Not so very long ago, one of my wife’s friends gave her a recipe for “Beer Bottom Chicken”. Basically, you balance your chicken on an open beer can for roasting. No, I have no idea how or why this is supposed to improve the flavor of a roast chicken. I could understand pouring the beer […]
Read MoreOur six-year old had a birthday party to go to the other day, so I took our five-year old out for lunch as a consolation prize. As we sat in the restaurant eating, Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” started playing on the radio. I, of course, started singing along. “No Daddy!” he said. “Stop […]
Read MoreToday’s Tale is in the Chronicle. Click here to read it! Terms for Searchers: Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, Thumb, Power
Read MoreBack when the summer was just getting started, we had some house guests. More specifically, our guest was my six-year old’s best friend – a girl who had moved out of our neighborhood about a year ago. During the visit, the two reconnected (as they always do) just as though they’d never been apart. This […]
Read MoreMy wife has discovered a new method of bringing the kids into line. It’s from a book called “1 2 3 Magic” and it’s a variation on the old “you better be good before I count to 3″ schtick. Part of the routine, apparently, is that you don’t tell the kids why they’re in trouble. […]
Read MoreOne of the kids’ closest adult friends has a southern twang to her accent. In case you haven’t heard it, it often adds an additional syllable to words. “Well” becomes “Wayell.” “Cat” becomes “Cayat.” My youngest picked up this accent, but shortened it up. Instead of “cat”, he says “kyat”. Actually, it’s almost “Keyat”. Last […]
Read MoreFather’s Day this year was a quiet sort of day. Between the triple digit heat and humidity so thick you could bottle it, we pretty much just stayed indoors all day. By late afternoon, the kids were going stir crazy. “Okay,” I said from the kitchen table. “Get out.” The six-year old stopped spinning long enough […]
Read More“Daddy,” my five year old asked. “Does mommy have a back eye?” I was making breakfast, still feeling a little blurry from a late night playtest the previous evening. “What?” I yawned. “No, no I don’t think so. Why would she have a black eye?” “No,” he tugged on my pajama pantleg. ”A backeye, does she have […]
Read More“Mom, Dad, who’s the most famous writer?” My six year old greeted us with this question this morning as he crawled into our bed. “Hmm,” I said. “I think maybe William Shakespeare. What do you think, momma?” “Aren’t we just talking about living writers?” she asked. “Okay,” I propped myself up on my elbow. ”then I […]
Read MoreYesterday, my wife and kids turned the kids’ new bunk beds into a giant blanket fort. My four-year old took me in to show me in the evening. We climbed under the blanket hanging over the head of his bed, and he showed me all the cool features of it. “It’s got a light,” he […]
Read More
