This is a look back to what was one of the final duels between N & myself. Fortunately, he chose his weapon poorly. This tale was published in the Seminole Chronicle. Click here to read it! Keywords: Strangely Serious, Battle, Spoons Related Tales: Battle! and N Update

The boys and I watched White Christmas one evening during the week leading up to Christmas. I don’t know if you remember White Christmas or not, but the opening scene ends with bombs dropping out of the sky. Nothing graphic or horrible happens, but the boys were petrified. They didn’t know what was going on. I said […]

I make a good Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. I’m not just bragging here. It’s really true. For example, instead of spreading the jelly in a thin little layer, I put great huge gobbets that drip out of the sandwich while you eat it. I also specialize in customizations – hiding potato chips, nuts, or […]

I’ve mentioned the mall playgrounds before, I believe, both in the paper and online. Well, we were back there again this past weekend. This time it was all four of us, and we were letting the kids blow off some steam after a productive shopping trip. They both ran immediately to a giant plastic car that […]

The Candlelight Processional at Epcot is really worth seeing. It’s an outdoor concert featuring an orchestra, the Disney singers, and a massed choir. There’s a narrator at the center of the whole thing telling the Christmas story. The narration is delivered a couple lines at a time, separated by Christmas music. The only odd thing […]

This is a placeholder for my Seminole Chronicle article that was published today. Click here to read it! Key words for searchers: Santa, Volunteers, Helene

C was (and is) a fighter. If he wants something (or doesn’t want to do something), he’ll go right up against you and not back down. I’ve seen him match grownups (myself included) shout for shout. Once defeated, however, he moves on to the next thing. With his little brother, well… things are different. The […]

In case you ever wondered, children have no mercy with their parents. It’s simply not a part of their makeup. Once they get the upper hand, the idea of easing back doesn’t even come into their tiny little heads. For example, we were finishing up breakfast the other day when C looked over at me and said […]

Not too long ago, we were sitting at the kitchen table after dinner when the subject of mistakes came up. “Mistake” is a relatively new word to the kids and they were trying it out. I was mostly staying out of the conversation. It had been something of a long day at work, and I […]

The other day, about halfway through the process of hanging Christmas lights on the roof, I learned a very important lesson. It happened as I was balancing on the peak of the roof. The sun was disappearing over the horizon, but I really wanted to finish. Looking around, I realized that I was surrounded by […]