“Why is it called hamburger? It’s not from pigs and it isn’t made out of boogers. Those are the stuff up your nose.”
Sometimes you have to learn the hard way
Most of the time being a dad is really cool. Watching your kids learn is an amazing, possibly even a frigintastical experience. Other times it can be really frustrating or even down right scary. I remember when my oldest son was born. He was 10 weeks early, and quite frankly I didn't really believe my wife when she told me we had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night. Fortunately she convinced me and we rushed to the other side of town. He was born before the doctor made it to the hospital "in call" (my wife's water hadn't even broken). His little cry was so small and distant … [Read more...]
Life is Funny when you have kids
I don't often participate in the "life is funny" carnival, (read I have never but really should), but I have to share this little story and while it was happening I kept thinking of the "life is funny" carnival. Most kids like to play house or school. Admittedly my kids often play this game. They tend to entertain themselves and listening in usually provides more than a few chuckles. They argue about who the mom is and who is going to marry whom. My oldest is giving the others homework all the time. They also find ways of making the game more interesting for the oldest boy who is always … [Read more...]
Playing hooky with my kids
This past weekend I was blessed to be able to spend time with my wife without the kids. They stayed most of the weekend with some friends and the last several hours before we got home with my parents. We had a great time with the retreat but missed our kids. Today we decided to keep out kids home instead of sending them to school. We had a picnic at the park with them and then let them play for a couple of hours. My oldest is growing up quickly. She can play on every piece of equipment without any help. She knows how to swing, do the monkey bars, climb pretty much anything. All of that … [Read more...]
Training to date
My oldest is a sweet little girl who turns 7 this summer. She is pretty certain that 7=teenager. I feel this is a safe assertion based on a few unavoidable facts. She wants to hang out with the teens She tries to act like the teens She claims she is going to be a teenager She is increasingly infatuated with boys This last fact might be the most disconcerting for me. She got her first "love note" from a boy this year. He is a second grader. I'm not sure that he is good enough for her. His spelling and grammar were pretty rough. I remember having better spelling in second grade. I … [Read more...]
Percy Jackson and the Plot Thief
I watched Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief last night. If you are thinking about watching it, then I'll do my best to avoid spoilers. It is a good movie but the basic plot is a rehash of The Clash of the Titans which is more or less the story of Perseus and some feats he accomplishes as told by various ancient Greek sources. Of course that is kind of the whole point so I guess it isn't right so poke fun at the fact that this plot is totally hijacked. The obstacles that Percy must overcome, though, are not limited to those that Perseus faces. They mix in various … [Read more...]
Mr. Fix-it
My kids are growing up. They have been breaking things since they were very young. The baby broke our DVD player a couple months ago. My second born took a toy apart earlier this week. Today I saw the youngest girl trying to put a pair of play shoes back together. So far I have been able to fix most of the things they break, but they have started to try and fix it on their own. Most of the time they are trying to hide it from me, but occasionally they are trying to emulate me. One of the other kids will break something so the older two try to fix it for them. As far as I know they haven't … [Read more...]
I love discipline (not what you think)
Children can break your heart, and sometimes the worst part is educating them. I strongly believe in discipline over punishment. We do use punishments as part of discipline, but not in place of it. I might spank one of my kids or give them a time out, but before I talk to them. I try to make sure they understand why the punishment is happening. I also talk afterward so they will remember. Sometimes discipline takes different forms. My kids have picked up some very frustrating habits from school. They learned to offer their friendship for favors, "if you do this I'll be your friend." They … [Read more...]
I have learned that certain things I loved as a kid I now dislike, but I've also noticed that many of these things are fun again when I experience them with my kids. Snow is certainly one of those … View Gallery
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