Our Little Princess
Jan 8th
Behold the princess of the house!
When this little one was in the womb we never would have dreamed that she would be such a little girly girl/princess. Our friends with girls would warn us and tell us how EVERY girl does it but we thought we would have the exception to the rule and she would avoid pink. WE WERE WRONG!!
We are up to our eyeballs in pink/princess/fairy/purple/ballerina goodness. I’m not sure how many magic wands we have had to replace. She has more dresses and tutus than any real princess or ballerina, EVER. Sometimes I really find it astonishing. It isn’t like we care, we are just rather surprised. I guess we were imagining more of a tom-boy type.
So why am I voicing our previous expectations and now surprise: What’s my point? Because it leads to beautiful photos like this one and that’s what we REALLY care about.
Have a great weekend!
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Digital Life, Simplified
Oct 13th
I’m a geek. I admit it. I LOVE technology, gadgets and all that kind of stuff. Spending hours just playing with toys, tinkering away a weekend, that’s how I love to spend my time. At least that’s what I like to do when I’m not hanging out with my family. I’m not sure what it is exactly that keeps me so enamored with it all but I guess you can’t always explain someone’s passion. As much as I love all things digital I am beginning to wonder if maybe I need to simplify things a bit. Do a bit of pruning if you will. I think I may have crossed a threshold that I am spending more time taking care of my gadgets and they are consuming more of my time than maybe they should.
I have been scaling back some for the past number of weeks. I try to only work on one computer most of the time instead of making certain duties designated to certain machines. One computer should be plenty for day-to-day "work" and I really think I’m getting to that point. I figure with the appropriate backup solutions in place and working more "in the cloud" I should be able to get everything accomplished with fewer systems.
My main setup now is a Mac Book Pro 13" and my iPhone 3G. I decided to use a Mac more than my PC because, to be quite honest, I was tired of maintaining it. I simply spent way more time updating, scanning and tinkering than actually using it. Now I have a streamlined system with only a laptop and my phone. So far this is proving to be a much better situation. Most of the time. I have encountered a few issues with software not being a the Mac flavor or not existing at all and I’ve had to modify my workflow a bit but even that has been very minimal. When I do need a Windows only application I simply fire up Virtual Box where I have an Windows XP virtual machine and I can do anything I need. Having a VM on my laptop also helps me by not having to worry about syncing files. The originals are stored in folders that both Mac and PC can use.
Before, I had a home PC, work PC (at my regular job) and a laptop. Most of the time this worked perfectly fine but I always had to make sure things were syncing properly and at all times. All three systems needed to have updated software in some fashion, three times the work if a major upgrade came out for anything. All of these systems just got to be more than what I wanted to deal with so here I am.
I will say that my current digital life if MUCH more calm and usable. I don’t have to look for files on different computers, I get to use my iPhone with a Mac (which seems to work a LOT better) and I have everything I need with me at all times because I always have my phone and my laptop goes with me to work. The giddy geek inside is very happy.
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Links To Share – September 24, 2009
Sep 24th
I have collected a large number of tidbits for this grouping of links that I would like to share. But then again, why use them all for one post? 
- Fathering in America: What’s a Dad Supposed to Do? – [Psych Central]
- 10 Antidotes to Self-Sexualization of Girls – [Moms Speak Up]
- 5 Tips On Fatherhood Your Dad Never Told You – [Dad-O-Matic]
- Eating dinner together, Healthy Habit #2 - [Super Healthy Kids]
- Beat the Bedtime Blues with a Sure-Fire Sleep Solution for Your Preschooler – [Root And Sprout]
- Men’s Fitness – Quick Exercises for Busy Dads – [About.com]
- Is the Father of Your Children a Geek? – [Strollerderby]
- Dads and Daughters – Make a Decision Already – [Discovering Dad]
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New(ish) Summer Fun!
Sep 14th
Well, we are now almost at the end of summer. The heat is starting to ease and the kids are coming out of their “summer mode”. For our family this summer has been definitely different than the previous four because the kids are now older (4 and 2) and we are able to do more things, at least more easily. Here are a few of the things that we are loving now that the monkeys are just a bit more mature.
Camping!! We were able to go camping the first summer after my son was born two years ago. He was only a few months old and his sister was two so it wasn’t too bad. Since the little guy was so tiny all he really did was sleep and hang out in the chest carrier (covered in netting of course). But that was the last and only time we have gone camping in the last two years. So far this year we’ve taken the kids twice and are planning at least 2-3 more. It is so great now that they can both walk and actually enjoy camping.
Swimming. Last year wasn’t too bad when it came to taking the kids to the pool but now they are even better. We used to have to hold my son and keep him upright in the 1ft. baby pool. Now he can walk on his own. Of course we never take our eyes off of him but at least he doesn’t need to be held. Also, my daughter can now be a bit more independent. She’s not quite ready for the big pool on her own but she is getting close.
Water parks. The idea of my little kids being old enough to take to a water park is still very hard to believe. Last year we couldn’t even take our hands off of our littlest one and now we can all enjoy a water park with slides and tons of other amazing water features. On our first trip this summer, our oldest, was a little timid at first. We had to walk around with her holding her hand as she stared at all the other kids playing and having a great time. Within 20 minutes she was off! The best we could do was stay at a fixed point where we could see her and she knew where we were and just let her go. She was running around spraying other kids, splashing in the wading pools and sliding down the small slides completely on her own. For us, that took a lot of self restraint not to be three steps behind her the entire time. We all grew up a lot that day.
We love watching our little ones grow up and become little people. They are solidifying their places in the world already. Even though we can’t wait to see what’s around the next corner, we are both doing our absolute best to enjoy and cherish what is on the present corner. Life is grand…
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You Must Obey Me…Or Someone
Jul 9th
Happy Fatherhood Friday! Be sure to head on over to Dad-Blogs.com and check out some terrific articles by a lot of great dads (and some moms too).
So I ran into a friend today who has a very different parenting style than my wife and I do. Her son was being a typical little boy who wanted to test boundaries and needed a lot of refocusing. I couldn’t help but notice the fact that she was constantly reminding him to ‘obey’ her. That word felt very uncomfortable to my ears as she wouldn’t release him from time-outs until he promised to ‘obey’ or asked ahead of time if he was going to ‘obey’ the librarian. Aside from ineffective parenting, something was not sitting well with me listening to her. Then I realized that the word ‘obey’ went against many of my personal values and those we have for our family. That got me reflecting on our core family values (not to steal an overly-misused Republican rhetoric phrase) and this is what I came up with.
- Independence. I hope my children grow up to be independent in their thinking, choices and actions. ‘Obey’ implies conformity, which is probably the single biggest violator of our family values. I cannot encourage my children to do what I tell them because I told them to do so. I want them to understand that the universe has consequences and we base our decisions weighing those consequences with the rewards. I do not ‘obey’ the speed limit simply because it is there, I choose not to speed to keep those around me safe and my wallet a little fuller.
- Humor. We laugh a lot in my family and I like to think we are funny people. If we aren’t then please don’t tell us, let us just go on thinking we are. Let’s face it there is nothing funny about the word ‘obey’. In fact in conjures up images of fire and brimstone….again more forced conformity. Or worse yet, I picture Hester Prynne and her Scarlet A. Still not laughing.
- Kindness. I want my kids to grow up to be kind. That is what it is all about (not the Hokey Pokey). Telling your kids they must obey you doesn’t seem very kind. Unless of course they are threatening to run into a busy street. It is not that I think that discipline in general, is unkind, actually it is quite the opposite. Teaching kids right from wrong is the most important thing we do as parents and I think it is semi-abusive to take the ‘oh isn’t it cute how he misbehaves’ approach. That strays into other posts, I digress.
So what do you think of this concept of insisting our children obey us like Moses and the Commandments. What core values does your family have and how do they leak into your everyday life, even your verbiage? Have you noticed anything from friends that really stand out as difficult for you to accept?
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Links To Share – July 8, 2009
Jul 8th
Hope you all had a terrific holiday weekend, I know I did. Here is my latest installment of links to sites or articles that I thought I would share. Since it has been a while since I last put some of these little gems up I am increasing the number of them. This should keep you busy for a while.
- Daily Links: Making Money Edition – [Get Rich Slowly]
- Man Up and be a real dad – [CNN Commentary]
- Helping Your Children Make Good Decisions – [About.com]
- Family Dog Saves Toddler’s Life – [Strollerderby]
- Time-Lapse Photography Captures Galactic Core of the Milky Way – [Gizmodo]
- What to Do If You See Another Parent Verbally or Physically Mistreating a Child – [Root & Sprout]
- Guitar Hero, You Are My Only Hope – [Super Mega Dad]
- Books About Dad – [No Time For Flashcards]
- Family Night – A Simple and Powerful Idea for Family Unity – [About.com]
- The Lazy Way to Investment Success – [Get Rich Slowly]
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Finding Family: Internet Style!
Jul 2nd
Happy Fatherhood Friday!! Check out Dad-Blogs.com for some great reads. You’ll be glad you did.
I have a brother. I have a sister. Big deal you say? Well, I only found out that one of them even existed about 2 years ago! I grew up with my brother, (C who also contributes to the blog) for the most part. When I was in high school my dad and mom divorced and I lived with my mom and my brother lived with my dad but for the majority of my formative years we grew up together. This was the complete family that I knew of for over 25 years, until I decided to construct my family tree.
VERY Shameless Plug
Jun 30th
I just have to do this. I’m so excited about this. I have had the fortunate honor of guest posting over at the excellent SingleDad.com. RJ has really established an amazing site to help bring together single dads. While not a single dad myself I still found the articles and content to be extremely helpful in my life as well. Please take the time and check out this site, I’m sure you will be equally impressed.
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