Guess who got her yellow stripe yesterday?

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Wordless Wednesday with this important news update. The Six-Year-Old has earned her first yellow stripe in karate. Congratulations, The Six-Year-Old!

The most surprising thing about decluttering…

A surprising side effect of decluttering so intensely for so many days… The Six-Year-Old is much less interested in watching TV now that the Toy Rapture has happened.

Review: Hasbro Easy Bake Ultimate Oven

For her birthday this year, The Six-Year-Old received an Easy Bake Oven. This was easily the most anticipated gift of the birthday season, as she has been asking for one since last December 26. So what did she think?

Insightful things about grief The Five-Year-Old says at 8:59 a.m.

Exactly one minute before I was due to drop The Five-Year-Old off at kindergarten this morning, she said something remarkably insightful. But before I get to…

The God Particle, Martians, Tricky People & other news of the week

Higgs-Boson, child identity theft, and other news of the week

The Five-Year-Old cooks breakfast

Last weekend, Daddyo decided to teach The Five-Year-Old how to cook scrambled eggs. And that meant teaching her to crack an egg.

Weremice and other news of the week

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but that’s not because I haven’t been reading the news. Well, ok, maybe it’s a little because I haven’t been reading the news. But mostly it’s because I haven’t been reading the news with an eye to blogging about it. But really, how could anyone resist blogging about a predatory desert mouse? And if you’re going to do that, is it really that big a deal to tack on a photo of the universe’s largest spiral galaxy, a cheese recipe, and this week’s edition of Parenting Advice from Facebook?

“Does Santa smoke?” Or how to use Santa to talk to your kids about smoking

The problem with old books is that they often have outdated ideas in them. But rather than skipping over the bits of books we don’t agree with or buying versions that have the tricky bits edited out, it’s better for parents to talk to our kids about those outdated ideas directly.

Beware online puppy mills

Puppy mills are the worst. Imagine bringing a puppy home for your five-year-old only to have it die a few days later. Even when the puppies survive, animal welfare experts say that puppies from these mills can suffer permanent emotional damage from their extremely traumatic start in life.
If you are looking for a new puppy, I strongly encourage you to adopt or purchase your new family member from a local animal shelter, rescue group, or reputable breeder. Take the time to tour the facilities where the dogs are housed to ensure that the living conditions are humane and sanitary.