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Showing posts from October, 2014

Happy Birthday Marky!

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As a kid my favorite number was always 9! The year we went to Ireland, the year I could go explore on my bike by myself and the year I started reading TinTin books! Our baby boy, the youngest of the 5 boys, is 9! What a charming, creative and athletic guy he is. Born on election day in 2005 he seems ready to tackle life with joy. Marky 1 year photo in hand me down Nike's & that following summer at 1 1/2. The MnM brothers, Nate 3, Mark 2, Mickey 4 MnM Always found a mess to make Baby blues turned green with age! 8! Fell in love with football, practicing for hours in the yard with his Dad and brothers Our reader, have to sneak in to turn off the light, he falls asleep with books on his head nightly. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARKY!!!

Community, Encouragement and Change

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Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but let us encourage one another" I love the idea of community being a place we can "stir up the good works" of one another. It is very difficult to maintain and foster many individual relationships, and leaving a community can also be painful. Learning how to celebrate the times in one place, such as Elementary school, and moving to another give us a chance to talk about respecting memories while embracing new opportunities. As our children move into their own interests we are finding the need to have time as a family key for a strong community at home.  Our kids have taken over the use of my phone, and Istragram account. I worry about allowing them into these electronic "communities" knowing full well to be in relationship with another person or group can't truly be electronic. Facebook can give way to env

Unplugged in the North Woods Thank You Camp du Nord!

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Over MEA we unplugged! We left our I pads, our computers, we logged out and headed up north. We have attended Camp du Nord summer family camps before, but this was our first time at an Autumn camp. We stayed in Danes, a wonderful old cabin right on the lake. On our way to Ely we stopped to see the Train park in Sudan We ate meals with other families in a Lodge, had nightly fires and each read at least two books. As a family we hiked, played soccer, did a Finnish sauna and carved sticks. Our great Cabin, hours of cozy reading! The view from our cabin James and John chopped enough wood for the winter and Mickey forgot to wear cool socks the whole time. Nate wrote a "North Woods Journal" by Nathaniel T Otis (has a nice literary ring to it doesn't it?) and Mark learned how to skip rocks almost as far as Dad. Mark also had the coolest top bunk bed on chains by the fire. The best bed Jr making one of many, many fires Beautiful lakefront at Camp

What Can I Actually DO at this Phase

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I have had the pleasure of attending two philanthropic events this week, and each has brought into focus the desire for change and taking action. The difficulty is how one goes about doing that in different phases of life. We as a couple can not offer the necessary financial contribution, nor can we dedicate enough time to make the impact we would like at this time of raising children from 3 to 14 years old. I am very aware that I have two years until my youngest starts primary school, this will impact my ability and desire to work. I am in the process of discerning school, graduate program acceptance and transcript request forms are stacked under sports schedules and field trip information sheets. And I am thinking about meaningful work. I am not in a unique place, many, many mothers find themselves at crossroads when their youngest move towards the big yellow bus. Lucy's portrait of her family, she told her teacher she wanted to use extra people and more skin colors to be&q