A very close friend of mine, John Nichols, died of pancreatic cancer two and a half years ago. It was tragic, though mercifully shorter than it might have been with some other drawn out disease. No one should go at age 50 though. His death was one of three that year that made me feel mortal, sad, and more alone than I'd felt since getting married and having kids. So you can … [Read more...] about Voice from the dead – John Nichols
More tips for building a tree house
We're big fans of Todd Davis' book, Handy Dad: 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids, which features some good tips for treehouse building. If you're in most of the United States, you're burning daylight at this point to get a treehouse built before the end of the warm weather, so you better get going. Here are some other handy pieces of advice for building a tree house: TIP … [Read more...] about More tips for building a tree house
Review: Road Trip family game
Gas up the wagon and drive to a shady picnic table where the whole family can play Road Trip, a new game from Daddy-O Productions. Packaged in a playful tin box, this is a fun game for kids 7 and up and their parents. You don't have to be on the road to play Road Trip. If fact, this is not a game for the car. However, I brought it along on a family weekend and we enjoyed the … [Read more...] about Review: Road Trip family game
Who is Simon Miller? family movie on Saturday night
"Who is Simon Miller," the newest of the "Family Movie Night" series created by P&G, premieres Saturday night (8/6/11) on NBC at 8/7PM Central. We had a chance to see a screener and watched it the other night as a family. I"ve written several times about this effort. (Full disclosure: P&G invite me on set for the filming of "Change of Plans.") I like P&G's mission, … [Read more...] about Who is Simon Miller? family movie on Saturday night
Kids say the darndest things
We will be away on holiday for a few weeks in August and my 7 year old, a new reader, is constantly asking me if things we see, and reads, on our route to camp will be available where we are next week. Today, he asked, "Will there be Arrowhead water?" followed by "Will there be..." a Hilton hotel, a Jeep Cherokee, and "Harry Potter, The Deathly Hallows, Part II." As we were … [Read more...] about Kids say the darndest things