Yesterday we had plans to swim at the university pool, but then they got foiled by almost everyone having something else going on that after...

We have this cute stray cat who has been hanging around our house mewling at us. She lets us pet her if we wait for her to come up to us. I...

Everyone came home after school, for the first time the entire school year! Amazing! Not a whole lot going on otherwise and my left shoulde...

Eric and I finished up the shiplap siding late this afternoon. So satisfying! Now I have to paint it....and install the door...and then inst...

We woke up to the smell of skunk. It happens on occasion when there's one in the neighborhood. Zari had to leave early just as it was st...

Yesterday afternoon we took the whole family, plus one friend, to a historical reenactment/festival celebrating Fort Ouiatenon and the hist...

Ivy and Inga's school team are undefeated champions! They haven't lost a single game this season and they just finished a tournamen...

Inga and I got home at 10:20 pm from her soccer practice. I'm glad I was able to stay alert during the drive there and back. I've ha...

We let the kids all stay up late to watch the vice-presidential debate. It was definitely much more restrained than the presidential debate!...

I've been drinking lots of electrolyes (it's my long fast day) and so far, no headaches of any significance. That definitely makes a...

Zari, Ivy, Inga and I were up at 6:15 am for...guess what? More soccer! Ivy had an 8 am game about 45 minutes away, then we drove 30 minutes...

Today felt like a "proper" Saturday, meaning we did chores in the morning, worked on some house projects, made a fire and had Smor...

Inga and I got home at 10:30 pm from her soccer practice. I hadn't seen Dio or Ivy all day since they left for school! Ivy was already i...

It's so nice to have more rain. The ground is finally softening up and the grass is starting to turn green. But rain also means rides to...

I'm doing another full fast today--so about 36 hours of fasting. The hardest part are the headaches that get worse throughout the day. W...

Forgot to write yesterday...here are a few pictures from yesterday's homecoming dance. I thought the wool cap was a nice touch, and Zari...

For the first time ever, our children all experienced high school Homecoming. They are all mystified by American football. Same for me. &quo...

I watched Zari's home game, with Eric joining me for the last 20 minutes. Her team won 5-0, with Zari scoring 1 goal and having another ...

Ivy and Inga had a middle school soccer game and came back elated. They won 3-2 with Inga scoring all 3 goals. They were tied 2-2 until the ...

I feel a bit ill, slightly weak and feverish. Not enough to put me in bed but enough to wish I were in bed! Video editing all day, except f...

I woke up well before 4:30 am with lots on my mind and couldn't get back to sleep. I read for a while, then laid there and pretended I w...

Ivy was up at 6 am for a very early departure. I got her sent off and fortunately was able to get a bit more sleep in before I had to bring ...

Eric and Inga left at 8 am for a tournament a few hours away. Once everyone was awake, I took Zari thrift shopping and she found 2 pairs of...

What a treat--we had 3 of the 4 kids home today after school! Zari was home extra early, around 1:30 pm. Ivy had a game this evening about a...

Since Zari and Dio both had games (Zari's in town), I got to drive Inga to her far-away practice. We hit a total road shutdown on the wa...

My morning started with a Zoom meeting with someone in Australia...which means that I skipped my normal exercise for MWF. Ivy and Inga had a...

Everyone is buzzing about the Harris-Trump debate. Oh my. We were yelling at the screen and then laughing in astonishment and then rolling...

Back to our weekday schedule, in which I don't see any children until 6 pm at the earliest. Why are we doing this? I started a big spr...

For the next month our lives will be dominated by soccer. Then, once the school soccer season ends, it will be more reasonable (although on...

Lots of computer work and Zoom meetings today. I got some big things checked off my to-do list, which is satisfying. Eric, Inga, and Zari ...

I'm back from the Amish midwife meeting! The drive was uneventful and required only one charging stop. Ivy and Inga had a middle schoo...

I traveled down to Fulton, MO for a gathering of around 100 Amish and other Plain midwives. It's been a lovely event. They have been so...

Yesterday we had a lovely languid afternoon out in the country at an informal picnic. It was a friend of Zari's from school and his fami...

This morning started with sleeping in until almost 8:30! It felt amazing because I have been sleeping poorly this week. I made a big pancake...

Ivy and Inga invited 3 friends over for a sleepover and the house is loud and crazy. We had dinner and then went to the university track to ...

I had 6+ hours of Zoom meetings today! The last one ended at 10 pm. One was with two DNP students at the University of Seattle. One was to ...

Half of our family was gone until 10:20 pm! Zari came home at 10 pm from her away soccer game, and then I had to go to the high school and p...

I had an hour-long interview today with journalist Clare Wiley about my experience having an unassisted birth with Zari. As I was gathering ...

I have missed very few days of journaling since the start of the pandemic in 2020...until now. I really want to put my foot down for next ye...

We had an early start for Zari's SAT test, leaving at 7 am and getting back before noon. I went grocery shopping, bought a journal at a...

Eric and Inga left this evening for a weekend-long tournament in Chicago. And Zari takes her SATs tomorrow! We had a rare afternoon with 3 ...

I started the day with a run (1 mile each way) to the university gym, 10 minutes of rowing, and weight lifting. Then lots of sitting for mos...

Soccer season is in full swing. Zari and Dio both had games today (in different locations, one an hour away). I drove Inga to her practice y...

Dio had a tournament this morning at the high school; they won both games. While he and Eric were gone, I weeded and mulched. I WILL beat th...

Due to thunderstorms and downpours and 6:30 am soccer practice, I drove Zari and Dio to and from school today. Because of their different st...

Before I left for the conference in KY, I noticed 1 or 2 small itchy bumps on my hips and thought nothing more of it. By time I got home 5 d...

Life keeps speeding by. I'm back from the conference as of Monday late afternoon (Aug 12). Yesterday was busy--I was finishing up the It...

I've been feeling progressingly better throughout the day, thank goodness. I was able to attend all of the conference sessions, do a si...

I was feeling a bit icky last night but figured it was due to conferencing for 13+ hours. But no...this morning I woke up quite sick: fever,...

I left the last session a bit early (well, technically an hour late as it went overtime) because by 9:30 pm, I was just wiped out. We've...

I made it to the Born Free Twins-Breech Conference in Louisville, KY! Super exhausted. My presentation is tomorrow morning and I think it...

It's weird having an empty, quiet house. We're used to kids coming home for 2-hour lunches and, the older kids, coming home at vario...

The pace of life has picked up significantly, and school hasn't even started yet! (It does tomorrow) We've had to cut down 8 trees,...

Eric is still really sick, so he and the kids stayed home. We had an impromptu family gathering where I showed the kids a Ted talk on empath...

What a tornado of airplanes and border crossings and illnesses the past few days! We're back in the US as of about 44 hours ago. Very qu...

We visited several family-related sites today, starting in Abersoch, where Eric's grandma was born and lived until she emigrated to Cana...

We all headed out at 9:30 am towards Aberdaron. The drive there was...hair-raising. The roads became progressively narrower until we were o...