I know there’s a little dogsled race going on right now, but our weekend was dominated by debate. It started Friday night, when Sam’s teammates came over for a cram session before the tournament. I secretly wondered how much time 13-year-old boys would *actually* spend studying on a weekend, but they were focused: writing speeches, strategizing, researching, and (yes) dreaming. I texted this picture to Clark, … Continue reading Dedicated Debaters
It was a frigid -8 degrees last year on our tree day, but we had an idyllic adventure and came home with a the best Christmas tree ever. This year it was a whopping 47 degrees warmer and drizzling rain. Ice is no fun to walk or drive on, so we preferred the colder temperatures from last year! I was anxious about driving on the … Continue reading 2017 Tree Day
I’ve been organizing old photos lately, and it makes me pine for the days when the kids were cheek-pinchingly adorable. But it would be a shame to get so lost in nostalgia that I miss this current phase that I’ll someday be nostalgic for, so I’m doing my darndest to live in the present. The present is busy, between work and shuttling kids to school, … Continue reading Junior Grillmeister
There she goes… down the road to the neighbor’s house for her first babysitting gig. She somehow managed to walk, when I know that in her heart she wanted to skip! Maggie is that kid who talks to adults all the time. She befriends the recess monitors, is the first to greet new neighbors, and even chats up grocery store clerks. She is polite, articulate, … Continue reading When the Baby Becomes the Sitter
Yesterday I had another dermatology appointment about my nose, where a patch of skin cancer was removed over two years ago. My doctor has been trying to erase all evidence of my surgery – at no cost – ever since. Yesterday he brought up two final options: another surgery, or microdermabrasion. Neither come with a guarantee, and both come with risk of actually making things … Continue reading Mohs Nose Woes
This year the kids received invitations to Hogwarts in their Easter baskets. Visiting a theme park has never topped our list of dream vacations, but our little Harry Potter maniacs made us rethink our priorities. At ages 13 and 11, the kids are the perfect mix of old enough, young enough, and tall enough. They’ve been feverishly re-reading the series all year. They pass time … Continue reading Pure Magic
Clark and the kids gave me a box set of Little House on the Prairie DVD’s on Christmas morning. The entire series came in an adorable little house shaped box, and I absolutely loved it! Sadly, the little house of DVD’s collected dust for a few months, as if our entire family packed up and moved to Mankato or something. I guess real life was a little … Continue reading Christmas in July
Sam is so many things: middle schooler, soccer fanatic, Harry Potter aficionado, and aspiring YouTuber. And now we add teenager to that list. I refuse to let this freak me out. I’ve worked with teens long enough to know that they don’t all turn into eye rolling, surly beasts who despise their parents. I’ve also been a parent long enough to know that sometimes he’s … Continue reading We Have a Teenager in the House!
Maggie’s tenth year was mighty special. She learned to ride a horse, blossomed as a soccer goalie, landed her first sockeye salmon, planted a bountiful garden, and mastered Nestle’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. She snorkeled and skied, hiked and hunted. She devoured several book series: Pegasus, Hunger Games, and Harry Potter (again) were the favorites. Her top TV shows were Supergirl and Little House on the Prairie – … Continue reading Golden Girl
There’s a wee bit of an age difference between my sister and me. And by “wee” I mean 21 years. Truth be told, I’m closer in age to my mother than my sister. Let’s just say our parents had unexpected blessings on both ends of the spectrum. 😉 I was a sophomore in college when the phone rang in my dorm room at 711 Sandoz. … Continue reading An Ode to My Sister
