living the dream :: Page 6 :: Elizabeth McGuire

Get it together

Posted on January 11, 2012 by ewm | 7 Comments

Oh January, you wily creature, you. After the joyful upheaval of the holidays I am always desperate for you to arrive. We remove the Christmas tree from the living room and suddenly our crowded space seems limitless. A clean slate! Room to do cartwheels again! And a week later, once the recycling truck has come and gone with an obscene…

Predictions for 2012

Posted on December 30, 2011 by ewm | 6 Comments

That the new year will be filled with more magic, but only if nobody pokes an eye out. * * * That our next whoopie cushion will last just barely longer than 24 hours. * * * That the obnoxious “whee-hoo-whee-hoo-whee-hoo” guns from Grandma will accidentally get thrown out with the gift wrapping trash. * * * That, if kept…

Merry Merry!

Posted on December 24, 2011 by ewm | 2 Comments

Happy Holidays from the PeaceLoveGuac family! May your days be merry and bright! May the New Year be filled with big dreams, hopeful moments, and unexpected treats. May you find the sound of silence, plenty of time to ponder the good stuff, and more nice than naughty.

Zen Parenting

Posted on December 20, 2011 by ewm | 5 Comments

Tomorrow night, my angel will adjust her wings and fly toward something she has been dreaming about for six years. The first time I took her to The Nutcracker, I shrugged off the “you’re taking a 3-year-old to do what?” comments, pulled out our holiday finery and loaded up my purse with peppermint bribes. She made it almost two hours…

Deaf ears

Posted on December 5, 2011 by ewm | 10 Comments

“Do I have to go to the piano recital?” Yes. “Can I bring my DS?” No. And before you ask why, I’ll remind you that this is a big deal for your sister. And we are a family who cheers each other on. We show up. We celebrate. We pay attention. We don’t sit in the audience tuned out and…

Souvenirs

Posted on November 30, 2011 by ewm | 6 Comments

I know, I know…I have been gone and didn’t even bother to bring back a lousy T-shirt for you. Please accept my apologies and these belated postcards. Ah, here we are at a beautiful, family-friendly beach resort. By “resort” of course I mean “random city park in the middle of nowhere.” Lucky for us, the event organizers provided babysitters… But…

Hold me

Posted on November 17, 2011 by ewm | 13 Comments

And just when you think your parenting skills have slipped precariously close to a failing grade, you catch somebody doing something like this.

The view from here

Posted on November 2, 2011 by ewm | 12 Comments

The view from here is knee-deep, up to my ears, in the weeds. Juggling, juggling, juggling. All hands on deck! Ringing alarms, iPhone chimes, not-so friendly reminders. Sync up, follow up, heads up. Calendars, emails, reply all, reply all, reply freaking all??? Meal planning. Meal scrambling. Lofty goals, childish whims, finite patience. Three sandwiches, three apples, three lunchboxes. Rotate and…

So much more than a swing…

Posted on September 20, 2011 by ewm | 6 Comments

It’s a source of fresh perspectives, quiet, stolen moments, and impromptu together time. * * * Like this post? You might also dig this one.

The not-so-fast track

Posted on August 25, 2011 by ewm | 6 Comments

As I make my slow pilgrimage through the world, a certain sense of beautiful mystery seems to gather and grow. ~A. C. Benson * * * Dear readers, if you liked this post, you are gonna love this one!