It was our first Halloween with three munchkins, and though Mason is still a bit young to trick or treat, we still dragged him along for the ride, in full costume. Mase was "Silly Bones," a babified skeleton that for some reason featured a white tuxedo jacket. Jenna ... [click to continue]

I just did the single most difficult thing I've done in my entire life. I told my son that his Mamaw passed away. Riley is 4 and just starting to understand the word "die." To him, it's a word that relates to video games, where dying ... [click to continue]

My blog is entered in the "Top 50 Indiana Blogs" contest at http://top50indianablogs.com/. If you read this blog and enjoy it, please mosey on over and give it a vote. The blog is listed under "Parent Click" and is currently on the second page of the site (which means you'll ... [click to continue]

Thus far I've shied away from the darker side of being a parent, but that ends here. As I write this there are three monkeys swinging around my office behind me, climbing on their desk (a fully nude Jenna is standing on the plastic desk, jumping up and down). I ... [click to continue]

One of the craziest things about being a parent is that you never know when you'll have a moment to bond with a child. In some ways I feel like I haven't had a whole lot of time alone with Mason, our 9-month-old. When he was born, I was as ... [click to continue]

While I've been trucking Riley to the movies since he was 6 months old ("March or the Penguins" was his unofficial first, a matinee screening that lasted about a half-hour before the movie started, through the trailers, and the title card, at which time he started screaming. We ducked out ... [click to continue]

As Riley and Jenna close in on school age, there's a definite, discernable difference in their needs, physically speaking. They need more exercise. Riley never really took to soccer (though we strongly suspect that my coaching his team had a lot to do with that), and Jenna's independent streak left ... [click to continue]

We had a minor familial dust-up this week on Facebook. I won't go into the details of it, save that it revolved around my cousin inviting us to an opening-night screening of "Halloween II." In jest, I noted that "Riley and I will be there," causing something of ... [click to continue]

Here's a lesson I learned this past week: listen carefully. Even if your baby can't talk, they still might have something to say to you. Learned this lesson the hard way, let me tell you. Since he was born in January, Mason has slept in our room, in ... [click to continue]

What's more annoying to a parent than an in-vehicle non-stop cry? Anything? Grape juice on the carpet, maybe? Of course, Crystal and I were a bit spoiled over the past couple of years. Riley and Jenna both were relatively good kids, though, didn't cry much, slept through the night at just a ... [click to continue]

We weren't alarmed when little red bumps starting rising on Jenna's skin. Most every parent knows that mild allergic reactions can come from almost anywhere: food, laundry detergent, plants, pollen, grass. So we weren't all that concerned. But still Crystal called the doctor to see if they could help diagnose what ... [click to continue]

There are times when you wake up in the morning knowing that something memorable will happen. And then there are weeks like this one. It started off right, on Sunday, with an impromptu trip to the Marion County Fair. Like a lot of grandpas, my dad loves to ... [click to continue]

Hello everyone! I wanted to let all of my indyparentsource readers know that I have a contest going on at my web site The Film Yap (www.thefilmyap.com) giving away free copies of the animated film "Coraline," starring the voice talents of Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Aniston. Head on over if ... [click to continue]

The first few heroes of my life were the Incredible Hulk, Bo and Luke Duke, Ponch and John, and Michael Jackson. The first album I ever remember buying of my very own, when I was 5 years old, was "Thriller," and I never got tired of listening to it. I ... [click to continue]

It was a rough weekend for boo boos, let me tell you. We got it started off right on Friday evening. We planned a trip to the grocery store, which was delayed when Riley, picking up his toy tank, slipped and fell on it, scraping his inner thigh with two parallel ... [click to continue]

Forgive my misuse of my blog for a moment, but I wanted to let all indyparentsource.com readers know that my "other" web site, The Film Yap (www.thefilmyap.com), is holding the first of what should become several movie trivia contests, where the prizes include free passes to an advance screening of ... [click to continue]

What are doing for your Mothers, Mother-in-laws, Wives and other special moms in your life? What is the best Mother's Day gift you've ever received or given? [click to continue]

Wow! This past weekend out at the Indiana State Fairgrounds was amazing! Well first of all, I would like to thank all of you who took the time to stop by our booth at both the Indy Home & Remodeling Show and the Women's & Food Expo. A great big ... [click to continue]

The pack mule. A devoted, hard-working animal, it can always to be counted on to serve and carry just about anything, no matter how significant the load. Which is why I call the first five years of motherhood the "pack mule phase." And yes, it's as glamorous as it sounds. True ... [click to continue]

I had a sneaking suspicion that Jenna's sudden case of bathtub hysteria wouldn't be an isolated incident. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I made the mistake of bathing Riley (at 4 my oldest boy) and Jenna (20 months old the middle of April, the middle child, ... [click to continue]

I wanted to let anyone reading know that the Hamilton 16 IMAX movie theater in Noblesville (just off of I-69 at SR 238) has free Saturday and Sunday matinees featuring kids' movies! The movies start at 10:00 and 11:00 am, and include a 15-minute intermission to give younger kids like ... [click to continue]

The following appeared on indy.com on Feb. 27 (see the original post at http://www.indy.com/posts/dear-zachary-a-letter-to-a-son-about-his-father-on-dvd). I feel very strongly about this film, and I think it's a must-see for any parent: I just finished watching the documentary "Dear Zachary," and I have the feeling the film is destined to be one of ... [click to continue]

I can't wait until it's finally warm enough outside to take Luke out and let him run (well, his attempt at running anyway) and play in the grass. Last year, he was still a bit too little to really enjoy the outdoors. This year will hopefully be the ... [click to continue]

In a small, microcosmic sort of way, the school pick-up/drop-off represents the best and worst feelings a parent can have with their children. Riley, at 4 years of age is our oldest, and is a pre-schooler. For the first two months or so, the drop-off was an ordeal of tears ... [click to continue]

When I was little, He-Man was a bit of a controversial figure in my household, at least in the Baptist-enhanced family I lived in. Too violent, they said. He-Man runs around with a sword, chopping people up, and hangs around with Satanists. Yes, before Obama palled around with terrorists, He-Man ... [click to continue]

Smack in the middle of my third week as the father of three, I got a taste of one of the harsh truths of having a trio of carpet goblins under 4 years. When Riley was born, it hardly cramped our style. Within two weeks we were eating out again as ... [click to continue]

It's the lucky parents who have experienced the unique sensation I did last night. Again and still, it's sickness that's plaguing my older children. They're taking turns this time, spinning the wheel on the game of Life, only moving backward, with colds or bronchial or ear infections digging in to ... [click to continue]

There's just something surreal about the Birth Day, isn't there? No, I'm not talking birthday parties and torn scraps of wrapping paper and stray icing stains with screaming kids and clowns. That day, when you actually physically bring another life into the world. Today was one of those days for ... [click to continue]

Hi! My name is Stephanie, and I'm a happily married (at least most of the time) 24-year old mother of four beautiful children. I have a bi-racial family-my husband is Hispanic and is originally from Mexico, and I'm white, so that makes our children Mexican-American, or as I like to ... [click to continue]

So the kids are sick. Yeah, it's a common thing. They get sick, crabby, whiny, and lay around all day, coughing in your face. But the Great Illness of Holiday Season 2008 is something different. It's not that my Jenna woke up with dried blood on her ... [click to continue]

Only 10 days of shopping left? Each year I pat myself on the back for getting all my shopping done before December 15th and think "Now I can leisurely wrap gifts, bake cookies, send cards..." Then reality hits and life gets in the way. I never seem to get everything ... [click to continue]

Being that I only have one child, and he's just turned one, I'm still trying to figure out all of those looming questions of health and wellness. Recently, my little one woke up with a runny nose, watery eye, and a sneeze. Allergies, I thought. He and ... [click to continue]

Welcome to IndyParentSource! These blogs are here to help inspire your thoughts, get your feedback about issues and ideas on the site, and most importantly, entertain. I'll be one of the many people who will post their thoughts on the site over time, and I welcome any ideas ... [click to continue]

Today, on the way home from preschool, my three-year-old son Riley asked me to turn down the radio. "Daddy, does McAlister's have Happy Meals with cars?" he asked. We ate at McAlister's two days before. As usual, Riley noshed on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "No, ... [click to continue]

There are many homemade arts and crafts you can try. Try some of our Helpful Holiday Links (http://www.indyparentsource.com/Resources/index.html?category=57) for more creative ideas or keep it simple with tracing hands and making it into a turkey or painting leaves for Fall. Make a thankful chain. Cut out strips in Fall ... [click to continue]

We're glad you clicked on our site, IndyParentSource.com and hope you have found it to truly be Indy's root to local family resources! Our blogs will be written by parents in Indianapolis that have the day to day struggles and rewards you all face.  They all encourage interaction with you.  So ... [click to continue]

Hi there, and welcome to my little cove of IndyParentSource.com! My name's Jason, and I'll be your blog host, here to hopefully inform and entertain you on all sorts of subjects, namely fatherhood, or at least my experiences in it. I'm a 26 year old dad of a wonderful 1 ... [click to continue]