Ben loves ice cream, and he comes by it honestly. Summer Sunday afternoons often mean a family road trip to Eder’s for the best ice cream ever. His favorite flavor fluctuates, but often has something to do with cookies and cream. At home, he used to profess his disdain for vanilla, but once he realized…
Category: Life With Ben
Remembering Knoebels
This is the day I would have gone with all of Lewisburg’s fifth grade teachers and students to Knoebels for a field trip, so today’s post is a trip down memory lane. When I started teaching fourth grade in Lewisburg in February 1994, we were new to the area, childless, and hadn’t explored much. When…
Thumbs Up!
I think that one of Ben’s secrets to staying sane and happy when all of the world is on hold, is to reminisce about the people, events and places he loves. Instead of being upset that his Special Olympics swim season is cancelled, he recalls, with great fondness, swim meets of the past, and eagerly…
Shake it Off!
Corona Blues gotcha down? Follow Ben’s lead, and adhere to Taylor Swift’s advice to “Shake it Off!” Ben wanted to play this video from the fall while we cooked tonight. I think his desire to reminisce came from a chance meeting outside (at a safe social distance, of course) with Cate and her parents. We…
Grill and Chill
Now that May is upon us, we decided it is time to start using the grill more often. We made this salad (that I am calling “Grill and Chill Salad” because it sounds hip) for the first time a few weeks ago, and Ben gobbled it up like it was his last supper, so he…
Prom Weekend and Some Good News
Ben has been asking me about the prom on a daily basis. OK, sometimes he switches it up and asks about his birthday, but the prom has been on his mind. One of the benefits of Ben’s extended high school stay is that for the last three years, he and Lena have gone to the…
Chip off the Old Block?
Ben inherited his love of chips from his father. They both prefer corn chips over potato chips, but Ben, in particular, will take his chips any way he can get them. When he was about 5 or 6, Ben responded to our parental chip control by becoming more wily about their acquisition. We thought we…
Sconehenge
I tried to enlist Ben’s help in making scones, but when he found they didn’t involve chocolate, he was out. I’m a little obsessed with all stone age monuments, and Stonehenge in particular, so baking Sconehenge was bound to happen sooner or later. Our next family visit to a neolithic site was when Ben was…
Breathing. Just breathing.
We hope that you had a wonderful Easter. We did. Though Easter was nice, we may have officially bottomed out. The other day, Ben came to sit beside me on the couch for awhile as I did something. I don’t remember now what it was. Maybe providing feedback on student activities. Maybe playing Words With…
Taco Party!!!
Though strictly speaking, these were not tacos, and it wasn’t a party, it was the best Mexican food we’ve had in awhile! The definition of “taco” seems to have morphed or expanded since I was a kid, and I would call what we had burritos, because they were on soft flour tortillas instead of crunchy…