Growing up as a child I can't imagine there is anything worse than walking into your parent's bedroom and coming face to ass with them on their bed. While this never happened to me personally I know it happened to my sister and my wife and a few other scarred women I have talked to about this. I think the reason is inherent to the nature of males and females. Women are, by nature, friggin nosey and as kids I have seen they are far less cautious when coming to their parent's fortress of solitude, while boys are born with knowing that "if this bed room is rocking don't come a knocking"!
I think that from the time I was old enough to know that my parents "did it" the fear of seeing any back sack or side boob when I opened the door kept me far away from their room, especially if the door was closed. I have talked about this with one of my friends at work who has kids and he told me his sister walked in on his parents but he and his brother knew that if they heard an owl statue slide across the floor to block the door then there was no way they were entering their bedroom, or even a 15 foot radius for that matter.
With that being said, our bedroom door is usually left cracked open as we are at one end of the hall and Evan is at the other so we need to be able to hear. But when the mood hits the first thing that happens is the door gets closed. I am thinking that the kids are smart enough to realize that when the door is closed the risk is no where worth whatever answer they are seeking because we have yet to be caught in the act.
I did however get caught asking today. Our boys spent the night with my sister in-law (See Tina, I remembered this time!) Tami is with her mother, and Justine is rarely home these days so we had the house to ourselves... or so I thought. Shawna was sitting on the couch when I walked into the living room from the kitchen and the second the first half of a sentence that started with, "Let's go upstairs...." left my mouth I noticed Justine standing behind the wall in my blind spot!
I immediately tried to cover it by adding, "because I am so friggin tired I need to take a nap," but I am pretty sure the damage was already done. Now this is nothing like walking into a room mid act but I can't imagine that was pleasant for her at all.
I guess the moral of this story is that once you have kids your bedroom antics are never totally safe, unless your bedroom for the night is in a hotel, or ALL of your kids are sleeping at another house far, far away from yours.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
High school graduations are not for the faint of heart
Hey there everyone! I am going to take a different approach to this post and move away from the antics of my youngest and move on to the antics of my two oldest. For those who don't know, I have two daughters that will be graduating High School in a little over two weeks, Justine is 18 and Tami is 17. They couldn't have taken any more different paths through their senior year to get to this point either.
Justine took a more laid back approach to scheduling to sort of "coast" through this year and be able to enjoy and soak up the last few months of her high school career with classes like, Everyday cooking, Just Desserts, consumer math, study hall, study hall, study hall, forensics, marine biology. While I admit the last two are not necessarily classes you can sleep through, they are classes that she is extremely interested in rather than being forced into. This kid watches Law & Order type shows every day and is going to be getting her Bacehlor's in Marine Biology so these classes definitely peaked her interest more than say, Algebra 2 would have and her grades proved it. She has had the ability to take the foot off of the gas the last few weeks and coast to the finish line, with stops at senior skip day and a day at the beach with many of her classmates.
Tami on the other hand made a decision at some point to make this the most stressful few months (until very recently) I have dealt with in a long time. Tami's schedule looked like this, Algebra 2, Economics & Financial literacy, Introduction to Business, English, and a couple of gimme classes like pottery and guitar. Now I am not saying she had an all AP level schedule but for her she was about as booked as she could be. Couple that with a bunch of visits to the nurse and trying to stay home from not feeling well (will get to that another post) and her lack of handing things in on time / at all in English she was placed on the "Danger" list for seniors. This is basically a list of students in their Senior year that are in danger of not graduating for either academic or attendance issues.
"What the fuck!!!!" I yelled in my head (Is that possible? I feel like I "yell" inside my head a lot to keep from yelling out of my mouth). "How the hell is this possible???" Turns out she had been doing the assignments and not handing them in on time or at all and missing class for various reasons (nurse, counselor, bathroom?!?!?!?), along with a dip in her grade. I think that she really took this senioritis thing a bit too far and began slamming (not pumping) the breaks in the middle of the 2nd marking period.
Needless to say this had lead to numerous phone calls with the counselors and emails back and forth with the teacher and grade checking for a few weeks but it finally seems like she has kicked it back into overdrive. As long as the grades stay where they are and she does not miss another class all will work out fine in the end. So at least all the stress is gone now.... right?.... WRONG!
Now we have PROM dresses to buy, a graduation party to plan and pay for (Did you know that One, Uno, Un, Single, Individual Port-a-Potty can cost up to $300 F$$$$$G!?!?!?) Thankfully agood GREAT family friend knows someone who can get one for $85 but still, HOLY CRAP! Food for 100 people, chairs, a tent, music, plates, cups, plasticware, food, food, food and more food, decorations, gifts (for the girls). Then there is the party prep at my in-laws - cutting down trees and helping prep the yard, figuring out how we are getting everything up there and back, where the tables are coming from, the chairs, where are we going to sleep, do we get this or that, do we bring enough for all the invites even though they didn't RSVP? (apparently that answer is YES). AAAAAAHHHHHHHH (my head is spinning!!!!)
In all honesty it got so overwhelming I started to feel a little sick, I even had a day where my brain was so screwy I started dropping things (eggs at home, drinks at shop rite). It's non-sense! I honestly can't wait for the party to be over so I can drink to my success at helping to raise two beautiful and intelligent women. After all, while the graduation is your child's success first, it is part yours as well. You play a huge role in this. Don't forget, it was you who sat and helped them learn to read, write, do math problems, tie their shoe, pack their lunch, it was you who took them to their dances and early morning field trips. You organized the birthday parties and drove them everywhere they needed to go.
It is going to be an emotional few days, they graduate on a Thursday night and their party is the following Saturday but it is going to be oh so sweet. I can't sit here and say I will be 100% glad their school careers are over (k12 that is), I will still miss the days of being involved with everything, as much as we were able to be anyway. I just think back to their little faces before school started, back to the excitement for middle school and sheer terror before High School. The sense of accomplishment in the band recitals, sporting events and dance competitions. My heart is melting now as I type this. I can see these things like they were yesterday.
Check out my website - www.ericrushpodcast.com
Justine took a more laid back approach to scheduling to sort of "coast" through this year and be able to enjoy and soak up the last few months of her high school career with classes like, Everyday cooking, Just Desserts, consumer math, study hall, study hall, study hall, forensics, marine biology. While I admit the last two are not necessarily classes you can sleep through, they are classes that she is extremely interested in rather than being forced into. This kid watches Law & Order type shows every day and is going to be getting her Bacehlor's in Marine Biology so these classes definitely peaked her interest more than say, Algebra 2 would have and her grades proved it. She has had the ability to take the foot off of the gas the last few weeks and coast to the finish line, with stops at senior skip day and a day at the beach with many of her classmates.Tami on the other hand made a decision at some point to make this the most stressful few months (until very recently) I have dealt with in a long time. Tami's schedule looked like this, Algebra 2, Economics & Financial literacy, Introduction to Business, English, and a couple of gimme classes like pottery and guitar. Now I am not saying she had an all AP level schedule but for her she was about as booked as she could be. Couple that with a bunch of visits to the nurse and trying to stay home from not feeling well (will get to that another post) and her lack of handing things in on time / at all in English she was placed on the "Danger" list for seniors. This is basically a list of students in their Senior year that are in danger of not graduating for either academic or attendance issues.
Needless to say this had lead to numerous phone calls with the counselors and emails back and forth with the teacher and grade checking for a few weeks but it finally seems like she has kicked it back into overdrive. As long as the grades stay where they are and she does not miss another class all will work out fine in the end. So at least all the stress is gone now.... right?.... WRONG!
Now we have PROM dresses to buy, a graduation party to plan and pay for (Did you know that One, Uno, Un, Single, Individual Port-a-Potty can cost up to $300 F$$$$$G!?!?!?) Thankfully a
In all honesty it got so overwhelming I started to feel a little sick, I even had a day where my brain was so screwy I started dropping things (eggs at home, drinks at shop rite). It's non-sense! I honestly can't wait for the party to be over so I can drink to my success at helping to raise two beautiful and intelligent women. After all, while the graduation is your child's success first, it is part yours as well. You play a huge role in this. Don't forget, it was you who sat and helped them learn to read, write, do math problems, tie their shoe, pack their lunch, it was you who took them to their dances and early morning field trips. You organized the birthday parties and drove them everywhere they needed to go.
It is going to be an emotional few days, they graduate on a Thursday night and their party is the following Saturday but it is going to be oh so sweet. I can't sit here and say I will be 100% glad their school careers are over (k12 that is), I will still miss the days of being involved with everything, as much as we were able to be anyway. I just think back to their little faces before school started, back to the excitement for middle school and sheer terror before High School. The sense of accomplishment in the band recitals, sporting events and dance competitions. My heart is melting now as I type this. I can see these things like they were yesterday.
Check out my website - www.ericrushpodcast.com
Monday, May 26, 2014
Car rides with an inquisitive toddler...
Hey there everyone! It is great to be back blogging about my adventures through everyday life as a husband, father, son, brother and IT guy. I haven't logged into this blog site in awhile and it was refreshing to see that this page has had over 5,000 views! Guess it is time to do some updating again! Please take a look at the links on the right - they are two pod casts that I just started. The first (DaddyOpinion) will be all topics in relation to being parents, fathers especially, that I will be doing weekly with a friend of mine. The second one (Eric Rush Podcast) is going to be just me, maybe five or ten minutes, on any topic that comes up that I feel like getting off my chest. I hope you enjoy the blog posts and pod casts as much as I enjoy doing them. With all of that being said, here is my first blog on this site in almost 4 years!
Evan is going to be 4 in less than a month and the kid is a sponge, he absorbs everything you tell him and can regurgitate it at any point. The only "problem" with this is that in order for him to absorb this amount of information he has to ask a TON of questions. Taking a car ride at this point is an eye crossing, mind numbing adventure of questions. "What is that building?" "Who is that guy?" "Where is that girl going?" "Why is that house blue?" "Why is that house red?" "Where are we going?" "When will we be there?" "Do they have ice cream there?" "Why is blah blah blah blah?"
This is the point where my eyes cross and my brain goes into overload. I slowly start turning the volume up on the stereo as to drown out the never ending barrage of questions. Now I realize that at some point this is going to pay off for him. Being so naturally inquisitive and having the ability to retain the answers will be a great skill to have as he gets older. He will be smart, well read, and full of useful (and useless) information. But damn it this really friggin annoying right now.
This started in the grocery store a few years ago. I remember taking him with us and down every aisle, at every item he would point and ask what it was, who ate it, what it tasted like and why we are (or are not) buying it. It was funny because at the time he didn't speak great so it was cute to hear him try to pronounce things like gorgonzolla cheese or pumpernickel bread, but now he speaks fine so it is kind of like sitting in the car with someone who is on their way for a surgery, they are so nervous they don't stop talking and eventually you just freak out internally.
I also realize that this is some cruel twist of fate, also known as a curse, that my parents placed on me when I was younger. "One day you are going to have a son just like you and then you will realize what it is like to be like us." Oh man, this is happening now, all of my childhood traits are being brought to me full circle. It is crazy to think that not only can someone look just like you (honestly our baby pictures have gotten confused before) and act just like too. Genetics are crazy... and really fucking annoying sometimes too.
Evan is going to be 4 in less than a month and the kid is a sponge, he absorbs everything you tell him and can regurgitate it at any point. The only "problem" with this is that in order for him to absorb this amount of information he has to ask a TON of questions. Taking a car ride at this point is an eye crossing, mind numbing adventure of questions. "What is that building?" "Who is that guy?" "Where is that girl going?" "Why is that house blue?" "Why is that house red?" "Where are we going?" "When will we be there?" "Do they have ice cream there?" "Why is blah blah blah blah?"
This is the point where my eyes cross and my brain goes into overload. I slowly start turning the volume up on the stereo as to drown out the never ending barrage of questions. Now I realize that at some point this is going to pay off for him. Being so naturally inquisitive and having the ability to retain the answers will be a great skill to have as he gets older. He will be smart, well read, and full of useful (and useless) information. But damn it this really friggin annoying right now.
This started in the grocery store a few years ago. I remember taking him with us and down every aisle, at every item he would point and ask what it was, who ate it, what it tasted like and why we are (or are not) buying it. It was funny because at the time he didn't speak great so it was cute to hear him try to pronounce things like gorgonzolla cheese or pumpernickel bread, but now he speaks fine so it is kind of like sitting in the car with someone who is on their way for a surgery, they are so nervous they don't stop talking and eventually you just freak out internally.
I also realize that this is some cruel twist of fate, also known as a curse, that my parents placed on me when I was younger. "One day you are going to have a son just like you and then you will realize what it is like to be like us." Oh man, this is happening now, all of my childhood traits are being brought to me full circle. It is crazy to think that not only can someone look just like you (honestly our baby pictures have gotten confused before) and act just like too. Genetics are crazy... and really fucking annoying sometimes too.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Rolling over, eating cereal and fruit and everything else
Guess who's back? Hello everyone! I hope that you are all still out there and that everything has been going good for you. Evan is now 4 months old! Time has been flying by, it seems like yesterday I was sitting in the hopsital typing the story of the labor and delivery and being so amazingly nervous about how things were going to be. Fast forward through countless poopie diapers, un-godly amounts of spit up stains and even more smiles and we are at today. Evan's personality is developing the way I expected it to. He gets pissed off and yells when he tries to do something he can't (like get a toy into his mouth right) and will laugh at anything remotely funny or amusing. He loves LOVES loves Sesame Street, especially Cookie Monster, and has recently found the horror that is Yo Gabba Gabba. He is over 13 pounds, eats cereal and fruit - Which by the way, does anyone know if Gerber makes anything other than apples, pears and bananas? Anyway, our lives are full of bottles, diapers, bills and moments we never thought we would be sharing together.
Our new house is great and the other three kids have adjusted seemlessly to having a baby in the house. The girls help when needed (except for diaper changes that is) and Jay wants to be involved in everything.
Life is good here in the Rush household. I really shouldn't complain as much as I do about things. Money is tighter but that was to be expected. Alone time with my wife is limited, but that's not a shocker either. But I keep reminding myself that all of the little things that have changed are definitely worth going through, especially when I get to look at my son everyday.
Our new house is great and the other three kids have adjusted seemlessly to having a baby in the house. The girls help when needed (except for diaper changes that is) and Jay wants to be involved in everything.
Life is good here in the Rush household. I really shouldn't complain as much as I do about things. Money is tighter but that was to be expected. Alone time with my wife is limited, but that's not a shocker either. But I keep reminding myself that all of the little things that have changed are definitely worth going through, especially when I get to look at my son everyday.Friday, August 13, 2010
It's been quite awhile, but with good reason I swear!
Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last update but like normal, things are banana's here in the Rush household. Over the last few weeks there have been quite a few family issues that we have been tending to as well as some episodes with Evan that those of you who follow our facebook page have been aware of.
A week ago today we had our first big scare with Evan, he vomitted his entire bottle, his mouth and nose were full of formula. He was left gasping for air and screaming in fear which as a parent is the worst feeling in the world. We were shaken up but assumed it was just from a gas bubble or upset belly or something along those lines. Tuesday morning came and the same thing happened which got us looking into pyloric stenosis due to some family history on her side. We called our Dr. and went in for a check up and he said it did not appear as though that was the case seeing as how he was gaining weight (10lbs 8oz) and it had only happened twice but we were to keep an eye on him and if it happened again to take him to the ER and get an ultrasound done.
Which brings me to yesterday. I was at work when I got a voice mail from my frantic wife saying it happened again and she was taking him to the ER. I rushed home, got in the car and drove up to the hospital where he was born. It is a strange feeling making the same drive we took when she was still pregnant. I have not been in that area since he was born so it was a bit surreal to make the drive again. Anyway, we were in the ER for the afternoon with our little man for an ultrasound and check up to ensure his tummy was working the way it is supposed to, which it is. We were essentially told to cut back a little on the amount of formula and keep him sitting up for about 20 to 30 minutes after each feeding before allowing him to lay down.
I had forgotten what parenting a newborn was like, what it was all about. It is hard, it is exhausting, it is draining, it is expensive and it is 100% worth it when you are dead tired and you look down and your baby is smiling with a face full of formula. Things have been tough lately. My wife and I are navigating the waters of a relationship that has changed, my sister has been dealing with some problems at home and sometimes I feel like my parents turn to me the way I turned to them when I was younger, but as my parents only son and being only 3 years younger than my sister this tends to happen I suppose. Along with the burdens of supporting my 6 person household and getting ready for a move that is happening in the next 2 weeks I have taken on the added stress and pressure of ensuring the rest of my family is doing ok as well. This is something that takes some time to get used to with the addition of a new baby. My days go from Evan's first feeding around 5:30 or 6:00am (which I do because I am up for work anyway) until 11 or sometimes 12 at night depending.
For those who are parents you know where I am coming from and for those who are expecting take my advice on this one thing if nothing else, SLEEP NOW! Trust me, even if your baby sleeps through the night like Evan does (usually 10 - 5:30 or 6) you won't.
Please don't forget to order my book from Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/What-Didnt-Expect-While-Expecting/dp/1453698175/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281712135&sr=1-1
A week ago today we had our first big scare with Evan, he vomitted his entire bottle, his mouth and nose were full of formula. He was left gasping for air and screaming in fear which as a parent is the worst feeling in the world. We were shaken up but assumed it was just from a gas bubble or upset belly or something along those lines. Tuesday morning came and the same thing happened which got us looking into pyloric stenosis due to some family history on her side. We called our Dr. and went in for a check up and he said it did not appear as though that was the case seeing as how he was gaining weight (10lbs 8oz) and it had only happened twice but we were to keep an eye on him and if it happened again to take him to the ER and get an ultrasound done.
Which brings me to yesterday. I was at work when I got a voice mail from my frantic wife saying it happened again and she was taking him to the ER. I rushed home, got in the car and drove up to the hospital where he was born. It is a strange feeling making the same drive we took when she was still pregnant. I have not been in that area since he was born so it was a bit surreal to make the drive again. Anyway, we were in the ER for the afternoon with our little man for an ultrasound and check up to ensure his tummy was working the way it is supposed to, which it is. We were essentially told to cut back a little on the amount of formula and keep him sitting up for about 20 to 30 minutes after each feeding before allowing him to lay down.
I had forgotten what parenting a newborn was like, what it was all about. It is hard, it is exhausting, it is draining, it is expensive and it is 100% worth it when you are dead tired and you look down and your baby is smiling with a face full of formula. Things have been tough lately. My wife and I are navigating the waters of a relationship that has changed, my sister has been dealing with some problems at home and sometimes I feel like my parents turn to me the way I turned to them when I was younger, but as my parents only son and being only 3 years younger than my sister this tends to happen I suppose. Along with the burdens of supporting my 6 person household and getting ready for a move that is happening in the next 2 weeks I have taken on the added stress and pressure of ensuring the rest of my family is doing ok as well. This is something that takes some time to get used to with the addition of a new baby. My days go from Evan's first feeding around 5:30 or 6:00am (which I do because I am up for work anyway) until 11 or sometimes 12 at night depending.
For those who are parents you know where I am coming from and for those who are expecting take my advice on this one thing if nothing else, SLEEP NOW! Trust me, even if your baby sleeps through the night like Evan does (usually 10 - 5:30 or 6) you won't.
Please don't forget to order my book from Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/What-Didnt-Expect-While-Expecting/dp/1453698175/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281712135&sr=1-1
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Where did we go?
In the last few days it has become apparent that we have lost Eric and Shawna, we have lost Mr. and Mrs. Rush and have become solely Mommy and Daddy. Mommy is home with Evan all day and looks forward to me coming home from work for some much needed grown up talk and time together but at the same time I am walking through the door and grabbing Evan from wherever he is and holding him, talking to him and carrying him around with me everywhere I go until he falls asleep for the night. Generally when that happens it is our bed time as well and without watching TV we lie down and go to sleep and repeat the process all over again in the morning.
Without realizing it we have separated ourselves from each other and the things we did together that made us who we were. I have a feeling that we are not the only couple that this has happened to and I am sure we won’t be the last. We have quite a few things on our plate these days with the addition of Evan, the move coming up, Mommy will now be working, and the rest of the kids will be heading off to school again. All of these things have replaced the weekly flowers, the back rubs and the things that are better left out of this post that every couple needs to feel like they are more than robots.
Lost in the conversations and warnings of sleepless nights, shitty diapers and financial strains are the conversations about how hard it is to remain the couple you were. The TV shows that follow celebrities around with their families are an inaccurate and unfair portrayal of what the normal life of a family with a newborn actually is. We can’t turn to our live in Nanny and tell her we are going on a weekend getaway. There is no space in our home for the grandparents to stay and keep an eye on our four kids for the weekend and the bank account is not big enough that the new house and baby to have not impacted our ability to order takeout and a movie as often as we used to.
Having had 14 years in between kids for me and 7 years for her I think that part of the transition had been forgotten. Having a new born around, even when they are sleeping or just awake and happy, has the possibility of taking up every minute of your time at home if you are not careful.
Without realizing it we have separated ourselves from each other and the things we did together that made us who we were. I have a feeling that we are not the only couple that this has happened to and I am sure we won’t be the last. We have quite a few things on our plate these days with the addition of Evan, the move coming up, Mommy will now be working, and the rest of the kids will be heading off to school again. All of these things have replaced the weekly flowers, the back rubs and the things that are better left out of this post that every couple needs to feel like they are more than robots.
Lost in the conversations and warnings of sleepless nights, shitty diapers and financial strains are the conversations about how hard it is to remain the couple you were. The TV shows that follow celebrities around with their families are an inaccurate and unfair portrayal of what the normal life of a family with a newborn actually is. We can’t turn to our live in Nanny and tell her we are going on a weekend getaway. There is no space in our home for the grandparents to stay and keep an eye on our four kids for the weekend and the bank account is not big enough that the new house and baby to have not impacted our ability to order takeout and a movie as often as we used to.
Having had 14 years in between kids for me and 7 years for her I think that part of the transition had been forgotten. Having a new born around, even when they are sleeping or just awake and happy, has the possibility of taking up every minute of your time at home if you are not careful.
Monday, July 26, 2010
What the hell were we thinking?
Hey everyone, I know it's been awhile but things here have been crazy! Suprise suprise right? We have four kids ranging from 14 to 5 weeks so it's shocking I haven't had time right? Anyway, since I last wrote a few things have happened here in Crazy Land and the first of which is we found a house! Finally everyone will have their own space and best of all, it's three floors and the teenage girls from hell have the top floor, which requires opening two doors to get to. Please don't think I dislike my kids I just am a big fan of Louis C.K. (if you don't know him search Youtube) and his bluntness about his kids is something I think is funny as hell. Anyway, so we are moving into the house on September 1st and any and all volunteers in the area are welcome and will be rewarded with a BBQ the weekend after we move in.
Event #2 was Evan's Dr. appointment this morning - he is 5 weeks old, weighs 10lbs and is 22 and 1/4 inches long. According to the Dr. he is "Perfect". Next time we go he will be getting two shots, one in each leg and Mommy was already weak in the knees at the thought so it should be interesting. I won't lie, I hate... no no no, I loathe needles so I am sure this won't be easy for me either.
Finally, after we went to the Dr. we needed to run some errands so we decided it would be a good idea to pick up all the kids and bring them with us. Which leads me to the title of this post "What the hell were we thinking?!?" We have four kids which can be a bit overwhelming. I realize there are some of you out there with more kids or more younger kids but this was our first official trip out of the house, to somewhere other than a relatives house with the 4 of us. We got inside Target and it was like they were shot out of a canon, or so it seemed. I guess in reality they were well behaved but we were greatly out numbered. At this point there are now two kids to every one adult in our family and it is starting to scare the crap out of me. In fact, if not for the fact that in the next 4 to 5 weeks we are going to be packing up and moving all of us into a new house I would probably be breathing into a brown paper bag.
Event #2 was Evan's Dr. appointment this morning - he is 5 weeks old, weighs 10lbs and is 22 and 1/4 inches long. According to the Dr. he is "Perfect". Next time we go he will be getting two shots, one in each leg and Mommy was already weak in the knees at the thought so it should be interesting. I won't lie, I hate... no no no, I loathe needles so I am sure this won't be easy for me either.
Finally, after we went to the Dr. we needed to run some errands so we decided it would be a good idea to pick up all the kids and bring them with us. Which leads me to the title of this post "What the hell were we thinking?!?" We have four kids which can be a bit overwhelming. I realize there are some of you out there with more kids or more younger kids but this was our first official trip out of the house, to somewhere other than a relatives house with the 4 of us. We got inside Target and it was like they were shot out of a canon, or so it seemed. I guess in reality they were well behaved but we were greatly out numbered. At this point there are now two kids to every one adult in our family and it is starting to scare the crap out of me. In fact, if not for the fact that in the next 4 to 5 weeks we are going to be packing up and moving all of us into a new house I would probably be breathing into a brown paper bag.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Teen Role Models
I am not a huge believer in having celebrities as role models for our children, especially professional athletes but I did find something a little troublesome today on my way into work. Being responsible for the well being of four children, two of them entering high school, puts things into a different perspective than for someone who has no children, or has children too young to be influenced by celebs. So anyway, I was driving into work listening to some morning sports talk radio and they mentioned a poll that was done about month ago “Name your favorite male athlete”. The list included Peyton Manning, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Lebron James and some others that really didn’t make too much of an impact on me but then the mentioned who #1 and #2 were and it took me by surprise and then made me think about what kind of people we as fans are idolizing and introducing our children to.
There was a tie for first between Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant, second place belonged to Derek Jeter. For those who have short memories, don’t follow sports or live under a rock Kobe Bryant was accused of raping a woman a few years ago in Denver and to prove his innocence he bought his wife a $4 million diamond ring and Tiger Woods has slept with so many women not named Mrs. Tiger Woods he can’t even afford to keep them quiet. Derek Jeter on the other hand is engaged, has never been married, never been involved in a sex scandal, never had to make a public apology for anything other than not winning the World Series and from all accounts is a genuinely nice human being.
This also brings to mind the fact that shows like “Secret Life of the American Teenager” and pretty much anything on MTV these days. Now again, don’t get me wrong I won’t be in line for sainthood when I die but I am no longer a kid and look at all of these things differently. In case you haven’t seen or heard anything about this show the crux of it is that all of these kids are having sex or going down on each other and two of them have gotten pregnant (one last year and one this year). Justine loves this show and Tami watches it when we have it on our DVR and I may sound a bit up and down about it but I am glad they do because we sit and watch it with them and answer any questions and be sure to point out anything that would not happen in real life when it’s on screen.
For those of you who don’t have teenage kids yet you will be here one day. You will hear a story from your teen about a friend or catch a glimpse of a show they are watching and hear the characters talking about having sex and wonder what happened to the baby that fell asleep on your chest every night.
There was a tie for first between Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant, second place belonged to Derek Jeter. For those who have short memories, don’t follow sports or live under a rock Kobe Bryant was accused of raping a woman a few years ago in Denver and to prove his innocence he bought his wife a $4 million diamond ring and Tiger Woods has slept with so many women not named Mrs. Tiger Woods he can’t even afford to keep them quiet. Derek Jeter on the other hand is engaged, has never been married, never been involved in a sex scandal, never had to make a public apology for anything other than not winning the World Series and from all accounts is a genuinely nice human being.
This also brings to mind the fact that shows like “Secret Life of the American Teenager” and pretty much anything on MTV these days. Now again, don’t get me wrong I won’t be in line for sainthood when I die but I am no longer a kid and look at all of these things differently. In case you haven’t seen or heard anything about this show the crux of it is that all of these kids are having sex or going down on each other and two of them have gotten pregnant (one last year and one this year). Justine loves this show and Tami watches it when we have it on our DVR and I may sound a bit up and down about it but I am glad they do because we sit and watch it with them and answer any questions and be sure to point out anything that would not happen in real life when it’s on screen.
For those of you who don’t have teenage kids yet you will be here one day. You will hear a story from your teen about a friend or catch a glimpse of a show they are watching and hear the characters talking about having sex and wonder what happened to the baby that fell asleep on your chest every night.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The book is for sale!
Guess what everyone?!?!? The moment I have been waiting for has finally arrived! My book is available now at https://www.createspace.com/3469029
createspace is an affiliate of amazon and is where the best deal is. Please be sure to check it out, leave comments to help me out and oh yeah, buy a copy! It's only $11.99 and... is a great read, especially for those that are expecting!
createspace is an affiliate of amazon and is where the best deal is. Please be sure to check it out, leave comments to help me out and oh yeah, buy a copy! It's only $11.99 and... is a great read, especially for those that are expecting!
You know when I was a kid...
It has been a month since we rushed to the hospital. Four weeks have gone by since we rushed into the emergency room and began the final stage of the pregnancy. That’s right everyone, Evan is 1 month old already and the time has been rushing by. Evan has been a great baby so far, he sleeps almost every night for anywhere between 5 and 7 hours straight and is a pretty happy baby when he is awake. The only time we really hear him get a little cranky is when he has been sleeping for awhile and wakes up hungry. One of the nicknames we have given him is baby bird. When he is starving his mouth flies open and his head wiggles around the second anything touches his chin or anywhere near his mouth. He goes after his clothes, burp cloths, blankets, our noses, anything. Mommy and I have adjusted to the change in schedule and have been in a routine that is working great for us. The visitors have slowed down but that is fine with us because we are pretty greedy when it comes to him anyway .
Shawna has not been hovering nearly as much as she was the first two weeks which is a great relief for me. In fact, this past weekend she went to a wedding that was about 1.5 hours away. This gave me the entire afternoon to be alone with Tami and Evan. I felt a lot like Tom Hanks in “Cast Away” when he created fire. It was hard for me to control my emotions sitting on the couch with the two human beings that were in this world because of me. I have created two lives and am partially responsible for ensuring they become successful members of society. There really is no way in the world you can describe the feelings you have for your children, it’s just something only a parent can understand.
On a completely unrelated note I was talking with my parents the other day and they had mentioned some of things they used to do when my sister and I were little to get out of the house but not spend a ton of money. One of the things they talked about was how they used to take us to a Chinese food place and get an order of pork fried rice, two egg rolls (cut in half) and a drink for us to share. Until that conversation I never realized that we shared a meal or anything. I only remember going there and having fun, sitting on a booster seat and eating off a red tray. Now kids expect so much and it’s because we continue to give them way more than we ever had. The things kids will remember most are the things I remembered. Spending time as a family and joking around with each other far outweighs the actual event. My Dad worked long hours Tuesday through Saturday so he wasn’t home that often but what I remember about those days were the trips to the community pool, day trips to the Pocconos (which he always called the Poke-a-nose) and just spending time doing things that didn’t involved a cell phone, a TV or a computer.
I am guilty of this myself. My kids don’t know what it’s like to get your clothes from a grocery store like I did when Laneco was big. They don’t share food and they sure as hell can’t breathe without some type of electronic device near them. Every generation looks at the one behind it and says the same thing, “you know when I was a kid …” No kid wants to hear that anymore than any parent wants to hear about Little Johnny and how his parents bought him this and they went there on vacation when they can’t afford to keep up with them.
Shawna has not been hovering nearly as much as she was the first two weeks which is a great relief for me. In fact, this past weekend she went to a wedding that was about 1.5 hours away. This gave me the entire afternoon to be alone with Tami and Evan. I felt a lot like Tom Hanks in “Cast Away” when he created fire. It was hard for me to control my emotions sitting on the couch with the two human beings that were in this world because of me. I have created two lives and am partially responsible for ensuring they become successful members of society. There really is no way in the world you can describe the feelings you have for your children, it’s just something only a parent can understand.
On a completely unrelated note I was talking with my parents the other day and they had mentioned some of things they used to do when my sister and I were little to get out of the house but not spend a ton of money. One of the things they talked about was how they used to take us to a Chinese food place and get an order of pork fried rice, two egg rolls (cut in half) and a drink for us to share. Until that conversation I never realized that we shared a meal or anything. I only remember going there and having fun, sitting on a booster seat and eating off a red tray. Now kids expect so much and it’s because we continue to give them way more than we ever had. The things kids will remember most are the things I remembered. Spending time as a family and joking around with each other far outweighs the actual event. My Dad worked long hours Tuesday through Saturday so he wasn’t home that often but what I remember about those days were the trips to the community pool, day trips to the Pocconos (which he always called the Poke-a-nose) and just spending time doing things that didn’t involved a cell phone, a TV or a computer.
I am guilty of this myself. My kids don’t know what it’s like to get your clothes from a grocery store like I did when Laneco was big. They don’t share food and they sure as hell can’t breathe without some type of electronic device near them. Every generation looks at the one behind it and says the same thing, “you know when I was a kid …” No kid wants to hear that anymore than any parent wants to hear about Little Johnny and how his parents bought him this and they went there on vacation when they can’t afford to keep up with them.
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