It happened yesterday morning. I knew it would at some point but I wasn't prepared for it. To be completely blunt, my 20-month-old daughter, Isabella, told me she pooped before we left our house to go to daycare. Yes, folks. You heard correctly. My "baby" told me she dirtied her diaper. I couldn't believe my ears. I was sure it was a fluke. So I asked her. She repeated herself. Twice. We headed into her bedroom to change her diaper and sure enough, she had done exactly what she said she did.

Snowmobilers and snowshoe enthusiasts have grumbled all winter about the dearth of snow this season. Well, here’s another reason why many of us have missed those blizzard-filled winters of yesteryear. Challenging weather, such as this past week’s dumping of 7 inches of snow in Brainerd, often brings out random acts of kindness.

I’m easily distracted. I admit it. Covering a basketball game, Brainerd girls vs Sartell, I saw this adorable little kid and couldn’t help it - I had to take a few pics. As I was watching the game, out of the corner of my eye, this little guy was climbing up and down the bleacher steps, flirting with the girls and, every once in awhile, making a break for it out the gym door and down the hallway. Plus, it was a beautiful backdrop of bleachers creating strong lines and an intriguing repetitive...

For the past 12 years, I have been invited to read to kids at Riverside Elementary School for February’s “I Love to Read Month.” The school invites “celebrity readers” in the community to spend 20-30 minutes to read to one of the classes. The object is to encourage children to read through the use of the celebrity’s role model. I don’t see myself as a celebrity, but anything I can do to help a student get motivated to read is well worth the time to do. Reading is very important and is a skill...