Local Blogs | Palo Alto Online |

Local Blogs

Interested in becoming a blogger?   Show all bloggers


Sort by:  Most recent blog/comment   Most viewed   Most comments

Navigation tip: Clicking on any blog label will display all recent posts on that blog

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

College applications: round three

Our family has survived our third child applying to college. He plans to study at a University of California campus in close proximity to a beach, and he is thrilled...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Apr. 11, 2014
Last comment by JM, on Apr 24, 2014 at 2:40 am | 27 comments | 69198 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Pursuing passports at the post office

Last Monday found my husband, me, and our two teenage daughters at the post office renewing the girls’ passports. Because they are under 18 years of age,...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Aug. 16, 2016
Last comment by GL, on Sep 12, 2017 at 10:58 am | 38 comments | 36491 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

The campus tour

Our family is in the throes of our third child applying to college. My husband and I are trying to talk our youngest children into alternative educational opportunities,...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Nov. 3, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Nov 9, 2013 at 12:48 pm | 24 comments | 19176 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Will self-driving cars hurt Cozy Coupe sales?

Yesterday morning I maneuvered my too-adorable two-year-old cousin down the sidewalk in a vibrant orange and yellow Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, while she delightedly...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Sep. 21, 2016
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Sep 28, 2016 at 6:02 pm | 13 comments | 18902 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Driving instruction is our parenting challenge

Our daughter turned 13 a few weeks ago. Of course we are thrilled to have another teenager in the house, especially one so sensible that she has not asked for a...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Nov. 17, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on May 28, 2017 at 12:34 pm | 29 comments | 17791 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Remembering my dad at Christmas

My dad was born on Christmas Day. We speculate that his confidence and big personality came at least in part from a childhood spent thinking that everyone was celebrating...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Dec. 18, 2013
Last comment by malvika, on Jul 20, 2017 at 4:41 am | 23 comments | 17234 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Parenting with Passion

My husband and I have been parenting in Palo Alto for over two decades. We have children in the public elementary, middle and high school, as well as a daughter...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Oct. 8, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Oct 27, 2013 at 4:55 pm | 24 comments | 14937 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

A tribute to our fellow travelers

This summer we took our neighbors to Lebanon, and they are still our friends! This is solely due to the fact that they are the most easy-going, accommodating,...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Aug. 28, 2018
Last comment by JK, on Sep 1, 2018 at 3:03 pm | 6 comments | 13765 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Trophies for all!

There are 61 trophies on display in our home. I have tried to convince my children to reduce the size of their collections, mostly because I am allergic to dust...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Aug. 3, 2014
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Aug 23, 2014 at 4:55 pm | 24 comments | 13672 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Cold in California

Brrr! I grew up in states with real winters, snow and ice, but my children spend more time being cold in California than I ever did in the Midwest, because they...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Dec. 10, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Dec 12, 2013 at 10:28 am | 14 comments | 13005 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Delay in de-laning Paly 9th grade English is unfortunate

The Paly English department's recent proposal to de-lane 9th grade English has generated a lot of controversy. Today,

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Feb. 11, 2014
Last comment by Paly mom, on Feb 21, 2014 at 7:44 pm |
32 comments | 12186 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Savoring this year's "lasts"

With a son graduating from high school and our youngest graduating from elementary school, this is a school year of many "lasts" for us. We will soon be sending...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Dec. 1, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Dec 5, 2013 at 7:45 am | 9 comments | 12069 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Lebanese success is more than the Triple Package

I am not a big fan of Amy Chua's earlier book in which she introduces the techniques of "Tiger Mom" parenting, but my lack of enthusiasm is mostly out of self interest....

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Feb. 19, 2014
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Feb 21, 2014 at 12:53 pm | 9 comments | 11314 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Why we just say no (to technology)

When we meet folks from other places and they hear we live in Silicon Valley, they assume we are early adopters and our lives revolve around technology. In fact,...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Oct. 13, 2013
Last comment by Debbie, on Oct 18, 2013 at 9:51 pm | 29 comments | 11228 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Making marmalade

We have a huge and prolific orange tree which bears fruit year round. This abundance is at once marvelous, as we have an unlimited supply of orange juice for breakfast...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Aug. 3, 2016
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Aug 9, 2016 at 3:22 pm | 26 comments | 11061 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Marching on

From the moment I boarded the flight to Dulles I knew this would be an extraordinary weekend. The United flight departing SFO Friday morning was almost entirely...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Jan. 22, 2017
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Jan 27, 2017 at 9:13 pm | 7 comments | 10787 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Why we go to church

When people learn that we are actively engaged in a faith community, we get a wide range of reactions. Some folks wonder why we bother to go to church, and how we...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Nov. 10, 2013
Last comment by Atheist, on Nov 15, 2013 at 7:36 pm | 28 comments | 8936 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

The teenage brain

Recent studies have shed light on what is happening in adolescents' brains that make this a uniquely fascinating, but also perplexing and concerning life phase....

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Feb. 21, 2015
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Feb 25, 2015 at 4:50 pm | 14 comments | 8801 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Being number one

A couple of decades ago my husband and I hosted a cocktail party before the Black and White Ball. It was a festive evening off in black tie attire with nine other...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Oct. 20, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Oct 28, 2013 at 5:45 pm | 26 comments | 8757 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Sharing the facts of life

My preteen daughter and I spent the last two Wednesday evenings at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Apr. 28, 2014
Last comment by Charles, on Apr 30, 2014 at 3:11 pm |
11 comments | 8517 Views
1 2 3 4 5 > >>
Page 1 of 5

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from Palo Alto Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.

How quickly will we electrify our homes?
By Sherry Listgarten | 13 comments | 3,013 views

Sulbing Cafe brings internationally popular shaved ice dessert to Santa Clara
By The Peninsula Foodist | 0 comments | 1,826 views

Everything Falls – Lessons in Life and Souffle
By Laura Stec | 7 comments | 1,675 views