This is my original blog. I haven’t updated for years. I keep it as a reminder of the journey.
Please see Broke Teacher for education and Poser Homestead for chickens, recipes, and dead zucchini.
How to Get Internet Safety Lessons for the Cost of a Pizza
"Thank you for your order. Total: 12 pounds." Wait--I'm not British. I don't have a pound in my pocket, just a few extras around the waist. It seemed my kid sent somebody in Manchester, England a pizza over the internet. It cost about $30 bucks. Luckily, I got the...
How to Reclaim Your Bathroom Privacy
My son's been in the bathroom for a very long time. I thought there was a problem. Nothing's wrong except the iPad has a full charge. In the olden days, we took real books into the bathroom--honest to goodness literature. Dickens is plenty long enough to get a...
How to Be Prepared: When Storms Catch Me By Surprise
Greetings from snowy New England. A friend from Jersey texted "Be safe!" I smiled. "This storm's going to miss us," I thought. The roads were clear and people weren't fighting over the last of the bread and milk. That's how you can tell. I used to get my...
Managing Millennials: Are YOU the Dinosaur in New World Economy?
"Kids today!" I hear this a lot. Teachers grumble about kids' phones, inappropriate digital activity, kids and their Snapchat... My entrepreneur friends talk about the millennial entitlement--employees who want to leave at 5PM and own the world. "Kids today..." I...
Ode to Dad: Squirrel Appreciation Day is Real!
Yes, Squirrel Appreciation Day’s a thing. I saw it on Twitter--it must be true. The number one reason we have Internet is to discover all those things we never knew were critical to life. The second reason is to dumb our reading down to fourth or fifth grade...
“If I Had Your Time”: Why You Will Never Succeed
“If I had your time…” That’s what I hear from people who don’t want to get things done. “If I had YOUR time…” Always that dark tone, sitting halfway between dismissal and envy…as if it’s somehow my fault time’s cheated them… that I’m some space-time villain who steals...
Why the Best Students Never Learn Anything
"Why do we have midterms?" a kid asks. "Beats me," I say. "Two wasted weeks. I'd rather teach. It's required." The kid gives me that "Aren't you the adult...you're supposed to be in charge," look. I'm not in charge. I'm a teacher. You're confusing me with a CEO...
When Fear Strikes: How to Get Unstuck and Win
The boy screams and wails. I panic and run to the other room. "It's signed me out of X-box Live!" he says. I try to be relieved--nobody's injured. Instead, the cold hand of fear wraps around my soul. I cannot fix the Xbox. I have no idea what to do. My gut...
Bad Mom Series: How to Clean Your Kid’s Room
"Go clean your room!" every good mom says. I never say that. Reason why? I don't care. I'm too tired. "It's my room!" Declan says. I correct him immediately. "It's not your room," I say. "It's mine. I pay the mortgage. I let you use it to hold your things."...
Santa’s After Christmas Secrets Will Improve Your New Year
After seven to ten billion cookies and countless miles logged around the world, Santa needs a rest. When the sleigh's empty, he doesn't return to the North Pole. He does two things to prepare for next year. He goes straight to the gym, then relaxes for a few weeks...
Simplicity is the secret to holiday sanity (Why cookies make you crazy)
Christmas, New Year, and Hanukkah Dinners Holiday dinners are highly orchestrated events. They requires the skills of a top chef and the timing of a miracle. "Why are we having turkey again? We had it for Thanksgiving." Truth? Because Bob Cratchit got the last...
Why I Lied–Your Card Really Isn’t “Lost in the Mail”
Go check your mail. You didn't get a Christmas card from me. Again. I know--you sent me one like you do every year. Now that you know yours isn't on the way, you probably regret being so nice all year. Truth is, I feel a little guilty. Years back, I...