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Superb Owl Sunday with family and friends
Last Sunday, I joined millions of Americans in enjoying a highly ritualized television event that pitted team against team in a complicated quest for glory and riches. That’s “Downton Abbey,” of course. What, was something else happening on TV last Sunday? The two teams were all suited up for the rough-and-tumble in their obligatory uniforms […]
Too many ACEs up these kids’ sleeves
The scary whispers and nasty rumors spreading around the playground at Washington Elementary School have nothing to do with typical kid controversies — who’s cool and who’s not, who can run fastest or climb highest, who can unleash the cuttingest comment or the rudest body-cavity sound. The hot playground topic at Washington these days is […]
It’s 1998 all over again, with 2026 next in line
It’s 2026 all over again. Actually, it’s 1998 all over again, but they’re pretty much the same thing. We came to that realization after our New Year’s cleanup targeted a shelf filled with old magazines. The stack included a 1998 calendar, obviously long overdue for the recycling bin. We kept it for the beautiful nature […]
Toodling and tailgating
If working in the news business has taught me anything, it’s just how wrong the righteous can be. It’s also taught me to be a painfully law-abiding driver. Yeah, I’m that guy toodling along at precisely the speed limit, raising the blood pressure of all those already pressured drivers behind me. If you’ve been lucky […]
Did you go “Doh!” when the power died?
Where were you, how were you, who were you when the lights went out? The whole region was treated to a brief stretch of blasting wind and unusual cold a few weeks ago, and power went out all over the place. Several times that same day and night, depending on your whereabouts. Remember? Or does […]
Creating a homework routine
This is the first year homework has really started to affect our family. Homework until now has been predictable and tear-free. Now that my oldest is in third-grade, that’s changing. He often feels overwhelmed, with stacks of worksheets coming home. He sloppily rushes through the homework some days, and stares at it crying on others. […]
Lower your standards for family meals
The dinner hour is one of the most fraught times of day for families. As if anyone couldn’t tell you that, there’s a new study by a trio of sociologists to prove it. “The idea that home cooking is inherently ideal reflects an elite foodie standpoint. Romantic depictions of cooking assume that everyone has a […]
Legendary teachers and brave books
Sept. 25 was Legendary Teacher Day in Ridgefield. That’s not quite the same as National Teacher Appreciation Day and Week, the first Tuesday of the first full week in May — which, incidentally, have only gained semi-official status thanks to being declared annual observances by the National Education Association, but not by the U.S. Congress. […]
Someday my kids will pack their own lunches
I’m already tired of packing lunches and we’re only a few weeks into the school year. Unlike the bloggers who post daily pictures of the works of art they send to school with their children, I actually I encourage my kids to buy the school lunch. In the Vancouver schools, the lunches are made in-house […]
Morning drive, morning talk
Strangely enough, the morning drive is one of my favorite times of the day. That isn’t to say I love commuting. I do love my job, but the morning slog can be a joyless affair. Good thing I’m a parent. As long as my kids have been going to school, I’ve been taking them there. […]