Albert Einstein said, "Most people think that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong. It is character." This is true in so many ways and not just for the making of new scientists. To succeed in life you must have a cup of perseverance, two cups of integrity, a healthy dose of self-respect, a balancing dash of humility, and at least a teaspoon of goals/ambitions.Yet most parents are focused first and foremost on the grades and the scores on those standardized tests of their children. My kids' intellect is very important to me, but it's only the foresail their ship … [Read more...]

There's nothing more troubling to a parent than watch your child suffer. Sadly, I had to watch Anna Lynn suffer after surgery on her belly button hernia last Monday.Her mom kept her from the night before and took her down for an early 6:00 am prep. I got the other kids off to school and came down to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital straight away. I arrived about 8:00 am to find that they'd just taken her back for surgery. Kelly and I patiently waited and took the chance to catch up a bit.She came back quite drugged up, but still in a lot of pain. She gradually came around and, as she did, she … [Read more...]

In a Newsweek interview, Johnny Depp (that's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow) says, "When I became a dad for the first time, it was like a veil being lifted...I was never horribly self-obsessed or wrapped up in my own weirdness, but when my daughter was born, suddenly there was clarity. I wasn't angry anymore. It was the first purely selfless moment that I had ever experienced. And it was liberating. In that moment, it's like you become something else. The real you is revealed."Let's face it, I became a dad at a rather young age. And it was something that I'd always wanted to do. But now more than … [Read more...]

The magazine Glimpses had an interesting true story: Nathaniel Hawthorne is famed as the author of one of America's greatest novels — The Scarlet Letter. But it was something entirely different, a small kindness, that influenced his daughter Rose the most. Nathaniel visited an English poorhouse where a diseased child rubbed his legs and held out hands in a plea to be lifted up. Although shrinking from the child's repulsive sores, the author nevertheless picked the boy up and caressed him.Nathaniel said later that he felt as if God had promised the boy that kindness, and if he refused it, he … [Read more...]

If you know Katie Jo, you know she is very, very shy in new situations or with strangers. It takes her a long time to warm up. (Just like her old man, it seems!) Well, she made me very proud with her performance at the Vacation Bible School program on Sunday morning back in late July.When the time came for the kids to get up on stage and sing, she went right up without hesitation. I was amazed and proud! She didn't really sing much and she didn't make the hand gestures, but she hung in there until the end, despite her discomfort. What a trooper! ... Anna Lynn, on the other hand, was her usual … [Read more...]

There's no doubt that San Francisco is one of the USA's most beautiful cities. It's also a pretty weird place because the average temperature in the summer time is LOWER than the average wintertime termperature.I recently took a long weekend there to enjoy the city to its fullest. I went with my friend, Jenny Grant. We flew first class and stayed in one of the city's oldest and finest hotels, right in the heart of the action, the Sir Francis Drake, as the place to start the adventure.I also tried to pack in as many other fun experiences as possible - Lombard Street, the Golden Gate Bridge, … [Read more...]

I wouldn't expect anything from Phillips-Norelco to be this edgy and funny, but it's just hilarious. Check out:http://www.shaveeverywhere.comandhttp://bodygroom.philips.com/en/index_flash.html And, btw, it's definitely rated PG-13 or even higher.-Zebraman … [Read more...]

It was hard to head home after a week of fun with Samuel, Jacob, Dan & Wendy, and the Fishback kids. But at long last, the day finally arrived.Above is Dylan and Jacob over a sort of tunnel/canyon cut by the glacial runoff. There was a big, ice-cold stream directly beneath them. You might be able to see the strips of "blue ice" down and to the left of Dylan. Most of the glacial ice was white, but every now and then you'd see stripes or patches of vivid, sky blue ice. It's sky blue for the same reason that the sky is blue, that is the ice absorbs all other color wavelengths and reflects only … [Read more...]

I can't believe that I have TWO teenagers now, but it's true. Emily - yes, that's Queen High-n-Mighty - just turned 13. We did some shopping at Party City a few weeks ago and chose a fun laua (sp?) theme for her party.On Sunday, June 16th - her actual birthday - we had a little miniature celebration. It's a tradition that the kids get to pick a restaurant where they'd like to eat. Emily chose Sakura, a nice sushi and habachi grill in Hermitage. It was all of the Kline kids, Bailey Lyttle (her best friend), and two other friends from church. You can see her in the picture at right with her … [Read more...]

GRIPE: BLOG-SPOT IS NOT LETTING ME POST PICTURES!!!I have a tradition with the kids. Once the kids reach 5th grade, I start to take them on a once yearly dad-kid trip. It's usually supposed to be something close and cheap, like a weekend camping & fishing. But sometimes I get unusually good opportunities to do other things. This year, with Dylan, I had so many frequent flyer points that I decided to take us up to Alaska to visit my brother, nephews, and his new bride - Wendy.I initially started the tradition because we were planning a large family and I wanted to build in ways to remind my … [Read more...]