My children have had many long, elaborate, and often incomprehensible bedtime routines. I’ve written about these rituals several times because this nightly production has been a pillar of my existence for over a decade. It takes up a lot of space in my head and sometimes causes a fair amount of stiffness in my lower back.
Read MoreThe tattoo artist worked meticulously but quickly on my knuckle tattoos as I sat hunched over in a straight-backed chair, my arm resting on a paint-splattered wooden table. It was one of those fuzzy days between Christmas and New Year’s when time ceases to have any meaning and our actions have zero consequences.
Read MoreI was sitting by myself in my car in a shopping plaza parking lot, scrolling my phone for a moment before heading to my next destination when a mom and her two little kids took me back in time.
Read MoreMy family discovered a new outdoor activity that helped us ward off the mid-summer malaise but after just a few days, bruises, bumps, and a broken-down car ended our fun.
Read MoreI’ve been a stay-at-home dad for more than a decade, and I have to admit that trying to reenter the job market after so long has been even more daunting than I expected.
Read MoreMy daughter is only seven, but she’s already worked the worst job in the world.
Read MoreOrlando, FL — The sky was slate gray and there was a slight chill in the air on the Thursday afternoon when a young girl’s world was turned upside down.
Read MoreI left my eyeglasses at a La Quinta Inn in Fort Lauderdale.
Read MoreI didn’t know if I’d be able to write this week because I was so busy volunteering at the elementary school Book Fair.
Read MoreI’ve been really getting into bicycle repair lately.
It’s probably my number one passion if you don’t count nagging my kids to do their homework.
Read MoreThe beginning of each school year brings with it the return of many familiar rituals and events, but perhaps none is more important than Elementary School Skate Night.
Read MoreMy oldest child is in sixth grade this year, which means he has moved up from the cozy and comfortable elementary school that is decorated floor to ceiling with ladybugs to the more utilitarian and intimidating middle school that looks like a cross between a small community college and a correctional facility.
Read MoreI don’t know if you’ve heard, but it’s been hot lately. Like, obscenely hot.
I’m a Florida native so heat and humidity are as natural to me as a lizard crawling across my toes or a frog hanging out on the wall of my kids’ bedroom, but this year the heat has just been… different.
Read MoreMy kids returned to school today. This seems to happen every year and I somehow never really get used to it. It’s like one day they’re here and the next they’re gone… well, for five or six hours at least.
Read MoreJuly Fourth. Independence Day. Fireworks Day (as my kids typically call it). No matter what name you prefer, this is a day that I often feel conflicted about.
Read MoreThe first day of July brought with it our first full beach day. It was a Saturday of a holiday week, so the beach was probably very crowded.
Read MoreDay 1 (pretty sure about this one) — June 29
Thursday was our first travel day. Our plan was to drive from central Florida to Savannah because we couldn’t get into the beach place until Friday, and we didn’t want to drive the full distance in one day because our kids hate the car.
Read MoreA slippery slope to a surprising compulsion
Read MoreI drove up to our local park one morning recently when my kids were all at school. This park with the playground tucked away in the back corner by the lake is where I spent countless hours with my children in what is slowly but surely starting to feel like a different lifetime.
Read MoreIf you’re a parent who spends a lot of time online, it’s hard to escape the meme about making the most of the 18 summers you have with your children before they leave home.
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