the mud

So today after work I turned down an invitation to go out for happy hour with all my colleagues who I REALLY wanted to hang out with.  But I was already late for my kids and thought it best to head home. Once I was in the car and on the highway, though, I got two phone calls from my kids asking if they could have their own happy playdates, because, "MOM, it's FRIDAY!"  Being the understanding mom I sometimes try to be, I said yes.  Of course, it was too late for me to play. I would have had to turn around, park, try to find everyone, so I just headed home looking forward to 45 minutes of quiet alone time in the house.  What would I do for 45 minutes?  I needed a plan to take full advantage of the precious minutes.  Here was my list of options: Pedicure - no, takes a little longer and I had worn boots Pick up a new set of headphones at Radio Shack- boring Clean the house - NO! Go for a run - not without new headphones Food shopping - not necessary, I can't squeeze

Growing up as the oldest of five, I would have to carve out spaces for myself to hide to find peace and quiet and read.  My brother would read up in a tree in the backyard where no one could reach him.  I found an old rocking chair in the attic, and surrounded by boxes, lit only by a dangling lightbulb, I read through the Little House series.  It was a great space, all mine.  One of the first questions I used to ask students in my reading classes was, Where do you like to read?  We would discuss places that inspire us.  At the beach, beside a tree, up in the attic.   In my current work I assist teachers in making a library, a place for children to read in a comfortable homelike environment.  Isn't that interesting?  Homelike?  We are trying to make a classroom that feels inviting, just as I am trying to do in my house, family-friendly, kid-friendly spaces.  So I'm beginning to apply the same concepts I use in creating a literacy environment at schools in my home.  One of my f

So this was our living room the day we moved in.  Lots of potential, right?  We didn't know where to begin, but things gradually took shape.  A couch, a piano, a rug.  A lamp, a table, a chair.  Things have flowed in and out of this room as we try to reorganize our belongings to fit the house, but the paint color was a major point of interest.  That was one thing that would remain. We spent almost two weekends at Sherwin Williams trying to find the right color.  My goal was 'peacock blue.'  Fairly simple, right?  Not really.  Anyone who has ever tried to match paint color to an idea for a paint color knows the process is overwhelming.  So we tried to adjust the color by adding more tints.  Finally the paint-mixer said to me, "We cannot go any further with this paint.  It is at its capacity."  Who knew?  They can only add so much color saturation before it becomes... well, saturated.  (literally filled to the brim!)  This is what we started with:   BLUE NILE  So

On the beautiful weekend in NYC, I had the privilege of listening to Naomi Shiyab Nye , an amazing poet and speaker.  She reminded us of many things but these especially stood out: one,  to "Please Pause" and take in the beauty that surrounds us, and two, "Everytime you love someone not exactly like you, your heart expands."  Listening to her wonderful words reminded me that at the heart of it all is love.  Relationships are how we build our lives and relating to each other is the key to everything.  I hope you have a week of wonder and good relationships, that sometimes require us to Love Hard. joannie

Today after work I leave for NYC for a girls' weekend.  Not the kind you might imagine - this one is all about teaching and writing.  The highlight of this trip will be going to Teacher's College to hear the wonderful Lucy Calkins talk about all that's new in literacy and education.  She is my guru, my mentor, and I follow her like a tween follows Taylor Swift.   Her 'music' though is all about school.  Do you remember loving school as a child?  That wonderful kindergarten or first grade teacher who made you feel like a rock star for writing your name. The teacher who let you lead the class down the hallway and you felt like the king of the world.   Yesterday in a kindergarten class a little boy was reading to me and when he came to the word 'the', he said, "Hey, wait, that's the word my teacher been teaching me!  That's the word she been teaching!"  Well, when I hear Lucy Calkins speak, she still has that same enthusiasm for learning and i

After I took down the aluminum scripted house number from over the door, (remember, like from 1948) we were left with nothing for a few months.  Delivery men and contractors were always hesitant when they knocked.  (We took down the doorbell too!)  I looked for a long time for the right style house number since it says so much about the owners, well not really, but I just wanted something unique.  I thought that we would make it down to Cape May where I remembered seeing really cool sculptured house numbers in a little shop on Washington Square, but that didn't happen.  I had run past houses with funky lettered written numbers and thought that was cool too, but we decided to put a keystone over the center of the door, so the written wouldn't work.  Then, there's a shop in Collingswood that had a really cool looking monogram number over the door, but that would take lots of work.  So I remembered an old magazine, Blueprint , that had this awesome combination of writing and n

The 'gardens' here had been neglected for quite some time.   We had to have the tree company remove an old dead pine and some two-feet high roots bulging out of the ground.  A neighbor told me that the previous owner had loved his roots.  Sorry, but they weren't part of our family-friendly vision for the house, so out they went.  While we waited all summer for the right season to install sod, we had a muddy pit in our yard.  Finally, we now have a green, green, field of dreams. And yesterday, I finally got around to doing what I had wanted to do all weekend, plant spring bulbs, and I did it just in time because this morning there is a soft rain falling.  I planted tulips, allium, and grape hyacinth, and am hoping that they come up beautiful and lush come spring! The other night my husband put his industrial strength spotlight on the lawn and we all played football til well after dark (and bedtime)! No more mud outside, but this is what we call the MUDDY room!  Don't k

A year ago, almost to the day, we found a new house completely by surprise and it has changed our lives.  We were not looking for a new house - really it found us.  My husband was out running and a few days later took me for a drive (actually we were on our way home from the store).  When we pulled up out front, I looked past the barren yard and broken windows and envisioned the home of our dreams.  I think even our realtor thought we were crazy.  It has been a long year and when we finally moved in last May, the real work was still before us, literally.  Now, almost 6 months later, we've had the plumbers, the electricians, the carpenters come to do their work, but now it's our turn.  I am working to make this house a family-friendly home, the kind you see in movies where all the kids come home for Thanksgiving.  Check out the set of It's Complicated .  (Thanks to Julia at Hooked on Houses!) I don't quite know if we'll ever get there, (I'm talking the living

One of my favorite Justin Roberts songs ends with the phrase, "If you liked that, you should check out the mud!"  Having always been afraid to get muddy, I thought this phrase is just what I need to apply to my life as I juggle working and raising four kids.  We are always seeking to balance the yucky dirt with refreshing, life-giving water and we know that in the right circumstances, things will grow.  Over the past year my life has grown by leaps and bounds with my family, my career, and my new passion, writing.  I hope you will visit to chat and read about my muddy life!