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Amy Marquis

Pulmonary Vein Stenosis

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  • The moral here is: lighten up and maybe you will gain altitude. • I have a little quote book which I keep near me almost always. In it are absolute treasures of words which I have picked up while reading all kinds of books. The bulk of my quotes, I’ve realized, I have penned from my man Chesterton. • I think I took this particular quote from his work Orthodoxy. Did you know Chesterton’s works played a key role in transforming C.S. Lewis’ worldview from agnostic to Christian? So here is a mighty thanks to you G.K. Chesterton. Without you we would have no Aslan and what kind of world would that be? • . . . #gkchesterton #cslewis #iheartdeadauthors 💀 #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • There are a great many things I love to do in this world. But the thing that keeps me awake at night is my indefatigable love of reading. Because reading is my window to the world, I want everyone else to install such a window into their minds. I get a little religious about it if I’m honest. . Here are some of my favorite bookish resources: 📖 The Read Aloud Revival What Should I Read Next Podcast Storywarren.com Storyformed Podcast Audible Goodreads.com Caught up in a Story by Sarah Clarkson My reading friends . (I’m thinking of you @thewondersof) You don’t have to be a strong reader to grow your mind, studies show that audiobooks are just as intellectually nourishing as a hardbound book. In fact, a good number of my bucket list books that are complex classics I listed to on Audible while cleaning my kitchen. It all counts as long as the words as rich and the message brings life. Remember: not all books are good books so don’t give space in your already busy mind for anything but the best. . Happy reading everyone! . . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • I have five children. Three of them are friendly and affable; two are angry and volatile. • My angry boys are like Edmund from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Dark and broody, often a hitch in the motor that is our family. But there is a tremendous fire burning inside of them which some day, Lord willing, will be channeled into some kind of really good war. 🛡 For now we have to contend with these two sons of Ares and remind them that we are not the enemies with whom they were destined to battle. ⚔️ I call them my sons of thunder. They remind me of the apostles James and John whom Jesus, perhaps playfully, deemed thunder brothers for their ferocity of nature. 🌩 So if you see me in town, unloading my many children from the car you may hear me bellow, “thunder brothers unite!” Which would, of course, mean that it’s time to buddy up so we can cross the street safely and the sons of thunder are forever paired. 🗡 P.S. If your child is baseline angry, remember several things: 1. There may not be anything wrong with them. 2. They respond to only honey, no vinegar. 3. God has a mighty good story for that kid. . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • It seems to be summer. But as the tail end of spring blows away in so much hot wind, I have an itch to read The Secret Garden again. Something about all of that verdant spring life withering in the heat makes me need to revisit the garden which never fades. 🌹 Maybe my little men and I will crack it open again for our next tea time read aloud. It is, after all, not a girl book but, in fact, a book that surpasses gender. Probably because it hits straight the mark of wonder. And who doesn’t love wonder? 🍃 My very favorite line in the whole book was when Mary shyly tried her hand at using Yorkshire slang with her new friend Dickon. Dickon is Pan incarnate on the moors. He gentles wild things. Including our sour Mary Lennox. 🌳 “Dost thou like me?” She ventures. A playful smile plays at his funny mouth. “I like thee wonderful,” he responds. Oh to have the simple heart of a child. To ask, “Dost thou like me?” 🍃 If you are reading this, Bearded Wonder, hear this. 🍃 I like thee wonderful. 🍃 And if you say this back to me you will get so many brownie points. You couldn’t even count them all. . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • Fallacy: you are not there to be your children’s friend. Correction: because I know that “rules without relationship equals rebellion” (thanks Dobson) my children are often times my best friends. It is not my goal to make my children like me nor is it my purpose to bend my rules or authority to ensure that we are all buddies. But I am finding that being right all of the time and making a moral dilemma out of every possible wrong my children commit puts us in an adversarial relationship. As my oldest boys age, I am surprised (read:shocked) to find that all of those times which I was forced to painfully repeat every lesson and re-say every reprimand or reminder they are now turning out to be pretty great humans. They are funny and kind and I love to be with them (usually). They are my friends. . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • Honest confession: I yelled at my kids in the library parking lot and made two of them cry. It had been the most challenging library trip to date (and that is really saying something. As soon as the last child was belted and the car door closed, I let my displeasure be heard. Loudly. To coin Whitman, I sounded my barbaric yawp. But not in a good way. Did they have it coming? Oh yes. But I failed to meet their childishness with wisdom. I met it with emotion. I truly was so blurry with sleep deprivation and frustration that I gave full vent to my anger. Dang it all. Don’t you hate it when you are so angry and you know that your anger is wildly out of proportion with the situation? You can’t seem to cool your heals fast enough to compose your Mother Theresa voice. Suddenly, I’m not just angry because of what just happened. I’m angry because my three year old shoved me out of bed with his viscous little feet at dawn this morning and because my preteen was a rage monster over his math lesson and because the kid sitting next to me always smells like spit. I’m just in the mood to be good and angry. But I know I’m more wrong than any of my little ones. Sigh. I pulled my tired mom SUV over and apologized to my upset children for being a lunatic momzilla. They forgave me. God forgave me. That’s good because I’ll probably do it again some time. But not right now. Right now I am sitting with a cup of darjeeling and am regrouping for another day tomorrow. Bad days happen. But tomorrow has a whole cuppa mercy waiting for me. And for you. Cheers. . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • Behold. My tea corner/thinking spot/the place where all of my little ones climb all over me until scarcely a thought was given a chance to fully form. • Read my latest musings on my very favorite parenting book of all time and why I commune with certain dead authors. • Link in the profile. • #fromtheravens #beautyfromashes #dohardthings #iheartdeadauthors
  • Have you ever been through a mid-mothering crisis? • It’s a thing. • I just made it up, by it’s a thing. It’s where you lose momentum and inspiration in your mothering journey and start to look at the greener grass. • I began mothering when I was barely an adult and have been surrounded by little ones ever since. Well-meaning people tell me that this time of toddlerhood and sleepless nights is just a season. That is quite true, and what a precious season it is. Really. However, this season is now nearly thirteen years long. • When I was in high school I took long walks nearly every day after school. We lived on country roads and I braved the blind mountain curves to get myself deeper and deeper into the country and into my own mind. That is when I dreamed. Like a good friend entering a room after an absence, I would re-emerge into the joviality of my daydreamed characters. My favorite day dream was of being a mother. I longed to care for children of my own. I never was much for dolls and was an incurable tomboy as a child, but as soon as I turned sixteen a new longing was born inside of me. Much to the disappointment of my teachers, becoming a homeschooling mom really was my career goal. • I have no regrets on this point. But a new kind of impatience is born in me. I long for the ability to create, to do good work and to see a product at the end of my efforts. I know in my mind that this is precisely what I and all other good mothers are doing. We are creating, shaping and pouring into a beautiful design. Some day we will look back at all of the meals we cooked, all of the wounds we tended, all of the lessons we taught and see that our efforts were good. We can’t control the outcome of our efforts because we are shaping humans. Humans are tickly things. You never can tell how they will turn out. • In the meantime, though, I am obliged to force my perspective outward. Like the lens of my camera. Sometimes I have to zoom way, way out to get a better picture. And I have to work daily to cultivate patience with this very unproductive, very long, very valuable season of my life. . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #f
  • I’ve been on a social media fast for a while. Now I can think my own thoughts. • Here’s to all you advocating mothers. To all of you women who are strong on behalf of their flock, I salute you. • @littlest_warrior . . . . . #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #newenglandmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤. #littlestwarriorwednesday

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  • The moral here is: lighten up and maybe you will gain altitude. • I have a little quote book which I keep near me almost always. In it are absolute treasures of words which I have picked up while reading all kinds of books. The bulk of my quotes, I’ve realized, I have penned from my man Chesterton. • I think I took this particular quote from his work Orthodoxy. Did you know Chesterton’s works played a key role in transforming C.S. Lewis’ worldview from agnostic to Christian? So here is a mighty thanks to you G.K. Chesterton. Without you we would have no Aslan and what kind of world would that be? • . . . #gkchesterton #cslewis #iheartdeadauthors 💀 #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • There are a great many things I love to do in this world. But the thing that keeps me awake at night is my indefatigable love of reading. Because reading is my window to the world, I want everyone else to install such a window into their minds. I get a little religious about it if I’m honest. . Here are some of my favorite bookish resources: 📖 The Read Aloud Revival What Should I Read Next Podcast Storywarren.com Storyformed Podcast Audible Goodreads.com Caught up in a Story by Sarah Clarkson My reading friends . (I’m thinking of you @thewondersof) You don’t have to be a strong reader to grow your mind, studies show that audiobooks are just as intellectually nourishing as a hardbound book. In fact, a good number of my bucket list books that are complex classics I listed to on Audible while cleaning my kitchen. It all counts as long as the words as rich and the message brings life. Remember: not all books are good books so don’t give space in your already busy mind for anything but the best. . Happy reading everyone! . . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • I have five children. Three of them are friendly and affable; two are angry and volatile. • My angry boys are like Edmund from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Dark and broody, often a hitch in the motor that is our family. But there is a tremendous fire burning inside of them which some day, Lord willing, will be channeled into some kind of really good war. 🛡 For now we have to contend with these two sons of Ares and remind them that we are not the enemies with whom they were destined to battle. ⚔️ I call them my sons of thunder. They remind me of the apostles James and John whom Jesus, perhaps playfully, deemed thunder brothers for their ferocity of nature. 🌩 So if you see me in town, unloading my many children from the car you may hear me bellow, “thunder brothers unite!” Which would, of course, mean that it’s time to buddy up so we can cross the street safely and the sons of thunder are forever paired. 🗡 P.S. If your child is baseline angry, remember several things: 1. There may not be anything wrong with them. 2. They respond to only honey, no vinegar. 3. God has a mighty good story for that kid. . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • It seems to be summer. But as the tail end of spring blows away in so much hot wind, I have an itch to read The Secret Garden again. Something about all of that verdant spring life withering in the heat makes me need to revisit the garden which never fades. 🌹 Maybe my little men and I will crack it open again for our next tea time read aloud. It is, after all, not a girl book but, in fact, a book that surpasses gender. Probably because it hits straight the mark of wonder. And who doesn’t love wonder? 🍃 My very favorite line in the whole book was when Mary shyly tried her hand at using Yorkshire slang with her new friend Dickon. Dickon is Pan incarnate on the moors. He gentles wild things. Including our sour Mary Lennox. 🌳 “Dost thou like me?” She ventures. A playful smile plays at his funny mouth. “I like thee wonderful,” he responds. Oh to have the simple heart of a child. To ask, “Dost thou like me?” 🍃 If you are reading this, Bearded Wonder, hear this. 🍃 I like thee wonderful. 🍃 And if you say this back to me you will get so many brownie points. You couldn’t even count them all. . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • Fallacy: you are not there to be your children’s friend. Correction: because I know that “rules without relationship equals rebellion” (thanks Dobson) my children are often times my best friends. It is not my goal to make my children like me nor is it my purpose to bend my rules or authority to ensure that we are all buddies. But I am finding that being right all of the time and making a moral dilemma out of every possible wrong my children commit puts us in an adversarial relationship. As my oldest boys age, I am surprised (read:shocked) to find that all of those times which I was forced to painfully repeat every lesson and re-say every reprimand or reminder they are now turning out to be pretty great humans. They are funny and kind and I love to be with them (usually). They are my friends. . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • Honest confession: I yelled at my kids in the library parking lot and made two of them cry. It had been the most challenging library trip to date (and that is really saying something. As soon as the last child was belted and the car door closed, I let my displeasure be heard. Loudly. To coin Whitman, I sounded my barbaric yawp. But not in a good way. Did they have it coming? Oh yes. But I failed to meet their childishness with wisdom. I met it with emotion. I truly was so blurry with sleep deprivation and frustration that I gave full vent to my anger. Dang it all. Don’t you hate it when you are so angry and you know that your anger is wildly out of proportion with the situation? You can’t seem to cool your heals fast enough to compose your Mother Theresa voice. Suddenly, I’m not just angry because of what just happened. I’m angry because my three year old shoved me out of bed with his viscous little feet at dawn this morning and because my preteen was a rage monster over his math lesson and because the kid sitting next to me always smells like spit. I’m just in the mood to be good and angry. But I know I’m more wrong than any of my little ones. Sigh. I pulled my tired mom SUV over and apologized to my upset children for being a lunatic momzilla. They forgave me. God forgave me. That’s good because I’ll probably do it again some time. But not right now. Right now I am sitting with a cup of darjeeling and am regrouping for another day tomorrow. Bad days happen. But tomorrow has a whole cuppa mercy waiting for me. And for you. Cheers. . . . . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #norcalmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤
  • Behold. My tea corner/thinking spot/the place where all of my little ones climb all over me until scarcely a thought was given a chance to fully form. • Read my latest musings on my very favorite parenting book of all time and why I commune with certain dead authors. • Link in the profile. • #fromtheravens #beautyfromashes #dohardthings #iheartdeadauthors
  • Have you ever been through a mid-mothering crisis? • It’s a thing. • I just made it up, by it’s a thing. It’s where you lose momentum and inspiration in your mothering journey and start to look at the greener grass. • I began mothering when I was barely an adult and have been surrounded by little ones ever since. Well-meaning people tell me that this time of toddlerhood and sleepless nights is just a season. That is quite true, and what a precious season it is. Really. However, this season is now nearly thirteen years long. • When I was in high school I took long walks nearly every day after school. We lived on country roads and I braved the blind mountain curves to get myself deeper and deeper into the country and into my own mind. That is when I dreamed. Like a good friend entering a room after an absence, I would re-emerge into the joviality of my daydreamed characters. My favorite day dream was of being a mother. I longed to care for children of my own. I never was much for dolls and was an incurable tomboy as a child, but as soon as I turned sixteen a new longing was born inside of me. Much to the disappointment of my teachers, becoming a homeschooling mom really was my career goal. • I have no regrets on this point. But a new kind of impatience is born in me. I long for the ability to create, to do good work and to see a product at the end of my efforts. I know in my mind that this is precisely what I and all other good mothers are doing. We are creating, shaping and pouring into a beautiful design. Some day we will look back at all of the meals we cooked, all of the wounds we tended, all of the lessons we taught and see that our efforts were good. We can’t control the outcome of our efforts because we are shaping humans. Humans are tickly things. You never can tell how they will turn out. • In the meantime, though, I am obliged to force my perspective outward. Like the lens of my camera. Sometimes I have to zoom way, way out to get a better picture. And I have to work daily to cultivate patience with this very unproductive, very long, very valuable season of my life. . #beautyfromashesliving #dohardthings #oldsoul #f
  • I’ve been on a social media fast for a while. Now I can think my own thoughts. • Here’s to all you advocating mothers. To all of you women who are strong on behalf of their flock, I salute you. • @littlest_warrior . . . . . #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #newenglandmom #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #bostonchildrenshospital #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤. #littlestwarriorwednesday
  • The Bearded Wonder took this picture of me. I hate it. As I age, my face takes on more severity. Soft is replaced by sharp and my resting face is harsh. He loves me, even the look of me. I don’t want him to show my makeup free face on the internet, but, then again, he rarely posts anything and felt compelled to share this one. I look just like my dad. Thanks @soundslikechrist for loving my raw self.
  • Autumn has finally hit California. #weebabyjamie
  • I have a few favorite places in the world. The Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, Stinson Beach, California and The Empire Mine in good old Grass Valley, Ca. . When I first moved to Northern California, I came from the desert. My dad and little sister and I would go for long drives in the foothills and just gape at the beauty of it. . During one such drive, we happened to pass a great stone wall with the tops of what looked like an English manor peaking up tantalizingly. Turns out, that’s exactly what it was. A stone house built in the 1800s by a mining tycoon. But really it was my own Secret Garden. A forbidden place, not even open to the public. . Months later, they had a grand opening and we were first in line to see this magical place. The Empire Mine was free admission then and I spent many Saturdays reading under the magnolia trees by the stone cottage. . I have been gone a while. Coming back to my favorite old spot with my children feels more like home than the dusty little town we are living in right now. . The kids prefer the wilderness surrounding the great house so we spend most of our time in the woods. . . . . . . #dohardthings #oldsoul #fromtheravens #littlemen #californiagirl #heartmom #pulmonaryveinstenosis #homeiswheretheartis #whenlifegivesyoulemons #specialneedsmom #homeschool #simpleliving 🖤

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