I remember my first bike, a flashy blue number with training wheels and a horn. When I first climbed aboard I felt the mantle of adult responsibility draped on my shoulders. This was a real machine, with chrome and gears…
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It TOTALLY Worked
Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest to spot. Take for example Thanksgiving. It’s supposed to be about breaking bread with friends and family, giving thanks for all the things in life that keep you going and enrich you. …
Following the Rules
Why is it so hard, as a parent, to let go of “the rules”? From the time we burst onto the scene as newborns, slimy and blinking, we’re told the right and wrong way to do things. Brush your teeth,…
Thanks for Making it Easier
Every year my wife comes up with an ambitious Thanksgiving menu. I’m all about handmade foods but when you’re trying to clean the house, chase Toddler Harbat, and decipher a ten-page recipe for gratinee of seared confit in a bed…
Our Spirited Daughter
My wife and I have had our suspicions for three years now. The loud yelling, enthusiastic dancing, operatic outbursts, it all pointed to one conclusion: we have a spirited child. We are both introverted, cautious in social situations, preferring quiet…
Grrrr!
Nothing like a lack of sleep to set your whole day wrong. Yesterday the whole family got grumpified starting at six AM. TH thumped down the hall as usual, the drumbeat to which I awake every morning. (She gets it…
Errata and the Season of Thanks
Time for a few housekeeping notes about the blog. For anyone who’s noticed, the Winter War book has been pulled from the writing tab. Why? Nobody went to visit or read through it, reinforcing my understanding about reading books—good in…
Marbaugh’s Birthday
First the answer then the question. Question: Why is Toddler Harbat so quiet after breakfast? When I’d showered and dressed I came into the kitchen and found the above scene. When I asked TH what she was doing, the answer…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: birthday, imaginary friends, little girl, parenting, Parma, scary
Hang On
One day you look up from your routine, your life, and realize three years has passed by. I’ve always thought of life as a whirlpool—when you’re young you are bobbing around at the periphery and seem to be hardly moving. …
Cheap Fun
My wife’s a genius. Why spend buckets of money on complicated electronic toys when sometimes the cheapest toy is the most fun? Yesterday she bought Toddler Harbat some hair curlers at the dollar store. Actual cost of plastic? Three and…
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