TodsCircus

Every so often, we buy a lottery ticket. And for just one dollar, we let our collective minds run wild and dream about the day we hit it big.
The other day, after buying this one-dollar dream, the Painted Lady asked, “What would change? If we really did win the lottery, what would change?”
What [...]

I suppose I should explain the long absence and why the circus has been dark for so long. This seems to be the logical step in taking our show back on the road.
I’m happy to say there were no lion attacks, no freak clown accidents, just merely paying my volunteer dues and chairing an [...]

Life should be filled with firsts. Seconds and thirds are just not as exciting.
Today I had a first. I drove the kids to school in my pajamas. I realize this is not an uncommon practice, but in the ten years of driving kids to school, I have never once driven in my [...]

I’m not one to get too upset about spills or breaks. I kind of expect that with kids.
The clown, on the other hand, can get a little annoyed, especially if something of his gets broken. So when he backed over the Strongman’s bicycle today, the brand new bike that Santa just brought [...]

I got a call today. From school. When I see that caller ID, my heart skips a beat, followed by a moment of panic. Is something wrong? Is someone sick? Did someone forget something?
Today, it was the Strongman. All he said was, “Mom?” I glanced at the clock [...]

Each year on New Year’s Eve my husband places a log and an orange outside our front door. He does this for good luck. It is a tradition. His parents do this. His grandmother did this. I expect our four children will do this.
But, like many traditions passed down through generations, the [...]

I don’t weigh myself very often. I just don’t see the point. I either fit in my clothes or I don’t. The scale will only confirm how good or bad the situation is.
But for some reason, today I stepped on the scale. I have never been so happy at what I [...]

We are trying to have more family dinners, trying to carve out just an hour each day for the family to gather, and eat, and laugh, and talk.
It sounds elementary, but we’ve gotten lazy and fallen into a bad habit of having ‘free’ dinners. We blame it on sports, or work, or [...]

As far as weather goes, there’s nothing I love more than a rainy day. I suppose this has something to do with the fact that I grew up in sunny California, where rainy days are few and far between. But for me, it’s more than that. It’s a childhood memory that is [...]

As a parent, I worry if my kids will ever survive childhood. It’s not so much that big, harsh world that everyone must face, but rather the terror and torture delivered by siblings within the confines of their very own home. Life can be tough. Siblings can be tougher.
Like any family, [...]