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Ocean Fishing for Reds

May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Ocean fishing

I’m working on the coolest campaign right now over at Babble with TakeMeFishing.org. It’s all about encouraging parents to become more active with their kids — something which my crew and I are all about.

Anyway, my first piece for them is about an activity that I genuinely believe was one of the coolest outdoor things I’ve ever done with my kids. Yes. We went fishing. But it was way more than just going fishing (which, in and of itself is obviously an incredibly cool thing).

Head over to Babble to see what I mean and to also see step-by-step instructions of how we got ‘er done by clicking HERE.

Yes. I used the phrase “got ‘er done.”

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Why I feel sorry for the Delta Gamma email girl

April 29, 2013 by 1 Comment

delta gamma email girl

I know this is probably a super uncool thing to say, but I just don’t care.

I feel incredibly sorry for the Delta Gamma email girl and I wish people would give her a break.

You’ve heard about this whole deal, right? The Delta Gamma sorority member who lit into her sisters via an impossibly profane email that was chock full of hateful language? Someone — presumably one of her sisters — leaked the politically incorrect diatribe to Gawker and BOOM! we had ourselves a good ol’ fashioned Internet fire.

It’s been all over the place. And while Gawker never referred to her by name, the piece was read millions of times. Which, naturally, meant that her name got out soon thereafter. And lots of entities decided to use it like HuffPo, Yahoo, the Frisky (which has had a flat-out field day with her) and countless others. And overnight, this young lady became a villain.

Read more over at Babble by clicking HERE.

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The Meaning of Marathons

April 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I knew when to talk to my oldest daughter about the Boston Marathon bombing. On the way to school. But I didn’t know how to talk to her about it. So I gave the matter some considerable thought, not just the tragedy, but also marathons in general.

* * *

Like so many, my life has been touched by the marathon experience. I ran my first one – the Portland Marathon – when I was a Seattle resident back in 1997.

What made you enter? my friends would ask. The truth was, I didn’t know.

My dad had recently been diagnosed with the cancer that would eventually claim his life, so that was obviously part it. It was part of everything in those days. But to say that was the sole reason wouldn’t have been accurate.

Continue reading over at Babble by clicking THIS LINK.

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The Triplets Start Kindergarten

February 22, 2013 by 3 Comments

NO. Not now. Soon enough, though, for we all know how quickly time travels. Next fall will be upon us in the blink of an eye. And while Caroline and I are most excited about what we perceive Kindergarten will do for the triplets, we’re also excited about the streamlining that’s about to go on.

See, as it is now, Caroline and I take five children to three different schools. And next year, the triplets will be attending the school our oldest goes to. And I gotta admit, the concept of dropping four kids off at the same place fills me with peace.

But do you know what fills me with angst? How the school will choose to split the triplets up.

Read more over at Babble by clicking HERE.

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The Night I Hung Out With Mindy McCready

February 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Mindy McCreadyI tried to post this once before, but it got away from me. The preface that I tried to write, that is. So I’m trying again to write this preface which laments a common scenario I run into about town. The one where people come up and talk about this site in ways that make it clear to me that they cannot and do not perceive a difference between JCO the dad and JCO the writer.

I obviously understand why. The world sees me as a dad blogger, and, of course I also get why that’s the case. Even so, I see myself as so much more. (Which is probably why I started a profane, edgy, irreverent sports site that, in just six months, is already drawing far greater numbers than this site ever has — even when I posted here all the time here. Oddly, none of the readers over there have EVER come up to me and said “You must be the best sports fan.”)

[Read more...]

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How to make them forget all about Caroline [video]

February 11, 2013 by 4 Comments

Have you missed me? Wait, don’t answer. Instead just know this — I didn’t mean to be gone for so long.

But you know who did mean to be gone for so long? Caroline. That’s who. Because a couple / three weeks ago, she took Alli to the Justin Bieber concert, leaving yours truly solo with the triplets and Luke. Which was no big deal. All I had to do was get over the initial meltdown that accompanied her departure. And I came up with the perfect activity to do just that.

Head over to Babble to watch the video of what I had up my sleeve by clicking HERE.

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The Gadget that Changed our Lives.

December 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Okay, maybe a bit dramatic. But I’ll tell you this much. We did just stumble upon a gadget that’s changed our nights. That’s for sure. And what’s funny is that at first, I wanted no part of it. And who could blame me?

To read more, head over to BabbleVoices by clicking HERE.

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Adam Yauch, a Primitive Campsite and the Playlist I Share With My Daughter

December 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

There’s this place I like to take my family. A place my buddies and I always go. It’s south of town, over a hill and through forest, smack dab on the shore of one of the most beautiful finger lakes you’ve ever seen. When I take them, my step-daughter and I are always the vanguard sent before the rest of the crew. The ones who procure our site.

The place means a lot to me. Not just the campsite, but the entire lake. I’ve hiked its surrounding mountains, swung on its rope swings and floated its every last cove, some of them by canoe and with the permission of a low-hanging moon.

Read more over at BabbleVoices by clicking HERE.

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The sickness of December, the magic of the holiday and my life’s most profound new goal

December 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By the time Christmas Eve rolled around this year, my family and I had already endured a long, hard December. Usually it’s the rampant commercialism of the season combined with the stress that accompanies the dwindling number of light-depleted days that remain in the year that rob me of the joy the holiday is supposed to bring. But this year, it was endless congestion, course coughs and constant fevers that left me feeling blue.

The succession of illnesses that’s run rampant through my family began in October. And since that time there’s not been so much as a single day when at least one of the seven of us hasn’t been legitimately sick. But December’s first few weeks have been the worst stretch yet.

Read more over at Babble by clicking HERE.

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The go-to gadget of the Osborne family

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

So at the beginning of the last school year, my oldest was required to get an iPad to negotiate her class curriculum. We were required to pay for it. She was 10. This, obviously, is a post in and of itself. And, in fact, I’ve written one about it for TLC a while back.

In it, I ultimately concluded that since it’s a private school, they can do what they want. If we didn’t like it, we didn’t have to continue to send her there. But we love the school, and there’s quite a case to be made for what a wonderful teaching instrument the iPad is, so all in all, it (obviously) wasn’t a hill for us to die on. Even so, I had reservations. I felt she was too young.

I’m not sure I’ve come off that stance entirely. In my opinion, ten is awfully young to have an iPad. But I will say this. I sure have been pleased with how the school is having her use it. My oldest truly does the majority of her classwork on it and it’s a very high-tech, clean, interactive and efficient way to learn. All in all, I have rave reviews.

Well, except for one thing. See, now that Alli has an iPad guess who else wants one? The triplets. So guess what Caroline got them for Christmas last year?

NO. Are you kidding me? Buying three iPads for three (then) four-year-olds? Gimme a break.

Nope. Instead she picked up…[Read more at Babble by clicking HERE]

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