Sidewalk Pylons

 What exactly is a sidewalk and what is the purpose of a sidewalk?  I took the time to look up the definition of sidewalk and felt it necessary to share it with all my readers. 
"A walk for foot passengers at the side of a street or road; a foot pavement."  Now this is pretty straightforward to me, although I understand it could be confusing to some.
 You see, I too walk on a sidewalk and have always wondered if it is okay to skip, run, crawl or even just stand on a sidewalk.  From all the Intel that I have gathered on this subject it is apparently okay to do all of these things as long as you take into consideration those around you.  Does that mean I need to stay out of their way while skipping along or just be prepared to move or stop when necessary.  Either way I am looking out for their best interest and not interfering with their ability to simply walk on the sidewalk.  Good for me.  (Oh, and by the way I only skip when with my kids, really.)  So I ask you "what is wrong with parents picking up their kids from school that must stand on the sidewalk while waiting?"    
 How many of you have picked up your kid/s or any kid/s from school and had to work your way through the crowd of parents and kids to start heading home?  You see, at our school we have a sidewalk that winds from the road up and across the front of the school and back down to the road on the other side.  From the direction I walk you pass by the pickup area for the grade ones on up, then past the front entrance of the school and finally the pickup area for kindergarten before turning back down to the road.  So if I am correct in the definition of sidewalk then why is it for the past 4 years I have had to steer around the crowds of people standing on the sidewalk waiting for their grade one or older kids?  There is a very large paved area that can accommodate more than enough parents while they wait.  In fact I spend my time on this paved section, waiting for my oldest, conversing politely with other parents that understand, knowingly or unknowingly, the definition of sidewalk.  If they don't know the meaning of sidewalk they at least appreciate the challenge of fighting past these pylons, that appear to be glued in place, and do not want to be associated with them.  Makes me wonder if the sidewalk snowplow were to come through would they take their chance or get out of the way.  My guess is that the driver better be quick at the wheel.
 When my wife and I started picking up our oldest from JK we had a double stroller to push through these crowds.  In majority of these cases it was my wife doing the navigating and all I can say is that I am amazed there were no fatalities as she is one that will run right over stupidity and not look back.  Pushing a double stroller is challenge enough let alone steering around buffoons.  A year later it was a triple stroller and still the roadblocks were there.  Now, like a bad smell, some of these people moved on as their kids got older, but like a bad smell there is always another one hiding in wait for its opportunity.  Currently our oldest is in grade 2 and the twins in SK so on most days I miss the crowd when I arrive, although I do fight to get back through it after picking up the twins.  In fact it becomes even more dangerous as these pylons now start to move with no regard for the oncoming traffic. 
 The sidewalk at our school is narrow and in need of a ton of work, probably a complete redo, that the school does not have the budget for.  It is challenging enough to walk with no one blocking your way so I only ask that parents take notice of where they stand and let the sidewalk be what it is meant to be.  At the very least get out of the way of those trying to get by and I do not mean turning sideways, move off the sidewalk.  As the NHL tries to cut out headshots in its game I believe that maybe a few headshots on the sidewalk might wake some parents up and have them standing on the sidelines versus the sidewalk.  Common courtesy goes a long way whereas ignorance gets you nowhere, make a choice and make it the right one.
 For all of the parents that do the right thing and stay off the sidewalk while waiting, thank you.  For all the parents that have fought the tough fight in picking up their kids and have never purposely run down a pylon, good for you.  And finally, for all the parents that stand there oblivious to those around you, wake the hell up and get out of the way. 

Love me, Love me more?

 How many kids do you have?  Do you love one of them more then the other/others?  Is it possible for a parent to love one child more then another?  What would you think if you found out that someone you know loved one of his or her kids more then the other?

Frack, 71/2 weeks old

 So many questions that I cannot answer for anyone but myself.  I recently read part of a rebuttal about a blog that was published regarding a woman loving her second born more then her first.  After reading the first paragraph I was called away by my kids and their demands for dinner.  While making dinner I got to thinking about this woman's comments and the little bit I knew about why she felt this way.  Her first pregnancy was not great and her first did not provide her with the instant bond that she had expected.  As well, baby number one was not a good sleeper, whereas baby number two was the exact opposite.  Everything she wanted in a child was provided by baby two.  I am certain there was a lot more to this story that I never did get to read, and yet it was enough to provide a mild understanding of how she felt.  After all, she loves them both, just one a little more.

And so it begins!

 As a father of four kids, that have all put my wife and I through our paces, I will state for the record that I love them all.  I don't always like there actions, but I do love them and would do anything, sacrifice anything for each of them.  When your son says he needs an empty toilet paper role for a craft and you later find a big wad of toilet paper tucked between the toilet and the wall, you laugh.  The next time when he tries to flush the paper and you have to clean it up, you’re not a happy person.  How about your daughter deciding to take the red marker and write all over everything she can including the wall where 7 years of child growth has been measured.  This is a piece that you hope to have forever and it has now been tarnished.  Easy to look back now and think of the added story you have for the future, but at the time she was not on Santa's good list.  What about the day your oldest decides to beat up his younger brother, on purpose, because he didn't like having his toys played with.  Finally, the temper tantrum that leads to being kicked by your son and hit in the head.  At the time of these events I would have said I didn't like my kids, although the truth is that it was their actions I didn't like not them personally and I never stopped loving them. 

Spit Happens, our favorite pic

 When my oldest was born I did not feel that instant "Oh my god this is my son" moment.  My bond came one night when I was changing his diaper and he started to gag.  I picked him up, turned him on his side and realized I was covered in baby puke and poop and it didn't bother me because this was my boy.  My wife and mom laughed their ass off when they walked in and saw what was happening, as apparently his gagging was normal and didn't require me picking him up.  It was much the same with the twins as it took some time for me to feel that special bond.  When Frack, at 8 weeks old, ended up in the hospital with RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) and I held him, with tubes attached to him, it was the first time that I remember feeling the father son bond.  For some reason with my other twin boy, Mutt, he found a place inside me almost from the beginning.  He will tell you in future years that it was his charm and good looks and maybe he is right.  As for my daughter, well she is my little girl and at the first sign of pink I was hooked.  I won't say at the moment she was born as my comment then was that she looked like she had gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson, and lost.  Once she was cleaned up and had her first little girl outfit on I knew this was my little girl and I was trouble.  I don't like to be stereotyped, although "Daddy's little girl" was exactly who she was.  And, if anything, it has become worse over her three years.



Mutt, How you doin?

 In asking if it possible to love one child more then another I can say for me that the answer is no.  Frick is my little girl and for the most part has a fun, friendly personality, unless of course she doesn't get her way and then I become the bad guy or as she puts it, "you are a meanie."  Frack, first born of the twins, can drive you to the brink, but he is creative, wants to learn and when he wants to he is the most giving of the kids.  Mutt, other twin, is the literal one of the group.  He takes everything at face value and gets frustrated when you don't do the same.  His passion, sometimes fiery, is something I hope he never loses, only learns to control.  As for Jeff, my oldest, he is the kindest kid I know, almost to a fault.  He wants to be a friend to all and be part of everything going on and yet, the ones he loves the most are his siblings.  Not always, but he is and will be a great big brother.

  My love for my kids comes from different places based on their personalities and their actions, although in the end I would give or do anything for each of them.  And the days that I don't like them are the days that I look back on and laugh as it was not really a big deal after all and it created a story for future days.  Treasure the good days and find the humour in the not so good days as 20 years from now what matters is your love for your kids and that they know it.

Grocery Shopping

 I love grocery shopping.  Unless the kids are with me or my wife is there or for that matter anyone is with me.  Grocery shopping is something that I enjoy taking my time with and making certain that I get what is needed and only what is needed.  I am not an impulse shopper and only shop for what we can use throughout the week.  I don't like to waste food and doing the shopping is my way to control the waste or so I think.
 For most of the men reading this you will probably think I am nuts as most guys want nothing to do with grocery shopping.  "This is a job for the wife as she does the cooking and knows what we need, I would just buy what looks good to me at the time."  I have heard this a few times and can't say I disagree as I used to be like that.  The problem is that my wife is worse then me and she would be the first to admit it.  She would go out without a list and come back with what would now be 2-3 weeks worth of groceries.  We both liked snacks and we would always have something in the house.  Chips, cookies, ice cream, pastries, these were always available.  How can you be without snacks when people stop by to visit.  Better yet, how do you argue with a pregnant wife when she wants ice cream, every hour.  For guys, beer and chips are a must to have available, as you never know who is stopping by and I was no different.  Now don`t get me wrong beer is still a must, but the chips are only purchased when needed.  Come to think of it I could use some right now.  Oh well, I will settle for a carrot stick.  Good thing I grocery shopped earlier today.  Oh, I was kidding about the carrot stick, I have not gone that far over, yet.
 My goal is to create a list of needs for the week and shop only to this list.  In fact my wife has managed to get me creating a weekly meal plan allowing me to narrow down my shopping to this plan.  Taking into consideration items that do not appear on a meal plan, such as toiletries and condiments.  Today, for example, I spent $140 for everything I needed for the week.  I also look for sale items and take advantage of these as well.  For example, Jane`s frozen chicken nuggets are usually $10-12 a box, last week on sale for $6 at Walmart.  Now, I don't read all the flyer's, as the gas to drive around is not worth it, although I do take notice of two local grocery stores and try to keep an eye on their sales.
 Now, if you are asking "who is this guy?"  I am a stay at home dad that would like to continue to be a stay at home dad and this will help me accomplish that.  Or, the real answer is I have know idea, but it keeps getting worse, just ask my wife.  I am like the guy from the commercials that would tear a Kleenex in half in order to ration.  "Dad can I have a banana?"  "How many have you had today?"  Seriously, my kid wants fruit and I am questioning how many he has eaten.  I need to see a professional about this.
 Until the shrink arrives I found a couple sites to share that offer suggested meals and meal plans.  Recipes for Kids as well as Meal plans I hope you find something that helps.  Kraft Foods and Campbell's also offer great menu ideas that I have used many times.  As for the weekly plan itself I found it easiest to start with a list of meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.  From there I inputted them into days of the week and did what I could to stick to the plan.  I am not perfect at this, although it has helped. 
 Once again, I am looking for feedback on what works for you and how you achieve your success.  If you cannot leave a comment on the blog site I am also on facebook search Dad`s Can Do It Too!  This is a group that you can also leave feedback on.

The Tooth Fairy

 What do you do when the Tooth Fairy fails to show up in the night?  Your son comes to you in the morning and says, "The Tooth Fairy didn't come last night, and I still have my tooth and no money."  How could this happen?  Where could the Tooth Fairy be and why would he not show up?  This could be a disaster.  Unless you are quick on your feet and can have an excuse ready for the Tooth Fairy.

 Before we get to that lets look at the origin of the Tooth Fairy.  "The tooth fairy comes when a child has lost a tooth. Commonly, she is very small, and she comes in the middle of the night. The child is to leave the tooth under his/her pillow, so that the tooth fairy can take it during her visit. Once she has taken the tooth, she leaves monetary reimbursement under the pillow, anything from ten cents to a dollar. (This action is done by a parent.) The teeth are then taken to her tower, and used for her purposes."  "Even more interesting is the fact that Vikings had a "tooth fee," or a fee that was given to children upon the use of a tooth."  "The teeth were later strung to make jewellery, some researchers claim."
 So, ten cents to a dollar, who are we kidding.  This could work if you gave ten pennies and your kid did not know the concept of money, although he/she will catch on and the Tooth Fairy will have some retroactive payback to hand over.  We started with 3-5 coins (pennies, nickels, dimes) with our oldest and worked up to a couple bucks.  With the twins, who are just starting to lose teeth, we have had to up the amount as their big brother now knows the value of money and has made certain to share his knowledge.  Currently, we are 1-3 dollars a tooth, although I have plans to take that back through their inheritance.  We should break even in the end.

 When the Tooth Fairy visits the cottage to collect a tooth this is a special thing as you are not at home and you therefore get a little extra for being brave and losing the tooth away from home.  I thought there would be travel expenses on the part of the Tooth Fairy requiring the kid to leave their tooth and settle for a fortune cookie in return.  Then there was the Tooth Fairy not showing up at home due to him not knowing we had left the cottage.  I believe this is the child’s responsibility no matter what my son says.  “Mom, you said you left a message for the Tooth Fairy letting him know we were home.”  Mom said, “Yes I did.  I guess he did not pick up on his messages, probably not using a Blackberry.”  Ultimately this tooth received a letter from the Tooth Fairy apologizing and once again a little extra for the tooth, $5 to be exact.  Tooth Fairy better not let this happen again.  Two teeth, two kids, three days, and $8 later everyone is happy, except the Tooth Fairy who, at this pace, will be broke by the time our daughter loses her first.
 This brings me to lost teeth.  What do you do with the teeth?  A necklace for battle makes sense for the Vikings, although I can't see the boss at work being to impressed.  "Sorry boss but it provides me strength as I start my day."  "I get it Sally, although you are a hygienist and it's scaring the patients."  Currently our kids lost teeth are in separate containers sitting in a drawer.  I’m thinking a future arts and craft day with the kids making smiley faces.  Please share some of your thoughts on what you do with the teeth and how much you give and I will share them in a future blog.

Disney on Ice

 If you are looking for something to do, and it happens to be in town, then check out the Disney On Ice show.  From what I can tell there are no upcoming Canadian dates, although I would expect you will see it in your hometown sometime throughout the year.  Great show for the kids and adults alike. Tickets for upcoming shows. US only to date..

 In preparation for your visit to this show I am suggesting that you open a special bank account.  If the show is coming to town in, lets say September, you should have time to put aside the money for the food and souvenirs.  Our tickets had a value of $40.00 each, which were given as a gift, thank you very much to our providers.  Be prepared to spend $20.00 for parking, pretty standard for these things, and once inside the building you will find booth's set up everywhere selling whatever you can imagine.  A 10 page colouring book for $5, t-shirts for $25, Buzz Lightyear spinning flashlights for $25 and a bucket of popcorn for $10.  I felt like I was at a Leaf game and kept looking for the $10 beer stand.  Now don't get me wrong, my wife and I have fallen for these traps in the past.  We took our oldest to see the Wiggles when he was 3 and purchased a $25 flashlight, that to this day still works and still gets played with.  Multiplying that by four helped in limiting our spending to four buckets of popcorn, $40, and four drinks, another $15.

 As for the show, it was great.  The kids were amazed at the characters and cheered every time one skated onto the ice.  Buzz made the biggest impact as he was brought in from the sky with his boots blazing.  The bad guy, Lotsa, received a loud cheer when he appeared as did Barbie.  Barbie received mixed cheers with little girls and dad's both cheering at the same time.  I have to admit that the 80's body suit looked pretty good, and barbie had been working out from the looks of things.  Not that I was looking to closely, but I did want to take it all in to help remind the kids of everything that happened.  Buzz's Spanish ways and Woody's wild cowboy ways made for a great finish that was enjoyed by everyone.

 Almost everyone that is.  My daughter, Frick, fell asleep during the second half while lying on Frack and it was an amazing sight all on its own.  After the show we waited for the crowds to disperse, allowing Frick to sleep a little longer and avoiding the kids getting frustrated at waiting in lineups.  We decided to take a gander at the CN Tower before heading out.  And so began our true excitement.  

 As I hold my daughter and stare up at the Tower, the big needle in the sky, my wife lets out a gasp of horror, dropping everything she held on to, rushing to my oldest son who is lying on the pavement.  I realize that the thumping sound I heard was his head hitting the pavement and I quickly put down my daughter.  With his hands in his pockets he could not break his fall when he tripped and fell face first.  We rushed back into the building and straight to the Paramedic, who immediately check him out for any signs of concussion or memory loss.  Through the screams of pain and fear it was determined that he would be okay, although the goose egg above his eye and his unwillingness to hold ice on the bump made for a challenging half hour.  All in all the paramedic and security did what they needed to help us out, and my wife thought the paramedic was cute.  No wonder she knew exactly where he was in the building.

 The total day was a fun one with the anticipation, the event itself and eventually getting home and getting everyone settled.  I must admit that both my wife and I will not soon forget our sons fall and the screams he let out.  We enjoyed the show, but realize that no matter the money spent our son being okay was all that mattered to us.  It breaks my heart just looking at this picture. 

Going Home

 We made it home after an incredible day and, more so, an awesome week.  Today's weather was the best of the week and we took full advantage of it by sitting outside and watching the kids play.  After mom's photo session it was play time for the kids and sit back and relax time for us.  As we sat out in the sunshine watching our four incredible kids play I found myself thinking, "when are we going home?"

 Now don't get me wrong, the kids were having the most fun together that I have seen in recent memory, so I did not rush our leaving as it was great to see them laughing together.  They had a fantastic week and we only experienced a few minor breakdowns so this was a great way to finish it all off.  Problem was that I had it in my head that it was packing and leaving day and the thought of sitting or delaying was not an option for me.  I had the food packed and in the van by 1:00, good thing it was cold, as we didn't leave until almost 6:00.  We had the cottage cleaned up and everything packed prior to venturing outside so I of course thought I was in the clear for leaving. 

 Once outside their was the family photo shoot, which I love my wife for, because we always get a few great shots.  In saying I love my wife, there are times when I could string her up due to her persistence in getting the perfect photo.  Fortunately I have yet to follow through and we have many great pictures of the family and the kids because of her.  In fact there are even great shots of me with the kids.  We also have some pictures of my wife and the kids, although at time of mom photo's the kids have usually had enough and the photographer, me, wants to take the pictures and move on.  Mom would like more pictures of her with the kids and she would appreciate having a more patient photographer, so I am looking for a kind, patient photographer that can also look after the kids, while we enjoy free time together.  If you are available or know anyone please let us know.  Meals are free. 

 After the photo's we let the kids roam around and explore, with reminders, primarily by me, to watch the rocks, stay out of the mud, don't slip on the ice, leave the branches on the ground, hands to yourself and whatever else I could come up with.  It is amazing that they get out of bed in the morning without my help.  Thankfully, the kids ignored my pettiness and went about enjoying themselves, climbing the rocks, playing in the mud, slipping and falling on the ice, using branches to stir up their poisonous soup (used to keep away monsters), but they did not put their hands on each other.  In fact they played so well together that I am having them tested just make certain they were not replaced by aliens.  My wife wanted to soak in the sun and watch the fun the kids were having all while enjoying a cold drink.  As much as she would like to be staying another night it`s not possible, and besides the van is packed. 

 Alas, the time came to pack the kids and head out.  Our ride home saw a field full of Deer, pretty cool stuff.  A stop at McD`s for dinner and some play time.  My oldest throwing up, once again only 15 minutes prior to arriving at home.  Finally a quick stop to say hi to Grammy and finally home. 

 Home is where I want to be right now, although I must admit I will miss the cottage and can`t wait for next time.  For those of you that know this cottage you will appreciate it`s charm and beauty and for the rest of you, imagine your favorite place, and it will be close enough.