I have an embarrassing parental oversight to cop to. We’ve never taken our kids to Yellowstone. All the traveling we’ve done and one of our most cherished national icons has never even been a consideration. Technically it’s not my fault we’ve never considered this possibility. Although I was born in Boise, we lived in north […]
The lengths we’ll go to avoid the dread “Melty Face”
When was the last time anyone wanted to push a vacuum around here? How about daily? I know, I was thinking the same thing: we have a vacuum? What we do have is a new dog. Penny comes without papers, but with just about everything else you’d want in a dog. She’s mellow, rarely barks, […]
Share this:
Food, glorious food
This blog was going to be about our extensive efforts to keep Penny-the-amazing-rescue-dog in the face of the crushing onset of allergy symptoms she’s induced, but it occurs to me that I should let that story play out to the end. I mean, right now Penny’s the pistol in the first act of the play […]
Share this:
Summer is the new Hell
Summer is coming and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. You knew there would come a time when those in your charge would be too old for daycare but still too young for gainful employment. You don’t live in China. Did you forget? All they can do now is sit around and bug you while you try to get something productive done for the next three months.
Share this:
I’m pretty sure this calls for more pavement
My teeny yard is probably more than I can manage. I’ve suspected this for a long time. My laid back approach to yard work is conspiring with the three garbage cans lined up by the garage, and maybe the red cooler and collection of shoes on the front porch to maintain our reputation as the […]
Share this:
The worst fashion decision I ever made
Colin’s coach’s comment took me right back to high school. Suddenly I had a point to prove. He didn’t know me. I could be channeling Jackie-freaking-Robinson right there on his davenport and he dare question my ability as an umpire?
Share this:
Somebody better be thanking me from a podium one day for all this
We’ve plugged our kids into a matrix of daily thought control, where the influencers range from fast food commercials to internet predators. Where the products are obesity, diabetes, “nature deficiency disorder,” and an obstruction of the body’s ability to produce melatonin for a decent night’s sleep.
Share this:
Breaking the News about Santa – 3 Easy Steps
I have friends who are so precise about parenting it makes me wonder if there was a class along the way that Mike and I missed. Most of our parenting tactics were passed along to us by the way we were parented, a small few we adopted by virtue of the way we wish we […]
Share this:
Saving Face: Of Skin, Snakes, SPF and the Rise of Franken-Beth
Some two or three decades ago my freckled skin and I became good friends with Hawaiian Tropic, SPF 4 in my pursuit of the teen ideal of beauty. Despite my determination to transform my natural skin tone from its normal translucent hue that would have been coveted in Victorian-era England, I never really tanned. In […]
Share this:
El ultimo dia en Guatemala
Tonight we’re going to brave the torrential rain in order for one last dinner out in Pana. Last night we weren’t so brave, and stayed inside with deli sandwiches from a market pointed out to a few of our party by their Tuk Tuk driver. With expectations of about 10 feet of rain per year, […]