Hobby Lobby

Today's adventure was to find an electric train to go around the Christmas tree. After extensive research on the subject (I googled it), I found the store for us. Hobby Lobby. With over 60,000 products in 13 departments with every hobby known to man, there had to be trains here!

As we approached this mammoth craft super store I noticed that Mason and I were the youngest people entering the store. Once inside we were overwhelmed by the exuberant display of crafts. If you have never been here I would highly recommend it. That is if you are into scrapbooking, sewing, painting, drawing, needlepoint, crafts, stickers, silk flowers, model planes, model cars, baseball card displays, and hopefully ELECTRIC TRAINS!

As Mason and I began to weave our way through this elaborate maze of craftdom, I noticed how many hobbies are out there that I had no idea existed. I didn't know scrapbooking was a business. I just thought you put picture in a book and Voila, scrapbook done! Oh no you have stamps, stickers, charms, twine, and other decorative items. I wonder if there is some scrapbooking Super Bowl somewhere in the world. Welcome to the Scrap Bowl! After earning my degree in scrapbooking Mason and I returned to our search. We began to sing our famous Choo Choo song I had made up in the car as we passed row after row of picture frames and silk flowers. We were getting close because we saw the model cars and planes! Trains had to be next! As we joyfully rounded the corner I began to get a sick feeling in my gut. No trains, No F*&King trains! What? It was on your awesome website, model planes, trains, and automobiles! Come on man! I felt like little Ralphie who didn't get his Red Rider B-B gun. Someone was gonna pay!

After I accosted the 75 year old employee Mason and I stormed out of the facility. Hobby super store my a$$! I am sure everyone could not help but hearing the expletives I was muttering as we left the store. I learned a valuable lesson. One should always call ahead first when looking for a specific item.

All was not lost. I did get a great idea for Christmas presents. Scrapbooks for everyone!

Clark W. Griswold

All of us has seen the movie "Vacation" where Clark Griswold packs up the family in the family truckster and heads across crountry to visit the holy land of Wally World. Suitcases strapped to the top of the wagon as they visit every notable and not so notable landmark in the USA.

And we have all seen this family every time we take a road trip. Big pod on the roof of a minivan with bikes strapped to the back, and the kids stuffed in between all the luggage inside. I would always make fun of these guys every time I would pass them on the highway. I will never be "That Guy"! I am way too cool to look like that.

Well guess what? It pains me to say this but I have become Clark Griswold! I have tried to remain cool when Mason came along. I bought a camo diaper bag and got a sweet Baby Jogger stroller. I don't have a minivan or wagon. I have a very cool Jeep Grand Cherokee. A hip family truckster. Before Mason we would put kayaks on top as we cruised to adventurous vacation spots! People would look at us on the highway and say "Whoa, they look like fun people"! I would drive by storefronts just to see my reflection with kayaks on my roof.

As you may have read in my previous posts when you travel with a child some sacrifices have to be made. More kids stuff than our stuff. Now the first couple of road trips with Mason went ok. We realized quickly that we need more space.

The wife suggested the dreaded pod. I was not going to have some goofy bubble attached to my roof! I fought the idea as long as I could. Besides buying a school bus this was the only logical answer. Dammit!

So the shopping began. I was determined to get the coolest pod ever. You would be surprised at the variety of pods these days. They come in all types of shapes and colors. I finally found the perfect pod for me. It was sleek, shiny,

and the same color as my hip Jeep. Maybe people would look at me on the road and think I was carrying surfboards or something cool. Uh no, it's still a pod. It took me a while to accept this new look but I must confess, the pod is AWESOME! We can fit so much stuff in there and be more comfortable inside. I am now at peace with being "That Guy".

So remember as you pass me on the highway don't laugh because one day it could be you. I may look like a dork with my pod but I have an excuse, I have a kid. So here's to you Clark. You make "That Guy" cool again.

Traveling with a Toddler

My wife and I recently embarked on a trip to visit friends in California. We have made this cross country trip many times together, but this time we were bringing..... Mason. Nothing can prepare you for flying with a toddler. So as I was pushing 1200 pounds of luggage through the San Francisco airport I began to think of the days before we had a child. There are some distinct differences in the way we travel now.

LUGGAGE

Before children or child we could fit everything we needed in our carry on bags. No checked luggage to slow us down. We would speed through the airport using all types of escalators and stairs.

Now with a toddler we not only have bags to check but also a car seat. Yay. Escalators are a thing of the past, now we have to FIND, I repeat FIND elevators. These toddler people are so small that surely they don't need a lot of luggage, right? WRONG! Mason has clothes as well as toys. Not just toys for our destination but toys for the actual trip to keep him occupied. And remember toddlers need two to three outfits per day. They tend to spill just about anything within reach on their clothes. So combine his stuff with ours and I look like the Grinch hauling his giant wobbly sled full of presents through the airport. HO, HO, OH my back!

SECURITY

Before children we would zip through security and have plenty of time to relax and even get a drink before boarding. Cheers to our trip!

Now that we have a small child we are considered "Special". We get our own family line, Yipee! The genius's at TSA think that if they corral all of these families together and herd them through the same line everything would move more efficiently. Uh, no. Now the bins are a good idea. But can they please make them a little larger? If I can stuff a bulky folded up stroller through that damn x-ray machine then I am sure they can make a bin large enough to fit my size 13 shoes. But no, we have to use a separate bin for every little gadget, toy, laptop, book, and bag. I think we held up the line for 45 minutes waiting for our 23 bins to come through the machine. Apparently toddlers are now a risk to National Security because we had to remove our 17 month old's shoes. Really? I wanted to make the TSA officer try to put them back on our squirming child. Now after all of this chaos we gather our things and make a mad sprint to the gate. Now is when we need that drink, but no time now.

PLANE RIDE

Pre Mason we would board the plane and hope we would not be stuck next to that couple with the loud toddler. We could read, listen to our own music, and watch movies. The plane trip just flew by and before we knew it we were at our destination.

With a toddler we do have some advantages. People who need special assistance or have small children can board the plane early. YES! As I bulldoze through the anxious crowd I gloat in the fact we have priority seating. Once we get settled into our seats we get to play "Who wants to sit next to the toddler" game. As passengers file into the plane it is a blast to look at their relief they are not sitting next to us. Mason makes this more fun by waving to each of them as they pass by us. Since Mason is not two years old yet he flies for free. But there is a catch, he has to sit on our laps. I don't know if you have ever tried to get a 17 month old to sit on your lap for 5 hours, it takes an advanced degree of patience. My wife has a Ph D in it as I only have an associates degree. I won't even go into detail about diaper changes on an airplane. Lets just say that is a private moment reserved for mother and son. We do still get to watch movies but the titles have changed. Instead of Iron Man 2 or Thor we get Curious George and Penguins of Madagasgar. Similar story lines though. Someone has problems, gets into trouble, then figures things out, and happy ending. Just replace evil brother Loki with the man in the yellow hat.

I hope this fun filled journey has not discouraged any of you from traveling cross country with a toddler. We survived and are better parents for it.

Traveling With A Toddler

My wife and I recently embarked on a cross country trip to visit friends in California. Now both of us have an extensive resume when it comes to travel. Lets just say we have been some places. But none of that experience can prepare you for traveling with a toddler. So as I was pushing 1200 pounds of luggage through the San Francisco airport, I began to think of much simpler times. I began to do some comparisons. Now before we had a child we could carry on all of our luggage. No checked bags to slow us down! We speed through the airport using escalators and stairs. Escalators don't work to well with luggage carts the size of a volkswagen bug. We need elevators! Have you ever tried to find an elevator in an airport? With a toddler you not only have to check bags but you have to check a car seat as well. If you have never lugged one of these things around a busy airport then you have not lived. Toddlers are small so they can't have alot of luggage, right? Wrong. He has clothes as well as toys. Not just toys for your destination, but also for the plane. And remember, toddlers always wear at least 2-3 outfits a day. He also requires all his current reading material such as Curious George, Cat in the Hat, and Ten Little Ladybugs. None of this includes our stuff at all.

After we check 1200 pounds of luggage the race through security begins. Before children we could zip through security and have plenty of time to relax and even get a drink before boarding. Those days are long gone, my friend. We are considered special now that we are a family with a small child. We get our own line, Yipee! The extremely intelligent people at TSA thought that if they corralled all of these families together and herd them through security together things would run efficiently. Now the bins are a good idea but they are a little small. If I can stuff a folded up stroller through that damn X-ray machine then I am sure they can have a bin that can fit my shoes and the rest of my items all in one. But no, we have to have a separate bin for every little gadget, toy, laptop, book, and bag. I think we held up that line for thirty minutes waiting for our 23 bins to come through. Apparently toddlers are now a risk to national security because we had to remove our 17 month old's shoes. Wow, I feel better now getting on the plane.

After all of us get dressed and repack our bags we sprint towards the gate. Now we do have an advantage here. All persons who need special assistance or have small children can board the plane early. This is the fun part. Once we get settled in we get to play the "who wants to sit next to the baby" game. As the passengers file into the plane it is so fun to look at the relief on their faces to realize they are not sitting next to us. We used to be those people.

Now the plane ride. I remember when we could just read and listen to our own music as the trip just flew by. Those are distant memories now. I am pleased to announce that in flight movies still exist. Our feature was Curious George Takes a Vacation. Very entertaining. Holding a 17 month old child in your lap for 5 hours takes an advanced degree of patience. My wife has a PhD while I only posses an associates degree. Because we have so much equipment with us on the plane we must be the absolute last ones to exit. This is fun to watch as our child waves goodbye to all the people he kept awake for 5 hours.

I hope this post does not discourage you from flying the friendly skies with your children.

(UFO) Unidentified Foreign Object

Yesterday Mason and I were wrestling on the floor when something caught my eye. It was laying on the floor beside us. As we sat up Mason saw it as well. We looked at it, then looked at one another, then looked at it again. Mmmmm, what could it be. It looked like a mashed up brown lump that was about 2 inches in length. Now before I became a father my first reaction would be to pick this up with a napkin and flush it. Not anymore! We need to investigate this foreign object. When you have changed as many diapers as I have you get used to all types of substances getting on your hands. I like to put some of these substances into a category called the Three P's (poop, puke, pee). I will pick up just about anything now, just like Mason. So I grabbed it quickly so Mason would not try to eat it. Although it could be edible. As I looked closely at it I couldn't help think of every CSI episode where the camera zooms in on something in slow motion and shows the interior of each piece of evidence. What was this lump? Did it come out of our cats, or Mason? I hope it did't come out of me! It had no fowl oder so that ruled out poop, unless it was really old. So I sent it to the lab, but the results are not in yet. I'll let you know.

Caffeine

Oh caffeine. You and I have had a long and involved relationship. It has been an on again off again affair over the years. It's complicated, I know you're bad for me but somehow I always come back to you. In fact I was doing just fine without you only 16 months ago. Then........ Mason arrived. For a while I would flirt with you just to get me through a tough time. But now I have to have you! We have gotten closer than ever lately and I wonder how I ever lived without you. We are like best friends with benefits. I get excited just hearing your name. You help me in so many ways. I can keep up with this little person all day! I can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Sometimes I even enjoy you in the afternoon. I get so many things done with your help. I know one day someone, (A doctor) will warn me that this relationship is dangerous and I should let you go. But until then, it's you and me caffeine! You complete me!

What day is it?

Do you ever feel like your days and weeks are running together? All of you stay at home parents can relate to this. My mornings during the week start at 5:30 to go to Yoga class. So by the time I get home, shower and start the day I have not been able to turn on the news or listen to the radio. After my yoga class this morning I was telling everyone to have a nice weekend. I got some odd looks because today was Wednesday. I thought it was Friday. Oops! I did not realize this until I was sending my wife off to work. Most of the time I have no idea about whats happening around the world either. My morning television programming includes Curious George. I must say George is not the go-to guy for current events. So unless the Man in the Yellow Hat explains the the debt ceiling to George I am out of luck. The great thing about watching Curious George vs. the News is that there is always a happy ending! Now all of you have a great weekend!

Internet Savvy

All of you followers (0) may be wondering what has taken me so long to add another post. Well I have a funny story about that. Last week I was all excited that I had created this blog so I informed my wife and a friend of hers about it. I told them to check it out and gave them the address. Both of them quickly informed me that I had mis-spelled the actual title of my blog. I had used till instead of til. I am an internet genius! Well I learned to always check with my in-house editor (my wife). So now I am the proud owner of two blogs! One is going to be stuck out there in internet oblivion with only one post and this new one.

Enough about how smart I am. This is supposed to be about Parenting. Going through this I realized that it won't be to long until my 16 month old son is working on this this laptop and showing me how to operate it. He has already figured out my I Phone. Scary. Well, thats all the time I have this morning. My son is yanking on my leg to change the song on the I pod so he can hear Lady GaGa for the 40th time this morning! Maybe I'll teach him how to operate that today. No, he will teach me. Bye for now.

Away We Go

Welcome! This is my first post ever on a blog. I am not really sure what a blog is. Is it a daily diary that you want everyone to read? Or is that Facebook? Who knows. I started this blog to provide any helpful information I can for Stay at Home Dads on the blogosphere. Believe me I need all the help I can get as well. So any advice I can get from any parent is welcome. I will also include humorous stories and tips from my crazy life as a SAHD. That stands for Stay at Home Dad. I know there are more of us out there so please guys let me hear from you.

My wife and I have a 16 month old son named Mason. I will post pictures of him as soon as I figure out how this whole blog thing works. These past 16 months have been an adventure to say the least. Mason is one interesting dude. He is large for his age but a picky eater. He loves Lady Gaga. And he is quite the dancer. I will expand on that in future posts. So stay tuned for all the madness that is my life as a SAHD. Well thats it for my first post. Any help is encouraged! Look forward to hearing from you.