We’ve all had pets like this…right? We stood waiting on the front porch of a non-descript 1970s rambler. On the other side of the windowless front door there was so much barking and howling, that somewhere, under a grassy knoll, Lassie was being stirred from her eternal slumber. “There must be dozens of dogs in... Continue Reading →
A squirrel named Peanut Butter
So I'm just going to throw this out there and get it out of the way: We set a rat trap in the garage. I know, I know, it's inhumane. But let's be clear: We had a RAT in the garage! Usually I'm opposed to taking extreme, and potentially painful, measures to get rid of... Continue Reading →
Thankful for the normal.
Last week was a great week. Monday I discovered that my little craft studio in our backyard, tried to catch itself on fire, resulting not in a day of making of Christmas presents as planned, but in three days of cleaning and another three days painting. Following that, on Monday afternoon, the first big storm... Continue Reading →
Evicted
It's moving day. A beat-up, faded, purple convertible is parked out by the pool, the backseat is overflowing with shoes, handbags, and tiaras. Beside the house there's a Rubbermaid stuffed with furniture, and inside the mansion, in the downstairs kitchen, three well loved horses stand in unison. Ken and Barbie are parked out front in... Continue Reading →
The Adventures of Henry the Dragon
It's really not a big stretch to say that we don't have complete control of our zoo around here, but I actually thought this morning was running pretty smoothly. I was up on time, kids were (pretty much) up on time. Breakfast done, lunches done, etc. I was in such a good mood that when... Continue Reading →
School. Week #2
Well hello new school year, here's to your love of making parents decipher random information: "We are doing a poster on the Mayans. They lived in Mexico, before there were horses, and they would shake their babies." "What?" "They would shake them, it would make their heads longer." "Shape. They would shape their skulls to... Continue Reading →
Almost Father’s Day
On Friday, a friend asked me what we were going to do on Sunday, for Father's Day. "No, that's next week." I said "No", she said, "Sunday, the day after tomorrow." Oh. I thought I had a week. Maybe, subconsciously, I did that on purpose. I love, don't love, Father's Day. My kids have the... Continue Reading →
The dragon and the other four leggeds.
The first pet Mike and I had together was a hamster named Nixon. Unfortunately, not only do I have no inkling why we named him Nixon, I also don't remember anything about his acquisition or his departure. Poor unremarkable creature. Then there was our old Basset Hound, Clyde. He was ten years old when we... Continue Reading →
Skip Day
It's been one of those weeks around here that we've had a couple "eventually this is going to be funny" moments. Which makes me even more thankful that http://www.admiremoms.com/ let me do a little guest writing on their site. So, while I patiently wait for the pit at the bottom of my stomach to turn into funny... Continue Reading →
Communication
Communication. That's a long word. That's a hard word. Take this morning for example, I asked, what I thought was, an easy question: "Do you want a poached egg?" "No thanks. Wait! What?" "A poached egg." "Poached?" "Yes! Do you want a poached egg?" "OH! Yes please." Well that seemed hard. And just to be clear,... Continue Reading →
melanie olsen 