Things I Want to Teach the Boys #2

I'm sure that many of these 'teach the boys stuff' type of posts will revolve around things my Dad taught me.  That seems to be the natural order of things for sons and fathers.  And, well, my Dad has taught me lots of things and is still teaching me to this day.


Tonight though, I want to share something my Mom taught me.


How to be gentle.

The 3 Best Potty Training Aids Every Parent Needs!

First off- sorry for the lapse.  We've had a run of great winter weather, which meant lots of time spent outside away from the computer.  Had a blast taking the boys ice fishing.  And we spent the last stretch of Autumn's days off doing a project I've been itching for- purging and paring down our kitchen.  I've been on a quest to pare down and simplify our lives, and tackling the kitchen was a big one.  Anyway, those are both topics for future posts.  Today, we talk about potty training.

A Quick One

Definitely a short post today everyone.  For those of you who don't follow me on face book, today was new denture day for me.  I had my last 5 upper teeth pulled this afternoon, and my new denture installed.

Dinner With Friends

It's one of life's simple pleasures right?


We have dinner with the neighbors fairly often.  Have since we moved here.  It's one of the things that makes living here great.


We were going to have crock pot meatloaf.  It's a comfort food favorite of mine.  My Mom used to make it when we were growing up.  It was good on the table that night, and just as good (maybe better?) the next day as a meatloaf sandwich.  This was Autumn's first time, and it was mighty tasty.  Good Job Honey!

Things I want to teach the Boys #1

This will probably be a recurring topic, maybe summed up eventually in one of those '100 things every kid...' type of posts.  I honestly like those.  I always find something neat or thought provoking in them.

And I honestly do dream a bit about all the things I hope to teach my boys.  For the past few days I've been browsing through a site my friend Chris turned me on to.  Called The Art of Manliness, it's a repository of cool and classic stuff guys should know.  So of course it's captured my interest as I day dream about the stuff I want to teach the hooligans as part of the deheathenification process.

A Blue's Clues Mystery

We don't watch much TV here.  We actually don't have cable, satellite, or even an antenna.  So, what we watch is determined by what DVDs we decide to buy or rent.  Renting is pretty easy.  Something in the horror, sci-fi, action adventure, or a similar category works for me.  Autumn is equally easy, comedy, or even better, romantic comedy.  And the boys are simple too.  Animated.

Whoops!

Dateline- Friday Night, about 6:00 pm

I'm so tired I've been falling asleep in the chair off and on since 3:00 pm or so.  I did enjoy a nice soft taco for dinner, but that seems to have done nothing to rouse me.  By 6:30 pm I was upstairs, in bed, nodding off again.

Movie night

It's at home date night with Autumn... Movie night!

She's putting the kids to bed while I write tonight's entry.  I love listening to her read to them.  Three happy voices, wafting down the stairs to brighten my night.  It's awesome.

I also love movie night.  Since becoming a stay at home dad, we've dropped a source of income.  Obviously right?  Had to cut the budget a bit to make it work.

Dental haiku for you (yeah it was a slow day)

Bubblegum toothpaste
makes my boys open so wide
Brushah Brushah Brush

The Joys of Swaddling

What a funny word.  Swaddling.  It sounds like it's a contraction for something.  Maybe smashed waddling?  As in "The stay at home dad was so happy to have a night out that he got smashed and had to waddle home...  I saw him s'waddling up the steps."

For parents, swaddling means wrapping up your baby snugly in a blanket.  It's nothing short of miraculous.  Your tired, cranky, inconsolable baby is turned into a quiet, content, bundle of joy once swaddled.  Sleep (for you and the baby) is close at hand.

Crunchy Knitting

Well, just a quick post tonight folks.  Forgot the boys have speech therapy tomorrow.  Have to get up early to make sure the place is neat and clean before Jane the Speech Therapist arrives.

I always feel bad for her... she's this tiny little thing, always looking very prim and proper.  And then she gets to our front door.  First Fergus the smelly, slobbery basset hound has to say hello.  And as soon as she sits, he tries to sit in her lap.  Next up, the boys.  Once they remember that she's fun, they run at her full speed and latch on to a leg.  And since she's tiny, they come pretty close to taking her out.  Especially if Fergus has walked behind her... classic playground tripping prank.  Although I don't think the heathens planned it that way.  Yet at least.  Once she goes down the first time, they will probably find it hysterical, and then they will try and do it again.  Can't wait for that one.  The final insult is Shadow the cat, the super long haired cat we adopted.  Once everyone settles down, she'll make an appearance.  Usually after she's used the litter box, so she's trailing an odor.  And just in case it's not as strong as you might like, she'll make sure to rub her fuzzy butt in your face while testing your lap.  She constantly sheds.  That super long hair is super fine, and super soft.  It's also has a super static charge and will, therefore, attach itself to you in clumps as soon as she comes within a foot or two.

Dancing Fools

Kids:  They dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music.
                                                                       -William Stafford




True enough.  The boys love to dance.  Most of their signature moves seem to require spinning in circles while also spinning their arms in circles.


There is the spin to the left move.  And the right spin move.  The spin 6 times and fall down on purpose move.  The spin until you can't stand anymore move (Usually 7 spins).  And my favorite, the push your brother while he's in mid spin and watch him bounce off the refrigerator move.  That one is destined to become a classic.  And it's usually saved for last.  Or at least it seems to signal the end of a dance session.  Talk about head banging...

a` la Letterman

Autumn had a pretty good pregnancy.  She got that glow all pregnant women get, a sort of sublime beauty that should last, but can't.


Sure, parts that shouldn't swell did, and there was some morning sickness.  But that was over quickly, or compensated for with comfy shoes and new bras.  I think the worst was the heart burn.  That was hotter than the after burners on an F-15 I'm told.

The Children's Hour

I like poetry.  Always have.  While I was in college, Christopher Marlowe's Passionate Shepherd helped procure a girlfriend or two.  My fondness probably started with Mom and Dad tossing Theodor Geisel and Shel Silverstein my way.

Now I like to read poems to Autumn.  I don't think she's much of a poetry fan, but she doesn't seem to mind listening.  And I don't mind when she starts snoring.  Lately I've been reading to her from collections put together by Garrison Keillor.  If you've heard his 'Writer's Almanac', you'll know why I pick up these most often.  Anyway, they are not only good poems, they are especially good for folks who aren't much into poetry.  I can often get an emotion or two out of her as she slowly falls asleep.  Good poetry is nothing of the sort if it doesn't stir our emotions 

My best parenting secret

This is top shelf stuff.  You may want to book mark this.  I am about to share with you the one thing that is guaranteed to make parenting easier.


I promise, if you do this one thing with your kids, all the other parenting stuff you have to do literally and figuratively becomes childs play.  This is my number one parenting tip.  I should be charging for this, but here you go...

Warning - Poop Ahead

Just figured I should let you know right up front.  Some people aren't fond of discussions centered around the stuff that comes out.


I 'm not sure why that it is.  Some of what goes in doesn't look or smell all that different from what comes out- at least in the early stages.  Have you ever opened a jar of baby food?  Then you know what I'm talking about.  I'm not going speculate on taste comparisions (in and out), but I will say taste speculation in general (along with other factors) played a significant role in our decision to make our own baby food.  But that's a post for another day.

A night in Maine

I really can't say why I get so lucky.  Maybe it isn't luck at all.  Whatever it is, I do seem to have a knack for stumbling into great situations.  Wonderful situations.

After I put the boys to bed last night, I bundled up and went out on the deck.  There were a few errant clouds, but they couldn't hide the bright, waxing moon, or Jupiter.  Both were brilliant and lit up the pond and surrounding woods.  It was beautiful.  Then the coyotes started singing from across the pond.  First one, then the whole pack.  And then they were answered by another pack on my side, but farther up.  Not to be out done, the ice on the pond chimed in as well.

Milestone Monday

So milestones are a big deal to parents.  Most people know this.  It's how we gauge the progress our kids are making.  They become badges for some, things to be proud of, and maybe even boast about.


The baby books center around them.  My favorite book even tries to make sure you don't go totally nuts about them by saying things like "Your child might do this, may do this, should do this at X months".  They also advise you to bring missed milestones to your doctor's attention at certain points.  I like that, that kind of advice has helped us get the boys some extra help now and then.

Tolstoy and the New Year

Okay everyone, here we go.  Day one of 365 blog posts.  And since it's the first day of the new year, of course it will be a New Years day themed post.  Nothing cliche about that, right?


Now I hope you aren't alarmed by the title of this post.  Yes it is about Tolstoy, but this won't be the blogging version of War and Peace.  Well, it's sort of about Tolstoy.  Really more about Jon J. Muth.