I now know why I am over-weight. All of these years I have been blaming it on Big Daddy Jeff’s cooking (or whatever else I could think of at the time as to avoid personal accountability), but it turns out that I was wrong. Firstborn explained it to me and her little sisters nodded solemnly [...]

Now that I have shared that Firstborn came into my life before Big Daddy Jeff made his appearance, I can share the story about his proposal. It was really very sweet, even if it did not go exactly how I had planned it. Once Jeff and I had figured out the obvious (that we were [...]

Many years ago when Firstborn was small, she wanted a little baby brother or sister very badly (this was years before she actually got two of them and changed her mind, of course). Through an unplanned sequence of events, Firstborn and I were the only two people in our small family and I felt rather [...]

After dropping the little ones off at their school this morning, I stopped by the grocery store on my way home. I only really needed one thing, if any, but wound up buying five or six items as usual. The parking lot was nearly empty when I pulled in. The time was after the usual [...]

Lest anything think that life here in the woods is one big Tupperware bowl of idyllic bliss, I must let you know that there is one tiny source of contention here: Big Daddy Jeff has one love that pre-dates me. It is a small grey and yellow male cockatiel named Iago, or Mr. I to [...]

I have friends who are parents who, when asked a difficult or really any question by their children say “Go ask your father”, or “Go ask your mother” depending on who is being asked what. I do not do that. When it comes to enforcing rules or saying ‘no’, I am the “heavy” in my [...]

Firstborn’s best girl friend has come to visit and the little girls are just enthralled. They looked forward to this all afternoon. They absolutely love this friend, and what is there for them to not love? The young woman is polite and intelligent and beautiful and articulate and best of all, she actually pays attention [...]