Last Day of (Private) School

Yesterday was the last day of school for the kids, which I’m finding an oddly bittersweet affair. The fact is, it wasn’t just the last day of school for the year, it was the last day of school at their current (now former) school. It had not been our intent when we started having children … Read more

Pitch Report

They say most people consider Labor Day to be the “End of Summer”, but in fact, it’s not till September 21. Typically, though, summer has begun to let off by now. Not so this year, which I think will be remembered not-so-fondly as the “summer without end” It’s still topping 100 degrees every day (101 … Read more

Tied the cat in a bag and tossed him in the washer.

Yesterday was interesting. We were forced into accelerating our purchase of a new washer and dryer, and we went ahead and got front-loading units. They’re more economical and gentler on the clothes; however, I’ve never actually observed one in action. I spent hours watching the various programmed patterns: Normal, Heavily Soiled, Delicates, Towels, etc. Each … Read more

Firsts for boys

One of those inconvenient truths about parenting is that awkward time between potty training and actually being able to use a public restroom unaided. With Michelle I was able to escape that duty fairly easily. I only had to take her to a men’s room two or three times before she could go unassisted to … Read more

Don’t tell my daughter…

It’s a good thing my kids don’t read my blog. This will be no surprise to most parents, but my kids are not like each other… apart from the obvious anatomical differences. James is a compulsive, obsessive child, who is frequently fixated by superheroes. Hardly a day goes by where it isn’t “Batman this, Batman … Read more

Life – In General

Life is a series of vignettes. Some longer than others. At times they may feel like they’ll never end, and when they do, you know they’ll never come back and you might feel a little maudlin. And so a new vignette begins. Since 2002, just before Michelle was born, Irene has been a stay-at-home mother. … Read more