Mothers’ Day

There’s been a lot of gardening going on around here. My wife, who will be henceforth known as D, has started to really enjoy gardening. This is likely in her blood (her mom also likes it) but COVID has been a catalyst and over the past year+, she has spent a lot of time planting

For The Win

“Some day soon though, things will get back to the normal we all crave.” Me. Exactly 1 year ago. Today Chloe turns 12. It feels like just yesterday that I wrote last year’s birthday post. How is that even possible? Have you ever been to summer camp? As I reflect back on the past year,

Her Teen

Today, Julianna turns 13. I am fah-reaking out. She’s a teenager, like, officially. I mean, now we are going to have to have puberty and relationships and…and…MAKEUP. I’m not equipped for this sort of thing. What am I going to do when she brings home some person she wants to date, introduces me followed by

Always Forward

Previously… Donald Trump is going to be our next President. We live in a country where there’s something called Democracy. Not every country gets to have this. The idea is that once you get to be 18, you get a chance to vote for the things that are important to you. Sometimes the vote goes

Making the Best

Today Chloe turns 11. Now, both her and Julianna have had to celebrate their birthdays during the Great Quarantine of 2020. I find myself feeling a bit conflicted about how to handle the emotional ups and downs both girls have felt about their birthdays happening during this time. For Julianna’s birthday, we asked a bunch

The Matriarch

Well… My grandmother died today. She was just about to turn 95 years old. This is a weird one. My grandmother, Rhoda Brand, had been battling dementia. It is difficult to know exactly when it really took hold but I’d say it has been roughly 8 to 10 years where I can remember being able

Quaranteeny Bit Crazy

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Today I dyed part of Chloe’s hair blue. Here’s proof: In the “Book of Parenting” that lists all of the things that you will likely do at some point or another during your time as a parent, this was unlisted. It was the first time I took on

Et Cetera

Today, Julianna turns 12. Every year, since she was 3, I’ve been publishing a post on this day. You can read them here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. These birthday posts have gotten harder and harder to write each year. I generally start thinking about them a few days in advance

Honoring Eddie

The following is a bit heavy handed, more than a bit dramatic, and a little bit of a departure (hopefully temporarily) from my typical blog posts. I wanted to make sure I could spread this around to as wide an audience as possible. I appreciate your attention. As they say, “desperate times…” On May 7th,