Ever heard of “summer learning loss“? It’s what happens to children who get no mental stimulation over the summer, resulting in their falling behind their more summer enriched peers when school starts back in the fall. Its prevalence goes up the further down the socioeconomic ladder the child is. Our […]
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a few hours in Washington, D.C.
We arrived at the Hall of the States building at 9:40am and parked in the garage. If you’ve ever tried to find parking in Washington, DC, you know what a chore that can be, especially if you’re seeking a monitored garage, so that your MacBooks, ipads, and cooler stay both […]
Richmond, VA
After stopping briefly at the South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia welcome centers, we stopped for a few hours in Richmond, VA. The first priority was dinner, and in order to describe my choice of restaurants, a bit of back story is in order: Since I try not to be […]
On turning 8
On July 16, the oldest child in our house turns 8. This shouldn’t seem like that big of a deal. It’s still single digits. Our state and federal governments confer no additional privileges upon 8-year-olds. She won’t change schools. It should just be another number signifying that she’s still a […]
Our family’s first extended road trip
For 10 days, the 5 of us are going to travel from Georgia to Delaware to Florida. Along the way, we’ll visit Richmond, Washington DC, Lewes (where we’ll stop in DE), and Amelia Island. The children will have been in 10 states (if the District of Columbia counts) when we […]
Waterskiing
Before I was born, my parents lived in Charleston, South Carolina. Dad flew C-141s there, and they had a boat and several sets of wooden water skis. Dad would slalom. Mom would drive the boat. Then, they’d switch places, and he’d pull her on a pair of skis. A few […]
Georgian zombies are my guilty pleasure
A few years ago, I accidentally turned on the TV on a Sunday afternoon and saw a building on Peachtree where I worked while in law school (a few blocks from the school itself). I put the remote down. Then I saw Freedom Parkway, and a dude on a horse […]
fathers day weekend 2014 (aka “a best friend’s wedding”)
I’ll forever remember Fathers Day weekend 2014 as my first experience as a bridesmaid (or, bridal attendant, as I was referenced in the program). The groom was a guy I met in the mid-1980s while in elementary school. The bride was a girl I met in 9th grade who has […]
Michigan: my kind of place
Upon landing in Detroit, we drove to Ann Arbor, and I posed in front of the largest stadium on a college campus in the nation in my yellow pants (not maize). Then? Brunch at Angelo‘s, where I quite possibly had the best omelet I’ve ever had (and this kid eats […]
Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments
This is my friend Mike Adamick’s second book of projects to complete with children, and it’s focused on science! I was lucky enough to receive a complimentary copy from him a few weeks ago. I pulled it out during a recent rainy weekend day and asked the 7-year-old to flip […]