When I was a kid, my little brother idolized He-Man. We would shout, “By the power of Graaaaay Skull!” And ride around on pretend Battle Cats and fight Skeletor. On more than one occasion I would do something to make him cry. By accident, of course. And whenever that would…
I had the same teacher for fourth and fifth grade: Mr. Shepherd. After almost 19 years of schooling, I think he still tops the best teacher list. Every day after lunchtime recess, he would read aloud to the class. He wore snazzy socks. We liked his Spider-Man socks best. Our…
During my childhood, the rule was that I had to drink a full glass of milk every night with dinner. And we’re not talking a little juice glass. More like an 8 ounce Big Gulp. And yes, I haven’t broken any bones. Though a case can be made that this…
My dearest Jakey, I’ve been meaning to write your special birthday letter for weeks now, please forgive the delay. I can hardly believe you are six. 6! Here is a little peak into six-year-old Jake: You birthday weekend was three days of pure sugared oblivion. I brought Texas Sheet Cake…
As I’ve written in the past, Nate used to be quite open to all things that could be considered “girlie” to a more discerning three-year-old. This was quite refreshing in a male-dominated household as Boobooboos, our female Beta fish, is not particularly vocal. Nate has always been quite taken with…
There’ve been many milestones worth celebrating that have slipped past us during these days of work, school, brush teeth, and ‘nuggling. Like the fact that the boys now sleep until the 7 o’clock hour. It wasn’t that long ago when I was happy the hour on the clock began with…
Drop-off: This morning I’m driving Jake and Nate to school and Jacob says from the back seat, “Mom, Mom. I have goose pox. I’m so cold.” Chicken pox, goose bumps, bird flu… it’s no wonder a six-year-old could confuse the many human poultry maladies. After dropping Jake off, Nate and…
For a couple of weeks now, Jakey’s been playing tee ball on the Rockhounds. His best friend Stuart is on the Iron Pigs. You’d think these were just apt names chosen for kindergartners, but in fact, these are actual names of minor league baseball teams. This Saturday we’re up against…
Use: Immediate: TFN (Till Further Notice) Time: 90 seconds Agency: No-It-All Moms Title: “Warning: Kindergarten is a Project” It’s more than half way through the school year and no one warned you. No one mentioned it. No one pulled you aside to make sure you were mentally, physically, emotionally prepared…
Back when we were new parents, we did our best to live a life of quality over quantity. We were genuine products of our eco-generation. James was an especially vocal enthusiast of planet-friendly toys. Preferably the kind made of sustainably grown hard wood and non-toxic, water-based, VOC-free paint. I know,…