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,…
Over the last few years, James and I have really gotten used to sleeping in our own bed, just the two of us. Gone are the nights of flailing people kicking us in the back… There is no more crying in the middle of the night, or showing up unannounced,…
My dearest Nate, Yesterday was your birthday, and in my annual tradition, here is a glimpse into the life of the freshly minted Nate 4.0!: We celebrated with a special day at the Monterey Bay “Akarium.” But first, we had an adventure trying to drop my car back off at Oller…
When we moved into our neighborhood, almost six years ago, I immediately made a connection with the gal three doors down. Her name is Stephanie and her boyfriend is Stephen. Then we met our octogenarian neighbors Martha and Mario. It was like we’d moved into some alternative matching name world…
Years ago when James and I lived in Mountain View, we went to the movies almost every weekend. James loves the movies. I’ll never forget the time he talked me into going to see The Lord of the Rings. There was a line to get in. And I do not…
Last weekend was possibly the most blissful weather in recent memory. Our “Valentime’s Day” was perfect. We awoke to a breakfast table piled with little boxes of love and homemade cards. We had a great morning at swimming lessons and then a tasty lunch in Santa Cruz at burger. And…
Over the course of almost six years of child development experience, it has been interesting, fun, hilarious, and at times, alarming, to witness the process of language development. The first real example James and I noted was probably when Jake was two, nearing three. He started peppering each conversation with…
When JJ was three, my friend Jamie told me her son Jack (just five months older than Jake), loved Legos and could spend hours entertaining himself with these little plastic bricks. At the time, we had had a fire truck for about a year that was super complex to put…