One recent and particularly busy day, I came home late from work. I jumped out of my car – in my sport coat and dress pants – and rushed up the driveway. My daughter, Tess, was waiting in the front yard. When she saw me, she called out, “Dad, come here and lie on the grass with me.” I haven’t done that in years. I looked at my ironed pants, put down my briefcase and walked over to lie down the grass with Tess.READ MORE
When I was growing up, I wanted my parents to let me have a dog. The standard response was, “Wait until next year.” What I think they really meant was, “Over my dead body.” They meant “no” but what they said was, “Wait.” I find myself doing this with Tess sometimes. She’ll want to watch “The Chronicles of Narnia” or “Frozen” for the third time in one day and I’ll say, “We’ll watch the movie later.” But, of course, what I really mean is “no.” READ MORE
As temperatures rise, it’s tempting to turn up the air conditioning and plop yourself in front of a fan and not do much else. However, summer is a great time to try some fun activities that allow you to spend some quality time with the family. In order to escape the heat, I enjoy spending time on one of our 10,000 lakes here in Minnesota with my wife and eight-year-old daughter. There are so many options for families with young children. Check out the list below for some of my colleague’s favorite ideas. READ MORE
Guest blog written by Sally Koering, Youth Frontiers Experiences Manager
At Thanksgiving this past year, my large family – including seven cousins to my three kiddos – got together to celebrate. I had the brilliant idea to have the kids write down what they were thankful for, and then we’d share them at dinner. (I’m so deep and thoughtful!) So, off the kids went and came back a few minutes later with their evidence of gratitude for all that is good and right in their lives.READ MORE
When I was 10 years old, my dad took me on a business trip to Milwaukee – which is a long, six-hour drive from Minneapolis. When we arrived in Milwaukee, we checked into the landmark Pfister Hotel. It just so happened that the Baltimore Orioles were in town for a baseball game and were also staying at the Pfister. At the time, I was a baseball fanatic. I collected baseball cards (that I still have) and studied the box scores every chance I could get. The Orioles had won the World Series the previous year and, even though I was a Twins fan, it was a thrill to be among the best of the best.READ MORE
When I was in junior high, my friends and I would meet at the park to play touch football after school. We were all competitive and often spent more time ‘discussing’ infractions with each other than actually playing the game.READ MORE