The first time Boogieface asked for a dog she was just three years old. Not gonna happen, we said. But she persisted. So we told her she could get one when she turned 10. Lying to your kids is one of the many privileges of parenthood. Of course when 10 rolled around, there was still…(Read More)
If anyone’s looking for me, I’ll be here. The first eight years of parenthood were tough. It seemed like I’d never get to a point where I wasn’t helping my kids do something. Then just like that it got easier. Suddenly they could get their own cereal. They could bathe…(Read More)
“Daddy, I can’t find my Raggies!” My heart sunk as soon as she said it. We were on vacation in New Hampshire, and Boogieface was getting ready to go to bed when she realized her beloved ‘Raggies’ — a pair of old burp cloths she sleeps with every night — were missing. Immediately I began…(Read More)
I remember when we actually used to dine at this dining room table. Sweet mid-January! Oh, how I adore you! Your, bleak, gray, frigid days notwithstanding. It’s a small price to pay for not having to worry about any more BLEEP-ing presents. From the day after Thanksgiving until my son’s birthday…(Read More)
My garage is a heavily armed military base for repelling an attacking enemy-droid army. My parked pickup truck is a troop transport on some days, on others it’s an inter-galactic spaceship. My entire yard, in fact, is a battleground for Nerf-gun-armed zombie killers and light-saber wielding Jedi. Such is…(Read More)
When your kids are still pretty young, it’s easy to convince them of crazy things. Things like fairies exist. Or that an enormous bunny sneaks into their house overnight and leaves them plastic eggs filled with candy. Or that an overly jolly and slightly rotund old man with a long white beard can somehow…(Read More)
It’s hard to believe, but I actually did it. Thirty-one days without Facebook and Twitter. Thirty-one days without reading, watching, or listening to the news. Thirty-one days (well, almost) of meditating and writing every day. Thirty-one days of trying to be more mindful and present in the moment. Needless to…(Read More)
My heart pounded as I crouched in the corner of the field, carefully scanning for any sign of movement. I knew they were near, hunting me. I could hear them moving through the dried stalks in the distance. Just when I thought I was safe, I heard footsteps to my right. Turning toward the noise…(Read More)
Parenthood. What a roller-coaster ride. Saturday our kids competed against other Catholic schools in the Pittsburgh Diocesan Championship at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds. We had high hopes for The Animal, who as a 3rd-grader has shown great promise, regularly beating runners 2 or 3 grades older. Honestly, I just wanted him to try…(Read More)
One thing I’d really like to be more mindful about is eating. I eat fast. Way too fast. Like a-school-of-piranha-feasting-on-a-side-of-beef fast. As a result, rarely if ever do I fully appreciate and enjoy my meal. (And I’m sure it doesn’t exactly heighten the…(Read More)