• Kids

    Leading by Example

    When I picked Brogan up from the sitter’s today, he was in one of those moods.  He was running all over the house, talking (obnoxiously and intentionally) loud while the sitter was taking an important call, picking on Beckett (like, literally trying to pick his nose), and not listening to anything I asked of him. And then it was time to make it to the car. Now this daily ritual is always a fun one. Beckett demands to “walk!” (one of his new words), he screams when you put in him his car seat because he wants to turn on the overhead “light!” (another new word). Then he wants to…

  • Marriage

    What five years of marriage have taught me

    Five years ago, it was a cool fall day in Georgia and I married the love of my life. Like many others, my marriage is not perfect – but I don’t expect it to be. It ebbs and flows but I am lucky that there are more good days than bad. I’m lucky to be in a healthy (again, not perfect) marriage where we respect each other (most of the time), love each other and most days, really like each other. This five-year milestone has got me thinking about all I’ve learned about love and marriage along the way; advice and perspectives that have made us work, and that if…

  • Kids

    Never Lead with Fries and Other Lessons from the Day

    Every day as a parent is a day of learning – the subject is typically a surprise, but you can always count on a lesson.  Today my boys taught me… 1.)  Never lead with fries – No matter how good of an eater you’ve got, don’t lead with the fries.  It will be hard to near impossible to get them to eat anything with any greater nutritional value once they’ve got a yummy, greasy, salty fry in those chompers.  You want some chicken? [shakes his head no] You want some broccoli? [shakes his head no] You want a fry? Yeah!  Well crap. 2.)  Sometimes you have to break the rules…