Author Archives: russtowne

About russtowne

I'm awed by the beauty of nature and the power of love and gratitude. Some of my favorite sensory experiences include waves crashing on rocky shores, waterways in ancient redwood and fern-filled forests, and rain. My wife and I have been married since 1979. We have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren. I manage a wealth management firm that I founded in 2003. My Beloved is a Special Education teacher for Kindergartners and First Graders. I'm a published author of approximately 60 books in a variety of genres for grownups and children.

Don’t Smile!

Posted on June 30, 2012 by russtowne

My Beloved and I found that one of the hardest things about disciplining our young children was staying serous when scolding them—especially when every instinct in our bodies and minds wanted to smile or burst out laughing. For example, call … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipline & Consequences, Family "Fun", Humor, Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged cat, cat litter, child, children, consequence, discipline, kids, laughter, Mr. or Ms. Serious, Ms. Smiley Pants, parent, parents, pudding, smiles, spouse | 2 Comments

Posted on June 30, 2012 by russtowne

Originally posted on GYA today:
This is a beautiful reminder about how each of our acts of kindness can change our world for the better. It’s also a sad but hopefully inspiring reminder that many people suffer to this day and that each of us … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Posted on June 30, 2012 by russtowne

This is yet another of Gina’s many great posts. It was so good that I wanted to share it with you! Russ

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hallway Torture

Posted on June 30, 2012 by russtowne

One of the toughest challenges we had as parents was regarding discipline. We wanted to be firm but loving and fair and for the consequences to be effective, age-appropriate, and child-specific. Unfortunately, it quickly became obvious that what is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipline & Consequences, Family "Fun", Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged child, children kids, conseuences, discipline, fair, firm, grounded, hallway, kid, loving, parents, parneting | 4 Comments

Divide and Conquer

Posted on June 29, 2012 by russtowne

Much of what My Beloved and I learned about parenting was taught to us by our children. For example, if they wanted something and the first parent they asked said “no”, they’d simply go to the other parent and ask … Continue reading →

Posted in Family "Fun", Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged beloved, breakfast, child, children, closed ranks, consequences, conseuence, cupcakes, divide and conquer, kid, kids, learned, parent, parents, strategy, united, united front, weakest link | 4 Comments

Yes, I Remember

Posted on June 29, 2012 by russtowne

From Mikey’s Funnies: My five-year-old son squealed with delight when he opened his birthday present from his grandmother. It was a water pistol. He promptly ran to the sink to fill it. “Mom,” I said. “I’m surprised at you. Don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Grandparenting & Grandkids, Humor, Parenting | Tagged chemistry, chemistry set, child, drum set, drums, grandchild, grandfather, grandmother, Grandparents, Grandson, Legos, Mother, rock polisher, rock tumbler, son, thingy, toys, tumbler, wate pistol, wood-burning | 4 Comments

A Deep Sense Of Who I Am

Posted on June 29, 2012 by russtowne

“You rarely have time for everything you want in this life. So you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.” –Fred Rogers I believe there is much widsom in … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Gratitude, Growth/Learning, Love, Observations, Quotes I Love | Tagged appreciate, choices, deep, deep sense, everything, Fred Rogers, layers, Life, like, Love, Mr. Rogers', snense, world | Leave a comment

Ramblin’ Rosie

Posted on June 29, 2012 by russtowne

In my early- and mid-teens I dreamed of having a ’57 Chevy with those beautiful tail fins and those big rubber things that looked like, well, looked like so many things did to boys that age. I wanted a ’57 … Continue reading →

Posted in Family "Fun", Humor, True Stories I've Written | Tagged '57 Chevy, Camaro, Chevy, chick, Chick Magnet, chicks, Corvette, Firebird, Mustang, Rambler, root beer, Rosie | 2 Comments

Vulnerability

Posted on June 29, 2012 by russtowne

I just read another great post from “I Stop For Sufferring”. http://istopforsuffering.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/love-and-vulnerability-3/#comment-2178 This one dealt with love and vulnerability. I highly recommned that you check it out. I wrote the following as a comment to her post and decided I … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundance, Choices, Courage, Growth/Learning, LIfe Lessons, Love, Observations | Tagged appreciation, connect, connected, connectness, I Stop For Suffering, kindness, Love, vulnerability, vulnerable | 1 Comment

Sock Wars!

Posted on June 28, 2012 by russtowne

One day when our boys were still fairly young, I kidded my Beloved about something as she sorted and matched a basket of clean socks and was rolling the matched pairs into little balls to keep them together. The next … Continue reading →