Updates, Changes and Additions

Well this morning I was a little tired of looking at work numbers so I started messing with the blog. 2yo was sitting on my lap so we looked at a bunch of the other blogs I check out and then made links in the "Friends of the Program Section" 2yo helped by hitting the keyboard with cars then running off laughing with my Star Wars Wrist Rest... Little goofy boy... After updating every thing and getting some posts out there my hits went from about a dozen a day to 75!!! That ROCKS!!! I plan on putting a few more things out there to help with some traffic.

PODCASTING!!!

My next addition to the blog in the coming weeks will be a podcast! I am just figuring out the hosting issues at this point, but have some software and have been playing with it. This could be really cool or a big pain in the backside.

The day was rather uneventful other then the 2yo opposition to TACOS! I asked if he wanted some for lunch. He has never tried to say the word, but when I asked if he wanted it for lunch he said "NO CACOS!! NO CACOS!!!" Ok then... With it being so darn cold today we decided to just stay home.

No it is late and tomorrow I start Physical Therapy for my repaired elbow... Yeah!

Daily Observation: There is nothing more exciting and humorous then a child saying new words

The Boys Dancing...

The Boys Dancing this summer... Goofs...

Lego Family Pictures...

On my previous blog I had done a few posts about our Lego Adventures. I am also known as Darth-Daddy so my 6yo and I made some family vacation setups...

Here is the family on Vacation at Jabba's Palace Before the "Free Han Solo Campaign" They ruined a great vacation destination...

My older boy and I were playing with Legos and he had had the Darth-Daddy figure created a LONG time ago... We decide to do the whole family and worked it out. Next up is a series of "Vacation" pics from around the galaxy.

It is so cool to have two boys...

Being Noticed by others...

Well I was doing my normal rounds of checking out blogs and forums when I stopped at
inside fatherhood and noticed I was given an award so I thought I would share.

Dad On Duty





Thanks Steve!

Keeping the Mess Down

Well lately 2yo has made it extra difficult to keep the messes done to a minimum. His new favorite thing is to take everything out of a box and say "MESS." this becomes difficult when the mess turns out to be 100's of toy cars or todays adventure...GOLDFISH CRACKERS!!! I went to the bathroom and came out to "MESS" with crackers all over the place. We have gates at teh stairs up from the family room and today I decided to keep him in the family room when we were home. If we wanted to play upstairs then the family room would be cleaned and then the gates shut keeping him to smaller areas. Well it worked today and he ended up staying in the family room level. (Family Room, Laundry Room, Office, Bathroom) Since we had class this morning and he actually took a nap the "Lock Up Time" actually was not very long.

6yo got his glasses back today and we will have to go get a second pair of cheap ones as a backup.

Dinner was Turkey, Garlic Massed Potatoes and Green Beans. 2yo tried the Turkey and ate all that was on his plate, but avoided the potatoes and green beans. After a 45 minute fight and the threat of grounding the 6yo finally tried everything on his plate. We are making progress slowly, but surely...

Daily Observation: Cold is Cold no matter how you look at it... When the temps fall below 10... it is just plan cold!!!

Bears, Bears and Bears Oh My!!!

Well this is the week before the Super Bowl and I think a bit of my blog will have to be devoted to DA BEARS!!! Yeah I am a Bears Fan... I am not a FAIR WEATHER FAN and find this year to be amazing. For everyone that is a Bears Fan this is fantastic!!! I plan on ranting a bit as well at the National Media and the "Experts" about their so called informed opinion...

First off to all the media out there that thinks the Bears should basically just forfeit since they have no chance. Is it that cool to follow the National Line everyone BUT the Bears? The first two months of the season the Bears were picked to be the team to beat, Rex Grossman was picked by some experts as the TOP candidate for the Pro Bowl and MVP! Then the media got a taste of what they like to refer to as "BAD REX!" Well considering this is his FIRST full season and has little overall NFL experience I would say he did pretty well. Everyone focuses on one thing...THE QB!! What about the team? Rex had 5 very bad games this year and the Bears won 2 of those. their regular season record was 13-3! Yet the media seems to think they are awful! Funny thing is that these same experts had the NY GIANTS (8-8) the best team, Then the DALLAS COWBOYS (9-7) , PHILIDELPHIA EAGLES (10-6) and FINALLY THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (10-6)!

The NFC Divisional Championship game all the "Experts" picked the Bears to get beat BAD by the "#1 Offense in Football" but some how beat them 39-14!! They kept the best offense to 14 points!!!

Now we come to the Super Bowl and we have the Colts 7+ point favorites with many Experts saying the Colts will run away with this game...

Hmmmm

Daily Observation: Sports Experts are Fools!

Cold Day and now Soccer Coach!

Well today it was really cold! Just love late January in Northern IL! This morning was my sons first day of park district soccer and my first day as a coach! ME a coach of soccer! Well they needed help and I said I would. It is 5-7 year olds and I basically just have to sub the kids in and out and make sure they have a good time. Since it is a FUN class and not a competitive league it give the kids a chance to play. I am pretty sure all had a good time despite losing 3-1... The parents seemed really happy at what I did and how I got the kids in and out. It helps too that two of the boys on the team are friends with my son and I have known them for a long time. There are six kids total 5 boys and 1 girl and 3 I know well. So this was week one so we see how things go in the next few weeks.

My father turned the big 65 today so we were there for cake this afternoon. 2yo was pretty good, however he really did not want to share the toy cars with his 2yo cousin... He will share everything else, but when it comes to cars he WILL NOT SHARE... After a few tears and breakdowns we were ready to go. 2yo did not nap which compounded the issues he was having...
On the way home he passed out and then slept for a couple hours. Bedtime got moved back a couple hours...

So time to finally relax and get some rest for all.

Daily Observation: 2 + 2 = Issues with sharing...

Article on Dadcenter

Well another one of my articles has been posted at dadcenter.com.

Picking a Bike The Novice Approach

Have a look...

Am I That Strange

Well yesterday while sitting around waiting the hour my son is in preschool I was chatting with a few of the moms. Normally there is two or three still hanging out, but yesterday there was five. I can tell I have been excepted a bit when they begin to husband bash and think nothing off it while I am there. I find it interesting when people talk about their relationships and what their family dynamic is like. Yesterday all five where complaining how it was awful to have their husbands home a bunch over the holidays and they could not wait to have them go back to work... this to me is strange... Then they complained that none of them cook, clean or really do anything around the house when they are home, again this is strange for me. Finally they complained how their husbands have no clue on how to do anything with the kids. They do not know what to feed them, are freaked out if left alone with the little ones for more then a couple hours. This whole thing just amazes me. I know I am different being the at home dad, but my wife has no problem with anything even though I spend more time with the kids. Even before I was at home I had no problems being dad. We share or at least try to share everything equally from money to choirs to time with the kids. I do not know if that is because we both work or is just how we view our relationships as OUR responsibility and not MINE and YOURS! They must have spent 20 minutes just complaining about how worthless their husbands are at home... I know I am not perfect and the wife is not perfect, but I do not sit around and just complain about her. I do not know if they were seeking sympathy or validation that they are not alone. I guess this is why the divorce rate is so high.

Am I so STRANGE!!!

I Cook
I Clean (Less now since we have a cleaning service)
I Do Laundry as well as fold it...Even the fitted sheet!
I Change Diapers
I Spend days alone with my kids and survive
I Attend Children's Classes with my 2yo
Plus dozens of other things while I also work full time!

Am I so Strange???

Taken Down By A Cold

Well I have been fighting a cold since Saturday and the last couple days have hit me extra hard. Yesterday was preschool for 2yo and he was very excited to be there. Yesterday was the first time I did not have to actually walk him all the way into the class. We got to the door of the room and he was off... A few months ago he had the death grip on my hand going in, now it is like yeah later dad...

I have not blogged the last couple nights because of how I have felt. So much for my work out routine. It is really hard to ride when you can barely breathe. I had done OK with the food, but that too has been off since my taste buds are really messed up. It is hard to figure out what to eat, what sounds good when I start making it does not taste that good in the end.

Well I was interupted by the delivery truck with the new furniture. Looks really nice, but a bit of a change. The entire set however takes up a little more space then I had figured so we will need to move things around a little bit.

2yo has been extremely cranky all day and finally passed out in my big chair watching "CARS" the movie. He slept there for about an hour and a half. Not bad, hope it helps his awful mood.

It is a balmy 19 degrees out and was thinking it might be time for a swim... It was around 6 this morning... I really dislike the cold weather now. It is just... COLD!!!!

Daily Observation: When you have a bad cold everything tastes the same...AWFUL!!!

Head & Chest Cold, Headache and goofy 2yo

Well I have had a cold for a few days and this morning I have the start of a Migraine Headache... I probably should just put my head under a pillow, but I have found the more I do the less I notice the discomfort. 2yo has been really goofy so far this morning and running around like a wild child... He even told me he was done pooping and wanted to be changed. (1 step closer to potty trained) He runs upstairs to his room just before I change him and is looking out the window at the snow and trying to say snow... Comes out "S" "No" he then points to the outside and says MaMa Bye... Which was really cute since mom just left a few minutes before. then he starts to giggle and says "Mama Bye...Bad Mama.." the entire time laughing his little butt off. I guess he just picked up BAD from his brother who say "BAD BABY" every time 2yo does anything he does not approve of.. So now it is Bad Mama...

Happiness just went to devastation... 2yo wants a Perrier, but with my elbow I am unable to OPEN it...

Now my favorite topic... DA BEARS!!!! This morning I received an email from a friend or his wife complaining that the Bears do not deserve to even be in the playoffs. I also heard a "Expert" saying the Bears were the WORST TEAM EVER to be in the Super Bowl... I have no idea what games this "Expert" watched this year... I guess he is still upset that the GREAT SAINTS that 99% of the "Experts" picked to beat the Bears got DESTROYED by the worst team ever... Now the Colts have been picked to win in Vegas and there is a 7+ point spread!!! Might have to do some gambling there...

Of course the big topic of how bad Rex Grossman is... In the playoffs this year he has a passer rating of 75.05 compared to the GREAT Peyton Manning's 63.54!!! Yeah Grossman sucks! For whatever reason the Experts love to hate the Bears!

I have enjoyed reading most of the "Experts" eating CROW about their picks last week... Most of these "Experts" need to do a little more research... The teams most of them picked are home for the Super Bowl... San Diego and New Orleans...

Well this morning I need to drop my wife's car off at the Dealer to fix a paint peel after a repair from running over a Giant Raccoon... Paint is under warranty so I get it fixed, plus get a loaner car for the time it takes to repair.

Time to get ready to go to the dealer...

Sleeping In, Pizza and BEARS WIN!!!

Well Sunday is my day to get to sleep in. Wife gets up with 2yo when he wakes. I slept in until 8:30!!!! WOW... Much nicer the 4:45!!! After getting up and making a Pancake Breakast I promised we went out to buy some furniture. We have been talking about getting a new Dinning/Eating Area Table. Well we saw one we liked while we were out yesterday and pulled the trigger today. The set came with a Table, Large Bench and Small Bench both with storage under the seat. We asked about getting another large and small bench and it turned out to be just $10 more for the two chairs then the ENTIRE set on closeout. So we bought two sets and now have to fugure out what to do with an extra really nice table!!!

After returning from the store wife cleared the 2 inches of snow from the driveway while I played with the boys and ordered PIZZA for the game. We had high hope of getting both boys to eat some, but only 2yo did. The game started at 2:00 and a friend of 6yo caome over to play at about 2:30. They had a great time and stayed out of my hair while I watched the Bears Game!!! Well about 30 minutes prior to 6yo friend leaving 6yo BROKE HIS GLASSES!!!! They got bumped from his head and hit the group breaking a weld... Well tomorrow I need to see about gettin ghtem fixed and getting a CHEAP second pair!!!

DA BEARS!!!

To all the critics and 99% of the experts taht said New Orleans was going to walk away with this game... LOOK FOR A NEW JOB!!! Bears win by 25!!! 25!!! This is so awsome that the Bears are going to the Super Bowl for the first time in 21 YEARS!!! DA BEARS!!!!

For Lunch and Dinner I had PIZZA!!! Basically I just ate it all day!!! FOOTBALL, SODA and PIZZA!!!! Now to get back on the diet horse until FEB 4th when DA BEARS beat the Colts in the Super Bowl!!!!

I am so hyper right now I am going ot find it hard to SLEEP!!!!

DA BEARS!!!!

Daily Observation: Sports Writers and Experts need to find a new job... BEARS WIN!!!! BEARS WIN!!!

5:00 am Wake Up!

Well another rough night with Mr. I don't Sleep! 2yo was up multiple times last night and it ended with a 4:50am wake up! I waited a few minutes and then at about 5:00 tried to get him to settle back down. Well that did not work... I showed him how dark it was outside and then made an attempt to have him sleep in our bed. Well after an hour of getting kicked, attacked and pulled on we went downstairs. On our way down he starts saying ROLL, ROLL, ROLL!!! There were some rolls in a bag on the counter and he REALLY wanted them! Once downstairs he runs to the TV and yells!! CAR CAR!!! CAR CAR!!! I ask him if he wants the Cars movie and he gets all excited... It is a fine movie, but it is always on!!! He relaxes while I do my morning routine... He comes running into the bathroom DEMANDING a drink!! Not happy with the fact that I am a bit busy he yells at me some more... Finally he settles in and plays with his toy cars from the movie and watches it all the while stuffing a roll in his mouth. So I take this time to relax a bit myself. He will not let me sleep on the couch so I sit in my office chair with my feet up and finish watching the first Season of 24 on DVD on my computer. I had never gotten into 24, but since the Library has a ton of the different TV shows on DVD I thought it would be nice to watch some I never had the time for BEFORE TIVO!!! I so far have watched The Sopranos, Deadwood, Alias and now watching 24 thanks to the library.

At about 7:45 6yo comes down and sits watching the cars movie and eats a Ceral Bar. I restart the movie and take this time to get some exercise in. I go down to the basement and hop on my bike and ride for 40 minutes and a bit over 10 miles. By the end the wife wakes and it is time to make some breakfast... I have this low calorie skillet I make that is low in fat, but high in protein and fiber. GREEN VEGGIES!!! I make myself the skillet and the wife a breakfast sandwich. The sandwich is an egg broken and cooked swirled, English muffin, Canadian Bacon and some sharp cheddar...

My Trainer for my bike allows me to ride anytime and in any weather. So far this year I have been on the bike 17 of the 20 days for around 200 miles. Most days I ride 10-11 miles with a few days doing 15-20 miles. I am hoping with my new efforts on the bike and of course better eating habits I will lose the weight I put on in the past few months and then more beyond that. I want to be in good biking shape by the time I get to the summer so I can do a 100 mile ride without killing myself! Pictured is the trainer without the front wheel block on it. Riding the bike the way it is rather then having a special stationary bike allows me to stay used to the feel of my bike and will make the long trail rides this summer that much easier.




Daily Observation: No matter what time a 2yo that doesn't sleep goes to bed...He will be sure to wake up enough so mom and dad do not sleep!

Long Day, A Cold and NO BLOGGER!!!

Well yesterday was a bit of a long day. 2yo and I had a pretty uneventful morning doing a few errands and looking at furniture. We are thinking about adding a small Buffet or Jelly Cubbard type thing near our back door. So while we were out we stopped by a nice furniture store. What a mistake that was... I want all new stuff now! While we were out 2yo decided to nap in the car so that pretty much killed any chance for an afternoon nap! I tried to get some work done, but 2yo was acting rather off. He and I both started feeling the effects of a cold by mid afternoon. 2yo passed out on the couch and I tried to stay focused and work. Yeah Ok... the cold was bothering pretty bad, but I was able to get what I needed done.

Last night I went to blog and bam!!! Blogger down for service! I actually had a little time and could not blog!!! Ahhhh What Am I going to do!!! I can not vomit my opinion on the internet one night!!! the Shakes!!!!

Well tonight I will be posting again I am sure. I am so excited about the football games this weekend!!! DA BEARS!!!!

Daily Observation: If you want something and you can not have it you want that even more. If you have something and don't need you could care less...

Fighting Bed Last Night!

Well the 6yo was being extra difficult yesterday and was stalling all night about bed. He was finally asleep around 9:45! So this morning he was being extra difficult and did not want to get up...Imagine That!!!! Of course this morning I wake to the wonderful feeling of 0 degrees F outside. The single digit temps are back and I could not be more excited...Yeah! I was actually getting used to the unusually warm upper 30's! Today it will be in the balmy low 20's! Might have to go swimming! 2yo was better last night and only woke up one time and the wife handled that one. Even though I got a little more sleep I still feel way behind in that department. This morning is Preschool for 2yo and I really can not wait to drive off in the cold... Then hang out there for an hour which will be more then long enough for the van to get really cold again!

We have a library trip planned this morning to return some things, but the chill outside makes me less interested in going...

Every time it gets this cold I ask my wife why we live here... "Because we are STUPID!!"

Daily Observation: COLD WEATHER SUCKS!

Ice, Snow, Cold and Num Num Num!!!

Well this morning we woke to a few inches of snow and a layer of ice all around. It had rained a bit before I went to bed then switched to snow. Well I am not supposed to shovel yet so this was left to my wife. there was only a few inches on the drive so instead of trying the SnowBlower she just shoveled. I did bring out the blower for the end of the drive where the plow comes by. I actually used it one handed and was very happy about it. Today 2yo decided to nap early and 6yo was off from school so I hoped on the bike while 6yo played with toys in the toy room. After lunch the boys and I went shopping and the store was a nightmare. I have a difficult time controlling the cart right now with basically one arm and it was busy. No less then three time some idiot not paying attention nearly ran into my 6yo!!! If they ran into him I would have crashed my cart into them!!! After the store the boys and I went into the backyard and played in the snow. All the BOYS including the dogs! While we were out playing 6yo decides to eat some snow. 2y0 is a little copycat and did the same. His response...NUM NUM NUM!!!! So now both boys and the dogs are out in the yard eating snow!!! They boys this evening tried hot dogs for the new food. Did not go too well, but they tried. 2yo ate 3/4 of one and the 6yo ate maybe 1/4 of one! I was really struggling to work today and have been a little stressed trying to complete some projects. A friend of my wife's was here with her boss practicing her sales skills. This frustrated me a little since I was really busy and was in the middle of work. I got to spend one hour talking with someone about financial planning and learning nothing new. We already did everything his presentation showed and we are not really the demographic for his companies services. So I wasted an hour... Well I get back to work and send out some emails only to realize I have not heard anything from anyone today. My wife had work and I really thought nothing of it. My company has bank and lender holidays so we were closed today!!!

So now after helping clear another 1-2 inches off the drive I am getting ready to crash.

Today is Monday... Weigh Day!!
I lost another 1.5-2 pounds!!!! YEAH!!!

Daily Observation: The more crowed the store the lower the collective intelligence!!!

Good Football, New Food and a long day...

Well today was the Bears Game so I was glued to the TV for a few hours... What a game!!! The excitement was almost too much... Yesterday I was able to watch some football and the boys had a great time playing with each other after a long play date. Today, however during the one game I want to watch 6yo was a bit of a challenge... Last night for dinner 6yo tried Italian Beef and liked it...Tonight both boys ate 1/2 a cheeseburger!!! Both had never tired and both ate. If 6yo eats something 2yo will also eat that. It is nice after a few weeks to have 6yo actually trying new foods. He is actually getting a little less cranky about it and a little more excited.

New Food List he likes..

Italian Beef
French Toast
Bagels
Cheeseburgers
Waffles
Plus no longer requires crust cut off his sandwiches!!!

PROGRESS!!!!

Today I was not too good with what I ate and with the football game never got around to riding. I rode the last 10 days strait so one day off is not a bad thing. Plus 6 days I was good about my food and 1 day I was not too good. In the end I am sure that is much better anyways.

So as Sunday comes to an end I realize tomorrow there is NO SCHOOL and probably 3-6 inches of snow on the way... NEW SNOW BLOWER!!!! That I should not use with my elbow!!! DOH!!!

Daily Observation: The moment you want quiet is the moment your child will be the loudest!!!

Bad Night and a Morning to Myself

Well Friday Night was bad for both 2yo and myself. He was up a bunch of times and my elbow made it difficult to fall back asleep. After the third time up I was dead tired. When the 4th time came around 3:30 I did not here him and the Wife went and settled him. The last time I had looked at the clock it was AFTER 3:00! Well 5:30 rolls around and 2yo is up and hyper wanting to play. Saturdays are normally my day to get up on the weekend, but since the night was so rough the Wife decided to get up and let me sleep! I slept in until after 8:00 and that made the day much better. The wife and both boys had a 10:30 play date so from 10:00 until after 1:00 I had the house to myself. I decided to ride my bike for over an hour and then take a shower without interruption! It was nice to be home alone for a change. I ate a nice lunch and then wife and 2yo were home so 2yo could nap. 6yo stayed to play for a couple more hours. It is amazing how strange it is to be alone when you are used to have a 2yo around you all day. At 2:30 I went and picked up 6yo from his friends and then got ready to watch a little FOOTBALL!!!! typically during the season I get to watch only one game per week. DA BEARS!!!! Now that it is playoff time I watch a little more football... So having a morning to myself and an afternoon and evening of football on TV made the day a bit of a vacation for me.

Daily Observation: "Football Experts" are idiots... Baltimore will go all the way, Philly will go all the way! Get a real job...

When Sleep is Not an Option!

Well last night was rather difficult. 2yo decided he really did not want to sleep well. He is a very light sleeper just like me and seems to wake all the time. Last night from about 10:00 on he was up every other hour. I tried to wait a minute, but the longer it take for me to get to him the more likely he is to stay up longer. He had a Binky Crisis and issues with coming uncovered. Even with his warm footy PJ's he needs that comfort of the blankets. He sleeps in a big boy bed, but prefers to sleep on top of the covers with his super soft "Cars" blanket... The Obsession! So last night between 2yo not sleeping well and my elbow giving me grief I barely slept. I am amazed right now that I am actually able to sit here and type.

Despite being tired today I managed to continue my rides. I did a little over 40 minutes while watching an episode of Alias from Season 5. I have borrowed the DVD's from the library and am looking forward to finishing off this season. The show was really good the first two seasons, but since then I ave been a bit disappointed.

My 6yo is still struggling on the trying new foods, but we have made some headway. The newest challenge tonight was Meatloaf and White Rice. After an hour or more of complaining he finally tried them both. Off course he acted like he was being poisoned, but he did try. All we ask is that he give it an actual try and not just say no way! His attitude toward food is starting to rub off on his brother and is bad. So we are pushing both to try everything. Some night are good, others like tonight...not so good...

So as I sit he I realize I have had about 3 hours sleep in the past 24 and should get to bed.

Daily Observation: I guess there is a new law that I have missed along the way. When turning left you should straddle the line and make sure your car is in both the turn lane and the other lane equally to make sure no one can go by you. I guess this is handy when you want to slow down traffic even more.

Two-A-Days!

Well today was one of those days that went rather well. Work is paused until the programers finish a project in the next few days. Then I will be really busy. This project along with my normal Feburary Program Reviews will make me crazy busy for the next few months. So I have been able to get a little extra me time in today.

I started the day out with the normal feed the kids and wish 6Yo and Wife a good day as they left for the school bus and work. 2Yo and I spent some time playing with Cars which is a constant thing and then I decided to ride my bike on my indoor trainer for a while. I was able to ride for 30 minutes with only two stops. After this I showered while 2 YO played cars on the bathroom floor. Then it was lunchtime for us. I had really been craving SUBWAY which fits into my new eating habits with the Roasted Chicken Sandwich... So 2YO ate some chicken nuggets and we went out to get SUBWAY for dad. When we got back I really wanted a soda so I grabbed 12 ounces of bubbly joy and that turned into another... OOPS!!! Well 2YO went down for a nap and I decided to not feel guilty I should hit the bike again. 45 minutes nonstop felt really good. I was able to ride twice and not feel guilty about a little extra bubbly goodness...

The afternoon continued in a pleasant manner and the only issues today were at dinner with the 6 YO. Since he has chossen to stop eating pretty much everything except like 3 foods we have changed our policy on eating. He tries what we eat or he does not eat. He does not have to eat everything, but he has to a least make a good effort in trying the things on his plates. If he makes a good effort and tries his food and he still does not like it he can have something else healthy. Well tonight was the first night he has choosen not to eat his food... He like chicken nuggets so I made Chicken Strips! You would think we were asking him to eat Beetles or something. So in the morning he will be hungry. Tomorrow night I will make French Toast which is on his new favorite list. (Tried this over the weekend) I will also make a few other breakfast items like Hasbrowns and Eggs. He can have his French Toast, but he will need to try the other stuff as well.

Daily Observation: When a Police Officer Drives by Everyone Slows Down...Except the idiot that gets pulled over!!!

Monday in all it's glory

Mondays...What more can be said. Mondays typically are a little tougher, but today was more then a bit tough. The kids were fine and we are having some progress in gettting 6YO to eat. He actually tried some Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Corn. This is an amazing thing. Trying to get him to eat has always been a problem. Yesterday he even screamed when he gets older he is only going to eat Peanutbutter Chocolate Chip sandwiches and Fruit Snacks. He is just so affraid to try anything new. He tried French Toast the other night and now he wants that more often. Go Figure something people eat other then PB&CC tastes really good.

No for the bad day it just has to deal with my wife's work. She has pretty much been treated rather poorly as of late and the company has changed dramatically in the past few years. A bunch of people she knows just up and walked out because of it. Right now she is trying to balance a few life things with the problems at work, but the stress is getting to her.

On the Elbow front I had one of my best days yet...Until tonight! In the evenings and then mornings it tends to be extremely sore!

the weight issue has a positive direction. I weigh myself every Monday at the same time in order to keep accurate count of my weight loss progress. As of today I am down a little over 2 lbs since Jan 1. I have ridden my bike 5 of the last 7 days and will probably be able to ride inside all week with no problems.

Daily Observation: Repeat... When you are running late there is always a sticky diaper to make you even later!

2 + 2 = No Problem

Well the wife had to go attend to something yesterday with some work friends and associates. One she has worked with for many years has two kids and needed someone to watch them. Her and her husband were involved with the issue at hand. I said it would be no problem to watch her two boys. No I have met he a number of times and the wife has known her for years, but I had only met their older boy one time and never met the youngest. So at about 1:00 the kids become my responsibility.

Child Tally

1 1/2 year old (Babysitting)
2 1/2 year old (Mine)
3 1/2 year old (Baby Sitting)
6 1/2 year old (Mine)

My 6 yo was more then happy to play with the 3 yo and they had a very good time. The two younger boys kind of played together, but my 2 yo was more interested in the bigger boys. At about 2:15 my 2 yo want to go to bed so off he went. At this point the 1 yo was getting a little cranky since I walked a few feet away from him to put 2 yo to bed. So 1 yo sat on me for a few minutes to calm down while I watched a little football. Within a couple minutes he too fell asleep. So I sat and watched football with the 1 yo sleeping on me and the 6 yo and 3 yo playing with toys on the floor in front of me. At about 3:30 the 1 yo woke up and again began to play with the bigger boys. At about 4:00 2 yo wakes up and is CRANKY!!! 4:10 people begin to show up. The wife was dropped off by another friend that had not seen the house or kids in a while and the mom of the boys showed up a few minutes later. To their surprise I was perfectly fine and rather happy. All the boys were good and I only had to put my foot down a couple of times for sharing and clean up...

all in all not a bad afternoon. The boys were good and I got to watch some football!

Daily Observation: No matter how hard you try, someone will find fault in something you do...

Too Much Goodlife equals Too Much Weight

Well the holidays are over and the cold of the winter has not hit yet. It has been extremely mild thus far and I fear that means we will get hit hard soon. The kids are already showing signs of cabin fever even though we have been able to get out a little more then usual. Today we went trekking off to a local mall to just wonder and get away from the house. The little trip went fine until lunch. 6YO does not like to eat anything and will fight us at every turn about food. He is super skinny and only wants Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Sandwiches and Fruit Snacks... He will eat a FEW other things like French Fries and the occasional chicken nugget. Well we ate at the Rain forest Cafe and ordered Chicken nuggets and fries for the boys. 2YO as usual ate without an issue, but 6YO pretty much made a scene. We have tried to reason with him and worked to be fair, but today was the last straw. He had two choices...Eat What He was Given or Go Hungry. Well after a few hours in his room and attempts to get him to eat his lunch dinner came around and he had still not eaten any of the food. I made French Toast which he has tried once alone with Turkey Bacon. Of course he freaked and wanted something else. We said NO what we have for dinner is all he gets. It took him a long time, but he ended up eating the French Toast as well as 1/2 a piece of the bacon. This was a good start. About 20 minutes before bed he said he was hungry and wanted to eat. We gave him two choices, good food or bed... A big hunk of Sharp Cheddar and an Apple later he was in bed. He has never eaten well, but I think he finally realized we are done playing games. Tomorrow night it will be PASTA! and BREAD STICKS!

Now for the too much good life... I knew after I broke my arm I put on some weight. I had figured it was around 15 pounds in about 5 months. Well that was a little under. Turns out it was a little over 20 pounds in 5 months. I had planned to start getting back in shape after my torn tendon in my right elbow was healed. The time is now and I have had 4 days under my belt of eating better and some regular exercise. I have a trainer for my bicycle so I can ride inside and even one armed. So I have redone my goals and plan to get back down to a good weight. I am 6' 3" and currently tilt the scales at almost 260! OUCH!!! My best adult weight nearly 3 years ago was 217 with my highest weight 4 years ago over the 270 mark. I was able to get my weight under control originally by just diet. Now that I have found an exercise addiction with bicycling I am sure I will be able to do well combining the diet and Exercise. My goal is to drop to 230 by June 1 in hopes of using the summer and the prime riding season to push me the rest of the way. My IDEAL weight is 199, but realistically I feel 215-220 will be more in order. I held steady for over a year at 225 before picking up a few old habits. I am sure that if I am under control with the eating habits as well as riding a lot that I will be able to slim down a bit easier.

So here is to getting back on track...

Daily Observation: While People Watching at the mall I realized I am not as weird as I thought!

CARS CARS & MORE CARS

Well 2YO was given Pixar's CARS for Christmas and I have pretty much had enough of it. He had the FLU and it was always on... Day and Night. I think since Christmas it has been on at least 30 times!!! My 6 YO at this age could not stop watching SHREK! At the time I had him at a sitters and had to make sure they had it as well.

2YO also received a few of the Toys from the movie and has begun to play with then at certain points in the movie. He goes so far as to pushing Lightning off the table when he crashes in the movie.

The New Year brought the plague into the house and 2YO was sick first and then me. Looks like 6YO and Wife will get away with only a cold. Also with the new year and finally two "Good" elbows I have been back on track to better health. With eating better as well as my bicycling addiction I should have no troubles getting back to a good point by summer.

Daily Observation: Question Today... If you do not leave the house for a day does the world actual go on without you?

Another Day Even Less Sleep

Well another rough night at the homestead. 2YO is still sick and had a very rough night. He was up pretty much all night which has made today a Caffeine Induced zombie fest... I found myself rather snippy at 4:00 this morning while the 2YO was again mad at the world. He ended up watching CARS the movie again! I did get a chance to go back to bed when he fell asleep this morning around 7:30. He slept until around 9:00 so I actually slept for about an hour. After another rough night of no sleep we decided it would be best to see his Dr. As I figured he just has a bad case of the Flu and will need some time. If he does not choose to sleep it will make his recovery that much more difficult.

It is early afternoon and I feel like I have been up for days... Oh wait... I have!

A Little Humor...

Last night at some point the 2YO was in our bed. He did not sleep, but he took up 80% of the bed. He wanted to go downstairs so I decided to get out. I forgot I was right on the edge of the bed. THUD!!! I hit the floor on my butt and worked hard not to hit my right elbow...no luck! OUCH!!!!

So I have finally been able to work as well as ice the sore elbow. 2YO decided to nap and has been down for a little over an hour.

Daily Observation: The difference between 8 hours of sleep and 3 hours of sleep is...2 (Two Year Old that is...)

The New Year Has Begun!

Well another year has come and gone. Of course no year would be complete without a big send off. Saturday 2 Year Old got the Flu and was up ALL night. Sunday he was a little better, but still had some troubles with resting. He started eating and actually taking in a lot of liquids, but still feeling pretty bad. Last night he spent the night in our bed and actually was able to get more rest. This morning he is still cranky, but is doing much better.

A New Year

With the new year comes new hopes and plans. We will have to see how the year plays out and if those hopes and plans actually materialize. No one can know what a year will bring, but I just hope 2007 is a better year then 2006 for my family.

The Blog Plans

• Daily Blogging
• Podcast
• Photos
• Links to Articles I will be writing
  

The blog plans for 2007 include blogging everyday, photos and the addition of a podcast. The addition of the podcast should bring some interesting changes. I will also be linking a little more to a few of the sites I am involved in and doing some writing for. I think the most noticeable change will be the additions of photos. These photos will be ones taken by me of the kids and our adventures.

Personal Plans

I plan on making some personal life changes as well for 2007. First off I am going to regain focus on controlling my weight and getting in better shape. I had a great start last spring with my new addiction "Bicycling" until I fell and broke my elbow. Now that has healed and I am recovering from repairs to the other elbow this year looks good for improving my health. Riding will be my focus and of course balancing my diet with the exercise. I am not only looking to get back to riding, but get back into Martial Arts after 17 years away. It is something I loved to do, but life caught up with me and I let it slide. Now I am in a situation where I can again get back to training. This will not happen until the summer since I need to have my elbows 100%. And the final piece to my health puzzle will be "Body Weight Workouts" I hope to be in great shape by summer so I can easily do a 100 Mile Bike Ride.

Work

Work is great and I truly love the company I work for. Being home with the kids as well as making money is an amazing thing. It takes balance and sometimes strange hours, but in the end I get the best and worst of both worlds. I would not trade that in for anything.

Daily Observation: New Years Resolutions are Great Starting Points, but Actually Keeping to a Resolution is a Resolution in its Self.