Surely a Stormtrooper face mask helps diffuse the stench of the rotten beans your mother insisted you take to the compost.

Last year The Banana asked if she could play soccer.  I didn’t know how that would go, since she hadn’t ever played soccer before, and most of the kids her age that play soccer have been playing since they were small.  Some of them play year round.  Dr. Peds started…

  On Labor Day weekend no one had a soccer game or soccer practice, and no one was working or had youth group.  We decided to make a little trip up the Shore to our favorite candy store, and after splurging, we headed to Stony Point on our way home.…

Because our neighbors have gifted him all of their old soccer jerseys, when combined with the  jerseys in his own collection, he can literally wear a clean blue soccer jersey every day of the week and then some without even delving into the laundry.  If he has a practice, he wears…

Introducing:  The second grader.  He’s incredibly excited about this school year because he has a set of teachers who are wonderful and amazing, and the ultimate favorite teachers ever of two of his older siblings.  It’s going to be a great fit for my school-loving guy.  He’s come home all…

That last look is DS trying to persuade people that his way of thinking is rational. We squeezed in a super fast North Shore camping trip right before the holiday weekend.  This meant that everyone missed something they were not supposed to miss, so in the future our camping trip…

If you are going to roast a marshmallow for your mother, it’s important to “channel your inner Mom.” Hood up. Chin tucked into your baggy sweatshirt. Peek out with only your eyes. It was strangely accurate, actually.  When I need to get away, I go inside my sweatshirt.   

Can we just say that he’s a little tough on his footwear?

When The Banana and I saw beluga whales at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, I was inspired to learn more about these pale, majestic and oddly lumpy mammals.  They are the most common whale kept in captivity, and are highly social with one another. I learned NOT to schedule a camping…