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About Katie Fox

Katie is a writer, a teacher, a mezzo-soprano, and a lover of all things red. She has been a stay-at-home mom since 2007, and while she loves her family more than anything, she also loves to make time for pursuing the crafts of writing and choral music. Katie is a native Texas girl, happily married to her best friend, Shaun, and together they are passionate about mentoring and equipping artists of all kinds. Find her online at katiefox.net.

choir
avatar by on June 18, 2013   •   14 Comments Self-Care You

You can do something just for you

Question for you lovely readers: what does it mean when you’re reading a hilarious blog post by the inimitable Jen Hatmaker, laughing so hard that you’re crying, and you suddenly begin sobbing instead?

I’m talking about ugly, shoulders-shaking, snot-dripping sobbing, and your six-year-old daughter comes in and pats you on the back, saying, it’s ok, mama, it’s ok?

I’ll tell you what it means: it means you’re tired. You’re exhausted. You have probably been running on autopilot for so long that when you finally stopped and experienced some sort of strong emotion, you just lost it.

That was me last week. Ever been there? I’m sure I will be there again someday. So what do you do when you hit a wall?
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littlegirlindirt1
avatar by on May 29, 2013   •   149 Comments Going Outside Your Family

Let your kids get dirty!

On a typical afternoon these days, you might come over to my house and discover a scene very much like the one pictured above. My daughter is almost three years old, and she currently has a fascination with dirt – the dirtier, the better.

She can literally spend hours playing in the dirt, moving it around, making dirt cakes and mud pies, and covering herself in earthy brown goodness. I suspect she is not alone in her fascination; it seems that both boys and girls are drawn to play with dirt from the very youngest of ages.

At our home, there have been a few observers who objected.
“Ewwww!”
“Yucky! Don’t play in the dirt!”

I simply smile and say, “That’s what childhood is for – getting dirty. It’s good for her.”

And believe it or not, it is good for her – body and soul.
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avatar by on January 28, 2013   •   99 Comments Kids: Learning Anywhere Your Family

Education: the agony and the ecstasy

schoolbus

The following is a guest post by Katie Fox.

It’s January 28, which means that I’m in the thick of my annual agony regarding my children’s education. Every year, for the past three years and counting, I face two deadlines in late January: the deadline to re-apply for financial aid at our current private school (which we LOVE), and the deadline to apply for a public school transfer (because we need a back-up plan).

Because what if we don’t get enough financial aid at our current private school? Or what if we decide that we can’t commit to the commute anymore? (Yes, we are currently That Crazy Family that drives their child across the city for a better education. At least I know we’re crazy, right?)

It doesn’t stop there. I need more back-up plans. What if we don’t get chosen in the public school transfer lottery?

So, next week I’ll be attending an info meeting for a charter school near our home. And I just signed up to join the email list for a new university model school that is opening in the fall. And I’ve been researching homeschool curriculum. And…and…and…someone save me from this madness!
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avatar by on January 21, 2013   •   36 Comments Family Bonding Your Family

Adoption: our family’s journey, continued

colombia-1

The following is a guest post by Katie Fox. Katie first shared about her family’s adoption journey in December 2011. Here is the next installment.

Three years ago, when my husband and I decided to adopt a child, I never envisioned that one day I’d be riding along in a taxi on bumpy, twisty mountain roads in Colombia, South America, half drugged on Dramamine, weak from exhaustion, and just hoping to make it back to the hotel in one piece. But that is where found myself last March.

Our new little girl, Laura*, sat next to me in her car seat. I wondered how she would react to being strapped in (it’s a bit of a novelty there), but thankfully she didn’t mind. She looked out the window with great interest at her surroundings, and as long as I kept up a semi-continuous stream of cookies, she seemed quite content.

Laura and I were traveling from Bogota to her birth city in order to get her new birth certificate, updated with her new name – our family’s name. The adoption had been finalized the day before, and Laura was now officially part of our family.

After two years of paperwork, six weeks in-country, and five weeks in court, we were finally a family of four. Our older daughter, Annie*, was now a big sister; my husband and I were now the parents of two girls. What a magical and tragic and joyous and grief-filled journey, to welcome a child into our family through adoption.
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avatar by on December 19, 2011   •   63 Comments Family Bonding Your Family

Adoption: Our Family’s Story

A note from Tsh: I love my assistant, Katie, and I love her family—and I also love their story. I found it worth telling, so I’m honored to have her share it today…

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” – Mother Theresa

Next month, our family will complete a journey that started almost exactly two years ago. Actually, I suppose it began seven years ago, when my husband and I were first engaged to be married, dreaming about our future together and wondering where the road ahead would take us.

One of the dreams we shared was adoption; we were both very interested in adopting a child someday. But to me, “someday” meant when I was much, much older and wiser…way down that road ahead.
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