Summer is not my favorite time of year. I live in Florida where summer weather is the worst. It’s miserably hot, swampy, and breathing the air feels like sucking in a warm bisque. I also dislike the lack of structure and my mental health tends to take a bit of a nosedive.
Read MorePerhaps it’s our destiny that many Mother’s Days for my family will be highly fraught. Of course, I suppose Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and, really, pretty much all holidays bring with them tons of emotional baggage. For me and almost everyone else.
Read MoreMost days distance learning is an unbearable slog, but some days it is an unbearable slog with geocaching at the end.
Read MoreWe’ve been muddling through distance learning with a second grader and kindergartner, letting the kids watch tons of YouTube and play tons of Minecraft, and when my daughter runs into the table, taking her to my wife’s hospital so my wife can come out to the parking lot and repair her face with surgical tape instead of risking a visit to urgent care to get stitches.
Read MoreOur house should be overflowing with activity and noise and celebration today. It’s my middle child’s sixth birthday and, although we aren’t the most social animals, we do throw big birthday parties for our kids at our house every year. It’s one of our main traditions.
Read MoreMy 5-year-old and I have many deep and profound conversations at night while we’re lying in his bed. Well, deep and profound might be a bit of a stretch, but they are sometimes interesting, and I often learn a thing or two about his day.
Read MoreMy two sons and I sit on the black rocking recliner in our living room. The chair is worn, cracked, and on the verge of spilling pieces of foam, but it’s still plenty strong enough to hold three bodies. An 8-year-old on one arm, a 5-year-old on the other, and a 38-year-old in the middle, reading very animatedly from a book called The Black Cauldron — the second book in the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander.
Read More“The birds from the empty cages probably died,” my five-year-old said to me without a hint of emotion.
Our homework sessions can be challenging at times, but they aren’t typically quite so morbid.
Read MoreWhen I was approached by Life of Dad with the opportunity to represent them at the special Undercover Tourist Family Fun Fest event at Universal Studios, I snatched it up faster than Harry Potter grabbing the snitch.
Read MoreI’ve been having a weird year so far. There has been plenty of upheaval with the passing of my father at the very end of last year. In addition, not on the same level but still very disorienting, our youngest child is reaching the age where we have to prepare for preschool later this calendar year.
Read MoreI did it again. I took my children to the local fair last weekend.
I’m sure you’re probably asking, “Andrew, why?” And also, “Didn’t you say the local fair was during the fall?” Or, “What are you talking about?”
Read MoreHonestly, it’s a simple ask. I don’t understand why you’re struggling with this so much.
Read MoreAs I slowed to a walk, I was a bit more out of breath than I might’ve expected after a very short jog.
There was no two ways about it, I needed to get in better shape if I was going to be able to keep up with my dad and his walker.
Read MoreMy life has been very Frozen-centric lately. My three-year-old’s obsession with the movie started a couple months ago and is still going strong. Her passion seems to be carrying as much momentum as Kristoff’s sled trying to escape from the wolves. Incidentally, some might argue her love for Frozen is as frightening as a hungry pack of wolves.
Read MoreThree weeks of winter vacation felt like a bit much. To break the monotony, I signed my oldest son up for something called Eco Camp.
Read MoreThere are lots of ways to celebrate Christmas and it’s typically difficult to determine if any one is better than another. There is one exception.
Read More"Is it possible that Mr. Elf did move, but then moved back to his original position because this spot is just so darn cozy? I mean, when you’re perched atop a grandfather clock with your little red legs hanging over the face, why would you ever move?”
Read MoreHomework has been the bane of my existence lately.
My oldest child is in second grade, which is still very young, but his homework load is starting to increase. As far as I’m concerned, the amount of homework he gets is very reasonable for his age. He only has one fairly short task to complete each day during the school week and the entire packet is turned in on Friday so there’s time to catch up if he wants to skip a day.
Read MoreIf you’re reading this now and you have a school-aged child, it’s too late. Way too late. Hopefully you have a newborn. If so, it’s time to get to work.
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