Family Life | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

My heavenly daughter, Irene

Anita Mathias — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:34:00 +0000

I generally sort out logistical challenges, like how to provide lunch for 15 people in the context of prayer. I was puzzling this out, while Irene kept coming up with every more time-intensive and impractical menu suggestions. “Hush, Irene,” I said, “I am trying to discuss this problem with my Heavenly Father.” I said. “Well,” […]

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In which Jake the Collie Thinks He’s Zoe

Anita Mathias — Sat, 08 May 2010 13:20:00 +0000

Jake the Collie now thinks he’s Zoe. We are going through our list of house and garden chores with frequent summons to strong, practical helpful Zoe when the going gets tough. She, working on her Othello essay, has developed selective hearing. But Jake appears each time, happily wagging his tail!

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In which Zoe gives Irene a shirt declaring “I am always right,” and Irene almost believes it

Anita Mathias — Fri, 07 May 2010 06:56:00 +0000

Irene uses her beloved Ipod touch to email people, listen to countless books on tape, play scrabble and boggle, and get a word a day sent to her, which she memorizes. She announced today that she is now officially cleverer than me because I didn’t know 5 of these obscure words! And because her birthday […]

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When my Family say, “Mum, say Business,” when they want to smile for the Camera

Anita Mathias — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:58:00 +0000

Somewhat to my surprise, I have discovered that I thoroughly enjoy running our business, a publishing company. When our family wanted me to smile for pictures, they used to say “say cheese” (and once as she became daring a girl said, “Say Sex,” which requires the same smiley position of the lips). Now they say, […]

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In which Family Life Makes us Laugh

Anita Mathias — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:50:00 +0000

Whenever the girls did anything amazing, I would observe proudly, “Isn’t she good? See how well I have brought her up?” The other day, Roy was very noble, and I observed proudly, “Isn’t he nice? See how well I brought…” Irene said, “YOU brought him up?” Roars of laughter!

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The Wisdom of Irene

Anita Mathias — Sat, 01 May 2010 10:48:00 +0000

Irene, crooning to me, “Mummy, you’re a mummy, and you’ll always be a mummy, but I am an Irene, and one day I will be a mummy.” Me, “Well, I’m not just a mummy.” She, soothingly, “I know. You are a writer, a Mummy, and a chatterbox.”

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The Wisdom of Roy

Anita Mathias — Sat, 01 May 2010 10:40:00 +0000

Bailey’s Irish Cream Haagen -Dazs Icecream for dessert today. Irene, “Why don’t we have this more often? Can we not afford it?” Roy, ” We can afford to buy it. We just can’t afford to eat it.”

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Our Family Dinner was Punctuated by These Cries

Anita Mathias — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:58:00 +0000

Somewhat like their mother, my girls use any new word or scrap of information in their conversation or writing within 24 hours (this is Roy’s observation!). Dinner yesterday was punctuated by calls, “Mum and Dad, chastise Zoe!” “Mum and Dad, chastise Irene!” (Zoe adds that they said “chastise” because if they ask Roy to […]

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Family Life–The Mathiases Play Balderdash

Anita Mathias — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:50:00 +0000

We played a family game of Balderdash yesterday. A bit like pictionary, pick a word, everyone gives a feigned definition while the picker gives a real one. 3 points for a correct guess, 1 if someone else guesses yours. After a slow start, Irene, 10, got the hang of dictionary sounding definitions. Scrivello, A antique […]

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Family Dinner, Chez Mathias

Anita Mathias — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:05:00 +0000

We made a duck roast. Even as Roy was carving it, we were picking up delectable tidbits. Irene, “Don’t gallop the roast.” I,” Do you mean gobble?” Irene, “No, I mean gallop”. Zoe, who’s doing GCSE history coursework says, “In Germany, at the time of Hitler, if you didn’t like what was happening, you didn’t […]

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