One of Thumper’s real gifts is his ability to sleep anywhere. He’s been trying to finish fighting off a cold (the cause of his school absences last week), and he’s been very tired while fighting. When I arrived on Tuesday afternoon for library time (which I have been “volunteering” for in order to help manage […]

Middle schoolers are encouraged to dress up for Halloween, but obviously the costume must be appropriate and not be too distracting. When I found this extremely simple costume in the Target dollar bin, I knew it was perfect for Tad. If you can’t be Batman (and you aren’t allowed to wear masks at school), then […]

Despite posting their best time ever – and a personal best for Ane – in the medley at district finals, the season is officially over for Ane’s school swim team. We’ve learned a lot this year, and Ane has learned what traffic is like at 5 am.  She’s made new friends and I think she’s […]

As part of her homework, Ane has been told to teach some basic Japanese to a “parent or family member.”  Or, as Ane put it, “Not you, Mom.” Her first assignment was to teach the Webmaster the Hiragana syllabary – the beginning blocks of the Japanese alphabet.  Yesterday, she had to teach him basic greeting […]