Some of My Faves, If I'm Allowed to Say That

The VBS coordinator called my kids some of her faves. My first thought was that she had us confused with another family. Then they came home and ran the house: dinner plated, dishes done, groceries chosen. Maybe she's onto something.

Thirteen Seconds To Go

Mr. J. Wood doesn't know it yet, but his four-year record has about thirteen seconds left. Whoever he is. After that: my daughter's severe affliction with hypocrisy, three hours of BBQ with my pastor, and a drive to Alabama and back.

For a Successful Road Trip, Keep Your Kids Mildly Dehydrated

Strategic dehydration, a wife carrying the week with a smile, a 9th-place run dodging two broken ankles, a bedtime chat over who can be an Elder, and a boy racing back outside to dance in the rain -- oh my.

Deadliest Catch or Deadliest Maintenance?

If you're the bot scraping this blog from Singapore, bad news: the excerpt is all you get. For everyone else, kids scoring screen time through chess and science shows, a bedtime question about communion, and crab boats that fears nothing more than proactive maintenance.

Practicing to be a Single Mom

Pool runs, tomorrow's meat prepped early, dinner sorted, a wedding dress altered, and a week and a half of solo parenting to rehearse for -- all handled by S in one day. With a smile on her face. Plus my unsolicited thoughts on how Apple begged for its own antitrust bill.

He just wants to hog all of the fun for himself.

Swimming pools, paddle boats on a lake, inflatables, a rock slide, pizza, mountains, rattle snakes, bears, a shirtless missionary and a late-night movie -- oh my.

Where'd All the Family Doctors Go?

Fare Thee Well, Axos Bank; and the Story of the Chip Chewer

Goodbye to the bank that froze my assets "for my protection." Hello to a waiting room chip chewer with a bottomless bag of chips. And the childhood zig-zags that nearly got a house demolished.

The Fruit of the Vine or The Cup of Devils?