What you think does matter

Here I was looking thru the thousands of pictures I have of my children and I started to notice something weird. You know - one of those odd things only parents do with their children. I don’t know if this was planned [ by my wife ] or if she just subconsciously did it but I found photos of my son sitting on the toilet. Now it might not sound odd at first - but she took one in 2005, took one in 2006 and then another in 2007...? I have a few of the pictures here on the blog - ain't he cute? Now yeah, she was probably proud of my little man and his progress with his “poddy training”... but these pictures are 3 years apart ? Ofcourse these are the kinds of pics we all wish Mom never had - because they most certainly will come out of the closet when we bring our date over to visit.. Boy, I remember the day my Mom brought out some baby pictures of me to show my girlfriend how cute I was as a baby [ never mind I was 3 years old in a crib and sucking a pacifier ] Couldn't she have fou

Riding the Bull & the bull won… Ok, So I admit it, it wasn’t a real bull - but a mechanical bull or a real one - I am ashamed to say I failed. I saw the bull ride from more than twenty yards away and I wanted to ride that bad boy. Flashes of all the cow boy movies I’ve ever seen danced thru my head and for a minute - I thought I was going to break the record. I convinced myself that this was my day. I was going to ride the mechanical bull and I was going to be better than everyone else. Yep - me, city slicker turned country boy - today I would ride into county fair history. NOT! When I got to the line and saw what some of the first bull riders had gone thru - flailing around on that mechanical monster - I thought - "is this thing safe"? I noticed how the mechanical bull operator was more gentle on the kids than she was on adults - and again I thought, is this safe? Then I got to the sign up sheet and just before I wrote my name down I read the fine print that was way abov

My duaghter is the most preciouse thing in my life. By now, anyone who follows my blog should know that my children are everything to me. And being one who grew up in the mean streets of new York city - in the ghettoo and surrounded by crime and so much more - yes I am over protective. It's not becuase I'm to clingy - it's becuase I know what can and does happen out there in the "REAL WORLD". What is my point? I ran across this article titled : How to protect your children. Good read and informative - But I think it would fall on deaf ears for most parents. I watch parents act like the minute thier child turns 4 years old they should be able to fend for themselves. Even worst is those parents that for no reason I can comprehend act like thier children are to much work and effort and should just be left alone to do what they want becuase hey - if they can walk and talk they should be able to "leave them alone"... ok so I'm being harsh. But really...

Is Mom a Pole Dancer? I got this in my email this morning - I think it's so funny - children I tell you. Mom explians child's Homework - always check your childs homework .... VERY FUNNY !!! (Here's the reply the teacher received the following day) Dear Mrs. Jones, I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in. Sincerely, Mrs. Smith

Ok, it's not Walt Disney World - but it's the Fair ? Yep, the county fair - it's not the big fancy walt disney or magic Kingdom kind of outing I want to go to - but the kids wanted to go to the fair. The fair, the Carney, the traveling Gypsies - or Circus [ what ever ]. All I know is they bugged me and bugged me that I just had to go. My duaghter already made plans to meet her friends there. My wife insisted we meet her friend there [ Hey Betsy - hope you had fun ] - heck if it wasn't already expensive enough - my kids wanted to invite another friend and have me pay [ What do I look like - don't answer that ]. But I do have to say I had a blast. Between my sons excitement and scare the park was worth the over price $17 dollar wrist band to go on the rides and I wont mention the fact that I and our friends son got sort of addicted to one of those carnival chance games. All so we could we could win a toy gun for my son - too bad it turn out to be a cigeret lighter ..

Having just one of those days... You ever had one of those days - you know, the one you wish you could just rewind and do over completly different. I just wish life had a off switch or atleast a fast forward button. It's funny - it started innocent enough - then it started.... car problems, kids having problems, the spouse angry becuase of stress... Oh God she's comming at me with a knife... lol Please, someone explian it to me... Why is it that when something goes wrong, it seems everything goes wrong. Can't we have a system where problems can just take turns... I guess I shouldn't complian, my father-in-law just turned 50 and he's not complianing - probably becuase he is too busy complianing about me.... Ha, good one. Needed a luagh. Well, I guess life is just a never ending battle and i have to take my own advice - enjoy what you can, while you can, for as long as you can - becuase the kids grow up, the spouse gets old and you get closer to the grave [ the nice d

Girls and what they do? Ok, so maybe it was wrong to read the diary entry my daughter left lying around the house. But How can you blame me, it was a single sheet of paper sitting in a pile of other paper work on my desk in my bedroom. Not hers, mine. So, I read it. And let me tell you I was confused and upset. I’m a Dad and one who is protective of his children. So reading this gave me only two scary thoughts - one: my daughter is growing up two: Never again Let me tell you what the diary entry was about in summary: My wife convinced me to let my daughter to go with her friends to the movies at the mall and that they would be with supervision - her friends dad. So I reluctantly said yes. So in her loose page entry she writes how nice it was to go to the movies, that she bought pop corn and how her friends dad allowed them to go into the movies alone as he waited [ 2 hours ] in the food court. [* not what I wanted - ] That after the movie this same dad allowed them to wander the mall

Oh, I must be stupid.... I thought that the easiest thing to do with two children who fought over the Ds game was - to simply buy my son his own game. After all - then they would each have thier own game and the fighting would stop. No, not so. Now they fight about the DS consoles and the games. First my duaghter wanted to see [ see means use his blue boyish game] which my son didn't want to do becuase blue is for boys only [ considering he has been playing her pink girlish game for months. Now they spend thier time fighting over the games - dinner dash, indiana jones, sims kingdom and how my son [ who granted is not proficient in setting games up ] keeps erasing his sisters memory [ it may be on purpose who knows....] All this fighting and they each have thier own DS game - wow, that $130 dollars on my sons own DS that was suppose to make life easier - only made it worse. Maybe I could make my money back - is anyone interesting in buying two slightly used children. Thier great ki

You want "Wireless Internet" ? Thinking of getting Verizonwireless Broadband service for your wireless internet use? Well - first consider this - how much do you want to spend and how much do you use the internet on the go. If your thinking of getting rid of your home DSL service - don't - that is if you watch alot of online videos and search a large amount of sites or play online games. Verizon has not yet gone unlimited on it's braodband wireless internet service. They only give you two options - 1] $39.99 for 50 megabytes [ which people always go over ] and 2] $59.99 for 5 gygabytes of use - which is a lot but not unlimited. I tell people that they should always go for the higher 5 gb $59.99 package and wait a month. See what your actual use is and then if you go no where near the 50 MB then drop the package down to the $39.99 rate. But never give up your home DSL online service if you like visiting game sites and downloading music and things like that. You can eas

My son is crazy - just like me! Both my kids are the world to me - they make me luagh, cry and experience the world thru thier eye [ fresh, new and exciting ]. But I really think they are trying to quietly drive me insane. let me explain: For the last three nights my son has been going to bed [ that’s normal ] but when I go to wake him up in the morning - I find him wearing different cloths - I mean i know he went to bed wearing orange boxers and a white t-shirt, but in the morning he has red boxers and a blue t-shirt ????? It's like waking up in an alternate universe.. I ask him why and when did he change and he says - "because".... So basically my son wakes up in the middle of the night to change his cloths so he could look good in the morning... Or maybe just to drive the old man batty! Enjoy the funny video

The twilight Series book saga: Ok, what's the big whoopdi doo dah??? Granted, I didn't get into the Harry Potter books until I saw the first movie - but this Twilight saga thing is - sort of blah with me. I've seen enough vampire movies to fill several hundred thousand books. heck I could probably write my own vampire book [ I didn't say it would be good ].... I haven't seen the movie and have no interest but my duaghter is hooked on this book series. I guess it's good she's reading - reading books that I might add are way thicker than most books I read when I was eleven. But now she has my wife hooked on reading these "twilight " books... In fact my duaghter, my wife and a friend all made a day of it when they went to see the movie. They all came back all giddy and stuff. You would think it was a star wars movie or something.... So, since she is a big fan - I wanted her to give you some words on why she loves this twilight saga book series and bel

Walt Disney world - Magic Kingdom Quietly planning my next family outing - shhss don’t tell the family. I’ve been working long hours and many nights - so I figure I have to plan special moments in greater detail than just letting them happen. You know how it goes you put something off till the week end and bang something always comes up. Besides - if I plan it right maybe I can control the cost better [ you save for it rather than have an expensive spur of the moment thing]. I’m thinking Walt Disney World. One night stay at a hotel and take advantage of the one get second free [ if they have it ]... I know my whole family loves fire works and Walt Disney knows how to give a impressive fire works display. I hope I can get a hotel close to Disney with a view of the park so maybe we can get a sneak peek at their “Disney Fire works extravaganza”... I understand they revamped the “it’s a small world - I took my little girl to that and hope my son will be impressed as much as she was. I also

Party New Years Eve !! Wild HOT Party !!! Ok so it's not the HOT party you might be thinking, but it was a wild good old time. We had the PIG roast [ thats right I had pig - it's new years eve - forget the cholestoral ... sorry Doc... ] We had the drinks, the loud "wake up" the nieghbors music, the beautiful woman - my wife being the most Gorgeous one present. Love you babe.... The kids running wild, oh and did I mention the dancing? Ok, this time I didn't get a video clip of my dance moves - but hey you can check out my party dance moves at the Christmas Party video - check it out if you haven't. Please check out the video and the pictures and Please leave a comment - I do love your comments. Plenty of Drinks for Party The Party was done Right No, that's not Alcohol !!!! Too many women - caliente...... The men are not that bad looking... except for me.. Sorry Doc - I had to have PIG ... My wife's creation - from scratch...

Show and tell One of the favorite things my son likes to do in school is - participate in "show and tell". Sometimes I think he spends the whole week thinking about what he will bring to school on friday for show and tell. One night he was searching around and under the couch [ don't ask cuase I don't know ] and he told me he found the perfect show and tell item.... what you ask? Well, a green slimy frog. That's right a frog. Some how a frog sneaked into my house and under my couch and my curiouse son found him [ bad for the frog ]. The funny thing about it was what I did not get to catch on video - it was halariouse watching him trying to pick the frog up and hold it while the slimmy little thing kept jumping up into the air. I don't know why, but first it was a mouse running around my house, I have this small dog visiting and now, I have a frog.... is this some kind of Biblical plegue????

How do you know your old? that is a good question. Well here are two tips: One - if you have to take time to count the candles - your old.... two - when the room fills with smoke after you blow out the candles, boy you are old!

What do you do when all the family shows up at your house two weeks before thanksgiving? You have thanksgiving early - really - really early. We had the family from New York come down for two weeks - so we had thanksgiving dinner before they went back to NY. Talk about hecktic - I guess the one good thing is that we may have saved some money on shaopping - supermarkets always hike up the prices before the holidays. We also avoided the mad rush at the stores... but boy, having that many people at your house - way to much work. If I counted right, there were about tweenty people at the house more if I missed some of the kids.... Here take a look: see video

Here are some stories I've been saving for when my kids grow up - actual events - funny.... It is very important to always know what to do in case of an emergency. It can save lives to be prepared. While walking down the street one day, my wife mistook the sound of a car back firing for the sound of a gun shot. She immediately went into action. She grabbed my arm and screamed “ everyone, STOP, DROP and Roll !” As a father, I try to teach my children the best way I know how. When my son turned two (2), he and my daughter found it an enjoyable exercise to run wildly around the house. Since my son does everything his sister does, I explained to my little girl that I wanted her to walk, not run in the house. It was a dangerous and unsafe thing to do, that is how people get hurt. If your running you can easily run into something and seriously get hurt. Feeling sure she understood what I was telling her, I turned around and walked straight into the closed glass porch door.... We decide

Way to long of a crazy week end.... Things sort of become a blur when your so busy to take a moments breath. Let’s just give you a glimpse of what I mean - starting Friday morning - woke up and got the kids ready, took them to school, drove back home and took care of some things. Then I set up the tent in the back yard for my daughters sleep over party - rushed over to pick up my son at school at eleven thirty. Then drive all the way home to prepare his lunch , change his cloth and prepare for work. Drive him over to my brother-in-law’s house and off to work. After getting out of work at 8:35 pm, I drove home to eat, play with the kids and help my daughter start building her school model project. I went to bed around eleven thirty and woke up early Saturday to get myself and my son ready for his school friend birthday party. I like these people - even though it was raining, they had the birthday party. So I help by holding an umbrella over the grill to help cook the food [ after all I

I was made to love you Ever wonder what you were made to do in life? I figured out a long time ago that I have one very important job, position, duty in life - to love my family. Yes there may be the occasional argument. Yes, they can be a chore and a pain - at times [ too many times ]. They can even cause you to wonder why you even bother - but at the end of the day when you put them to bed and all you can think about is how sweet they are and how you can’t help but smile as you watch them sleep peacefully in their bed... You realize - you were made to love them.

Is it me or is my four year old trying to get rid of me?? Here I was happy to have a day off where I could hang out, do as I pleased and in fact - was happy to go and pick up my four year old son from pre-k school. But boy was I in for a surprise. I go and pick him up a half hour earlier than his scheduled time - out of love [ or because I didn’t want to waste the gas driving back and forth - you judge ] and when I signed him out early - he only had one thing to ask of me... Why are you not working??? What, did I hear you right? So I asked him, what do you mean… and he said.. What are you doing home, aren’t you working today?? Hey, come on - can’t a dad get a break… It’s my day off and I want to spend it with you. Why would you want to bring up work and are you trying to get rid of me kid??? Come on, maybe the next time I have a day off I’ll just disappear and not come home - see if you like that one buddy. Life is so strange - and kids their even stranger. Imagine that - a four year o