We provide hope and a heart by constantly reminding our children of all the good that we can see in them. They do not need to hear us worrying that they are forgetting to do the right thing. They do not need us to list their failings. They need to hear that we think they are wonderful, fantastic, amazing humans. Because they are.
My husband and I were invited by Richard Ostler to be guests on his podcast and share our experience with navigating faith transitions as parents of an LGBTQ child.
Papa Ostler is a wonderful, insightful man, and we really appreciate his work sharing the stories of our LGBTQ a brothers and sisters. His first book helped me sort myth from fact when our child came out. It helped me so much. Listening to the stories of others helped the Captain and I so much.
We agreed to be on the podcast even though it was intimidating because we hope our story can help others just as we were helped.
We had an enjoyable conversation with him, and that podcast is now live. You can listen to it at this link:. Episode 728 of the Listen Learn and Love Podcast.
We absolutely loved having Pumpkin Pie and Peach Pie with us in Monument Valley for a few days.
One thing I miss about homeschool is not having a “First Day Field Trip.” So, starting this year, we will now have a “First Day Hike” tradition on New Year’s Day.
Gouldings Arch is a five minute drive and a short, easy walk from where we live.
This year I finished 75 books.
Most were audio books, though I read more print books than usual, because I have more free time since we moved to Utah.
23 were re-reads. I’m pretty sure it’s the most books I have re-read in one year ever. I even re-read “The Wind in the Willows” multiple times just this year, though I’ve only counted it once.
I read aloud to the kids 8 chapter books.
This is better than usual, and I’m really happy about managing to read aloud to them so much more. (I hardly ever remember to write down picture books.)
Kids’ Favorite:
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson
Ending surprised me AND I loved it:
“The Chosen” by Chaim Potok
Funniest:
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie **caution this book does have a fair amount of jr high boy locker room humor, which would have been shocking to me when I was in high school. So I’m not saying that every kid should read this book.
Felt the truest:
“A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman
Most outside of what I usually read:
“Upstairs at the White House” by JB West
Fascinating learning about the personalities and lifestyles of 12 First Ladies
Book I changed my mind about upon re-reading:
“Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens
Took the most notes:
“Irreversible Damage” by Abigale Shrier
I have 5 pages of single spaced, typed notes on all the falsehoods, exaggerations, manipulative and contemptuous language, and hypocrisy used by this author in this book. It outraged and disgusted me, and I felt like it damaged my soul to read it. This book was recommended to me by an extended family member when my child came out as non-binary. I read the introduction and dismissed the book as inflammatory hate mongering. But then, a trans-person I love told me their parent tried to coerce them into reading it, and another friend claimed that it was “a great book that everyone should read.” So I decided I had better have a more thorough explanation for why I didn’t like it. This book refers to trans-people on every page as “an epidemic” as “a craze” and as “a contagion.” The only thing this book will do for the trans-person in your life (if they read it) is make them feel suicidal. The only thing it will do for you as a parent/grandparent (if you read it uncritically) is fill you with fear and self-righteousness. AVOID
Made me the Happiest to read:
“The Forgotten Beasts of Eld” by Patricia Mckillip
“A Girl’s Guide to Heavenly Mother” by McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding is
We travelled to Missouri for Christmas. It was glorious to be with Cherry Pie and to visit as many friends and family as possible. We stayed in my brother’s basement.
Glorious as it was, the stress of hauling all the presents out and back and the stress of trying to see everyone who wanted time with us was pretty overwhelming. I felt like I had to shortchange my family several times to keep commitments with friends. I was constantly apologizing to someone or feeling guilty.
I remembered a time, several years ago, when my little sister, Katie, changed plans and did not come to Missouri for Christmas. I gave her a hard time for not visiting. How ignorant I was of the difficulties of holiday travel.
Traveling meant that we did not finish our Advent puzzle on time. But the Scooter Pies completed it when we got home.
One thing I had been worried about was how we would feel coming back to Monument Valley.
Would we be sad to return?
Some of the kids (Key Lime Pie) were really sad about leaving Missouri and their friends.
But the Man of the House and I both felt relief and joy as we neared our home here in the valley. I felt a strong sense that we are supposed to be here.
The Man of the House was so drained of energy from the frantic pace of celebration and visiting in Missouri, as well as not having had time to prepare for the new school semester, that he was impossible to live with for the 3 days we had at home before school began again. It was miserable for us all.
I’ve decided that in the future, we will not travel to Missouri on breaks that are less than two weeks. Instead we will rest at home or possibly do outdoorsy things that renew his energy and joy in life. We will visit Missouri in the summer when we have more time to see everyone, more time to recover after the trip, and less holiday craziness.
There is a direct flight from Springfield, MO, to Phoenix, AZ, and we can fly Cherry Pie to us.
As I write all this, I feel like it is also certain that I will break my own rule from time to time. Maybe there is no good balance when you live far from family.
We left Monument Valley on Thursday, and arrived at Uncle Eddie’s house early in the morning of Apple Pie’s birthday.
After catching some sleep, we visited friends around the farm and went to the Robertson’s Family Christmas Concert (not to be missed!)
I almost forgot about the birthday 😬. But Apple Pie is a great reminder of things she wants. So after the concert, we bought a strawberry cheesecake and candles and sang Happy Birthday.
Apple Pie is now 10 years old.
She is interested in all things about the ocean, especially the creatures who live there. She writes poetry and draws pictures and creates stop motion videos.
She likes to crochet and bake. She can make Chocolate Wacky Cake all by herself.
She is a pretty cool kid.
About two years ago, I read Don Quixote (book 1). It was simultaneously the most boring read ever and the most hilarious read ever. Like a Three Stooges Movie, the slapstick comedy therein was so over the top that it passed beyond funny into pain, and sometimes back into funny again. It was so outrageous and idiotic that it was genius. Like the first time you watch the movie “Napoleon Dynamite” or “Nacho Libre” and you wonder what the heck is this even about? But then it grows in your mind and you never forget it, and you randomly relate everything else that happens in your life to it ever after.
Suddenly, I am thinking that maybe JR High kids would really appreciate the humor of it— and now I’m so excited about teaching that I can’t sleep. I need to read Don Quixote again…
And maybe I need a t-shirt that says “Warning: May spontaneously talk about Don Quixote.”
…wait is Napoleon Dynamite a parallel Don Quixote??? 🤯
Nacho Libre???!! 😱 😱😱
whispers
it izzzzz
Banana Cream Pie refuses to wear pants because she hates sitting on seams. So I used some fabric that I kept when we moved to make her a skirt. I used an old skirt that she liked as the “pattern.”
One of the days for Homecoming Spirit week was “Wear your Bluebird Flour gear.” Apple Pie really wanted something to wear, and she pestered me until I figured something out. And then continued to pester me until it was done.
I used the Feliz Apron Dress pattern from the book Sewing Clothes Kids Love by Nancy S Langdon and Sabine Pollen. I’ve made this dress before. It is one of my favorite patterns.
Apple Pie was thrilled, and I really enjoyed making it!
We had a great Thanksgiving.
My sister-in-law, Linda, and my brother-in-law, Daniel, came down to Monument Valley from Slat Lake City. I cooked a big Thanksgiving dinner, which we ate on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, we took Linda and Daniel to Corkscrew Canyon. It had rained recently, so the bottom of the canyon was full of water. Because of that, we only went in a little way, but Daniel was still able to get some good photos, and Linda and I got to talk a lot, so mission accomplished!
Finishing the work of Thanksgiving dinner turned out to be awesome because on Thursday morning, while I knew everyone else was slaving to cook Thanksgiving dinner, I could just relax. As Mole says in The Wind in the Willows ,
“…the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.”
I wasn’t sure that was true when I first read it, but I found it was true on Thanksgiving morning.
My husband and Daniel took a morning hike around the Mittens.
Thursday afternoon, we headed down to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
We entered the east entrance and went straight to the watchtower.
We had to wait in line a bit to go into the tower.
The weather was chilly and there were patches of snow on the ground, but it was warm inside the tower. The views from the rim were (obviously) spectacular and surreal.
The inside of the tower had fascinating paintings, copied from ancient Native American art.
After exploring all the tower had to offer, we continued along the rim, stopping at most of the overlooks, until the sky began to get dark and the air too cold.
Then we headed to an AirBnB I had booked in Williams, about an hour south of the Grand Canyon. It was a super cute cabin with a gas fire place. The kids loved it and ran up and down the stairs, pausing to bask in front of the fireplace and rest.
I had brought plenty of leftovers from home. And I made crab rangoon cups in the mini muffin tin for extra snacking.
Our original plan had been to return to the Grand Canyon on Friday morning and visit the main visitor’s center and maybe hike.
However, the morning was foggy and snowing, and the kids just wanted to stay at the cabin in front of the fire. Additionally, Linda had a terrible migraine, and my back was really hurting me. None of my usual stretches or creams were helping.
After discussing, we decided that we probably would not see much of the canyon with all the fog, anyway, and we just relaxed at the cabin all day. I lay on my back reading a novel, the kids ran up and down the stairs and watched Bugs Bunny on TV, and Ben and Linda slept. I have to admit, it was a great day for everyone (except Linda.) She finally called her doctor and got him to send a prescription to Flagstaff so that Ben could pick it up and ahead could have relief. Thus Ben and Linda took a quick trip to Flagstaff.
When she got her prescription, Linda bought tasty pizza for dinner.
Saturday morning we headed home, but we stopped at PetSmart in Flagstaff to fulfill my beginning of the school year promise to Isla.
We adopted Potato and Poochee
Potato is fairly friendly, although he bit me the first time I tried to trim his nails, so I don’t trust him completely.
Poochee is very shy.
Do I regret getting pets? Time will tell.
This is definitely the kind of trip we want to have while we are living in Monument Valley.
Marvelous Pigs in Satin 