How to Have a Birthday Party for the Dog

– Posted in: Bright Side of Life, Dogs, Family, Gratitude, Growing Up, Holidays, Jasper, Personal Insanity, Puppies, Things To Do with Kids, Worst Mom Randomness
Birthday party for the Honda Pilot

Yesterday was my dog's first birthday. We actually thought it was this coming Monday (based on our best estimates), but our friend* who got a puppy from the same litter posted her dog's picture on Facebook and, well, oops. I'm guessing most people don't celebrate their dogs' birthdays. We're a little odd**. On the one [...]

Into the Great Outdoors. But Only Because I Had To…

– Posted in: Bright Side of Life, Life is Dangerous, Mouths of Babes, Personal Insanity, The Great Outdoors, Things To Do with Kids, Worst Mom Randomness
Digging in the icy river

So I am spent. Spent. These are the days when my body likes to remind me that "No, you can't go skiing on Saturday, hiking on Sunday, and then expect to live to tell about it. Ha ha!" Or, I should say, "Bwwahaha!" I have a feeling my body has a tendency towards sick and [...]

Happily Saying Goodbye to 2012 — and Still Being Happy

– Posted in: Bright Side of Life, Chronic Pain, Complaining, Mouths of Babes, Newt, Personal Insanity
Newt and Elfie Getting their Santa On

So here's the current status: I'm officially a Christmas casualty. After, I'm assuming, intense gift-wrapping sessions and several nights of marathon dishwashing, I've done something really bad to my back. I can't lift my arm over my head, so I haven't taken a shower in four days. I'll just let everyone use their own imaginations [...]

Some Small Moments in the Great Outdoors

– Posted in: Bright Side of Life, Elfie, Family, Growing Up, Jasper, Newt, Parenting, Personal Insanity, The Great Outdoors, Things To Do with Kids
girl on swing

My kids drive me crazy for so many reasons, but one of my major beefs is how they'll fight me about going outside and then become horribly devastated when it's time to come in. Yesterday, we walked (the kids rode their bikes) to the field by our house. It's not far, but because we live [...]

My Son, the Next David Plouffe

– Posted in: Autism Recovery, Bright Side of Life, Elfie, Homework, Nevada, Newt, Newt's Story, Personal Insanity, School
Newt campaigns for Kit Carson

One thing I love about our kids' school is that because they're a charter, they can do crazy assignments whenever something interesting comes up. The other day, my son, Newt, came home looking like he'd won the lottery because his teacher had signed him up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). If you're an adult, [...]