Taking a Break
Everyday Life Marian Frizzell Everyday Life Marian Frizzell

Taking a Break

I used to think that, as a stay at home mom, there wasn't much difference between a regular day and a weekend. The same messes were made; the same messes were cleaned up. The early mornings continued, regardless of any attempts for late night fun. The same meals had to be cooked; the same laundry thrown in; the same discipline issues worked on. And then I started homeschooling.

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Parenting and Pencils
Everyday Life Marian Frizzell Everyday Life Marian Frizzell

Parenting and Pencils

I have always said that parenting five children is typically ends up along the lines of survival of the fittest. I have grown very good at being flexible and letting things go and knowing which things I should prioritize. But today, I faced the homeschool mom's worst fear: I was stabbed by a pencil. And suddenly, I realized that my parenting philosophies have shifted in the last few months.

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Shared Bounty
Everyday Life Marian Frizzell Everyday Life Marian Frizzell

Shared Bounty

I thought I'd come back and give you guys proof of our gardening labor this year. Some aspects of our garden turned out heartier than others. For example, our lavender plant is going stronger than any of us ever expected. Especially Littles, who was convinced that I'd already killed it before we even transplanted it over to the raised beds. Pessimist.

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End Goals
Thoughts Marian Frizzell Thoughts Marian Frizzell

End Goals

Three months ago, I had the honor of getting to watch my brother-in-law graduate from high school. My in-laws have molded and taught him, shepherded him and sacrificed for him, and now, as he heads off to college, they can do so knowing that--while they may wish they had more time--they have prepared him well.

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Frizz Family Homeschool: RV Edition
Everyday Life Marian Frizzell Everyday Life Marian Frizzell

Frizz Family Homeschool: RV Edition

Our first week of school happened to coincide with a lovely head cold, but you know what they say about homeschool moms: can't stop, won't stop! Except I totally have stopped more than a couple times and pretended that the kids were at a real school instead of just rampaging on the other side of the RV while I took a cat nap.

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Still Hot
Books Marian Frizzell Books Marian Frizzell

Still Hot

Those of you who know me, know I love Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. So much so that this year I bought a pencil case of Max in his wolf suit with the iconic words "I'll eat you up!" written on it. (Incidentally, the Man, who is not a Sendak fan, asked me, "Who bought this weird pencil case? That kid has something coming out of his butt!")

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Five Minutes of Quiet
Everyday Life Marian Frizzell Everyday Life Marian Frizzell

Five Minutes of Quiet

Is it just me or is there something about parenting that makes you want to hide in your bathroom at the end of a long day and just get to read a good book and possibly poop in peace? Five minutes, that's all I ask of you. Just five minutes to regain my sanity.

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Delight and Desire
Marian Frizzell Marian Frizzell

Delight and Desire

Last night the kids and I were reading a Max Lucado devotional on Psalm 37:4. The translation the devotional book used read, "Enjoy serving the Lord. And he will give you what you want."

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If You Try Hard Enough
Thoughts Marian Frizzell Thoughts Marian Frizzell

If You Try Hard Enough

Just a quick reminder for your Monday morning that anything can be a bookshelf if you try hard enough (and potentially think outside the box). Even a very large command hook that is supposed to be used to hold your mom's bag.

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Garden Add On
Everyday Life Marian Frizzell Everyday Life Marian Frizzell

Garden Add On

I'm enriching the soil of Fam Camp one dumped French press of used coffee grounds at a time. By the time we leave here, it will have been transformed from a sandy wasteland to a rich, tropical paradise.

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Fiction Detox
Books Marian Frizzell Books Marian Frizzell

Fiction Detox

It's been a fun few weeks of fiction detox. I mentioned to my librarian that I was taking a few weeks off of novel reading, and she looked at me with a blankly confused expression and asked, "Why in the world would you do that?"

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Not the Same
Thoughts Marian Frizzell Thoughts Marian Frizzell

Not the Same

Last week, I drove by what used to be a car wash and saw a man calmly vacuuming out his pristine black sedan in the half of the car wash that's still standing.

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Some Nights and Days
Thoughts Marian Frizzell Thoughts Marian Frizzell

Some Nights and Days

There are some nights when you need to get the kids in bed early and curl up with a gigantic mug of tea and a bar of chocolate (and maybe some marshmallows--if I'm being honest) to watch Great British Baking Show and listen to the wind roar past the RV and your next door neighbor's awesome new wind chimes tolling faintly like far away church bells.

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May As Well Enjoy (Part Deux)
Thoughts Marian Frizzell Thoughts Marian Frizzell

May As Well Enjoy (Part Deux)

I'm coming back to apply an add-on to Sunday's post...mostly because honesty is important to me and balance is a necessary ingredient when we talk about perspective (which is a theme that keeps cropping up for me here).

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