Categories
summer vacation

Countdown to Summer

It’s the final stretch! The kids have just four days to Summer Vacation! Today our first-grader has Hawaiian day and he was more than happy to sport the beach print shirt, shorts, lei and sunglasses – even if it is raining all day. I think the final week tends to be more about fun when […]

Categories
seasons Spring

Allergies

Spring is, by far, my favorite season. The temperature is milder and everything’s blooming, growing and green. Unfortunately for some people that means misery. Running nose. Itchy, watery eyes. Sore throat. Coughing. ALLERGIES! I’m thankful that I don’t suffer severe seasonal allergies but my poor wife has been sick for close to a month now […]

Categories
cold Spring weather

Black Hole Sun

Has anybody seen the sun lately? It’s like he was taken out back and roughed up by a few thick clouds. Hopefully he makes a comeback soon. The month of May is just too cold, dark, wet and rainy without him.

Categories
seasons Spring

Gardening

We may live in an agricultural state, but I am certainly NOT a farmer. Considering my lawn is currently the only ‘crop’ that I attempt to grow doesn’t say too much. Farming a yard is pointless when you think about it. All the chemical controls, pruning of weeds, irrigation and cutting yield nothing more than […]

Categories
seasons

Clean Up, Fix Up

‘Clean Up, Fix Up’ week is a hands-down favorite among neighborhood scavengers. It’s not uncommon to see scores of slow-moving half-tons trolling the streets while an able-bodied shotgun peruses the curbside treasure. The resulting pile in front of your house may have been the official purging of your garage and shed that happens during Spring […]

Categories
baseball recreation seasons sports

Baseball

There may still be snow hiding in the northern recesses of my yard, but the season of America’s game is officially upon our household. My oldest is starting his sixth season and has, for the first time, tryouts for the 10 year-old Bismarck All Stars traveling team this Saturday. I know he ranks baseball as […]

Categories
Spring

Spring Cleaning

Most people associate the term ‘Spring Cleaning’ with ‘a seasonal freshening up’. You know? A time to not only open the windows but clean them. A time to wash the winter bedding as well as the coats, caps and mittens. Maybe it’s tackling that corner of the garage or basement that needs purging before clean-up/fix-up […]

Categories
kids parenting seasons Spring

Joy in Mudville

The spring thaw has spawned yet another veritable paradise for boys… Mudville. Regardless of how many times we remind them to avoid the water and mud it seems to find them like iron filings to an electromagnet. Of course, I didn’t exactly make it easy for them not to get dirty. Last fall, just before […]

Categories
snow sports winter

I now know where the ‘X’ comes from…

To take advantage of the beautiful day, we went cross country skiing as a family. It was my first time, and I have to say it’s a lot of fun. Our youngest had a bit more of a challenge ahead of him. It took him a while to get the hang of ‘walking’ with his […]

Categories
kids parenting peeves seasons winter

It’s the Exciting New Game Sensation…

We’re grateful that our two boys have each other to entertain, but the close quarter conditions wrought by the long winter is taking its toll. What starts out as innocent conversation during playtime will sometimes turn into an all-out argument. Disagreements arise, tempers flare and the kid with the clear disadvantage will often resort to […]