Archive
15.01

2013

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Happy to share a new essay, "My Daughter, My Teacher", published in The Huffington Post over the weekend.  The dust of "the iPhone contract" is settling and I'm happy to be back at my desk writing again.  Enjoy - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janell-burley-hofmann/my-daughter-my-teacher_b_2450987.html. Thank you! Janell
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10.01

2013

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My girl embodies every inch of her six (*almost 7*) years.  She is adorable with a petite, muscular build and tiny face with long black hair.   I could write a story about her every day. Yesterday I watched her run up to our house after the school bus dropped her off.  I hid by the front door, so she wouldn't know I was there.  Our dog was pouncing back and forth, running with her, so excited to have her home.  She was spinning and dodging with Izzy all along our side yard.  She was smiley, but serious, with her wolf winter hat ...
10.01

2013

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While tucking my 6 year old (*almost 7*) into bed she said this,  "Mom, here are the 10 things I think about every night so I don't have bad dreams.  It really works."
  • candy
  • holidays
  • love
  • colors
  • numbers
  • Disney World
  • Disney on Ice
  • Storyland
  • family
  • friends
I felt like this might help a lot of people, so I shared it.  Enjoy!
04.01

2013

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Click Title for Video.... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awq1EORFiLE&w=550] Recently, I watched Alicia Keys sing her gorgeous song "Not Even The King" on Storytellers.  I mentioned how much I would love to hear my sweet 8 year old sing that song.  So with Christmas approaching, she wrote out all the lyrics, had my musician husband Adam learn it on the piano and practiced it over and over.  On Christmas Eve morning she sat me down to perform it.   A little piece of my heart melts every time I hear this.  And I love ...
04.01

2013

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My gorgeous, amazing, lovable younger sister got married on New Year's Eve.  Because I want the spirit & magic of her wedding to live on, I'm sharing the Maid of Honor speech I gave at the reception.  I hope my love for her and Caleb oozes out of this.  Even if you don't know her, I hope this makes you fall in love. Z & CALEB There are very few people I place in the category of my sister Lindsey.  I hold her close to my heart, in the highest regard.  And because my love for her is so ...
19.10

2012

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One spring morning, when it was still dark, we parked at the beach for our weekly group workout.  We ran on the sandy dune trails wearing our weighted backpacks, pushing and pulling each other through the miles.  We crossed over to the ocean side and went deep into the freezing Atlantic to tread water.  While we worked in silence, the sun came up over the horizon in gorgeous shades of purple and pink.  Night turned to day and soon the sky was golden.  In this moment, I felt so connected to these people, to the earth, to our ...
19.10

2012

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One day, I took Gregory, Brendan, and Ella for a walk around our new neighborhood.  A little boy was riding his bike.  He was cute and blonde and riding over jumps, even though he was just five years old.  I thought he might be a nice friend for Gregory and they seemed to be the same age.  His Mom came outside to meet us.  She had a huge smile and kind eyes.  I could tell she was a special person before she even spoke.  Then she told me that she had 8 kids!  WOW - 3 seemed like a lot to me!  We chatted and laughed for just a few ...
19.10

2012

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When I first went to yoga class, I ached to talk.  The extended silence was a real challenge.  Sometimes my throat would throb like a bruise during class.  But more than anything, in the beginning, I liked being alone on my mat and that no one asked me to be anything.  And sometimes I would swear or growl out loud during a pose and nobody seemed to mind that either.
19.10

2012

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Sometimes, when my day is through and my children are fast asleep, I melt into my couch under my big, blue blanket and let the world go quiet.  Sometimes it has been really hard, sometimes it has been smooth.  And even though my body and brains are always scrambled, I mostly feel like I did a really good job at life.
19.10

2012

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One day, when we first moved to Cape Cod, Gregory had a play date with a new friend from Kindergarten.  His Mom came to pick him up from our house on a chilly December night.  When she came to the door, I noticed she only had socks on.  She laughed and said, "this is what happens when you have 5 kids, you end up places without your shoes."  It seemed impossible that one could leave the house in winter without shoes.  I thought she really needed to get it together.  But now that I have 5 kids, I kind of know what she means...