Happy Birthday, Mario-style

I’m not a huge fan of commercial characters, but I have a soft spot for Mario and Luigi. My brother and I spent many hours of our youth seeking secret passageways and power ups to help those cute plumbers conquer dragons and rescue Princess Peach.

classicmario

A few years ago my husband actually found a classic Nintendo on Craigslist, and it was one of my best Christmas gifts ever. (I trained from December to July, but sadly my brother was still able to defeat me, all these years later.)

Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Mario-style”

Staci CoxJune 10, 2013May 3, 20182 Comments

Family Life, Parenting, Sam

The First Nine

Sam turned nine last week, and his big birthday wish was to play miniature golf as a family. So off we went to Putters Wild, an Alaskan-themed extreme 3D putt-putt course here in Anchorage. “Nine holes or the full 18?” the owner asked. Her question took me aback. I had a little boy standing next to me who was suddenly – almost instantly – nine. … Continue reading The First Nine

Staci CoxJune 10, 2013April 3, 2016Leave a comment

Kids, Maggie, Sam

Toothless Again

It’s not Christmas, but someone in our house is asking for a few front teeth. Both of Maggie’s have fallen out in the past two weeks, and we are embracing her stereotypical 6-year-old grin: I snapped photos of Maggie’s tooth fairy letters before they were whisked away by the little winged creature, but the fairy keeps ignoring her request to leave a picture. Hmph. At … Continue reading Toothless Again

Staci CoxFebruary 25, 2013May 3, 2018Leave a comment

Education, Kids, Parenting, Sam

Part 2: Or Not To Bee

Our son is obsessed with geography. Looking back, I think it started with a road trip between Nebraska and Missouri the summer before he entered kindergarten. He was contained in a car seat for seven straight hours, but thanks to a few road maps and a U.S. atlas he was as happy as tourist with a shiny new Canon. He spent the entire drive quizzing … Continue reading Part 2: Or Not To Bee

Staci CoxFebruary 12, 2013April 2, 20162 Comments

Education, Kids, Parenting, Sam

Part 1: To Bee

Spelling bees are shockingly intense events. I’ve been organizing them at my school for the past few years, and my heart simultaneously breaks for the kids who are eliminated and pounds with anticipation for those who volley through the final, tongue-twisting rounds. I serve as the pronouncer for our school bees, but I can still see the parents in the audience, nervously clenching their hands … Continue reading Part 1: To Bee

Staci CoxFebruary 10, 2013April 2, 20161 Comment

Parenting, Pets, Profound, Sam

Election Day History

This is not a post about Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. There are already plenty of those, and since I was one of the early voters it’s out of my hands anyway. I’ll avoid making judgments today and wait for the wisdom of hindsight. Instead, this is a post about our son Sam and our dog Kodi. The events in this post happened eight years … Continue reading Election Day History

Staci CoxNovember 6, 2012April 4, 2016Leave a comment

Family Life, Kids, Maggie, Sam

Halloween Memory Lane

I’ve always loved carving pumpkins, stringing spider webs, and checking out the cute ghouls who visit our doorstep on Halloween. In our younger days we attended the occasional Halloween party, most infamously as a pair of dice. I still remember walking into the party and my principal saying, “Oh, look at that… they are in para-dise.” Very funny. In the pre-kid days, our poor dogs … Continue reading Halloween Memory Lane

Staci CoxNovember 3, 2012October 14, 20161 Comment

Education, Sam

One Size Fits Who?

The call finally came today!! When I saw the caller ID, I knew it was from the school. I was worried that it was the nurse, since Maggie has been coughing this week. Nope. It was the school secretary (the one who scares me). “We have a spot for Sam in the optional program,” she said. I was blindsided, as if I’d just been given … Continue reading One Size Fits Who?

Staci CoxSeptember 1, 2012March 25, 20161 Comment

Education, Kids, Maggie, Sam

Back To School

Back-to-school season has arrived, which explains both my decreased posts and increased moodiness. Target’s back-to-school ads in July make me plain irritable, but by August I am ecstatic to purchase supplies for my own children. What gives? The same goes for clothing: buying new pants in a bigger size on an annual basis is exciting for the kids, but not so much for me. And … Continue reading Back To School

Staci CoxAugust 23, 2012March 25, 2016Leave a comment

Family Life, Kids, Maggie, Ordinary, Sam

Nebraska Nightmares

It’s ironic that we live in bear and moose country in Alaska, but the kids’ most scarring animal and insect stories always happen in Nebraska. In 2008 we had our first Nebraska summer trip, and our 4-year-old Sam was terrified through half of it. With his full-blown insect phobia, he wasn’t a happy camper in the tall weeds of Nebraska. I’d hold him on my … Continue reading Nebraska Nightmares

Staci CoxJune 20, 2012March 25, 20161 Comment

Profoundly Ordinary

Category: Sam