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How Freedom Dies #WeStillWearMasksThough #ButNotBecauseYouMandatedIt

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Yesterday, Dane County issued a new order that prohibits gatherings in people’s homes- private property, of any size, regardless of precautions taken. Meanwhile, NFL teams, college football teams, the UW Madison, childcare, gyms, restaurants, businesses… all able to continue operating.Twenty miles from my house, the UW has contracted more positive Covid cases than any other single entity in the state- and yet they are still operational, hosting and playing football games on national television, and no one is shutting that down. There is no social distancing on the field, the players are not wearing masks, but Dane County residents would not be allowed to invite their parents, who are quarantining, over to their own private property without facing a $2,000 fine.  I KNOW this virus is real. My sister is a front line nurse, who is putting her family and own health at risk, working 12 hour shifts, facing uncertainties every day, just to do her job. She sees first hand the devastation that
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The Most Important List

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Staying home isn't really that hard. Having time to reconnect to people that matter, slow down, sleep in.... those things aren't bad. The unknown: That's hard. Losing all illusions of control: That's tough. So, today, I made a list. It's not great writing, it's not insightful, but it is a lesson that is worth learning for me. If you're reading this, I challenge you to make your own list. Have your kids make a list. With a lot of prayer combined with some self reflection, I think this historical time period could be one of those turning points for our culture. What Still Matters: Joy God's promises My kids' well being My kids' sense of security Healthy Communication My dad and my sister Forgiveness Grace Healthy Eating My marriage Sunshine Healthy Activity Learning the value of intrinsic motivation Working Hard Generosity Outlet for my kids to get their energy out- preferably not in my house! What I realized wasn't wo
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A New Kind of Normal

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I think that most of us are beginning to realize that we have to find ways to adjust to a new normal for more than just the next week... and I know it's hard when it feels like so much has been taken from us. In a country that never hears the word "No"- to a people that cling to personal freedom like it's the air that we breathe, to a culture that has grown accustomed to instant access to every luxury and comfort that we can afford, delivered within 24 hours- the panic that we are feeling isn't just because of the virus. It's because of schools with indefinite closure notices, it's the companies that we count on, with their doors closed. It's because of paychecks that will be delayed, or worse. It's because when we order something on Amazon, it isn't delivered the next day. When we go to the store, things that we have become dependent on, are not on the shelves. Items that are manufactured in other parts of the world that are shut down w
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A Fairy Tale Kind of Life

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We walk into a crowded room, Kait’s still too small arm wrapped around Josh. She’s waited for weeks for the Badger Ball; an annual formal event that the Wisconsin Badger Athletics department hosts for Special Olympic athletes in Wisconsin. There is loud music, unabashed dancing, sugary food and real friends, all that Kait could ask for.                 Every year, I reflect on the changes in my life, in her life especially…. My first born, the child who came and made me a mama before I was ready, who knit Reid and I together as a family. It wasn’t even two hours after she was born, my brain and body still slow from the medicine and the labor, that I first heard Down syndrome, that the words mental retardation were used, the first time I saw the doctor look at me with pity, for her, for us. Within twenty four hours, before I knew how to nurse a child, I had books in my hand about raising a child with Down syndrome, a poem entitled “Welcome to Holland” and a folder with a s
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Why are you trying so hard?

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Yesterday, my 11 year old shared with me some new phrases going around school, peers insulting kids by saying they're a "try hard" or calling them sweaty when they do something well (sweaty from working so hard.) This year, being his first year in public school, Drew didn't realize that being good at math is something that other kids would mock. At home, we sometimes reward the kids when they hit certain education goals at school but mostly, we expect them to do their best at everything, and do well because we know they are capable of doing well. When I see Drew at basketball practice, he might not make every (*cough* any) layup, but we expect that when his coach says to run, he's running his hardest. I see this aversion to trying hard play out among his peers in every aspect of these kids' lives. There is one boy in Drew's grade that is just exceptionally talented in basketball. And his peers make fun of him for being good and refuse to play
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Letting Them Fail

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365 days ago, Caleb walked out of Louisville with a 1st place Showmanship ribbon in his hands and a smile the size of Texas. Since that day, he has had his heart set on winning showmanship at NAILE again. Before show season even started, he hand picked the most docile lamb in our pens and named her. He worked all summer with Sophia. With the thousands of inches of rain this summer, when most eight year old kids were in front of a screen, he was in the barn in front of a mirror with Sophia. When it was 98 degrees, and other kids were at the pool, he was outside with Sophia. Mid October, when it was freezing, he was bundled up with Sophia, practicing getting her legs set just right. If there is a kid that worked for that win this year, it's him. After all of those months of dedication, he was so excited when it was finally show time last weekend, no one more confident than him. When he came out of that ring, with a third place ribbon in his hands, he cried for 30 minutes. And I
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The Sports God

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The end of football season marks the beginning of wrestling & basketball season at our house. And the end of wrestling and basketball is quickly followed by the beginning of baseball season. Throw some intense competitive sheep shows throughout the summer and fall in there, and you have a pretty clear picture of how competitive our house can feel. There are things that I really love about having two boys who view themselves as athletes. They have a healthy outlet for their aggression towards each other. They learn physical control of their bodies. They learn what it looks like to lose and win well. They learn that a bad attitude towards their coaches means a loss of playing time. They learn how to be a part of a team, and that one person, regardless of talent, cannot make for a winning season. At least, that's what they should be learning by playing sports. These are the lessons that are worth the money, time, and energy spent on any endeavor. Lessons that transcend a bas
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