This morning was weird. My alarm went off at 6am, and I couldn't remember why I even set an alarm. It was Saturday. And my boys are officially on summer break. Why would I need to be up early!? TIME TRIALS! Swim team. Crap!! It's already summer swim!!! BUT, Izzy and Lil are still helping out with coaching when their work schedules allow, and Bensten is a junior coach. So all 3 were “working” the meet. And for the FIRST TIME EVER, Boeden woke up excited about a swim event.

Most kids’ favorite day of the year is either their birthday or Christmas. Sunday was Boeden’s birthday, yet it was Bensten’s favorite day of the year. And NOT because his brother was born!! Sunday was the INOVA Starkid 5k. Our family has been participating since the race’s inception 20 years ago. While we initially got involved because our friend Dr Jim Thompson was the brains behind the operation….after 4 births, countless ER visits, 2 saved lives and now Izzy’s place of w

I think moms should get multiple sets of heart strings, so that when we wear through one set, we can just slap on a new set. This week my heart strings were ripped to shreds. I think I mentioned that a neuropsychologist suggested that we consult a neurologist and consider “brain imaging” for Boeden. My good friend (and medical savior) Julia is a pediatric ICU doc and got us in with one of the best pediatric neurologists. Our initial appointment with our new neurologist wa

This message is a bit overdue, and I apologize. I announced on Instagram that I was taking a couple of weeks off from baking, and meant to send a note to all of you who are not on Instagram. But life has been nuts, and it fell to the bottom of my endless to-do list. Right now we are in the car headed to North Carolina to celebrate Liliana’s graduation. It was the fastest 4 years of my life…..And I think I know why. When your kid(s) are happy- time flies. It’s the tough times

The past 7 days have felt like an eternity. But thankfully the crazy week is behind us and a lot of the challenges had a positive outcome! The cardiologist cleared Boeden, our meeting with Boeden’s school went well, and while Bensten missed the states cut for the 800m by .02 seconds on Saturday, he made the cut (by about .01) on Wednesday! Plus he had some pretty awesome friends come cheer him on! But guess what? No sooner do I catch my breath…. There is ANOTHER holiday loom

I love Taylor Swift. I love the song “22". But this week, I feel like I could write a song about feeling “52". Things are not magical. Tonight is not the night we forget about the heartbreaks—and heartbreak at 52 looks a lot different than 22. I started the week with a meeting to discuss Boeden’s neuropsych testing results. It was devastating. Lance and I thought we had done everything possible to help him, but his test indicates he has made minimal progress in three years. T

This is a tough time for kids. Lots of college acceptance- and rejection letters arriving. Lots of college seniors are looking for their dream job during a difficult economy. I am so empathetic- and wish I could tell every kid out there that there are lots of different paths to their success and happiness. And I do believe things happen for a reason…. My personal college application process did not go as planned. Not by a long shot. JMU was my dream school. (I am one of 6 k

There is no question that we are living during a complicated time. The daily news usually has a lot of sadness. My newsfeed can be very depressing. I think I mentioned that about 9 months ago I started seeing a therapist. I have seen therapists in the past- and maybe they just weren’t the right match. This therapist feels more like a friend, but a friend that isn’t afraid to challenge me and help me see things from a different perspective. She has been a godsend in keeping a

Wow- this has been a busy/exciting week! First of all, Lil is home for 10 days. After an intense job search and just completing her final collegiate swim season, she just wanted to come home and relax for spring break! Little did she know that as soon as we found out she had a job in DC, I started a renovation of our basement so that she could have her own space, not right next to her brothers! We had this super long room down in the basement that was mostly Boeden’s area- s

Since the sun is finally shining and the temperature outside is just about perfect, I think I will keep this short. If you’ve been here for a while, you know I love random acts of kindness (and surprises!). Years ago, I used to offer baked goods to anyone who wanted to make someone feel special for no real reason. In today’s crazy climate, where the news is often heavy and discouraging, I find myself craving kind people and small moments of goodness even more. So I just have

I am such a sucker. As much as I tell my kids you can’t believe everything you read online…..I believe a lot of what I read/ see online!I love a good gadget- especially one that will save me time. And I want to try anything and everything that says it can erase signs of aging. As much as I would like to say I don’t believe everything I read on the internet, this Nancy Guthrie situation would prove otherwise. (I have been obsessed- but it’s become too much of a roller coaster,

I am not very good about keeping up with my blog. But I think you all know that baking and writing are my favorite outlets, so I tend to write when I need to process something….. And lately, I have needed outlets more than ever in my life. So this might be a very raw blog post, but I feel like you all know the real Heather- and you deserve to know that things aren’t always easy- even if we try our best to make them appear that way. I think I have made mention that I had “a to

I'm not sure if you heard the big news. I'm a grandmother. Boeden adopted a fire hydrant this week, so I assume I get to be the hydrant's grandmother, right? (Yes, you read that correctly- he adopted a fire hydrant, even has a certificate to prove it!) I have had to learn a lot to try to be a good mom to Boe. He is a very sweet boy, but his interests are so unique. His anxiety and learning challenges make everything a little more challenging. Whereas my other kids would h

Hi! Happy New Year!! I have loved taking a few weeks off of baking- mostly to get my house organized. One of my activities was to go through all the children’s books we have acquired over the years that my kids have now outgrown. I think Lance thought I was crazy when I started sorting by the books I wanted to keep for our future grand kids versus the ones we could give away. But there are certain stories/ books that created core memories….memories so simple but at times, t

I think everyone knows I am very thankful for my family. Not only would Schone’s Scones not exist without their support and encouragement, but they make me laugh, they make me proud and I feel very lucky that they are my 5 favorite people in the whole wide world. And I am incredibly thankful for the Schone’s Scones community- which has grown so organically. To think 5 years ago my girls posted 2 loaves of bread on their Instagram and that was the start of our little bakery a

I was just cleaning up my desk and lamenting that I really don’t keep up with the blog. I love to write, and our life is such a shitshow, I usually have plenty to say! I guess there just hasn’t been much time lately. Between parent- teacher conferences (which I love, but they take a lot of time) and holiday prep and special orders (which I also love but they take a lot of time)....Plus I seem to have a knack for being a great example for why no good deed goes unpunished… Thi

I am sitting at my desk, feeling somewhat paralyzed. Very unmotivated. I have so many special order requests that I need to respond to, but for some reason, looking too far ahead on the calendar seems challenging. I have definitely been living day to day, which is not in keeping with my personality AT ALL! (I promise to respond by the end of the week! We are driving to Charlotteville for Bensten’s state XC meet on Thursday and I plan to take my computer and do work on the dri

Today my head was spinning. (Okay, most days my head is spinning) Bensten had a cross country meet- he was running at around 12:30. Lil,...

This past weekend was nice and quiet over here. Bensten didn’t have a XC meet. Izzy only worked a few shifts, so we got to hang out a...

I was fully expecting today to hit me like a ton of bricks. We were in Richmond for Bensten’s Flint Hill race yesterday. It was a cool...