Bedtime Routines
/
Anybody out there have an interesting bedtime routine?
Read MoreWriting about parenting, fatherhood, life, and all things ambiguous
ManWhoHasItAll Has It All Figured Out
/kind of love Twitter. I would go so far to say there are about five things I really care about: my wife, my kids, my family, watching sports on TV, and Twitter. I heard it said once that Facebook is where you learn to dislike people you know in real life and Twitter is where you learn to love people you will never meet. That pretty much sums it up. Over time I’ve cultivated a Twitter news feed that creates a harmonious echo chamber that caters to my interests: sports, leftist politics, sarcasm, parenting, and celebrities.
Read MoreHow to Make the Perfect Pirate Jack-O’-Lantern
/
As you all know, I’m huge into arts and crafts. They are, basically, my raison d’etre. So, I figure it’s about time that I give a little gift to the world and share some of my crafty knowledge.
I don’t use Pinterest, because frankly, I don’t need to; I have all the arts and crafts ideas I will ever need stored between my ears. But, I know many of less crafty among us need that kind of help, so feel free to Pin this. Be prepared for it to go viral.
Read MoreWhat Did We Learn This Week? My 3-Year-Old Is Better at Parenting Than I Am
/
Just when I thought I had it all figured out and was really starting to hit my parenting groove, boom, my mom tells me a story about how my 3-year-old developed a new parenting strategy to employ if you ever find yourself in the unenviable position of being in a store with your kids.
Read MoreSelf-Inflicted Parenting Wounds
/Long, uninterrupted periods of time in which your only meaningful human contact is with miniature persons that sometimes seem like bipolar wind-up toys can do weird things to your brain. As a person who tends to operate on a relatively even emotional keel, rarely deviating too far from a comfortable indifference except, perhaps, when sports are on TV, the kind of intensity that small children throw at you every waking second of every day is, well, rather intense.
Read MoreTV and Growing Up
/The boys and I were on one of our trademark car rides the other day when a vivid memory popped into Jacob’s 3-year-old brain and he had to get it out.
Read MoreAn Imaginary Visit from Pa-Pa
/I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it on here before or not, but those days when Mommy is working (from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) and the boys and I are home by ourselves all day can feel really long. Of course, I’m sure they feel really long for Mommy as well, but it’s perhaps a different kind of long. An apples to oranges comparison, one might say.
Read MoreArts and Crafts
/
If there is one thing stay-at-home dads (SAHDs)* are most known for above all else it is definitely Arts and Crafts.
Read More
Target: The Experience
/
So, I saw this video on my Facebook a few weeks ago called “Thoughts Every Woman Has in Target.” It was nothing short of a revelation.
Read MoreLink-apalooza #11: On Spirit Animals
/
The other day I was listening to a podcast and, for some reason, I started thinking about Spirit Animals.
Read More
Green Day and Mumford & Sons…as Heard By My 3-Year-Old
/
Jacob (the 3-year-old) reached a very important developmental milestone recently: He started paying at least a small bit of attention to the songs playing on our car stereo system. I was happy at first, because I am more than ready to share my impeccable musical taste with my offspring. However, I was also a bit sad (isn’t that always how it is?) because it marked the end of the obliviousness era. Alas, my favorite 2 Live Crew CD and Tupac’s incomparable “Hit ‘Em Up” single must now be consigned to my handy Discman that I use when I’m working out. The kids are officially paying attention and impressionable.
Read MoreLink-apalooza #10: The Dog Rescuer
/
I don’t know how this keeps happening, but these posts seem to keep getting farther apart. I’m just soooo busy, I tell you! This week I got sidetracked by rescuing a dog. No big deal. It’s kind of what I’m known for, as some of my most loyal readers (Mom) might remember.
This time around, the boys and I had just left my parents house when we passed a pickup truck going the other direction. When we were about even with the truck I noticed a small dog was attempting to throw himself out of the truck bed.
Read MoreImagination Games
/
I got caught up in one of Jacob’s imagination games the other day. This happens at some point every day, but this one was particularly informative. The game this time was jail. I’m not sure where he learned about the concept of jail, but since 90% of his knowledge is derived from Disney Jr. shows, it’s a relatively safe bet it came from somewhere on there. That being said, my money is on Sheriff Callie.
Read MoreHow to Potty Train Your Three-and-Two-Thirds-Year-Old in 21 Easy Steps
/Oh man, potty training! Am I right?!?
Just the thought of the dreaded P word (poop, pee, potty…take your pick) is enough to send parental stress levels soaring. At least that’s how parents of toddlers used to feel. Have no fear, though, those worries are a thing of the past. I’ve got you covered. Here’s an absolutely fool-proof method for potty training your three-and-two-thirds-year-old in a maximum of two days.
Read MoreMasculinity and Lawnmowers FTW
/
Sorry folks, no links this week. Try to contain your disappointment and somehow soldier on. I’ve been really busy, so I’ve literally read basically nothing. Except this one book I’ve been trying out. Sigh, books are so difficult and long.
Anyway, what I’ve mainly been doing is trying to get my lawnmower to start. It’s been about a month long ordeal so far with no end in sight. Every day my grass, nourished by the Florida sun and ubiquitous summer thunderstorms, is inching closer and closer to neck level. On the plus side, there are few things I enjoy quite so much as getting under the hood (as it were) and tinkering with engines. I believe that’s why I like the Disney Fairy short films that come on Disney Jr. so much: I share a real affinity with the Tinker fairies. I’m even thinking about putting together one of those instructional YouTube videos to help others in my current predicament. It would go something like this:
Read MoreLink-apalooza #9: Aww, Darn It!
/We were riding home in the car the other night and out of the blue Jacob (the 3-year-old) said from the back seat, “Aww, darn it!” It caught Michelle and me completely by surprise, so, of course, we both laughed a little. Huge mistake. Sufficiently emboldened, he went on to repeat his new phrase 57 times in a row. We completely ignored him and didn’t react in any way to the subsequent 56 repeats, but he still kept it up. 57 times. With the same little laugh after each iteration.
Read MoreSomeone Is Watching
/Some days, when you’re a parent, you find yourself carrying a stick, chasing a crying 3-year-old down the street. There’s no getting around it; it’s just one of those things that happens.
Read MoreLink-apalooza #8: Just Getting By
/
Can you really call it a palooza if there is only one link? Think that’s a gray area, but I’m going to go with yes. To be fair, it is quite a long link and one long article was about all I had time for: these photos sum up our week...
Read More