This morning I took Thomas and Anna outside. I was planning on cleaning out the garden and adding compost to the soil. I thought Thomas might like helping with raking and digging, but as soon as we went outside he and Anna immediately started playing on their own. That was fine, too, but I still
Thomas, my little herpetologist: Mommy did you know that snakes are the same as people? Except we have hands. And feet. And also talking powers. Thomas is currently in a strong animal phase. He’s always loved bugs and other creepy crawly creatures (like frogs and lizards), but now he’s old enough to remember obscure facts
Last week Tom had a minor eye injury. That’s how Thomas, Anna, and I found ourselves having lunch on a 97-degree day at a picnic table in an office park. Because we had to give Daddy a ride to the optometrist, and I needed to figure out what to do with my two toddlers during
In an effort to expose our kids to a variety of sports, David and Mary started soccer this fall. While we are super excited to become a soccer family, we are not excited about all the gear. Kriegers are runners. Runners are unfamiliar with gear. Cleats, shin guards, special gigantic soccer socks. It’s all a foreign language
The last time David was featured in a Semantics post was August 2017. TWO YEARS AGO! This wasn’t intentional. I suppose I didn’t even notice because I was getting so much great material from toddlers, not to mention a little girl who has been trolling me since she turned two. (That’s a direct quote from
On the banks of Beaver Lake at Stanley Park, watching ducks with Mary… Mary: There are so many ducks here. It shouldn’t be called Beaver Lake, it should be called Duck Lake! Me: Seriously, who named this lake? Probably a beaver! Me: pause…waiting for Mary to laugh… Mary: Mommy. No one would ask a beaver
If you follow me on this blog or Facebook or Instagram or have ever happened to drive past my house you probably know this: Thomas doesn’t love clothes. I dress him every day, sometimes more than once, and he always just takes them off. We have requirements about clothes that Thomas begrudgingly complies with. For
I’ve heard that great jokes are more about timing and delivery than the punchline. I don’t know if that’s completely true, but I do know that Thomas is really leaning into a nailing a good delivery. This is his favorite joke. We do this every day, several times a day. Every time he scream-laughs because he got
We were leaving the grocery store and Thomas didn’t have a coat on because, didn’t you know? Kids shouldn’t wear coats in their carseats. It’s true, and because it is nearly impossible to put a coat on a three-year old in any circumstance, imagine how hard it is to do in a grocery store parking
“Mommy?” Mary asked me one afternoon. “Does this mean ‘I love you’?” I looked up and Mary was standing in front of me, holding up her middle finger. I was startled, but I decided to play it cool and figure out what terrible influence in her life taught her this inappropriate gesture. “Why are you