Grasshopper New Media Presents...

First, let me say that the early teen years with my kids are inherently awkward. The boys are becoming “guys”, and are now too old for “play-dates” and asking to have a friend sleep over feels weird too-the language we use to master our kid’s social calendar changes radically during this transition from […]

One of the nice things about doing triathlons,  is that they have kept me motivated.  It’s sort of like how many people use their wedding as a inducement to get fit.  My triathlons are similar to me, except that instead of picturing myself in a glamorous dress if I visit the gym regularly,  I picture […]

Here’s how to take two recently adopted preschoolers on vacation.
Step one: Before you travel anywhere for the first time, buy matching rolling duffels for the whole family. Let the children choose their own colors, so they see that, even though they’re part of a “matched set” of people, they are still permitted free choice. Rescue […]

My four-year-old son M asked this question yesterday. Like many of his friends, he’s into superheroes, and when they get together they pretend to shoot bad guys. M has probably seen fewer bad guys than most of his friends because his television-watching is closely monitored and discussed. But he has seen good guys catching bad […]

There have been many “discussions” in my house about my need to do it all. I can’t, nor do I really, do everything. But, sometimes it feels as if my main job is keeping track of each family members’ “stuff.” There is physical stuff: backpacks, baseball gloves, school supplies, keys, the […]

This past weekend was a big deal to me. On previous Mother’s Days, (alright, there have only been 3 of them since my oldest is only 4), I’ve enjoyed sleeping in until roughly 10 am and having breakfast in bed. This year I was up before 6 am. By 10 am, I […]