This year, we discovered another way to make birthdays special without spending a cent: excusing the birthday boy from chores. After finishing his breakfast this morning (a special one — more on that later in this birthday series), Evan wandered into the kitchen and started unloading plates out of the dishwasher. “Hey, no chores, remember?!?”…
Here we are, a full two weeks into a teachers’ strike with no end in sight. At first, as I wrote last week, I was in denial. I didn’t feel like dealing with yet another disruption to the boys’ school year, so I tried out the anything-goes approach to our days. It didn’t work. At…
School is canceled. Indefinitely. Again. Minneapolis teachers are on strike with no signs of a deal in sight. They’re fighting for class size limits, mental health supports, and living wages. It is a just and noble cause. But on Day 6 of our kids being out of school, the latest disruption after two years of…
If you’re ever at home during the day with small or even not-so-small children, this post is for you. Today I’m going to tell you about the most important activity to include in your schedule — quiet time. When Evan, my oldest son, outgrew his afternoon nap, I panicked. I’d quit my job only a…
