Stories for Dads and Moms who Need a Laugh

The stories you love and look forward to have a new home. Read my exciting adventures at  http://gregthebrave.com/  .

People change. That's inevitable, especially after 30 years. For the first time in my life, I went to my high school reunion. This was our 30-year reunion. I don't know what made me want to go this time, but I did. This wasn't the first time I had returned to Bishop Fenwick . After graduating, I went to shows to see old friends from the Drama Club perform. My sister was in concerts, so I made sure to see those. Writing for newspapers meant returning to my Alma Mater to report on a game. The reunion, though, meant returning to the old school and seeing people I hadn't seen since we said goodbye on that May afternoon in 1995. There were plenty of people I was hoping to run into that night. Some people I had talked to after graduation, and a lot of us spent out first semester of college or two down the street at Salem State. Like a lot of graduating seniors, we drifted apart due to mounting responsibilities and chasing down our own individual paths. One friend moved to New...

It's been over 1 1/2 years since I've returned to work . One of the challenges I've faced since returning to the workforce is finding the time to cook dinner for my Miracles of Christ. This includes going to the store to buy things in order to cook said dinner. Wife is the Better Cook Wife is the cook in the family. She can take things, put them together and throw it on the stove or in the oven. I need a recipe. I'm not talented enough to just go into a situation and know what there is and what can be done with them. I need a plan laid out before me and I need to follow that plan. I can be a rather creative person, but when it comes to being in the kitchen, I'm not that creative. There are some things I can cook without recipes or guidance, but they're pretty basic. If you're coming over for dinner that's cooked by me without a cookbook, lower your expectations a little. I'm not saying what I cook is going to be bland. There will be some spices added...

Homemade blackberry jam We grew fruits and vegetables around our property this Spring and Summer. My family has been growing blueberries for three generations, starting with my grandfather in Florida . He did it for over 30 years. Growing fruits and vegetables can be a helpful life skill to teach your children. You enjoy something more when you take the time to plant, nurture, and grow something. It's fun when you get to eat something you grew in your backyard. Every year, my family grows blueberries and apples. Sometimes, Lovie will take part of our annual harvest and bake something nice with it. The growing season in New England has since passed this year, but that doesn't mean you've missed your chance to try making new recipes. There are plenty of new things to try. Dragonfly Cakes founder Odette D'Aniello has some great blackberry recipes that will boost your breakfast or satisfy your sweet tooth. It all depends on the time of day and what you're in the mood ...

Dorot Gardens , the leader in fresh, flash-frozen, pre-portioned garlic and herbs, continues its partnership with Homemade Live , led by Ched Joel Gamoran and guest chefs, designed to empower home cooks. The next class, "Turkey Who? Our Favorite Thanksgiving Sides", will take place on Thursday, November 13 at 4:00 P.M. PST/7:00 P.M. EST, featuring a mouthwatering Dorot Gardens Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Dorot Glazed Onions and Sweet Garlic and Glazed Onion Dressing. Partiipants can register for the class at  https://www.homemadecooking.com/upcoming-classes/turkey-who-our-favorite-thanksgiving-sides . The class coincides with the launch of the Dorot Gardens new campaign, "Make a Note to Grab Dorot", showcasing how Dorot Gardens takes the stress out of holiday and everyday cooking with convenience, freshness, and flavor - all at your fingertips. Dorot makes cooking easier, mess-free, and flavorful with its simple motto, "Pop. Drop. Done". The brand...

Photo: automobiles.honda.com/pilot I get attached to my cars. Driving is something I like to do, and it's even better if I can do it with one of my kids. The Boy has an extracurricular activity every week. Lately it's been kickboxing. Driving to his lesson and back home gives me a chance to catch up with him and see how he is doing with school and life in general. Driving with The Oppressed is also fun but for different reasons. The Oppressed likes to share her music with me. Sometimes, this includes music from anime television series. Anime is huge with all of my children. All of them like to watch it. The cars we drive are important to Wife and me. They get us to and from work. I take my car to go food shopping and other errands that we need to do. Like other families, we need to watch our budget. Having a car is expensive. In addition to the monthly payments, you also need to fill it with gas, change the oil, the wipers, the tires. It's a great feeling when I make the l...

Abby Beale , a homeopath based in western Massachusetts, is seeking experienced people to become Homeopathy Primer Study Group Leaders. This opportunity will allow Homeopathy enthusiasts to shar insights and help novices on their own journeys. Abby Beale Those who are interested in this opportunity must contact Abby by November 10, providing their name, area they live, email address and telephone number. A Zoom invite will be provided when the information is received. People who are already study group leaders are also invited to the Zoom meeting. Current leaders must provide the same information by November 10. "Homeopathy Primer" The session will require the use of Abby's book "Homeopathy Primer". Click here to purchase the book . Abby's goal with this training session is to seek, "experienced home users and practitioners to guide our community learning initiative." Her mission is to acquaint people with the world of homeopathy. The know-how of c...

Halloween . It's the time of year when you get to traipse around the neighborhood and knock on doors for candy. Every stop means a chance for your favorite kind. You walk the streets in a costume you spent hours searching for or making in your room, with or without the help of your parents. It's the one time of year when it's acceptable to take candy from strangers. After a few hours of briefly visiting the neighbors with your friends, siblings, or parents, you go home and look over the glorious bounty of your haul. Halloween Costumes and Parties The entire day was fun when you were a kid. You went to school knowing assignments would end early so everyone could get into their costumes. When everyone was changed, it was time to pass out the candy. Everyone walked around the room leaving some type of sweet on everyone's desk. You were allowed to have food in the classroom. You got to dress up. If you were lucky, you had the coolest costume in the entire school. More often...

Halloween is this week. This means dressing up and trick-or-treating for children. For me, it means imposing the "Dad Tax" while I check out what was brought home and making sure candy is "safe" to eat. Lovie loves this time of year because stores are putting Christmas displays next to the Halloween candy. For her, Fall is a reminder the Christmas is right around the corner. This seems like a very big corner. Meanwhile, my beloved daughter is continuing to bake yummy treats that coincide with the Fall Season. It's just a matter of time before she starts rolling out the Christmas goodies. If you're like Lovie, Halloween means the doors are beginning to creak open to Christmas. As soon as the candy bags are dropped and the costumes are put away, stores across the nation are decked out with yuletide cheer. Halloween gives way to Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving leads to Christmas, which soon means it's time to welcome the New Year. They don't call them "...

photo: weddedwonderland.com Wedded Week 2025, the world's largest online luxury wedding event is returning. Wedded Week will take place October 23-29 at weddedweek.com, connecting couples, brands, wedding professionals, and venues from over 54 countries across the globe - from Australia and the United Kingdom to India and China, to North America and Latin America, all the way to Italy and the United Arab Emirates. Now in its third year, Wedded Week has become a global phenomenon. Last year's event reached 680 million people across social media and media platforms, redefining how couples discover, plan, and book their dream celebrations. This year's showcase brings together hundreds of the world's most luxurious venues, designers, planners, and global brands, supported by 43 global ambassadors- visionary leaders from every corner of the industry driving creativity, innovation, and cultural excellence. With luxury weddings reaching unprecedented heights, averaging $100,00...

Joey Olszewski was my cousin. He passed away in 2010 from an illness. News of the illness and eventual passing shocked my family. Joey was a healthy, athletic young man who played sports in high school and college. I'll tell you more about him later, but for now I want you to know what his family is doing to honor his legacy The Olszewskis started the Joey Olszewski Memorial Scholarship Fund  to honor their son and brother. The scholarship is awarded to a student-athlete at Massabesic who exemplifies character, grit, and community spirit. Fabulous Prizes to be Raffled off The scholarship fund is selling raffles for various prizes. All of the proceeds raised will go to the Joey O Memorial Scholarship Fund. this year's drive is a special one, as it marks the 25th anniversary of Massabesic's 2000 State Football Championship.  Bar Harbor Vacation. A three-night stay at a 3-bedroom condo in downtown Bar Harbor. Good November-March. New England Patriots Tickets. Two premium tic...

weddedwonderland.com If you've recently had a destination wedding or are planning one, Wedded Wonderland is looking for you. The Sydney-based global media platform is conducting a study for married couples who have celebrated a destination wedding in the past 18 months or are having one in the next 18 months. In a press release, the campaign seeks to, "(give) real couples the chance to be seen, heard, and celebrated." Wedded Wonderland has launched a "Destination Wedding and Celebrations Study". Couples participating in the study will have a chance to win a $10,000 luxury experience. With the study, the company looks to celebrate destination wedding couples and their creativity. "This is more than a competition," said Wendy El-Khoury, Wedded Wonderland's co-founder. "It is a celebration of of modern love stories and the diversity of how couples choose to celebrate them." The study is done in collaboration with Abu Dhabi's Department o...

Daddies and mommies are busy making sure our Miracles of Christ are healthy and taken care of. Part of making sure they are healthy is taking care of their teeth. When I was home with The Oppressed and The Boy, I would make sure they brushed their teeth. The Oppressed would get excited when I told her it was time to brush her teeth. She would run to the bathroom, excited for that time of day. Now that they are older, it is more on them to make sure they do what they need to do to make sure their chompers are clean and in good condition. My role in their dental hygiene has diminished significantly, although I'm still responsible for getting them to the dentist, it's mostly them brushing their teeth and making sure everything is hygienically sound. As children grow up, they will lose some teeth. It's natural and perfectly normal for boys and girls to lose some baby teeth and have them replaced with permanent teeth. When this happens, the baby teeth are usually left under the ...

If you are blessed to have siblings, you know there's never a dull moment when you are growing up. If you are really blessed to have siblings, you will share a room with one or more of them. Not only was I blessed enough to have siblings, but I was fortunate enough to share a room with my brother until I was fifteen. There are unique challenges to living with other humans. These challenges, should you survive, will prepare you for the outside world. I have two siblings. We barely survived living together during our time under the same roof. The three of us have physical and emotional scars from our time together, but we also have some stories to tell. These stories are going to be great once the statute of limitations runs out on them. Living with siblings also prepares you for raising children. You learn mediation, conflict resolution, and an occasional hostage negotiation. My sister and I raise blended families. If you were part of one in any way, you know the challenges that com...

JP Rende and Kat Raio-Rende Photo: earwormny.com Emmy Award-winning composers JP Rende and Kat Raio-Rende have released "Nothing Rhymes with Orange". The album supports neurodivergent children with a musical tool to help them navigate life. "Nothing Rhymes with Orange" is released through the couple's project "Aidee", which supports children with ADHD. "Nothing Rhymes with Orange" and Aidee "Aidee's World" photo: Jolly Good Communications "Aidee" is a fictional character created by the JP and Kat, who were inspired by their own experience of raising two children who were diagnosed with ADHD. Aidee and her catchy music empowers children by providing them with a helpful tool which incorporates movement and visual storytelling. She is an eight-year-old girl with a big imagination and even bigger heart. Aidee meets challenges with wonder and curiosity, although she often needs some reminders to stay on task. Aidee doesn...

Loyal readers know there's never a dull moment with Wife and the Miracles of Christ. If we're not travelling to see one side, we're going in the other direction to see the other side. Sometimes we are staying the night and sometimes it's just a day trip. Whatever it is, whoever we're visiting, it's keeping everyone here on our toes. Sometimes there is a reason for visiting family that is not-so-great. I've told you about trips I've had to make in the past to say final goodbyes to family members.  There are also happy reasons for leaving the homestead and heading out to see people. Whatever it is, there is always news about our family, and sometimes that news gives us cause to get in the car and go. I got news of my uncle Jeff's passing two weeks ago. It was more sad news for my father's side of the family. I've said goodbye to my grandmother, two aunts and an uncle already. This made for the second uncle I've lost on this side. Uncle Jef...