“Embrace the laziness.”That was the mantra around our house last week as soon as the doctor confirmed Beckett had the flu and should miss an entire week of school.When the doctor said he needed to do nothing but relax the rest of week, and possibly more depending on how he felt, I wondered to myself… Read more »

I came across a column this week about youth sports that I thought was worthy of sharing.Beckett, 10, has played multiple sports most of his life. If you ask him which sport he likes the best, he will tell you whatever one he is playing at that time. When asked recently by a friend what… Read more »

A few minutes into watching the Super Bowl as a family, I became doubtful my boys were going to make it beyond the first quarter.While there was sleep to worry about on a school night with the game starting well after 6:30 p.m., I’m referring more to the patience level it would require to even… Read more »

Prior to becoming a parent, I admit to never thinking much about the term inclusion.However, it’s a big part of life now with our special needs son, Carson. For us, inclusion means being part of a community that is understanding of him, supportive and genuinely caring.Inclusion means our non-verbal son is still able to participate… Read more »

Carson was my assistant coach in a recent basketball game.Because his brother’s games are a little later in the evening, Carson has only been to one game this year. While warming up, Carson came out on the court to help rebound. When it came time for the game to start, he had no interest in… Read more »

There’s another column in this paper called “Things I Like.” I’m often told by people how onerous it must be to come up with 11 positive things every week. These same folks usually say they could do it on a weekly basis if they could list “Things I Don’t Like” or “Things I Hate.”I understand… Read more »

Being busy is an excuse many use when we either screw up or can’t do something in a timely fashion.Of all the various responsibilities in my life, I consider being a parent a top priority. That’s why I make sure to not put work or other obligations ahead of the kids. That doesn’t mean I’m… Read more »

The last two weeks have been a blur.Since the third week of December, I have basically spent each day reminding myself what day it is in the week because it has never felt like the day it should be.The main difference with this year’s Christmas and New Year’s weeks was the timing of the holidays…. Read more »

One of these upcoming years photos with Santa will become a thing of the past.Until that sad day comes, however, we will continue to make it an annual tradition, so we can look back at these snapshots in time. Each year when we bring out our Christmas decorations, Pam places each of the framed photos… Read more »

Although it’s sensitive business to talk religious issues, I am feeling the need this time of year.I wish we were able to make it to church more often with our children. The desire and intent is there, but, unfortunately, youth sports on Sundays often keeps us from attending church. It’s a shame we are in… Read more »