An AtHomeDaddy first... Pictures for you!
OK, technically, I am only posting the links to the photos, but if you want to see the new playscape behemoth that has taken over our backyard, follow these links.
This one is of the Talker sliding on the completed 'scape.
Here you can see AtHomeDaddy with his best helper.
Here, you can get some idea of how big The SS JOllie Squishy Bug really is. It's BIG, I tells ya!
We are through this round of computer problems. After getting everything back to working order, The AtHomeFamily is going to be needing a new Internet Service Provider. Turns out the problem was with their software.
They charged me $2 a minute to tell me that? And to put me on hold? Some help line. Better way to internet, my butt.
Not to worry, nothing will change here. I'll keep churning out the useless crap that you have come to love.
The Playscape is complete! Work is finished and the tools are put away. And now, it is truly an AtHomeFamily project. Because it has a name. The SS JOllie Squishy Bug is the new pirate ship that Daddy and Bob built in the backyard, according to the The Talker.
The official christening of the ship is scheduled for January 15th, at The Talker's birthday party, but he is planning daily sight-seeing cruises around the backyard until then.
Stop by and admire the work of art that is my kid's playscape. It is truly a site to behold. The finished size, 10 feet tall, 6 feet long and 8 feet wide. It has two levels of playspace and one super fast gangplank/slide!
THe AtHomeFamily is currently without a working computer. I know that you guys are dying for an update, so here it is.
Potty Training - DONE!
Playscape - Done! (Almost...)
More Later
The AtHomeFamily is done with Christmas. The tree is still up and the lights are still on the house, but we have finally hit all of the family parties and the kids are loaded with new toys.
Thanks to Sis for giving an 8 1/2 month old a toy with 12 pieces! It put us over the 500 parts mark for the season. That might be a new family record.
And a really big thanks to Bro for the hat. I bet I am the only dude on this side of town with a purple velvet sombrero! I'll wear it with pride.
The AtHomeFamily is heading out today to our last Christmas party of this year. We, along with AtHomeDaddy's parent's, siblings' families and My So Called Aunt's family are all heading out to a nice formal lunch to celebrate Christmas and The Queen Mother and Dad's 40th wedding anniversary.
I am taking the Airzooka with me, in case we need to lighten things up afterwards. I imagine the Airzooka will get a real workout after we all sit and act like reall adults for a couple of hours. Maybe I should take my marshmallow gun, too.
I hope you survived your AtHomeDaddy withdrawl symptoms. I have heard it can be a nasty thing to deal with. Sorry I was off-line for most of the morning.
Evidently I managed to goof up my template file, and I have spent two hours trying to re-create it. It is now close, but I still have a little work to do. And when I get it right, I am going to BACK IT UP!
Yep, this would have been a 10 minute inconvenience if I had only backed up the #(@*#)(* template file!
The Boss Lady did indeed give the kids a toy with 100 pieces in it! I am making sure that it gets opened before she goes back to work, so that we can have the chance to step on 50 parts, each.
23 minutes to rip open presents. It only took that long because AtHomeDaddy made sure the kids played with each present before opening the next.
The Hallmark moment of the morning - The Talker, hugging his new Woody Doll, says "Woody, I am glad you came to meet me today!"
The Toy that won Christmas - The Shrek 3 Wheeled Scooter. Thanks Mama and Papa!
So I was going to let you know how busy life has been around here, with AtHomeDaddy picking up a few days of work at his old job, while The Boss Lady is home on Winter Break. But then I realized nobody wants to hear a guy whine about work. ESPECIALLY if that guy has only worked forty hours in an entire year.
So instead I'll recap this week's AtHomeFamily adventures for you:
Potty Training - Going great! Like the pun? The Talker has the right idea and he is making it through the entire day, including naptime, without diapers.
The Princess - Likes having AtHomeMommy at her beck and call. She is a speed crawling and cruising machine and she is trying to stand without help anytime she can.
Christmas Toys - The neighborhood kids will have to wait. The workshop got so cold that I had to stop after finishing up toys for the nephew.
The Playscape - Bob is coming to help build the 'scape Monday and Tuesday of next week. I am still not entirely sure of the design. Guess I need to finish up the plans ASAP. Because, the main structure needs to be built before AtHomeMommy goes back to work. I might even chicken out and download a set of plans. But we definitely won't be buying a $30,000 Rainbow Play System!
That is all the news from The AtHomeFamily that is worth reporting, so have yourself a Merry little Christmas.
And consider this your Christmas card, OK?
if the grocery bill were to be paid with his earnings from making wooden toys. Eight hours in the workshop, lotsa toys started, a few almost finished and none complete. The big problem is that when I am making stuff for my own kids or nieces and nephews, I try to make each one a little different. Also, I like to design as I work, I don't need no stinkin' blueprints. But a great idea can end up costing me a few hours to create the first time. Then I usually end up making it a second time, to make the new design look better.
Even worse, it is getting cold tonight, and I have to finish everything up Wednesday, so I may be doing a lot of the final assembly and finishing in the living room. The workshop is actually just an unheated, two car garage, and I am a wimp.
Back in early June, I posted about a guy, Charles de Villiers who was setting out to circumnavigate solo in a 37 foot sailboat. Silent Voyager left from Palacios, Texas nine and a half months ago and he is now home. Quiet an adventure.
Just a little perspective, when he left, the premiere of The Princess was still a month away and Rick was still the head of a two car family. KRB? Back then he was a loser out in East Texas. Now? New location, same loser.
I'll leave the link up for a while on the sidebar, but I am looking for another ongoing adventure to experience vicariously. Anyone headed to Antarctica?
The Boss Lady started her two weeks of Christmas break yesterday. AtHomeDaddy started his two weeks by working his old job at the recreation center. It was a good day to be working away from the house. Because potty training is in full force around here.
Have no fear, the boy WILL be potty trained before The Boss Lady returns to work. This has been her goal for six months and so far, so good.
Today, Wednesday and Friday AtHomeDaddy will finally get to spend some time out in the workshop I have several toys to make for Christmas gifts, so it is about time to get started.
And if our crappy low-on-memory computer would have let me log in to check my gmail account without clearing out an over loaded cache file, a few files at a time, I would have been out there an hour ago.
The Talker is getting a playscape for his birthday. The kids have a swingset that I built 2 years ago, and they have the playdeck, up on our retaining wall. Plus, there is Fort Walden, a sandbox, a square climber cube and the toddler's climber and slide set. In fact, the kids now have the run of half of our backyard.
But they do not have a climbing tower or a good slide. So, now is the time. Progress has been slow, though. becasue the plans have been scaled back after a visit to the local lumberyards. The Talker and The Princess will have a cool elevated playscape, a new sandbox and a real slide. Somehow, I think they will still be thrilled. Also, it will be larger than their friends playscapes. And that is what really matters, right?
After running to the middle of nowhere to visit a lumberyard that reportedly stocks lots of stuff for do-it-yourself playscapes (they don't, actually), The AtHomeTrio spent 2 hours at the neighborhood park. The Talker got really adventurous while we were there. He was climbing through trees and running through the fields. Now he has a nice rash all over his body. For the record, the nurse said it is no big deal.
The Talker is very adept at spotting Mini Coopers and PT Cruisers while we are out running errands. This afternoon he was a little confused, though, when we spotted our first Mini Cooper Convertible. It was a medium blue, and the top was in the proper position, down.
One of the best parts of having The Boss Lady working in an elementary school is getting to see all of the gifts that she brings home before Winter Break.
Here is a sampling of her haul this year:
A candy cane striped ostrich thingy with a suction cup base
A reindeer mug with assorted cookies
A box of cheese enchilada soup mix
A bag of chili mix
A Hersheys Kisses candy cane
A set of 6 wine glass marker bracelets
Poseable Santa, Reindeer and Snowman figures
Lots of baked goods
2 bottles of bath gel
Lotsa candy
A 3 pound bucket of peanuts
Several Hot cocoa mixes
A first aid kit
Bag of homemade bathsalts Want the Recipe?
A handpainted mug full of homemade white chocolates
A 6 pack of Tic-tacs
A poinsettia
A ceramic Santa and sleigh
Loads of coffee mugs
A snowman serving tray
A Longaberger jar of chocolates I think it is an heirloom jar!
A bottle of AJAX laundry soap No, I am not joking
A promise of 10 times this much stuff on Friday.
And she brought a mess load of my cookies back home.
Long live the Queen!
Have you ever said any of these things?
Please quit licking your sister's head.
You are getting green stuff all over the place.
No, you can't have popscicles for breakfast.
Keep your hands to yourself, or you'll break the shot glasses.
We need a refund, the firetruck took our quarters.
Next, we go to Victoria's Secret for Uncle Robert's gift.
Please be quiet, I can't hear Dora.
I'll give you $30 if you let me put this in your eye.
And I'll give you $30 to please stop whining.
I have said all of these things since 10 am. Exciting morning, no?
The Talker was awake at 3 am. And since he was screaming, we were all awake at 3:01 am. Usually, when he wakes up in the night, he wants a drink and they he gets back to sleep quickly. .
But last night he was obviously dreaming. Because all he would say is "NO Mommy, don't go to the Dentist." So she didn't and I got him a drink. Then I spilled the water all over the kitchen. So I got him another drink.
Of course, The Princess was awake by this time, too. She did not want to miss out on the fun. The Boss Lady got her back to sleep, while I cleaned the kitchen.
And they slept happily ever after. Until 6:43 am. Except The Boss Lady, she snuck out, under the cover of darkness, at 6:03 am, because she was stealing all of the cookies.
Then, The Boss Lady was banished from the AtHomeFamily Kingdom, because AtHomeDaddy found out that she stole ALL of the cookies, to take to an office party, eventhough AtHomeDaddy had made her a batch to take to the office and a batch for the king's breakfast.
So they lived grumpily ever after, for they had no cookies. The Royal Dentist was lonely, because no one came to visit him. And The Boss Lady was hungry since her royal cook went on strike for a few weeks.
Good Thing that The Boss Lady took the time to read the label on The Talker's eye drops. The bad news for the boy, he has to have it two times a day, per eye. The good news for me, that makes each drop only cost $1.70.
So I only wasted $5.10 worth of medicine yesterday. And The Talker's eye looks a bazillionty times better this morning. Now The Princess? Different story, but since we have the medicine, her eye drops will be FREEBIES!
Just so you know, The Talker's medicine cost $47.71 this morning! At Costco. Good thing we have prescription insurance. I don't even want to know what the market price for that 3ml bottle would be.
Since he needs 2 drops a day for 7 days, that works out to $3.41 PER DROP! It only took me three tries to get it in his eye this morning. What a fun way to spend $10.23.
The AtHomeFam will soon be installing a decontamination shower on our front porch. That way, The Boss Lady can rinse off before she comes in the house.
Evidently the kids at her new school are some of the germiest creatures known to man. We are only half way through the year, and we have all had the flu, several colds and lots of ear infections. AND NOW, The Talker gets to battle Pink Eye, and a 102 degree temperature bonus.
Thanks, you filthy little school kids. Go take a shower. In Everclear. And be sure to wash behind your ears. But please watch out, because that stuff burns when it gets in you eyes. Or in your mouth.
Maybe it would be more effective to just run all 800 kids at The Boss Lady's new school through the decontamination shower once a week. Plus, that would save The Boss Lady the embarrassment of having to burn her clothes in the front yard each night before she comes inside.
Thanks to The Boss Lady for a great idea for the blog sidebar.
I have added a running total of toys that The Talker and The Princess have received and a countdown to Christmas Day. You will also be able to keep track of the total number of component parts and pieces that come with these toys.
We just returned from an early Christmas visit with The Boss Lady's extended family, so the kid's toy count is off to a quick start. I am a little worried about the sheer number of parts, though, since I will eventually step on each and every piece while walking barefoot through the house.
This morning the kids and I are heading downtown to the Auto Show with a bunch of stay at home dads. How cool is that? 10 am, hanging out with a bunch of cool guys (and a few nerds) scoping out new cars. It will feel like one of those days a few years ago when I would play hooky from work to go hang out somewhere more fun.
The Talker wants to go look at motorcycles and Monster Trucks. Reportedly they have an exhibit of Martin Bros. Bikes set-up, too, so I believe he is in luck. The Princess wants to look for a shiny two-seater convertible. And AtHomeDaddy? He really just wants a nap, but a new pickup would fit nicely under my side of the Christmas tree.
Earlier, I mentioned our Neighborhood Camper who was living in the creek. A quick update.
It took until TODAY to get rid of him. Finally another neighbor called the Police this morning, when she realized he was burning a campfire in the creek. She must have used the secret word. Got a little better response than AtHomeDaddy did last Wednesday. 3 Police cars AND a Fire Truck showed up this morning! My tax dollars at work. But at least the camper, whose parents do indeed live around the corner, is gone.
AtHomeDaddy is finally getting to delve into Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger. It only took the library four months to get me a copy. That is the longest I have had to wait for a book, since they started an online reservation system.
Used to be, you would ask the librarian to get you a book that was not on the shelf, and they would call you when it came in. If it ever came in. Sometimes it would be a year later, and they would call. But the knuckleheads at our branch library would often forget to route the request through the system, so sometimes, the call never came.
Now, with the online system, I only have to deal with the library staff when I check out a book. Or pay a fine. Too bad they won't Fedex me the books I request and take Paypal for fines.
So KRB moves to Burleson and then this happens? Draw your own conclusions. I am calling the FBI. Or The Lone Ranger.
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
Associated Press
BURLESON - Holiday shoppers were pepper-sprayed by a gunman who stole a bag of money from an armored car's guard at a North Texas Wal-Mart.
Twenty-two people required medical treatment after the gunman began spraying startled shoppers and workers after the robbery in front of the store. Authorities said six customers were hospitalized Monday with breathing problems and 16 other people were treated at the Wal-Mart.
One shopper said the robber ran straight toward him.
'He said, `Excuse me, man,' as he went by me,' said Bill Rose. 'Then he pulled out a cylinder and started spraying this reddish fog into the air behind him.'
The bandit escaped in a white van, which was found abandoned in a field about seven miles away.
The store was evacuated following the afternoon attack and paramedics arrived to treat customers exposed to the pepper spray, said Burleson police Sgt. C. Aaron. Most of the injured complained of burning eyes or breathing problems.
Aaron said the guard had made a pickup and was exiting the store when a man in a trench coat and a white or gray wig pointed a gun at his head. She said the guard dropped his bag and the gunman sprayed him in the face with pepper spray, then grabbed the sack containing an undetermined amount of money from the victim.
'He had this orangish substance all over his eyes, his nose, his mouth and his hands,' shopper Erin Foreman said. 'Employees started pouring milk on him.'
The robber sprinted through crowded aisles, escaping through another exit.
The FBI was assisting in the investigation, Aaron said. Burleson is about 40 miles south of Dallas
Sis's kid has pneumonia. And since before Thanksgiving, The Princess has had a nasty three-pack-a-day type hacking cough.
So this morning we headed off to the pediatrician's office to make sure The Princess's cough was nothing more than a lingering cold. We don't need no stinkin' pneumonia...
The bad news- It is more than a lingering cold. It is an ear infection.
The good news- It ain't pneumonia!
The Boss Lady was stir crazy this afternoon and she wanted to head to the mall. Good thing we went, because it seems that in all of the post-Thanksgiving madness, we have forgotten to buy our son's Christmas gifts.
We do a very small Christmas around here. The kids get a few things from Santa. We don't go into debt for gifts and everyone is happy, because Grandparents can buy insane amounts of gifts, if they want. In the end, the kids aren't too overwhelmed by all of the new loot, so they have more fun, too.
Still. We can't go through Christmas day without gifts for The Talker. Thanks to a sale at The Disney Store and an easily distracted almost-three year old, our son now has Christmas gifts. It was kind of funny walking out with two large bags and having The Talker ask "What's in the bags?"
"Mommy got boxes at the store."
"Oh, OK!" He never asked again.
We topped off our Christmas shopping trip with a drive through the neighborhood, looking at lights and Christmas decorations.
So sorry if I type this blog slower than usual. As it turns out, AtHomeDaddy has been needing new glasses for a while. I know that, because I went and got some this afternoon. And I can't see a freakin' thing. I forgot all about that break-in period for new glasses.
I have not worn glasses in 10 years. Not sure why I stopped. I think I forgot where I left the old pair and then we moved. Five times.
The new glasses are providing a lot of laughs for The Boss Lady, though. I damn near tripped over a painted line in the Costco parking lot this evening. But at least I did not break the new glasses.
An aside... I went to buy A SINGLE PAIR of glasses to wear for reading and driving. $175 for the pair I liked. And certainly not the most expensive frames in the place, either. But I could buy TWO pairs of glasses, including the exact pair I liked and pair pair of sunglasses for $120!?! What the heck?
Another aside... Didya know that Blogger tries to correct the spelling of freakin'. The suggested correction? Foreskin. Sorry, I had to do it. Mainly because I know my mother reads this at work.
Now, move along, nothing to see here.
This morning, while out walking in the neighborhood, The AtHomeTrio happened upon a campsite in the creek near our house. I am assuming this is a neighborhood runaway or teen that has gotten booted by the parents. I thought the guy was dumping trash in a vacant lot, but it turned out that he was dumping a load of firewood. Not good, since at least one house backing up to the creek had an attempted break-in a week or so ago.
Hopefully the Police will get this guy to move along, or back home. The Officer I spoke with this morning assured me that he would keep stopping by, until he found the guy "home".
But the worst part, now I have to be nice to The Boss Lady, because this guy is squatting in MY spot. This was my haven, in case I am ever in the doghouse with The Boss Lady but now, I guess I'll just have to sleep in Fort Walden.
I am pretty sure I swept up a cat this morning. I have not seen one of the fur balls all morning, and there WAS an awful lot of junk in the dustpan after I swept the dining room and kitchen this morning.
Nothing will make you break out the broom faster than a new crawler trying to explore all parts of her kitty and puppy fur-lined house. Add to that, the miles and miles of tile we have in this place. The nice thing about the tile, though, eventually everything just blows into a corner. Sweep the corners and you have won half of the battle.
The real expertise comes in to play while you are sweeping. Keeping the creepy crawler away from the piles of fur in the corners can be a real trick. It takes a pro like AtHomeDaddy to distract The Princess long enough to get the entire mess swept into the dustpan. Bonus points if she stays happy when distracted. So, I earned NO bonus points this morning!
And the real kicker? I swept yesterday morning. The Boss Lady swept last night. Enough! I am off to shave the cats, dogs and kids.
Attraction, compulsion, craze, crush, fascination, fetish, hang-up, infatuation, jones, monkey, Call it what you want.
Rick has fed the frenzy by posting a couple of pictures for me. So, out of respect to my guitar playing, wood-working, truck re-building pal, I will refrain from calling my newest fixation an Obsession.
You can see the 1968 Chevrolet Long Wheel Base, Stepside Truck that might end up taking up garage space at Casa de AtHomeFamilia.
I am writing in a Spanish mode, since I seem to be getting a ton of spam in Spanish lately. I guess that would make it Spamish! Do you need to buy any Mexican phone cards, I seem to know a guy who can hook you up!
Or check out the 1948 Chevy Pickup that is sitting 10 feet away from the 1968.
This year, we were a little too busy to observe AtHomeDaddy's most sacred Thanksgiving Week tradition. Friday afternoons are always reserved for hanging the lights on the outside of the house. This used to be a competitive neighborhood. Every male over 10 would be out stringing Christmas lights by 2pm. I guess everyone has given in to the superiority of AtHomeDaddy. We are the only house lit, and we waited a day longer than in the past.
Tonight, The AtHomeFamily will sleep in the glow of 17 strands of Christmas lights decorating the eaves and porch of our house and the smaller displays of lights around our Half-an-Oak tree and Fort Walden.
Several hours of untangling lights, crawling on the roof, cutting stakes for the yard lights and wrapping the porch posts was well worth the effort. The Talker yelled out "Those are so beautiful..." When he first saw the light display.
Thursday The AtHomeFamily met up with 85 members of Dad's family for our Thanksgiving Day Family Reunion. Good grub and a good time visiting with AtHomeDaddy's siblings, some cousins and great aunts. Lots of people that I still don't really understand how I am related to, but everyone was well behaved, no fights or public drukeness and we had LOTSA desserts and turkey. Good times! BURP!
Friday morning, The AtHomeFamily and Bro's Fam went downtown with The Queen Mother to watch the Aggie Corp of Cadets march into town for a butt-whoopin'. Good Times! WHOOP!
Friday evening, Bro and I spent at our grandmother's farm, trying to help The Queen Mother and her siblings clean and straighten years of stuff and clutter. We stunk afterwards, but it was a productive day. It is always a good day at the farm when you have three adults in the cab of the truck and four kids under six years old, a 7 month old baby and five adults in the bed of the truck going up to the catfish pond to feed the fish! Good Times! BUMPY!
While at the farm, The Boss Lady and I got to take a close look at my grandfather's 1968 Chevy Pickup truck. This truck holds the very best memories of my childhood visits to my grandparents. But, right now the truck is full of rust, junk and cattle feed. If my Uncle is not going to use it then I am hoping that we can try to get it running and looking okay again. Once home I spent most of the night cruising Chevy truck websites. Good Times! STINKY!
This morning, We headed back downtown, to the exact same spot, for another parade. Actually, this was why we came down yesterday, but we had the schedule mixed up, so we watched the Aggies, instead. Big balloons, cool hot-rods and TWO Santas! Good Times! WOW!
The AtHomeFamily is 3 days into a restful 4 day weekend and we have managed to get everything done, EXCEPT rest. Hopefully napping a'plently will be on the schedule for Sunday. Good Times! WORN OUT!
A couple of entries back, I mentioned that The Boss Lady had won a drawing.
I lied. She WON nothing. Endured would be a more appropriate way of stating what happened tonight.
I should have suspected something really bad, when Gil was 40 minutes late. He still wanted to go through his company info, but our low interest level slid even more as dinnertime neared, and then passed us by.
The prizes, Crap. But I knew that two days ago...
The waste of an hour at dinnertime, Boring. But I also knew it would be a waste two days ago...
Getting to make fun of Gil everytime I think of him in the next week, NOT Priceless, by any means, but laughing to myself about The Big Loser made the time pass quicker.
And in the end, The Boss Lady did win a grill four years ago, so she can't be all bad, right?
There were lots of times in the past when I would have sold YOUR children into slavery to be the first on the block with the new U2 disc in the player. I guess those days are past.
I woke up knowing the following:
It is raining, AGAIN
The Talker was awake before me but The Girl is still asleep
The new U2 Disc, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is released today.
I really don't want to take these kids out in the rain, to trek downtown, to my favorite music store, Waterloo, just to buy one CD. I have to go down there Friday to get a copy of KGSR's special release broadcasts, vol. 12 anyways, so U2 will just have to wait. Did I really say that? Here it is, another "God, it sucks getting old moment".
Today's reminiscence was brought to you by the letter U and the number 2.
2:00 pm, Tuesday, November 23, 2004
OK, an update - This is just sad, so you might not want to continue reading, especially if you still harbor any of your youthful self...
I did have to load the kids up to go shopping this morning. Not to the funky record store downtown, but to Target. For dishwashing soap, toilet paper and cat litter.
Now the really sad part - I could have cruised over to their CD section to look for U2's newest. But I forgot after I got busy comparison shopping the toilet paper.
TOILET PAPER.
The Boss Lady is a big winner. Fitting, since life is all about balance and she married such a big loser.
Four years ago, we were out looking for a barbecue grill. I wanted the four burner model from Barbeques Galore. She wanted something much cheaper, from Target. While out shopping, The Boss Lady stopped to complete a bunch of entry forms for a grill give-away from a local radio station.
AtHomeDaddy is skeptical enough to never enter these things. I like my long distance carrier, I don't need more vinyl siding and I sure don't want more spam in my inbox! But dang it, she won the grill! A nice three burner model from Barbeques Galore! They handed over the grill that night, with no hassles, so everyone was happy. There is another chapter this part of the story, but I'll tell you later. Here is a hint. The grill is named Timmy.
Except that now she is addicted to entry forms. Any contest, any prize. Lots of personal info required? No problem. The Boss Lady'll enter your drawing for a garden full of deer attracting plants. Or for a solar powered baby wipe warmer. Or ANYTHING.
Dang it, she won again. While at a conference a while back. This time, she is getting an assortment of prizes. BUT, AtHomeDaddy has to sit through the company's sales pitch with her Wednesday night. Should be fun. The kids will be here, too since I don't want to try and find a babysitter that I trust on short notice. Plus I am sure the distraction will be welcome right in the middle of the big spiel.
So what are these people selling? Daycare center franchises! To us, people who won't leave their kids for a couple of hours with a baby sitter we have known less than 5 years. I bet they don't get any money out of us!
Good luck, salesman. You have your work cut out for you. And don't forget to bring any of our fabulous prizes!
Around here, things are returning to normal. The Mother of the Bride headed home Sunday morning. The Boss Lady's sister, and three of her four daughters left Sunday afternoon. I don't think the fourth daughter was ever here.
Who really knows? There were too many females in this house to keep track. AtHomeDaddy was scared that a makeup and hair dance party would break out at any time. Is Hillary Duff NOT the scariest chick, ever? Luckily, I made it through the weekend with my nails and hair still naturally colored.
I am not sure The Talker was so lucky. He may have gotten a makeover. But, MAYBE he just needs a bath after playing with markers. We will just play in the mud this morning to wash it off.
After three more days of rain, it should be no harder to find a mud puddle outside than it was to find a hairbrush in this house over the weekend!
At this moment, there are seven females in our house. Most are under the age of 15, but it is a dangerous shift in the usual balance of power. The Boy and I are supposed to be watching each other's backs this weekend, but he wimped out and is taking a nap.
Payback, I guess, since I did leave for a few hours to go fishing without him. But someone had to be the man of the house in my absence. And the dog is hiding in the garage.
A few years ago, Everyone in our neighborhood bought small patio fireplaces, most were pottery chimeneas. These never seem to last very long, possibly because AtHomeDaddy is friends with a bunch of pyromaniacs. They would build bonfires and the pottery would crack due to the high heat. The AtHomeFamily looked several times for a patio fireplace, but The Boss Lady would never jar loose of the $100 to get one.
Now, all of our neighbors have moved up to Fire Bowls, mostly large copper bowls with no cover or grate. But they still try to build bonfires, so the copper bowls might not hold up for too long, either.
When the first Fire Bowl showed up in the neighborhood, AtHomeDaddy begged for one, but The Boss Lady did not want to shell out $150 for it, so it was time to improvise. And The Whitetrash Fire Pit was born!
I had a charcoal grill that had a broken leg. It was sitting by the house waiting for bulky trash pick up. I also had a big galvanized washtub. I yanked the rest of the legs off of the grill, put it in the washtub, hoping it would allow more air into the firepit. Then we built a REAL bonfire and got warm. This was a good system. Cheap and able to handle bigger fires than the neighbor's wimpy little fire bowls.
The Whitetrash Fire Pit has gone through a couple of changes, but it is still used. On cold nights, the neighbors will ask us to light the WTFP. Last night, when the neighborhood guys were playing basketball and enjoying the itty-bitty fire that was burning in Other Dad's copper fire bowl, AtHomeDaddy was smug. Several times someone mentioned the need for the WTFP, since the wimpy fire in the copper fire bowl just was not cutting through the chill.
Not much of substance lately on this blog. Too bad. If you want substance, go to InfoWars. But if you want to know what has been going on with The AtHomeFamily this week, then keep on reading. If you are looking for insane rambling, either site should satisfy you!
The Princess has learned to crawl. A few coordinated arm and leg movements on the carpet early in the week have led to free-range baby this morning. She has started figuring out how to crawl on the tile in the living room. Next challenge, the concrete floor in the kitchen. She just slides around in there right now. So guess where we will be playing for the rest of the day!?!
More useful than crawling, right now, though The Princess has learned her first Baby Sign. She is now letting us know when she wants MORE food. As it turns out, she ALWAYS wants MORE food.
This girl is on a roll! She has also learned to clap. She like this a lot because it gets someone to clap and play with her everytime she does it! She started clapping and we introduced the sign for MORE a couple of days later. Right now, it is hard to distinguish between the two, but if she is eating or sitting in the high chair it means MORE because she only does it once or twice. When she really gets to clapping, she can go for several minutes. The girl will clap however long it takes to get a response from SOMEONE. Come on over and she will show off for you.
The Talker has been learning to help his little sister find toys that keep her happy and not crying. This is a huge help for AtHomeDaddy! HE runs to check on her anytime she cries, now that she is not crying ALL THE TIME. And while we were stuck playing in the garage for four days this week, he really figured out pedaling his trikes. He usually lets the slope of the driveway do the work for him. Smart boy. If you have a big hill in your front yard, make use of it!
The Boss Lady has almost finished The Princess' baby quilt. Seven or eight months later than planned, but it looks great! The Mother of the Bride watched the kids last night so that The Boss Lady could finish sewing.
AtHomeDaddy has now finished 10 weeks of guitar classes. I am afraid that I am still a long ways from playing Merry Christmas for you this season. But maybe I'll jam on Happy Birthday for The Talker's 3rd birthday!
The heater repairman has come and gone. Our house is nice and toasty, once again. When he got here, we were looking at a $75 tune-up. So how can it be that AtHomeDaddy is HAPPY that he just paid the guy $122?
Some blower motor thing evidently needed replacing, so our $75 tune-up jumped to a $400 repair very quickly. Then the good news started. I think he saw I was about to have a stroke when he said $400! Would that have been a HEATer STROKE?
First, he could re-use some parts, so that knocked the price down $40. Whoopee! Then, while removing the old parts, he found the real problem. Somehow a Dirt Dauber has gotten into the blower and made a nest. The nest was obstructing the blower and causing havoc. Once it was gone, no more problems and no new parts needed! Super Whoopee!
So to wrap up. AtHomeDaddy just spent $121 to get a guy to knock some mud out of the heater. But now we are warm so it was money well spent.
It actually quit raining yesterday afternoon. We celebrated by firing up the BBQ grill and cooking some hotdogs outside.
Hopefully it will not rain today, either. The Talker and his daddy need to get outside. Neither of us like being inside, especially when we have no choice. Now that the monsoons are behind us, we can go throw some rocks into the creek. Or we can splash some huge puddles. We will probably be muddy messes when we are done. But AtHomeDaddy won't get glared at by the neighbors like if we had actually been outside during the rain. But we really need to make use of all of this water.
So stand back. And don't wear your good shoes. 'Cause if you come within 20 feet of The Talker today, you will get wet. If it isn't raining. Because we don't want the neighbors calling The Boss Lady to report us.
The Princess had to get her follow-up flu shot this morning. For the youngest patients, they give the vaccine in two doses, a month apart. No problem, except that AtHomeDaddy forgot all about it. Luckily, The Boss Lady did not. So, 30 minutes to get to the Pediatrician's office in the rain. 10 minutes in the waiting room, 10 seconds (I am NOT exagerating) in the exam room, and 30 minutes getting home. Sounded like too much hassle for not much payoff. Boy, was AtHomeDaddy wrong!
The Princess has not napped worth a darn in a month. After her shot, she has napped like Sleeping Beauty. So I am hoping we can get her another shot tommorrow. What about next Monday?
When they deliver the morning paper by kayak.
Did I tell you it is raining again? A new crawler, an almost three year old and AtHomeDaddy stuck in the house for a fourth day straight will be A LOT of fun! As long as the satellite receiver does not dork out, we will be fine because Disney channel broadcasts little kids shows straight through until 4:30 pm.
Thank God for TV. And Excedrin. And Dr Pepper.
But AtHomeDaddy wishes death, soggy shoes and a broken umbrella while trying to wrestle a toddler and a baby into the house without anyone getting too wet - on the weatherman who forecasts rain for a fifth day around here!
Today was one of the few days that The Boss Lady had to work extra long hours. It is never fun when she has a 13 or 14 hour day and we are glad that they don’t occur more often. It was a tough day and the hard part was only starting when the day was ending. Because at 10:04pm, on Monday night,
The Princess STARTED CRAWLING!
Seven months and 10 days ago, she was born. Now she is mobile. Crap. Crap. Crap-ity-Crap.
Actually, she has been fairly mobile for a few weeks. The Talker never rolled to get around when he was little. She had just about perfected that move. Last week I found her half way behind the TV cabinet. No telling where I may find her now that her legs are actually useful. And don’t forget about the baby proofing that we have to redo in a big damn hurry. I mean, it is an amazing thing to watch a child learn to crawl. I just wish it were YOUR child. Because what I am really think now is…Oh Crap.
This is the third rainy day in a row. It is supposed to be this way all week. What a lot of fun this will be for The AtHomeTrio. Having the three of us trapped in the house all week usually means that the house will be a disaster area by the weekend, and the entire AtHomeFamily will be busy cleaning house for two days. But this week should be a little better than usual.
Thursday we are having company, and we have to keep things looking nice. I would not want to embarrass my lovely wife by having a dirty house when the Heater Repairman stops by on Thursday morning. Yep, the heater is on the fritz, so it is time to bust the budget and bring in a repairman. I stared at the furnace for 30 minutes, but that did not help. I mumbled a few "choice" words at it, but that did not do any good, either.
Plus, the Windstar, from now on to be know as the WinSad, is crapping out, too. So we are headed to the repair shop this afternoon for a new Idle Air Controller. At least the 4th one on this vehicle. It is pretty sad that it has done this so many times, THAT I can diagnose the problem.
Add to all of that, The Mother of the Bride will be here for three days this week. So this week The AtHomeTrio will be stuck at home with the Mother of the Bride, without a vehicle, inside because of the rain, while trying to keep the house clean and waiting for the furnace repairman. Sounds fun.
Wanna come play?
The junk pile/garage has undergone an amazing transformation during the last few days. For some reason (Let's call that reason - The Princess), about seven months ago, the entire workshop idea was put to rest. Since then, the most creative thing I have done in the workshop involved separating light clothes from dark.
The Boss Lady told me The Mother of the Bride will be here for three or four days next week, so out to the garage I went. A little general cleaning and organizing Wednesday was followed with a Thursday morning trip across town to Harbor Freight for loads of sanding belts, gloves and things made by indentured servants in China. But, at least they keep it cheap for AtHomeDaddy.
Yesterday afternoon, The Princess and I continued re-organizing and cleaning. So much so, that last night I was out in the garage, making wooden trucks. Once again, this area can be called "The Workshop" without fear of Bob Villa coming over to pistol-whip my ass with a 2hp router. Though, truth be known, I am much more scared of being beaten down by Handy Ma'am.
All of this seem like a lot of work to avoid the Mother-In-Law? Honestly, it is no trouble, I swear. Plus, I have already promised to make a dog feeding table for My So Called Aunt. Now that I can actually find my workbench, her furrier and more expensive children might get to eat their dinner from a miniature picnic table before New Year's.
AtHomeDaddy finally got a couple of new pictures added to The Princess' geocities picture page. Sadly, I pulled the fishing pictures down to make room for more pictures of the girl.
If you missed seeing AtHomeDaddy with his Gafftopsail Catfish, too bad. Maybe soon I'll set up a webpage with pictures of my fishing adventures.
AtHomeDaddy is only 8 days late getting a picture of The Purple Dragon and Olivia the Pig posted. It is over on The Talker's geocities picture page. Email me if you want the address. If you are worthy, I'll send you the URL. Don't worry, you are probably worthy.
True confessions time: I actually got the pictures posted quickly, considering we just took the pictures LAST NIGHT!
Fishing was not the only thing that happened this weekend. The AtHomeFam had a blast hanging out and "eating ourselves stupid".
The best sight of the weekend? It was not watching The Talker be brave and touching the black drum fish. It was not hearing The Princess laughing while running around with Momma at Pop's dock, either.
The very best thing we saw this weekend... three elementary-aged kids playing on the roof of an old house with a garden hose. They were trying to chase and squirt each other off of the roof with the hose on full blast! I think someone needs to buy these kids a playscape. Or a Taser.
I felt like we should stop and dial 9 1 and dial the second 1 right after the scream! You just KNOW someone ended up in a bloody heap on the ground a few minutes later. Glad they were not my kids. But mostly, I am glad The Talker was asleep when we drove past "WaterWorld". I really do not want to try and explain to the neighbors why "Super Harold" is on the roof, with a garden hose...
Weekend Fishing trip - A complete success! Just because you are so interested, here is the fish tally for this weekend:
Three Red Drum, two were keepers, one 24" 4 1/2 pounds and one 28 1/2" 6 1/2 pounds. Both will be dinner one night this week. The other was a 14" long throwback.
Three Flounder, two throwbacks 14" and 10", and one keeper, 16" and 3 pounds that will be going on the grill Monday night.
Two Black Drum, one 20" and one 12", both throwbacks.
Fourteen Hardhead Catfish. All throwbacks.
The larger red drum and both black drum were caught on the sail line. I caught the other red drum using squid and the flounder using artificial lures. All but two of the flounder were caught on Pop's brand new dock. The other flounder were caught in town on the public fishing piers.
The last catch of the weekend was the best of all. I was trying out a brand new rod and reel, an early Christmas present from Pops, when I bent over to pick up a flounder and I knocked the rod into the water. After providing a laugh for the locals, someone loaned me a long-handled net and I fished my new rod out of the bay. Thank Goodness for low tide.
A Much needed weekend of fishing at Matagorda Bay is finally here. AtHomeDaddy will be fishing tonight and right through the weekend. I may not see my family again until Sunday afternoon, when it is time for us to head home. Not really sure what the family will be doing while I am fishing. I could ask. But I won't. Because all that really matters is that I will be fishing.
I am going after Red Drum this weekend. Perfect weather and The Boss Lady bought me a bunch of new tackle so that I can land a big one.
Hope you have a fun and quiet weekend, because I will.
The one domestic skill that The Boss Lady has yet to figure out is making mashed potatoes. But I never remember until after the potatoes are on my plate. Several years ago, we compromised and switched to boxed mashed potatoes. No more complaints from me. No more worrying about it for The Boss Lady.
Yes, I will eat potatoes from a cardboard box. If that concerns you, you should see the other crap that I eat.
In the last few weeks The AtHomeTrio have started dealing with the grocery shopping again. We have the time to watch for good deals at various stores and we can go when the stores are not crowded. But, AtHomeDaddy cooks like a convict, nothing too complicated and usually microwaved. And whatever I cook usually tastes like it came straight from the prison kitchen, too. So The Boss Lady still handles most of the cooking and making the grocery list.
I was hopeful several weeks ago, when The Boss Lady told me about a discussion she had at work, about how to make mashed potatoes. Then, "bag of potatoes" showed up on the grocery list last week, right before the entry for "mashed potatoes" - meaning a box of potato flakes. I was giddy walking through the store with my two children and my sack of 'taters. Real mashed potatoes for dinner! I was so happy, I forgot to buy the box of potato flakes. What a great life!
I was so ready, that I never even put the potatoes away, they went right on the counter, next to the sink in a cut crystal bowl! That was Thursday, a week ago. The potatoes were still in the bowl, this morning. These potatoes had bunches of eyes on them from sitting on a sunny counter top, so it was time to take matters into my own hands. Even the potatoes could see that! Get it?, potato eyes, see that... AtHomeDaddy is a funny dude!
So, thanks to a KitchenAid mixer from The Mother of the Bride, and the little cookbook that came with it, I ate mashed potatoes for breakfast. They were good! Slap yo' Mama good. Might be enough for lunch and dinner, too. Definitely the best mashed potatoes ever made in this house!
Then again, that might not be saying much.
Yes, I voted. Almost two weeks ago, thanks to voter-friendly absentee voter laws. The Boss Lady voted a week ago this past Friday.
And that concludes the political discussion on this blog for another four years.
Come Back on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 and I'll expound on politics again.
I swear I did not give The Talker Dog Food Pizza for lunch. But I was letting him watch LazyTown while he was eating lunch. He would not touch the pizza and finally he told me that his pizza "has dog food on it".
What the heck?
Quit worrying, Mother of The Bride, your grandson NO LONGER eats dog food. It was just sausage on a frozen pizza. So I picked off the "dog food" and now he is eating like a champ. Glad I could help him out.
And now I am off to eat the rest of the dog food pizza. Bon Apetit!
The Princess had an early morning Dr's appointment to check out her cough and to see if she needed a prescription help her get over a little cold. She was fine, until the Pediatrician tried to check her right ear. That 19 pound, six-month old took a swing at the Dr. I saw it. She tried to punch him in the ear. That was Clue Number One that her ear was hurting.
It took both of us to hold her so he could look in her ear. He thought it was not too bad of an infection, but The Princess said otherwise. She told the Dr. "Look, buddy, my ear hurts, quit screwing with it!" So we get 10 days of Amoxicillin. Could be worse.
For the record, the kids pediatrician is fine with the dose of benadryl that I give The Talker when his allergies are acting up. He even told me, "It will make him sleepy, too, so enjoy the quiet time."
So there. Nanny Nanny Boo Boo. I was right.
All day I have chased The Talker away from the candy stash in the kitchen. He got to pick a few pieces after lunch because he was in a great mood and he was not whining! But I did not let him slip into a diabetic coma by eating all of his treats at once like I tried when I was a kid. See, I AM a responsible parent.
Sadly, The Princess did not forego the whining today. She is feeling bad, so she whined and screamed anytime I put her down. Since I had a headache and sinus infection, I didn't want to hear that noise so I gave in and toted the little bundle of joy all day long. Hopefully she will feel better in the morning. Hopefully, I will too. And let's all hope that The Talker does not realize that I have already eaten all of the chocolate candy from his Halloween stash.
The Purple Dragon went to about a dozen houses to Trick-or-Treat with his cousins. He is not yet 3 years old, so that was plenty of candy to last the rest of the year.
The boy was ON tonight. He cracked us up at the first house we stopped at, by telling the grey-haired woman "Thanks, Grandma!" after he got his candy. At the next house, an older man gave out the candy and the Talker yelled out "Thanks, Bud!" He heard us laughing, so from then on, he offered up a "Thanks, Bud!" at almost every house.
Olivia the Pig was not impressed by the experience or by her pig snout and ears headband. Too bad, because she was really cute.
And just so we are clear on this, The Talker went to sleep with no drugs in his system, just lots of candy. And he did brush his teeth before bed. Thanks for being concerned.
The AtHomeFamily is headed to the southside of town to trick-or-treat with My So Called Aunt, Uncle Lemon and their kids (and dogs and cats). These guys live in a neighborhood that gets flooded with trick-or-treaters from all over town; unlike our neighborhood, where we might see ten kids at our door.
The Talker has been ready to go since 9pm last night. On the way to church this morning, he was begging to skip out and head straight to the candy-fest. When we headed home, he was upset because he knew we were going the wrong way. And he REALLY did not want to nap since he might sleep through the fun.
So in a few minutes I will wake him from his non-drug induced sleep, and we will cruise the cousin's neighborhood for the best candy in town. Be watching for pics to be posted soon of the Scary Purple Dragon and Olivia the Pig. The costumes are awesome. The Boss Lady outdid herself this year and it only took until 10pm last night to finish The Princess' costume.
Check out the comments after my last blog entry, AtHomeDaddy: Our Day, at a Glance. To see the comments, scroll down, past the blog entry, then take a gander at Miki's comment.
Was I a little too hard on my newest fan? Or is AtHomeDaddy's bad mood due to the fact that allergy season has been running (get it, running, like your nose is running...) since March without let-up, thanks to a wet summer?
Whatever. Thanks for the parenting advice. I REALLY, truly appreciate it. No kidding. Ok, that is a lie, I am kidding, I don't appreciate it and I stand by my original "Shut up and go away".
I may delete the comment later, but for now, I'll do the immature thing and just make fun of it.
Besides all of that, was she OK with me drugging the baby? Does she like boys, not girls? Why not gripe about Mr Infant Drugs? Scary, don't you think?
Since I can't remember the funny story from this morning, I will take the opportunity to show you what a typical day is like with The AtHomeTrio.
AtHomeDaddy - up at 6:55
The Talker - up at 7:15 to watch the end of Sesame Street and eat Spiderman cereal!
The Princess - up at 7:35
8:00 The Talker watches DragonTales on PBS
8:15 Chow time for The Princess
8:30 Backyard time. She swings, He goes nuts, I scoop poop
10:15 Puzzles and books for him, She rolls on the rug
11:15 Chow time for The Princess and Lunch for The Talker
11:30 Run to the store for Halloween costume ears and tail
12:30 Nap time for The Princess and Lazytown for him
1:00 The boy and I play cars and trucks in the living room
1:05 Naptime for The Talker
1:07 She is up (No rest for Daddy, today [or lunch])
1:15 Chow time for The Princess
1:30 The Talker is still awake, playing in his room
2:00 The Talker is still awake, but in bed
2:15 That boy is determined not to nap today
2:20 He is asleep (Thanks to my buddy, Mr Benadryl)
3:00 She is asleep again (Thanks to Mr Infant Drugs)
3:02 AtHomeDaddy mows the front yard
3:40 Back in the house, before the pediatric drugs wear off.
3:41 She wakes up to the sound of my butt hitting the couch.
3:42 She practices rolling, and balancing things on her head
4:20 The Boss Lady is home
4:25 The Benadryl wears off, The boy awakes
5:30 Mowing the backyard
6:30 Neighborhood playtime at The AtHomeFamily Compound.
The timeline might be a little off, but this is a pretty good snapshot of our day. Scary, isn't it? And the worst part, I never did remember The Talker's witty comment...
that The Talker told me something truly hilarious this morning, but by the time I got to the blog, The Princes woke from her nap. After getting her chilled out, I forgot what it was. Dang. And it was really funny, too. Not the usual stupid stuff that you find here. I have been trying to remember all evening, but it has not come back to me.
Oh well, your loss.
Uncle Lemon is a pretty important guy around here. He gave the Talker golf clubs which are used everytime we venture into the backyard. The Talker mentions Uncle Lemon everytime we see baseball on TV. And now Uncle Lemon has soared to a new high-status level in The AtHomeFamily house.
The story begins with an early morning run for Dr Pepper. (A personal thanks to Uncle Lemon for that one!) The kids were very good at the grocery store. As we were walking to the cash registers, I saw a bin of rubber balls for 50 cents each. Since AtHomeDaddy is a sucker for a toy that costs less than a buck, the kids each ended up with a new ball. The Talker picked one for his siter and then one for himself. Awwwwww.
The best part. The balls have faces and names painted on them. The red one is Mr. Strawberry. (He smells funny, but I think he is supposed to be scented like strawberries.) The green one is Mr. Lemon. (Green? I don't know why, it just is. Guess he is not ripe. Yes, he smells funny, too!) The Talker immediately announced "Daddy, It's Mr. Lemon, NOT Uncle Lemon." He told the cashier and the bagger the same thing. And I just left it with no explanation. I'll let them try to figure it out when they get bored...
He was very insistent that no one mix up the two. So here is the lowdown. Uncle Lemon, tall, brown hair and he may play baseball for a living. Mr. Lemon, round, green and could make his living as a baseball. Don't mix 'em up unless you want to face the wrath of The Talker.
While feeding The Princess, I let the boy watch a little bit of Between the Lions on PBS Kids.
They were singing a song about consonant and vowel blends, and teaching that once you can read this grouping, you can read lots of words that start with this group.
Today's grouping.... COA as in coach and coaster
But the entire time, I thought they were singing C. Y. A.!
Well, I thought it was funny. Guess you had to be there.
Last week, there was an article about Freecycling in our local paper. They gave the web site to join the local freecycle chat list, hosted on Yahoo groups. The basic idea sounded great to me. Get rid of stuff that you would likely throw away, without asking for cash or get stuff without shelling out cash.
Within 5 days of signing up, I have gotten rid of a queensized mattress, boxspring and frame, that had been stored in the garage for 3 months or more and today I found someone who wants the left over wood from The Talker's play-deck project.
I was just waiting to throw them away during the next big trash pick-up, so I am glad this stuff will get more use. The only problem, no one has posted that they need to get rid of a bass boat, yet...
IF your two and a half-year old has been given an inkjet-printed picture of one of his friends and he has left the picture laying around in the living room, AND your six-month old daughter rolls to the picture and EATS it, while you are trying to fix your lunch, don't worry. I can save you the call to 1 800 222-1222, also know as Poison Control.
Cause this is what they are going to tell you:
Wipe her mouth out with a wet rag
Wipe any ink off of her hands and face
Try to feed her or give her water (Hopefully, she did not just finish eating a HUGE meal before partaking of her photographic dessert)
Watch her closely for any hives or allergic reactions for 24 hours
Call back if she breaks out or if she runs a fever
AND be glad that it was only an inkjet print, because photo lab prints are worse!
Seriously, though, DON'T TAKE MY WORD for it. If it happens to you, call 1 800 222-1222. I promise, they will not laugh at you.
And please move the pictures off of the floor before you let your daughter roll around!
The Princess was in the same nursery room at church yesterday as always. At least that is where we dropped her off and put her stuff. Evidently, sometime during the morning, she got shuffled to another room. Nobody knew about this until The Boss Lady and I went to pick her up after church. We found her six rooms down the hall, with kids who were closer in age to a year and a half, than half a year.
Luckily, it did not take long to find her. But sadly, no one seems to know why or when she was moved. Or who moved her. Once we got to the car, THE PLAN was set in place. I was to email the head of the Children's program and get to the bottom of this event. Answers would be had.
I finally sat down to email him at 10pm. It took a while to be polite, even by email. In the end, The Princess was fine and hopefully the volunteers with the littlest kids at church will be more vigilant about their work. I bet they know where The Princess is, at least for the next few weeks.
After the funeral, we headed over to Ma Ma's farm. I wanted to take a little walk around and show The Boss Lady the property. Unfortunately it rained enough to float another Ark last night, so we only walked a little of the property. Then we rode up to the tank to feed the catfish.
This is quiet a thing to see. You should try it sometime. The catfish come to the surface and swim around with their mouths open, sucking in the food pellets that are floating on the surface. Once they get a mouthful, they submerge. The Talker stared at the water for a while and then announced "That's Amazing!"
Once home, he kept reminding me about the catfish. "They were blue. They were BIG fish." I guess my boy really is growing up, though, because not once did he ask about the dogfish, like he did when we were checking out the aquarium at Bass Pro Shops.
The funeral for AtHomeDaddy's 82 year old grandmother was held this morning. The entire AtHomeFam went to the service. It was a huge source of pride to have the kids there, and appropriate, too, since my grandmother spent most of her life helping educate the kids in her community.
She worked at the local school for more than 30 years and I wonder how many people she taught to read. Most of all, though, I am truly appreciative of a compliment I received from Ma Ma a few weeks ago. She frequently would let me know when she thought I was "playing too rough" with her great-grandkids. But then one day she let me know that "Whatever you are doing with the kids, keep it up, because it is working. They are great kids." Yes, ma'am they are great kids.
And believe me, after that many years of working in schools, my Ma Ma knew a lot about great kids!
I saw the 1957 Ranchero again tonight. It is no longer for sale. I guess the guy who collects 1950's and 60's bicycles and Ford Mustangs wanted a nice new ride.
Too bad for me. Unless of course he gets bored with one of his Mustangs. He has a nice white 1969 convertible that would look good parked in my driveway. It would be useful, too. Because if I needed to haul something big, I could just drop the top and haul away!
Astro's Fever hit our house hard during the post-season. The Boss Lady and I watched almost al of the playoff games, hoping to actually see a Texas team go to the World Series. But, The AtHomeFamily has a tradition of backing teams that don't make it all the way to the 'Big Show'. I am sure we spoiled it for you, Uncle Lemon. If we had remained uninterested, they would have won in four.
I must admit that I have been surprised by The Boss Lady's reaction. I gave up on Game 7 in the 7th inning. She watched to the bitter end. She cussed at the TV twice and announced "I am going to bed!" as soon as the game ended. What a Fan!
Next year. We will leave The 'Stros alone , next year. We promise...
While a the park this morning, with a SAHDs playgroup, The Talker was bitten. TWICE! To be fair, it was two different kids and they are both younger than The Talker, but dang...
The first time, The Talker gave up the toy that the other kid wanted, and he cried a little. The second time, he wailed! When I picked him up, he whispered to me, "I wanna go home." So we took our toys and went home.
Hopefully, the other dads will get a handle on the biting thing. I imagine they were puzzled when we left so quickly. I was not really mad, I know that kids do stuff like that. But I thought it was really important that The Talker know that his daddym is sympathetic. He wanted to leave, so we left, no questions asked.
Now, I just hope that no one decides to try out their vampire skills on The Talker when the entire group comes to play at our house, Friday morning. 'Cause if The Talker gets bit, and he decides to duct-tape the offenders mouth shut, I think I'll just have to stand back and watch. And I'll cut the tape for him.
Today, The AtHomeTrio headed out to the mall to hunt for the final piece for The Princess' Olivia the Pig costume. Did you know that it is really hard to find black and white striped tights for 6 month old girls?
You probably knew that. Because I am an idiot, I thought it would be a quick trip.
The Talker and I walked the entire mall, searching every kids store, shoe store or women's store - on the off chance that we might find Holy Grail of this year's Halloween costume, the elusive black and white stripped tights. Isn't it ironic that this time last year, I was searching for fuzzy red socks to finish off an Elmo costume...
The Good News, I found the tights! In the Halloween store, Duh. Yeah, probably should have looked there first, NOW you tell me.
The Bad News, They would fit a 10 year old girl. I guess The Boss Lady can figure out how to make them fit...
The Even Better News, The boy took a four hour nap. He was worn out!
The Worse News, The Princess was NOT worn out... I was betting she would not nap today.
The Greatest News of the Day, She still took a two hour nap!
Of course, I was totally unproductive during the nap-fest. The Talker wanted to sleep in "Daddy's Big Bed", so I could not get to the dirty laundry hamper. I was sure The Princess was going to wake up any minute, so I skipped all of the housework and watched a double header.
You gotta love October baseball... Go 'Stros!
After church, I had planned to head straight over to the lake for a little fishing. I need to warm up a little for this coming weekend. We are headed to Pop's house Friday afternoon and I plan on fishing his new dock all weekend long.
The couch was calling my name so I decided that I would be a better fisherman after a little snooze. When I woke from my cat-nap, two hours later, the afternoon was gone. No fishing today.
So I headed out front to start re-working the flowerbeds. Everything I planted this spring was supposed to be 'deer-resistant', but 'deer-attractant' would have been a more truthful label. So out with all of the chomped flowers and bulbs and in with more nandina and rosemary. Since I already have these in the yard, I KNOW the deer leave them alone. The deer don't like the smell or oils in the rosemary, so we have lots of it in the front yard. Now we have even more.
I don't really like the smell of the rosemary plants, either, but it beats having the entire herd hanging out like we are running a soup kitchen for Bambi and all of his friends.
Due to his enormous personality, The Talker was invited to simultaneous birthday parties yesterday. And since we strive to be over-achieving parents, we devised THE WEEKEND PLAN so that he would make both of them. One party was for Sis' 4 year-old daughter, so AtHomeDaddy's' entire family would be there. The other party, held at a gymnastics studio, was for a 3 year old neighbor. After the last party at this gym, The Talker slept for 12 hours. The boy was WORN out, so we really wanted him to go to that party, too.
After the hour and half drive to Sis' house, we were going to stay an hour and head straight to the gym party. 3 hours in the car, what fun for us all! Luckily, The Talker is smarter than his parents. When it was time to leave, he wanted to stay at his cousin's party. So we did. Instead of leaving at 12:30pm, we left for home at 9:15pm. 8 hours and 45 minutes later than set-forth in THE WEEKEND PLAN.
A 10 hour party for a 4 year old? Yep. Way to pick you party, Talker. The gym would have likely kicked us out after two hours... AND, Sis provided an endless supply of Dr Pepper with real Imperial Pure Cane Sugar. Bet they don't have that at the gym... Kudos to you, Sis.
The Talker is finally getting his first dose of High School Football tonight. About 2 years too late, by my calculations. We are heading out to watch a game that does not even involve the High School for our neighborhood, but, they stink, and I want The Talker to see good football. So we are making the drive. Should be a blast, the stadium is brand new and bigger than the UNT stadium when I started there.
Football is in direct opposition to the dress-up that The Boss Lady is currently playing with The Princess. Did you know they make velcro bows for babies who have too little hair to support a bow? Well, I did not know either until 2 minutes ago. I guess The Talker and I will go watch football and The Princess and The Boss Lady will sit at the stadium and do their hair and gossip while ignoring the game. Now that is what I really remember Friday football being all about.
While driving the kids to the Pediatrician's office, The Boss Lady and I were talking about how cool it would be to have an old car. OK, actually I was talking about it, she was saying, "Uh-huh, Yeah..." I said a cool old Ranchero would be awesome. It would satisfy my desire for an old car AND a pickup would be nice to have around the house.
On the way to my guitar class tonight I left early, so that I could meander through town, down to the university. Right in our neighborhood, beside the park that the kids and I most commonly frequent, was a Ranchero, FOR SALE! I have never seen this car in our neighborhood, but it was near a guy's house who collects stuff from the early 60's. I bet he knows something about the car. I think it was either a 1957, 58, or 59. I was not able to find a pic online that looked just like it, but I don't think it was the early 60's body style. I drove past quickly, I did not want to be tempted to call The Boss Lady and beg. If it is there tomorrow, I'll take a longer peek.
Then, pulling around the corner, there is a dryer sitting in a driveway, with a sign that said simply "Works, GAS, 2yrs old, $100 OBO". After wrestling the dryer several times last week, this might have been a wiser investment.
But, Rick has his toy cars, we have a rebuilt dryer, I am a rocking guitar ace and life goes on.
The Princess had her 6 month check up this morning. 4 shots, what fun! AtHomeDaddy was smart enough to escape to the lobby with The Talker before the shots occurred. We were watching Finding Nemo while The Boss Lady was enjoying the wailing.
She is 17 1/2 pounds (75th percentile), 26 1/4 inches (75th percentile) and one big freaking head (90th percentile)! Smart? Maybe if she takes after momma, otherwise she might just have a giant melon and take after her daddy.
The Talker got the quick once over, too. He has the remnants of a cold, but got no shots, so the Dr's visit was a success because of the 2 stickers and a red sucker! Afterwards the entire AtHomeFam headed to a park with a cool multi-storied playhouse. We got lots of good and expensive ideas for the playscape that will be coming at Christmas time.
This morning, The Talker wanted to "go to the park to see the guys". That is AtHomeTrio speak for "I want to go to the SAHDs playdate at the park." So I did my daddly duty and drove The Princess and The Talker to the park. Only problem, I drove to the park that we are meeting at on Wednesday. Seeing as it will be Tuesday for another 9 hours, it was obvious, we were at the wrong park. No chance we were moving though, once The Talker saw the playscape.
He had a blast and I enjoyed scaring the mommies that were at the park. All but two of the moms took their kids to play around the backside of the park when we arrived. Of course, that just meant that AtHomeDaddy had to quietly encourage The Talker wanted to play on that same side of the park!
I really don't care if anybody speaks to me at the park. I am there to keep the boy and girl safe and entertained. But if you try to keep your kids away from The Talker, you can bet that he will be playing with your brat in a very few minutes.
It is going to be really fun on Wednesday, when the SAHDs group meets at that park. I bet one of these chicks blows a gasket when 10 or 15 dads descend or her turf. It should be a good show.
That is, if we can just remember to go to the right park this time!
I added more info to the sidebar tonight. Now, besides peeking at my reading list, you can see where my musical taste (or lack of) is currently running. You can see the Newest CDs in the Player and what I have been Listening to Today.
Comment here to suggest a 'must-have' addition to the AtHomeFamily CD collection.
This morning, The AtHomeTrio was moving in slow gear. We needed to stop at the appliance parts store after 10am, and I did not feel like driving 40 minutes across town to meet the dad's group at the Monday park playdate.
We ended up cruising Costco with another SAHD. He was buying, we were just walking, since we shopped at Costco over the weekend. The Talker and his buddy had fun running around the store and The Princess rode around in the cart like she was in a one girl parade. We bought some cinnamon raisin bagels and The Talker and I chowed down as soon as we got in the car. We stopped at my old recreation center, on the way to the parts shop. I forgot that kids were out of school, so we split quickly when the playscape was crowded.
One of the luxuries of being home with the kids full-time is the ability to hit popular play spots when the crowds are thin. The down side, I don't know if The Talker will ever go to the best parks on a Saturday.
Dryer, DONE!
New parts installed, old parts trashed (Except the coolest looking one, it will be tortured and then hung on the wall beside the blow-torched washing machine timer, as another DIY trophy), lots of High-Temp grease and squeaks and squeals are all GONE!
We are doing a couple of very quiet celebratory loads of laundry tonight, big fun! And because I know that you are curious, here is a parts list from the Great Dryer Rebuild of '04:
New Belt - $18
New Idler Pulley - $18
New Bearing Kit - $31
New Top Felt and Glides - $30
Yeah, the parts were not cheap, but you can't beat the price on the labor. Besides that, we looked at new gas dryers, $350 and up! Mainly up...
Another week is upon the AtHomeFamily, but none of us seem to be jumping up to greet the new week. Today we slept in, skipped church, played at home, did a little yard work and cruised the aisles at Costco.
Not a stress filled day, but not really productive, either. So that means that I get to rush around tonight once the kids are asleep and catch up on house work, so that I don't have to face it on Monday. Most days it is astounding how little I get done while The Boss Lady is gone to work.
So here is to another Sunday night spent cleaning the kitchen and living room. Aren't you REALLY jealous of me, now?
Scratch all of that stuff about me fixing the dryer in the last post. I did indeed fix the first problem, but after a couple of loads, the dryer has a new AND LOUDER squeal. But, thanks to Appliance Repair Aid.com I am sure that I know what the problem is. No, it was not my repair yesterday, that was definitely necessary. Monday, The AtHomeTrio will be off to the parts store to buy a rear bearing kit, an idler pulley, and a new belt, Then, we will dry away our days in quiet bliss. I just hope The Boss Lady isn't planning on me getting the dryer back together until at least November 1, of 2017.
Really though, what's another $60 to ensure tranquility and family harmony? Sounds like a great deal, to me.
On our wedding anniversary, I posted about our dryer sounding like it was dying. This is one of the nice things about 1980's tract homes. Since the dryer sits in the garage, the noise was not too big of a problem. That is until last Thursday. I was watching TV while folding laundry and I kept turning up the volume to drown out the noise from the garage. Also, when I went to get the mail, I could hear the dryer out at the street!
So after the UT/OU game (No, I don't want to talk about it...) I decided to take apart the dryer. My plan was simple. Open it up and replace any parts that looked too worn out. $40 and two hours later, we were back in business. The repair was done in less than an hour, the rest of the time I spent vacuuming lint out of, under , behind and around the dryer. It was amazing, the amount of lint that was sitting inside this machine. The service manual recommends vacuuming out the lint every year or so. It has been five years, four months and 14 days since we bought it, and I know I have not ever sucked out the lint. Have you?
Now, the dryer sounds much happier, and I am thrilled, because it is one more repair that we have handled without a repairman. Self-sufficiency in home repair was one of our biggest goals when I started staying home. While I was working on the dryer, I was trying to remember the last repairman that came into our house.
The siding was installed two years ago, but they worked only outside, so that might not count. 2 1/2 years before that, our washer broke and we had someone repair it, but it was under warranty. Does that count? A plumber was out once, while the house was under a home-warranty, but he did not actually fix anything, so I know that one does not count. The repairs were excluded in the warranty fine-print. He was willing to do the work, for $100, but we decided to call around to get a better price. One of the plumbers I called talked me through the repair and did not charge me for the advice! Seems like the parts cost me less than $10. We had him run a new gas line for our gas log fireplace, a year later. He made up for the freebie on that one! It worked out to about $75 an INCH to replace the old gas line and to install a cut-off valve. We also had a new AC system put in 4 1/2 years ago and a new roof put on 5 years ago. Otherwise, if it has been done to this house, we have done the work ourselves.
Remind me to tell you about the roofer who sung church hymns, cursed like a sailor, disappeared for a month and nailed-down shingles in house-shoes at 5:30am. His wife also helped him tote bundles of shingles onto the roof while she was wearing a denim mini skirt! It is a great story, but alas, when a mentally-ill man roofs your house, just know that you WILL need a new roof before the 20 year shingle warranty expires.
At this rate, The Boss Lady and I might be able to install our own roof in a few years!
We live 3 1/2 hours away from The Talker's and The Princess' grandparents. Head almost any direction and eventually you will run into a grandparent. The Queen Mother and Dad to the Northwest, The Mother of the Bride to the Northeast and Pops to the Southeast.
This arrangement has certain advantages. For example, it is nice, when annoyed by The Boss Lady's mother-in-law to know that the 200 mile buffer zone keeps her from hearing what I say about her. But, the kids do not have nearly enough access to granny and gramps. This week was nice, because The Talker and The Princess saw all of their grandparents and one great-grandmother.
Of course, only one of the grandparents handed out any cash, so you others better get with it. You can send checks or use my Paypal account. You don't really want me to explain that Dad loves The Talker and The Princess more than their other three grandparent's love them, do you?
By the way, I do know that I linked to the same page five times, but the link actually works this time, so I wanted to stick with it!
This morning, after stopping by to visit The Boss Lady, the kids and I made our mid-week grocery run. This was the quickie trip for milk, eggs, bread, Dr Pepper, you know, the staples of the kitchen. We were passing the new Super Target, with a grocery store, so I stopped there for our grocery run. When I saw the milk for $3.19 a gallon, we made a quick run through he toy section and headed to our regular grocery store. No way am I paying $3.19 a gallon for milk.
Once at the grocery store we make the rounds and grab the few items on our list. Boy, was I happy to see that their milk was marked $3.25 a gallon. Yep, passing on the expensive milk at Target sure was a good decision. No, I did not make return trip, too close to nap time for that. Yes, it is only 6 cents difference, but last week I bought 2 gallons of milk for $5. So The Talker will drink this $3.25 a gallon milk, and like it.
None of this would have bothered me six months ago. Back then, I did the small grocery runs, but The Boss Lady would do a large grocery trip every weekend. Now, in an attempt to free up more cash for my hobbies, I am starting to watch grocery ads and I am trying to shop for the best deals by going to a couple of stores. The Boss Lady says that I could start clipping coupons while watching NASCAR, too. I guess I will, but she will have to wake up early enough on Sunday to steal the coupons out of the neighbor's paper.
The AtHomeTrio hung out at the house all day, with the exception of a 20 minute park run before lunch. The Talker and I got the back yard mowed. I also got the weed-eating done while both were napping (AT THE SAME TIME!)
That wraps up all of our accomplishments for the entire day. Exciting life, isn't it? Jealous, aren't you?
These are things that The Talker told me he saw today on our trip into the country:
Papa
MaMa
Great MaMa
Horses - One was named J.J.
Black cows
Red cows
Cows with horns
A donkey
Lucky, the cat
Two Bouvier dogs
A Blue Heeler cow dog, Scout
A Boston Terrier dog, Scooter
A Miniature Schnauzer dog
Lots and lots of trucks
"That big hole" - A strip mine
Lots of tractors at "that big hole"
A HUGE crane at "that big hole"
Bananas growing on a tree
A motorcycle
These are things that AtHomeDaddy did not see this trip:
Jumper cables
A lug wrench
A car jack
A tow truck
The tree that I nearly backed into at my Great Aunt's house
This is something I almost saw on this trip:
Bro's Uncle launching a 1985 Oldsmobile off of a flat bed trailer and over a 1988 Suburban at 40 miles an hour. Maybe, if he had been going 45mph...
All in all, a successful trip and a nice quick visit with lots of family.
The kids and I are heading out to the country to visit The Queen Mother and Dad. They are only an hour away, visiting my grandmother. The last time I took the kids out to the farm I had a flat tire and a dead battery on the way home. But, My So Called Aunt was with us, so the car problems were easier to deal with. She kept the kids entertained and I kept the cussing outside of the car. That fun excursion was well documented earlier. Go here to read the original version of the story.
Today, We venture forth unassisted. Because we are daring adventurers, we will once again be taking the Windstar. Though this time it is riding on four new tires and has a brand new battery.
You say that is not risky enough? Have you ever taken a 5 month old baby way from her milk production facility (aka The Boss Lady) for 15 hours? Yeah, I thought not.
So sit down and shut up.
I think the song writers on Sesame Street may have once worked on The Simpson's. Today, Cookie Monster sung Makin' Cookies!, to the tune of Ella Fitzgerald's classic, Makin' Whoopee!
Actually it was pretty funny any I would think it hilarious if The Talker added it to his repertoire, especially to share at Sunday School!
By the way, I had links for this post too, but the software keeps goofing up the links when I upload my blog. Too bad for you...
I have been searching for four days for a missing CD. This is not just any CD mind you, I have plenty of those. This is my copy of The Trinity Sessions by The Cowboy Junkies. A serious loss, I assure you.
See, I bought this CD right after High School graduation. It was one of my first discs. Some kids took the money they got for graduation and saved it for fall tuition. Me? I went and bought a CD player and 4 discs. Of those 4 discs, this is the only one that remains in my collection. Honestly, I can't even remember what the other three CDs were, I just remember not having enough money to buy the player and 5 discs.
Yes, my cat during college, Margo was indeed named after the lead singer, Margo Timmins. There, now you know the truth that I have hidden since 1989.
For at least 10 years I listened to this disc almost every night at bedtime. It would not actually put me to sleep. I was almost always awake to hear the last chord of the last track, Walking After Midnight. After the disc ended, I would roll over and sleep like a baby.
Only since The Talker was born, have I stopped listening to this disc at night on a regular basis. But, once in a while...
Well, last Thursday was one of those 'once in whiles'. I stumbled to the CD player at midnight to give The Trinity Sessions a listen. And that is when I discovered another disc in its place. Slot 42 has held The trinity Sessions for as long as I have owned this CD player. Now, so other Cowboy Junkies disc is in slot 42 and The Trinity Sessions has gone AWOL.
We will now have a moment of silence for my missing copy of The Trinity Sessions. Let's all join hands and bow our heads...
Tonight we ran over to the Organic, High Dollar, Veggie and Free-Range Tofu Foods Store to buy a few bulk grains and rice to make baby food for the Princess. I promised The Talker a smoothie and we headed to the juice bar.
The smoothie-maker man asked me what I wanted.
"A medium Very Berry smoothie."
"What size?"
"Medium."
"We have 16s, Orginals, or Premiums. Which would you like?"
"ME DI UM." But I was really thinking, Who the hell came up with this idea? All I really want is a medium. Dammit, you can't make me order a freaking, 'Original' you power-hungry vegetarian. You're only doing this because you know I was making beef jerky this afternoon, aren't you? Eat some red meat you skinny little socialist.
"You want a 16? An Original? Or a Premium?"
I was digging in my heels for a good verbal fight to the death. I was betting I could make this guy cry AND still have him make The Talker a smoothie.
Right then, The Talker yelled "I want my smoovie!" And not wanting to hear The Talker scream again, I gave in to the skinny little smoothie-maker man.
"One ORIGINAL Very Hairy Scary Triple Stinky Tofu Berry Smoovie, please." Jerk.
And you know what? It was a very good MEDIUM Very Berry Smoothie.
But I think I'll stick to home-made smoothies and Dr Pepper. Because someone would end up in traction if I ever had to order a 'Double Grande Mocha Latte Frappachino' instead of a 'Medium Coffe' at Starbucks.
Wanna get scared? Check out the new right side column of this blog. You will now find AtHomeDaddy's Current Reading list, a list of books most Recently Read and a listing of books that I am Waiting to Read. Currently, the lists contain 3 works by the same author. Get used to it because that is AtHomeDaddy's way. Find something you like and stick with it until boredom sets in or until something more interesting comes along.
By the way, feel free to Post A Comment to suggest a book.
Enjoy.
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