The robot spun helplessly in circles as the kids turned and looked at us (their coaches) in panic. Our LEGO robotics team had been practicing for months for this event. Ten students (4th-7th grade) and three coaches had come together to design, build and program a robot to compete in the First LEGO League tournament. … Read More
A few years ago I remember finding my son sitting straight up in bed in the middle of the night, eyes wide. “What’s wrong? Nightmare?” “Kraken,” he croaked. I sighed and made a note to not let him play any more “Ocean Hunter” at the pizza place. The Kraken is a mythological creature attributed to Norse sailors … Read More
Have you noticed how the school supply lists have changed in recent years? School starts next week (in our region) and I always marvel at how different the lists are from when I was a kid. Paper, crayons, folders and scissors are still on the list. Glue sticks have replaced the paste. Remember paste? My kids don’t even know what … Read More
From the moment I picked up my 11-year-old son from school, I knew something was up. “I’ve got to find my 3-DS,” he panted. “They’re doing a special internet update at 6 o’clock!” After a frenzied search of his room, and a little help from the dog (“find it girl!”), the game system was located. … Read More
In honor of Dr. Suess’ 107th birthday, I tried to figure out which of his children’s books is my all-time favorite, but it was a harder choice than I had first imagined. I love the Sneetches, the Grinch, The Cat in the Hat, Fox in Socks, the 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins… and so on. … Read More
Sometimes life throws us off-balance. Everything can be going along fine and then–in the blink of and eye–we are sent spinning off into chaos at a dizzying pace. My 8-year-old daughter knows a thing or two about spinning and balance because she is ballet-obsessed. She already takes three hours of dance instruction each week, but it … Read More
“Who cares about spelling? It doesn’t matter!” My 11-year-old son flung his spelling book onto the kitchen table. Can you believe he said that to his mother–the writer? Dad brought out the big guns. “We warned you all week to work on this. If you don’t get an 80% or better on tomorrow’s test, there … Read More
Sometimes life gets so crazy and heart-breaking that you just need a good laugh–do you know what I mean? A great place to find that is in the writing of blogger/writer/supermom/funnywoman Dawn Meehan. Her most recent book, You’ll Lose the Baby Weight (and Other Lies about Pregnancy and Childbirth) is packed with stories that (if you’ve … Read More
My alarm clock went off early on Sunday morning, reminding me that it was my week to play on the worship team. I shut it off and rolled out of bed, groaning. But by the time I made it to the shower, a song was already dancing through my head. At first, I couldn’t identify … Read More
I still remember my daughter’s huge eyes looking straight at me a few months ago when her dance teacher announced the Nutcracker auditions. My heart sank. We try very hard to keep our kids activities to a minimum and we were already over-committed for the fall. She was already taking three hours of dance a week and my … Read More