"My Crazy Kids"

By Allan Olson Holidays are always remembered differently by everyone, and the memories created – good or bad – usually last a lifetime. This Thanksgiving holiday was truly one to remember for us. For starters, it was our first Thanksgiving in our new home, a house that had room for everyone to sleep, without laying on top of each other. It had room for the kids to play without feeling like they were going to run us over (although sometimes we still wondered if they would), and best of all, we had room for everyone to eat in one room. On Wednesday, the day prior to the big feast, the oven was hard at work making pumpkin pies, cherry pies, apple pies and in the off time it needed to be cleaned, so we let our hands rest and let the oven do its magical self-cleaning. At about 6 p.m. I started my “world-famous” caramel rolls, with the aid of a couple nieces who were up for the holiday weekend. Largely, I made them do the work; I just supervised. I made the caramel and took ...

Give Thanks By Allan Olson It’s hard to believe that it’s getting to be the big holiday season already; with Thanksgiving here this week, it will only be a few weeks until we are celebrating the Christmas holidays and then we start another New Year. It’s funny how time flies by. At the beginning of the year, we are looking forward to some warmer weather. When that weather finally arrives, we look forward to some less humid temperatures. In all, it’s a cycle that never ends. This time of year, many families are getting together to celebrate the holiday season, and are appreciative for their short time together. As we get caught up in our daily lives, we often forget about the little things that we should be thankful for. Personally, I can say I’m thankful for my family. I’m especially thankful for my four children. We might not always see eye to eye – like when I ask them to help out with something and I get a whine in return, I don’t feel appreciated then. However, a random...

Hunting Walk II By Allan Olson For the second weekend in a row, I braved the elements and headed out hunting. Not that it paid off for me, but it was still an interesting weekend. Also for the second year straight weekend, I ventured on a hunting walk with Abigail. This time, I added Alivia to the mix. Two girls, one hunting walk, one dad – I was outnumbered. The questions and conversation were endless from the get-go – especially from Abigail. “Where we going?” “Can I go back now?” “I’m cold.” “I’m scared.” The list went on. I asked her to be quiet. That lasted for a few steps, then she would say something else, and the odds of me seeing a deer went down even further. Alivia, while not her usual chatterbox-self, still added her own conversation to the mix. At least she would whisper (loudly) her questions or comments. Then we throw in the difficulty of trying to walk slowly with two girls who kept wanting to walk in front of me. It was an interesting venture. The route I had planne...

Rowdy Kids By Allan Olson Every parent thinks their kids are the rowdiest, the loudest or rudest – especially in public settings (i.e., church, stores, public functions), even if it is only the parent that notices them. My children are as normal as the next. They like to have a good time, wrestle, tease and torment each other, along with (on occasion) actually being civil to each other. However, it seems like they are always on their worst behavior in a public setting. While my children haven’t done anything horrendous (yet) in public, even minor things can make a parent embarrassed, like the child not sitting still, or talking above a whisper when they are supposed to be quiet. On more than one occasion, I’ve felt mortified when my child acted out in church, only to be informed later that I have such good little children. I think to myself, “They can’t be talking about my kids!” The rowdiness gets exponentially more intense as the number of children gathered in the same lo...

Go To Sleep! By Allan Olson It’s a struggle that virtually every parent goes through: getting their child to go to sleep when they want them to. The struggle lasts from the time they’re born (at least for dads), sitting up at some awful hour of the morning when you have to go to work and/or school the next morning and the little one is fussing (or just plain old wide awake). The parent is trying to get the child to sleep and in need of toothpicks just to keep their own eyes open while attending to the sleepless child’s (or in our case, children’s) needs. I remember the halcyon days of yore when the youngest one was born – nearly four years ago. It seemed like we had just gotten past midnight feedings or changings (oh wait, we had), and middle-of-the-night crying sessions (or was that us, due to the lack of sleep?). It seemed like those days would never end, but just as it did with the other three children, this stage also, thankfully, ended with Number Four. Still, the battle to get th...