If you haven't heard about it, Jimmy Kimmel asked parents to tell their kids that they ate all their Halloween candy, film their reactions and upload the videos to him. I cringed at the resultant compilation. In my mind, it sadly typifies the shift in our society towards mean-spirited humor or humor at someone else's expense. Some of the kids were downright devastated - sobbing even. Now why would anyone want to do that? In the midst of watching all this pain, though, two brothers... read more
Please click HERE to enjoy my latest videoblog which is about our abandoned greenhouse and how I got trapped in the secret basement.
My dog Petey has a tumor - a big one on his jaw. It’s inoperable. I don’t know how much longer he’s got. When I took Petey to the vet he asked me, “How comfortable are you with death?”
“Well, I grew up on a farm,” I said. “We learned not to get too attached to our animals.”
“Okay, well, there’s nothing we can do about this tumor,” he said. And that was that.
Petey is actually my ex’s dog that he went and got from the pound without even discussing it with me which I wasn’t... read more
One of the advantages to being a parent is that you get to call the shots. Some parents take this too seriously by being dictators and I don't mean benevolent ones. My experience, however, has been that most parents take it too lightly and as a result, their children have too much power in the family. I remind friends and family all the time: your kids don't get a vote. They really don't. You get to tell them what to do. In the movie Spiderman it was said, "With great power comes... read more
The inspiration for the first four Bloomers: Bud Inski, Rosey Posey, Silly Lilly, and Big Red. I found a letter I had written many years ago to Bobby with whom I had created our blended family. It's long - almost three pages, single-spaced, typewritten and personal so I won't regurgitate the whole thing here, but on a brighter note, it has given me blog fodder for months to come! The catalyst of the letter was apparently that I was tired and irritated at Mac (our youngest) for... read more
Sage Advice is....
The Bloomers! blog for grownups. Whether you're a family member, educator, or friend, join us in the wonderful ways to explore the splendors of nature with children. An early appreciation for nature allows our young ones to grow up with a healthy regard for themselves and their surroundings.
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