• Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Family Fun,  I'm Apparently Old.,  My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Queen of Denial

    Six Of One, Half Dozen Of The Other

    February 24, 2014

    I have always been very proud of the way I can remember things. From dates to pop culture factoids to details about all kinds of things, remembering is one of my greatest skills. Well, it was. As I’ve grown older (and frankly, more dependent on Google Calendar), my memory bank is shutting down a little more often than it used to. I like to justify it by saying that since I’m older I have more information that has to be held in there and so it’s only natural that some of the little things would fall through the cracks, but I don’t necessarily believe that. It’s just my way of…

    Read More
  • Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  I'm Apparently Old.,  My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments

    A Simple Birthday Message

    February 3, 2014

    For J, who turns nineteen today… I knew I wanted to write a post on your birthday, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to say. I kind of wanted to say that I can’t believe you are nineteen already but that, although true, sounds overdone. I definitely wanted to write about how I have just one more year of saying I have a teenaged kid, but that’s stating the obvious… I was going to write that I am so proud of the young man you have become. You’re a caring, thoughtful, and responsible person, and I couldn’t ask for any more than that. You care about your school…

    Read More
  • Blessings,  My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments

    And, Exhale.

    January 20, 2014

    It’s amazing how, sometimes, things just fall into place. The last couple of months have been extremely stressful for D as he has worried about finding a job or two—any job—right out of college so he could continue living in the Wisconsin house with his friends until their lease ends on May 31. Things hit a fever pitch after Christmas because the time clock was ticking down to zero on his ability to stay in the house: we paid his rent through the end of January and he needed to either fish or cut bait. The uncertainty was troublesome, to say the least. He was applying for jobs both in…

    Read More
  • Family Fun,  My Kid Has Mad Skillz

    New Phone, Old Phone, Smart Phone, Dumb Phone

    December 28, 2013

    Today is my dream day. I’m finally able to get a new cell phone with a new cell phone carrier. The last two years have mostly been a cell phone nightmare (ask any of my family members and close friends), and I’m relieved it’s about to be over. For the last couple of months I’ve been using what I call my “bridge phone”: it’s an unlocked phone I bought on eBay just to get me through to today, when I go and pick up an iPhone 5s. Whee! The boys are pretty excited about today, too. (Jim’s phone is company-provided so the only thing he’s excited about regarding today is…

    Read More
  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  My Kid Has Mad Skillz

    The Listmaker Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree

    December 26, 2013

    As my boys have grown, it’s been very interesting to see which personality traits they’ve inherited from Jim and me. While I have felt terrible when we’ve discovered certain that some of the less desirable characteristics have been passed down—cough, cough, procrastination, cough, cough—I have laughed a little bit at others. Here’s an example. This conversation happens several times a week in my house, year-round: Jim: “What do you have going on today?” Me: “Ugh, so much. My to do list is miles long.” This conversation happened on Tuesday: Jim: “What do you have going on today?” D: “Ugh, a lot. My to do list is six and a half…

    Read More