I had some trouble deciding what to do for Lent this year. We gave up meat in 2002, but since then we've eaten so much less meat that giving it up completely wouldn't make a noticeable daily difference. I toyed with several ideas and started into Lent by reading selections from the Gospel aloud to … Continue reading Slaying the Snooze-button Sloth
Month: March 2008
Overheard in an office
...and reported to my friends and family in this e-mail on September 9, 1997, long before there was an Overheard in the Office Website, back when I was working at the invention company: Last week, my least-favorite co-worker departed for another job. There was much rejoicing. Stephanie had irritated everyone by criticizing them while insisting that she … Continue reading Overheard in an office
Nightmare Management
My own child so far has not had much trouble with scary dreams or bedtime anxiety, but here are two ideas--one from my own childhood experience, one from my brother's--that I've never seen in professional advice on getting nightmare-prone children to sleep:I had a tendency to imagine things lurking in the dark. Sometimes I got so … Continue reading Nightmare Management
Toddler Discipline in Three Easy Steps!
Here's something I wrote when my son was 13 months old. Rereading it, I was surprised to realize that the basic structure of my response to misbehavior hasn't changed at all now that he's three years old; these basic steps have become second nature, while the details have gotten more complicated and wordy! I feel … Continue reading Toddler Discipline in Three Easy Steps!
Ohh, look at the rushing river!
That's what Nicholas said on Saturday as we were walking up the main street of our neighborhood. After a moment's puzzlement, I realized he was talking about the gutter full of melted snow! Speeding downhill, running between a bank of tire-scrunched snow clods on one side and the curb on the other, criss-crossing itself in … Continue reading Ohh, look at the rushing river!
The Earthling's Handbook 