What did the kids want to see the most here? (at Angry Birds Space Encounter)
Fatherhood
Easter Sunday
And the first front tooth is out. – View on Path.
Required elements for shoveling snow
Ride ‘Em Cowboy
One of my earliest memories is playing horsey with my uncle when I was 4 or 5 years old. I remember my uncle’s white shirt, our orange shaggy carpet, and my little sister playing with us. But, most of all, I remember feeling happy.
I’ve been going through a period of reflection this past week because another birthday has come and gone. It’s been a tougher year than previous ones, but I’m very fortunate to have good health, a supportive family, and great friends. Most of my concern focuses on work these days, but any life concerns after the age of 30 tend to quickly deteriorate into a “what the fuck am I doing with my life” panic attack. Fortunately, the answer came (this time) to me in the form of this childhood memory.
On Sunday afternoon, I started rough-housing a bit with my 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter like we do almost every day. When they climb on my back, that’s typically my queue to play dead for a few seconds so I can sneak in some much needed rest. But this time I decided to lift up my back and play horsey. My brain instantly loaded that childhood memory. That feeling of happiness I had back then and my kids and I were having right now deleted all those concerns from my brain.
It seems so cliche, but it really is the simple things in life that make you the happiest. For me, I guess that’s playing horsey with my kids.
Isla after her annual heart checkup. Her heart looks good. We don’t have to return for another year. at SweetHaus – View on Path.
5 Secrets to a Happy Family →
Bruce Feiler:
Turns out there’s only ten minutes of meaningful conversation in any meal; the rest is taken up with “Take your elbows off the table” and “pass the ketchup.”
With three little ones and both of us working, it is extremely difficult to sit down at the dinner table every night. In fact, it’s hard just sitting down for dinner these days. I’ve been standing up at our breakfast bar a couple times of week for dinner recently.
I grew up in a household where we all sat down at the table for meals until my younger sister was a teenager. It was nice and I always pictured the same environment for my family. Well, my Mom stayed at home and was able to make a meal every day. My Dad was able to come home at a consistent time each evening. That’s not the reality that my wife and I live every day. Both of us work. My kids are about to spiral out of control at the 5:00 hour and I can’t make it home every night at that time. Fueling them at that time with dinner helps with our nighttime routine so they all get to bed at a decent hour without a lot of fuss. Having a pleasant evening with our kids is the number one goal each night in our household, not having a family dinner. Sure, I’m not going to lie it’s nice when we do all sit down together for dinner and I’d like to do it more often. But, not at the cost of keeping my sanity and more importantly my wife’s sanity.
Mid-air – View on Path.
Elsewhere