Who's bad?

Even before Trayvon Martin's death, I wouldn't put Dylan in clothes that played into negative stereotypes of African American males as trouble or somehow bad.




Which means this pre-loved shirt we received, though apparently part of one of the most beloved Japanese cartoon shows ever, will be donated.

Extreme? Maybe. Ridiculous? No more ridiculous than Geraldo saying Trayvon's hoodie got him killed - a statement for which he later apologized directly to Trayvon's parents.

NPR's Michel Martin wrote a great piece that captures the fear many parents of color feel for their  sons as they reach the teen years: Trayvon was scared too.

How customer service and preschool are alike: whether 4 or 54, people want to be heard & want validation for what they're feeling.

Earning their keep

Dylan, our two year old sous chef-in-training, helps dice mushrooms. Next lesson? Meal planning!

This was moments after he tripped over his trains left in middle of the hall (again) and fell headfirst into the pantry door knob, raising a huge goose egg at his temple.

A group hug from all of us seemed to help, along with a call to the consultant nurse and an ice pack.

We've got to check him for concussion symptoms every two hours for the next 12 hours, but so far, so good.

Also, that dish he and Ava helped make? It was delish.

Kids sleepover with grandparents. House eerily quiet overnight. Loved the respite but miss our kids.

Family night out

Friday night dinner at La Spiga. Kids were well behaved. Started losing them at one point near the end and turned to Thomas the Tank Engine videos on YouTube to give us time to finish our meals.

Best part? Ava to Jason out of the blue as we ate: "Thanks for taking us out Dad." Nice to see some of the home training is sinking in.