Barton Orchards

We went apple picking at Barton Orchards again.We picked lots of different kids of apples, and I ate too many apples. Then we spent hours playing in their corn maze.

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Why I Love Reading To My Kids

After I finished reading The Chronicles of Narnia to Andrea and Eason, I wasn't sure what I was going to read to them next. There were a few books I was considering. Ever since I heard an interview with the author Tom Reiss on the radio I wanted to read The Black Count. I always thought I would like to read it with Eason, but glancing over it it seemed quite mature, so I was a little concerned, especially since Andi would likely be listening as well. On the other hand difficult emotions have their place in children's stories as well. I considered reading them something else and just reading this myself, and then I realized at least one of the reasons I love to read to my children.

The Boat Race

While we were packing up the bungalow for the winter Eason and Andrea had a boat race...on the land.

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Talk To Your Daughter...Talk To Your Son

As parents we all want our children to grow up to be happy and successful, however you define it. To that end there are a host of virtues we try to instill in them, such as perseverance, independence and strength of character. Likewise, not wanting our kids to be jerks, we want them to show empathy and consideration for others.

In today's society it seems even more important to stress those strong qualities with my daughter and those compassionate qualities with my son. That means making sure that both my son and my daughter learn how to defend themselves. That means making sure that both my daughter and my son learn about respect and consent. But talking to young children about things like consent is not always easy.

Sailing

Eason and I went sailing on the lake in our kayak. We made it all the way to the lake monster and back.

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My Mom

Aviva and the kids went to visit my mom in the city. They had lunch and were heading back to my mom's home when Aviva called me at work. When I answered the phone I heard this horrible, primal moaning in the background. I thought to myself "what's that noise? It sounds like someone's dying back there." Aviva urgently announced "You have to get over here right away! Your mom just fell and it's not good!"

Labor Day Weekend

On our long labor day weekend Eason and I continued our Labor Day push-up challenge.

But that's not all we did. There was running and swimming and boating and some celebrating as well.

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