Two words that strike fear into any parent's heart:  ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.  That is the last thing I want to see on a box that contains a toy my child has just received, because it means that I'm going to be spending at least an hour finding the proper screwdriver, rubber mallet, pipe wrench, crowbar and Continue Reading

For a guy, I'm a decent cook I'd say. Not fabulous or anything at all, but decent. I enjoy cooking actually, especially when I'm working off a recipe. Maybe it's the puzzle lover in me, or how I could sit for hours putting Lego sets together by following instructions. But I view cooking in a Continue Reading

You know how it is before any big holiday.  Even if you're not hosting the dinner at your house, there's always the chance that company will drop by.  And that's when you start breaking out in a rash, thinking about what the house looks like. My kids don’t seem to care what room something belongs Continue Reading

My sister cooks Thanksgiving dinner at her home every year. My family attends every other year, and in the off years we spend the holiday with my in-laws. Usually I cook, and they all come here--though there have been exceptions, like the time Pop was in the hospital. That year I cooked it all and Continue Reading

A long time ago I read a few books by the "Sidetracked Home Executives." One of their suggestions, in making a weekly routine for homemaking, was to designate an Errand Day. That never worked for me when any of the kids were small (which means, continuously for the past 16 years). The kids couldn't handle Continue Reading

One of the highlights of first-grade life is the Great Crayon Replacement. A couple of months into the school year, that starter box of crayons is starting to look like a scrap of cardboard with a few naked, colorful stumps. L was coloring a shark picture after dinner tonight when he announced that he was Continue Reading

All three of my children wear uniforms to school.  I like uniforms, since it allows me to avoid the daily "that's not appropriate for school" argument each day.  But uniforms do need a little extra maintenance to look neat.  I used to spend time ironing those uniforms, until I discovered what the kids do with Continue Reading

Eighteen years ago I was working in the educational-software industry.   There were a lot of computers in that office, but only a few of the tech people had computers with Windows.  The rest of us were running DOS.  If the computer froze up, it would take about 5 minutes to get through the rebooting process.  Continue Reading

We are a three-guitar (and one organ, one keyboard and one banjo) household.   But we don't have a band, and I don't drive a multicolored school bus.  All the kids are interested in learning about music, which is fun for me, since I have been playing guitar for a long while. My teenager is trying Continue Reading

It’s getting to be that time again. We’ve got a birthday coming up in our family next month. I’m sure the birthday girl will want a party. She loves parties: planning, inviting, decorating and celebrating are all right up her alley. My favorite part of the kids’ birthdays is the baking. I love making special Continue Reading