What you think does matter

It's been a while seen my last confession - oops, I mean post. I've sort of been busy working [ trying to make up the money I spent on my camping vacation ]. I have also been playing with the kids and yes - loosing my manhood....... I Have a confession? You know, I would do anything for my kids.... anything! That is just a given, I believe most Parents would, but in my attempt to help my duaghter learn about money, how to earn it, manage it and start her own business - I learned I have a creative and [ dare I say ] feminine side to me .... Lol... Yes, I helped my duaghter start her own Jewelry Business [ look honey I spelled "Jewlery" right ... oops ]. And by doing so found that hey, I have sort of have a flare for this [ wow sounds way to girlie ] - I mean a nack for this. It started with me just helping her build her hobby into a business, then helping her fine tune her skills and then just helping her where ever I could - until I actually started creating pieces an

Children, computer virus and planning MURDER I wrote in my last post about my computer getting infected with a virus, now as I sit here at work with the only computer I have access to for internet – I am thinking of planning [ yes premeditated ] Murder. Normally I have all my files backed up – but hey it was Christmas, then new years – I have been busy so I didn’t back up or make copies of all the holiday pictures, videos and all the work I wasn’t suppose to do during the holidays. But now that my computer has this darn %#@&*+! Virus I can not even seem to save my pictures to cd. The virus lets my computer run a cd but when I go to copy to a clean cd, it says it can’t find it. I know, I copy the files I have to run a virus scan on any copied information before I store it in another computer – but atleast I would have it copied. Really, this bites and I am considering Murder – well at most a severe punishment. I can not believe this, I have even downloaded a new anti virus program i

Here I was dragged to the mall, not just any mall but the mall in the next county. Tired, disgusted and broke.... my wife decides to tell me while on our long trip home that we need to make a stop ??? For what? Oh to take some pictures of your son on a tank? what??? tank, pictures, why?? I dressed him up and I have the camera, we might as well. No, not really, [ was what I was thinking....] but my son already started gleefully shouting "yeah dad, I have to...". So stop I did. The strange thing is, my wife’s biggest concern is that my son will join one of the branches of the Armed forces - but she is also the one encouraging him by buying him everything Army or having him visit tanks.... I have to say, though I was tired [ disgusted and broke ] I did enjoy taking the pictures, watching the excitement in my little boys eyes as he got on the tank, looked at all the parts and pretended to be blowing up Canada ??? Here are some pic's below - look at the cute kid, ignore the u

Here I was, getting everything ready for school: * 5 yr old bathed and dressed [ checked ] * brushed his teeth [ checked ] * lunch for school ready [ checked ] * gold ring for girlfriend [checked - what ?????] That is right, I found a gold ring [ costume jewelry ] amongst my 5 year olds things as I was getting him ready to go to school. When I asked him about it - he smiled and slowly told me it was for his girlfriend ... his girlfriend? First I wanted to be proud - my boy is a stud... then I thought, what the heck he is only five... then I thought again - what a stud.... then back to, who the heck told him to give the girl a ring ???? I thought it was bad when he would occassionally mention that he liked a girl in school. Hey, all kids say that. Then one day he said he had a girlfriend [ ok not too bad, everyday it was a different girls name so it can't be too serious ] But a ring, who the heck gives a girl a ring at age five. For goodness sake it wasn't until I was 10 that I

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING A message every adult should read because children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say. When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one. When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals. When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life. When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him. When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other. When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we

I would like to thank Maria Mathy for the email she sent - made me luagh out load - oh I mean ...LOL Tough Love vs. Spanking - Good Argument Most people think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of 'those moments.' One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk. Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc. Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together. Eye to eye contact helps a lot too. I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique. Sincerely, Robert This works with nieces and nephews as well.

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

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

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

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

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

It’s a dark day at my house, the first day of Pre-K school is this Monday and today we had to take my four year old son to his school orientation. Getting the family ready today was hectic and probably an indication that everyday from here on forward will be the same. Personally I’m torn - I want my boy to grow up and all that - yet I want him to stay my little man. My buddy I spend my days with. My partner in fighting crime [ or more like committing crimes against my wife wishes.... ] First it was the shock of having my baby girl turn eleven and starting jr high [ here it’s called ‘middle school’ ]. Now I’m faced with my little guy starting school and it’s a bit too much to handle. I know - your thinking I should be celebrating - wee their off to school - I get a break.... But maybe I’m just weird that way. Tell me, who really wants their kids to grow up and face the inevitable that they will leave you and worst - that your growing old. First it’s the first day of school, then they wa