Consider the presidential election through the eyes of my hyper-competitive 5-year old... He kind of sees this as a contest on the grand scale of the World Series...perhaps with good reason. "OK," he asks me, "it's McCain versus -- he loves the word "versus" as a verb --...

So today I turn 39 -- standing oh-so-close to the point of questionable return -- the big 4-0! Actually, 40 is probably the new 30, and the number of years I've tallied doesn't bother me one bit. What baffles me though is w hen did this aging stuff happen? In my heart, I consider myself a DVD...

Over the weekend, we pried open little Dylan's eyes to the great works of Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, to name a few. Saturday was "Day in the District" in Fort Worth, which means no museum admission fee in the area's Cultural District. Free means THRONGS...

My refrigerator is leaning, weighed down with so many masterpieces 5-year old Dylan has created. This is not a problem, because it is socially OK that the fridge and your child's room are a museum to unidentifiable crafts. Creations that fall under the "Could you please tell me about this?"...

As a young girl, some of the best hours I spent were with my books. I loved Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables and Island of the Blue Dolphins , just to name a few. But these picks aren't appropriate for Dylan, my 5-year old little guy. So over time and many library stops, together we've formulated...

As a first-time mom, I had no idea what to register for as I felt like I was drowning in a sea of babydom. But one thing I was sure of .... bring on the books! My best shower was when guests were asked to bring their children's book as a gift. I knew I wanted to raise a little reader, but let's...

Sometimes Dylan takes the cake... or quite honestly just give him the icing. Give him a cupcake and he only wants frosting. He'll leave that cake behind. Show up at Chick-Fil-A and wants JUST A BUN with NO chicken. If he's living large, he puts ketchup on his otherwise naked bun. He is probably...

Dylan started "junior kindergarten" yesterday. I am happy to report we have blasted right into school, and I don't think there's any looking back. I think this kid is a bit of a politician at heart. He wasn't shaking hands, but he was cheerfully greeting other students as we waited...

Dylan starts "junior kindergarten" tomorrow. My biggest worry isn't how he'll handle his first day at a new school. No, instead, I will lose sleep on how he will handle, or mishandle, Friday, which will be "Bingo Day." At orientation last week, I was squirming in my seat like...

Dylan starts school next week, but I have homework. My assignment: To share Dylan's "general behavioral characteristics" so his teacher will better understand what makes him tick, and in some cases, explode. I'm not sure if I should be brutally honest or consider this an exercise in...