"My Crazy Kids"

Christmas is best spent with family --Published 12.19.10 Cass Lake Times By Allan Olson “Is Christmas over?” Abigail asked as we were leaving our latest Christmas party on Sunday evening, getting ready to venture home. “Yes, Christmas is over,” I said. That answer seemed to satisfy her. Why did she ask? Perhaps she, too, was ready to sleep in her own bed at home. Of course, another greater reason might’ve been that she has new toys in the van and new toys at home which she has hardly got to even look at. We started our Christmas fun on Wednesday evening when we let the kids open their gifts. The stockings were first, and as Marcus dumped his out, he discovered the yellow Nerf bullets. “I got bullets!” he exclaimed. Then logic quickly settled in. “Why do I got bullets? I don’t have a gun.” We didn’t say anything, just let him unwrap the remainder of his presents. Inside one of the packages was a brand new Nerf gun, ready to use. He was excited, and wanted to use it im...

It’s Christmas Today Published 12.22.CLT By Allan Olson             On Monday, I asked the kids if they knew what week it was. I got the usual answers from the younger ones.              “I don’t know,” Marcus said; and a shoulder shrug from Abigail.              “It’s Christmas week,” I said, trying to get excited for the holidays.              “It’s Christmas!” Marcus said with excitement in his voice. “I gotta tell mommy it’s Christmas!” he said, running down the hall. Many times over the last weeks he has asked if it’s Christmas today.             This year is the first in at least three years that we’ve put any effort into decorating our house. We dragged the tree out of storage (all three feet of...

A Safe Arrival Published 12.15.10 Cass Lake Times By Allan Olson             It’s been over two months since that fateful journey which officially ended your time of service. The trip started out rough, with a near deer-van collision shortly out of town. If that was the worst of the trip, you would still be in our home, our lives and working hard several days a week keeping our clothing clean.             As it was, halfway to our destination for a tune-up on this well-worked, loyal and dedicated pair, our van and a deer decided to intersect paths in a very up-close and personal way, but not a very kind one. As for the deer, it didn’t fare too well. The van, while injured, was able to continue on its journey.             A short ways down the road, the brakes were once again firmly applied when a large Canada Goose was slow ...

Best of Friends, Enemies and Friends again. Published 12.8.10 Cass Lake Times By Allan Olson Let me introduce you to someone. His name is Michael. He is my one of my nephews. This young man is a mere eight years young. He is often my oldest son Nikolai’s best friend, and has been since they were both very little. There is only four months separating them in age, with the latter being the eldest of the two. The following two paragraphs are written from the perspective of my son. This person, “Michael,” is first and foremost my comrade, chum, playmate and friend, but I will have to admit that he is also my arch-rival, nemesis, and enemy . . . and, well, he's also my cousin. Let me explain why he is on both lists. He is on my “like” list because it is nice to have someone your age that understands what you’re talking about, and all the troubles and turmoils we go through to make ourselves understood. I don't have to go through all that with him. We understand e...

Snow Is Here to Stay 12-1-10 Cass Lake Times By Allan Olson             As we dig out of our third winter storm in a week’s time, it is evident that the snow is here to stay – and my kids are loving it.             With the first significant snowfall of the season happening last week, the kids and I took advantage of the fresh powder and got geared up for the great outdoors. This is no easy feat to accomplish with four kids. It takes a great amount of teamwork between mom, myself and the kids.             This year’s first foray into the winter gear wasn’t nearly as complicated as last year (it was even worse the previous year). Take a step back in time and the dreadful thoughts of fighting to get a kid’s thumb in the right spot, tugging on their snowpants, and their little feet into the awkward boots ... eventually we g...