Life As I Know It

From the minute I hear my alarm clock go off in the morning — after I hit the snooze button at least once — it is “go” time until the minute my head hits the pillow, at least on the weekdays. I am part of a two-parents-working model of household. Our house smells like eggs, dogs, and hair products on most school mornings, and cleaning products on the increasingly rare occasion where one of us had time to give the place a decent scrub the day before or remembered to change the smell-good-thingy that plugs into the wall.

We typically adhere to a division of labor in this household where my husband cooks because he’s great at it, while I clean and keep us organized because it’s my jam. Honestly, I find things like vacuuming calming. Each morning flies by with kids and animals eating breakfast, usually no drama, and people parting ways in a somewhat hurry. I’m in that phase of life. The scariest part about it is how fast each year goes by now.

Isabelle and Kieren

I am the mom of a smart, funny, sensitive, and outgoing 7-year-old girl and stepmom to a 15-year-old young man increasingly devoted to his studies, with a huge heart for all animals, quiet in some ways (though certainly not around us), and with a unique sense of humor that is hilarious.

Isabelle is interested in science, a voracious reader, and athletically inclined with a particular passion for tennis.

In true teen fashion, Kieren is interested in video games and is taking electives at school, such as FFA, to hone in on potential career paths. He is also approaching his turn for driver’s ed. The fact that the 5-year-old boy I once played hot wheels with will get his real wheels in less than a year is shocking.

Isabelle and Kieren get along beautifully 80% of the time; the other 20% of life, sibling rivalry is in full effect, despite the age gap.

Exploring Tulsa and Beyond

When we are not doing something school related, we enjoy exploring together, whether that means finding new places in Tulsa or revisiting our favorites. We also do a good bit of traveling throughout Oklahoma, regionally, and far away. Our adventures over the years have yielded memories and priceless stories.

From this, the kids have learned about a variety of subjects from science and literature to music and art history. They’ve also learned how to get along even when they are at their wits end with one another.

Though I am not a teacher by training, I see it as my privilege and duty to integrate education as much as possible in whatever we do and tie it to the kids’ interests. The more we explore, the more I see the kids finding themselves. I hope these precious times together help shape their future selves for the better. Through our adventures I, too, continue to find myself because of my approach to learning as a lifelong process.

The family cat

In this blog, I’ll share places we’ve explored, things we’ve learned, and ways to keep education outside the classroom interesting. I’ll also share stories from a busy, quirky household as we journey through life together.