Kid next door had a ton of boxes and shredded boxes between the two houses. I spent Saturday and got half of it, filling a large black trash bag. He saw me, 10 years old and said he would get the rest of it. Yesterday getting the trash out I noticed it was all still there and asked Lincoln to help me pick it up. ” I thought Dylan was going to get the rest of it” Lincoln says. “So did I Linc, but I asked him twice and he told me twice he would pick it up. I guess he lied to me.” Lincoln puffs up and says “Well I’m not going to be friends with him anymore because no one lies to my mom but me!”

So damn funny, I didn’t have the heart to say “how about no one lie to me …”

Lincoln gets obsessed with things. Last week it was canned ravioli (yuck) and this week it has been Dunkin Donuts. We left school and headed to the Dunkin Donuts which showed up on the Google maps. Dry run, no donuts and no sign they had moved. The next day on the north side of town I see a city bus stop with an advertisement which said Dunkin Donuts one block, so I make a u turn and lo and behold there it is. When I pick them up from school I tell them I have a surprise for them. What is it they ask. Not going to tell I say. Give us a hint Lincoln says. Okay, I say, guess what I saw at a city bus stop today. Sierra says “Justin Bieber”. No, I didn’t see Justin Bieber in between laughing. Anyhow we found the donut place and Lincoln stocked up proclaming “did you know if you buy six of them you can get them for a buck each”. They make me laugh, that much is true.

It’s my dad’s birthday and so we toast. A fighter pilot and a real man’s man, I was well into adulthood before I appreciated his talents. Fly boys hear the beat of a different drummer, things impossible to understand when you’re a kid. He crossed over when Hayden was a mere three months old …hope you’re flying high Dad. Love …

There’s always so much discussion about the role of luck in poker. Those of us who play professionally know the skill in poker is knowing when to push your luck. A poker forum this morning gave a quote I have to use as it just takes the cake …”Luck is finding a table full of players that still believe in luck.” That just says it all.

Spelling matters to me, mostly because the world today, well, can’t spell. I give the kids $10 a week for a perfect spelling test. What do they get if they miss one? Nothing. Perfect spelling is rewarded. When I came in off the road L proudly presented me with his spelling paper saying he had gotten 100. “I owe you money then sweetie” and he gave me a test with a big 90 written on it. When I asked about it Lincoln said he spelled the words correctly but she took 10 points off because he didn’t write it in cursive, something they are learning in third grade. We practiced for the next week and as I was dropping him off on Friday the last thing I said was “Don’t forget the cursive.” When I picked him up I asked if he remembered to write in cursive. He said he didn’t have to. I looked surprised. He says “I explained to my teacher she was costing me money because I was spelling the words correctly but not able to do it in cursive perfectly yet” and she told him he didn’t have to write it in cursive. Gotta smile.. It’s a great feeling, too, to know your kids can fend for themselves.

Moms are unique. Everyone knows that. Sierra had a little girl stay the night Friday night. I was cooking dinner. Sierra reached for something and it dropped on the floor. Do you want it Sierra asked her friend? No Emily replied, my mom has a 5 second rule but I don’t eat things that have dropped on the floor. We asked about the five second rule and with a house full of children her mother has decided if it has only been on the floor for five seconds it is okay to eat. Made me laugh. Moms.