Inspired by new backpack

Reuben decided to sketch his new "friend," who frightens his little sis. (Bonus?)

'And a little child will lead them' (okay, not-so-little anymore)

Supposedly it’s best to marry someone who complements your weaknesses. A non-cook should marry a cook. A shy person ought to marry someone more outgoing. A spouse with a mind for numbers might do well with an artistic, ethereal thinker. In theory.

After 15 years of marriage (happy anniversary to us), I’ve concluded that Tom and I are more alike than not, and that it’s our firstborn child who is destined to save our household from utter chaos. Throughout most of her childhood, I’d have said the opposite. I confess to telling Tom in late-night whispers of desperation: “It’s like living with a terrorist!” But now that Viv has reached adolescence, I’ve realized something: She’s simply cut from different cloth than her parents. 

Case in point: School supplies. As of this morning—nearly 2 weeks before the term begins—we have bought, sorted and organized the contents of all 3 school kids’ backpacks, all thanks to Vivian. (Well, and with a little help from her parents’ purse.) What we have living with us is not a terrorist in the making but rather a Future Administrator of America. I am grateful for her organizational inclinations and happy to let her take the lead…at least, in this.

Next up: Menu planning. With Viv in charge, maybe we’d find out what we’re eating more than 30 minutes in advance. Radical.

P.S. Yes, I called Tom "Tom" and Viv "Viv." I've decided to ditch the pseudonyms and say who we really are. I'm also renewing my commitment to once-a-week blog posts, however boring they might be. They're just slices of life, not inspirations for posterity (although I'm fully aware they could turn out to be both...especially with a kid like Lucy spouting her sassy, witty, wise words).

Tribute to A-Town by a young friend off to college today

Photo from http://robinhobb.com/2010/09/off-to-college/

"I arrived here 9 years ago, skinny, pale, naive, just a kid. You put me through some of the best times, and some of the worst times in my childhood. You've been an extremely important part of growing up, for me. I met some of the most amazing people here, and I've met some horrible people, but all of them shaped my life and turned me into the college kid I am today. I've loved and been loved, hated and been hated, ignored and been ignored. If it wasn't for you, Albion, I don't think I would have ever become a musician, or tried my hand at acting, or any of the other things I love in my life. So now, in a few short hours, I will walk out my kitchen door as a kid for the last time and begin my life as an adult, a little less skinny, a little less pale, a touch wiser, and ultimately changed for the better, because of you, Albion. Thank you, for everything."

Godspeed, SE, EB and all the other young Albionites beginning a new leg of their journey today