6yo is Now Officially 7yo

Well my oldest turned 7 today. It is really hard to believe it has been seven years since I held him for the first time. The day he was born my world changed forever. It was now longer about my wife and I it was about our family. This little peanut changed everything...For the better. Now my little peanut is Skateboarding, Playing Full Contact Football, Reading and of course being a smart mouth.

Happy Birthday my now 7 Year Old...

The 5 (Birthday Edition)

1. Seven Years -It has been seven years since he came into our world. Seven years of Happiness, Fun, Frustration and of course Love...
2. Birthday Party - Yesterday was the party. We had it at a local beach on a small rather clean lake. The kids and parents all had a blast.
3. Birthday Boy - Today he gets his way...for the most part. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. He does have Swim Lessons and Football today so not everything the way he wants...
4. Toys - The toys only get cooler as they get older. Legos, Transformers and Star Wars Oh My...
5. Cash - He ended up with a whole bunch of cash from friends and relatives. The majority will go into his savings and he will be able to spend some right away. So we shall see what he plans out...

Daily Observation: Seven Years and it feels like yesterday...

Time Sure Flies...

Well the last few days have been rather busy. Tonight is the Beach Party for the boys birthdays and the prep to get here has kept me rather busy. Friday night My folks, a Great Grandmother and my MIL stopped buy to give the boys their gifts. Since tonight's party will be REALLY busy and we only have about 2 hours opening presents will take that long. So in order to see the boys open their gifts they came by early. Cars, Squirt Guns and a Razor Scooter. 7yo got a really nice scooter from my MIL and he rode it around the house on the wood floors. This will be the ONLY time he is allowed that since he has now ridden it outside.

Quick Notes:

• Friday had the van looked at prior to our trip. All is good. (Honda Rocks)
• Friday Meijer Trip was rather busy. A ton of people standing in isles
• 2yo seemed happy to not have swim lessons on Friday
• The BEARS started Camp... Football season is almost upon us
• Costco and 2 bumps... I was really close to smacking someone on Saturday. While I was at Costco I was bumped 2 times by people not watching where they are going. I was almost hit a third.

The 5

1. Costco - Party Supplies, Water and Food... Works great..
2. 1TB Hard Drive - I saw a 1 Tera Byte Hard External hard Drive at Costco... (Drool)
3. 300 - the 300 comes to DVD on Tuesday. I AM THERE!
4. Party Tension - The time waiting for the birthday party has been driving the boys crazy. They are so over excited I am afraid they will not make it without a melt down.
5. Cruise - We might be going on a cruise this Thanksgiving. A really close friend of my wife's is having her wedding on a cruise. (At least as of Today) We have been reviewing costs and are really torn about bringing the kids. We shall see if she finalizes the cruise our not.

Child's Play - I am not going to eat those rolls...They look disgusting... Well I will give it a try... Wow these are AWESOME! (Stubborn 7 year old when faced with a Cinnamon roll)

Daily Observation: The Bigger you are the more it seems people can not see you.

Everyone is a Critic... Even a 3 Year Old

Yesterday was one of those days that just pulls at your head. (Hair if I had any) 2 year (soon to be 3 BTW) was up most of the night before making the day rather difficult. We had swim lessons and soon to be 7 year old had a great time as usual and did what was asked of him. I just wish he would do more of that at home. I made it a point to come dressed for the lessons in my suit so when the little cranky monster decided to yell I could assist. The teachers had no problems with me being there, however it did not help. He spent most of the class yelling and participating, but yelling. So after class it was time to get the three of us home and cleaned up. We hit the showers and got dressed. As I was putting a button up shirt on little man was watching me and said..."Thas Girlie" I asked him what was girlie... "Your shirt is girlie!" He said it is pink! Well it is kind of a light purple/pink, but is a nice shirt. I walk downstairs to hear his older brother say... "Why are YOU wearing a pink shirt? kind of girlie dad." So I guess I have just retired an old favorite shirt...

The 5

1. Beowulf - There is a movie coming out passed on the Epic Poem BEOWULF. It is a CGI based movie using motion tracking tech. Looks rather AWESOME!
2. Harry Potter - Wife finished the book and I finally could read it when I wanted to. Now we are both done. Good Book...
3. Blade Runner - Blade Runner "Final Cut" has been announced. The cut will include never before scenes, lines and improved F/X. It is the final cut until they cut it again.
4. "Sarah Connor" - The Sarah Connor Chronicles are coming to FOX... Nothing like adding more SciFi to regular TV...
5. Flash Gordon - Sci Fi Channel has a new version of Flash Gordon

Child's Play "Thas Girlie" Little critic on my choice of shirts

Daily Observation: When you want to get something done, somehow someway your children know how to thwart any plans...

Swim Lessons, Work and Bicycles...

Well we are in the middle of two weeks of swim lessons for the boys and already it has been an adventure. 6yo has been doing just fine and enjoying the morning at the beach and playground. His lessons are 45 minutes and he is actually paying attention and likes them. 2yo on the other hand is not so happy. He wants to be at the beach, play in the water and be with the other kids, but gets frightened easily in the water. So yesterday I spent a good portion of the class in knee deep water while he was at class. The instructors are fine with it so I am fine with it. There was an interesting "incident" yesterday. A little girl in the class is having issues listening and keeps leaving the water. She left the water and went back to the beach house. The instructors asked her to come back, but could not chase her down since there were seven other little kids in the water. They saw the mom as I did and she brought her back. This happened a second time and I could see the mom frustrated. After class the mom came over and was not happy with the instructors for allowing her to walk off the beach. She said " I was way over there and did not know she was out of the water until she was already outside the beach house." I held my tongue. She then said if you had just asked her to come back she would have... Ah they did try that... but 3 yo girl wanted to see mommy... I held my tongue, but could only think if she had come to the beach house area and WATCHED rather then chat with 3 other moms maybe she would have seen that...

Since I was the really cool dad on Monday and played outside for hours I had to get some extra work done on Tuesday. So while 2yo napped I worked and 6yo read. After 2yo woke the boys played really well together for a while while I finished up what I needed to get done.

When mom got home I went off for a ride on my bicycle and near the end ran into a couple neighbors having issues with a bike. One had a flat tire so I stayed and assisted so they can get back on the trail. Looks like I will have some Tuesday / Thursday riding partners...

The 5

1. Watch your kid - Even though your young child is in an organized class it might be a good idea to make sure there are no issues before chatting with a group out of site of the kids.
2. Flat Tires - Getting a flat tire on a bike while trail riding is a royal pain.
   
3. Pizza - Mmmmmmmmmmmmm Dinner and breakfast...
4. Harry Potter - Wife finished the book so now I can actually read it early then 10:00 PM... Should have it done in the next day or two...
5. House Sitter - Going to go on vacation in a little over a week. A friend is going to come and spend the week at the house with the dogs relaxing...

Daily Observation: When a child does something they are not supposed to it is obviously never the parents fault...

I Am The Cool Dad

Well the last couple of days I am pretty sure I have solidified my place as the cool dad. Yesterday we went out and let 6yo pick out his skate board for his birthday which is Monday July 30th. We had a good time and when we got home he and I went over some basics. He spent hours messing with it and a whole bunch of time today. That is cool part one...

Today was rather warm and after 2yo woke from his nap we were playing out front. 6yo was playing with a few neighborhood boys and 2yo was having a blast following along. Well a few of the neighborhood girls were two house down and started using squirt guns on the boys. I quickly sprang into action and had the water balloons flowing and some cool balloon guns causing water havoc in the front yards. By the time the battle came to a climax there were at least 10 kids running around with squirt guns, balloons and other assorted water weapons. Everyone had a blast and the kids thought I was rather cool to play along. At one point I strapped on a Super Soaker CANNON and chased all the kids around. What a wonderful day to play...

The 5

1. Harry Potter - Wife is addicted and I have to practically pry it from her hands to read it.
2. Swim Lessons - We have swim lessons at the beach which are good, but a royal pain. 6yo is from 9:00-9:45 and 2yo is from 10:00 to 10:30. Then the moment we get home I have to scrub them since they were in the lake.
3. 15 Minutes - Well my 15 minutes of fame keeps going. I had an interview this afternoon with a talk show and they are planning on doing a peace on my blog and being an At Home Dad. If all goes well I will have another interview and some video segments. Coooool.... We shall see.
   
4. No Diaper - 2yo was so excited to play outside with the kids and the water fight that he did not freak when I put his swim suit on and no swim diaper. He even told me when he had to go potty. Getting there... Hopefully really soon we will have it all down....
5. Plane lands on WI Highway - A WWII plane made an emergency landing in Fond Du Lac WI on the way to the Oshkosh Air Show. I have been to the show and the planes are really cool.

Child's Play: "Cheese Puffs...Now I have Dinner" 2yo when he saw the cheeses puffs with his sandwich at dinner time.

Daily Observation: When you play like a kid, some parents just don't understand...

An entertaining rant from a friend of the program...

This is a post from another Stay At Home dad posted at the dadstayshome forum. His screen name is "Wilde Silas" and he is a Stay At Home dad from Arkansas. I really had to share. If you get offended by this rant I am sorry, but my guess is if you have ever tried to play a DVD with your child screaming you will agree with pretty much all of it...


An Open Letter to Dreamworks and Disney.

Dear sirs,

I am a presumably valued consumer of your many products, particularly your DVD collections. I estimate that my family has spent approximately $3,454,987.56 on DVD's over the last 5 years and I therefore feel I have some grounds to speak out.

Let me be clear. I am a stay-at-home dad. I do not buy your movies for their artistic merit, voice talent, social commentary, director's commentary, or character development. I personally prefer movies with naked women and exploding airplanes, but I digress. I purchase your product for one reason and one reason alone. To entertain, nay - preoccupy my children for approximately 1.5 hours at a time. This allows me the freedom to indulge in various recreational activities such as cooking, cleaning, stuffing down a bagel since I haven't eaten all day, or taking a crap without a kid on my lap. In short, I am a busy man with many responsibilities, and your movies could serve to ease my task just a bit. With that in mind, I would like to suggest the following changes:

1) When I insert the DVD, take me directly to the main menu. Even better, if I don't press the 'play movie' link in less than 3 seconds, automatically play the damn movie. It irritates me (read: pisses me the hell off) when I am FORCED to stand there fast forwarding through 74 minutes of sneak previews and trailers for movies that came out 4 years ago. I have already bought these other movies and cannot understand why you feel the need to cram them down my throat every time I want to watch the actual movie that I have inserted into the player. As of late, some companies, such as Disney, allow me to skip these previews by pressing the 'menu' button. Other companies however disable the menu button, forcing me to manually fast forward through previews of Garfield, Shark Tale, Fat Albert, a Don't Do Drugs, Coca Cola, Nike, and Dating Service commercial, while trying to contain the overflowing crappy diaper of the two year old on my hip, help my 5 year old to navigate around the dog vomit in the floor, and answer the doorbell. I'm looking at YOU Dreamworks. What did I ever do to you? Leprosy upon you, your children, your pets, and your creditors, to the 5th and 6th generations.

2) Put your FBI and Interpol warnings at the end of the movie, or hell, make them a 'special feature' on the disc (since they're about as exciting as most of the other touted 'extras' I paid the $17 for). I assure you, my 5 year old isn't going to pirate your movie. I don't have time to sit through the things (since you've disabled the fast forward and skip buttons for this portion of the DVD I hope your dog gets hit by a truck), much less copy them and give them out to friends. I haven't had a shower in four days so SCREW YOU if you think I care about someone else copying your film.

3) To prevent a full frontal tank assault on your office building by me, please simplify your packaging:

a) When I get the $17 disc home from the store, I am usually carrying a sleeping child, 12 bags of groceries, the mail, a dead bird, and the body of a Jehovah's Witness who had the balls to approach me in my driveway. By the time I get all this tucked away, my 5 year old is bouncing off the walls wanting to see his new movie. He is not a spoiled or greedy child, just excited to view your product. He should not be subjected to screaming, cursing, and inappropriate remarks about the mother of Jesus at his tender age, as dad is driven to employ power tools to get the f*cking thing open. If you're too stupid to realize that the majority of the thieves are downloading your film instead of stealing it from Target, and by putting twelve security labels and a proximity mine on the DVD case you're punishing your real customers, I'm soon going to BE the guy downloading your crap. Give me a break here - life is too short for this bullshit.

b) Once I have opened the store packaging, put out the fires, and convinced the national guard that everything is fine, I'm still confronted with a slip cover and two small tabs that have to be popped open before I can open the case and get to the movie. Are you kidding me? It takes me longer to get the disc out than my kids spend watching the movie. I'm usually trying to do this with one hand while holding a broom, mop, child, or handgun in the other. You're killing me. Put the damn movie in a paper bag for all I care - I don't need the tri-fold glossy 3-D artists rendering of the writer's original vision for the cover. I need ACCESS. Give it to me now or I start killing puppies.

4) Hey Pixar, I love your short films that play before each feature presentation. Guess what? My kids like 'em too. The problem is that they're short films. Like 3 minutes long. Do you guys think I actually want to spend another 45 minutes opening the DVD case again, just so my kids can watch the short film that you've so conveniently located ON THE SECOND DISC? Why do you hate me so much? Let's see - what else is on the second disc my kids might like. The audio commentary? - No. The biographies of the cast, crew, and everyone that brought the director coffee during the filming? - NEIN. The original storyboards from the brainstorming sessions you had with your wife's cousin at Denny's when you conceived the idea for the film? - Abso-f*cking-lutely Not. Hmmm...Wow - there's not a friggin' thing on the second disc that remotely interests anyone under the age of 35. Here's an idea - make a special disc with all that shit on it to send to your mom, I'm sure she's very proud and actually gives a rat's ass about your 'inspiration' and the camaraderie with your twelve-figure salary buddies around the office that you've managed to capture on the documentary. Then, just as a small favor for being the very reason you HAVE an office, put the short film IN FRONT OF the feature presentation - just like in the theater! I know - a brilliant idea that I wish I could take sole credit for, except that YOU GUYS CAME UP WITH IT FIRST! Which asshat decided to move it to the other disc? I'm no marketing genius, I'm just dragass tired of running back and forth to the DVD player every 5 minutes to switch the discs back and forth, trailing toilet water, laundry detergent, or mucus the entire way. Thanks a million. you self-absorbed dumbasses

Thank for taking the time to consider these helpful suggestions. Together, I'm sure we can prevent SAHD's all over the world from coming to your place of residence to suffocate you with a plastic Wal-mart bag.

Sincerely,
A Typically Busy SAHD

12:35 am and Harry Potter in Hand...

Well I needed to do some errands yesterday so I decided to wait and go after the release of the new book. I had made the decision to also wait a little while in attempts to not have to actually wait in line or park 10 miles away. I went to the local Meijer store and did my errands, however being tired I forgot one item...DIAPERS! DOH! Did my shopping grabbed my book and went home. Now seeing the book stare at me I could not wait until morning to start reading so I read the first chapter before bed. Do not worry I will not post anything about the book other then I liked or did not like it. People that feel the need to spoil the story for others just piss me off.

So this morning while I made breakfast the wife had the book. We ate and I cleaned the kitchen, made the beds, fought the laundry monster and a bunch of other stuff while the boys played outside and wife relaxed on the patio reading the book. Then it was my turn to catch up...

The 5

1. Spoilers - People that feel the need to spoil books, movies and the like for others need to find new hobbies since they obviously have too much time on their hands.
2. Dishwasher - The dishwasher with our hard water has been giving me troubles. Nothing like opening the dishwasher to see fogged glasses and soap covered plates. Apparently the Jet Dry was out and I used some older soap. So soon I will have to see if my efforts were wasted.
3. Readers - Checking some stats I have with blogger I have a few people that have returned over 100 times to the blog. THANK YOU and I am glad you keep coming back.
4. Recognition - Well my blog has been getting a ton of traffic as of late and with that I have had some interesting contacts from the media. It is nice to get recognition, but at the same time a bit odd.
5. Dumped the Adsense - Well I had been playing with the google adsense and what a waste of space. The adds are goofy and really just waste my space. There are a few at the bottom, but those will be replaced with Videos...

Child's Play - Are You Stinky? "No Not Stinky" are you sure? "Me Not Sticky...You Stinky" Coming from a 2yo that had a diaper that could gag a maggot.

Daily Observation: People always want to be first in line. Why not wait 35 minutes and have NO LINE...

When The Toy Clutter Needs Cleansed!

"Were Does He Get All These Wonderful Toys?"

Toys Toys everywhere and not a spot to think. As the toy clutter begins to over run toy boxes, the closets, the kids rooms and the house when do you fight back? As the kids get older the toys change, but what about the toys left behind. The toys from birthdays, the toys from this, that and the other thing. Old toys, new toys...Is That A Toy?

When my oldest was born we ended up getting toy after toy after toy. He was and still is rather careful with his stuff so in his soon to be seven years he has only broken a few toys. This was and is great, but since he does care for his toys so well he does not handle getting rid of anything...EVEN BROKEN!

Well we got a shock as soon as number two was mobile. In the first week of walking he broke more toys they his brother had in his lifetime. To this day he is rough on his toys and coming up on three he has broken more toys they I can remember.

Sometime after vacation the purge will begin. The boys will spend the day at my parents and the wife and I will begin to sift through the clutter. I have some plans, but those plans could change at any moment.

• Anything Broken not easily fixed that does not have special value GOES! If it has some sort of sentimental value and is broken I will attempt to fix it.
• Anything considered baby toys will be packed up and set aside until we have decided if two is the magic number. If it is then they will be given away. (Except a few special ones)
  
• Toys will be sorted and put into appropriate containers and combined where needed. (Example... I still have all my old Star Wars action Figures...for whatever reason my son keeps them separate. Those will be put into a container the right size to include ALL the Star Wars Toys...)
• Once sorted any orphaned toys will either find a home or be given away/tossed
• Anything not played with often will be given a second chance. If it is not played with it will go.
• Happy Meal, Gift Bag, Silly, Cheap ignored toys will GO...

Once everything is done and stored properly I am sure there will be much more space. The key is when determining what will go to keep the "To Go Items" stored and hidden for a short time just in case one of those is something a kid can not live without. Let The Toy Clutter Busting Begin!

The 5

1. Sleep - I actually got a little last night. Yeah!
2. Deadwood Season 3 - What an AWESOME show. To bad it is 99% done after the 3 years. there has been talk about some wrap up movies, but I would not hold my breath.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - I need to do some shopping tonight so I plan on going extra late and pick up our copy after midnight. The local Meijer has a major event going on. Plus if I buy the book and do my shopping I get a discount. I wonder if I will be able to actually get some sleep with the book staring at me.
4. Quirkee.com and Daddyshack - Friends of the program and some good reading. Also if you need some photos check out Photography by James Grayson. James has become a true friend of the program and even assisted me with the three column template. Quirkee also has a photo contest... Check Out James in his GREAT outfit!
5. Summer Reading - Older son has already made it past his summer reading goal and I am hoping to get him to DOUBLE the original goal. I also am trying to get him interested in Chapter Books with some Star Wars books. I would like he and I to read the books then we can talk about them together. He is a bit negative about the situation and I hope that the choice of reading will make that go away. In the young readers there are complete collections.

Child's Play: "Dad watch how I can eat the Joe Joe cookie!" I look down 6yo has chocolate cookie all over his face...Nice

Daily Observation: A tired two year old could conquer entire countries with his tyrant attitude alone.

Late to Bed Early to Rise...

The rolling thunder and pouring rain made 2yo not remotely interested in bed. By 9:00 the storms had calmed down and it was time for bed. The storms also made it difficult to work since the power kept blipping restarting the system. After a while I gave up and turned everything off until after the storms had passed. At around midnight with my mind racing I heard a THUMP! look in the hall to see a shadow walk to the bathroom then back to his room. I went to make sure he made it back in bed since at night he tends to be a bit flaky. Seeing him in bed and covering him up I left quietly. As I make it back to my room it happens... AH!!!! AH!!!! I quickly make for 2yo's room to see him yelling at his covers that are all messed up. So I fix his covers and settle him down. I finally fall asleep with the last look at the clock 1:02... My slumber was shattered with the cries of 2yo.... I look at the clock...4:10 I quickly get him settled and go back to bed, but he is not settling. He calls and I try again and again and again! Finally he yells I'M Up!!! I go back in at 5:05 and tell him no, it is still sleep time.. "I'm Up!" I tell him to go back to sleep and cover him up. Within minutes he is SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER!!! I go back in and tell him if he wants up he can be up, but he has too play with his toys in his room. He agrees after a few minutes of both of us raising our voices. I told him I am going back to bed... The moment mom got up the thought of any sleep was lost...

The 5

1. Rescue Me - The F/X show is starting to lose its luster. Having the chief off himself two weeks ago and a few story lines have made me question the once brilliant writing.
   
2. Eureka - The SciFi show is a lot of fun with some great comic moments and fun story lines.
3. Harry Potter Spoilers - There is a whole bunch of people claiming to have posted the ending of the final book. Nice... I have no interest in finding out the ending until I READ THE BOOK so I just avoid them. Unfortunately within a week or two someone will more then spoil the story. It is good that I will be able to finish it in a couple days...
   
4. Two Front Teeth - Well 6yo lost his other front tooth so now he has that toothless grin going. I guess all he will want for Christmas is his two front teeth...
5. Sleep - The last 3 days I have averaged maybe 4 hours a night. NICE!

Child's Play - "Look Look I can twist my tooth all the way around!" - 6yo showing off his very loose tooth.

Daily observation: High School Aged Kids smoking outside of the library are so cool!
Stop Smoking..

Playdates, Crock Pots and Almost Bumps

Tuesday we had set up a play date for 6yo. One of his friends came over and they played XBOX, Action Figures and of course a number of weapon type games. The Sky was dark and threatened to rain, but a few drizzles and some rolling thunder was all for the day. 2yo had a blast playing with the big boys and they were both nice enough to not be bothered by his additional input.

I broke out the crock pot and slow cooked some chicken breasts in a soup and the aroma filled the house. The first few hours were rather pleasant, but by the time dinner came a round I really had become sick of the smell. It turned out really well, but not as satisfying as I had imagined when I made it.

Well since the rain never came I decided to hit the trails on my bicycle. I have to ride a couple miles on the road and typically it is a pretty uneventful ride since most of the roads are pretty empty. I was on the last part of the road before the park going up a 45 degree hill that lasts a couple blocks when it happened. I saw an SUV coming up behind me and there was traffic coming in the oncoming lane. The SUV being in a hurry decided to not give me any room and nearly clipped me with the Right Side Mirror. If I had not leaned my bike to the right at the moment she past she would have hit me... This made me rather angry, but she was gone rather quickly so I could only shout out to the lady driving while talking on her cell phone. The trails were pretty empty being a Tuesday afternoon with crazy weather all day. I made it through rather quickly and I did two of the 4 trails. On the way back I was making great time and in spots I was at or above the speed limit. When I made it to the main road the traffic was backed up for miles. I needed to cross the street and there was an opening and I began to cross to the other side. There was a young girl in the car on the right stopped with a gap the size of a car in between not blocking the road on the other side. As I began my crossing she was not looking and started moving forward. She was TEXTING on her cell phone! I quickly turned into the center lane of the road and avoided a slow speed crash. She NEVER looked up. As I SLOWLY moved in the center lane a car was nice enough to let me cross. The traffic was backed up to make it into the left turn lane and I needed to be in the straight lane. So despite nearly getting SUV'd and Bumped I made it through at my average time and speed.

The 5

1. Texting and Driving - This is insane!!! Talking on the phone is bad enough, but trying to text someone while you are behind the wheel is just plain crazy!!!
2. Give Them Room - Bicycles are required to share the road. Bicyclists should follow the rules and cars should give bicyclist a break. What The Law Says...

   Sec. 11-1502.Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles. Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle.

3. Long Night - 2yo woke up 3 times in the middle of the night making it a very restless night. He and I are a little tired this morning.
4. Michael Vick - Dogfighting... Whether guilty or not this will cripple him and his career. If he is convicted he will no longer be a player in the NFL... "Stupid Is As Stupid Does" I guess...
5. Laundry - Again the Laundry Monster has attacked... I think with the help of 6yo this morning I was able to beat the evil monster back... For Now...

Daily Observation: When brothers get a long it is a great peace, when they bicker it is a great war...

Football, Frogs and Fun

The warmth of the shower washed away a day of work, cooking and kids food. All of a sudden the floor moved... What Was That! movement again in the soap... HOP! A FROG! Apparently a small tree frog decided to climb through the drain systems and end up in my bathroom. I am amazed that it was able to make its way through the floor grate into the shower. After the shower I had the joy of catching this skilled jumper. It took me a few minutes, but I did finally get him in a plastic cup and covered him. Outside you go... That was a rather interesting way to end the day.

Late last night I was called by 6yo's new football coach. The teams were assigned and the coaches matched up. My son is on the PACKERS! (DOH!) I am a Bears fan and bleed orange and blue, but now I must root for a team based on the Packers... The team has 13 kids and practice starts on the 30th which is the day 6yo turns 7! On that day we will get the schedule for the season.

Fun for the boys yesterday was a little more difficult to come by. The weather was a little odd with it threatening to rain all day and the humidity was really high. Cars, Soldiers fantasy creatures made their way across the hose in epic battles of good, evil and automotive technology. We did get outside for a short while and the boys had a good time playing on the swings. They were actually cooperating and have fun playing together.

More Parents stain the world... Dad kills three children then himself in AL... (CNN) This type of story is becoming way too common place. At least 5 in the past 5 months along with the Woman that beat her 5 yo to death over a week, woman trying to stop boyfriend from leaving by jumping on hood of car with baby in her arms... These stories just make my heart sink. Why must people hurt their children??? I will never understand!!!

The 5

1. Pee Wee Packers - Son is on Pee Wee Packers team. My only saving grace is they will probably have a better record then the NFL team... ( :-P )
2. Bears Do Not make offer - The Bears held their ground and the signing period for Lance Briggs went by without a deal. His only options now are to play for the 7+ Million this year or sit out.
3. Record Labels blame another- Well the record industry is now after the media for issues with album content leaking before the release. They say that the leaks are hurting album sales... Well probably since people will hear the album and then have no desire to spend their money on a CD full of garbage. Maybe if the quality of the product was better more people would be willing to spend the cash. The Music industry is a dinosaur that is coming up on extinction. Unless it rethinks the way it works the labels will be gone forever. There are tons of quality bands out there that do not have major label connections and are selling their own products through their websites... Oh and some even GIVE THE MUSIC AWAY!...
4. Is It Humid? - Well the humidity has actually created some rather uncomfortable days. I would prefer to not have the air on, but yesterday the humidity was so high it was rather nasty. I had to run the air just to dry out the house.
5. Rain and Floods - Well we have Thunderstorm and Flood Warning out for the next few days. The storms will freak out 2yo and the rain will get the dogs mad. My grass and plants will be very happy!

Daily Observation: Despite a bad day when kids are left to play they find a way to enjoy their time together.

The Weekends Done...The Week Begins

As the sun crept into my room this morning and the sounds of 2yo following mom around reminded me it is Monday. Yesterday was an interesting day and 6yo is not making a case to become a 7yo. I started the day by making homemade Chocolate Chip Pancakes with the sounds of two little boys COMPLAINING!!! 2yo was just following what his big brother was doing. About two minutes into making the pancakes 2yo realized what I was making and started getting excited for breakfast. They both ended up eating two rather large pancakes while saying how good they were. Yes 5 minutes before 7yo was acting like I was going to poison him and now he is planning the pancakes for breakfast everyday. Such is the life of a parent with a picky 7yo.

After breakfast I started working on the trailer bike we bought for 7yo to go on long rides with me. I was not happy with how much wobble it had so I modified it and replaced the "Quick Release" with a slightly larger bolt, nut and lock washer. I made sure every screw, nut and bolt was tight and triple checked the connections. It was rock solid!!! The only negative is I need to fully attach and remove the bike each time I want to ride. It really is not too bad and takes maybe 5 minutes to lineup and tighten the 4 post screws. After everything was completed I took 6yo on a 15 mile ride of the local HILLY trails. He had a blast and I got a heck of a workout. It was really nice to get out and ride and still be able to spend some time with my older son.

Unfortunately the rest of the day was not a smooth. 6yo decided he did not want to listen, throw things and pick on his little brother. He spent much of the afternoon in trouble and then was sent to bed early after doing a few things just to be mean.

2yo was his typical self following mom around everywhere and wanting her attention 100% of the time. The weekends and many nights I am invisible to him since he wants to just spend time with mom.

The 5 (Day Late Edition)

1. Parents Magazine - A writer for a parents mag called me yesterday to get some input into an article for later this year about young parents and the like. He found me through the blog and of course Dadstock.
2. Online Poker - I play online with a dads group for FUN. (No Money) It is a really good time and is a bit addictive. We can play and "Chat" all while the family is asleep...
3. Outsourcing to Foreign Lands - I have an issue with something a consumer company I deal with has done. So in calling the support line I find myself taking to someone with a heavy "English/Central Asian" Accent. I honestly have to say between the bad connection and the heavy accent I found it difficult to get my issue resolved. Since I spoke with multiple people with the same accent I am pretty sure it was "off shored" At what point does cost savings and customer satisfaction collide.
4. Chinese Take Out - Tried a different place last night on the way home from doing errands. A few of the wife's co-workers like it so I gave it a shot. Not too bad, but no where near my favorite Chinese take out. It was pretty typical, but nothing outstanding.
5. Harry Potter - The final book is coming!!! Wife and I will be fighting over it. In some ways I want to get two copies, but I would rather fight to read it then pay the money twice. We plan on seeing the movie next weekend.

Daily Observation: A 6yo wants what he wants unless he is not sure what he wants it really what he wants...

Transformers and two parties

This morning 6yo and I went to see the Transformers at the first show. 6yo was very excited to go see as was I. i had the toys growing up and watched all the original cartoons. I was worried about it being a little too adult for6yo, but after reading reviews I felt he could handle it. He has watched all the Star Wars as well as a few other movies that would be comparable. My only fear was any references to adult situations. For the most part there was little swearing and most of the violence was robot involved. Once the movie started it was pretty much non stop special effects and action. 6yo was saying wow and cool through the whole movie when his jaw was not dropping at the effects... Good experience and a wonderful time with just the two of us.

A few minutes after we made it home from the movie it was time to take him to his friends for a birthday party. He spent a couple hours there having fun while 2yo napped and mom cleaned up and got ready for the second party. I took this time to cut the grass and clean up. Then just after 6yo made it home it was time to head to wife's sisters for our nieces 1st birthday. It is about a 35 minute drive and we spent 3 hours there with family. By the time we made it home both boys were beat, but needed a bath. It is 9:30 and they have not quite settled... Maybe they will sleep in... Maybe...

The 5 (Transformers Edition)

1. Optimus Prime - It was awesome to here Peter Cullan voice the iconic character from my past. Hearing some of the same lines from the cartoon in his voice again brought back some memories of cartoons past... "One Shall Stand and One Shall Fall"
2. F/X - Seeing all the robots transform was amazing. Even the sound from the cartoon was the same. StarScream (F-22) changing in flight to fight off other F-22's and then changing back and forth was amazing. The sizes and movements were ultra real.
   
3. Robot Characters- The choices for the Autobots were perfect and Bumblebee was a very likable character. Frenzy the little scout was a great comic relief as well as extremely deadly. I was really only concerned about seeing Optimus Prime, MegaTron and Starscream. Any other choices were just fine.
4. The Little Things - They paid attention to the little things in the movie as well. The logos on cars and my favorite thing... On the side of Barricade the Decepticon Police Car it says. "To Punish and Enslave"
5. Not enough on each Transformer - The effects for the bots and the movements were amazing. My only negative about the bots themselves was the lack of character development. I really did not care abou t the human element that much, but it would have been cool to have more interaction between the bots. Starscream and Megatron really did not bicker that much. They did have one exchange, but not that much. The main focus was on Prime and Bumblebee.
   

Daily Observation: The First Morning showing of a movie is PERFECT!!! There were only 8 people in the theater. When we left at 12:30 the parking lot was packed and there were people everywhere.

A Day At The Zoo with At Home Dads

Yesterday I did not get around to blogging since the boys and I had a rather long day. We were meeting some other Dads and kids for a day at the Brookfield Zoo. Google Maps estimated the time at 1 hour and nine minutes so I knew we would have to leave much sooner then that. The plan was to meet the group of guys at the entrance at 9:30 so we hit the road a little before 8:00. the drive was fine and the kids were entertained by 6yo's Game Boy and the Cars Movie Soundtrack. 2yo was dancing in his seat yelling Lightning! The overall trip ended up taking about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Not too bad considering the issues with traffic. When we arrived we began to unpack the van when "Cubfan" pulled up. We chatted and started to get ready when Ma(tt) Daddy & Trevor57 showed up with their kids. As we began to walk to the entrance we met up with Cjbart and his wife and kids. So there were five dads present plus 1 wife and 7 kids aging from about 1 to 7. My 6yo (soon to be 7yo) was the oldest and liked being the big kid. Everyone had a blast as we walked, chatted and chased kids around the sprawling zoo. A little after lunch we began to split up as guys needed to head out. Cj and his family and my boys and I tried to hit a few more things. Well 2yo was getting tired and by the time we got into the second exhibit after the split he was starting to break down. He pretty much lost it and wanted to go home. So we stopped for a potty break, said our goodbyes and headed out. Just before we left Cj got a call from Cubfan saying the expressway was a parking lot. So I avoid that part and drove using some smaller roads until I was well away from the problem area. Our ride home took about an hour and a half and the boys each slept for about 45 minutes.

The 5 (Zoo Edition)

1. Brookfield Zoo - It is a nice zoo, but with little kids it is a bit too spread out. The distance between the animals makes it tougher on the little legs and attention spans. 2yo did not want to ride much in the stroller.
2. Zoo Keepers on Display - It was one of those days that we saw more zoo keepers and workers in the cages and paddocks then we saw animals.
3. Petting Zoo - The kids really liked going into the Children's/Petting Zoo. 6yo listened and enjoyed a talk about ducks and both boys got to tough the duck as well as brush some goats.
4. Bald Eagle - "Leah" the Bald Eagle was AMAZING! She is bigger then my 2yo and just beautiful.
5. Geese - The Canadian geese were of course everywhere. Around the main picnic and food area they were stalking kids with food. Some little kids were chasing after them and we could hear parents saying how cute that was. Not that cute... THEY BITE!
   

Daily Observation: A group of Parents with Small Children move Exponentially slower then alone.

The Fat Rant...

This is really a great video on You Tube...

Checking out the Beach

Today was one of those days that it was important to get out. The cleaning lady comes every other Wednesday and we don't like to be here. We have rented a beach for the boys birthdays at the end of the month, but have not actually been on the beach. I had been familiar with the lake and area, but not the beach. So this morning the boys and I headed out to check it out. It was rather cold and windy and this was just a recon mission. The beach will be PERFECT for the party and I am sure everyone will have a good time. After the recon mission we stopped at the Home Depot to pick up some bug spray for the yard. After a few chigger bites at Dadstock I am paranoid now. So after I mow in the next couple days I will spray the yard. According to the instructions it is harmless after it dries. Pets & Kids always worry me around the stuff.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa. While we were out we stopped by and visited with my folks for a little while. the boys were very excited and also got the treat of seeing their cousin. (My Older Brothers 2yo) They had a blast running around and being spoiler with treats.

All and all the day was pretty good and tomorrow is the Zoo with some of the Dads from Dadstock...

The 5

1. Crank - Watched Crank yesterday and I enjoyed it. It was a little odd, but the NONSTOP action and movement after the first scene was pretty intense. It is entertaining, but not a social gem
2. Eureka - The Sci Fi show started yesterday and I TIVO'd it and watched it this evening. It is a fun little show that does not take itself too seriously.
3. Speakers - My folks found a box with a set of Computer Speakers and sub woofer in it. One had a broken wire and was a breeze to fix. My cheap Dell speakers were having troubles so this worked well
4. Joys Of Jelly - 2yo rediscovered Jelly tonight. I made breakfast for dinner and gave him some Jelly toast. He finished that off rather quick. He used to eat it all the time and then just stopped. Now he is back in Jelly Eating Form. (Trader Joes Organic Jelly that is)
5. Vonage - I am thinking about making the switch and probably will in the next week. I need to check a few more things out, but I am positive I will be leaving the regular phone company... After being ripped off for years it is time to find a way out.

Daily Observation: When you put something somewhere you won't forget it, that is the one place you will never look.

Playdates, T-storms and Power Outages...

Today we had plans for some friends to come over and play in the pop up pool and use the big water slide we have. This morning the heat and humidity was brutal! They came by and played for a few hours which was a nice diversion for everyone. Having 4 boys ages 2(3) , 6, 6(7), 8 and one girl age 1 running around was a fun madhouse. Everyone had a wonderful time and I was actually able to speak to another adult for a few hours.

After they left we made lunch and had to do some errands. We went to the store and the clouds were rolling in. While in the store the storms started! The rain was coming down in buckets and the streets we now shallow rivers. The rain stopped long enough for us to make it back to the Van and then it came down again. This lasted most of the afternoon and into the early evening. While the boys were cuddled up watching a movie I was working until the power kept going out. After the second blip I left all my computers off and went to work on dinner.

Tonight I was looking to do something a little fun so I made my own pizza crust in the bread maker using Beer instead of water. I then put just the crust in the over for a little while before adding all the toppings and cheese. Once all the goodies were added I placed the pizza directly on the rack and the pizza came out nice and crispy!

The 5

1. Ghost Rider- Watched that over the past two days and am I glad I borrowed it from the library. The effects were cool for the most part, but the acting, story and overall movie seemed stale and slapped together.
2. Bread Machine - What a great kitchen appliance to have. I just wish I had a stone over for pizza...
3. Spider - There is an Orb Weaver Spider making its home just outside our back door. The boys and I were able to watch her make her web. She moved fast with amazing skills. The boys were amazed as was I by the little spider...
4. New Camera - Played with it today and am rather happy with it. Now to get rid of the extras from the old camera... ebay here I come...
5. The Goonies - 6yo watched the Gonnies today and had a great time. It was a favorite of mine when I was younger and it has help up to the test of time. It is funny to see all those actors in the movie including a very young Sean "Samwise" Astin.

Daily Observation: Summer Thunder Storms are an amazing sight...

New Look, New Camera, New Day

After the devastating fumble at Dadstock I have given up on the old Canon A85. I purchased a Canon A550 7.1 mp Camera today for the cost of repairing the 4.0 mp one... So I have a new toy, but it is really similar to the old camera. Uses less power, has different media, is at least 25% smaller, but not too small and takes pictures faster especially with the Ultra II SD card... It also does not have too many bells and whistles which I really do not need for my photo needs.

I have updated the look of the blog again and went with a purple which happens to be a favorite of mine. I also created a new header using a design similar to the shirts. I may make some minor changes especially the column widths since Internet Explorer was having issues the other day with my right column. I hope the new look is a good look. I have gotten some positive feedback already and I am sure I will get more along with people not liking it.

Today was Monday... A New Day in a New week and it was a typical Monday. Only real excitement was getting stuck in the rain picking up the Camera.

The 5 (It Will Break Edition)

1. Camera - Dropped that at Dadstock. Needed a new one since it was too expensive to bother fixing.
2. Blender - Smoothie maker died... Bought a nice Oster Blender...
3. Clothes Rack - Drying rack fell apart... bought a new one...Broke it too...
4. Water Filter - Pure water started leaking EVERYWHERE from EVERYWHERE... Bought a new SILVER one to match the kitchen
5. Wife's Hairdryer - Burnt that out a few weeks ago... (I Have No Hair)

Daily Observation: Rain will hold off until you are in the middle of a parking lot...

When Go Diego Go Attacks

The sun was shinning and a gentle breeze made ripples across the pool. The sounds of kids playing and splashing seemed almost calm in the heat of the afternoon. 2yo and I swam around in the 4ft deep pool having a good time. All of a sudden out of nowhere there is a sharp pain in my head as the sound of the thump echoes through my skull. In that moment I briefly lost focus and quickly made for the side of the pool and put two year old on the deck. The pain was brutal, but brief... As I figure out what happened I see Diego on his rather large wind up wave runner staring me down...
The wife and a few other adults come over to see if I am alright as blood begins to form around the cut and bump. One of the little boys playing decided to throw Diego into the pool and his aim was just right to hit me on the forehead between the right temple and eyebrow... OUCH!!! So an ice pack and band aid later we were good to go.

The long short weekend was interesting to say the least. Saturday morning started out with 6yo and I heading to the practice field for the summer mini camp day for youth football. We still needed a helmet and shoulder pads which are provided from the league. The sun was already baking the field when we arrived. After getting his helmet and pads fitted he began his first day of evaluation. He weighed in at a whole...48.5 pounds WITHOUT helmet and shoulder pads... the Bantam division is ages 6 yo's to 9yo's under 100 lbs... 6yo will be 7yo by the time the season actually starts. There will be 4 teams of about 14 so all the kids will be playing. The practice was for the coaches to see how well the kids were doing and make sure the kids were placed on the right teams during the "Draft" this coming Friday. Since 6yo is very new to football he will have a rather large learning curve to get going. It was interesting to see that 6yo was also not the smallest kid and 4 of his friends are also playing.

After 2.5 hours in the sun and no hat or sunscreen for me I was a lobster head... We went home and ate lunch then headed off to a pool party. Little did I know Diego was waiting to Go Go Attack!

By the time we made it home the boys were really tired. We all got some dinner and the boys went to bed.

Sunday I had plans to go riding in the morning with a few friends. I never set my alarm since 2yo is almost always up between 6:00 and 7:00. Almost is the key word... As the sun shinned in I rolled over to see the clock...7:23 Ah Man!!! I got up moving quickly to get ready and my bike put on the van. By 8:10 I was there ready to ride... We road for almost 2 hours then I spent a little time replacing pedals on a friends bike. After the ride I returned all the chairs from Dadstock and made my way home. The rest of the afternoon was spent entertaining the boys and taking turns doing house stuff. Overall the weekend was a blast, but always seems a little short...

The 5

1. Go Diego Go - Watch out...Flying Diego Wave Runners pack a Punch!
2. Poker Anyone - Well my dads board has a poker table that we can get together on. It is for digital money which is the only way I play... It is a blast to play with a group online.
3. Focaccia Bread- 2yo loves it!
4. Friend Engaged - A friend of ours emailed pictures from her Hawaiian Vacation. In it was one picture title "The Ring." that was her way of announcing it... We did not get around to seeing the pictures for a few days. Wife was like WHAT THE!!!
5. Transformers - Did not get to see it this weekend... WILL see it next SUNDAY!!!
   

Daily Observation: Seeing other children misbehave is satisfying in a I am glad that's not my kid way...

Getting Equiped For Football

Today we ventured off into the wild to get some football gear for the 6yo. We went to "Dick's Sporting Goods" and picked up the few items we needed to get including practice pants. I was amazed on the amount of gear you could purchase at the store. The Helmet, Shoulder Pads and Game items are supplied. When I played youth football more the 20 years ago (OUCH) there were hardly any stores to purchase equipment at. Now there is entire areas devoted to youth football gear! So tomorrow morning we go and get everything confirmed and the first Summer Camp Evaluation day begins. Since he will soon be 7yo, this is actually rather new to him. He really wanted to play football and I never once pushed for it... REALLY!

The day went ok, but was a rather busy day. The night is still really busy, and I think a few things are just going to have to wait. I am tired and much if it really does not matter.

Tomorrow we are also going to a party at a friend of 2yo's house. He will be so happy to see the gang from preschool. I am hoping in the next few weeks we can get some play dates together with a few of them. The past weeks have been so busy the boys were excited to have a day of nothing yesterday.

The 5

1. Goose Island 312 - What an amazing Beer...
   
2. Library Mix Up - I requested what I thought was a CD, but turns out to be a DVD live performance... DOH! Just looking to here one song...
3. New Templates - Both A Man Among Mommies and Dadstock.com have new templates...
4. Doctor Who - Starts TONIGHT!!! Thank you DVR , SCIFI and the BBC
5. Broken Camera - We broke our digital camera last week and are holding out hopes we can fix it... I am afraid we will be out of luck. The minimum cost to repair is $100.00 I can buy a better one now for about that much...

Daily Observation: They Grow and Grow and Grow, but somehow the kids still remain little in your eyes...

Blog Template Updated

Well as you can see I did a little updating to the blog. The 3 Column style, New Header Image and some minor color changes and of course some VIDEO links...

It is always a work in progress, but this is the starting point of the new look.

I need to thank Quirkee James for his help with the template.
You can visit him HERE.

Extra Short... Maybe not Sweat...

The wonderful sounds of kids rumbled through the house today... "I hate this" " I Don't Like that" "I like it a different way" "Why did you do that" Why didn't you do this" ???????????

Both boys were critics of everything. The only thing they could agree on was not wanting to go anywhere. After a week of stuff going on they both wanted down time and to play with their toys ALONE!

Since the boys were busy I was able to get a whole bunch of work done... YEAH!

New Template for the blog in the works. Used some changes in html from a friend... Quirkee James... I have a test sight up until I can get it how I want it. May take a while...

The 5

1. Highlander - I am up to almost the end of Season 3. It is fun to watch again and I have actually found a few episodes I have not seen.
2. Doctor Who - STARTS TOMORROW!!! SEASON 3!!!
3. Transformers - Want to go this weekend...REALLY BAD!!! new theme song HERE...MUTE MATH...
   
4. Football - Pee Wee Football has first summer practice on Saturday... A bit unorganized, but things start...
5. Cooking - Teaching the 6yo how to cook slowly. Starting to work on all the stuff he like to eat. Then when he complains I am not doing it right he can just do it himself... :-)

Daily Observation: Two kids can make messes 10 times faster apart then together...

Articles, Fireworks and the Fourth of July!

Well my little get together last week also had a special guest. Howard Ludwig of the Daily Southtown. Howard was nice enough to publish his accounts of our wonderful party.

"Dadstock brought together 13 stay-at-home dads from around the country. The group shared beers, gobbled burgers and traded war stories from the home front." HL

Article Here...

Howard Ludwig is a former Daily Southtown business writer who traded his reporter’s notebook for a diaper bag, becoming a stay-at-home dad. He may be reached at howardaludwig@yahoo.com.

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Having more and more people read about the wonderful world of At Home Dads is extremely fulfilling.

JULY 3rd

We went to Cook Park in Wauconda, IL to watch the fireworks. There were a lot of people at the park, but do to the size it really did not feel crowded. 2yo has been really nervous this year around fireworks and storms so we were a bit worried they would scare him. Well after the first few minutes he had a great time. The show started a little early due to weather and we were hit by raindrops throughout. As we made it to the car the rain CAME DOWN!!! The timing was almost perfect!

JULY 4th

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
-Declaration of Independence July 4th 1776.

We started our day out by going to the local parade and the kids had a wonderful time. This made for a nice start to the day. We decided to make plans to go to see Ratatouille with the boys. 2y0 napped and then we stopped by one of the wife's brothers for a BBQ. We found out at the last minute, so it was not really in our original plans. I did my part by taking over the grilling duties since he is not really good with the whole food over fire thing. Afterwards we went to see the moving and we all had a really good time.

Movie Tickets $20.50
Popcorn and Drink $10.50
Screams of laughter while watching a movie... Priceless!

The 5

1. Ratatouille - Another Pixar Hit... They are pretty much perfect when it comes to quality family entertainment. The details are amazing and the story and characters are outstanding.
2. Movie Prices - I really hate the cost of going to the movies. The experience is fun for the most part, but typically not worth the money. We went today and the Matinee was $7.00 for Adults and $6.50 for Children. WOW what a deal! Most movies I will wait for DVD... There are a few each year I am willing to go to the theater to watch.
3. Movie Concession Prices - OUCH! I really don't like the prices or the options one bit. There was a point where you could bring in your own water, but not anymore. Popcorn and Drink.. $10.50... Wow what another deal!
4. DVD Rentals form the Library - FREE! I spent $31.00 for us to go to the show. We could do Dinner at Applebees and a DVD for the same. Or PURCHASE the DVD and order out and cost less...
   
5. 4th of July - Remember we are FREE... Do not take your freedom for granted.
   

Daily Observation- People complain about other people and want to have them stop whatever it is they are doing. However the same freedom that allows them to do something allows you to complain about it...

Another Mention in the Paper!

Georgia Evdoxiadis

Of the Daily herald did a little piece on my event DADSTOCK!

See the Article HERE!!!

Next year expect so much more! the first year was a success the second year will be AMAZING!

Is Monday Over Yet?

It was just one of those days that can only be a Monday! The morning started out fine and the plans for the day were just relax. After 6 Flags, Sleepovers, Grandparents and Dadstock we were all a bit wiped. As I worked on a few things early while the boys watched some cartoons 6yo asked if we were going anywhere. I said nope...today we are just relaxing. He said "That is great, I am a little tired" Unfortunately the next few hours would not be that relaxing!

As 9:00 comes around it is time to get the "Kids With Fur" some breakfast. The older dog actually take medication and I had that all prepared in a little piece of bread as I filled their dishes. On my way back up the stairs I stumble! Food and medication go flying out of the bowl on the floor and I do my best not to fall down the stairs. By the time I got my balance the little dog had eaten the pills as well as 2 times his normal food. Oh No!!! So I grab the phone and call the vet. Vet wants me to bring little dog in to pump his stomach since he took more the dose for a dog 3 times his size! I quickly get the boys dressed and the house closed up and drive off to the vet. Little Dog actually was just groomed a few weeks ago and has a very short haircut now. He is part Pomeranian and something and weighs in at about 16 pounds. As we get to the vet I open the door to get the dog and boys out. As I try to get the boys the dog turns and pulls himself free of the collar. With the haircut his collar was too big. Oh NO!!! He bolts right for a BUSY road... I tell 6yo to sit down and stay in the van as I run and lock the doors at the same time. The dog runs into the road, but thankfully there were no cars at that point. He continues to run and goes THROUGH a fire station that had all the bay doors open and around a restaurant. At this point I am running in sandals and losing my voice trying to track him down. Out of the corner of my eye I see him running back toward the vets and into the road AGAIN!!! He makes it though and a lady outside the vet tried to stop him... She had left her car door open and he ran and jumped in... Caught him!!! I just about had a heart attack and to have him hit in front of me or the kids would have been devastating...

So into the vet and they take him back to induce vomiting. They asked that I come back in a few hours. On the way back to the vet I stopped and bought a new collar that is completely adjustable so there is no more between sizes...

• Vet Bill For Pumping Stomach $74.00
• New Collar $5.95
• Dog avoiding death twice in less the an hour... PRICELESS!!!

The rest of the day was spent recovering from the morning. I was able to go ride my bike a little while and made amazing time despite being really tired...

The 5

1. Seeing little dog on the road...DOH!!!
2. Seeing little dog OD... DOH!
3. Having little dog make it through the day! AMAZING
4. DADSTOCK - Everyone is still very happy and complemented wife for allowing GUYS, BEER, FIRE and CHAINSAWS around her house!
5. Tank Johnson - Was not over the legal limit for DUI, but DARN CLOSE!!! I am still glad them gave the bum the boot!

Daily Observation: Apparently Little Dogs are like Cats and have 9 lives. My little dog used up 2 or 3 this morning!

The Day After DADSTOCK!

Well yesterday I did not post since I was a little preoccupied hosting the First Annual DADSTOCK "At Home Dads Event" You can see the play by play and amazing chainsaw video HERE...

Well last night I was up until 2:00 a.m. cleaning up after a very exciting and wonderful day of Good Food, Great Beer and Amazing New Friends!!! So today was a little more relaxed, yet I still had a bunch to do around the house. Change sheets and towels, do laundry, finish cleaning from the party, water plants and many other odds and ends.

So in honor of the amazing time yesterday here are a few special The 5's...

The 5 (DADSTOCK Manly Task Edition)

1. BEER...Homebrew Flowing From Keg
   
2. Changing Tire for women in distress. (Mail Carrier had a flat)
   
3. CHAINSAWS...See You Tube Video Here or on DADSTOCK.com
   
4. Food Over Fire..Mmm Burgers and Wings
   
5. Fire For Warmth... We Build Fire... Ugh Ugh...

The 5 (What I Learned At DADSTOCK Edition)

1. Well Made Home Brew Is AWESOME
2. Chainsaws are really cool... Logs into Lumber... Ah Ah
3. You can take the Dad away from the kids, but the kids are always with Dad
4. If you Plan It...They will come.
   
5. Beer, Food and Friends make for a pleasant day.

The 5 err 16 (BEER Edition)

1. Indy's Home Brew (see Keg) Biggest Hit
2. Goose Island 312 (Possibly official Beer of Dadstock) Big hit...
3. Fat Tire
4. Dos Equis
5. Sol
6. Trader Joe's Vienna
7. Trade Joe's Bavarian
8. JW Dundees Pale Ale
   
9. JW Dundees Honey Brown
10. Leinenkugels Berry Weiss (Hmmm Trevor) Biggest Smile and Man Card Jokes...
11. Mothership Wit
12. Sam Smiths Oatmeal Stout
13. Killians Red
14. Warsteiner
15. Bud Lite (Hmmm HL)
16. Miller Lite (Hmmm Neighbor)

Daily Observation: A Successful Event Makes Everyone Happy!