"Can I write a thank you note?" the little boy asked and I had to laugh because I have tried on several occasions to get our little people to write thank you notes for the gifts they have received and they have always stubbornly and creatively avoided the task. "Well, sure," I replied as I [...]
Magic swept into town on the tail of a red dragon Friday night and we delighted in its gift. Wandering fairies waved their wands and sprinkled their pixie dust. “Make a wish!” they said and, enthralled by the spectacle, children obliged. Appleton’s first downtown night market, “Light up the Night” offered everything we love about [...]
It's hard to imagine a more specific bedtime routine than the one that takes place at our house between 7:30 and 8 p.m. each night. First we pick out our books -- two on an ordinary night and one if we're extra busy. But, we always start with a book. Sometimes, there's a fight about [...]
In the midst of long and sometimes challenging days, I find small moments of bliss. Yesterday morning, for instance, I looked around my car following a school and daycare drop off and found myself alone. All alone. Not a single passenger for the whole 15-minute drive to work. I mean, that is bliss. On another [...]
Al fresco season blew into Wisconsin on a charcoal-scented cloud this weekend and we all -- traveling troubadours, weekend skippers, ATV drivers, backyard barbecuers, Timber Rattler tailgaters, cabin cleaners and Midwest munchers -- dusted off our picnic tables and bellied up with glee. Food tastes better when you can eat it outside. Music sounds sweeter [...]