Pictures and Shatered Nail

4yo had Team Pictures for T-Ball this morning. Getting out of the van I thought it would be a good idea to shatter my big toe nail. UGH!

Costco Trip

Time to go spend too much at Costco. I think every item costs at least $10.00 and I can never get out of there on budget. need to find a few things for the summer and hopefully make my way out alive.

A Great Day For The Boys

Daily Picture: Barefoot In the Grass



Busy Fun Day

Well today was a busy and fun day for the boys.  We went to Six FLags Great America today for a few hours.  We have season passes thanks to my Father In Law and we also had a few free tickets for this week.  So I brought my Brothers Wife and Son with us to play at the water park.  The boys had a blast and it was good to be out for a while.  Then this evening the two older boys had a birthday party from 6:00 to 8:00 at a Jump House Place and again they had a blast.  All the boys were tired and the kids had a wonderful day.

The Bug Hunter.

The middle guy is my great bug hunter so yesterday while I was out shopping I picked up some twist top containers that are one step from throw away.  I drilled holes in the tops and now he has 6 really cool 2 cup size bug jars.  I also found some butterfly nets on clearance and picked up two.

Dusting Help

Well oldest helped me out tonight by using the swiffer duster all over the house.  He spent a lot of time and did a pretty good job.  He is starting to get more responsibilities and hopefully he sticks with the helpful attitude.

The 5

1. New Blog Friend - wingspouse is now a friend of the program.  She sent me a message and added me to her site.  Spread The Friendship


2. Too Little Time- With all the stuff going on with my dad time has been short.  I can't really take all the kids over right now to see him and we are starting to deal with my Grandmothers so to be new living situation.


3. Bad Connection - I was trying to work on some stuff tonight, but the site I needed to access was not being nice.  UGH!


4. Nap In The Wave Pool - While sitting on the edge of the wave pool with the waves gently hitting 17mo he began to doze.  The sound of the water, being tired and sitting with dad was too much.  He did the head bob, but never really fell asleep.


5. EA Sports Active - I yelled at the trainer last night.  Was having troubles getting the wimote to register right.  Ugh...

"Take It One Day At A Time"

Dad is Home From The Hospital

Daily Picture: Happy Swimmer



With summer coming on really strong this week the boys have spent a lot of time in the pool.  My little passive solar heater has working amazingly well, almost too well.  The kids love the water warmer so it is not bad, plus it costs nothing extra to have the warmer pool.  48' of black tubing a few clamps and you have a way to warm up the pool.

Dad is Home

Well my Dad came home from the hospital today and as soon as my wife gets home I am heading out to see him.  Too much to bring the kids anywhere near him at this point.  He will be having more tests and then in a couple weeks he has heart surgery.  We are blessed that this all happened now and not in a few months when the result would have been considerably worse.

The Trials of a 17mo Frustrated by Communication.

Being little has to be extremely difficult and when the idiot parents do not fully understand the points and grunts it gets frustrating.  As a little one he understands an whole lot of words and concepts, but can not effectively communicate back.  While trying to figure out what he wants he will get emotionally spent until that magic moment when you figure out what he wants.  At that moment he smiles, makes an exclamation and shakes his hands.  Today the culprit was Oatmeal...

Finding a Home

Well my Dad had been taking care of my 97 yo Grandma alone since my mom died.  She is his Mother In Law and is rather difficult to live with.  My parents basically had been taking care of her for nearly 30 years.  Well with my Dads health going in a bad way my Uncle has been forced to man up and make some decisions.  He has lived in California for most of his life and has not really put his mother anywhere on the care chart until the last couple years.  Well my Dad can not take care of her any longer so he will have to decide if he wants her to move out with him or get her into a retirement complex.  She is still rather independent, but should not cook and really can't clean.  My wife has done some due diligence for him and found a bunch of information about the local homes.  She said here they are really nice and the cost would be similar to what my uncle helps with rent.  This is not an easy decision, but no one has the ability to take care of her and her son wont. My siblings and I do not have any room and we have plenty of responsibilities of our own.  After viewing the places my wife feels she would probably like most of them.  They are social and offer plenty of services and amenities that she currently does not have access to.  It is difficult, but looks like the right choice.

The 5

1. The Heat - It has been brutally hot the last couple days.  100+  We have all used the pool a whole lot to make it a little more bareable.  T-Ball was cancelled tonight due to the heat.


2. USA, USA - The USA Soccer team beat the number one team Spain 2-0 to advance.  Not a huge soccer fan, but that is a major upset.


3. Furniture Repaired -the furniture repair person was here today fixing the entertainment center.  Looks great, but the tv can not set on the surface for a week.


4. Avocado Chicken- I made Avocado Chicken for dinner.  Shredded Chicken, Fresh Avocado and spices!  Mmmmmm


5. The Bug Hunter- Soon to be 5yo loves to chase bugs.  Now that they are starting to come out more he is obsessed...  My little entomologist.

"Take It One Day At A Time"

Summer Days At The House

Daily Picture: I Am Proud To Play In Mud!



Good Brothers



With summer actually here and the weather warming up the back yard is the place to be.  The pool is up and warm and it appears my "Passive Solar Heater" has made a difference.  I was out in the "Pop Up frame Pool" with all three boys for a couple hours and the oldest is still in the pool while I sit here watching him. (Laptops with WiFi Rock)

Father In Hospital

Well Fathers Day was a bit of a downer, but as of today things are looking up.  He will have to have surgery to repair his arteries, actually Bypass surgery.  He first has to get over the Pneumonia and then go in for the heart stuff.  there is no hurry since the blockages are not complete.  So he will get out for a week or so and then have to go back and get a "Zipper"

Bike Rides

With the nice weather and the oldest no longer having a cast we will be able to do some nice weekday rides.  With a wonderful local trail network we will be able to back up the trailer and ride for a while and then have a picnic lunch.  Fun and Exercise with the boys...

The 5 (6 today)

1. Fathers Day - Was a bit tough having to have my Dad in the hospital.  It has been about 7 months since we lost my mom so it is difficult.


2. Pop Up Pool - The boys love their 13' pool.  After all the leaks this year I think if I get back to work with the software company like I should we will have to get a better above ground pool.


3. Texting- Didn't have it, didn't care...Have it now, can't live without...


4. Twitter - Nice to be able to add the twitter to the blog.  A little extra here and there.


5. 1/2 Price Pizza Night - Mondays are 1/2 Price Pizza Nights at the local pizza place.  Doing that for dinner since we have been a little busy with family stuff.  I also need to head out to my Dads house to take care of a few things while he has his stay at the hospital.


6. Exta One - the 6 today... Wife is stopping by the Hospital on her way home from work to see my Dad.  he will really like that.  She will make sure he gets dinner and has everything he needs for the night.

"Take It One Day At A Time"

A Not So Happy Fathers Day

Well I had planned to spend some time Saturday Night reflecting on what it is to be a Father.  Well just as I started to settle in to write the phone rang.  My brother and his wife were out at a play and my Father was watching their 4 yo son.  He called them saying he could not breath and my Sister In Law called her neighbor to run over and then me to run over.  The neighbor called 911 and by the time I got there they had him sitting with O2 and getting him ready from transport.  After some tests the initial diagnosis was Pneumonia.  Well after further review and a visit from the Cardiologist the diagnosis increased to Pneumonia which cased a cardiac event and possible heart failure.  He is currently resting and in good spirits in the ICU ward of the hospital.  On Monday he has a battery of Cardiac tests which will more then likely end in heart Surgery and possible open heart surgery.

I was at the hospital until 2:30 am Sunday and back just after 8:00am... I spent at least 12 hours total with him until late this afternoon when my brother sent me home.  Now that the Dr's have been there it is a little easier to leave and we are really not welcome all night at this point anyways.

So my Father's Day was spent worrying about the strong willed man that is my Father...

"Take It One Day At A Time"

Daily Picture: Fun with Dads Phone...



Well 4yo was having a blast having me take silly pictures of him.  This one seems very fitting to his personality.

Thunder Storms All Around

The weather has been awful lately and today the storms were rather menecing.  We have had one of the wettest springs I can remember.

EA Sports Active Day 5

Well today was day 5 and wow is it kicking my butt.  What is worse then lunges... Jump Lunges...  Overall it is a fun and entertaining way to keep your focus on exercise.  With the trainer and graphics it is a little easier to keep motivated.  25 Days left on the challenge and I see myself finishing and starting another right away.  Hopefully this attitude stays with me.

Rainy Days and 4 kids.. yes 4...

Once a week or so a friend of my oldest son stays the day with us when both of his parents are working.  Well today was the day and the weather was bad so the boys all played in the finished basement with Legos and Video Games.  Being couped up all day however really takes it out of Dad.  By mid morning my older two were pretty much at each others throats.  Typically with another friend around they actually have a better attitude and the focus is not on each other.  Today however with the rain they got on each others bad side quickly.  The weekend is here so their focus can be on mom as well as each other.

The 5

1. Painter Coming - Tomorrow my painter will finish up the drywall taping and then paint the ceiling and walls.  Yeah!


2. Passive Solar Heater - I am making a passive solar heater for the pop up pool.  I have extra pump from an older pool and I bought black tubing.  Now I just need to decide if I want to wrap the tubing around the pool or create a tube board... Hmmm


3. Laundry Monster - The monster had me again today.  I tried to run for my life, but it grabbed me and pulled me in.


4. Pee Wee camp - Week two ended and 4yo is having a blast.  It will be a nice transition to new teachers in Kindergarten.


5. Stupid School Schedule - The kids start school August 17th the day after the middle guy turns 5.  The will get out at the end of May.  They will be in school during the hottest time and out of school during the wettest time.  Nice... If the schools took of 7 less days during the year they could start a week later.

"Take It One Day At A Time"

The Weather is Just Plain Awful

Daily Picture: 11:00 am and the storms are coming...



The middle guy is at camp, my Friday Daddy Daycare friend of my oldest is here and the baby is napping. All this while the sky is black, the rain coming down and Tornado warnings and sightings being reported. The Midwest in the Spring/Summer.

Slowly Getting Back to Normal?

Daily Picture: EA Sports Active (New Obsession)



I am on Day 4 of the 30 Day Challenge and it is kicking my but.  The lunges are murder.  I have to say it is one of the coolest workout aides I have ever had.  The additional sports exercises are a blast.  The Heavy Bag and Batting Practice are fun.  I want to know however if it is wrong to swear at my Wii Fitness Trainer?

The Flaky Soon to be 9 year Old

Lately our oldest seems to be in the clouds all the time.  You ask him to do something and it is like you asked in Klingon.  Please let your dog up from the family room.  He goes upstairs to our bedroom and says the dog is not there. (DOH!)  Grab the cup and diaper bag for me... He comes with a snack... (DOH)  I really hope he gets through this stage quickly.

The Relentless Soon To Be 5 year Old

I can not wait for Kindergarten to start.  I know with the oldest once that happened he started to settle down a little.  Lately he gets up in the morning and talks nonstop until bedtime.  He will even try talking to me while he is on the toilet and I am two floors away.  He is also starting to push his limits with regards to what he can and can not do.  He sees his older brother doing things and he thinks he should too.  Not yet little man...

A Cranky 17 Month Old

The baby today was a little out of it.  He had a really good time when we went grocery shopping this morning, but the rest of the day he was a tyrant.  He finally fell asleep for a nap at 4:30 and when he woke up a little later was in a much better mood.  He did however throw a nice 20 minute fit just after lunch.  That was pleasant and everything in the living room paid the price for his mood.  "HULK SMASH!"

Sunscreen, Sweat, Sand, Mulch and Hair...

Mr Cranky baby played in the yard and sandbox with his brothers while I got a little yard work done.  He likes to throw mulch and sand which mixed with the sun screen and sweat to make a wonderful sand helmet.  YUCK!  I ended up spraying his hair off in the kitchen sink with the sprayer.

The 5

1. Fathers Day - This Fathers Day my brothers and I are going to give my dad the gift of Dinner out anywhere with the three of us.  The last 6 months have been pretty tough and this is the first Fathers Day since Mom passed.


2. Cranky Kids and Ride - Normally the boys really like going for bike rides.  I put the younger two in the trailer and the oldest was cleared to ride his bike so off we went.  Within 2 minutes 4yo was complaining and within 5 minutes the baby was pissed.  and within 6 minutes 8yo was not watching where he was going being all flaky.  So I got a 16 Minute ride that was awful!


3. Dusk Ride - I was able to get another 20 minutes in at dusk tonight which worked well since I cut the grass and still needed to do my EA Workout.  The bike kept my feet from aching and I was able to make it through the workout.


4. Twitter - I like the little add on... I was tempted to have an additional box for the kiddo and the wife to tweet the blog... Hmmmm


5. Thunder Storms Rolling In - Well tonight we are supposed to get hit with some serve storms.  Might have a 4yo in bed with us which means I will get couched!

"Take It One Day At A Time"

Working On Some Updates

Updated Blogroll

Well I added a new BlogRoll today. The old one was on a separate page and had some cool graphics. The only problem is when people updated their pages I would need to reformat the graphics. So now I went back to a list and the "Site Preview" feature does the trick. If you come by and want to be added to the blogroll let me know and I will add you.

Twitter

Well I offically became active with twitter inder "ManAmongMommies"  I have had the account for some time, just never used it.  Well now with my unlimited texts from my phone I can add little notes to my blog.  See the upper Left hand Corner.

New Banner Design

I am currently working on an updated banner design.  Trying to figure out some things and come up with some more ideas.

New Theme

Depending on what I come up with for a new banner I may end up changing the theme as well.

Been an Extra Long Six Days

Daily Picture: The Boys and a Gnome. (From Cell Phone)



I Like My Moose RAW!



Well this past week has been a whirlwind.  The flooring people came in Friday and Saturday so I spent a good portion of Thursday Night moving stuff around.  All day Friday and all Morning Saturday they were here installing the new floors.  I liked my old ones and was sad that the damage caused made it impossible to save them.  I never had a confirmation on the time the flooring guys would arrive until the doorbell rang at 7:30 AM... They worked until about 3:00 and then cleaned up.  they came back at 7:30 Saturday Morning and finished up the job.  The new floors look fantastic which is nice after all the problems of the last 3 weeks.

Furniture Repair

Thursday the Furniture repair people stopped by to look at the water damaged Oak.  They can repair i and make it look like new.  YEAH!  They will be here next Wednesday to repair it.

House Warming At BIL's

We had a house warming party on Sunday at my wife's brothers house.  He is number 5 of 6 and he and his wife are actually buying his dads house.  They had the typical cookout fair and a good time was had by all.

Baby Pneumonia Follow Up

Also Thursday the baby had his followup with the Dr about his Pneumonia.  he is doing great and is back to his old smiley self.  Yeah!

No More Cast

Yesterday my 8yo had his cast removed which made him extremely happy.  He has to wear a removable brace for 3 weeks, but no more stinky cast.  He is keeping the actual fiberglass part after we remove the stinky gauze parts.

More Mud

The painter was here yesterday adding another layer of mud on the repaired drywall.  he will be back on Thursday to finish the mud and over the weekend to paint the walls and ceiling.  Then maybe just maybe the house will be back together.

EA Sports Active for the Wii

My Fathers Day present arrived on Monday.  EA Sports Active for the Wii.  I finished day 2 of the 30 day challenge yesterday.  It is actually a lot more work then I thought it would be.  Today I am SORE!  It is nice to be able to workout at home and make a bit of a game out of it.

The 5 (Ea sports Active Edition)

1. Lunges - The Lunges on EA Sports Active are brutal.  they kicked my butt yesterday.


2. Running - I am not a good runner and have arthritic feet, but there are limited times you run so it has not been too brutal.


3. Boxing - The Boxing Part is a blast!


4. Occasional Read Issue - At times the system does not quite read the movement of the WiMotes right.  Not too bad, but can be a little frustrating


5. Keeping Track - the system keeps track of what you have done and you can even add other things from outside the program.  Pretty Cool

"Take It One Day At A Time"

Daily Picture: Sun Setting over McHenry Dam



Well on a recent ride I took some pictures including some of the local Dam.  Need to remember to bring my camera more often.

Dry Wall Repair

Last night the painter was here repairing my drywall.  Two more days of that then he can paint the ceiling and walls.  UGH what a mess.

New Phones

Today our new phones arrive and my oldest is so excited.  They were due yesterday, but due to out of stock phones the package was delayed a day.

Pee Wee Camp

My middle guy has Pee-Wee camp 3 days a week and loves it.  On Monday he was scared, but when he found out a neighbor girl was there all was good.  Now he can't wait to go.

The 5

1. Taken - The wife and I watched it the other night and I really enjoyed it.  Liam Neason was awesome.  Story is teen daughter kidnapped, Dad ex spy hunts down bad guys and kills them all.


2. Healthy  Returns - Everyone seems to be recovering from all the different plagues in the house.  Hopefully this will keep up for the rest o the summer.


3. Floors - My replacement floors were delivered yesterday.  They will be replace on Friday and Saturday.  Going to be a mess, but it will be nice to get our floors back together.


4. Work At Home Dad - Looks like July 1st I should be back at my Software Job from home as well as a special contract job. Contract job = Bicycle Money!


5. T-Ball - Starts tonight for the middle guy.  All his friends from PreSchool are on the team.  He is so excited!

"Take It One Day At A Time"

When It Rains, I Get Wet...

Daily Picture: My RAZR Screen...Somethings Wrong Here...



Well there is an old saying that when it rains it pours.  Well in my case when it rains my umbrella breaks, I step in a puddle and get splashed by a passing truck.  I guess I could laugh, but that would take energy.

The Wet...

• Oldest Son Broke His Arm


• Flooring guys hit my water line


• Dryer stopped working


• Cell Phone stopped working. (Right when I need it most)


• Baby got Pneumonia

I think that is enough for a couple weeks.

Cell Phones

We were due for an upgrade at this point.  Almost three years since we got the old phones.  Since we were due for some changes we decided to change a few things.  We know have unlimited texting and 2 Samsung Alias 2's, plus we added a line for our oldest and a G'Zone Boulder since he is starting to walk to friends houses and the park.  The wife and I only use our cell phones when she is at work and now the added feature of actually texting will allow us to avoid emails.  She can now order me around all day.  Also the oldest will be able to text his mom anytime as well as call my Dad.

The 5

1. Fallout 3 - Done... I had borrowed it from my Brother and now my BIL has it.  I finished it and the Broken Steel expansion.  Now maybe in six months I will play it again this time as a bad guy.


2. QWERTY - The new phones have a QWERTY keyboard and use e-ink technology.  Not bad for a "Dumb Phone"  We really do not need the features of an iPhone at this time.  Would love one, but does not fit our needs


3. The Plague - The cold went through all the boys and hit the baby the hardest.  They were then nice eough to share with me.  JOY! I am a bad sick person.


4. EA SPORTS ACTIVE -Just ordered that for Father's Day for myself.  A friend uses it and loves it.  Looking forwrd to the 30 day challenge.


5. Break - I think my family needs one...

"Take It One Day At A Time"