Last week when I wrote about the importance of teaching our children about traditions and family, I failed to also touch upon something that I didn’t even realize was about to effect my own life and so soon. The most wonderful and nostalgic memory I have as a kid was Christmas Eve at my aunt Peggy’s house and then Christmas dinner at my aunt Pam’s. The aromas of the food, the loud hum of conversation marked by intervals of belly laughter echoed throughout the house (mostly in the kitchen of course) and was music to my ears. The adults spent endless days […]

On this Thanksgiving Day, families typically congregate for the feast of the year. The big kids come home from college and the little kids had a ½ day of school yesterday and are off until next week. The aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins (most of whom you don’t see all that often) show up early afternoon for a celebration of food, football, and well, family. Or at least that’s the way the ageless story is told. But, Thanksgiving is more than just about a big dinner with family relatives. It often includes those that we may not be related […]

Last week I was sitting with my son having lunch at a restaurant. He was quieter than normal, and I could tell something was on his mind. He was intently examining each of his french fries before taking a bite. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“This is a vegetable right dad?” He asked waving an unusually long fry in the air.
”No, not really.”
”What about this pepper? Is this a vegetable?”
“Yes, it is.” ~ PAUSE ~ “Where did the restaurant get them?”
“From a food distributor,” I told him.
“Well, how do they make them?”
“From seeds”
“Where did they get the seeds?”
“From the peppers.” […]

There are a lot of reasons why I love Boston. And while obviously winning the World Series the other night is certainly near the top of that list, I’m reminded of so many amazing moments and places growing up in this amazing city. As a north shore kid, geographically speaking, I thought that just after Quincy was the Bourne Bridge and the Cape. Little did I know. I did eventually expand my horizons and ventured far beyond Quincy, but I still hold Boston close to my heart and it’s still my most favorite place in the world. And as I […]

One of the great things about life with kids is that we are always being challenged to be better parents and spouses. We are far from perfect and sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail. And that’s ok. The key to maintaining some semblance of sanity is to remember, and accept, that some days are better than others and that tomorrow is a new day. Today was one of those days. I’m sure most of us start the day off with a positive outlook and hope that everything and everyone (our kids!) do what they are supposed to do. And while often […]

Last week, while riding his bike (with helmet on thankfully), my four-year-old son was hit by a car. When I got the phone call at work, my heart sank. My wife said, “CJ was hit by a car. I think he broke his leg. Meet us at the hospital.” I rushed out of my meeting, grabbed my car keys and told my boss I was leaving. It was 3:47 – just about rush hour and the hospital was about 25 miles away. It was one of the longest car rides of my life. When your child is hurt, it brings out emotions […]

There is one day each year that I fear the most: School picture day. As a father of 3, including twin girls, nothing is as stressful as trying to style a girls hair when I self-admittedly have absolutely no clue what I’m doing. My son merely throws on a pair of khakis, a golf shirt and with a little spit on that cowlick, we are good to go. With the girls, not so fast. Thankfully, my wicked awesome (sounds like the Dunkin Donuts commercial huh?) wife already has their clothes picked out the night before so ‘all’ I need to […]

When I dropped my son off at preschool this morning, he uncharacteristically was upset that I was leaving him. This is his second year and never once previously did he show any signs of separation anxiety. So I asked him, “what’s wrong?” He reluctantly conceded, “I miss Jordan.” His first best friend who was no longer in his class. I couldn’t help but feel for him. We’ve all been there. Do you remember your first best friend? The one that you played tag with at the playground and ate at the same table in the lunchroom. The one that made […]

It was 8 years ago that we threw a spectacular party under a big white tent by a lake in southwest Connecticut with 150 of our closest friends and family. Afterwards we were whisked off to NYC in that stretch limo, spent the night at the W Hotel penthouse where Eric Clapton frequently stayed (or so we were told). The next morning, we had breakfast on a private 700 square foot rooftop patio before heading off to JFK for the beginning of a storybook honeymoon in Italy. It was a time of pure self-indulgence and fun. We enjoyed frequent socializing […]

The fact that the girls are now in school is amazing to me considering their humble beginnings. Like many things in life, the beauty is the journey and it’s taken me some time to be able to really accept and process the journey that brought us to where we are today. When Val and I first got pregnant, the feeling was nothing less than sheer jubilation and excitement. It was planned and we were ready to take on the challenges of being first-time parents. Our initial experience was text-book – home test, pre-natal vitamins, first doctor appointment to hear the […]