"A good movie has memorable scenes, and so does a good life." - Donald Miller A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned To Live a Better Story by Donald Miller has been such an enjoyable book to read! I'd highly recommend it, especially for those who are feeling discouraged about life or … Continue reading A Good Life Has Memorable Scenes
I felt a strong urge to write today. Not sure why, but will see what unfolds. It's been a very long season walking this mental illness with Isaac. We can't believe it's been almost a full year since his manic episode in Hawaii during his first months of college at the University of Hawaii at … Continue reading Loving Isaac
Sonya, you are so well loved, and your friends and family think so highly of you. Here are some of their wishes for you in the coming years as you celebrate your birthday! I wish that she makes it to 100 - Jadyn Dalrymple My wish for mom: I wish and hope that she feels … Continue reading Happy Birthday Wishes to Sonya!
Earlier this year, I had an idea to gather girls and women of all ages in the kitchen so we could spend more time together and learn from each other.
We were playing a version of the $20,000 Pyramid's Winner's Circle recently with some tween-aged girls at the After School Writing Club I lead with BreckCreate. The category was, "Things Parents Say." The first thing the clue-giver said was, "No!" Is that what parents are known for? The nay-sayer, the joy-kill, the hammer. We all laughed, but … Continue reading Say, “Yes”!
For those of you who know me well, you know what I love: family, the outdoors, music, friends, adventure. For this holiday season, I thought I'd share a "few of my favorite things" that are a part of my every day world that could also offer unique gift ideas for others. National Parks National Parks … Continue reading A Few of My Favorite Things
Has something ever taken you out of life for a season - perhaps an injury, a loss, or even a bad decision? I can only imagine as shock starts to slowly bleed into reality. "This is real. This is happening." It's probably like watching a movie and wishing you could push rewind to rewrite the … Continue reading Broken
Our family has always enjoyed hiking. Since the kids were toddlers, we took them exploring on trails and jumping in rivers, lakes, and streams all over Texas. As they've grown, the distances of our hikes have also grown. Over the last four years, we've chased popular trails all around the Western US, hiking through most of the National … Continue reading Take Them Hiking
As we near the end of our active winter season, I gave myself a treat and holed up in our snowglobe of a home to put together our family fall slideshow. It evoked so many different emotions I wasn't anticipating. This was the first year our boys went full-time to public school, and their absence … Continue reading Seasons Change
If you asked me on Monday morning what I was doing on Wednesday, I would not have known. By mid-afternoon, I had plans to play tennis with my friend, Amy. By Tuesday morning, our plans had changed, and we were going to snowboard/ski together instead at Keystone! And then Tuesday afternoon, I got a text … Continue reading Staying Flexible
Today we got a little treat. It felt like a reward for 13 hard-earned years of parenting a very passionate child. I had planned to take this middle son of ours out to dinner for his monumental 13th birthday, some special time with just Don and me. We had gifts to shower on him. But I … Continue reading A Reward
Several years ago, I thought of a mantra to share with my middle child: Work Is Hard. Work Is Good. Work Takes Time He would repeatedly get frustrated when his schoolwork or chores were more challenging or time-consuming. I felt like it was because he had wrong expectations and beliefs. Most of our frustrations in … Continue reading Work is Good
When we were married, we asked a special mentor couple of ours to share some words of wisdom and encouragement to us during our wedding ceremony. Brenda shared many wise words with me, but what I remember most was her saying to "Be a Memory Maker." To me, that meant setting up the scene for … Continue reading Be a Memory Maker
Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign. . . to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is … Continue reading Love Leaves Its Mark
"We're going to learn your song." "Why? - Because that's what bands do. We play each other's songs." --Mr. Schneebly, a.k.a. Dewey Finn, a.k.a. Jack Black - School of Rock Our whole family loved watching the movie, School of Rock this week. We still can't believe we've never seen it before. My husband was a … Continue reading That’s What Bands Do
I don't know exactly why this topic fascinates me so much. I think I love watching it in action and seeing - does "ownership" really matter or make a difference in the way kids behave? Parenting is such a tricky job, and we really want our children to grow up to be independent adults who … Continue reading Ownership
So, Don and I have been inspired to really simplify our lives. We already lean strongly towards a more minimalist mindset, but with kids over the year "stuff" and "clutter" has snuck in and taken over! How did we end up with more plastic things than we ever thought we'd need in a lifetime! Some … Continue reading Preparing for Christmas
My husband and I have been talking recently about how much influence we really have on what interests/hobbies our kids pursue. Are they just born with certain innate talents and inevitable interests? We have our own ideas about what we think would be best or fun for them to do, but offering it to them … Continue reading Helping Kids Find & Pursue Their Own Interests
In the past, I've let my kids build with blocks, Magnetix, Tinker Toys, Superstructs or even Legos while they listen to me read. In many ways it allowed them a heightened sense of attention and focus. There's much evidence to support this practice, especially for kinesthetic learners. It was successful for my kids as long … Continue reading Thinking Putty
Well, this was unlike any Spring Break I was anticipating. We wanted to hike! We planned some local hikes with friends and tentatively planned a camping trip out to Big Bend. But instead, we all came down with the flu. Of course, if asked, we'd all say we wish we didn't have it, but we'd … Continue reading Spring Break Sweet Times
As parents, we become keenly aware of time. We watch it slip between our fingers with every inch that our children grow, every new opportunity or challenge they step into. We try our best to nurture an authentic relationship with open communication, but sometimes between the soccer practices, mealtime frenzy, or household chores, we miss … Continue reading Connecting with Our Children
Leo Babauta wrote an excellent article titled, "9 Essential Skills Kids Should Learn." His last one was "Dealing with Change." He says: "Life is an adventure, and things will go wrong, turn out differently than you expected, and break whatever plans you made — and that’s part of the excitement of it all." My husband … Continue reading Comfortable with Change
I thought I was signing up my children for a foal care course, but it surely must have just been code for "Parenting Class 101." We attended our second class today, and it just gets better and better. This morning, I decided that I'm going to buy my pregnant sisters a horse-training book rather than any … Continue reading Parenting and Horse Training
Austin offers many opportunities for local hikes and nature study. And as part of our school routines, we try to hit a different park or trail each week. You can pack a bag with simple staples like nature journal, pencils, bird/tree guide, water and snacks and quickly head out the door. Or bring your … Continue reading Austin Trails and Parks
A few months ago I had a completely euphoric feeling as I sat back and listened to my son's guitar teacher playing for us. I could have listened to her forever. I got excited as I also imagined being able to one day listen to him jam for us. And then it all clicked - … Continue reading Music in Our Blood
I was reading a book on education a while back, and one quote stuck with me in regards to teaching children: Inspire, not require It is much more effective, not to mention more enjoyable and energizing. I've made the mistake too many times with my son assuming that assigning a task will produce a positive, … Continue reading To Inspire
The other weekend, I dropped off some things at Goodwill. This wasn't a regular drop off of old sheets, clothes, or shoes. In my trunk, I had a few items that represented the kids' toddler years. Preschool games, toys, etc. that had been collecting too much dust and finally had just taken up too much … Continue reading Growing Up
We are a pretty active family and always enjoy a great hike. Now that our kids are older, though, they are also able to mountain bike while we run along beside them. We've discovered new local trails in the process, great for mountain biking beginners, in addition to our tried and true favorites like Twin … Continue reading Easy Trails
Don and I started "Sunday Soccer" in 2009 when the boys' fall soccer season came to an end. He casually asked the team families if they'd like to meet at Zilker park on Sunday at 2 for a pick- up game of parents and kids. I remember the first Sunday, only one other family joined … Continue reading Sunday Soccer
Do you look people in the eyes when you speak to them? Do they look back into your eyes? I learn so much about a person from just their eyes. Sometimes I feel like I can see right through if I get the privilege of a few moments of eye contact. Joy, sadness, freedom, bondage, … Continue reading Eyes
I have a love for books and also a weird attraction to "developmental toys." I could have been one of those Discovery Toys salespeople or a Learning Express Toy Store Owner! I am most attracted to toys that I know the kids can use their imagination and play with over and over. For Younger Kids: … Continue reading Favorite Games and Toys
Don and I have been running together pretty consistently recently. We had a turning point weekend about a month ago when we thought we had run 6 miles, but really when we'd mapped it out, it was 7. For some crazy reason, after that run, we decided we could train for the Austin Half … Continue reading Hills
"For sometimes when we wonder, we can make things begin to happen." The boys and I started reading The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong today. What I loved most today was that in the first chapter of this book, the kids are let out of school a whole hour early if they promise … Continue reading To Wonder
I had just raced my daughter to the bathroom when we were at Borders tonight, and she "won." (I did actually have to run myself as she is a little speedster). I told her we could race back and asked her who she thought would win. "Me," she answered. "Well, I don't know, but probably … Continue reading Try to Win
Sonya Dalrymple 