"My Crazy Kids"

A tea party and more By Allan Olson It was a nice weekend, at least in comparison to what it could have been. We traveled to spend the majority of the Easter holiday weekend at my parents. Arriving late on Friday, the day was virtually shot to enjoy any of the it outside, but Saturday, despite a strong wind and intermittent rain showers, it was really a nice day to enjoy the outdoors. After dealing with a gas line problem, my dad and brother got the tractor running to help with some basic yard work, including moving two oak picnic tables back to their “summer” location. Alivia happened to be the only kid around at the time, and knew right away that she wanted to drive the tractor. Grandpa consented, and so up she went. She helped drive the tractor to get the tables, took a break during the loading process, and then was back up for “one more turn,” as she put it. Wanting his own turn, Marcus was next. He enjoyed it just as much, but Alivia suddenly was not as happy, ...

Snow, snow, go away By Allan Olson My grand plans for making headway on cleaning up my yard were dashed Saturday morning when I woke to find not merely a trace of snow but rather several inches of that wet, heavy white stuff that just refuses to relinquish its hold on us this year. Friday evening, while cold and damp, I managed to find time to dispose of some unwanted yard refuse by working until dusk and beyond. The work wasn’t easy, as it was still frozen to the ground, but it was unsightly and it needed to be gone. I finally wrapped things up just as the first flakes of snow were starting to sting my face with its cold. I went in search of some warmth. Back to Saturday. Like I said, I was unimpressed with the snow entirely. I had no desire to see it. I wanted the kids to be outside, enjoying the spring air in their tennis shoes as opposed to winter boots and snowsuits. Maybe I was delusional, but I really thought (hoped?) that we were done with winter. I had my snow...

How was your day? By Allan Olson As everyone knows, life often gets so busy that it often passes us by, coming and going. At our house, it’s no different. We are going to work, taking kids to school/daycare, getting kids from school/daycare, going home, eating supper at the same time, and trying to find time to enjoy the warmer weather and longer days that are finally happening. Add to that mix my crazy schedule of meetings and games to cover, and our time at home together in some weeks can be slim to none. One evening recently I was at home and this conversation started around the table; I was at first lost and then enthralled. It’s not that we don’t talk at the table, but usually the talk is round-robin, with one of the four kids chattering about something or mom and dad trying to communicate about the week’s schedule. My wife implemented a new (at least new to us) idea for conversation at the dinner table. This new concept is designed to get our kids interested...

Growing Up By Allan Olson “Why don’t you grow up?” is a question that is often asked in anger or disgust with someone. Another circumstance is when referring to a young child, i.e., “I can’t wait until you grow up.” Recently my daughters had their hair cut, and their father had some issues. This was especially true with my oldest daughter Abigail’s nice new hairdo. I remember feeding my children with the bottle, and then with baby food, and now with everything in sight. At those younger stages I remember saying, “I can’t wait until you are done with baby food.” (Insert: bottle and/or especially diapers.) If they were sick and we didn’t know what was bothering them, it was “I wish you could tell us what was wrong.” Well, last weekend, after seeing her sporting her much shorter hair and looking at her, I realized that, like it or not, my little girl is growing up. I think my heart stopped for a few seconds when that impacted me. I keep telling my children that now that they ar...