It really is the small things that add so much delight. Our little girl, who is a few weeks shy of turning one, has seemed to know her name for a while now, but she picked up something new. Over the weekend we found out if we call her name she’ll raise here hands and … More A New Skill
I’m a little bit glowing today. My little girl is growing up so fast. She just turned 11 months, and now we have her first word. Earlier in the week we heard that she might be speaking from her teachers. It was nice to hear, but we weren’t really sure. Of course we trust the … More First Words
I’m a day early. Tomorrow my wee little lass will be 11 months old. Sometimes the cliches feel like the most accurate of phrases. The time has indeed gone by so fast. The amount she has changed in these 11 months is startling. Except I guess not. I mean, it’s all natural. But it feels … More 11 Months of Airi
Like most families, the Mrs. and I feel like we are constantly in motion. Even the days that are supposed to be relaxing, are generally put to use letting us recover from the days previous. Both of us are forever filling in what little unstructured time we have with more work, especially the work that … More Sunday is for Family
Last night, for the third time in four days, my little one had a hard time sleeping through the night. She’s only ten months old, so she still holds many of her own mysteries. From around midnight she will half wake up and cry just loud enough to wake my wife and I. We’ll fight … More It Makes the Day
(The shortest version of this has already been shared on my Instagram feed, just in case you follow me there and parts sound familiar.) Monday to Friday I teach elementary school. School breaks are when I work at an outdoor camp. At little odds and ends of time is when I write here and also … More Another Working Parent Story
When I was growing up one of the last things I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a teacher. It both was and wasn’t surprising. After all, not only is my mom a teacher, and a wonderful one at that, but a majority of my extended family either are currently teachers, involved … More A Downside of Teaching
Having a four-year-old is an adventure. I love it. Sure, not everyone needs or wants children. I can both understand and respect that. But I do love being a dad and both teaching and learning from my son. We just finished our New Year’s celebrations. Here in Japan, that includes a visit to a shrine … More New Year, New Questions
My little guy likes reading books. Or at least he goes into phases where he wants to read books. Tonight we sat down together and read eleven together. Of course, he’s four so the books aren’t all that long. Still, it is pretty neat to see how quickly he changes and how his understanding increases. … More Reading Together
I could feel it there nesting in the back of my head in the morning. It grew stronger as the day climbed on, making simple a touch more demanding. I’m a terrible napper. Can hardly ever sleep during the day. So, drifting off for about 30 minutes after work was pretty huge. The good news … More Migraine Clock Resets
Deadly Troubadour 