On the Front lines...Parent Style...

Daily Picture: This says it all...



Today was one of those days that seemed to be a losing battle on every front.  Last week the wife was gone Monday thru Thursday, then she was home Friday thru Monday.  With these two changes our schedules were all messed up.  I thought for sure that the baby would be having a ton of issues yesterday once the wife went back to work.  Nope that was left for today.  He would not nap, was difficult to settle and wanted to be held then put down then held...  By the time we left for swim team I was going a bit crazy.  It would not have been too bad if the 3yo had not decided to add his crankiness to the mix.  All day fighting me every step of the way and even waking a cranky baby...

So as I type this I am spent and need to go veg for a while.  Too much thinking is tough on my brain right now...

Extra Long Weekend, Extra Work...

On Friday I tried really hard to get a reprieve from weekend work by putting chunks of wood in my hand.  Well there was so much to do that it was going to be impossible for me not to do something.  I called my dad and asked if he could help me with a project on Sunday.  He asked what it was and why... Well I told him in the words of my wonderful wife.. "Your Dumb@$$ son did it again" referring to my ability to hurt myself.

The Weekend Work List

• Stained the new swing set.  I was able to get about 95% done on Saturday, but the weather for Sunday night was rain so I did not finish that.  This was pretty easy to do one handed.


• Build a Wood rack from old wood.  I started that Friday, but ended up in the Doctors office because of it.  My father came out Sunday and helped me finish that. (needed a hand...Literally)


• Moved and then stacked wood.  Put the new wood rack to good use by moving my little wood pile (Kids helped with that)


• Broke up small branches for wood pile collected from Father In Law (Kids had fun with this)


• Put up Patio Canopy.  Now we have shade on the patio


• Power Washed the Patio


• Put tiles back on Patio Fire Pit Table


• Cleaned the Gas Grill after a long winter of use


• Fertilized the yard


• Raked up a few bad spots in the yard


• Finished up about a dozen little pieces for the swing set


• Replaced Mail Box Numbers


• Cleaned out Garage from swing set work. (Full of Dust)


• Power Washed Garage Floor


• Rearranged items in the garage after all the work


• Cut the Grass (Friday BEFORE I got hurt)


• Laundry


• Changed Beds


• Watered House Plants


• ...

I only did about HALF of what needed to get done.  The wife did the rest which was a lot of weeding, mulching and planting.

Swim Team

7.5 YO stared swim team tonight and liked it.  It was hard work and he struggled, but at the same time he thought it was great.  We have 3 days of practice to decide if he wants to join the team.  They let all new swimmers get a trial period.

Allergies

7.5 YO had a visit with an Allergist today... The question is not what he is allergic to, but what he is not allergic to.

New Phones

My kitchen phone has been having issues for a while.  So today I picked up a new phone that has 3 seperate bases and only one need to be plugged into the phone line.  This is great since there are a few spots phones would be nice, but there is not a jack.

New Earbuds

I picked up some JVC ear buds cheap today since my iPod ones are dying.  I tried a set of headphones before, but my FAT head was too big.  7/5 YO has a really nice set for his Nintendo DS.  The moment I plugged them in I could tell the difference.  No more need to crank the volume

The 5

1. Lack of Time - I have been so short on time I have not blogged since Friday.  It is unbelievable how much time I have spent on Spring Projects.  I am just happy we made a big dent this weekend.


2. New Socks - I bought a dozen pair of socks last week.  I LOVE the feel of NEW SOCKS... If I were really really rich I would wear a new pair everyday...


3. Doctor and Doctors and Doctors Oh My!!! - With the Allergist, Dermatologist, Pediatrician and of course multiple trips to my doctor I feel I have spent too much time in waiting rooms...


4. Crazy Weather. Yesterday was REALLY warm and sunny, today overcast and COLD!!!  I think it was a 35 degree drop since yesterday


5. Thunderstorms... Sunday night a major T-storm rolled through which had 3.5yo in our bed.  After an hour of getting abused by my son I grabbed my pillow and hit the couch.

Daily Observation: Sleep is needed...

Not Even Summer and I need a "ER" visit...

Daily Picture: The Bandage!



It is not even summer yet and I found myself needing a special visit with the Doctor. Luckily my Dr's office was open still so I avoided the ER.

I was working in the garage with some of the wood from the old and new fort. I had just removed a bunch of hardware out of an old piece and grabbed the wood to move it... OUCH!!!

I look down at my had and there are really large splinters sticking out. I go inside and promptly pull out 5... One left... But wait it is EXTREMELY deep in my hand. I try and try to get to it with no luck.

Off to my Doctors office. The Nurse and Dr take a look and could see it really deep in my hand. Now the fun beings... It is so deep he was going to have to cut my hand open to get it out. So he numbs the hand and makes a cut to try to get it out. After 10 minutes of digging and two deep scalpel cuts he finally is able to remove it. It was the size of a piece of rice, but felt like a 2x4... Because the wood was nice and rotten stitches were out of the question. More then likely he said stitches would cause the bacteria to stay and get really infected. So it is steri striped and bandaged.

The wife is rather pissed about me getting hurt on the eve of our big yard yard work weekend. Funny thing is she budgeted a ER visit into her original numbers for the building of the swing set.

So now I have a wonderful open "L" shaped wound on my had under layers of steri strips and gauze and a bottle of Antibiotics to suck down for a week...

Nice way to start a holiday weekend...

Yesterday Was Graduation, from Preschool

Daily Picture: Little Graduate.



Yesterday was the last day of 3yo Preschool.  He will miss going to class a whole lot.  They did a cute little show as well as a little "Diploma" ceremony.  All the kids were so cute and so excited to have a special day.  This year was Tuesdays and Thursdays, next year it is Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  So now it is officially summer for my little 3yo.

Another Day Without Mom...

Yesterday the wife got home after 10:00 pm from her work meetings.  My MIL came by to help out, but was stuck at work so she really was only here a couple hours.  I was able to get some work done, but 3yo and baby both were not being very cooperative.  Luckily the baby finally settled for Grandma and the night got a little easier.

Today the wife got home at 9:00 and it was an interesting day.  At 3:00 the baby starting having a complete fit and by the time his big brother was home at 3:45 he was still crying and pissed.  I still had to do a pickup for Market Day at my sons school so it was going to be interesting.  I made him a bottle and even though he really was not that hungry it relaxed him a bit.  During the fit my neighbor's son stopped by to see if 7yo could play.  I said we were heading out, but when we got back from Market Day he could play.  Moments later my phone rang and my neighbor volunteered to take all three boys so I could make the trip without the kids in tow.  Her youngest is the age of my oldest.  The went for a walk down to the park and the baby was very good for her.  On my way back I stopped by the park to see how they were doing.  All was great and she said to go get a few minutes and they would be back in about 30 minutes.  My folks were coming out so I let them know the boys might be at the park.  I used the little bit of time to clean up around the house and yard a little.  My dad showed up about 20 minutes later and said my mom was walking back from the park with the boys and my neighbor.

My Folks...

They watched and spoiled the boys for a while, but 3yo and baby again were having issues.  They missed mommy and Grandma was not someone they wanted so I had to step in.  They came over so I could get some work done, but multiple stops made it a little difficult to get in a groove.  Luckily I had a good stopping point waiting for the software to be reboot after a issues I found... (Doing my job, finding those problems)

The 5

1. Da Bulls - Well even though I have not followed NBA basketball since the days of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson I though it was interesting they beat the odds and with a 1.7 % chance to get the 1st pick scored... So even though they really do not have that many holes they get the number one pick...


2. DirecTv DVR = POS- The DVR I got from DirecTv sucks... It messes up all the time, always has issues and is an all around POS.  The Tivo unit I got from DirecTv a long time ago works 500% better.


3. Cleaned Van - I took a little time to try to get the monster mulch stains out of my van.  After a while it worked, but I will probably need another go at it


4. Push Me - Some how my 3yo can get any mom to push him at the park.  Today while at the  park I was sitting with the baby and he wondered over to the swings.  Within a few seconds he had a mom that was there pushing him as I was walking toward him.  This is the second time in two weeks he got a push on the swings, even though I was right there...


5. Yard Work - Now that the Swing Set is done I can focus on the 2000 other little projects that need to get done.

Day one of wife away on business... Kind of.

Well the wife is at a sales meeting M-Th which means I have no tag team partner.  The meeting is less then an hour away so the wife is actually driving and staying at home, but is still gone until late in the evening.  Today she left just after lunch which would have worked out great if the baby did not have a cold and was rather crabby.  He has been struggling to nap and even when he did nap he was extremely restless.  By the time the wife walked in the door tonight I was spent.  The kids had been in bed maybe 15 minutes and I had spent much of the afternoon rocking and settling a cranky little one.

Shopping Alone!

With the wife home all morning I took the time to get out and get some shopping done ALONE!

New Shoes

I really needed some new shoes and sandals so that was my first stop.  I did great on the sandals and average for me on the shoes.  By the time I left the store I spent $80.00 on nice leather sandals, Nike Running shoes and 12 pairs of white low cut socks.  I have bad feet and ankles and the running shoes help with that.  I needed new socks anyway, but I really needed them with the new shoes.  Most of my athletic socks are black, and the new shoes are Blue and White.  So white socks...

New Shirts, T-Shirts that is

I am by no means a small man.  I am just shy of 6'3" and have a rather tall torso.  All my shirts must be TALL!  It is not too easy to find cheap XLT T-Shirts, but JC Penny has a decent selection and sometimes just the right sale price.  I picked up 5 T-shirts (XLT) plus a nice Polo Shirt for $70.00 which is darn good for the Tall Sizes.

Diapers and Chips

Strange... I forgot tp buy diapers when I was at the store yesterday as well as forgot chips for the home made fresh salsa I am making... Blue Corn Chips... Mmmmm

Cooking

Chili

Today I crock potted some Chili which turned out really well.  I made a bunch extra and will be freezing a bunch in 2 Cup lots.  This way I can just defrost a bag and have a nice lunch and pretty healthy because of all the veggies and good stuff I put in...

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

I got a recipe for this online and WOW!!!  Fresh Strawberries, Raspberries, Kiwi, Oranges, Apples, Brown Sugar, Sugar and Fruit Preserves... WOW!!!  Then the chips are made with Cinnamon and Sugar on Tortilla's making a sweet and crunchy dipper...

Sit Tight and Hold The Fort...

With my major project finally coming around to an end I thought I would finally take the time and post the building of the kids swing set and fort.  The project went way over on time for many reasons including weather.  Having the weather be an issue made it difficult for me to get the most out of the availability of family and friends.  We went over the first budget, but not by much.  I made a few changes to the plains which required me to purchase additional lumber.  I did save a bunch to start by reusing many of the plastic parts from the first set including the slide, rocket rider, steering wheel and telescope.  I purchased special plastic paint for those items and refinished them.  The slide came out great, but the rocket rider is chipping.  The paint is supposed to work on most plastic items, but I guess this is not one.

The Changes I made turned out to be really nice.

• Originally the monkey bars were set DIRECTLY over the stairs into the fort.  The first two rungs were over the rungs of the ladder which would be really hazardous if one of the kids were to fall.  In order to make it safer I moved the monkey bars over and attached it to the side of the fort.  Using the fort and adding an additional 4x4x8 to the bars made them almost a stand alone attraction.


• The walls to the fort did not seem complete so I decided to top all the walls with a piece of decking giving the kids places to set things down.


• The Ladder into the fort was a little weak.  I added some support blocks to the stairs making them secure enough for adults to feel safe climbing into the fort.


• The Rocket Rider chains were shot and I needed to find some new ones.  I priced the chains for the four corners and was not happy.  I then decided to check the swings out for the set and had a great idea.  I purchase two more swings and used the chains from them for the RR.  Overall I paid maybe $5.00 more for the swings, but now I have all matching chains as well as additional swings I can use if I take the RR down.

So here is the project in pictures...

First: The OLD FORT: Worn out, falling apart and not the best construction or purchase.  At the time however I did not have the skills to take on a bigger project.  this was Ready To Assemble and pre-cut/pre-drilled.



The Demolition: What the OLD FORT looked like after being taken down.





Save The Sand: I took all the sand out to be used in the new sandbox.



The Lumber: What the pile of lumber looked like sitting in my garage while mother nature worked against me on this project.



The First Steps: The first weekend brought out some construction



Two More Weekends and I forgot to take pictures between.  So here are all the final BUILD pictures.

The Whole Fort. Notice the monkeys bars just off the side of the fort.



The Roof



The Swings... All four Spots



The Sandbox... Old sand and new.  Plus one more bag to be added.



Inside The Fort

+

The Monkey Bars



So now I have one little finishing thing to do on the tops of the walls to make it perfect.  Plus I need to take a day and stain the fort.  It will be a light translucent red to go with the fence in the background.  I want the grain to show though and be a little more subtle then the fence.  So until then the kids get a great fort to play on and it is so strong I might be able to use it as a Tornado Shelter...

Defending Breakfast

Every morning I wait to eat until after the boys have eaten, lunches are packed and we have come back from the bus stop. Breakfast is typically a smoothie or protein shake with lots of ice. After returning today from the bus stop I decided waffles sounded good. I bounced the baby while my Eggo Low Fat Whole Wheat waffles toasted. The baby want to be bounced so I decided to sit down in my office and eat my breakfast while bouncing the little man. As I sit to eat I hear footsteps coming, like a Lion slowly stalking it's prey. I turn to see 3 yo looking at my breakfast with a big grin. No I have not eaten yet today and I am still a little sore after my should issue. With a big grin 3yo says... "Mmmm Waffles..." then smacks his lips. I look at him and say this is my breakfast and I would be more then happy to get him his own, but he was not going to take my breakfast from me. He said I want YOUR breakfast dad! I will give you waffles if you want a second breakfast but let me eat something first... O.K Dad... He wonders off and when I was done I asked him if he wanted waffles..."Nope"

He likes to take my food just because I have it...  Little goof...

Off to sail a few garages...

No wait...

Off to go to a few garage sales...

Ouch That Smarts!

Daily Picture: Moraine Hills Map... My favorite place to ride.



As I place the baby on our bed as he kicks and smiles.  I grab my clothes and get dressed while the baby is happily playing.  I reach out to pick him up and as I lift him from the bed a sharp pain shoots through my back across up into my shoulder.  I struggle to put the baby back down as the pain increases dramatically.  The pain bites into my back and shoulder like some mythical monster attempting to devour me.  My breathing stops with the pain as I struggle to not black out as I stumble to the floor.  The baby begins to fuss as I yell down to 7yo to come quick to the baby.  With all the racket he was upstairs in an instant quickly trying to make his brother happy while I attempted to get back off the floor.  It took me nearly 10 minutes to be able to get back on my feet and in a position to settle the baby.

Well this is only the second time I can remember actually pulling a muscle or pinching a nerve in my upper back.  As the day went on it loosened up a little, but tonight I am really uncomfortable.  I am hoping I can get a good nights rest and be pain free tomorrow.

3yo Terror and Toynado...

Well 3yo has been really pushing his luck and twice woke the baby, once on PURPOSE!!!  I was really upset with him for that one.  He thought it would be funny to wake him up.  As for the Toynado... He walks into a room and all of a sudden there are toys everywhere.  I have been working on getting him to clean up his toys, but lately it seems the toynado is out of control.

7yo Skin Care

The pound of lotion is doing wonders for his skin.  The eczema is going away rather quickly and within a couple weeks should be 100% under control.  This is making all of us happy, especially him.

Overwhelming Schedule, Underwhelming Personal Health...

With the schedule I have had since the baby was born I have be rather overwhelmed with things to do as well as unable to maintain healthy eating and exercise habits.  Frankly I have let everything go and I am paying for it.  Now that the weather is nicer hopefully I will be able to get out and do some more walks with the kids and well as hit the trails on my bicycle.  I need to watch what I eat, but with my schedule I have gone back to some very bad habits.  I guess one day at a time...

The 5

1. Pain in the Back - It is really difficult to function well with a 3yo and baby when you back is hurting really bad.  Moving, bending and lifting are all really difficult


2. Laptop - Work is sending me a laptop which will help tremendously as the weather gets better.  As the boys play in the backyard and swim in the 13' Temp Pool I will be able to sit and watch them with the added bonus of getting some work done.  Once the pool is up no one is outside alone...


3. Monkey Bars - The monkey bars on the swing set will be getting a bit of a change.  The way the plays have them I feel is too dangerous.  They would go directly over the ladder which would have the kids falling into the ladder if they let go.  So I am actually changing the style and having them connected to a corner and away from the stairs on their own.


4. The Golden Compass - Watched the movie the other day and it was just ok.  The Bear fight was rather impressive and the animal F/X were really cool.  So now next up is the Audio book which I just got from the library.  The audio book has multiple voice actors doing the rolls.  Makes it a little more interesting and a bit easier to remember characters.  With that I did get the added bonus of a note inside the audio book condemning it and those that read it because of the authors views on religion.  While I respect peoples views I do find such notes with regards to a work of fiction to be a little over the top.  Hey free speech...


5. Gas Prices - They are just plain crazy.  I just wish there were more bicycle trails connecting the different towns.  I would do a ton of errands and shopping by bicycle if there were a safe way to get to and from the stores.

Daily Observation: Pain is a Pain...

My Apologies... I know I have been a regular blogger for a long while, but the last few weeks have made it rather difficult to get things done, much alone blog.  I love to write and it is very therapeutic, but time is not always on my side.

Overtired. Overwhelmed. Over Easy?

You know I must be busy if I can not find the time to blog.  The last couple weeks have been a complete blur and a true test of my sanity.  With all the Spring yard work and of course the list of projects it is making it difficult to get even the simplest things done.  I had hoped to get more stuff done during the week, but the baby has only been napping thirty minutes at a time.  This makes it difficult to get even the simplest things done since lately he has been extra clingy.  Combine that with a three year old full into the "Terrible Threes" yes terrible three's not two's  I am actually finding that at this point I am getting overwhelmed.  Everything keeps pilling up, but even when I get one thing done two others are added to the pile.  The biggest project is entering weekend number three, but is looking great.  I spent 12 hours working on the swing set this past Saturday with the help of a good friend for about half that.  Thanks Mr Handy Andy...  I will be taking some pictures today and then this weekend to have a full article written on the building of the Swing Set.  Yesterday I was able to add two of the swings which made the older boys really happy!

3 Year Old Not Listening...

Don't get me wrong for the most part he is very well behaved.  I can take him places without fear of him being a tyrant.  When he gets tired however he has started to not listen and do the strangest things and he is tired a lot lately.  He has never been a good sleeper and still rarely makes it through the night and is typically up by 6:00am.  Combine this and a desire for attention and we have situations where his needs cross the babies needs and the world comes crashing down.  So we are working on being patient, but this is trying my patients as well.

7 Year Old Skin Care...

7yo has major Eczema and we had another dermatologist appointment yesterday.  First with the new Doctor and she is really nice.  Actually the entire office is very friendly and polite.  So now we have piles of lotions to go on 7yo in an attempt to push back a major flare up.

More Later...

Look for

• A Special "The 5"


• Movie and TV Special


• The Swing Set Project


• Pictures!!!

Your Training is Now Complete...

Daily Picture: Don't be Nosy...



Tonight was my final workshop for being certified as an ESL tutor.  I have one more night in a classroom then I am officially a tutor.  I will then wait to be placed with the appropriate student.  It has been a learning experience and I look forward to working with a student soon.  It may take a little while since the classes end next Wednesday and do not start up again for a month.  I have also been contacted to do some Internet work for the Volunteer center.  They want to do some social networking so I will be assisting with the different websites.  I have a Myspace, Facebook, Cre8buzz and a few others...  This is something I already do, plus the blog... So I will be able to add the content they want anytime...

One of the Moms!

Yesterday after preschool a bunch of the moms invited me and my son to go play at a park down the street.  We normally hang out at the preschool park which is next to the village hall.  We yesterday we went to the big park.  The kids had a blast and baby was really happy getting so much attention.  A bunch picked up from the local Golden Arches and the kids played for 2 hours.  Baby was so excited and actually fell asleep in one moms arms.  Once we were there it was a fight to hold the baby first...  When 3.5 yo was born and 7.5yo was in preschool only one mom made direct contact with me and became friends.  Here a whole bunch have become friends...  We are even planning some play dates for the summer as well as group play dates and park outings...

At Home Dad Playdate

Another At Home Dad is coming by tomorrow.  We are getting the kids together and then going through the old lumber from our old fort.  He is building a tree fort and I told him he could have any of the wood from the old fort.  Looking forward to spending some time with another SAHD...

The 5

1. The Golden Compass DVD - Have that to watch.  Looking forward to just seeing the Bears...


2. The Golden Compass Audio Book - Next up from the Library.


3. Star Wars Legacy Series - Started on the first Audio Book and have to say it is just ok so far.  the book has yet to grab me.


4. Speed Racer - Need to take the boys to see that.  Probably in a couple weeks.  Busy Schedule right now.


5. Mothers Day - This weekend...

A Few Days Away... Now Cinco De Mayo

Daily Picture: The Fort Under Construction



Well I have been away from blogging for a few days due to life catching up to me and running me down then backing over me to finish the job.

Friday...

Friday was just another long day and I was not in the mood to write about anything.  7yo had a 1/2 day at school and I needed to drop by a "Sample" to the doctor in the early afternoon. (see V is for Vasectomy Pts I, II, III, IV) After stopping there the boys and I did some shopping and then stopped by my folks for a bathroom break.  We arrived home not too long before the wife so we were tired.  I "Passed" the test with the "Sample" BTW.

Saturday... Rummage Sale Ready

There is a very large rummage sale in a town near us that is rather well to do.  The sale has been going on for years and so the wife and I decided to take a look.  We got up early and dropped the kids off at my parents house at 8:00am so we would not have to worry about them.  The weather started out nice and when we arrived at 8:30 it was crowded.  We went our separate ways and looked for stuff.  During my travels I picked up a race track for 3yo, a box of 9 games (Chess, checkers...) for 7yo, a cool Poker Chip Case with chips for me, Christmas Lights and last but not least the Monkey Bar Kit for the swing set I am building.  I paid $3.00 for it, but paid $20.00 for the one at Home Depot.  I decided to get it and keep both allowing me to create a few additional things for the fort.  The wife was meeting her sister there so when we separated she met up with her and found a ton of cloths for the boys.

Saturday Night...

The wife went with her sisters to an "Event" with silent auctions and prize gambling for the night.  The boys and I got to have some fun, but all night the three of them complained that mom was gone.  The wife had a great time and ended up winning a gift card.

Sunday Construction...

Sunday was construction day for the fort.  I began working on it at 8:00am and my Dad, a couple friends and a BIL came to help the best they could.  We worked hard and I had help at different times all day.  The fort is pretty darn cool and the construction is solid.  I just wish we could have gotten a little more done, but even after all day it looks like we did very little.  By the time night rolled around I was too tired to do anything but sleep.

The 5

1. Construction - The construction is not too difficult, but really time consuming.  I really can not wait until it is complete.


2. ESL India - Two new students joined the class I have been volunteering with.  They are from India.


3. Sun Burnt - Of course my Scottish/Irish skin burnt.  Top of the head and my neck.


4. Second Round - Next weekend I will be working more on the Swing Set and Fort.  I can not wait to see the final fort done.


5. Sleep - I can not seem to catch up...

Some Changes Coming...

Well I have finally begun to make some changes to the blog.  I have added a couple new pages on the top.  See the Links and Video Tabs.  I have added a bunch of videos, but the link page is still in the works.  Soon I might have a few more things set up the way I want...