com

  • Teenage Privacy…Is it OK to spy on your teens’ texts? Internet history? Surf their social media? Yep!

    Is it okay to look through your kids’ bedroom drawers? Read their texts? Surf their internet history? When my children first began high school, I had more interest and opportunity to do all of those things. They were still figuring out what was acceptable and what wasn’t. I was extremely…

  • Christian Differences

    Evangelical Christians do not usually make the sign of the cross across their body. Catholics always do. My husband and I grew up doing so until we changed churches after we were married. Recently, as we prayed over a holiday meal, the people eating at our home thought it wasn’t…

  • My Empty-Bucket List

    Throwback Thursday 5/31/2013 For many years, I’ve conducted an activity with my college students, asking them to create their own version of the famous “Bucket List”.  I warn them that the list should not include professional goals necessarily, but rather focus upon the “really neat”, “exciting”, “extraordinary”, places, events, activities,…