Train up a child in the way he should go, and when his is 5, he will not depart from it.

Please avoid this catastrophic mistake we've made. Damon's once promising future in the fields of math and science has been destroyed by our failure.

Don't teach your kids that squares are squares and rectangles are rectangles. Rather, teach them that a square is a special kind of rectangle.

Damon refuses to believe this, and nothing his teachers, his parents, or the internet says can change his mind.

Save yourselves from endless arguments you'll never win, even with the truth on your side.

Thanks Annette and Conan...

...for a fabulous New Years party. I wanted to post a picture of the over-40 crew playing guitar hero, but somehow this is all I ended up with.

What Jake does during the holidays

It's the thought that counts

I made a lot of aprons for Christmas gifts this year. This is about the only time these ones have been worn by the recipients. I'm always gratified when neighbor kids come over and put them on.

They don't make wallpaper like this anymore

When we drove down south to visit Jake's parents before Christmas, we were caught in a blizzard and had to stay in Fillmore.

No room in the first inn, so we went to the second. Only $45 for a double room, and truly vintage decor.

Charming though it was, we don't want a repeat and might take Jake's mom's suggestion to start celebrating Christmas in July.