Back to school time is always so busy. Between buying notebooks and backpacks, new clothes and new shoes, you almost don’t have time to scratch your head and wonder where the summer went. But don’t give in to the mayhem just yet. It turns out that just a little pre-planning … more

It’s that time of year again, when the kids are loading up their backpacks and the bells are ringing in the first classes of the semester. If only we had some cool fall weather to go along with it, instead of the incessant rain or sweltering heat. But despite the … more

A friend recently called and told me that her 2-year-old dropped her crayon the other day and said, “Oh Lord, Mommy!” I can’t decide if that’s better or worse than the fact that my little girl has recently taken to shaking her tail-feathers and singing, “Shake your booty! Shake your … more

As you may recall, CliffDweller Magazine did an extensive Oak Cliff taco tour last year (Taco The Town, November 2006). It was a Herculean task. 10 taco stands. 5 CliffDwellers. 1 day. We had indigestion for a week. So this summer, as it started getting hot, the brain   trust at … more

The violent scene that plays out in my imagination is so foreign to the small, quiet space, populated with stuffed creatures and plastic animals, walls plastered with color-washed doodles, that it is almost humorous – like one of those zany transitions between sketches in Monte Python’s Flying Circus.

But the … more

I’m up at 6 a.m., writing this in the living room while I ride herd on a 7-year-old who still has 13 chapters to complete of E.B. White’s Trumpet of the Swan, her third and final summer reading assignment.

Six a.m. because we’re in the last stretch of the long … more

Welcome to the 401(k) generation! The simplicity of pension plans and high interest CD’s is in the past. We new-agers are expected to be stock market savvy. And, indeed, our retirements depend on it.

But. . . why? Why is it that we need to engage the complexity of the … more

Have you ever wondered who decides what words are included in the dictionary? Is there some secret society of Masonic librarians that is the keeper of the linguistic units? Merriam-Webster’s covey of word keepers recently made a few additions to their collection.

Some of their new inclusions are so overused … more

Winnetka Heights resident David Benn has been a teacher for 31 years. The last 20 of them have been at Greiner Middle School on Twelfth and Edgefield. “Greiner has so many enrichment opportunities that you don’t find at the other schools. The students here, whether they are in the Arts … more