I have this idea, it might be crazy!
Okay, first I have to say that it's been about a week since I posted anything and I apologize to anyone that has the pins and needles that they are sitting on waiting for me to write something new and spectacular. There has been this horrible sickness being passed back and forth between all the members of our household. It has been the worst. My wife got it worse than anyone and even missed four days of work. I mean this sickness was out to get us. Sore throats, coughing, upset belly, vomiting, pooping, you name it, we had it. What made it worse is that when my wife and I had it, the kids were fine. Only they didn't act "fine." NO, they took the opportunity to act like maniacs while Daddy and Mommy were sick. It made my wife and I feel SO much better, let me tell you. But, we have made it through finally, and the ALL CLEAR has been issued. For now anyway.
So, as I was saying, I have this idea that might be a little crazy. I'm going to let you, my reader, decide if I'm a little too ambitious. First let me give you a little insight as to where this idea has sprung from.
I LOVE Duke Basketball!!!
If I listed the things in life that I love in order, you wouldn't have to go very far down that list to get to Duke Basketball. There is something about the way that the Blue Devils play that has always appealed to me. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has run an absolutely amazing basketball program in his 31 years at Duke. The class and excellence that Duke plays with is something that I wish to emulate in all aspects of my life. I do NOT miss a game. When Duke plays, all else stops in our house. The kids have come to realize that Duke basketball is a HUGE part of Daddy's(and therefore their own)life. They know that when Duke is on, it's best not to bother Daddy unless it's something really important. Like fire, or death. I know it's pretty senseless to put so much emphasis on 18-22 year old guys trying to put a leather ball into an iron hoop, but it's something I love. Everyone has their interests in life, and while one of mine may not be that "deep" and "meaningful," it is mine. For a couple of hours 35-40 times a year, I feel like I'm part of that class and excellence. It means something to me and I am very passionate about it. I hope that my kids find something that they are passionate about. Maybe they will find something a little more constructive to be passionate about!
Finally the idea I've been going on about!
So, I've known for a few years now that Duke basketball offers this fantasy camp. It is only for people 35 years and over. So until two years ago, I wasn't eligible. Now, because of the slow painful passing of time, I am. The camp seems to me like just about the coolest way to spend five days out of my life . You get to play games against other campers and generally made to feel like a Duke basketball player. Only a dream come true for me. It's called The K Academy. I REALLY want to do this someday. I would do damn near anything for the opportunity to go to this camp. The only thing is, it costs $10,000.00! That's a "little" out of my range. I could probably swing it if it were closer to $100. Maybe, but probably still not! Needless to say, my attendance at this amazing camp is little more than a pipe dream. Unless...
Here's the idea. What if I get 20 different business in my local community to donate $500 each to fund my attendance at this camp? The money is tax deductible since a portion of the entry fee goes to charity at Duke University. So, do you think any business would go for my idea? I could do a blog about the entire experience, mentioning all of my sponsors. I've even thought about contacting the local newspaper and maybe they would do a story about it. Again, what do you think? Am I crazy?
All that I would need to do.
So, besides being $10k short of the entrance fee, I'm also woefully out of shape. I haven't played basketball in over two years, and I seem to have some chronic condition that causes me pain all over my body. So, I could do this camp in June right??? Here are what I think I would have to do in order to make it to compete in June.
See my new Doctor this Friday as planned and have them give me the magic shot that makes me feel better and pain free for the next six months(as well as actually diagnosing what I have even though I'm pretty sure it's Rheumatoid Arthritis.)
Round up $10,000 from local business' willing to donate to someone who is probably borderline crazy for even asking in the first place.
Lose between 40-50 pounds to get down to a more optimum playing weight.
Get back to playing basketball so that I wouldn't completely embarrass myself on the court. I know it may be hard to believe, but when I was in my twenties, I could actually play the game at a fairly high level. If I was left open behind the 3-point line, I was pretty much MONEY!
The thing that makes me think that I may be crazy for thinking this may be possible is just that. I think that this may be possible!
What does this have to do with being a SAHD?
Nothing really but it's my blog so get off my back! No, I'm not that big of a jerk. I do think that I'd love to be able to accomplish this so that my kids see that if you have a dream(no matter how big and crazy they may be)and work hard, you can do anything you really want to.
Please, someone tell me I'm not crazy for thinking I can do this!!! Please, anyone???
Things I sometimes think about.
- Why is it that after my kids get sick, I get the same thing only worse?
- Why don't kids ever want to sleep? Do they know something that adults don't know?
- If I were a Jedi and had mastery over the Force, I would totally be on the Dark Side. I wouldn't do anything that would alert the world governments or anything like that. But, I'd have a lot of people empty their bank accounts for me. And, I would have seen a lot more naked women when I was single!
- Now that I'm older, when do I get all of this wisdom I keep hearing about?
- I'm REALLY afraid of aliens. Think about it, if aliens ever show up on Earth, you know they want something. Why else would they be here? I have to believe that if they can find a way to get all the way here, they must have the technology to annihilate us as well. Scary stuff!
- Why would anyone actually hate Duke Basketball? I mean the program is run the way a college basketball program should be.
- Why can kids watch the same movie a million times without getting tired of it?
- I think we are getting it stuck to us at the gas pump by the government and big oil companies. The price of gas went up 2 cents from yesterday. Why??? It's the same gas that was in the tank yesterday, why does it cost more today? Did they turn it into better gas?
- I think I would make a great U.S. President. Actually, I think I'd turn into a Dictator, and everyone would love me! I'd get rid of all the useless people!
- I really think they should give you an instruction manual right after your kid is born. It would make things a lot easier.
- I think time travel is possible. We will just have to wait until the future to see. Or maybe someone from the future will visit us and let us know that it's going to be really cool soon.
- I think the people who are scared because the Mayan calender ends next year, are off their rockers. That includes my sister!
- I think parenting doesn't get hard until you have your second child.
- I think it's crap that my kids will be "Good as gold" when they are with my parents, but monsters when they are with me.
- I hate that because I am a SAHD and now have some sort of chronic condition that prevents me from doing stuff, I feel lazy.
- Sore throats suck!!!
- I hate snow.
- Can anyone please tell me why all of the Reality TV shows are so popular?
- I think that DVR is the best invention. EVER!
- I think that I really love seeing a beautiful woman, but it's been a while since I seen one. I've been blinded by my wife's beauty. She is the most beautiful woman to ever walk the earth, and no other woman compares.
- I still can't believe that Stacy married me, and made two amazing babies with me.
- I really believe that I'm destined to hit the lottery someday. That is if karma hasn't been used up on me already. I feel like I already hit the lottery of life. Have you seen pictures of my family? Nuff said!
- I really hate that I can't play sports anymore. For the longest time in my life, playing sports defined me, and it's hard that it's been taken from me.
- Does anyone know the reason that God put stink in poop? My son's sometimes smells like he ate a opossum!
- I really hate that I put my family through a really scary night ten years ago this April.
- I really wish that I could get more people to read my blog.
That's enough.
Well, that's just about enough random thoughts for one day. I hope you enjoyed reading this and don't think I'm too much of a dufus afterwards. Thank you and have a great weekend.
The most spoiled dog in the world!!!
The picture above is pretty much the epitome of what I deal with EVERY day from "our" dog. Basically I get the impression from Rocket(yes we named our dog after the University of Toledo's mascot) that we exist to serve him. As you can see from the look on his face, he was quite annoyed that someone dared to disturb his nap(only probably his fourth or fifth of the day mind you.) The really bad thing is, the picture was taken during the summer months, so over the last five or six months, he has gotten even more spoiled.
How did we even get a dog?
I REALLY had no inclination to get a dog when my wife sent me a picture of this dog, with the caption that he was "so laid back." Yeah right! He has part Chihuahua in him. How often do you find one of those laid back? Rocket isn't so laid back either. But, after my kids got involved in the badgering of Daddy, I had no choice but to give in, and now we have a family pet. We got him last March, so we were starting to get into the spring months. He didn't really have to deal with the snow and cold very much. Now we are going into his first real winter, and it's gotten bad. Being that he's a short haired dog, I can understand him being cold a lot. But, the biggest part of his spoildness is what he does at night.
HE SLEEPS WITH HIS HEAD ON MY PILLOW AND UNDER THE COVERS!!!
That's right, he lays in bed between my wife and I like he's one of our children. If he's not on my pillow, he's down by my knees, again under the covers. I have NEVER known a dog to sleep under the covers, but Rocket does. Every night. And during every one of his many naps. He finds a blanket and gets under it. My wife wants to get him a sweater, but I refuse. I do not want to be that guy who has a dog that wears clothes. We have a hard enough time keeping our actual kids in clothes that fit that we don't have the time or resources to worry about keeping our dog in clothes. I'm sorry, we just don't! I know he's probably cold, but it leads me to my next point.
What purpose does he serve???
Rocket basically sleeps about 18-19 hours out of every day. He plays the other 5 or 6, but what he does best is act like a badass. That's right, he ACTS like a badass. Every single little noise he hears in another part of the house, or outside, he barks and runs to both the front and back doors like he's going to tear someone or something up. Of course when push comes to shove, and someone actually comes in the house, he pisses himself because he's so nervous. He basically hides behind me. So, he's really not much of a watch dog. If we happen to slip up and leave our door open a little, or if one of us drops the leash on accident, he runs away. I have to go chase him down, and I'm not talking a couple of yards, but once it was almost a mile. I have mentioned quite often that I'm not physically able to do much that is considered active. It hurts. A lot. So he's kind of a pain in the ass that way. It costs money to buy him food. And, he needs both dry and soft food. He needs special treats for when he goes out to use the bathroom. Those things are not cheap. He basically drives me crazy!!! So why do we have a dog anyway?
Because he makes these three happy.
If something ever happened to Rocket, it would devastate my family. And you want to know something else? It would break my heart as well. That little stinker has come in to our family and made himself as much a part of our family as any one of us. I have never been the type that thought pets were part of a family, but Rocket is like my third kid. It's really kinda funny when you think about it.
Do any of you have pets that have become family members? I'd love to hear about it!
Thanks and have a great night.
The Dream!
At the risk of sounding like a historical figure: I have a dream! I desperately want to take my kids to Disney World. I mean I want to take them there so bad that I'd give up damn near anything to be able to take them. I just know that it would be the most amazing thing for my two crazy kids. The only thing is, I'm afraid that if we took them there, their heads would actually explode from excitement! Stacy and I would be considered the absolute greatest parents to ever walk the earth, and that's a feeling I'd like to know.
They are already spoiled. Rotten!
Lately it has become painfully obvious that my kids are spoiled beyond belief. It worries me really. It's that bad. Sydney has taken to using the following phrases: "I NEVER get anything I want." "You guys are so mean to me!" And my favorite and the one that drives me the craziest, "NO, I don't have to do what you say!"
Now Denny on the other hand doesn't have as good a grasp on the language so his demonstrations of spoildness are a little different. When he doesn't get his way, he literally throws himself on the floor and screams and kicks. He has taken to throwing things at the rest of his family, on top of hitting all of us. That's not even mentioning how this afternoon when I made him sit at the table to eat lunch, he got pissed and reached out with his hand and just swiped at my wife's drink in an attempt to knock it over. It slopped all over, but he didn't quite get it. I think that pissed him off further! So yes, my kids are spoiled rotten. I'm trying really hard to eliminate the mentioned behavior, and I think that's part of the problem. I think they are so used to getting their way, that now when I push back a little, they have a really hard time dealing with it. And yes, I want to spoil them further by taking them to Disney World! What am I thinking huh?
A couple of years away.
So yeah, I really want to take my family on a Disney World vacation. Stacy and I have been talking about for a couple of years now, and a big(actually the biggest, hugest factor) is money. A while back I purchased a couple of books about how to go about planning a Disney vacation and learned a lot about how to do it. Walt Disney World will let you pay on your vacation for a year before you go, and that is going to help. However, we are at least a year away from being able to start a year long payment plan. We are hoping to use part of this year's tax refund to get us started. Then use next year's refund to start the payment plan. We have looked into the type of vacation we would like, and the cost of it. I realize that packages are going to change in the next couple of years, but at least we know sort of what we would like to do. The thing is, the cost of the vacation through Disney leaves out a lot of expenses. We live in Michigan, and Disney is in Florida. I think it's cheaper to drive, so gas is a cost. Of course, I'm not driving straight through to Florida with my wife and kids. I did that as an 18 year old high school senior, and this is not the same type of vacation. Although to an 18 year old guy, Daytona Beach is sort of like Disney World! Anyway, we would have to spend the night in a hotel on the way there, and on the way home. So there is another expense. On top of that, all four of us in this family have developed this horrible habit that we all have to do each day. For the life of me, I can't quit. And, neither can my wife and kids. It's called eating. We all do it, everyday. So food is another expense. I suspect that while we are at the park there will be a few items(and by a few I mean a gazillion)that my kids will HAVE to have. If I'm taking them to Disney World, how can I tell them no to five different types of stuffed toys? So, yet another expense. At least the vacation packages offered have food built into them so we won't have to pay for food at the park. So where I'm going with this is, we will have to save above and beyond just our lodging and park passes in order to make this happen.
Those commercials.
Disney doesn't play fair when it comes to this either. They have these commercials where the parents surprise the kids in different ways of letting them know that they are either at Disney, or are going to Disney. I really want to see that reaction from my kids that the kids in the commercials have. I want to see the pure joy and excitement on my kids faces. I want Stacy and I to be those parents who get to watch their kids go crazy because they know they are going to Disney World. Yes, I know that a vacation isn't what should define happiness for us, but dammit I really want to take them to Disney World. That is one of the many dreams I have as a parent.
Ideas?
Thank you and I hope you have had a great weekend.
My son has been so sick!
For the last three days or so, my son has been sicker than he has ever been in his short life. The picture above was from the first night of his three day sickness. He was up late at night because he was coughing so much. I just HATE when my kids are sick. I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV, so I feel helpless when they are sick. I just want to take the sickness from them and take it for myself. I'm sure most parents feel the exact same way, it's the parenting instinct. I just feel so helpless.
The worst part.
Denny isn't talking 100% yet so what makes this really hard is that he's not able to tell me exactly what it is that's bothering him. He's getting better, every day he seems to make improvements and add new words to his vocabulary, but you still kind of have to speak Denny language to get what he is saying. So because of that I feel really helpless. It started with a really bad cough that kept him up Monday night. He sounded like a seal. Well, I had him in the ER about this time last year with Croup, so I thought it was probably something similar if not Croup again. On Tuesday I took him into a Quick Care facility because the cough wasn't getting any better. The gave him a liquid steroid and sent us home. He seemed to be better on Wednesday, but started to take a turn after dinner that night. About an hour after we put the kids to bed we heard Denny upstairs coughing, but it sounded funny so my wife went up to check on him. She called out to me to come help because he had puked all over his bed! Awesome! While cleaning him up Stacy felt his head and thought he felt really warm. So, I put him in a luke warm bath to clean him up and hopefully cool off any fever he may have. It didn't work. His temp was 103, so at about 10:30pm I loaded him up in the van and took him to the ER. Being sick and throwing up is one thing, but a fever scares the piss out of me. So, I took him to someplace where I thought we could get this thing under control.
I was a bit let down.
While Denny and I were in the ER, the service was great and they took great care of my little boy. I just felt a little disappointed in the course of treatment. They took his vitals, looked in his throat, and that's about it. They gave him some Tylenol to help with his fever and let us sit in a room. At about 2am the nurse came in to take his temp. The poor kid wouldn't go to sleep until just before then. He wanted to, but he wouldn't take his eyes off of me. I think he was afraid that if he fell asleep, I wouldn't be there when he woke up. Well, he must not have realized that his Daddy wasn't going anywhere besides right next to him! Well, he had finally fallen asleep about 1:45 and fifteen minutes later this nurse come in to see how he's doing. Because of the way he was laying the nurse couldn't get his temp using his under arm. So, you can see where this is going right? He lubed up a thermometer and shoved it up his butt. I was going to say no because I KNOW I wouldn't want to be woke up like that, but I realized it was in his best interest to have his temp checked. The temp had lowered to 100, so we were being sent home. Now, I don't know if there was something else dramatic going on in the ER that night, but about an hour and a half later the doctor came in to give me a script for Denny and tell me to keep an eye on him. He diagnosed him with a fancy word that means "sore throat" and sent us on our way. I didn't realize a sore throat could make you puke all over the place! Anyway, it was about 4am when he and I finally laid down for the night on our pull out couch. So needless to say, Thursday was a long day. He didn't feel well all day, and puked again that evening. I was a little let down that it took that long for them to diagnose a sore throat and discharge us.
Denny has slept A LOT over the last couple of days, and I'm happy to report that he is feeling much better now. He has kept food down, and has gotten back to his usual chaotic ways. He is still coughing this horrible sounding cough every know and then, but I'm hoping the antibiotic will help with that. I just wish I could take this sickness, and every other one either of my kids ever get, and have it for myself. I'm not selfish, I just don't want my kids to be sick. I've had poor health a lot in my life and I don't want my kids to have to deal with that.
I know I'm not alone in this thinking, but is there a time when you felt completely helpless when it came to your kids health? I'd love to hear how you dealt with it because I'm having a really hard time with this. Denny has wanted to be in my arms most of the last few days, and that's really cool(it's kind of upset my wife for obvious reasons, sorry Babe) but, I'd rather he be like that when he's healthy.
I hope your kids get through this flu season unscathed. Have a great weekend!
They are here!
Well, the Holiday season has come and gone like it does EVERY year. I have made mention here in my blog that I hate winter weather, and basically have no use for it. However, I can tolerate the crappy weather as it leads us up to Christmas and New Years. I don't mind a white Christmas, and I can even tolerate it at New Years. BUT, once January 2nd hits, I want to see every flake of snow disappear forever. There are a number of reasons that I feel that way, but one of the big ones is that winter never seems to end! It just drags on and on and on and on and on...
When I was a kid, I didn't mind that. There was sledding, and snowball fights, and fort building. Shoot, I'd bundle up and be outside in the snow all day. Snow days at home from school were like gold to me. My buddy from the next house and I would play ALL DAY! Now, things have changed. A LOT. When it's cold out, I hurt. When I have to shovel snow, I hurt. When I do the good Dad thing and take my kids sledding, I hurt. When I have to run my van for fifteen minutes before driving, thereby costing me more gas money, I hurt. So as you can see, winter hurts.
Even when I was young.
I said that when I was young that I loved the snow and winter time, and that's true. At least until I was ready to start playing baseball and golf. At that point winter never seemed to end. I live in Michigan and the weather here is just crazy sometimes. I've had baseball games canceled due to snowstorms the day after it was 65 degrees outside. And not just a little snow, but snow that accumulates. Then you deal with the wet ground for what seems like an eternity. So, I used to get really frustrated. I'd want to be outside doing things, and the weather just doesn't always cooperate. Trying to hit a golf ball out of ground that can only be described as soup, is not fun. So, the Dog Days of Winter are indeed upon us!
I sound like a Bitch!
I know I sound like I'm complaining about something I can not control; the weather. And that's probably true, but it's not my intent. I just look at my kids and see their disappointment that the snow has melted now, and their excitement when I tell them that it is going to snow again soon, and I just remember how I felt. Now things sure have changed. I just wonder if they will feel the same way I do when they get older. I hope not though. I hope they keep that childlike enthusiasm for everything they enjoy in life. I hope that they don't get beaten down by the responsibilities of adulthood. I hope they can look at something that most people see as dreary and ugly and see the possibilities in it. I hope that I can teach them that they don't have to be as negative as their Daddy sometimes is. Sometimes I can be sort of cynical(in case you have yet to notice) and I don't want my kids to have that quality.
Well, I've ranted again, what do you think? Also, I put a picture of our dog when he was a puppy to start this entry to signify the Dog Days that I refer to, but also because he was really cute. Don't tell my wife I said that, she thinks I hate the little butthead.
We all reflect.
Well, here we are again. New Year's Eve. It comes along every year, and every year I think we all have the tendency to look back on the soon to be completed year. I think it's only human nature. The calendar just happens to be a convenient time to look back on our good and bad times. We probably all vow to make the next year better than the last. With that said, I'd like to present to you something a little unique(at least in my mind.)
Dear Me of one year from now,
I want to write this to you to let you know that things are pretty good right now. I'm sure you will look back on the coming year and wish you had done some things differently, but that's okay. You do it every year, but you know that because you're me right? I just want to put this out there so that when this time next year rolls around, you will know EXACTLY what you were thinking.
I really hope that you enjoyed becoming an uncle again as Krista is about to pop at any moment. She's having a boy, and while I haven't been able to get as excited about it as I'd like, it's a really cool thing. She seems a bit overwhelmed at the moment, but I'm sure that will pass for her. I hope you do everything in your power to help her through this. You know what it's like to have a second child and the challenges that brings. If nothing else, just be there for a phone call if she needs. Be a good uncle and a better brother.
I really hope that you take the time to learn to be more patient with Sydney and Denny. You have been doing SO much better at that, just continue to improve. Being a great parent is the most important job you have ever, or will ever, had. Try and improve EVERY day. I hope that when you look back on the year, that is just about the biggest accomplishment that you have.
Continue to treat Stacy like the Queen that she is. She has been the most amazing wife and mother in the world. I hope that you can look back on the year and know that you've taken care of her the way she deserves.
I truly hope that you can say that the family issue that is going on right now is in your past. I really hope that you and K have resolved all the issues between the two of you, and the family can be as close as it once was. There is nothing more important than family, and the strain that the tension has caused is just not necessary.
I hope that you have put your heart and soul into this blog, as well as the second blog about sports that you want to start. Give blogging your best effort, it's fun and therapeutic at the same time.
I hope that you have gone out of your way to find a way to get back into college so that at some point in the next few years you can realize your one real professional dream. To teach and coach at the high school level.
I hope that you found a way to take care of this health issue that is hounding you right now. I hope that you have it diagnosed properly and gotten the proper care so that you can find a way to get active again. Sitting in an easy chair is not getting it done. Please tell me you've gotten off your ass and done something active!
Please tell me that you have worked hard with Stacy to find a way to move towards home ownership. It's a dream that we both have and it's going to be a challenge. Just tell me that you've worked hard at it because it means A LOT to her. Make her happy.
And last, but not least, tell me that you have continued to be happy the whole year. Be happy for your wife and kids. Be happy for your extended family. Be happy for yourself, and you will make everyone around you a little happier.
With that, I say Happy New Year. Go out and make it a great one.
Thank you.
Now to you my reader, I hope that you have a great New Year and that you make this year all that you hope it to be. I would also like to thank you for reading my rants the last few months and I hope that we can continue this writer/reader relationship long into the future.
Happy New Year!!!
