Articles

Column: Oh, the Places You’ll Go - Part II

Last month I reviewed some of the unconventional field trips my kids and our friends have taken. In an effort to encourage people to get out this summer, have some adventures and not spend a wad of cash, I want to continue and share some of the more adventurous and pleasing gustatory tours we have taken.

• S.E. Livingston

‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’: Plan field trips for kids this summer

Homeschool your children this summer. Try thinking like a homeschooler and make some summer plans to go on some unconventional local field trips.

• S.E. Livingston

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* Follow Morse’s code for a fulfilling life

• S.E. Livingston

'No Child Left Behind' is the modern version of the 'Old Deluder Satan Act'

Perusing an American history book, I was startled to find that our forefathers legislated their own “No Child Left Behind” law 360 years ago. Back in 1647 the Massachusetts Puritans coined their law “The Old Deluder Satan Act of 1647.”

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S. E. Livingston: Being thankful for what is, not upset over what isn't

Most of us can’t quit jobs or manipulate our lives into being simpler, but we could stop more frequently and be grateful for what is around us.

• S. E. Livingston

Dining on chipmunk al fresco

Mothers and fathers parent differently. This is a good thing and nurtures a balanced childrearing experience. At least this is what I tell myself.

• S. E. Livingston

S.E. Livingston: As long as they avoid walking into fountains, kids who txt deserve a gbh

They didn’t even know he had a girlfriend until the clicking and tapping of the cell phone buttons became so constant that they had to ask, “Who are you texting all the time?” His parents found it unlikely that he was carrying on hours worth of tete-a-tete with his buddies – it seemed as if they spoke only in monosyllables. Truth won out, their son, slightly sheepish, mentioned a girl’s name and went back to clicking.

S.E. Livingston: The merits of a holiday ‘meat day’

With some Christmas music playing, fresh coffee in our mugs (after I dropped raw sausage mix into my mug, I felt inclined to start over with the coffee) and bloody bits of meat clinging to our forearms, the conversation flowed.

S.E. Livingston: Celebrate the holiday season in a meaningful way

Not knowing what new gadget to buy my 75-year-old dad for Christmas in order to show that I love him, I instead wrote down 52 things I love about him.

S.E. Livingston: Life is made easier with ‘Get up! You all right!’

While studying the Middle Ages this fall, I ran into a fascinating, ancient parenting philosophy: When a wealthy landowner had a son, they loved him so much that they gave him to somebody else to raise.

Columns

Peace on earth? Not likely, but it’s not as bad as you think

The worst sound in the middle of a celebratory slumber is that of crashing glass. As consciousness begins its meek tapping, one’s feeble brain begins to crank away at reality. Why is that glass shattering? New Year’s Eve left glassware on the kitchen counter. Is the cat walking across the counter? Is blitzing fluted champagne glasses onto the tile floor so satisfying that he can’t stop himself? Something more sinister begins to eat away at the edge of the reasoning. That’s not glassware. That is bigger –bigger like a living room window – bigger like somebody outside of our locked doors wanting to get INTO our house badly enough to smash through.

• S.E. Livingston

Kids’ field trip changes mom’s perspective

S.E. LIVINGSTON: One of my kids’ favorite school field trips was when they were studying government and visited the holding cells for the accused criminals at the St. Louis County Sheriff’s office. Kids love educational experiences promising Tasers, stainless steel cells, and maybe even a bad guy, while the armed tour guides wear handcuffs and talk tough. For pure excitement, it beat the Karpeles Museum tour hands down.

No free lunch? Not so, if you’re a hungry kid in Duluth

Last summer, my kids and I sat in the cafeteria at Lincoln Park Elementary School. As they enjoyed their smiley fries and hamburgers, I was looking around at all the happy, munching kids. The tables were filled with children from daycare centers, youth day camps, vacation Bible school programs and many who just showed up, with and without adults. All these kids were benefiting from the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program, but, I wondered, with the demise of Lincoln Park School, what will happen to these hungry kids?

• S. E. Livingston

This redheaded stalker is tough to outfox

A parent’s philosophical dance with Santa

My son John has decided to test the Santa Claus legend.

Potatoes, poison and purging our puppy

Budgeteer columnist S.E. Livingston writes about her birthday, when she came home to find one or both dogs had feasted ... possibly on mouse poison.