What you think does matter

Missing my children.?... It’s weird, maybe I’m not the typical dad or parent that rushes out the door screaming “yeah, I can get away from my kids now!”.. no offense… But I am close to my kids and I’ve been working 6 days a week at different hours of the day and between school and work - I haven’t been able to spend real quality time with my kids. I guess the real reason I’m upset is because today the first Saturday I have off to be with the kids [ and mow lawn and do home work… grrr...] my son is sick and my duaghter just wants to visit her friend…??? Hey, what about Dad? I was just taking a moment to look over some photos as I try to recover from my depression - take a look below.. Kids - can’t live without them and they can’t wait to abandon you....

Breaking Manufacturing rules for My kids Safety ? Well, I haven’t been able to write much about the crazy things that happen with my family, I’ve been busy working and my hours are speratic. One day I work mornings the next night - it’s crazy. But I just had to take the time to write this down. You know that everything you buy has a manufacturer guidelines, rules and all that. It’s there to keep you from doing something that would end up hurting you. Well, I broke the rules in order to help my little boy from getting hurt. Really - I broke the rules to protect my child? Well, the thing is my son wants to ride his bike without training wheels - unlike his sister who took several years up to the age of seven or eight to learn how to ride with out training wheels - he wants to be like her, compete with her and wants to learn how to ride his bike without training wheels. Ofcourse he is only four years old and learning will be tough - but my real problem is, I don’t want him to fall down an

How do you make politics simple enough for an eleven year old to understand - turn the TV off! Really, it’s hard enough explaining life and the every day things to your kids - why would a teacher give my child an extra credit assignment that requires her to stay up late past her bed time to watch something she has no knowledge or concept of? I was going to watch the Vice Presidential debate anyway - but it’s hard to really listen to the debate when your eleven year old child who wants to do good in school is asking you “what does that mean?” “why did they say that?”. How can I hear the issues when I’m busy explaining to my child why Biden said he opposes fraud from the mortgage companies, the big oil companies and how Obama will stop that [ despite that fact that Obama was taking kick backs from Freddie Mac and Fannie May when they were committing the fraud???] But hey - thank you teacher for making my day a bit more interesting! One good thing came out of last nights debate as I watch

Here I am trying to spend some quality time with my son before I have to go to work and all he wants to do is play halo. It's sad really - because I'm the one who got him hooked on playing halo. But I guess spending some time with him killing aliens and defending the universe from a horde of evil Aliens is better than not spending time with him at all. The odd thing is he takes his command so seriously - I mean he is only four years old and he is concerned about the men that follow him in the game. He has figured out that they can die and that he can do something to save and protect them. He just insist on making sure his fellow soldiers are doing good. He doesn't want to go to the next level unless he can protect his fellow men [ and women - they have female characters in the game]. The odd thing is, when he plays as the alien, he doesn't care who dies - his fellow alien horde could drop by the thousands and he lets them - but let one of his fellow human being soldiers

Some times I can’t help but wonder- is this really my life? Is this what I really wanted? What about my marriage, my kids - me??? Yeah life throws you some curve balls and your spouse and kids can drive you up the wall….. But then I think of all the laughs, jokes, fun and good times we’ve had and shared - and say … what a waste -- no, just joking. I can’t imagine my life any better with out them. Especially without my boy and girl…life wouldn’t be the same without them. So just incase your having a "need a smile" day - hear is an old marriage joke I revised and turned into art..

Parenting Advice: REACH FOR YOUR GUNS !!!! Before you think my “Parenting Advice” is abusive or comes from the NRA [ national riffle association ] handbook let me just say - it’s a figure of speech. My parenting advice is meant to [ Mom or dad - best both ] have a plan of action. Let me tell you a little story - here I am walking thru the grocery store and I notice a Mom with a small child [ looks to be 4 yrs old ] and she seems to be loosing it. Her kid is not listening to her, he is embarrassing her and she seems to be frozen - unsure what to do. Me, I would have smacked him up side the head [ figure of speech people ] and put and end to it. But many people think different. I had people say they don’t hit their child in public because they don’t want people talking [ clarification - nosy people calling child services ]. Some have told me that they just talk to their children they don’t hit them... Others - they just freak - their so embarrassed that their kid is acting up in public

Life is So unfair at the beach ??? Oh how unfair life can be. As promised I wanted to share my trip with you. I had to go to Venice Florida for some training and my Boss was gracious enough to put me up in a beautiful condo right on the beach. He even suggested that I bring the family along so we could have a nice time of it. At first I was leery of one - taking him up on his offer - second, taking my family along for the ride. But the more I thought about being away for two days the more it sounded - ok. Ofcourse my wife loved the idea. The minute she heard that the condo was right on the beach and that the back door opens up right on to the beach - it didn’t take her long to start packing. So what’s so unfair about life and this situation: well, where do I start. Let me begin with how first it wasn’t a trip for me - I had to work, and while I woke up early and went to bed early because I had to be at work - my kids and my sweet wife enjoyed the beach [ see the pictures below and the

Every Morning is a challenge - but this one was a whole defferent story. Some of you may not know but, I went to venice, Florida for some training and took the family so they could enjoy the beach [ another story I'll share next post - life is so unfair ....]. So, when we came back - trying to get these kids ready for school the next morning was a nightmare. My son, he acted like a wet noodle. I'd pick him up so he could stand and he would just melt and slide down into the bed. My duaghter - well - you can just imagine how she got up. Not a happy camper. In fact my son fell asleep on the way to school - what a twist. So here is some art to enjoy and tell me what you think.

The hills are alive with the sound of Music... You know, I usually look forward to the week end. It’s time to hang loose, the most I worry about is if I can get away with “not doing “ the lawn. Heck, come Saturday night - I look forward to joining my kids and watching some Naruto [ cartoons ]. But, lately my week ends seem to bring fear, large amounts of fear. Look, I am grateful that my daughter has an interest for music. She’s shown interest in the "recorder" [ looks like a flute to me ], she’s taken some tips on the Drums from me and when she showed interest in the Piano - a teacher at her elementary school gave her some tips. So what does she do when she get “band” in middle school [ jr high ] - she decides she wants to learn how to play the Alto-Saxophone ???? So what’s the problem, what causes me such fear - I love my little girl, but when she ask me if I can pick her up Friday from school so she can bring home her Alto-saxophone so she can practice making noise.... I

Parenting Advice: Build your children’s self esteem with Rap Music? Here is a "Parenting Advice" and "Parenting tip" - It’s a bit unorthodox so hear me out. I used a little Nelly rap song to teach my child [ daughter ] to build her self esteem. " I am #1, 2 is not a winner and 3 no one remembers… What does it take to be #1 - hey, hey, hey ..." This method of “Parenting advice” may sound a bit off, but please - give me some time to completely explain my madness. I know most people hear the words “Rap music” and they think - degrading, thug, junk... So how did I teach my daughter about having good self esteem with a rap song? Well, one day I heard this song and it was so catchy - I spent days humming the chorus and singing the chorus to myself. I just couldn’t get it out of my head. Then came a conversation with my wife - she was expressing her concern over our daughters “shyness” and her fear that our daughter may have low self esteem. So an Idea

Curbing Child tantrums Question: how do you deal with your childr's disruptive temper tantrums? Parents TV weighs in [ see video below ] Look, maybe I'm old school - hell, I am old school. Want to know how I deal with children’s tantrums - "Corporal Punishment".. That’s right - I said it. I know, your shocked, surprised, appalled - oh my. Look, I am not talking about abuse or child endangerment - I'm talking about punishing your child. Depending on what age my child is and his/her mental capacity [ meaning if it hurts him more to take away the x-box than a spanking - take the x-box away ]. And ofcourse if your child leans towards talking fine talk - but. I mean but, never forget your child is a child and will do things to test your limits and it will require you to punish that child in a corporal manner [ spanking ]. Let me give you an example: My father-in-law has this story. He tells me that when his youngest daughter was very small he asked her to do something

I was picking up my son from pre-k school today and I just happened to over hear this conversation - “I’m sorry - the darn waiting area is so small - how can I not over hear the conversation”... But this mom was talking to another mom [ luckily I’m not the only Dad there…] about how she almost breaks down every morning when she brings her little girl to school. I could sympathize with her, I’m a man and I almost broke down when my son gave me those - your abandoning sorrowful tear filled eyes look. Ofcourse the second Mom who of her own admission has way to many kids - said… “oh, I was so happy when school started, I finally got some free time again”. Not what the first mom was expecting to hear - in fact every one in the waiting room was a bit shocked [ but we pretended not to hear ]. Then the second mom went on to say - that after having the first one, the second, the third and the fourth - parting with them was pretty easy. Now she wakes up eager to take her kids to school. Hey, don

School, strange request? Here is a funny thought: My daughter comes home from school and after spending time arguing with her brother and driving me a bit batty - she tells me the teacher gave me homework. What? She said that I had to do it and that it was due tomorrow. Well, first I was not in a good mood and second I don't have to do anything... [ got that out of my system ] My so called school homework was to describe my child to the teacher in a million words or less - funny, a million words or less. Right now I can use one - bother or pest or well you know... Ofcourse my first reaction was - you have to be kidding right. After all - isn't the teachers job to assess my child? Besides what parent wouldn't lie thru their teeth about their child on a thing like this. It's like filling out a resume - you put all the good things and leave out all the bad. It's what I do. Then my wife came in, took over and wrote this glowing inspiring report about my daughter - as he

Don’t try to grow up so Fast! I tell my daughter all the time - "don’t worry about growing up, that will happen. Enjoy being a child now, because when you do get old [ grow up ] you’ll wish you were a kid again". This leads me to a conversation I walked in on with my daughter and wife. I walk into the kitchen and bang the conversation stops [ clear sign I should get involved ]. So after poking my nose in - I find out that my eleven year old girl wants to "shave her legs" - so first I get defensive and ask why and throw in a "your too young". Then I get logical - I break it down for her with a series of questions: How old are you? Who are you trying to impress? Are you a model? Are you going somewhere other than school? What hair on your legs? [ still has thin small almost invisible baby hair. ] I told her look, I can’t see any hair to shave and if you start shaving now, the norm is that your baby hair will grow in thicker and then you will need to shave. S

? ? ? Honey what’s that Smell? So here we are watching TV and the kids are doing what they always do [ argue about something trivial ] and this weird smell hits me. It just seemed to fill the air. I didn’t notice it before so I was a bit confused - ofcourse at first I thought someone let one rip [ you know, silent but deadly ]. After much debate [ it was daddy, no mommy, no Isaac, oh that smell...] we soon realized it was coming from that small little creature called general. Our visitor was starting to smell, it’s normal after all he is a dog [ literally ]. So the time came for my wife to give her first "doggy bath". Hey that’s what you have to do if you have a dog. I expected this to be a disaster, a real nightmare - but it turned out to be a mild inconvenience.. The dog was no trouble at all, my wife on the other hand was acting like the dog was a new born baby and she was a first time mother. Can I do this, will this hurt him, is it the right soap... On and on.... it’s

A lesson in Humility from a King. I am sure we've all done it, I know I have. You sit there upset because you know you deserve better. In fact you expect better - after all - your special. My kids do it all the time - they act like things are a given - they forget and I occasionally have to remind them that my love for them does not make them deserving of everything. You still have to work for things and you can't get everything you want. But I ran across this news video [ posted below - excuse the ad ] - it reports on this African King who is in New York and he drives a bus. Unlike the Eddie Murphy movie "coming to America" he isn't rich - but he is humble. He doesn't want people to know that he is a King. In fact he is here working hard to help 20,000 people that live in his tiny kingdom village - he's trying to build a well for drinking water. Which surprised me. You see, my first thought was - hey a bus driver who learns he's a king - boy he has it

Oh look out generals back!! Well, guess whose back? Yep that little dog with the big name "general". General is cool but he just has a weird effect on my family. My wife treats him like a baby, probably gives him more attention than me. My daughter - she treats him like a china doll - afraid that everything will hurt the dog. look out here, look out with the dog... no he'll get hurt... leave the dog alone Isaac.. My son is the funniest of them all - this kid of mine spends most of his time calling general to him only to run in fear when general comes near him. It only gets worst in the morning when my wife lets the dog loose, my son does not want an excited pup jumping on him at six thirty in the morning - lord help me. Don't let these pictures fool you - it takes all the nerve my son can muster just to be this close without getting hysterical... Well, general is going to be here for a while [ helping out a friend ] so I better get use to the insanity. Look at me...

Teaching my child the meaning of true friendship? Ok, so my little girl is not so little, after all she’s eleven years old. According to her she’s a pre-teen [ whoopee doodad ]. The problem is that she is to nice for her own good. I don’t think she’s naive or gullible - just innocent. She has this one friend who only seems to want her around when she has no one else- you know the type. The so called friend who doesn’t know you exist until she has no one else to call. It’s bad enough that when she is interested in communicating with my daughter - she calls three or four times a day. They cackle on the phone for ever - But when she has a new “new best friend” - poof, you don’t hear a peep from this girl. It’s the kind of person I call friend but really consider them an acquaintance. Maybe I’m being over protective, or maybe I want my little girl not to be so blind. I guess it’s one of those things kids have to learn on their own - child, pre-teen or teenager and in some cases - adults. W

The end of the first week of school and his 1st report. If my son is enjoying school, he sure isn’t letting on. I ask him everyday the same question after I pick him up from school. How was school? What did you learn? What is your teachers name? Have you made any friends? What is his response - nothing! The most I get out of the boy is that he eats "coconut cookies" for snack time - whoopee... Ofcourse he has found time to tell his mom that he has made 2 friends at school and has been playing games at school. I finally received his "end of week" school report. I am glad to see that he has a good report on behavior and work habits. I was afraid he was going to run the teacher ragged since he can’t stay still at home. But I am a bit confused with why they have “ability to open and close door” as one of his study units???? I get the games that use grouping and identifying items. I understand using games and play to teach kids their numbers and alphabets… but "abi

What do you do when your facing down possible hurricane It’s been about three or four years since several Hurricanes came thru our town and brought a stop to the belief that people were safe inland. So when the reports came in that tropical storm “fay” was projected to become a level 1 hurricane - lets just say some people went bonkers. I’m glad it didn’t turn out as bad as it was predicted - but there has been a lot of damage, especially flood damage around all parts of Florida. We did our part to get ready for the storm after that we just had to sit and wait. So what do you do while you wait for the worst and try to keep your family calm? Here is what I did: Watched chicken little movie with family Played black jack with kiki Played uno w/ kiki Played with my son Ate dinner together - early just in case Relaxed as son played in shower and daughter played her DS Played battleship w/ kiki Talk with wife and helped clean up [ she always clean when nervous] Relax as waiting for next “fay