tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83275324849000750532009-10-16T21:13:46.800-04:00A 30-something dad comes to terms with the effects of children on his life - both good, bad and amusing.jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-91742225051621315502008-08-28T14:07:00.006-04:002008-08-28T15:22:54.426-04:00

I've been slacking on the blog, so my apologies.I've noticed over the years from reading back through my journal that I tend to write only in times of stress or despair. So, obviously, things have been going okay since I haven't posted an update lately.So in looking for inspiration, I popped on the site that inspired me to begin blogging, DadCentric. The link here will take you to possibly the

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-1933553715562668322008-07-01T16:21:00.004-04:002008-07-01T16:37:04.524-04:00

I don't have a long elaborate story. No amusing anecdotes this time. Simply, an acknowledgment of a job well done.Both my kids were good at Mass! Cue the Hallelujia Chorus!No timeouts.No threats.Our church offers donuts, juice and coffee after Mass, and we've used that as incentive to behave. If she's extra good, we'll walk over to the swings and slides that are on the property for a few

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-87814560297327531942008-06-02T11:32:00.002-04:002008-06-02T12:10:41.761-04:00

I guess I should have seen it coming. She had been so good at church. It couldn't possibly last, could it?We embarked on our Sunday-morning-after-Mass trip to Sam's Club for the usually staples: Diapers, Gatorade, breakfast bars, etc. How that evolves into a $250-plus order never ceases to amaze me."Ooh, I need a pair of shorts.""Hey, there are those CFL's with the small socket we need.""Sure,

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-51684440562266942602008-04-22T11:15:00.003-04:002008-04-22T11:57:43.648-04:00

Years ago, pitcher Randy Johnson uncorked a fastball that through some cosmic freak occurrence nailed a poor bird on the fly on its way to home plate.Yesterday, I played the roll of Randy Johnson. The ball? The Man Van.The Man Van was so dubbed by the women of the TLC Creative team. Discovery was having an off-site workshop, and I was carpooling some of the guys up in my black Mercury Villager

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-64359528506222235902008-04-03T10:32:00.004-04:002008-04-03T11:30:07.850-04:00

Screaming kids on a plane is bad. For everyone.If it's your child, you want to die.If it's someone else's kids, you wanna kill them. Or yourself. Or hope to God you packed your noise-canceling headphones.Thankfully, on our Easter trip to see my dad, my children were not the screaming kids. In fact, all the kids (and there were a bunch) were nice and quiet.However, on the flight home, the

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-31260545967172129772008-03-06T10:48:00.006-05:002008-03-07T10:08:44.117-05:00

It's bad enough when you're sick.When baby is sick, all bets are off.Last night was one of those nights.This was completely preventable in my opinion. Now, truth be told, I am the offending party that got my boy sick. I'm coming off bronchitis, but it didn't have to escalate to that.The sniffles started over a week ago on a Wednesday. By Saturday morning, I figured I should hit the walk-in

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-62085662969543799202008-02-29T11:48:00.005-05:002008-02-29T13:38:35.949-05:00

One of the great things about having moved for this new job is that I actually get to go home and eat lunch with my family just about every day. It breaks up the day nicely, and I get to spend a few minutes with my wife and kids.Yesterday, I get no farther than two blocks away and the cell phone rings. It's my wife, whom I just left 30 seconds ago. The conversation goes as follows:Me: Hey.Her

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-27868272503459998562008-02-28T15:18:00.005-05:002008-02-28T16:04:02.248-05:00

It's a little after 4 a.m. Sound asleep, I become vaguely aware of a sound. It's a familiar sound, and it easily incorporates itself into my dream.It continues for a while - how long I cannot tell. But at some point, the subconscious mind finally yields to the conscious, and recognition sets in.The baby is hungry.I've compared the first few weeks of a child's life to boot camp. You know it's

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-87870188445838126902008-02-25T11:54:00.004-05:002008-02-25T14:12:58.384-05:00

Dinnertime has become a battle of wills with my 3-year-old. Thus far, I'm losing. Badly.Up until recently, the girl would eat anything you put in front of her.Spicy ✓ (check)Cheesy ✓ (check) Steak ✓ (check)Chicken ✓ (check)Shrimp ✓ (check)Pasta of all shapes and sizes ✓ (check)Now, she won't even eat spaghetti and tomato sauce.She will eat Kraft Easy Mac - EVERY FRICKIN DAY for lunch. She'll

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8327532484900075053.post-54309774334986585902008-02-22T16:29:00.001-05:002008-02-22T16:50:16.833-05:00

I'm new to the blog party, but I've often thought my life would make a good sitcom - or horror flick, I haven't figured out which. So instead of writing the next great American novel, I decided to inflict my random musings on the blogisphere.I write for a living. Nothing deep or truly meaningful, but it pays the bills. But I've noticed that since we've had our second child, my brain has

jMchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027396504445171154noreply@blogger.com0