For a few weeks Mary has been getting Anna amped for the annual Father-Daughter Dance. I could see a sort of glazed-over look in Anna’s eyes whenever Mary talked about it. Fancy dresses? Cupcakes? And dad will be there? Dancing? What? The problem was that, in her excitement, Mary would start her explanation in the
At the beginning of the month the Krieger family skipped town for an incredible trip to Universal Studios in Orlando. This trip was the perfect late-winter getaway — a mix of sunshine, butter beer, and cousins. We saw dinosaurs, ate hot pretzels, and walked an average of 10 miles a day. By bedtime the kids
We had a weekend with back-to-back-to-back activities with our kids. We had a basketball game, an awards reception, a playdate. But the marquee event, the one we were all waiting for, was the Father Daughter Dance. You might remember the Father Daughter Dance from years past. Mary has gone several times (2016, 2017, 2019, and
I’ve always loved learning how things work. So when we bought our first home, I was both frustrated at how hard the mortgage industry works to confuse buyers and determined to figure the system out. I learned a lot when we signed that first mortgage, and even more when I did three no-cost refinances on
Styling by the Pacific Ocean, pigtails by Mary, photo by Grammy, Tom’s sunscreen-face by himself, entire week of adventures (including three meals a day for 14 people) planned and executed by my sister and her generous family. A few years ago, Tom mentioned that we should take a big trip to celebrate our tenth anniversary.
What’s a little girl’s favorite part of a father-daughter dance? Gloating to her brothers that she’s going to a dance and they aren’t Fighting with Mommy about what makeup is appropriate for a 5-year old (Answer: no makeup. Be glad that you’re getting lip gloss. ) Having a special night with your daddy. We’ll never
Playing Santa is, without a doubt, one of the most fun gigs I’ve ever had. Shopping, wrapping, imagining the joy when they open the gift. It is all so very wonderful. Sometime in November, Tom’s mom, Peggy, called me from Costco. She was shopping, and there was one MaryEllen American Girl doll left. Should she
Whenever I pack for a trip, there’s always a period of time when I believe that it would be easier to cancel vacation than to continue packing. This vacation! That we have been looking forward to for MONTHS! It’s the peak of stress, the mid-way point of packing when you’ve been working for hours and there’s
During wedding planning: Me, “We’ll get married on July 3 and we can call it Co-dependence Day!” Tom, hesitates then says, “Do you mean…Interdependence?” Tom Krieger, helping me with vocabulary and basic arithmetic since 2009. Our anniversary is July 3, and Tom gave me the only gift I ever want — he took a few
I sat down to write this, fully planning to end at the part where I’m screaming and Tom is asking if he can just go wait outside. But then I started writing and accidentally kept writing and now this is going to be a three-part story. But I promise I won’t drag this out until