Fiddle Focus® Blog

A few nights ago, I had a middle of the night epiphany. I have those from time to time and keep a notebook on my night stand so I can write down the ideas that I will absolutely not remember in the morning. On this night, as The Little Rains Children (TLRC) were nestled all snug in their beds, I decided to eliminate all screens for the entirety of the following day.  Those who know me, know I have a slight problem with impulse control. One might even say that I often speak and/or act without thinking. This was one...

Quarantine-Borentine  The more I am stuck at the Rains Compound with The Little Rains Children, the more I am convinced I am an excellent parent. No, we don’t have a schedule that we adhere to strictly. No, we don’t do arts and crafts or nature walks everyday. Yes, we have relaxed personal hygiene and sleep schedules. Yes, The Little Rains Children do their online school work. Yes, sometimes I have to beg, barter, or bribe for this to happen.  But, it gets done. The journey is the most important part, right? I think I read that on a motivational poster...

It feels good to be validated, even for the small things. I take great joy in being right. I often ask my friends if the feelings I am having towards a certain situation are the correct feelings. Sometimes I am validated, other times I get a widening of eyes and a head shake. As an adult in an unsure time, I have needed those feelings of validation more than I ever have before.   The Little Rains Children have been extra clingy in the last week. It is week five or six of shelter in place for us. We have...

This is one of my favorite lines from Shakespeare. Mercrutio  utters this during Romeo and Juliet, a favorite tragedy of mine. I like to drop this line when I am really frustrated and need to say bad words, but want to remain classy. I have known to use this phrase during sporting events, political discussions, arguments with The Big D, driving in traffic, and sometimes in everyday conflict. As I have lamented in previous posts, we are a very busy family. Like most other Americans with multiple children, we are often rushed to get from place to place just to...