“Why? “is the question of the year ’round these parts.
Long before I became a dad, I had many run-ins with the phrase “because I said so.” I hated when I’d hear it. Despised it, even. I promised myself that I’d never be that dad that used that phrase. And then, the “Why?” stage hit. All bets were off.
Some of my best friends, well before any of us were dads…
Has anyone ever told you that your life changes when you have kids? Oh, they have? Okay, I just needed to be sure that you were aware of this. It’s a funny thing, finding out you’re going to be a parent. Terrifying, even. You find out that in nine short months, you’re going to have this little life to care for, to nurture, to raise, to guide, to teach, to love.
You’ve never taken care of anything before in your life, save for a pet, most likely. So, what do you do? You read, you talk to other parents, and, really, you figure it out as you go. You realize that you and your spouse aren’t alone in this parenting game. For us, we’ve had the joys of having a good number of our best friends have kids in the same time that we’ve had Sophia and Maddie. Actually, almost all of my best buddies from college have kids now. Continue reading
Since I got out of college, my weight has been a constant struggle for me. Multiple times a year, I get on a weight-loss tangent. Which is great. What isn’t so great? Sticking with it! Seriously, I have tried every workout program out there, from P90X and P90X2 to Insanity and T25. I make it a month or so through it, am seeing results and then BAM, the train screeches to a halt. Not this time, my friends. right now, daddy is too fat and a change is in order! Continue reading
Who doesn’t love amazing apps when they settle in to watch all the madness unfold during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament games? Everybody loves them. But what if you could have all of your mouthwatering starters in one fantastic dish? I’m giving you just that with my entry into the #FrozenChefMadness challenge presented by Life of Dad and Easy Home Meals.
I present to you “The Fat Five Slamwich”! A crispy combination of mozzarella sticks, french fries, chicken tenders, sitting nestled atop a delectable cheesteak. This all sits nicely inside a halved Italian roll. He fakes right, crosses over left, takes it to the hole and SCORES with the Fat Five Slamwich!
For my dish, I chose to use Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries, Tyson Anytizers Chicken Fries, and TGI Fridays Mozzarella Sticks.
Head over to the Frozen Chef Madness contest page to enter, read full instructions, and get your chance to win $800! Do you have what it takes to top me? Step up to the line and sink your shot!
I have partnered with Life of Dad, LLC for the#FrozenChefMadness promotion. Sponsored by NFRA ( https://www.nfraweb.org/), the #FrozenChefMadness promotion gives anybody the chance to win a $800 Visa gift card.
The living situation Sophia dreamed up while driving home as told through MS Paint.
Everybody knows that kids come up with some of the most insane things to say. The way their minds work is astounding. I mean, I say some ridiculous things, but the stuff that comes out of their mouths is pure gold. Gold, I tell ya!
Well, Sophia had quite the observation while I drove her home from daycare a couple of weeks ago. You can see the AMAZING illustration I made of said observation on the right there. Below is what she said, word-for-word.
Sophia: that’s my house (pointing to a giant house that isn’t ours)!
Me: Oh is it??
Sophia: Yeah. I live there. With Maddie. And Mommy. And Dubsy. Not you.
Me: I don’t live with you??
Sophia: No, you live there (points to a much smaller house down the road) with a dolphin.
Me: I live with a dolphin???!?
Sophia: Yes, you live with the dolphin and swim with him.
Oh the things toddlers come up with… She later decided I’m allowed to live with her.
I’m going to be writing and documenting more of the insane stuff that comes out of Sophia’s mouth, and hopefully I’ll be able to do the same once Maddie starts talking, too.
Let me know the ridonculous things that your kids have said below! Or on Facebook or Twitter!
Sarah and I on our first Christmas together in 2001.
This year is a benchmark year for Sarah and I. We’ll have our fifth wedding anniversary in May. I know, I know, five years isn’t long in the grand scheme of things, especially when you consider that we’ve been together since November of 2001. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long. In light of our coming anniversary and with Valentine’s Day just passed, I figured now would be a great time to share–for you, and for Sophia and Maddie–the story of how I basically duped Sarah into liking me. Continue reading
This girl loves her some snow.
For us in the northeast, this winter has been brutal. What, you didn’t know that?? You haven’t seen it plastered all over the news and the interwebs? Weird. All the snow has provided me with many, many, MANY opportunities to take Sophia out back to build a snowman (Do you wanna build a SNOWWWWMAAAAAAAN?!!!), slide down the hill in the greatest makeshift sled of all time, and teach her how to throw snowballs like a boss.
They’ve been fun. They’ve also given us insane cabin fever. But, the best part of all this snow has been Sophia’s reactions when she looks out of our bedroom window in the morning and sees the beautiful white snow covering the ground… “It’s snowing!” or “It snowed!!!!” and her eyes get so wide and her jaw drops. It takes me back to my days as a kid. Back when I loved the snow. Back when I didn’t moan and groan about yet another storm. I miss the days when snow was the best thing ever. It makes me so happy for her to love snow that much, just like I did. Continue reading
The song in the video above is one I vividly remember from my childhood. I recall a different voice singing it when I was a boy, but the lyrics remain. The chorus has stuck with me for what feels like forever:
Have patience, have patience
Don’t be in such a hurry
When you get impatient, you only start to worry
Remember, remember that God is patient, too
And think of all the times when others have to wait for you
In fact, when we’re in a hurry to go somewhere or Sarah gives me a hard time to get me moving to get out the house, I’ll often sing the chorus to her. I used to be patient. I used to not worry if I was running late, or if I was stuck in a crowd, or anything along those lines. Now? I’m quite the opposite. I don’t know when my patience deteriorated to the level it is at now. But, my lack of patience has really been shining through when it comes to being a parent. Continue reading
Hard to believe I’ve been a dad for three years!
WordPress did a funny thing the other day. It wished me a happy anniversary. I was confused. It’s not my anniversary until May! And then it hit me. They were wishing me a happy third anniversary for this blog. I’ve been doing this for three years?! I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering Sophia will be three tomorrow. WAIT, I’ve been a dad for three years?! THAT is the most shocking revelation I’ve had lately! In that spirit, I’m about to take you down the path of reminiscing and musing about the last three years of my life. Buckle up. Continue reading
This was not happening last weekend.
Throughout fatherhood, there are going to be times where it feels like you are taking a test. What do I mean? The first night you bring your baby home from the hospital is your first real test as a dad. The first time you feed the baby is another. The first overnight with just you and your first baby. And, the test that I just had last weekend: your first overnight with your toddler and your baby and no spouse. Let’s just say this was the first time that I felt like I was failing as a dad. Continue reading
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