FamilyEducation Blogs

May 2008 Archive

May 29th, 2008

The escalator

I had one of those “dad moments” (for lack of a better term) the other day. I was with K-Man and we were enjoying an afternoon of parks and play. In the midst of all of this, I realized that I wasn’t exactly in the moment as I should have been. I was distracted. My mind was wandering. K was chattering away about this or that (and probably fire trucks), but I wasn’t altogether “there.” That’s when I looked up to see that he was riding an escalator. [more]

May 27th, 2008

Don’t just read the book: Be IN the book!

Just as I was trying to figure out what to write about today, the blogger gods smiled that crazy *&$^-eating grin that I’ve come to love. An instant later, I received an email from my friend and accomplished multi-hyphenate (author-blogger-TV personality-party girl-goddess) Erika Lenkert. Google her and you’ll learn that among her zillion projects, her most recent book, The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy hit the shelves a mere month or so ago. [more]

May 26th, 2008

My Harley-Davidson: Sold

I’m no longer the proud owner of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It’s been two days since I sold my bike. And, I’m still a bit sad. There’s a bit of a hole in my identity, just as there is in the garage where the giant bike sat for the last four years.

I had wanted a Harley since I was five. I had one. Now…I don’t. But, having that Harley in my garage was a bit like having a German Shepherd in a small apartment – such animals need open spaces, they need to get out and run. I know my bike is in a better place and that makes me feel better. [more]

May 23rd, 2008

Twenty-five years ago today

I was 15. I remember it as a perfect day for a soccer game – even just a meaningless scrimmage. But, since we were going against our biggest rival – and, if you asked any of my teammates, our far inferior rival – there was really no such thing as “meaningless.” [more]

May 21st, 2008

Tough love or Craigslist?

From time to time, I search Craigslist for writing gigs. This research isn’t so much to find jobs for me personally; it’s more of a way for me to keep tabs on whether the competition (to my company) is looking for talent (and what they’re looking for). Today, I found the following post (all spelling, punctuation and grammatical issues are hers, not mine): [more]

May 21st, 2008

The little flirt

Went out to dinner with the kid the other night and ended up eating by myself.

K-Man was nowhere near our table. Instead, he was hanging out at the next table over – trying to make some kind of move on the 30-year-old elementary school teacher sitting next to us. When a plate of fries came to her and her boyfriend – K-Man took one. It was tremendously embarrassing in a way, but alternatively kinda funny. It was perhaps the pinnacle of K-Man’s early career as a major flirt. [more]

May 19th, 2008

Step right up and see the amazing parent contortionists!

On the way home from an adventure-filled morning that included stops at two fire stations, the botanical gardens, a bookstore and California Pizza Kitchen, K-Man decided it was a good time to take off his Crocs. “Daddy, I take my Crocs on,” he proclaimed proudly. (The whole “on vs. off” thing really confounds the little guy.) This was almost immediately followed by, “I want my Crocs!” I explained that I was driving and, since we were almost home, I’d get his shoes for him very soon. This wasn’t a satisfactory answer. [more]

May 16th, 2008

Beat the heat

It’s 9:18 p.m. and it’s 87 degrees in my house. Earlier today, the temperatures crept dangerously close to 100, as the first heat wave of the year left people scrambling for the air-conditioned confines of their offices, movie theaters, cars and (though I certainly don’t have one) pools. It’s the kind of heat that results in two kinds of conversations:

1)    “Holy crap, it’s hot.”
2)    “Holy crap, it’s hot. Damn global warming.” [more]

May 14th, 2008

Lifelong challenges...counterpoint

I like reading Aliki’s posts. We have much different experiences, which leads to our having much different perspectives on the “life and times” of parenting. Different perspectives are good things. While I agree with everything she has to say about the amazing benefits of parenting, I still don’t understand why we have to get so defensive about the study in question. (Which, by the way, appears to be rehashing old data – so, it’s not all that valuable, anyway.) [more]

May 13th, 2008

The dreaded dentist

One of my closest friends is a dentist. Doesn’t mean I have to enjoy going to the dentist. I lived in a house full of dental students and enjoyed many nights of craziness. Doesn’t mean I have to enjoy going to the dentist. I genuinely like my dentist. Doesn’t mean I have to enjoy going to the dentist. And, yet today…I went to the dentist. Doesn’t mean I enjoyed it. [more]