Category: School

Preparing for an empty nest: my heart is screaming

Preparing for an empty nest: my heart is screaming
My heart was screaming. And that is the only way to describe it. I’d just dropped my 18-year-old son at the airport to catch his flight to LA for his future college’s accepted student’s weekend and had arrived back home. It was when I got back into bed (it was only 6:30 am, after all)... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
April 19, 2015 at 10:59 am • 

Fighting Illini and Coors, because every collegiate sports team should have an official beer

Fighting Illini and Coors, because every collegiate sports team should have an official beer
Have you seen this billboard on Damen Avenue, just north of Fullerton?  The first time I drove by I almost swerved off the road while doing a spit-take. An official beer? For a college? Okay, I understand that The Fighting Illini and The University of Illinois are not entirely interchangeable. One is a fine institution... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
November 7, 2014 at 7:58 am • 

My sons are Mathletes: Guess who's laughing now?

My sons are Mathletes: Guess who's laughing now?
My sons are math geeks and I couldn’t be more proud. They are mathletes. Math Team nerds. Geeks. They call themselves geeks. They call each other geeks. I can call them math geeks. But don’t you dare. More often than not, when people ask about my boys, they’ll say, “What sports are they into?” and... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
November 23, 2013 at 10:44 am • 
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Summer Brain Drain: It can happen to your kids, too

Summer Brain Drain: It can happen to your kids, too
Summer Brain drain is a very real and worrisome phenomenon. And I hear it can happen to my kids, too. This is terrible news. Because while I look forward to the lazy languid days of summer, I really dislike the idea of brain drainage. It will mean just one more mess for mom to clean... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
July 11, 2013 at 9:21 am • 

I hate the first day of school

I hate the first day of school
Okay, maybe not the first day per se, but what the first day portends. The first day is always exciting and sort of fun. It’s every day after that. I’m pretty sure I’m an anomaly, but I don’t like back to school. Back to school starts the program that has me feeling like I’ve been... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
September 4, 2012 at 9:46 am • 

Knowledge is Good, but spellcheck might be better

Knowledge is Good, but spellcheck might be better
Guess where I will not be sending my children to pursue higher education.
By Kim Strickland,
December 29, 2011 at 9:36 am • 
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Adoption and Autism lead to Action and The Northern Illinois Center for Autism

What happens when you try to get a couple of adoptive parents together to write a story for National Adoption Awareness Month in November? The story gets finished in December. As any parent, adoptive or otherwise, knows: kids keep you busy. However, when it’s discovered your child has autism, if you’re like my friend Arnie... Read more »
By Kim Strickland,
December 2, 2011 at 10:54 am •