tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90247547618354370372012-02-02T19:49:20.243-05:00Thoughts on Family, Faith, Writing and LivingLisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.comBlogger2411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-36942644336808535932012-02-02T19:49:00.000-05:002012-02-02T19:49:20.249-05:00

I am a woman of few words this week... Tired...perhaps... Busy...aren't we all these days... I'm trying to get up early to pray and journal and plan for my day, but lo and behold, I get into a groove and then the girls go through a phase where one or both of them seems to be waking regularly in the middle of the night...sometimes two, or three or four times...This week it has been little miss

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-67235205884090628452012-01-31T09:12:00.000-05:002012-01-31T09:30:36.309-05:00

Wow, there are a lot of angry people in the world...or maybe they're just all in Buffalo. I'm guessing that's not the case though. I was the victim of an angry person assault recently. Here's what happened... Last Friday I was doing a little bit of writing at Panera and had my laptop with me and had it plugged into the wall. About an hour into my time at Panera I met up with an older, very

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-17326032200850555302012-01-27T07:46:00.000-05:002012-01-27T10:09:50.123-05:00

I have been a crabby momma lately... Just putting it out there...All the cards on the table... It's partially the time of year-- Buffalo gets gray, gray, gray around this time...Sometimes I don't even realize it's impacting my mood and then we get a sunny day and I'll be dancing in the streets and inviting the whole neighborhood over and wondering, "Whoa! Where'd you come from lady?" It's

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-6407738986266665322012-01-24T08:12:00.000-05:002012-01-24T08:29:12.330-05:00

Want to know why I don't write a whole lot of blog posts about the girls crazy days any more... If you guessed that it's because they don't have crazy days any more, you'd be...wrong! I'm sure you weren't thinking that anyway...not with these girls. Nope. I don't write here a whole lot anymore because instead of finding that I have more and more time as they get older, I have less and less...

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-74325422107382840462012-01-23T07:35:00.000-05:002012-01-23T07:54:14.122-05:00

      Several years ago, while we were still living in Massachusetts, a friend from our church (a guy) gave Scott a "welcome to fatherhood" gift.      Mark's (the guy) wild hair and ruddy face often welcomed us at the door to the elementary school where our small start-up church met. It was a small community and everyone knew everyone, we visited each other's homes, we held each others babies...

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-24099500391492409792012-01-18T08:12:00.001-05:002012-01-21T07:35:30.827-05:00

If you happened to read the post on my Monkey Business page earlier this week, you will know that I have been thinking about, and planning to blog on, the topic of marriage... That didn't happen on Sunday because my two year old woke up a LOT earlier than expected...a lot of things don't happen in our marriage these days because of child related issues that are unexpected...kind of ironic,

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-83178420089812472882012-01-17T22:22:00.001-05:002012-01-17T22:22:44.980-05:00

Hi friends... Perhaps you'll remember I told you about the A-Z scripture memory challenge we're taking part in...Well this week we're moving on to "B"!  Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Acts 16:31 The girls and I enjoyed learning the "A" verse, and as a matter of fact I've now got Ava saying, "Mommy, can we do the memory verse thing..." And then I'll start... "

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-61895002791746253282012-01-16T07:07:00.001-05:002012-01-16T07:55:38.017-05:00

It's Sunday afternoon (though this will post on Monday)...the husband is out with the kids running errands...I had them all morning (he left at 7:15 for church) and it was a "momma needs a break" kind of morning that resulted in yelling, and punishments and kids in their rooms. They were not being nice to each other. They were not being nice to me. They were not being nice period.  ..

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-6968699950790669652012-01-13T11:31:00.000-05:002012-01-13T11:34:34.696-05:00

     My friend Maria Divencenzo is a local (Buffalo, N.Y) children's book author and founder of Winterlake Press. She has oodles of years of publishing experience (working for and writing for big New York publishers) and most recently published two wonderful children's books through Winterlake Press. We own both, The Scariest Dream Ever (which is really not that scary, it's pretty funny

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-18147769242186734912012-01-11T19:51:00.003-05:002012-01-11T22:26:57.772-05:00

         Some days the words pitter and patter from my mind towards the ceiling...they are circular and anxious and feel meaningless...I offer them because I know there is nothing else I can do...when I am most confused, the only place to turn is prayer...      Other days, like yesterday, I head out for a jog in 35 degree weather and the glory of the sun, and the brisk air in my lungs and the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-8708160804541108582012-01-07T22:33:00.000-05:002012-01-09T07:20:10.702-05:00

    When we used to live in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA) you could find yourself walking past any number of street performers at any given time of day...musicians and artists, guys who would beat on plastic buckets with drumsticks, women who would paint your hands with henna for a small fee...some of my favorites were the jugglers and acrobats we'd see from time to time. I've always

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-31929420703647689992012-01-06T09:22:00.001-05:002012-01-06T09:22:47.463-05:00

Hi Friends, this post is from my 365 tab (the tab at the top of the page where I keep record of my trying to read through the Bible). The 365 comes from my friend Bethi's blog in which she writes about her daily journey to read the Bible in a year.  I started again at the beginning of last year and made it through Leviticus...I'm pressing on!!! Here is my latest update- January 5th,

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-14203412487424322472012-01-04T11:18:00.003-05:002012-01-08T18:52:18.554-05:00

Oh friends...welcome back to my third post of this new year! If you missed the other two you can read about how excited I am to be back blogging with you here, along with thoughts on the direction I hope to take with my blog this year... You can also read about a really cool challenge I'm joining in on here...a Bible verse memorization challenge sponsored by Cindy Bultema over at She Sparkles (

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-37473324857332268162012-01-02T10:41:00.000-05:002012-01-03T22:17:24.686-05:00

Hello Friends! I've missed you... Most of you know that I've taken a bit of a blogging hiatus...It was under the guise of needing more time to clean my house. Do ya'll think my house is any cleaner?! I bet you guessed right. Not so much. In my disorganized, not so natural homemaker defense...I did decide to take this mini blogging break at one of the busiest times of the year...probably not

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-12756259964563798092012-01-01T11:54:00.000-05:002012-01-02T11:58:39.446-05:00

Hi Friends!!! I just had to share this with you...It's a GREAT and FUN way to memorize scripture with your kids this year.  I found the idea and link on my bloggy friend Amelia's website... Do all you mommas remember how many letters are in the alphabet...I only ask because I had to stop and think twice and count on my fingers once...(this is happening more and more these days...uh oh!). I'll

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-37175181345343074292011-12-17T19:41:00.000-05:002011-12-18T23:19:56.938-05:00

um...yeah...not our cookies...pretty though!      What would the month of December be without making and eating cookies? We had a major cookie bake-off here over the weekend that culminated by frosting and sprinkling cutouts at the counter at 9 a.m. this morning before we left for church. It is now 4 p.m. and I just tackled the majority of the dirty dishes that began on Friday night. Whew.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-38626759890221847302011-12-11T08:10:00.001-05:002011-12-12T11:18:39.690-05:00

     Details, details, details...I find fall and winter to be full of details as one holiday (didn’t we just go trick or treating yesterday?) seamlessly makes its way into the next…(only 2 weeks until Christmas…already?!!). Each holiday the rightful owner to particular traditions, decorations and holiday hoopla and each presenting itself with a long to-do list in the midst of already busy days

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-9332866274529982562011-12-03T22:42:00.001-05:002011-12-04T09:03:11.925-05:00

There is a post-it note hanging on my refrigerator door. It says, "Are you making room?" It is a gentle message on yellow paper, sketched in pen, to continuously remind myself to be doing the only thing that matters this month; making room for Jesus. You see, I was reminded by Daniel Partner in a devotional book I have been reading called The Wonder of Christmas, that "The story of

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-84969329010287416422011-11-29T07:33:00.001-05:002011-12-02T11:26:16.362-05:00

Ava playing with some of her first Christmas toys...just about sums it up, huh?!             Christmas changes when you become a mom, doesn't it?      The first couple of years are sweet and easy--the  baby smiles, eats wrapping paper, bangs haphazardly on the box of the toy you gave them, you hang the "First Christmas" ornament on the tree and take lots and lots of pictures.      And

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-47650110708514495112011-11-28T11:01:00.001-05:002011-11-28T16:13:27.040-05:00

Hi Friends!          Yes, it's me, your bloggy friend, writing from my blogging sabbatical.      I'm here to tell you that I'm going to be blogging in December (yay!). But on very limited terms (once a week) and about just one topic: Christmas.      I was feeling like the month of December is too important to go by without writing about it (since writing is how I process life!), and that as

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-25944141556380465862011-11-22T08:28:00.001-05:002011-11-22T08:32:32.393-05:00

photo taken from: Country Living "For each new morning with its light...          ...for the rest and shelter of the night...          ...for health and food...          ...for love and friends...          ...for everything Thy goodness sends."                                                  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-68426378509920442852011-11-06T07:39:00.001-05:002011-11-18T18:40:34.142-05:00

           Hello friends and faithful blog readers (who are mostly, um, my sister, my best friends, my sister in law and mother in law!)...You ladies rock!      Well, it's been almost two years since Little Writer Momma found its way into cyberspace...Two years of my crazy days as a mom, random life moments, thoughts on fellowship with God and many other silly, thoughtful and funny

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-4234297722470818202011-11-04T11:51:00.001-04:002011-11-05T08:17:54.065-04:00

(This post is in conjunction with "5 Minute Fridays" sponsored by the Gypsy Mama. Every Friday she offers a one word prompt, and hundreds of bloggers join her in writing for just 5 minutes, unedited, whatever comes to mind...an exercise in teaching ourselves be freer writers! Join in (if you have a blog) or join here to read whatever comes to mind!) Remember... God said to me...the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-59686565402149063602011-11-03T22:12:00.001-04:002011-11-04T11:38:54.462-04:00

Check out this picture... Who parks like that? On the curb?!!! Outside of Target?!!! Surely it was some crazy woman driver who does not know how to park a large vehicle.  Here is a photo of the driver.... She's trying to hide her face...but surely you can identify the culprit here... I'm not sure which was worse, that she left her car like that while she ran into the store

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-80222084455780785582011-10-31T08:42:00.001-04:002011-10-31T16:54:15.836-04:00

        I got down on my hands and knees in the middle of my living room to pray this morning.      I hesitate to even share this because it was such a beautiful, intimate moment with God and sometimes the world of the web seems so very far from beautiful and intimate.      Having just returned from a blogging and writing conference this past weekend I feel even more acutely that the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-2721276023168858722011-10-26T00:10:00.001-04:002011-10-26T15:49:25.274-04:00

       Does it feel like life perpetually brings you to points in which you are forced to stop and consider your options, make choices, choose between to alternatives: That that we are in a place that we have to ask the question, "Which way do I go?"      It's what Dorothy asks in the Wizard of Oz when she comes to a crossroads and meets the scarecrow. They too are all looking for something

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-69103361754919981272011-10-22T17:21:00.001-04:002011-10-22T22:36:24.001-04:00

     Alright, my post title is a little cheesy. Here's the deal...it sounded to me like something a ring master would holler out from outside his tent at the circus "All for one and one for all!"...or maybe that was the three musketeers, or some other fanciful characters...nonetheless, I felt like we were at the circus all morning.      I say that in the nicest way...really.      I feel like

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-77133865655509397032011-10-20T18:54:00.001-04:002011-10-20T21:35:52.578-04:00

Cute, huh? My MOPS (my mom's group) friend and co-newsletter creator (for our mom's group) knows a thing or two about design and took some time out of her very, very busy schedule (and despite being tired and pregnant with baby #2) to create this very cute blog banner for me.  So, Amy M., thank you, thank you.  If you caught my blog last night you would have seen the crazy orange background

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-10084571329299073112011-10-19T22:57:00.001-04:002011-10-19T23:10:07.954-04:00

You may have noticed the change of blog background, color, and template. It's what I do when I get bored. Sometimes I cut my hair... Sometimes I color my hair... I have been known to repaint rooms...several times actually...until the color fits my mood. Today...well, it was the blog background... The other background was starting to drive me nuts...as if it were wallpaper in my house that

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-9473615603553024862011-10-18T22:57:00.000-04:002011-10-19T08:32:59.819-04:00

         There have been a dozen roses sitting on my kitchen table for almost a week now. They have slowly opened and have grown fuller since they were first placed there last Tuesday night...the night before our 8th wedding anniversary for me to find in the morning.      I actually did not deserve the roses. Not at all. Wanna know why? Because I teased Scott about them before he even bought

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-14073363421434341262011-10-16T23:37:00.004-04:002011-10-16T23:40:02.899-04:00

     I had the cutest conversation with Ava on the way to church this morning. We were listening to "church music" as the girls call it (a compilation of worship songs on CD that we often sing at church) in lieu of Big Bird (thank heavens for that!) and she picked up on some of the lyrics... "Mommy, why are they saying Lord?" "Well, honey, it's another name for God...There are a lot of

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-63674555267685997432011-10-13T08:37:00.001-04:002011-10-16T23:11:11.873-04:00

     There was a time in my life when the mall + kids equated to an o.k. situation.      Alright, let me take that back...There was a time in my life when mall + kid (singular! not plural) equated to an o.k. situation.      Like when Ava was a very small baby, still in a stroller and unable to walk and I could hand her puffs and juice and stroll leisurely through the mall because I was either

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-31956813424830403222011-10-09T16:03:00.000-04:002011-10-16T23:11:57.405-04:00

        I find it slightly ironic that the afternoon that I had planned to write this post about this book that is essentially about choosing joy, being peaceful, focusing on God, that I'm feeling a little....well, irritable.      Why, you may ask, am I feeling irritable?      Oh, you know... female hormones, the non-stop needs of children, and a husband who had commitments from 7:30 this

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-75649949918105893852011-10-06T07:25:00.001-04:002011-10-16T23:12:37.464-04:00

     Do you ever get to the end of the day or to the beginning of another and think...."Oh man, I wish I had gotten x, y, and z (or maybe it's like l, m, n, o, p, q, r and s!) done?      I do that to myself ALL the time. I just woke up this morning, fifteen minutes ago, with that little red guy on my shoulder...you know the one from the cartoons that whispers the "bad" thoughts into your ear...

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-51290675381759025942011-10-04T10:58:00.002-04:002011-10-04T11:37:38.679-04:00

The crazies were back this morning... No, I'm not talking about my kids, they're coming back tonight (more on that in a minute). The crazies are the 17 extra voices that occasionally come to visit in my mind making me feel a little nuttier than usual. I know, I know, some of you are thinking...whoa, this girl has LOST it...crazies? voices? in her head? this CANNOT be good. No worries my

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-42174059768481809372011-10-02T15:16:00.003-04:002011-10-02T18:38:00.146-04:00

(This is the second post in a new series called "Sacred Sundays". In it I hope to explore the things that move me spiritually throughout my days and weeks, and in the process hope to inspire you to explore the things that move you spiritually as well.) I was moved to my knees by a song this week.  It's a song I've heard a number of times before. It's a song that makes my heart bend, bow,

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-39883895598331592362011-10-01T16:30:00.000-04:002011-10-01T16:36:05.011-04:00

     When life gets nutty and my blogging starts lacking I go to my photo library and find an image that makes me smile...This is what made me smile today...       S'more's became a BIG part of our summer this year. Both of the girls are at an age where they can roast, and enjoy marshmellows (and what 2 or 4 year old doesn't like roasted marshmellows) and my husband loves fires...it was

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-16716820498075527662011-09-25T08:26:00.002-04:002011-09-25T08:36:39.592-04:00

What do you do on Sunday mornings?      We go to church. These days it feels like we're the only family in our neighborhood going to church. As I rally the girls into the car, after chasing them around the house to get them fed, and washed and dressed, we pull out of our driveway and down our street and I see everyone else at home; cars parked in driveways, men cutting their lawns, pajama

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-17374595143986290642011-09-22T16:24:00.000-04:002011-09-22T20:33:47.736-04:00

           More and more moments in each of my days are reminding me that I am fully, completely, indisputably, inexorably a mother.      Not that I'm trying not to be one... but as a young mom you still find yourself momentarily looking back and considering the "way it used to be", if ever so briefly, and only for a moment you think wouldn't it be nice to be young and carefree...if only

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-4885355623297324682011-09-19T10:53:00.003-04:002011-09-20T08:39:26.270-04:00

     If you were asked to sit down and write a letter to your children that would encompass every piece of knowledge and encouragement that you would like them to have throughout their lives, what would it say?      If you wanted to explain to them everything about life and the world, as best as you could, from your perspective, attempting to offer them hope and encouragement for the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-13170988345287583442011-09-16T10:12:00.001-04:002011-09-16T23:24:36.105-04:00

I dropped Ava off at preschool this morning, the smile on her face as wide and bright as the sunshiny yellow shirt she was wearing. She was a ray of light walking in, garnering smiles from everyone she met eyes with. Ava's first day of school...yes, she's torturing her sister as usual...the funny part is she doesn't even realize she's doing it sometimes!!! Ella's going to be one tough

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-74920306924077895352011-09-14T10:46:00.002-04:002011-09-14T10:49:27.299-04:00

The morning started out pretty well...the skies are blue, the weather is beautiful, Ava is in preschool and Ella is in playschool for a couple of hours...pretty nice, huh? So here I sit at Panera all ready to cross things off my "to-do" list and as I start plugging away all I encounter is people not feelin' like helping a momma out today!  Really?! Come on people.  Here's the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-68302647994487494002011-09-11T16:53:00.003-04:002011-09-11T19:27:13.148-04:00

Haha...I have to start this post out with a little chuckle because what I'm about to say kind of makes me laugh...partially because it seems so obvious and mundane, partially because we've all "been there" and partially because I have come SO far and grown SO much in the last four years... ...nutty as they've been. I had one of those moments earlier today when I was remembering what it was like

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-87473295737140624142011-09-03T09:03:00.000-04:002011-09-04T23:07:59.643-04:00

Earlier this week I found out that a friend, of a friend, of a friend (basically someone I've met before, but don't really know), published her first book. Grrrrrr.  Yup, that's what I thought to myself. Literally. Grrrrrrrrr. It was the very same day that I had drawn the world's longest and largest, hop scotch board that started in front of our next door neighbor's house and made it all the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-34177235121650400702011-08-29T19:31:00.000-04:002011-08-29T22:26:21.168-04:00

               Yes. I, my friends, just spent five days last week in Bermuda. Yes, the water was as beautifully turquoise as everyone says it is and it was 83+ and sunny all week long. Not one single drop of hurricane rain or bad weather.      And then somehow, perhaps by luck or perhaps an answer to my ardent prayers, we had a completely uneventful flight home from Bermuda to

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-66648926984142522612011-08-20T16:32:00.004-04:002011-08-21T08:03:57.488-04:00

Oh my heavens...doesn't this picture just give you the heebie jeebies...it's just that it communicates SO concretely how my life feels sometimes....there is WAY too much going on... It seems to me that in my reading of essays lately, I've come across more and more conviction and dialogue about the value of paring down our lives, saying "No" to more activities, and learning to be ok with

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-62295431413462185792011-08-16T21:33:00.001-04:002011-08-16T22:28:37.648-04:00

So...I lost three more library books. I'm blaming it on Scott this time. Partially because I think it really just might have been his doing...and partially because if it's his fault he can't be as angry about the $60 we're going to end up forking over to the library (for what it's worth, library fees don't bother me as much as say a parking ticket or speeding tickets...After all, the state

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-28598915162297257762011-08-12T16:33:00.009-04:002011-08-12T21:35:47.310-04:00

Warning: The following post was written by a very tired, PMSing, kind of crabby momma who feels like there are a lot of people in the world who do not understand what it is like to be home with two children, 2 and 4, all. day.long. To those of you who do understand, I love you, I thank you and you my friends are invited to my pity party...if you really want to come that is... To those of

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-64622178567138664532011-08-10T16:24:00.006-04:002011-08-11T15:39:56.610-04:00

     While I cringe to think about how quickly August is going to fly by and September will be upon us, the truth is kids will be donning backpacks, morning busses will be returning to our streets and daily schedules will be changing again sooner than we'd all like to think.      I'm very much still in the preschool stage of things so this change of seasons, from summer to the inevitable

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-82246347051022360552011-08-03T15:39:00.001-04:002011-08-03T15:41:58.485-04:00

I picked flowers for Ava this week. Why? Because I saw them and I thought about her. I thought about how she loves to pick flowers from the grass, from fields, on walks, anywhere we see them and no matter how much they are actually like weeds (like dandelions) or not (like daisies). I thought about how she picks them because she thinks they are beautiful (even though our more mature adult

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-20203535388946942372011-08-01T16:10:00.006-04:002011-08-01T22:02:21.213-04:00

Well, we've entered potty training 102. 102 in part because this is a second child, and so you view things differently, feel a little bit more confident about how you're going to approach things, have it all figured out and planned right down to the m & m's you'll offer for success. 102 because your stubborn second child has her very own idea about how things are going to go and not go...

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-53509048099342940742011-07-27T16:24:00.008-04:002011-07-29T11:42:10.326-04:00

           Today has been a flurry of emotional activity from all women in the Littlewood household…I would say instigated probably 85% by little miss Ava—she presses Ella’s buttons and then my buttons.       All.Stinkin.Day.Long.Sometimes.      Truly, one minute I’m ready to write a post about how angry I am with her, and then she says or does something that leaves me in complete awe and

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-87152916363685849552011-07-24T16:54:00.006-04:002011-07-24T17:01:13.046-04:00

     I don't laugh as much as I'd like or perhaps as much as I should these days...I'll be honest, being a mom can tend to make me a little stiff, uptight, and more serious than I need to be on more occasions than I probably should be...I'm sure none of you EVER get that way....      And, even if you don't agree with me I'm betting my husband would...he gets the cranky me more often than

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-29187339158803991922011-07-21T17:07:00.002-04:002011-07-21T22:55:01.669-04:00

Ah, "vacation" with kids. Like how I put those quote marks around "vacation". HeHe.HaHa. I laugh because it's really kind of humorous how un-relaxing anything is with kids. I mean, if I were looking at the situation from the outside, it would be really pretty funny. Like when my sister-in-law comments on my blog posts and tells me how funny they are...that kind of funny...Lin, I love you.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-72000039974510935192011-07-11T16:24:00.005-04:002011-07-11T22:20:34.824-04:00

What comes to mind when you think about 'following your passions', pursing your 'gifts', creatively expressing yourself through art, or music or construction or words? Do you find the time to do it? Do you make the time to pursue the other parts of your self (besides cooking, cleaning, chasing after kids & grocery shopping) that are jumping up and down inside your soul saying "I'm here! Use

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-13672428776006276982011-07-08T16:06:00.002-04:002011-07-08T16:17:38.350-04:00

     I know it's only been a little over a week, but it feels like FOREVER since I've written a post...boy, if that didn't sound like the opening sentence in a sixteen year old's diary!      Well, here is where I'll spare you...I won't share every little detail about my life over the last week, and you definitely won't be hearing about crushes and broken hearts...I gotta tell ya, that's one of

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-77447864732071957152011-06-30T16:09:00.004-04:002011-06-30T16:21:58.186-04:00

“Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet.”          ~ Bob Marley I had one of those heart swell, my kid is the cutest kid in the world, I am so fortunate to get to spend this sunny day with you moments earlier today.  (Right before she pitched a fit about going to bed for her nap of course...I mean, she is 2 after all...). It was just Ella and I. Ava is with her

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-46728741180277564682011-06-27T16:25:00.005-04:002011-06-27T16:39:49.161-04:00

        "Today, I woke up with a smile on my face. I bounced out of bed and greeted the day with a boisterous 'hello' and thankfulness for what it would behold.       I woke up early, not to early, just enough to collect my thoughts, make some coffee, consider my day, start some laundry, prep for breakfast and then, most importantly, pray.      By the time my cherubic four year old pitter

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-80018853538897384562011-06-22T16:53:00.000-04:002011-06-22T16:53:07.232-04:00

Aww man...it's been a week since I posted last, and nothing but a photo?! Sorry for the slacking...life has been nutty... Here is a run down of what we have been up to in the month of June Father in law's birthday dinner Ava's birthday- small friend party Ava's birthday- family birthday party my grandmother and uncle's birthday's-- get together at my mom's house w/ family sister in law's

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-47550186775087678742011-06-15T23:00:00.001-04:002011-06-16T07:51:46.752-04:00

So, a bit of advice:  it's o.k. to run out to a Zumba class at 5:05 while your husband is finishing up his work day in the basement and your children are watching the end of Max & Ruby in the living room, but do expect to be struck by the sight of some odd and perhaps misplaced things when you walk back in the door at 6:30... Like your youngest daughter baring a "sleeve" of tattoos on both legs.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-7130054665815359112011-06-13T08:18:00.004-04:002011-06-13T12:43:31.084-04:00

"Thoughtful parenting requires time to think. Yet many of us don't have time in our lives for thinking. We need to make time. Even a few quiet moments alone early in the morning will enable me to lay the foundation for a day of living and loving from the heart. I meet my children then with heightened awareness, having already sorted out my own needs and priorities and achieved some sense of

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-3336181391430205902011-06-08T16:46:00.010-04:002011-06-08T18:59:47.305-04:00

     I would not be the least bit surprised if someone contacted me today and said that they have secretly been following me around with a camera to get footage for the reality television series The Supernanny and that they had actually paid my children with a pound of lollipops and 20 packets of kool-aid (to be ingested at their whims) to be as rambuncious as possible while they discreetly

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-72392067089938559892011-06-04T16:31:00.001-04:002011-06-04T16:32:55.265-04:00

Happy Birthday my sweet girlI was blessed enormously when God placed you in this worldYour smile, it brightens all of our daysYour enthusiasm helps us discover life in new waysI look forward to experiencing more of life as you growMommy and Daddy love you oodles and oodles,                                           something we hope you will always, always know.... Happy 4th Birthday!  Our "

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-44317884267000988452011-05-31T08:39:00.004-04:002011-06-01T15:36:33.339-04:00

   It was a wonderfully productive weekend around here (and what momma doesn’t love a little genuine productivity once in a while!)    The sun has been shining, the girls have been happy (for the most part!) and we have milked every last ounce of summer preparation out of these last three days-- we’ve planted flowers and vegetables, herbs and potted plants, we’ve weeded and mulched, mowed and

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-23201475351679080972011-05-28T11:29:00.002-04:002011-05-28T11:32:45.624-04:00

Breakfast consists of making food creatures for your preschool kids... The dinner table results in a spaghetti sucking contest...it started with Ella who surprised us by sucking a whole piece of spaghetti into her mouth with one big swoop... Continued with our four year old... And concluded with Daddy showing everyone how it is really done.... Your husband brings home a "Best Mom" ice

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-13539587662647760922011-05-24T16:30:00.001-04:002011-05-24T16:35:04.948-04:00

Usually it is the man rescuing the woman...I know that is very cliched and anti-feminine of me, but hey, I'm just sayin... I can't even begin to count the number of times my dear hubby has had to rescue me from any number of unexpected plights; because I had two flat tires in the middle of a grocery store parking lot after hitting a curb, because I was locked out of my car after an interview I

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-91664037717610264772011-05-17T12:13:00.005-04:002011-05-17T16:13:26.285-04:00

     Once upon a time, before I became aware that there was "good" and "bad" poetry (and that "good" poetry typically did not rhyme, had very deep truths to convey, and often read like cryptic riddles),  I could often be found scribbling away in notebooks to create my own bits of rhyming verse that I would bestow on family members or use to fill the pages of homemade books.      I LOVED writing

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-30099142004450323002011-05-14T16:57:00.002-04:002011-05-15T16:52:15.384-04:00

Have you ever harped on your husband about not being a good enough multi-tasker? I certainly have never, ever, ever, EVER done such a thing...I was just thinking some of you may have... Well, for those of you who have harped on your husbands about their seemingly inability to process more than one task at once (not my husband...he is ABNORMAL...he tackles multiple jobs at a time better than any

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-61845571321658779392011-05-13T16:15:00.006-04:002011-05-17T12:16:52.428-04:00

     I was going to be so super duper, very, very productive this morning. The babysitter was scheduled to arrive at 8:45, I was going to be dressed and ready to head out the door, go to a Zumba class and then have all of my writing stuff packed and in the car so that I could find a nice, quiet place to sit and read and write for 2 hours before heading back home.      …the best laid plans of

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-58151297867894088472011-05-09T14:54:00.007-04:002011-05-10T18:43:11.629-04:00

     I think the major drug companies that keep peddling all of their miracle cures should start to work on some form of parenting prozac...      maybe it would be more like xanax...you know, kind of a situational thing...prozac takes too long to get into the system. I need something in the moment, right away, after I feel like I've been riding an emotional roller coaster with my children for

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-25202748329691009602011-05-05T16:40:00.003-04:002011-05-05T20:43:37.632-04:00

Ava has been picking dandelions by the bouquetfull lately. Scott thinks I don't want to treat our lawn with fertilizer because I don't want the chemicals around the kids...the real reason, I'm thinking, is that there is no other free activity that I could conjure up that would keep her quite as content or give her the self-satisifaction that I find all over her face every time she ventures

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-75649127952229857742011-05-04T16:10:00.003-04:002011-05-04T18:31:06.022-04:00

Bathing Suits. Body Image. Post-baby. Need I say more? I was causally walking through the mall on Friday afternoon, innocently looking at t-shirts and shorts, flip flops and sunglasses when I was accosted by the most upsetting sight... this wall...of...well, bathing suits for young teenage girls who have never, ever had a baby and don't know, practically speaking, what a stretch mark is or

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-9269597139815319032011-04-27T07:48:00.004-04:002011-04-27T08:00:14.545-04:00

The girls and I were coloring at our kitchen table one morning several weeks ago. Crayons slowly emerged from the hard plastic pencil case into piles all over the table. One coloring book offered images of rabbits and ducks and frogs, another Elmo and Zoe and Big Bird. The pages were white and gray and slowly emerged to life as the girls added scribbles of color; pink, brown, green, yellow...

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-42747723098932908572011-04-22T11:49:00.001-04:002011-04-22T11:50:07.945-04:00

Just wanted to post a quick link to a friend's most recent blog post. I think we can all relate--that  an attempt at "grasping" who God is can be quite confusing and mind boggling.  It sometimes leaves us wondering "Really? Is it all true?" Yes. Even Christians, Christians who have known God all of their lives, ask those questions sometimes. But, instead of living in doubt we continue to press

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-53789716798697190352011-04-21T08:11:00.001-04:002011-04-21T08:18:18.405-04:00

Today's post will be dedicated to my daughter Ella. As I was looking through some recent photos I realized how many of them were quite funny and completely telling of this little one's personality. When people ask me about the girls I often describe them in this way:  "Ava, my oldest, is VERY emotional. She is very sweet, very smart, very engaging,  but perhaps one of the most emotional

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-59754176251695428862011-04-18T16:13:00.005-04:002011-04-18T16:35:26.355-04:00

     I'm going to tell you all to do something today that I don't do very well myself.      Are you ready?      ...slow....... down.      There it is friends. It is not a novel notion. We hear it all the time-- that we live in an overscheduled society, that our children have lost the ability to creatively fill "free" time because they don't have any, that our running around and the stress

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-22252161314278018342011-04-15T16:37:00.005-04:002011-05-25T19:06:21.032-04:00

This is not a post providing a recipe for Spinach Pie...sorry if you were hoping it was.  Nope. I'm not a recipe giver. Not because I don't like to share, but mostly because I'm just an o.k. cook who copies a whole lot of other people's recipes.   The only "recipe" you'll find here today is a "recipe" for being a good neighbor and it looks like this... Good Neighbor Recipe 1 kind Greek

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-48521253718322525272011-04-14T16:33:00.002-04:002011-04-15T09:54:24.578-04:00

For those of you who have met my daughter (Ava) you know she is a tall girl! She was in the 90th percentile when she was born and continues to be tall for her age. She is not yet 4 and she is in 5T clothing. She's got the longest darned legs too...I know I'm in trouble in about 8 years...I mean mercy me...big blue eyes, blond hair, long legs. Oi! And if the emotional roller coaster we are already

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-15804491406799380342011-04-11T16:21:00.004-04:002011-04-11T18:09:06.107-04:00

     When I decided, a couple of weeks ago, that I was going to start these posts and title them "Managing Momma Mondays" my intentions were this: 1.) It would create some accountability for me to post at least one day a week and therefore 2.) It would allow you to remember, at least one day a week, that I would have a new post, but more importantly than all of that 3.) It would offer me a  

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-86685226585929584692011-04-08T18:35:00.003-04:002011-04-09T11:14:26.537-04:00

How does that saying go, "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"?! Ain't that the truth. Momma needed some resuscitation this week..hence the picture here... To say I've been "unhappy" doesn't exactly seem fitting...I've been sick as a dog is what I've been. All week. Since last Sunday night. Today was the first day I really felt "normal" again. And boy is Scott happy about that. He

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-83566297738023227542011-03-29T10:41:00.003-04:002011-03-29T21:51:07.623-04:00

I dropped the girls off at playschool this morning and boy oh boy am I happy for the gift of a quiet house right now. I actually don't think there is ANYTHING that I would appreciate more than these few moments of pure silence...to drink tea...to sit near a sunny window and just blog my chaos away...I mean maybe a really, REALLY large sum of money, but if it meant giving up this quiet house it

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-63909027221207351032011-03-28T12:21:00.000-04:002011-03-28T12:21:59.244-04:00

Bee Happy!  I don't know about you, but I would have to say, on a day to day basis, that one of my biggest struggles, in general and as a mother is managing my own emotions and feelings. We women, we're an emotional bunch. We mother's, we're an even more emotional bunch...and, I don't know about you, but if you have girls in your house....HOLY MOLY...watch out...things are highly charged, always

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-64015167293323524442011-03-24T15:57:00.002-04:002011-03-24T16:04:18.235-04:00

Does this look like a face that would do any harm? Well, now that I'm looking at the picture, I'm realizing those are my glasses...that she must have taken from my dresser...which she must have climbed up onto via a stool...but, besides that, sweet girl, sweet face...right?!  I asked Ava a simple question before her nap this afternoon. "How was playschool this morning? Can you tell me one thing

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-32631300913002329692011-03-22T13:57:00.002-04:002011-03-23T07:47:03.347-04:00

Dear Mom, Thank you for watching the girls this morning...so sorry they have the energy of wild monkey's. Just wanted to say...sorry that... Ella was standing on your coffee table within two minutes of walking in the door That she likely spilled dog food all over the kitchen in an attempt to "feed the dog" That she was flinging lettuce into the middle of the table and spitting juice from her

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-45331465589692086032011-03-21T15:52:00.002-04:002011-03-22T13:40:03.309-04:00

There is a lot on our plates, us momma's. We manage our kids, and their emotions (dear Lord, help me here!), their meals, and their clothes. We manage most of what goes on in our homes by trying to organize and simplify and rectify the things that are not working. We mange our grocery lists, and our meal planning, the laundry and our children's schedules. If we have job's outside the home, we

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-83122324034875267702011-03-18T16:59:00.002-04:002011-03-18T17:16:33.932-04:00

I can tend to get caught in the competitive parenting trap. I don't intend it to be competitive parenting when I'm in the moment, but if I step back and really think about what I am doing there is no other definition for it. What am I defining as competitive parenting? Well, any pressure we place on ourselves, especially when our children are young to learn the right things, at the right time,

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-84510549915535063362011-03-11T15:41:00.000-05:002011-03-11T15:41:05.334-05:00

I won't lie, being a momma makes me feel a little crazy sometimes. Alright, a lotta crazy. Like I have no idea where I am, where I'm going, or which end is up. Like my former life is a mere mirage created in my dreams to taunt me about the might have beens or things I used to do.  Some days I pray in earnest, 'God, I love my children, but this is stinkin' hard.' God could you make them

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-6699749935068313192011-03-09T16:42:00.001-05:002011-03-09T16:49:04.144-05:00

Some days I wonder, where did I go... Am I under the kitchen table with the leftover crumbs? Am I buried beneath one of the laundry piles on the basement floor? Am I stashed away in one of the toy bins with princess dresses, tiaras, balls, blocks and legos? Perhaps I am hiding away in one of the messy, unorganized closets or cabinets with that packet of gravy mix that I SWORE I bought, but

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-20108639855743542932011-03-02T21:29:00.003-05:002011-03-02T21:57:27.091-05:00

So the saga continues...Since we spent most of the morning eating breakfast and getting ready to get out of the house for my dentist appointment we seemed to have avoided most toddler drama... Ella saved it up for later though...don't you worry! Here is the picture to prove it. What is that? you may be asking. That, my dear friends, is the almost cleaned up remnants of an almost full box

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-65470306574259126542011-03-01T15:58:00.004-05:002011-03-01T16:12:13.647-05:00

Oh my heavens...have we ever reentered back into the land of the 'terrible twos' over here! (That's not Ella, by the way, but she certainly looks like that on many an occasion these days). I gotta tell you...I've always hated that label 'terrible twos', but truly, there is no other practical way to explain little Miss Ella's behavior lately. I've actually stopped counting the number of

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-66961361948057771112011-02-24T16:32:00.000-05:002011-02-24T16:32:27.804-05:00

"He was Charles, I was Laura." It's the first line of an essay that I've been thinking about writing for years... It's the first line of an essay about my relationship with my father, particularly during my turbulently (on my behalf!) pre-teen and early teen years when he had, what I considered, a silly preoccupation with Little House on the Prairie episodes and the portrayed family life. "He

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-5683791365067591352011-02-22T08:28:00.002-05:002011-02-22T08:37:20.724-05:00

We live in an overly consumptive society. A materialistic society. A consumeristic society. I know, I know...kind of a heavy way to start a blog post. Here is the thing...I want to encourage you today to be happy with what you have in your life and released from some of the pressure that you need more "stuff" to be happy. My grandmother has a saying, "Make Do with what you have or make do

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-76973330651210919742011-02-18T16:30:00.000-05:002011-02-18T16:30:10.905-05:00

I've been beating myself up for not posting very often lately...I guess that's the catch 22 when you're a "mommy blogger": your very topic, motherhood, poses severe challenges to the time and attention that it actually takes to write about said topic...kids and motherhood. Oh well. That's what I say to a lot of things these days. Oh. Well. That said, I do find that it is easier to post

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-69862288920935384692011-02-14T17:38:00.001-05:002011-02-14T17:40:10.651-05:00

I live with a bunch of garbage pickers. I bet you have them in your house too. Truly. Nothing will get an old toy more attention than sneakily trying to get rid of it by putting it in the trash can. I've put this in the trash can three times in the last two days. It somehow keeps reappearing on my kitchen counter when I'm not looking. Either there is a ghost in the house who has decided

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-72658459145038874212011-02-06T14:02:00.003-05:002011-02-06T14:45:27.012-05:00

Crises of the Day: Babysitter was supposed to arrive at house at 8:45 a.m. so that mommy could put oodles of laundry away, get a couple of miscellaneous things crossed off the "to-do" list and get myself ready for church while the babysitter finished breakfast with the girls, played with them and then got them dressed for church. Guess what? Babysitter did not arrive. Nope. I texted her at 9

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-45867597839805238752011-01-29T10:06:00.001-05:002011-01-29T10:12:39.929-05:00

As I mentioned on Tuesday, I spent three hours with a professional organizer in an attempt to clean up some of the clutter in my life. I also referenced a quote linking physical clutter to emotional clutter; a concept I've been thinking about all week. I'm not sure what else to say except that I feel like I'm on to something here-- something that is going to change the way I live significantly.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-13142472465050839642011-01-26T16:34:00.002-05:002011-01-26T22:34:55.110-05:00

"Clutter is anything that complicates your life and prevents you from living in peace as you live out your life purpose...Think of it as any possession, habit, thought pattern, attitude, or activity that (1) you don't need or use anymore (2) doesn't fit or work for you like it used to, or (3) doesn't add value and meaning to your life as it once did."    Nancy Twigg, From Clutter to Clarity:

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-91334733240508565612011-01-16T09:19:00.003-05:002011-01-16T09:26:36.405-05:00

Do you find that your children ask you to do things again, and again, and again... My two-year old, Ella, seems to have a particular inkling towards repetition. She vacillates between two favorite books, over and over again. She likes me to read either Corduroy and Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? prior to every nap and before bed.  These are sometimes the ONLY two books she asks for for days on end.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-7420678691015173412011-01-12T14:22:00.003-05:002011-01-12T22:13:21.955-05:00

Whether the weather be cold orWhether the weather be hotWe'll weather together, whatever the weatherWhether we like it or not! (Little Bear's chant with his family during the Winter solstice) It seems to me that some much needed encouragement came in the way of my daughters watching Little Bear this afternoon. Right at the most poignant time too. This is how the conversation was going with my

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9024754761835437037.post-83519731158187031362011-01-09T18:03:00.002-05:002011-01-09T22:23:00.976-05:00

This is Mike Rowe. He is creator and executive producer of the very intriguing Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs. This is Lisa Littlewood. Creator and executive producer of two very small children who have created a life that seems quite fit for the Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs. On this show, Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe sets out to experience first-hand some of the dirtiest jobs a person could

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14643542809590522666noreply@blogger.com6