A Slowing Down Pep Talk

August 24, 2025August 24, 2025 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

A staircase below a food court in Soho, NYC

I’m home again! Blogging on my hammock in the backyard. I will likely be home until mid-October. New York City with the six teenagers was fun. (I’ll show some pictures without people in them to protect their privacy.)

On Wednesday night we ate at the Carnegie Diner. I think we watched the new episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty when we got back to the apartment.

The next morning, I wrote my previous blog post and we didn’t go out until the afternoon. (They slept-in and takes a while for seven people to get ready with one bathroom.) We went to Brandy Melville and edikted, which were clothing stores I didn’t know existed. Then we went to two thrift shops, one that was crazy expensive and another, called The Reshop, which was decent. I think everyone was tired by that point, so we returned to the apartment and we had takeout for dinner. (V & T’s… our favorite nearby Italian restaurant.) One of Hannah‘s friends wanted to work out, which was cool because it also got me to work out. I hadn’t thought of it and didn’t bring workout clothes. The girls sang some karaoke songs, we went to Times Square, and ate gelato. When we got back to the apartment, I stayed up late in my bedroom while they stayed up late in the living room.

On our final day, Friday, I worked out again with Hannah‘s friend, and nobody was ready to go anywhere until it was time for us to bring two girls to Grand Central Station. On the way back, Hannah and I bought a couple of rolls of toilet paper because we ran out. 🤣 I took a long time eating and packing and cleaning the apartment before we left at 5 o’clock. And it was a long ride home. I’d do it again though. I forgot how fun it was to be a teenager. When I look back, I usually forget about sleepovers and going out with friends, and singing and dancing and giggling. I usually remember the angst, and the mistakes. What’s up with that?

Yesterday, I spent time with my other kids, my mother, and then my father and his partner Cheryl. And now I’m resting. I’m trying to do not much of anything. When I was journaling earlier, I wrote: too busy to pray = TOO BUSY. As you probably know, the reoccurring theme of this blog is “slowing down.” So that’s what I’m doing today. I’m remembering my priorities. I’ll do some weekly planning, making sure to plan to do “first things first.” And if there’s not a lot of white space in my planner around the “first things” and the “have-to’s”, then I’ll lower my expectations about what I can accomplish this week.

Here’s a meditation that I have always liked:

It’s not about getting loads of things done, it’s about doing the things that I believe God wants me to do. And how would I know what those things are, if I’m too busy to listen?

Be the tortoise.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead, and Being in the Moment

August 21, 2025 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

I’m writing from New York City. It’s quiet here this morning, so I thought I would take some time to write. Bobby is at work, and Rachel, Hannah, and four of her friends are in the other room. I am sure that some of them are still sleeping because I don’t hear any talking. We arrived yesterday. Hannah and her friends stayed in the apartment with Bobby, who was working remotely, and I met Rachel and three of her friends and their moms for lunch and a matinee. Mamma Mia!

The show was great! I’m not sure what Hannah and her friends want to do for the next two days. I know there are some stores they want to visit.

Last week was our family vacation. Because our children are teenagers and adults now, and many weren’t sure if they would be able to take a vacation with us this summer; we decided to spend a week in New York City instead of booking somewhere else ahead of time. Bobby and I ended up coming to New York with Sarah, Rachel, and Mary. Here are some highlights and photos from the trip:

Anne Frank exhibit
Little Island, where Sarah played Billy Joel‘s Vienna on a piano
Walking on the High Line (where I thought I was going to die because it was in the 90s and we didn’t want to spend whatever the exorbitant price was on water… we walked til I nearly dropped)
The Godfather at Bryant Park
Liberty Island
A hardhat tour on Ellis Island
Hamilton (10 year’s old now)
Stranger Things: The First Shadow

We were very tired after the busyness of the first couple of days, so we stayed in the apartment for most of the last half of the trip and watched some movies (Freaky Friday, Minecraft, The Parent Trap, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) and we binge watched Stranger Things.

The girls and I watched The Summer I Turned Pretty episode of the week, and we played Payday and many games of Sorry!

Bobby, Sarah, and I worked out in the gym. Unfortunately, I have not worked out in about a week. In between the two New York trips, I was pretty busy. My father-in-law was in the hospital when we were away. We visited him at his home on Sunday and he is doing OK. I brought my father to an ERCP on Tuesday and that went well. They removed a stent he had put in when he was in the hospital when I was in Vancouver.

So, once again it’s been a busy summer. A mixture of work and fun times. Some worries and stress, and some peace and joy. It went by so fast. School begins next week. I know my calendar is looking pretty full, as it usually is at this time of year.

My perspective on life seems so seasonal. I wonder if this is part of my personality… to reflect on things so chronologically. I am a thinker. Summer used to be my favorite season when I was in my 20’s. I was quite the beach lover. But for many years now, my favorite season has been fall. I’m looking forward to more structure and order, and cool, crisp, blue sky-bright foliage days.

It’s also a tendency of mine to think a little ahead too much. I don’t want to think too far into the future, but I often think about the next few weeks. Sometimes, I overwhelm myself. The best thing for me to do is to stay in the moment. Just for today, I want to listen and be present.

Summer and the End of Homeschooling

July 22, 2025 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

Ah, the beauty of summer…

I’m ready to write, but this isn’t gonna be another catch up post. Or… is it?

Bobby joined me as I completed another eight week body transformation challenge. We followed the meal plans, and did the same workouts, sometimes together and sometimes separately. Joseph was in Guys and Dolls. My father was in the hospital for about a week. He seems to be OK now. Bobby and I spent a week in Vancouver, and a week in Seattle. I’ve been mowing the lawn, bringing my parents and children to doctors’ appointments, driving Hannah back-and-forth to her summer job at Six Flags, and I prepared a lot of Italian food for our triple birthday party. The girls and I have been watching The Summer I Turned Pretty together. This week I am super motivated to declutter, and I’m starting to sell homeschool curricula.

OK, that catches me up. Now I can tell you why I thought I’d be blogging more frequently, although it has not come to pass. This past June, I finished homeschooling. As in… I have finished 20 years of homeschooling my six children! Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like a very big deal. I knew it was coming, and it happened gradually. At one time, I was homeschooling six children, and then it was five, and a couple of years later it was four, and the next year, it was three. Eventually, only Mary was doing school at home. And this September, she will be going to high school.

But on the other hand, this will be a big change for me. It’s the end of something that was a very large part of my life for a very long time. Many days, I have grieved the loss of those little ones, and my younger self, and those simpler (but not easier) days. I do not regret any of it. Well, there are things that I wish I would’ve done better, but I understand that I could only do things to the best of my ability at the time. I’m so grateful for my experiences, and especially, for experiencing this way of life.

I see that school supplies are out in the stores now. I have memories of years of stocking up on dry erase markers, and crayons, and notebooks. I remember the excitement of beginning again in a clean schoolroom with sharpened pencils, new books, and big plans. Pushing my Walmart cart by the end caps, I feel sad for a couple of seconds. I really miss the laughter of those little kids…

But it passes quickly. I prefer to stay in reality. Those days are gone, and I am blessed to live the life I’m living today. And there’s always the excitement of not knowing what the future will bring. I expect it will be good.

I imagined I’d have so much more free time when I came to the end of homeschooling. In June, I thought I might write here a few times a week, but so far it’s like any other summer. Five of my children are still home. Three of them are adults and two of them are teenagers. I’m close with my parents, who are divorced, so I usually see them separately. My days are still filled with meaningful work and building or maintaining relationships.

I’m starting to tackle some projects. One of them is selling homeschool curricula, which is a part of the organizing the basement project. I’m starting another whole house declutter, and finishing up with assigning homes to all of our possessions. And there are lots of tasks that crop up such as covering my blueberry bushes with netting, fixing the tent that was damaged in the thunderstorm, taking Hannah to open a checking account at the bank, and going to the eye doctor. And there are loads of books I want to read…

Maybe it’s time to do a time assessment or a brain dump. I gotta sort out my priorities. And I need to pray. And sleep. And I hope I write about it all really soon.

Spring 2025

June 18, 2025 / Cheryl Wilcox / Leave a comment

Mt. Baker, WA (photo taken in BC, Canada)

I know I keep saying I’m gonna blog regularly, and then another whole season goes by in silence here. So, once again, this is my catch-up post. I have a good feeling about posting more often in the future, and I’ll explain why in my next post. Right now I need to write about:

March

Hannah’s high school performed the play, Shrek the Musical. She played one of the three little pigs, and one of the three blind mice. Rachel’s boyfriend was hilarious as Lord Farquaad.

April

Bobby and I spent a weekend in Manchester Village, Vermont, at a beautiful, old hotel called The Equinox.
Sarah performed in various choral concerts
We celebrated the Easter Triduum with Holy Thursday Mass, the outdoor living Stations of the Cross, and the Easter Vigil. We had our traditional breakfast on Easter Sunday morning, and dinner with family at our house.
During April school vacation, Hannah and I traveled to Boston to see a Role Model concert, which was really fun.
Mary and I spent some time in New York City with Bob, who was working in Midtown. We checked out the Macy’s flower show, took a ride on the Staten Island ferry for the first time, and saw two plays. Maybe Happy Ending was amazing. I’d see it again. Redwood was just OK, in my opinion. The main draw was to see Idina Menzel in person. I got a really bad cold and spent a lot of time in the hotel room.

May

I went out to lunch with my father and my aunt to a local restaurant where Sarah was playing the piano for a tea party.
A new pope was elected.
Rachel and Hannah went to the junior/senior prom with their friends. Many parents came to our house to take pictures and we took a lot of of them!
Mother’s Day was super. I visited my mom. (Forgot to take a picture.) Bobby and the girls worked out with me, and then we played tennis, with Joseph too. At night, we ate Chinese food out on the deck. Matthew and Anna, and my father and Cheryl, joined us for dinner. Then we started watching Anne of Green Gables: the Sequel, but we haven’t finished it.
Bobby and I began another transformation challenge. (I’ll write more on this in another post.) I’ve been preparing all the food for our weeks on Mondays. Sometimes we’ve worked out together, and other times he’s working out in New York while I’m working out here. Having him do it with me has helped my motivation.
There was a really busy week that included Hannah‘s art show, my nephew Ed’s spring concert, my nephew Patrick’s senior night baseball game, and Mary’s 14th birthday.
I did another day trip to Boston, this time with Bobby, for our niece Phoebe’s graduation. We left early in the morning. We ate lunch there, walked around Boston, visited the aquarium, and had dinner at an amazing restaurant called “The Table.” We were served a seven course meal. Eight courses, if you count the bread at the beginning! It was nice to spend time with Bob’s family from Washington state, and also the members from our hometown.
My father had his annual Memorial Day picnic. I wore my bathing suit, but did not go in the pool.
I helped my mother with her third wrist surgery. This one was more extensive and also more painful for her. I slept over one night and we had a very nice time talking with each other longer than our usual visits.

June

On June 7th, Bobby and I celebrated 28 years of marriage. He met me at the train station in NYC, we took a subway to the apartment where he had flowers waiting for me. We worked out in the apartment gym, took a long Uber ride to JFK, had a lovely airport dinner, and flew to Vancouver. It was fun spending the day together. After that, he worked, and I enjoyed the perfect weather. I went biking around Stanley Park (the Vancouver one) twice! I saw a bald eagle for the first time (in real life). I took a bus and ferry tour to Butchart Gardens and Victoria (the capital of British Columbia). I walked all over downtown Vancouver including stops at English Bay Beach, Sunset Beach, Gastown, Granville Island, and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, twice! Good times.
We celebrated Father’s Day with a cookout, corn hole, and sitting by the fire pit at night. My dad and Cheryl came over, as well as Bob’s dad, Matthew, and Anna.