Not so adventures of the St. Clair clan...

Every season has it's enjoyment, but I feel like we really ramp up the "memory making" in the summer months.  Maybe it's because we have Ross home and more time for doing things out of the ordinary.  We have a more flexible schedule and more freedom to do "fun" things.  I enjoy thinking about what the kids will remember from these days.  They are still pretty young so it may be just a feeling that stays with them or a vague recollection here and there, but I hope they remember it was a good time of life.    A couple of days ago they boys went with Ross and loaded some fresh roadkill in the trunk of our car.  That's legal now in our state.  They came home thrilled with their find...all three of them.  Sawyer told me, "This is the best day ever, right Mom?!"  Boy, if I had known that's all it took, we could have saved a lot of money.  They got to help skin it.  I'm sure a three-year-old with a skinning knife is p...

There was a redhot second not too long ago that I considered my future in the corporate world or any money-making part of the world to be a bleak one.  I'm a stay- at-home mom.  I used to be a teacher and a coach, but by the time our kids are all in school, I'll have spent as much time out of the classroom as I spent in it.  I'm rusty.  Outdated.  And look, I'm blogging, do people even do that anymore?  I'm definitely not tweeting, snap chatting, or  tic tocking (what is tic tocking?).  It's safe to say I may be a little out of touch.  But as I went down the 'whoa is me' path, it occurred to me that my initial estimation was incorrect.  Stay-at-home moms are actually perhaps qualified to do all the jobs. Overqualified.  Consider this my resume.  Speaks multiple languages: baby sign language, toddler talk, pre-school speak Skilled in basic first aid and intermediate injury assessment, care, and rehabilitatio...

While we don't feel like the most social individuals in the world, Ross and I have discovered that we enjoy opening our home to people.  Is extroverted introverts a thing?  In recent days, we have come to realize how important in-person relationships are.  We (humans) were created for relationship and fellowship.  We feel extrememly blessed to live where we do in the home that we have.  We want to share.  We want people to feel welcome here and comfortable to drop in.  You may have to ignore the six or seven pairs of dirty socks on the floor, look past the dirty handprints on the wall, and be okay with a little stickiness on the counters, but you are welcome here.  We might have different opinions, come from different backgrounds, bring different baggage, but we hope we can still be friends.  Please remember there are kids in the room.  Expect them to be loud...and dirty but also expect them to be respectful a...

I like asking kids what they want to be when they grow up.  Their answers range from fairly predictable to surprising and entertaining.  Our kids are no exception.  For a long time Sawyer has wanted to be a logger (fitting considering his name).  That still tops his list, but he says he's also considering being a cowboy with a rope (lasso).  Fischer wanted to be a doctor for awhile, but lately that has changed to a logger, and when he's done with that, a ballerina.  I think a ukulele player may also be in the mix.  We call that "well rounded."  What they will NOT be is stand-up comedians. I like to listen to the boys' conversations when they don't know I'm there.  I did this the other night after they had gone to bed.  I was about to go in their room to quiet them down, but I caught wind of their conversation and stopped myself.  They were taking turns telling knock, knock jokes.  And they were t...

Covid 19 doesn't scare me.  I don't like it.  I wish it hadn't happened, and I wish it would go away.  But it doesn't scare me.  It's not because I don't believe it's real or because I don't believe it can have serious consequences for a percentage of those who are infected.  It's simply that even though it's out of control, I know who is in control.  God isn't surprised by any of this.  He tells us not to worry or be fearful.  I kind of figure He knows best, so okay.  Just like with anything that can harm us, we try to make good choices and take proper precautions.  I have always been a bit of a manic handwasher.  Ross, maybe not so much.  The kids are getting better.  We aren't attending nightclubs or you know, licking stuff that's been handled by other people...I speak for myself.  We are really working hard on this with the boys.  I don't think Fischer has chewed on his shoes all of this month.  Progr...

I think everyone wants to feel normal or to know that the way they feel is normal.  Hopefully, I can give you some reassurance that being abnormal is...normal.  What most of us are allowed to see of other people's lives whether it be an Instagram feed, Facebook post, or even the little time we spend together is generally the best version of ourselves.  Case-in-point, I cleaned my house before company came for dinner last Thursday.  Aside from some dishes and a quick sweeping of the floor, I have done nothing since.  Today is Monday.  Currently, every room of our house including the hallway, both bathrooms, the entryway into our house and the back porch are littered with toys, clothes, suitcases, dirt, and garbage.  And the occasional dead fly.  This is life.  It's not that I don't strive for a nice, clean, organized house and family, but that is not currently my reality.  I started to do laundry, and somebody was hungry.  I ...

Due to moving...and then moving again...and four kids...sleep training babies...Internet issues...and summer (let's face it, we'd rather be outside), it's been a little while since I've sat at a keyboard.  Plus, with all that is going on in the world, my superficial internal-monologue felt a little trite.  I like happy thoughts.  I didn't want to write about the Corona Virus, but that seemed to be all we were talking about.  It was dominating every facet of our lives.  In many ways it still is.  The truth is, Covid 19 has probably had more positive impacts on our family (don't hate me for saying it) than negative.  It has blessed us with so much more time together and given us some flexibility to be more creative with how we use our time and resources.  BUT.  But even while we have enjoyed this bonus family time, we recognize the negative impact the virus has had on others....