We have been struck by the stomach bug again. Our ability to be stricken with every single puking ailment is reaching ridiculous levels. Both Arica and I were home sick yesterday. We were both feeling better by bedtime. I am still fine, but Arica has suffered a relapse and is home again today. This is her third bout with a similar sickness in about a month.
I wish I had much better news today from our corner of the world. Instead of carrying on with today's vomit laced theme I will hearken back to lighter days. I fondly remember the days when Braden could frolic with a hysterically laughing pig without worries of another toilet hugging outbreak. Those are the days that can lift one's spirit.
I hope to be back next time with something more interesting, but until then enjoy this video.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Gary Busey on Moms
As a blogger that writes solely to record his life so some day in the future the aliens will know I was here, I find it necessary to write about all the important happening in my life. That includes posting about major anniversaries and holidays. Sunday is one of those days, Mother's Day. I wanted to write something about this day for Mom's, but I wasn't sure what angle to take. Then I was inspired by Gary Busey.
I have always enjoyed Busey-isms since I first heard him explain that GONE meant Getting Over Negative Energy. Granted Mr. Busey had a motorcycle accident that resulted in some brain damage so I shouldn't get enjoyment out of his predicament. His hilarious self proclaimed Busey-isms however, are just too good not to enjoy.
As a change in pace from my normal holiday praises I thought I would come up with an Otter-ism defining the word Mother or better yet Mom. Short words make me more comfortable. That should be easy enough, and it will be something completely new for this space.
I began by searching the online thesaurus for synonyms starting with M for every word my feeble mind could find relevant to my purpose. I was struggling to find the right fit. It seemed that there just weren't enough descriptive or powerful words that started with M.
Then it occurred to me why I was having trouble. The most powerful word I know starting with the letter M is the word Mother itself. What other word conjures up so many powerful feelings? What other word is synonymous with nurturing, caring, patience, kindness, and love? It can also bring about thoughts of discipline and protection. Maybe the word Mother reminds you of apple pie or your favorite casserole. Simply put the words Mother and Mom mean a great deal to everyone everywhere.
Who am I to try and give even greater meaning to such a powerful word by using a short descriptive phrase. I am certainly not a great wordsmith who can use the English language as a powerful tool to describe moms everywhere. In fact it was probably a little arrogant of me to even try. So I will move on confident in the belief that there is nothing I could come up with that will say more than the word Mom says on its own. Mom's are just that special.
To the special Mom's in my life I wish a very Happy Mother's Day. I of course mean my mother and Braden's Mom. Arica might not be my mother, but I certainly still celebrate Mother's Day with her because being a great mother to Braden is one of the greatest gifts she can ever give me. And if you have read this blog even a few times you know that she is indeed a great mother.
To all the other Mother's that read my Life of a New Dad I hope you have a great Mother's Day too.
MOM
Minder Of Mankind
I have always enjoyed Busey-isms since I first heard him explain that GONE meant Getting Over Negative Energy. Granted Mr. Busey had a motorcycle accident that resulted in some brain damage so I shouldn't get enjoyment out of his predicament. His hilarious self proclaimed Busey-isms however, are just too good not to enjoy.
As a change in pace from my normal holiday praises I thought I would come up with an Otter-ism defining the word Mother or better yet Mom. Short words make me more comfortable. That should be easy enough, and it will be something completely new for this space.
I began by searching the online thesaurus for synonyms starting with M for every word my feeble mind could find relevant to my purpose. I was struggling to find the right fit. It seemed that there just weren't enough descriptive or powerful words that started with M.
Then it occurred to me why I was having trouble. The most powerful word I know starting with the letter M is the word Mother itself. What other word conjures up so many powerful feelings? What other word is synonymous with nurturing, caring, patience, kindness, and love? It can also bring about thoughts of discipline and protection. Maybe the word Mother reminds you of apple pie or your favorite casserole. Simply put the words Mother and Mom mean a great deal to everyone everywhere.
Who am I to try and give even greater meaning to such a powerful word by using a short descriptive phrase. I am certainly not a great wordsmith who can use the English language as a powerful tool to describe moms everywhere. In fact it was probably a little arrogant of me to even try. So I will move on confident in the belief that there is nothing I could come up with that will say more than the word Mom says on its own. Mom's are just that special.
To the special Mom's in my life I wish a very Happy Mother's Day. I of course mean my mother and Braden's Mom. Arica might not be my mother, but I certainly still celebrate Mother's Day with her because being a great mother to Braden is one of the greatest gifts she can ever give me. And if you have read this blog even a few times you know that she is indeed a great mother.
To all the other Mother's that read my Life of a New Dad I hope you have a great Mother's Day too.
MOM
Minder Of Mankind
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Goodbye Corporate America, Hello Finger Painting
Today is a celebratory day at our house. Arica will start her new job this morning as a teacher at our church's preschool. This new job is not only an opportunity to be near Braden when he starts there in June, but also an opportunity for Arica to finally enjoy her work.
She dutifully went back to the bank to try and help out our family. She tried to deal with all the things that had bothered her about the bank before. She was hopeful that these things would go away, or at least she could tolerate them in order to help our family financially. I am very grateful for her efforts, but her happiness is much more important than a few extra dollars. As many of you probably know, "if Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy."
Arica says, "I would rather deal with screaming kids than screaming adults any day."
So with that my wife is off to the world of coloring and diapers. She is leaving behind the world of deposit slips and overdrafts. For fun let's examine some of the other changes she might experience.
Banking: Getting yelled at because you ask for an ID
Teaching: Being asked if you want to see my picture
Banking: Getting asked by seemingly competent adults to fill out deposit slips for them
Teaching: Getting asked by adorable kids to help color a blue duck
Banking: Putting up with people's crap
Teaching: Putting up with kids crap filled diapers
Banking: Eating lunch hurriedly on a 30 minute lunch break
Teaching: Eating at tiny little tables and pretending to be a giant
Banking: Always worrying about rules and audits
Teaching: Always worrying about sharing and napping
Banking: Only worrying about money
Teaching: Only worrying about having fun
I think that last one sums it up pretty well. When money is involved there is never a relaxing moment. Everyone is on edge all the time. Half the customers think you are out to get them. Let's face it. The public is just a little bit less than courteous anyway. Now with the kids the most important thing is smiling and having a good time. Sure they can wear you out, but better them than Johnny overdraft or Susie hot check.
Good luck Arica. I hope you have a great day.
She dutifully went back to the bank to try and help out our family. She tried to deal with all the things that had bothered her about the bank before. She was hopeful that these things would go away, or at least she could tolerate them in order to help our family financially. I am very grateful for her efforts, but her happiness is much more important than a few extra dollars. As many of you probably know, "if Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy."
Arica says, "I would rather deal with screaming kids than screaming adults any day."
So with that my wife is off to the world of coloring and diapers. She is leaving behind the world of deposit slips and overdrafts. For fun let's examine some of the other changes she might experience.
Banking: Getting yelled at because you ask for an ID
Teaching: Being asked if you want to see my picture
Banking: Getting asked by seemingly competent adults to fill out deposit slips for them
Teaching: Getting asked by adorable kids to help color a blue duck
Banking: Putting up with people's crap
Teaching: Putting up with kids crap filled diapers
Banking: Eating lunch hurriedly on a 30 minute lunch break
Teaching: Eating at tiny little tables and pretending to be a giant
Banking: Always worrying about rules and audits
Teaching: Always worrying about sharing and napping
Banking: Only worrying about money
Teaching: Only worrying about having fun
I think that last one sums it up pretty well. When money is involved there is never a relaxing moment. Everyone is on edge all the time. Half the customers think you are out to get them. Let's face it. The public is just a little bit less than courteous anyway. Now with the kids the most important thing is smiling and having a good time. Sure they can wear you out, but better them than Johnny overdraft or Susie hot check.
Good luck Arica. I hope you have a great day.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Now Braden Likes...
I wrote a post called Braden Likes back in September. Someone suggested at the time that I revisit the subject as Braden got older. Well he will be 18 months old next week so now seems like a good time. I have edited the previous entries and added a few more to create Now Braden Likes...
Daddy likes Pearl Jam
Mommy likes Lady Antebellum
Now Braden still likes any music but he loves the Barney song
Mommy likes baseball
Daddy likes baseball, basketball, and football
Now Braden still likes any ball but I think he likes basketball and baseball best
Daddy likes steak medium rare
Mommy likes steak medium rare
Now Braden likes chicken but still hasn't tried steak
Mommy likes to bake
Daddy likes to cook
Now Braden likes to carry spoons around the house
Daddy likes any kind of fish
Mommy likes fried fish
Now Braden likes fish sticks
Mommy likes Diet Pepsi
Daddy likes Mt. Dew
Now Braden likes whole milk and juice
Daddy likes flip flops
Mommy likes all shoes
Now Braden loves all shoes. He won't let you take them off.
Mommy likes shopping
Daddy likes fishing
Now Braden likes going outside. I think that is why he always keeps his shoes on.
Daddy likes to sit on the couch
Mommy likes to lay on the couch
Now Braden likes to climb on the couch
Mommy likes to carry her phone everywhere
Daddy likes to carry his wallet everywhere
Now Braden likes to carry his monkey everywhere
Daddy likes t-shirts
Mommy likes dresses
Now Braden is OK with putting on clothes because it might mean he can go outside.
Mommy likes Goodfellas
Daddy likes The Godfather
Now Braden prefers Barney to gangster movies and everything else for that matter
Daddy likes showers
Mommy likes showers and baths
Now Braden still likes baths
Mommy likes dogs
Daddy likes dogs
Now Braden tolerates dogs because he has to in order to go outside
Daddy loves Braden
Mommy loves Braden
Now Braden still loves us too
Daddy likes Pearl Jam
Mommy likes Lady Antebellum
Now Braden still likes any music but he loves the Barney song
Mommy likes baseball
Daddy likes baseball, basketball, and football
Now Braden still likes any ball but I think he likes basketball and baseball best
Daddy likes steak medium rare
Mommy likes steak medium rare
Now Braden likes chicken but still hasn't tried steak
Mommy likes to bake
Daddy likes to cook
Now Braden likes to carry spoons around the house
Daddy likes any kind of fish
Mommy likes fried fish
Now Braden likes fish sticks
Mommy likes Diet Pepsi
Daddy likes Mt. Dew
Now Braden likes whole milk and juice
Daddy likes flip flops
Mommy likes all shoes
Now Braden loves all shoes. He won't let you take them off.
Mommy likes shopping
Daddy likes fishing
Now Braden likes going outside. I think that is why he always keeps his shoes on.
Daddy likes to sit on the couch
Mommy likes to lay on the couch
Now Braden likes to climb on the couch
Mommy likes to carry her phone everywhere
Daddy likes to carry his wallet everywhere
Now Braden likes to carry his monkey everywhere
Daddy likes t-shirts
Mommy likes dresses
Now Braden is OK with putting on clothes because it might mean he can go outside.
Mommy likes Goodfellas
Daddy likes The Godfather
Now Braden prefers Barney to gangster movies and everything else for that matter
Daddy likes showers
Mommy likes showers and baths
Now Braden still likes baths
Mommy likes dogs
Daddy likes dogs
Now Braden tolerates dogs because he has to in order to go outside
Daddy loves Braden
Mommy loves Braden
Now Braden still loves us too
Monday, May 3, 2010
Hunting For Unicorns
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about Snook being a hippie. I intended to follow that post with another ever so interesting post about cartoons. Unfortunately even the best laid cartoon plans get derailed sometimes. The topic is late but not forgotten.
Many of today's cartoons do something that bothers me a little a bit. They ask questions. The little cartoon people stare at you out of the TV. They ask their question. Then there is silence as they stare at you and wait for your answer. It freaks me out a bit. Who can focus on properly answering a question when a cartoon mouse is giving you the stink eye.
When I was a kid the closest thing we got to interaction with our cartoons was when the Road Runner would look toward you and say beep! beep! Now Dora, Mickey Mouse, The Little Einsteins, and practically every other cartoon are constantly quizzing the kids.
I can see the obvious benefits of this concept. The kids love to participate, and who can blame them. Trivia is a lot of fun, and until Alex Trebek figures out how to make millions off a kindergarten jeopardy tournament this is pretty much all the kids are going to get. Don't count out Trebek though. He is a crafty one. The future kindergarten tourney might go something like this.
Trebek: This ruminant's milk can be used on Froot Loops and it often makes the sound moo.
Kid1: My uncle Johnny has a cow. It's name is Elsie.
Trebek: Judges?....sorry we can't accept that.
Kid2: Mr. Startrek, do you know Luke Skywalker?
Trebek: That is incorrect. We were looking for "What is a cow?"
Trivia aside I have one major problem with all these cartoon queries other than being weirded out. They don't always listen to your answer. Once the Little Einsteins asked me and Braden if we wanted to help them find the purple unicorn to save the woodland orchestra. I said NO! I do not now nor do I ever want to help anyone find a purple unicorn.
These little hooligans just ignored me and jumped right in their rocket ship and started carrying on about adagio and moderato. I guess it doesn't really matter what the kids think to these arrogant TV stars. The cartoon bullies just do whatever they want. They are teaching our children that their opinions don't really matter.
No one is going to tell my son that his opinion doesn't matter. I don't care if they have their own TV show, their own rocket, or their very own magical kingdom in Florida. If these cartoons are going to insist on asking hundreds of questions a day then the very least they can do is listen to the kids answers.
And staring isn't polite either.
Many of today's cartoons do something that bothers me a little a bit. They ask questions. The little cartoon people stare at you out of the TV. They ask their question. Then there is silence as they stare at you and wait for your answer. It freaks me out a bit. Who can focus on properly answering a question when a cartoon mouse is giving you the stink eye.
When I was a kid the closest thing we got to interaction with our cartoons was when the Road Runner would look toward you and say beep! beep! Now Dora, Mickey Mouse, The Little Einsteins, and practically every other cartoon are constantly quizzing the kids.
I can see the obvious benefits of this concept. The kids love to participate, and who can blame them. Trivia is a lot of fun, and until Alex Trebek figures out how to make millions off a kindergarten jeopardy tournament this is pretty much all the kids are going to get. Don't count out Trebek though. He is a crafty one. The future kindergarten tourney might go something like this.
Trebek: This ruminant's milk can be used on Froot Loops and it often makes the sound moo.
Kid1: My uncle Johnny has a cow. It's name is Elsie.
Trebek: Judges?....sorry we can't accept that.
Kid2: Mr. Startrek, do you know Luke Skywalker?
Trebek: That is incorrect. We were looking for "What is a cow?"
Trivia aside I have one major problem with all these cartoon queries other than being weirded out. They don't always listen to your answer. Once the Little Einsteins asked me and Braden if we wanted to help them find the purple unicorn to save the woodland orchestra. I said NO! I do not now nor do I ever want to help anyone find a purple unicorn.
These little hooligans just ignored me and jumped right in their rocket ship and started carrying on about adagio and moderato. I guess it doesn't really matter what the kids think to these arrogant TV stars. The cartoon bullies just do whatever they want. They are teaching our children that their opinions don't really matter.
No one is going to tell my son that his opinion doesn't matter. I don't care if they have their own TV show, their own rocket, or their very own magical kingdom in Florida. If these cartoons are going to insist on asking hundreds of questions a day then the very least they can do is listen to the kids answers.
And staring isn't polite either.
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