Chasing Butterflies

  How many of you have kids playing sports or kids involved in extra curricular activities?  How many years have they been involved and are they good at what they do?  Do you make the time to get out to all their games and/or performances?  They say kids thrive on impressing their parents, although I believe they thrive on being the first to spot an airplane flying over head or a four leaf clover on the field, at least until a certain age.
  I have one son, my oldest Jeff, playing ball hockey. One of my twins, Frack, playing t-ball and the other two, daughter Frick and twin Mutt, involved in a musical performance class along with Frack.  I do what I can to make it to all their events, knowing that it will not always be possible to see all of them all of the time.  What I do take in is the moments that only kids can bring to us.  For example, "how was music class everyone?" responded with "Dad, you didn't pack enough snacks for us" followed by an angry 3 year old giving me the stink eye and her brothers saying they didn't have fun.  That was 10 weeks ago and they have not complained since.  Of course I pack more snacks now.
  My oldest played ice hockey and now plays ball hockey and his biggest thing is "did you know -insert name of friend- plays on the other team?"  After discussing his role in the game he is spotted, the very next shift, chatting with his friend, oblivious to the ball in his feet.  And, after getting a goal he does not share excitement over scoring, but excitement over who the goalie was.  It's like Gretzky or Crosby scoring a Stanley Cup winning goal and telling TSN "Did you know the goalie was my old buddie, Billy, wow he played great."  There really is no care in the game at this age, with most kids, just pure fun in being with friends and playing.  I think I could learn a little from my kids.


I got it!

  My twin boy, Frack, just started playing t-ball and his greatest joy during his first game was throwing stones and teasing a girl standing on second base.  A girl and second base never happened to me until well into my teens and he is only 5 years old.  Once again something to learn from my kids.  The game itself is only fun if you are allowed to have your own kind of fun along the way.  For some that means discipline and routine, and for others that means chasing butterflies or talking to friends during the game.  No matter what your kids enjoy doing during their sports/activities leave them to their own personal enjoyments and let the coaches/teachers try to guide them.  The alternative is that they are at home picking on their siblings or driving you, the parent, crazy and I know, personally, butterflies can handle my kids better then I can most days.

  If I have a future star in my family he/she will have great stories to tell the tabloids about the road to their success and if they are not stars they will at least have great memories.  As for me, the parent, I prefer to come home from every game/event with a child that takes pride in discussing the bird flying inside the hockey arena even though he lost 5-1.  Or a daughter that says "I had no fun because I didn't get goldfish for a snack" and yet is heard singing a new song later in the day.

  I try to make as many events as possible for these moments as well as the moments when they actually realize what they are doing and have accomplished.  Cheering for a first goal or getting a tear when three of my kids perform on stage, these are all great moments and almost compare to the day a frog hopped on the soccer field.  Take pride no matter, as tomorrow your child grows up and the frog and the butterfly become distractions instead of wonder. 

One For The Dads

  Dad's can do it too, with a little help sometimes.  I changed my blog link today to reflect the title of the blog and in the process lost my followers information.  For those of you that were following me I apologize and hopefully you make your way back to my new address.  I look forward to new followers joining in and sharing your feedback.

  So we can't do everything, or at least everything right.  Yet if you think about it dad's have been playing this game for years.  Shrink your wife's favorite top and you're off laundry duty, or break one of Grammies dishes and you're done that as well.  These things don't just happen, dad's, or men in general, have planned these things out from the beginning.  For whatever reason I was just the opposite as I was the one criticizing people, my mom and eventually my wife, for the way they were doing my laundry and breaking a dish was out of the question.  I would give my mom credit for this as she had me doing laundry and dishes at a young age.  Maybe that's why being a stay at home dad is the best job I have ever had, as I don't mind everything that goes with it.  Okay the screaming kids, the constant cleanup of toys, and maybe even the cleaning of the floors every day, sometimes twice, could be improved, but I'm working on them.  Ultimately, these are the things that keep me on my toes and much preferred over dealing with previous bosses I have had.

  I know that mom is usually the stay at home parent and failing that a female nanny, usually old and heavy if the wives have there way, although I have come to realize there are a number of stay at home dads out there.  We are actually pretty good at what we do and take pride in completing the housework and love spending time with our kids.  I do my best to have everything complete, most nights, so that my wife can come home and enjoy the kids.  Even so, she still finds time to provide me with the ¨Honey Do¨ list each week, which I have managed to get narrowed down to one main task a week, on top of my regular routine.

  When the day is said and done, I have to say I am pretty good at the laundry, keeping it folded neatly, whites staying white except for that one load, and well organized in the kids room.  I would also say that I keep a somewhat neat house if you ignore the kids toys and crafts that get spread throughout, in a hurry.  My cooking skills improve each week, trying new recipes when possible, and falling back on simple things like chicken nuggets only occasionally.  I look forward to this summer and the tan I will have, I mean the fun I will have with the kids.  More importantly, I look forward to my wife`s vacation time when we can spend the days as a family.  When the day is said and done let it be known that Dad`s Can Do It Too and pretty good if I do say so myself.

The Family Bed

  So I woke up this morning to discover our bed was being occupied by my 7 year old son, along with my wife and myself.  In the past, when we had a king size bed this would only be a concern due to the fact that he likes to sleep in every position possible except head to toe of the bed.  With our queen size bed his presence makes it a little more challenging due simply to the fact he is a giant.  A giant that sprawls out with no regard for who he takes out in the process.
  This got me to thinking about all the times the kids have come into our bed over the years and the joy we have had with these moments.  There was the time when my daughter, Frick, crawled in to bed with us followed by her brother, Frack.  We had our king size bed at this time, but that did not stop both of them from forcing me to the edge of the bed.  Not to mention the elbow to the head and a foot to the "tenders".  There was also the night my oldest, Jeff, came to bed with us and pretty much kicked me out of bed, as he placed both feet upon my back and shoved.  Finally, there is our other son, Mutt, who I have slept with a couple times when away from home.  You see Mutt does not move, in fact he remains so still through the night that I keep waking up to make certain he is still there, and breathing.  Ultimately, I get about the same amount of sleep, none, as I do with the rest of the kids, the only difference is that I can move my neck in the morning and I don't have any bruises.  These are fun times and bring many memories.
  I watch all of these T.V. shows and movies showing the family bed and how happy everyone is when they wake in morning and for once I would like to see reality.  Show me a mom that gets up looking like an extra from Dawn Of The Dead, and show me a dad that does nothing but grunt and mutter for the entire morning and he can't look to his left due to a kink in his neck.  The kids will be no worse for where, in fact they will have slept longer and will be refreshed and ready to take on the world.  That is until the scary looking mom and the grumpy sounding dad bring them back to earth.  This movie could be called "Zombie Parents, Morning of the Undead" and it could be a musical with the kids singing happy songs and the parents chasing them around with oversized pillows trying to stop them and turn them into Zombies.
  I love my kids, and anyone trying to harm them would suffer greatly if I had my way.  I also love my sleep and anyone getting in the way of a good nights sleep must be held accountable for their actions, no matter their age.  Even with a good lawyer they could not get off the charge of assault causing bodily harm and bags under the eyes, although, I would probably drop all charges if someone could get them to start picking up after themselves. 
  Finally, why is it that they love to snuggle in with mom and lie still for most of the night, but as soon as they notice dad in bed it is like an all out assault.  I am certain, in the night, I have heard radio contact between the kids giving coordinates for where I am lying and how best to attack.  No matter, I will go on sleeping on the edge of the cliff, with hopes that I do not fall into the abyss below.  After all, falling is not an option as I wouldn't want to come into contact with the monsters under my bed.
 

Sundae Funday

  When I woke up this morning I knew that my kids were in for a big day and that me, as a parent, may pay the price for their fun.  If you have kids then you know what a day filled with sweet foods and excitement can bring out in them.  The only saving grace is the crash at the end of the day.

  Today we packed up the four kids and headed to Toronto, The Drake Hotel, for a media event being put on by Frigidaire in order to bring awareness to Save the Children ( http://www.savethechildren.ca/ ).  Save the Children is the worlds leading independent organization for children, fighting to make an immediate and lasting impact on the lives of children everywhere.  As a parent, my kids mean everything to me, so standing behind an organization such as this is a no brainer and what Frigidaire has done is make supporting this charity a family event by getting the kids involved.  Not only with today's event, but also online at http://www.sundaefunday.ca where they can build a virtual Sundae, which leads to Frigidaire donating $1 for every Sundae made.

  The event today was titled Sundae Funday, and for good reason, as there was unlimited ice cream and toppings.  Do you know what that can do to a child?  For approximately three hours we had Flash, Superman, Iron Man and Wonder Woman, all playing at top speed.  Just when we thought our superheroes were going to defeat their arch nemesis, the scary Mom and Dad duo, the effects of the sugar wore off and the drive home was quiet and calm.  From what I saw during the event all the kids enjoyed their sundaes, and the rest of the food that was served, as well as the magician that was on hand to entertain.  I did not get his name, although he showed patience with the kids and had them amazed and laughing for the entire event.  Anyone that can keep my kids attention for more than 10 minutes deserves a standing ovation.

  So thank you to Frigidaire for standing behind this charity and putting on a great family event and thank you to The Drake Hotel and their staff for staying on top of everyones needs.  Most importantly, thank you to Save the Children and your efforts worldwide looking out for kids critical needs.