Back to the Grindstone

So, it's now Thursday and the time I have taken off to be with my family when my son was born is now over.  It's been an interesting 10 days, but enjoyable.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed being home with my girls and taking care of the family.  I cleaned some, cooked, took the girls out, took care of them when they were sick, and spent some quality time with #3 and the wife.  It's been a good week.  Like all good things though, this too must come to an end.  It leaves me wondering though, what do we as parents really sacrifice for our jobs?  Do we ever really understand what we are missing out on before we're too late?  I am the first to tell you that my family comes first, but my 50+ hour work week probably contradicts that statement.  What is a single income family man supposed to do to make it all work?  It's just left me a little baffled this morning and making me dread my work day more and more. 

Where Does the Time Go?

Yesterday on the way to work I had the realization that I am getting older.  I just had my 32nd birthday about a week ago and I don't think the last 7 have really sunk in like this one.  Where did the time go?  I feel like I should still be 25 with my oldest daughter laying in my lap.  I shouldn't be this old.  Then I had the next realization. My oldest daughter is 7 and that means that she only has 11 more years in my house before she goes to college!  WHAT?  She has spent almost half the time she is going to spend in my house and I haven't seen half of it.  It has just flown by.  That's just plain ridiculous in my book.  I look at her and my other girls and my baby boy in Momma's belly and wonder how did this all happen so fast.  When did I miss out?

A saying I heard years ago rings so loudly in my head right now.  "Children make your days long and your years short."  How true that is.  Most days, the kids drive us absolutely up the wall, stark mad,  raving crazy, then their 7.  What the heck?!  The worst part is that it is just getting faster and faster.  It seems like yesterday I was posting about having another child.  Guess what, he'll be born in 4 weeks or sooner.  Where did all that time go?  Next time I post, all my kids will be in college, or getting there first job, or the scariest thought of all with 3 girls MARRIED!  My mind is spinning right now and the day is gone.....

OK, back to reality.  A new coworker of mine was congratulating me yesterday on having a boy.  He told me to cherish every moment with them because you never know what may happen.  He then told me his son died in the war a few years ago.  It really adds some perspective and makes you think about what you have and what he'd give to have a few more moments with his son.  To top it off, the news is full of tragic events of children passing before their time.  Their time as far as we're concerned.  I am sure it was God's time.  I guess my thought here is that it doesn't matter how powerful your job is or how much money you make if you miss out on the most important thing in your life, your family.  By the time we get done working so we can spend time with our kids, they'll be all grown up, with jobs of their own, doing exactly what we're doing.  Working away the time that we can never get back. 

It's a Boy!

These are some of the most remarkable words I have ever heard.  They rank right up there with "I'm pregnant" and "It's a healthy baby."  I can't say enough about how happy I am to finally be having a baby boy.  Not that I wouldn't have been happy to have a happy, healthy girl, but after three girls, it's time for a change. Thank you God. 

My wife and I had our third doctor's appointment on Wednesday and I am happy to announce that their will be a III finally in my family. Going forward he will be known as Trei.  He has had his name picked out for him for seven years, since my wife and I first got pregnant with Random Girl.  I am so blessed to have a wife that understands how much passing on my father's name means to me.  I am blessed to be able to pass that name along.  In May, I will be able to do so.

That being said, I just wanted to pass along some good news.  It's exciting getting ready to have another baby.  It's exciting to be having a boy.  It will be a whole new experience for us both.  For those of you that know, what do you think will be the biggest difference? 

And Another One Bites the Dust

Well, another holiday season has passed in our house. All the last minute craziness is over and all the kid's presents are scattered throughout the house.  Our last few days will be spent at the In-Laws just getting a little much needed R&R.  It's also a great time to reflect on the last few days and the passing of the Christmas Season.  What will we do different for the new year? 

This year, my oldest daughter and I spent a lot of time together shopping for the family, wrapping presents, and just talking.  She's getting old enough now that I wanted to make sure that she understood the real meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it every year.  To my amazement, she already knew and really surprised me.  It really warmed my heart to hear my daughter tell me the story of Jesus's birth and sacrifice for mankind.  She really understands the meaning of the Season. 

Another thing we talked about this year differently then last, was the need out there for people that don't have anything.  If you watch any TV, you see commercials all the time about "for $.25 a day, you can feed this child in Ethiopia."  My daughters saw these commercials and repeatedly asked me why the child was so sad and where their parents were.  It was sad to hear them ask and it really made me reflect again on the meaning of Christmas.  This lead me to discuss needy children and how my oldest daughter felt about it.  Together, we decided next year that we are going to go through our local churches, angel tree, etc and take all the money we spent on ourselves and give to needy children next year.  She really liked the idea of being able to help others and that made me feel good.

This is all a plan to make sure that when my children grow up they understand that you don't have to have a lot to be rich, as long as you have your family and that there is always someone else out there that needs more then you do.  I don't think I said that exactly right, but you get the point.  We have been blessed in so many ways in our life and now is as good a time as any to share those blessing with others. 

So, with that being said, I hope you and your family had a very Happy Holiday.  May you be blessed with more then you can ever imagine and may you share those blessings with the one's you love.  Happy New Year!

Life Goes On

At what point do we as parents realize our children are just that, children, and that the accidents, bumps, bruises, and hurt feelings are all just part of growing up.  I mean we all have our horror stories of some tragic event that happened during our childhood and we're still here.  Better maybe, stronger for sure, but we are here, alive and well.  I've had stitches, broken bones, and scars galore, each with their own unique lesson.  How else did I learn not to run with scissors?  (joke)  Seriously though, it's first hand, real world experience for children to learn that parents do know what their talking about.

Yesterday while visiting the baby doctor we ran into some friends with an 18 month old.    We haven't seen them in a while and their baby sure has grown.  Well, during our painfully long wait, their daughter had an accident.  Her Mom had asked her to stop running in the waiting room and to put her other shoe on, but as kids will do, she did what she wanted.  Next thing you know, whack, she tried to install a doggie door in the entrance with her head.  Now, as a seasoned parent my first reaction was to do absolutely nothing.  It happens.  After three kids you have a better understanding of what a mind blowing fall is and just another bruise on the head.  Now, immediately her Mom sprang to the rescue scooping her off the floor, trying to console her and her now bashed in head.  All the parents-to-be and new parents stared at her with disgust letting her poor, innocent child hit her head.  How dare her?  Then came the moment I knew would come, and almost all seasoned parent's knew it would too, the look.  The look is the point in time where the child reviews their surroundings, who saw, and decided on the best course of action.  Typically, due to the attention they have gotten, and of course their embarrassment for not listening, they begin their screams of pain and sadness.  This is always uncomfortable for the offending parent and the rest of the world that is witnessing.  Never a good situation. 

By now I am sure you think I am a heartless, terrible Dad.  I assure you I am not.  After our over protective phase with Random Girl and we had Monkey, I learned the look.  My wife and I also learned how to use it to our advantage.  When our children run and fall, they do "such a good job."  That was such a "good fall."  This almost makes it a game for our children, they forget what happened, they are not embarrassed because they did a good job, and life goes on.   There is no blood curdling screams, no guilt, and the world is at peace.  It's like it never happened.

The point is, as new parents we learn, we grow, and we adapt to our new role in life.  There is not a single new parent out there that can honestly say they are the experts, no matter how many books they've read or what classes they've taken.  What seems as a horrific fail as a parent with kid 1 will just be another day in the park with kid 2 and won't even be noticed by kid 3.  It's all apart of growing up for you and your kids.  Take it one day at a time, remember their are no rules, and do the best you can with love and affection for your children and you'll be fine.  It's all apart of the game and life goes on.

Daddy's Date Night

So, it's a rare occasion, but every once in a while I try to go on a date with my oldest daughter.  The first date night was the year before last when we went Christmas shopping for Mommy. It was a great success and a joy to watch a 4 year old pick out a present for Mommy.  So, as these things tend to happen, a Christmas tradition began.


Tonight was a little different then usual.  Random Girl is 6 now going on 21 and able to give me a lot more thoughtful ideas for a Christmas present for Mommy.  There were other reasons tonight was unique as well.  Our first stop was the Dollar Tree.  Here my darling daughter picked out gifts for her sisters.  Not once did she ask for anything for herself.  She was very thoughtful in picking out something that each of her sisters would enjoy and they were very appropriate for each one.  I was so proud of her choices and her selflessness.  If you have a young child you know it's all to easy for it to become all about them.  I was amazed that tonight it wasn't. 


Our next stop was an eye opening experience for me as well.  My daughter apparently can pick out presents better for my wife then I can.  She gave me lots of great ideas that will make Mommy very happy and as not to ruin the surprise, we'll leave it at that. 


Chic-fil-a was our dinner location of choice as it has a playground and she wanted to go make some new friends.  They were having a birthday party and she enjoyed watching the other kids and eating her Kid's Meal.  She then went a played for hours on end until she was plain warn out.  I got her a milkshake since she had been so good and we headed home.
 
On the way home, Random Girl told me about Jesus and God and why we celebrate Christmas.  She is so smart.  She told me why Jesus was so important to us and about his mother Mary too.  I was so amazed that she has learned so much.  I wasn't raised in a very religious family and for her to learn this at such an early age through an after school program is just wonderful.  She understand the reason for the season and I don't think many 6 year olds can do the same thing. 


So, that's my little journey for tonight. I know it's not a lot, but it means the world to me and I just wanted to share.  Just when you think your kids aren't looking, they will surprise you to the point where you just kind of sit back in awe.  I love my girls.

I Am Number Four!

Totally different then the action packed thriller about aliens living among us with super powers, this post is about my family's journey to child number four and all the emotions along the way.  Not any less exciting, just without all the killing and stuff.

"Four kids, really?"  That's the typical response from anyone I tell that we're expecting another child in May.  That and the always classic, "You haven't figured out what causes that yet?"  It's funny that people look at four children as such a high number.  I think in the current world, two or three is the norm.  After having two children, the third was pretty easy to handle, so why not try for four?    It just seems like a logical choice to me.  I can't help it that I prefer even numbers and symmetrical architecture.


With all that being said, I never thought I would be the father of three or even four.  I thought two was more then enough.  God blessed me and mine with a third though, and at that time, I knew in my heart that three kids was good and plenty.  My wife had said she wanted another child, but I had all but taken that completely off the table.   We struggle to raise two, much less three.  There was no way we could afford to have a fourth child.  So, almost two years passed and I woke up one morning thinking about having another child.  My wife and I had not even talked about it.  It was just there.  A seed had been planted and began growing in my mind. Every Dad can probably agree that they want to have a boy, sometime in there life.  I had already been blessed with three beautiful girls, but I wanted to see if the fourth time was the charm.


Several days later, during one of our day off, house cleaning sessions, I proposed the idea to my wife.  I didn't immediately want to start trying, but I could see having another one in the next couple of years.  It took all of a week for us to find out we were pregnant.  Thank God that He had planted that seed in my brain because I was already ready for it.  Now, we are about four months along.  We find out in about four weeks what the sex of the baby will be.  I hope it's a boy, but whatever God decides to bless us with will be more then wanted and loved.  I remember clearly my wife, then my girlfriend, telling me that she had been told since she was fourteen that she couldn't have children.  Every child to us is a blessing.


So, I picture a little boy growing in my wife's belly, sucking his thumb, running his laps, and thinking "I am Number Four!"  He will be blessed with super powers just like the rest of us.  Love, compassion, humor, and smarts will be in his tool box.  And he will be born in May.  I can't wait to see the world premier.

Santa Clause is Coming To Town or is He?

So, for several years now I have been dreading the time when my oldest would be subject to peoples cruel attempts to destroy her hope.  You see, I believe that hope and dreams in a child will grow and inspire them to do great things.  One of these dreams that I so desperately cling to and hope that she does as well, is the idea of Santa Clause.  Now, if you read me correctly, I said the idea of Santa Clause, not the actual person.  I believe in Santa Clause, what's wrong with that?

So, the other day, Random Girl tells me that one of the girls in her class told her that Santa Clause was fake.  What, she's in first grade.  I asked how she felt about that and what she said.  She told the other little girl that Santa Clause was real and she believed in him.  Whew!  My sigh of relief could have blown down the doors.  We got past the big one, this time. The seed of doubt has been planted though.  The part I have to figure out now, is how to keep the dream alive.

 

The question I have is why do parents feel the need to tell their children that Santa Clause doesn't exist.  I agree it's your child, tell them what you want, but they also need to know not to spread the word.  Don't crush my child's imagination and hope just because you don't believe.  If you take the idea of Santa Clause, it is about dreaming and hoping and pure innocence.  It's about random, selfless acts of kindness.  It's magical, not only to the kids, but to the parents that believe as well.  If you choose to twist it to be a strange man sneaking in your house in the middle of the night with magical reindeer, then that's your version.  Don't spread it around.  (By the way, his name is Santa, he lives at the North Pole, and you should expect him the same night every year.) 

To go right along with that, go ahead and tell your kids that all the Disney characters are fake, including the princesses and Mickey.  Tell them that all the cartoons they watch are a useless waste of their time, and that their blanket or stuffed animal that makes them feel safe, really won't do anything if someone comes to get them.  Make them understand reality as soon as possible.   Go ahead and get them a job, so they can start the 9-5 grind and be productive humans.  Stop all this foolish child stuff.

Sorry for the rant, but it is a touchy, and very personal subject for me.  I believe the root of a childs development and oppurtunity to thrive begins with dreams, hope, and imagination.  I grew up believing in Santa Clause and at no time did my parents feel the need to take that dream away from me.  I think I turned out pretty good and want to share that magic with my family.  It's all about perspective, I believe in Santa Clause, do you? 

My Wolverine

So, Monkey and Punky Doodles are inseperable.  They spend the majority of ALL day together and their relationship has its tense moments.  Lately though my Monkey has become Wolverine and bites and scratches Punky Doodles.  Kids will be Kids, right?  Wrong, she scratches and bites hard enough to leave marks.  How do I stop her from doing this?  She says she understands why we get upset with her when she does it.  She doesn't like it when it is done to her, but what can we do to curb this behavior.  I don't want my middle child to be a bully and I don't want my youngest to grow up hating her big mean sister, but I am at a loss.  Where in the parenting manual do you find the answers? 


JTNDKD5PKSV7

Body Language

So, one of the things Mom and I think is most important in our children's life is to know they are loved.  We shower them with hugs, and kisses, and constantly tell them how much they mean to us.  Don't take that in a Catholic Priest kind of way, but more like a Garth Brooks "If Tomorrow Never Comes," kinda way.  We love our children and hope that when they grow up, they will be able to tell the difference between real love and just infatuation.  With that being said, one of the habits our oldest has picked up on and passed down to her sisters is "I Love You!" in sign language. For those of you who don't know what that looks like, here it is.

My wife and I constantly use this to tell each other that we love each other, even when we can't speak to one another.  Our children have seen this and picked up our little "body language."  It's really cute and I hope they know what it means to us.  Everyday I go to work, my two littlest one's will tell me they love me and then hold their hands up to show me.  It's a ritual I wouldn't trade for the world and I think one of the greatest things we have ever taught our children.  So, take some time to not only tell them you love them, but show them too.  That way, no matter how far away you are, driving off to work, or coming home.  You will always know you are loved, and they will too. 

Shirt and Shoes Required

So, we came home from our road trip to the In-Law's this weekend for Punky Doodles birthday.  It was a typical road trip, full of the kids fighting, Daddy sleeping, and Mommy driving.  Along the way, Mommy had to use the restroom.  This should sound familiar to all you DADDS out there.  News Flash: A Pregnant Woman Needs to Use the Restroom!  As we pull into the front row parking space, Random Girl rouses to and reads  the first sign on the glass at the gas station,  "No Loitering."  After a brief explanation, she reads the next one, "Shirt and Shoes Required.  What does that mean Mommy?"  After, again, another brief explanation, Random Girl responds with "What about pants?"  The hysterics begin.

This brings me to my point, my daughter is six years old, seven in February.  I know I am like every parent out there and thinks that their child is a genius, but all signs point to yes.  During her parent teacher conference last month, the teacher told my wife that she was well above the learning level of the class, she has already passed the final test of the year with flying colors, and is the only one in the class reading at a fourth grade reading level.  She's a genius right? 

Well, never the less, our elementary school here is sub-par to say the least and we don't know what to do.  My sister has suggested that we look into a charter school, but I can't find a whole lot of information on  the two we have locally.  All I want is the best for my children and she is not being challenged where she is now.  Any suggestions on what we should do?  Any experiences I can learn from?  What other options are there out there besides your traditional private and public schools?

And Here Comes Another One

Today we had our first ultrasound since we confirmed pregnancy two weeks ago. It was so exciting and stirred up so many memories of the pregnancy of our other three children. The ultrasounds, the kicks, listening to the heartbeat, all just memories of a new life. It's hard to believe we are going to be a family of four and so very exciting. It seems like yesterday my oldest was born and she will turn seven this February. I took some time to look through some old pictures of my children growing up and it made my heart swell with pride at how much they are growing up. My Punky Doodles will turn two in three days. How time does fly by. Hopefully this pregnancy will go as smooth as the previous ones and sometime towards the end of May, we will be blessed with our newest edition. Cross your fingers we get that boy. We'll find that out in about eight more weeks. All that really matters though is that Mom and the baby are healthy. Everything else after that is gravy...

Why am I a DADD?

Princess 1, 2, & 3

Well, if you don't know, D.A.D.D. stands for Dad's Against Daughters Dating.  It's especially fitting for me since I have three, yes, three daughters.  Now, I shouldn't say that I am just prejudice against daughters dating.  I think the entire human race under the age of 18 is too socially immature to try to have a relationship.  I would even push to say 21 is still too young.  Is it possible, yes, realistic, no.  Kids today are so much stupider then we were.  Yes, stupider.  I know that sounds immature to say, but fortunately, it's not the end of the world. 

Way to young, but my kinda guy!



When I look at older children today, they have attitudes out of control, over the top personalities, and they believe they rule the world.  Some parents like it that way.  I do not.  I want my children to be strong willed and independent, but polite just the same.  They need to learn to love themselves for who they are, and really understand who they are, before bringing someone else into the mix.  That's my personal opinion and I'll stick to it.  They should be able to accomplish this by their thirties at the earliest. 

So, to all the DADDs out there.  All we can do is hope and pray that our little girls heed our advice, hold off the boy thing as long as possible, and that we don't kill the first boy to break our little girls heart.  Short of that, we must band together and support each other through that tough time.  We may not all be the shotgun cleaning type, but hopefully we can instill in our daughters the need for their boys to live up to their DADD's expectations.  They may grow up, but they will always be Daddy's little girl.  DADD's forever.

What Did You Call Your Sister?

So, yesterday, Random Girl and Monkey were outside playing when all of the sudden the door flys open and Monkey walks in with this huge pout on her face.  As she slams the door behind her, Super Dadd's super hearing hears "blah, blah, blah...Whiney Butt!"  being screamed at her by Random Girl.  Whiney Butt?  Where on Earth could she have heard that?  So as good, responsible parents, we call in Random Girl and tell her that it's not nice to call her sister names.  Point taken.  Day continues.

 

This brings me to my next point.  Whiney Butt?  Yeah, that was me.  I am the offender who spread that name to my children.  You see, unlike my wife, who's Halo of Patience shines brightly, I have little patience with my children and all the antics that they bring.  We strongly discourage name calling.  Words like stupid and idiot are banned from our home.  My kids don't use them and will be the first to tell you "that's a bad word." I do unfortunately have a tendency to let a "whiney butt" slip on occasion though.  Oops!

 

I could blame this lack of patience on my job easily enough.  When you have to lead others and work with the mass public in general, it's easy to lose a lot of patience.  I just don't really have the capacity to deal with people ALL DAY LONG!  Unfortunately that includes my kids too.  To blame my job would be a lie though. I've never had patience, neither did my Dad really.  That was Mom's thing.  I think it runs in the family.  I just hope as a I grow older and my kids grow up.  I learn a little more.  Hey, I never did take that class, "How to be a Perfect Parent."  I always knew I should have scheduled that one in somewhere.

 

 

That brings me to my next point.  What is the deal with kids today?  Not all kids are in this category, but most little one these days have over-the-top personalities and an attitude to go with it.  When I grew up it was "Mommy, can I please have some ice cream?"  Now it seems to be "Mom, give me the friggin ice cream. NOW!"  Excuse me, what happened?  The worst part is, that this little attitude rubs off on everyone else's kids.  I'm sorry, don't raise that.  They will not be productive human beings.  Just sayin. 

So, we could just say that I have no patience, for my kids, your kids, or any one else for that matter.  It's kind of funny that I work in a retail with that kind of attitude, right.  I do love my children deeply though, and my job, and of course, my ever patient wife.  Hopefully they know it and the "whiney butt" slips will just go by unnoticed. 

Ewww...Your kids aren't vaccinated.

As a new blogger, I will try to keep from bringing up too many controversial topics.  I do want people to read and the quickest way to stop that is being too controversial.  I do want to touch on this topic though because I am a parent, my kids aren't vaccinated, and it's close to my heart.

Several years ago, I met a dad and we became close friends.  One of the secrets he shared with me was that his kids were not vaccinated.  He never explained all the reasons why whether religious, medical, etc.  but he did say that he didn't share that information with a lot of people because if they knew, his children would lose friends.  I thought it sad that he felt that way.  Then again, my children weren't vaccinated either, so what was there to be concerned about.

Children's vaccinations should be an educated choice, not a mandated rule.  One doctor explained it to me that it was our mistake to make, either way.  I liked how she put it and have remembered that ever day.  You see, my oldest daughter has most of her vaccinations. Not all were done on the mandated schedule, but they were pretty much all done.  Shortly after her last vaccine, the MMR, she had her first febrile seizure.  She was two.  The coincidence was too much for us to handle.  No, the vaccine didn't cause the seizure.  The fever (105+) brought on by the vaccine caused the seizure.  Vaccines don't cause fevers, right?  Oh yeah, and febrile seizures are harmless too.  Well, a year later, she had another seizure brought on by a high fever.  Yes, the first ER doctor told us that this could happen.  No, we didn't expect it.  That was it!  Our decision was made.  We did our due dilegence and we did what we thought best for the health of our children.

 

Two children later, and neither of them have been vaccinated.  They have lived healthier, less dramatic childhoods then the first.    Our pediatrician decided they weren't going to take care of them anymore because they were not vaccinated.  See ya later Doc.  It's my choice, not yours.  Which brings me to another point.  Parents of vaccinated children, what are you scared of?  My kids are the ones "unprotected."  If they are the carriers of the apocalyptic plague, you should be safe, your vaccinated.  We should be more afraid of your children, then you are of mine.  Yours have been exposed, mine have not.  Mine can't make yours sick if the vaccinations work.  Just sayin.

Having your children vaccinated is a parent's choice and right.  They can still go to school (In most states), they can still live normal lives.  Nothing is different except that they aren't exposed to the same things other children have been exposed to.   It's your choice though.  In my heart and mind, I have made the right choices for my children.  That's what being a parent is about right, trying to make the right choices for your kids.  I've said before, I'd do anything for my kids and I meant it.

Let's Talk Kids

OK, so you know by now I have three little girls. Yes, I know every Dadd out there knows my blessings.  I dread the day they recognize boys for what they are and what they want them to be.  Yuck!  But then again, you may not really know my blessings, not yet.

I always wanted family, like ALWAYS.  I knew I wanted little rug rats running around .  I grew up, kinda, knowing this is something I wanted, one day.  Well, many years and many loves passed and here came the "one!"  Guys, you know the one I'm talking about.  The one you can actually see yourself spending the rest of your life with.  The one who gives your life eternal meaning.  You see yourself creating that family you've always wanted, right?  Here she was and I knew it.  Then she told me the saddest thing ever, she couldn't have kids.  She had been told that since she was fourteen.  Bummer.  I remember driving along with my best friend, telling him all about her, how great she was, pretty, smart, funny, and yeah, almost perfect.  Those were my exact words.  Almost perfect, except she couldn't have kids.  I could deal with that because she was the "one."  That's when you know love.

Well, a little time passed and guess what!  God blessed us with a child.  What a surprise.  My wife's doctor said that's why doctors "practice" medicine.  Jokes on me right.  We named her Grace because we had her by the Grace of God and so my family began.  Seven years later, God's blessed us with three girls.  Don't forget, I said the jokes on me. God has a great sense of humor, and we recently found out that we are expecting our fourth child.  We hope it's a boy, but in the end, we know it is going to be what God wanted it to be in the first place, our child.

I say all this to remind everyone, count your blessings.  God will work miracles in your life and bless you in ways you can't imagine.  Remember to love selflessly, appreciate all your blessings, and don't forget to pray a little either.  Everything will come in time and in God's way.  You just have to wait your turn.

And we begin.....

Today we blog!  I wake up this morning to the wife asking me to get our oldest up and take her to the bus stop.  Another day begins.  Getting ready in the morning is like an Easter egg hunt.  Clothes laid out, less socks, book bag ready, less homework folder....  and the hunt begins.  Thankfully, socks were in the laundry room  and the folder was by the door.  No need for my X-ray vision.  Not my typical morning.  The other's are up when I get back and make the coffee.  The morning routine continues with Disney Jr. and a cup of coffee.  Did I mention the cup of coffee?  Seems lately I can't get started without the stuff.  How did I go by 31 years without it?  It's warm, it's bitter, it's the essence of life and I love it!  I wonder if I can talk my wife into naming our next child Juan Valdez?  My day continues as I cook Super Breakfast.  a.k.a microwave eggs.  It's not much, but it makes me a hero in my young one's eyes. The first thing out of their mouth in the morning is they want something in it.  Eat?  Eat.  Eat!  My early morning conversation.  My girls were blessed with super powers too;  super hearing, super speed, and super appetites.   I have to say they get it honestly.  Today is an off day, so I'm going to get it started...maybe.  Up, up, and away!