Mrs Pickwick, chatting with Sweet and Feisty over breakfast and tea, vaguely attempting to clear up the mysteries of the universe and proper cooking temperatures, before a second cup of coffee: “When you get married, you usually take your husband’s name.” Sweet: “That is weird! But, he will be a boy with a boy’s name and… Continue reading Tea with Sweet P
Saturday morning in the Pickwick house dawned early and noisily, as the Blessings awoke with the sun, paying no heed to the fact that no one happened to need to be up for work, or church, or even grocery shopping. When the sound of five unsupervised and lively Pickwicks enjoying all the freedom afforded to… Continue reading Fr Pickwick Entertains a Breakfast Guest
The Pickwickian vehicle has been making strange noises of late. Let us qualify that statement: stranger than usual, and not meant in a figurative sense as an attempt to convey the sound of at least four different songs in six keys. It is indeed the actual car making the noises, not the children. Mrs Pickwick… Continue reading A Little Cartastrophe
Once, Mrs. Pickwick spent a blissful evening at choir rehearsal, completely uninterrupted by any little Pickwickian emergencies. Even Baby P’s bedtime came and went, and with no panic-stricken texts, or Baby himself delivered mid-rehearsal. How can this be? Mrs. Pickwick marveled at this delightful freedom, truly incredulous that her phone had remained silent from 7–9… Continue reading Mrs Pickwick Checks Her Phone
Last weekend the Pickwicks had the grand excitement to attend a wedding. Fr Pickwick went early to organize the music, and Mrs Pickwick followed with the children. Keeping them clean and pressed and driving them through torrential rains to arrive on time to an unfamiliar church in an unfamiliar state was no problem at all.… Continue reading Mrs Pickwick and the Unexpected Wedding Guest
Mrs Pickwick has long been absolutely essential to every choral ensemble to cross her path. Fr Pickwick has even been to known to claim that the show simply could not go on without her, as shows desperately need an audience and also musicians tend to be rather faint after performances and he prefers to be… Continue reading Mrs Pickwick is in a Concert
Out and about on an errand one afternoon, the little Pickwicks were very excited as we pulled into the bank parking lot. They had already each scored a tiny porcelain ballerina from the thrift store, but there was still something missing to really be the cherry on top of this cupcake of Pickwickian happiness. Usually… Continue reading Little Pickwicks Make a Plan
Thank heavens. It rained. We walk to church now, even when it rains. On Mother’s Day. In the rain. Divine Liturgy: A litany from the choir loft Lord have mercy (No, stop. You can’t. I don’t understand you when you talk like that. That is actually just one long continuous whine and I understand it even… Continue reading Mother’s Day Comes but Once a Year
Late last night, after choir rehearsal, Mrs. Pickwick cheerfully arranged a playdate for today- a nice lunch date from 11-2, to break up the school day. As any homeschooling mother knows, “breaking up the school day” like this does not actually mean giving hard-working minds a rest between Latin and arithmetic. It is code for… Continue reading Just Another Day in Paradise
With summer on the wane, and the school year rapidly closing in upon us like a church service (I used to say “freight train” in this sort of context, but at this point in my mothering career getting hit with a church service is actually more traumatic than being hit by a freight train), I… Continue reading Child Inside, Child Outside
