It was testing week in karate and, as usual, Big Guy was under the gun. Not as much as he used to be, when he didn’t have a clue and had to frantically cram, but …

I’m a mom, so I have strange dreams.
No, I’m not talking about the one shortly after I returned to work following the Boots maternity leave, when every night for a week  brake failure sent my …

He’s a list-maker who’s used to same slip of steno pad for months to keep on track.
He’s a planner whose Valentines were ready Feb. 8.
He’s an organizer who gets that if you put away your …

Even though this year’s bus stop is a much longer hike for Big Guy than last year’s “roll out the back door” location, my plan had been to let him walk the third of a …

I figured we were headed this way a year ago, when all Big Guy wanted for his birthday was “cool clothes.” Clothes? Didn’t that used to be the ultimate gifting insult?
Suspicion grew stronger at Christmas, …

Ever the practical soul, Boots doesn’t believe in “getting there is half the fun.” For him, there is no fun if there’s no reason for going. Not that I blame him. I’ve never seen the …

I wonder if little Serena Williams ever slammed her racket in frustration after big sister Venus beat her again. Or if Kyle Busch ever got frustrated seeing nothing but older brother Kurt’s bumper as they …

Big Guy is like the girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead. When he’s good, he’s very good …
Boots is a living example of “better the devil you know than the devil …

I’ve never paid much attention to birthdays – not since I turned 18, at least, and was old enough to drink. Yes, I am that old. Being old doesn’t especially bother me most of the …

Boots is  a law and order man – except when it comes to keeping his stuff in order, but what fun is being the sheriff if you can’t let yourself out of the occasional parking …

Rita is not having a good time of it.
We’re on a road trip that came up at the last minute, too late to make arrangements to board here. She handled the trip part spectacularly. We’d …

After all the warnings that any paper left lying around faced extreme peril, I was the one who screwed up.
I was sorting through Big Guy’s envelope of graded school work when I moved his Valentine’s …

Big Guy will watch “GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra” repeatedly and not be bothered a bit. He didn’t flinch during any “Harry Potter” one through four, though he did think “The Goblet of Fire” …

I’m doing a little better at this work-at-home/parent-at-home gig now. This year, it took me until Day 17 of their 18-day Christmas break to cross over to losing-it loony.
That point came this morning, as I …

From the second a friend called to suggest it, I’d fully expected the sleepover to end in a wee-hours run to their house.
Boots is just too young and too clingy, I thought. Facing a night …

It’s hard to keep track of the loveys without a scorecard these days.
There’s the always-present El – er, make that the “mostly present” El. Boots’ beloved but tattered friend did leave a few weeks ago …

Sometimes it’s hard to see your kids as the rest of the world does. Once in a while, you’re lucky enough to have someone come along and open your eyes.
For me it was a substitute …

Used to be, the guys’ “whys” were mainly sweet, innocent and curious.
“Why isn’t the moon cut?” Big Guy would ask on the nights that it was full. When you think about it,the moon is “cut” …

“Mom, I need you to take a picture of El and me tomorrow morning,” Boots said right before bedtime last night. “No, take two of them. One for him, and one for me.”
OK, I said. …

He has little tiny black eyes about this big, Boots explained, holding his thumb and index finger about a quarter inch apart. He’s about this tall, he continued, stretching his arms to span a foot …

He hates “Wonder Pets” but will concede to occasionally watching “Max and Ruby.” He admires Max’s sneaky ways and rails that Ruby is a control freak, which is ironic given that he’s one of the …

Here’s a free tip, and one that I’ve never found in any parenting book: When your boys get old enough to branch out on their own, book a familiarization tour of the men’s room. Have …

When it comes to disappointing gifts, I’m a veteran.
Back when I was in my 20s, my grandmother gave me underwear for three Christmases in a row. The first year, I was amused. The second, I …

Big Guy’s had a loose tooth for more than a year now. Or so he thought.
He first “noticed it” early last spring and charged into the bathroom to ask me to examine what he thought …

If anyone’s station in life seemingly was secure, Boots’ was.
He’s the youngest grandchild on each side, thus ensuring his lifelong position as “The Baby.”
Ay, but no one ever warned him that there would be other …

He stood guard at the park for a half hour, pushing her gently in a swing and delighting at the toddler giggles. He was convinced that he couldn’t leave because a departure would upset her.
He …

It’s a lesson I should have remembered from when the guys were potty training.
I tried to start early with both, Big Guy because Boots was on the way and Boots because he insisted that wanted …

It was one of Boots’ best performances ever.
Miffed that Big Guy didn’t want to play with him, Boots stomped over to a lonely corner of the playground, plopped down and hung his head. Seconds later, …