Great article Mallary. Just like your grandmother’s story, I have a story for you to remember the difference between stationary (not moving) and stationery (paper for writing)… stationery has an “e” in it for the envelope! I was taught this in secretarial school…a long time ago…lol!
Many memories of you and your family come to my mind as I watch you excel in your career as a writer, professor, and more importantly, the love you have for you husband and two beautiful children! ❤️ So happy for you!! ❤️
Lovely story. Blends Boggle, homophones, the precious little moments of parenting, and humility/resilience in the face of mistakes into a sweet piece of writing.
I still have to be careful with sign and sine! I'm ok with principal and principle, though. When I was young, my grandmother once told me, "Just remember the principal is your pal." After that, I never confused the two!
I'm partial to Perquackey, myself. It's in the same category of word games involving dice in a cup. I love the noise and the chaos of letters strewn across the table. What better way to teach kids that language is messy!
I've never played Perquackey! I need to check it out. And yes, you're so right that these games also teach us that language is messy — and that the right words are sometimes hard to find!
Loved this essay.
Fellow only child and "word nerd" here!
Thank you, Oona. We have a lot in common!
Great article Mallary. Just like your grandmother’s story, I have a story for you to remember the difference between stationary (not moving) and stationery (paper for writing)… stationery has an “e” in it for the envelope! I was taught this in secretarial school…a long time ago…lol!
Many memories of you and your family come to my mind as I watch you excel in your career as a writer, professor, and more importantly, the love you have for you husband and two beautiful children! ❤️ So happy for you!! ❤️
Thank you so much, Paula!
I love that way of remembering the correct spelling of stationery; I'm glad you shared it with me!
I appreciate you reading this essay, and I'm so happy to hear from you. <3
Lovely story. Blends Boggle, homophones, the precious little moments of parenting, and humility/resilience in the face of mistakes into a sweet piece of writing.
Thank you, Jeremy! So glad you like the piece.
I have to be careful choosing principal or principle but never have a problem with sign or sine.
PS: I have a math degree.
I still have to be careful with sign and sine! I'm ok with principal and principle, though. When I was young, my grandmother once told me, "Just remember the principal is your pal." After that, I never confused the two!
I'm partial to Perquackey, myself. It's in the same category of word games involving dice in a cup. I love the noise and the chaos of letters strewn across the table. What better way to teach kids that language is messy!
I've never played Perquackey! I need to check it out. And yes, you're so right that these games also teach us that language is messy — and that the right words are sometimes hard to find!