We’re taking a dive into a new sport this summer at the Reese house.
Literally, diving.
My 7-year-old daughter has decided to try the diving team through the local parks and recreation department rather than join her brother on the swim team.
Both were in swimming last year (my daughter for the first time). It was fun because they were also on the same team (though competed at different age levels). But this year, when I mentioned “diving,” she jumped at the idea.
It’s been a fun week at preseason camp. She seems so …

While my 9-year-old son was getting help with math (from our favorite friend and tutor), I got the chance to spend an hour with my two girls.
What a conversation.
My 7-year-old started with “We had J.A. (Junior Achievement) today. I’m going to be a nurse.”
Apparently that was the card she picked during a game the volunteer played with them.
Always ready to latch onto any conversation that includes discussion about future careers and how to get them, I informed my little girl that two of her grandmothers are nurses, and so is …

What does your Sunday week-starting prep look like?
Mine started Sunday after church as the kids and I went through their backpacks, looking at any papers I missed last week, doing homework, and having my husband assist our son with a particularly troublesome area of reading.
After putting away about two-thirds of the laundry (the rest is still on the couch. Oh, well), we had family time.
After the kiddos were in bed, I spent an hour last night on the computer and with my calendar – figuring out what meetings I have …

The kids and I had big plans Monday when they were out of school. We had our annual MLK Day lunch and playdate with friends, an afternoon at Bounce U and gymnastics in the evening.
My big kids – 7 and 9 – always have to have SOMETHING to do in the car, be it a book to read, a movie to watch or an electronic device to play with. It was a 20 minute drive or so to our friend’s house so I knew they would grab a few things.
Little …

I feel like I’ve lived in the “Twilight Zone” for the past week.Eight days ago, my youngest was sick with a cold, pink eye and the tummy bug. Before Thanksgiving, four of five members of my family were sick. We cancelled plans to host Thanksgiving, but at the last minute I was able to go to my parents with the family members who were healthiest. (We have much to be thankful for, as I wrote about in my column last week.)
I worked that night, covering Black Friday shopping (on Thursday) …

It’s a trend, apparently.
For the second time in a week, I’ve dropped the kids off at school only to have to return within the hour.
Last week was the best excuse: I had to bring SHOES to a child. (He went to school with sandals, but needed running shoes for running club.)
That same day, I had to bring a lunch to school that was forgotten.
Today, as I dropped the kids off I heard, “Mom, it’s cold. I need a jacket.”
He was right. He did. And he didn’t know how cold it …

Monday was the first day of fall break. All three of my kids were home. I surprised the big kids (6 and 9) in the morning with the following greeting: “After breakfast, it’s time to do your chores.”
“But it’s fall break,” they protested.
Yup, and it’s a good time to get things done.
After completing their regular chores (dishes, bathroom, toy pick up), I dragged my oldest upstairs to try on his pants to find out he needs for winter. Nevermind that it’s going to be 100 this week, this is something …

My kids and I drove to San Diego last weekend for a family event. As any parent knows, it’s important to have water, snacks, games and extras of EVERYTHING in the car when travelling with kids. (Ever been caught without a diaper or baby wipes? Yea, been there. Done that. Won’t do it again.)
Little did I realize how important those extras would be. I arrived in San Diego just in time for the largest power outage of the century (ok, maybe it wasn’t that big, but it felt like it). After …

I read through a list of suggested books by Parenting.com this morning and realized: Yea, we aren’t even making a dent on the classics.
The list is wonderful – I remember some of them from my own childhood. But I’ve had troubles getting my kids to read anything beyond “character books” (think Barbie, Strawberry Shortcake, etc.) and, for my son, the latest in Japanese comics (“Yu! Gi! Oh!,” anyone?).
Last week, I made a new rule regarding what he can read for his 30 required minutes each night for school. For the …

With the start of the school year, my big kids (9 and 6) also add a few activities to the calendar.
And I’m guessing I’m not alone.
The kids have been in once-a-week gymnastics class since 2009. So that doesn’t change. Daily summer swim team is being replaced with karate once a week for the next few weeks. My son wants to continue weekly chess after school, but my daughter has decided to give that up.
The past three years, my daughter has played soccer in the fall. That starts up in October. …