Intensity: The Dirty Little Secret of Giftedness

(Note: I wrote this a couple months ago and scheduled it for a time when I knew I would be overwhelmed and not have time to write. Points for planning ahead. However, since I first wrote it, I've been hit with the intensity stick repeatedly, and am taking an indefinite hiatus from Laughing at Chaos and …

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Oh, those intensities

"Ok, you finish up here in the kitchen, I'm hitting the couch with my wine and iPad to write. I have a blog post due in the morning." "What's the topic?" A wince, a sigh, a muttered curse. "Intensity." And the laughter rang out from the sink behind me.  It's a good thing I love …

When passions collide

The focus of An Intense Life this month is "Nurturing Gifted Kids' Passions." Well, if I wrote about that, I'd just say "allow all the tech into the house and shut the door," and I've already covered that this month. Easy peasy with my boys' passions. Tech and programming and hacking and boom, done. But me? …

Keep calm and close the basement door

You know, and I know, that when a gifted kid develops a passion in something, it is more all-encompassing than the norm. It's not unlike Willy Wonka's candy factory; it's in every nook and cranny and in every detail of their lives. It becomes them. So I should be grateful that my sons' passions are not …

Back to school for parents too

Well, we've been back to school for a month now and it is kicking me in the teeth. The boys are fine, both are rocking their individual educational setups (a homeschooling sophomore, a 7th grader at the local and awesome public middle school) better than I could have ever imagined. It's me. So far this …

Back to School Pop Quiz

Parents are heading back to school too.

Procrastination

I've decided I'm not so much a procrastinator as someone with entirely too much on her plate. Every day I work my way through the day's tasks, and every day at least one thing gets shoved off to the next day. I put off working on things that need the most concentration until such a …

Back to school already?

This month marks a significant milestone in my parenting life. It ranks right up there in the top five, where things like potty training and out of a carseat live. And it has caught me by surprise. For the first time in...carry the one...nine years, I'm not dying for my sons to go back to school. Ever …

My own worst enemy

I really am my own worst enemy. I've kinda known that for a long time, but it's really hitting home for me lately. For the longest time I thought I just couldn't say no to other people when they requested something of me, mainly my time and effort. Turns out that wasn't exactly true. I …

If

For such a tiny word, it sure packs a wallop. Half a gazillion years ago I had a dear flute student. For her Sweet 16, her mom put together a scrapbook of sorts, full of pictures and memorabilia and letters of advice from favorite teachers. She asked me to contribute a letter, and I was …