Our backyard swimming pool is the heart of our summer chaos, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a modest ten-foot pool, nothing fancy, but it’s ours, and it (somehow) fits our whole big family, kids, parents, and toys. The kids go wild for it, splashing and shrieking with joy the moment they… Continue reading Twenty-Four: The Backyard Swimming Pool
Tag: destress
Twenty-Three: Dad Strong, Part Four – Sharpening Your Intellectual Strength
A dad’s mind is a tool that needs constant sharpening. In a big family, where questions fly from “Why is the sky blue?” to “Daddy, in what situations would I need a gas mask?” (you might laugh, but that’s a real question from my eight-year-old/survivalist son), intellectual strength means staying curious and informed. By always… Continue reading Twenty-Three: Dad Strong, Part Four – Sharpening Your Intellectual Strength
Twenty-One: The Beautiful Mess of a Big Family in a Little House
Our house is small, much smaller than most people would probably believe. I know people with half the kids I have who live in a house that’s literally 3.5 times the size of our house (not a joke or an exaggeration either) because they “outgrew” their previous house which was only twice the size of… Continue reading Twenty-One: The Beautiful Mess of a Big Family in a Little House
Fifteen: Why the Slate Truck Sparks Joy for Our Big Family of (Almost!) Eight
A little something different today…. As a dad of five (soon six!) rambunctious kids, I never thought I’d be daydreaming about a two-seat electric pickup. With car seats, baseball and ballet gear, and enough snacks to feed a small army, our family’s rides usually scream “minivan or bust” (actually, our Honda Pilot isn’t a minivan, but I… Continue reading Fifteen: Why the Slate Truck Sparks Joy for Our Big Family of (Almost!) Eight
Random Musings #5
My last post was about stress and one way which my family responds to it, which got me thinking a little broader: what exactly is stress? Turns out, there’s actually a lot more to stress than I originally thought. A lot more. So, naturally, the English teacher in me took over. Time for a little… Continue reading Random Musings #5
Twelve: Teacher by Day, Dad by Night: The True Story of How Early Dinners Keep Me Sane
Everything I’ve written about so far has been fairly positive. And that’s been purposefully done, because there are so many positives to highlight from life with a bunch of kids. But one thing that is ever present is the stress that comes with it. It is hard to adequately sum up just how stressful raising… Continue reading Twelve: Teacher by Day, Dad by Night: The True Story of How Early Dinners Keep Me Sane