“Mommy,” a little voice says, “is today a special day?” “Yes, Connor. It’s Daddy’s birthday.” “Are we doing anything special today, Mommy,” he asks in an I have something in mind sort of way. “No, I don’t think so, Connor.” With that, a little head leans toward my ear and begins to whisper. “Mommy,…
Today’s weather forecast listed temperatures for our area in the upper 40s. Some forecasts even suggested the possibility of highs in the low 50s. Hearing this on the radio, Ryan declared today a sleighing day. After all, if the temperatures truly hit these highs, there wasn’t going to be any snow left of the ground…
The boys were outside playing in the snow. Thump. Thump. I walk to the front door, just in time to see a snowball flying toward me. Thump. It hits the glass at eye-level. On the other side of the door, the boys stood over a pile of snowballs they had made with their new…
Your kitchen is covered in saw dust. Your husband is complaining that his hand is tingling from holding the Dremel Tool for hours on end. Your kids are covered in paint. And you are purchasing food products… not to eat, but to glue onto a block of wood. Yes, it is Pinewood Derby time! Our…
For several weeks now, I have watched my usually creative, imaginative young boys wander aimlessly around the house. I have listened to them whine and complain they have nothing to do, and beg multiple times in a day to play Wii or Gameboy or to watch a movie. When given suggestions of unplugged activities they…
I spent the day pulling up sub-flooring in a New Orleans shot-gun house flooded in Hurricane Katrina. It was a long day. As I’m cleaning up for dinner, my cell phone rings. It’s Ryan. Patrick and the boys are at a conference in Baltimore. “Mommy,” he says. “Yes, Ryan?” “I have a new favorite restaurant.”…
Ryan and Connor are trying out cross country running this Fall. They ran in their first race this weekend. Ryan ran a 3K. Connor ran… ummm, walked… ummm, dallied along… a 2K… until the very end when the cheering crowd finally convinced him to pick up the pace and run, allowing us to get one…
I LOVE OUR BOYS! I love spending time with them. I love listening to their imaginative play and just hearing them romp through the house. I love relaying their latest antics to their Grandma and Grandpa. But… our boys are high energy. They are high activity. They are high maintenance. And they are…
After three hours in 100 degree heat picking peaches and raspberries, we were ready to cool off in the neighborhood pool. But just as we had the cool, clear water of the pool in our sights, we were approached by one of the lifeguards: “Pool’s closed,” he said. “What?” we mumbled in disbelief. “We…
I recently heard on the radio that McDonald’s was building new music-themed play areas in some of its restaurants. The company was reportedly hoping the new play areas would be a draw to families who are eating out less during the current economic crisis. And, from on-line reports of families driving two hours to…