Lamb and Frog

“Mom, can I go to Bobbonaught’s* after dinner, ‘cause…”
“ ‘Cause why?”
“ ‘Cause we’re gonna watch a dead cicada get eaten by ants.”
“By all means, go.” (Venture forth in the name of science.)
Approximately ten minutes after being excused from the table in comes the Duck on a full howler. Why? Because squatting over an ant hill [...]

This morning Stinky (go figure) asked “Who invented socks?” I said “I don’t know, but whoever it was was pretty clever. They make your shoes fit better—more comfortable—and keep your feet warm.”
“Albert Einstein?”
“No, he was in the 1900s. Socks have been around since probably the 1400s or 1500s.”
“Tom Edison?”
“No, he was in the 1800s. Socks [...]

Penguins
I’d like to thank everyone who responded in the comments or with e-mail and offered an opinion on the Penguin Problem. My final answer was not just “no” but “hell no” and included temporarily banning all internet access as well as any time on Club Penguin. I know many of you have kids on Club [...]

Most of the time, I consider myself a pretty laid back parent. I don’t push my kids into ‘enriching’ activities they don’t enjoy. I don’t insist on picture perfect homework or grades. I even let basic rules of hygiene slide if the weather permits…”sure honey, running through the sprinklers twice counts as a bath.”
Nevertheless, this [...]

Let’s tie up a bunch of loose ends from other posts…
The School Situation
Stinky and the Duck are enjoying their new school. They have adjusted well and the school is outstanding…although it too is now failing under NCLB. I’m not going to open that box of Pandoras…the law is flawed and everyone knows it but not much [...]