While feeding the kidlet her supper tonight, I heard on NPR a piece about the SEPTA strike. One of the women they interviewed complained that the strike doesn't affect the people who live in the suburbs because "they all have cars". Huh. That's strange. Then what was that thing I put money into and rode home from my after-school job when I was a teenager? Ah, ...

Shandy might be an old gal but she still wanted to be right in the middle of the action when Mike and Gracie Murphy visited the office this morning. Mom, Sarah Murphy, is SSR's co-founder so, of course, Mike and Gracie are book lovers. At this point Gracie prefers to eat books rather than read them but it's a start.

I was recommending books to the ten-year-old, and I mentioned Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsinger. "I think I remember it being a pretty good book," I said, "but I'm not sure, because she also wrote books for adults, and as I remember it, the gender politics were pretty awful." "What do you mean, gender politics?" "Well, it's been a long time, but what I ...

Today we have 3 different awesome giveaways for our local Anchorage area readers that have kids. Got kids? Read on! 1st up, we have a 1 month membership pass to Arctic Playgroundz. Have you been there yet? A fairly new addition to the Anchorage play scene, Arctic Playgroundz offers you an indoors (read: WARM!) place to take the kids when you need to get out of the house and help them get rid ...

... sick the days have been solidly filled with childcare so I haven't even had time to think about anything else. I did take kidlet to the YMCA for family swim today while Mim was napping, we had a ... by my kids. I made the first "diddy" for Margaret but then kidlet saw it and asked me when I was making the next one for him. Once I got into the groove they whip up pretty fast. While ...

... the long-suffering entrelac blanket-to-be. Leave the knitters to go pick up first kidlet from school, go home, help clean up the big box of Legos ... empty dishwasher, fix broken Batman toy, grab kidlet and laptop and walk the four blocks to the office to pay some bills. After a couple of hours of work, pause to go pick up second kidlet from school, go back to office and finish the bill-paying, gather ...

... was emailed to me and I have to finalize tomorrow -- then it's no turning back. Kidlet and I had some time tonight to get it all out on the table and reaffirm our commitment to a trip of this magnitude - ... I am looking as forward to the long hours we will spend on the plane as much as any other part. Kidlet is so busy that I rarely get those quiet times anymore,  just to chat. I miss ...

... is, about a month ago, my dad started making these comments in front of the kidlet. Now, Mr. Havoc and I have put hours and hours into making sure the kidlet knows that he has household chores to do, and those are whatever mommy and daddy say they are. Anyway, the kidlet marched up to my dad, stomped his little five year old foot, and said, "That's not women's ...

... I decorated in the living room and one the big kidlet decorated in the playroom. Princess has been intent on destroying both ... I found this picture that big kidlet must of snapped without me knowing of her going after the train under the tree in the playroom. First Scribbles   ... my 3 year old niece) join Big Kidlet on his trip around the world to learn about Christmas in other countries. ...

... mature being. New favorites were selected. Ridiculous. Hey, ten-year-old Scrooge/Wendy? Scram. Today it is my pleasure to present the very same recording of "Feliz Navidad" I used to adore as a kidlet. Behold: the essence of Christmas schlock. One word: bueno. Ok, so I can't always embrace the cheese. How about a little palate cleanser? Here's a video some kind soul recorded ...