Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad

Cheesy Tortellini Soup

2021-01-12T20:17:00.002-06:00

So, I never measure things for soup exactly, which sometimes gets me in trouble, but it often works out well (usually it just needs a little more salt). So adjust this as needed to your tastes.

3 T butter

1/2 C chopped onion

3 T flour

1 C half & half (could use cream)

salt

pepper

1 C milk

4 C chicken broth

2 carrots grated

1 celery stalk chopped

1/2 c chopped spinach

1 T garlic

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1-2 packages tortellini

1-2 cups cheese

Melt butter, with onions, in a suacepan until onions are transluscent and aromatic.

Whisk in flour. Add a dash of pepper and about a teaspoon of salt. Slowly add half & half, stirring and letting it thicken (making a roux). Slowly add 1 cup of the chicken broth, stirring as you go. Add the veggies. Cook 5-10 minutes letting the veggies become tender.

At this point I take an immersion blender so that the kids don't know there are as many veggies in the soup as there are (in this case it's celery, carrots and spinach; I always use some carrots and sometimes will put in cauliflower or broccoli depending on what's on hand).

Add the rest of the broth, a cup of milk, the garlic and seasoning.

Add the tortellini and cook at a low rolling boil for 15-20 minutes. Add the cheese at the end (grated parmesean or asiago work well, cheddar or colby jack can also work).

Play

2015-03-01T18:47:00.001-06:00

If the above quote is true, we all need more play in our lives. Especially adults. Even more especially, parents. Very little that comes our way that is expected.

An Alliterary Summer Haiku

2014-07-14T20:46:00.001-05:00

Backyard shade, sunshine

Bees buzzing, flowers blooming

Barefoot in soft grass

Pen and Prayet

2014-06-13T16:20:00.001-05:00

"For me writing has always felt like praying, even when I wasn't writing prayers"

- Marilynne Robinson, Gilead

The Daily Tasks

2014-06-10T11:51:00.002-05:00

Confession: Summer and I have a love-hate relationship. I love it, but I hate the battles with the kids some days.

It's the first day of no school for me and the kids together.

So I laid down the ground rules.

1. 10 minutes of instrument practice (which they're supposed to do anyway).

2. 2 pages in the workbook they're supposed to do for school this summer (they had a similar workbook to do last summer from their aunt).

3. 1-2 chores (again, things they normally do).

They do these things and they can earn a little screen time (unless they've lost it for other reasons--which they already have). When they're all done then we can go do something--like a bike ride, a trip to the beach, playing in the park with friends, etc. Ultimately those three tasks can be done in thirty minute's time.

However, we already started the day with a meltdown over those ground rules. "You're ruining summer." "It's supposed to be all about play." "I'm too tired to do those things (my oldest son was at a sleepover last night--how I hate the fallout from those!)."

Well, this is it, kids. There may be circumstances were I budge on those rules, but it won't be often. I don't care if your friends don't have to do a single chore this summer. This is how we roll. I'm all about having fun this summer, but you've got to do your jobs.

Lasagna & Olympics

2014-02-06T22:12:00.002-06:00

The good folks at Red Gold sent me a promo pack with their signature canned tomato products, a box of lasagna noodles, and a nice spatula along with recipes for "All-in-One Lasagna." I'm always up for a meal idea that I don't have to think about, so it was helpful to have a night where I didn't much have to think about making a meal. I just had to add in some Mozzarella (which we always have on hand) and ricotta cheese (which we usually would just use cottage cheese, but I went ahead and picked up a carton of ricotta on my last shopping trip).

I just used the basic recipe--often when I've made lasagna in the past I add in vegetables since my wife is vegetarian, but then the kids don't eat it very well (no matter how hard I try to disguise the veggies). The basic lasagna--just the noodles, tomato mixture, and cheeses--was easy to make. I did it the night before; the noodles didn't require precooking or anything. Since we had a big pan of lasagna waiting in the fridge for us, and since the 2014 Winter Olympics were beginning, we decided to invite friends over for the night.

A co-worker from school who has children my sons' ages came over (her husband was busy with an audit, unfortunately). It went over fairly well. The kids all ate it (well, my youngest kind of had to be fed it, but that's how he is). It would have been easy to make it with some tasty add-ins (meat, veggies, etc.), but the basic one was quite tasty. I appreciate the recipes that Red Gold sent which are on their website and how it's easy to play with the recipe to change things up. I hadn't tried crushed tomatoes before, but they worked really nicely mixed in with some diced tomatoes--I'll keep that idea in mind with future meals. A nice salad and brownies accompanied the meal.

Then we watched some of the Winter Olympics. I don't normally watch much sports on television. The Olympics is my one indulgence. It's one of the few times our television is on several nights a week. This year the kids are old enough to start enjoying it, too. They both have worked with countries and their flags in school, so they're enjoying picking out the countries as identified by their flags.

Food and Olympics. Good times. Thanks, Red Gold.

The Gratitude Game: A Solution to the Grumbles

2014-01-08T21:48:00.001-06:00

This was originally posted on my other blog, like the previous post was. But I thought it would go well on this one as well since it deals with parenting, so forgive me for posting it in two places.

So yesterday I wrote a response to some of the complaining and grumbling I had seen around facebook due to a second cancelled day of school on the heels of Christmas break. It gathered a few comments and reactions (oddly, none were directly on the blog, but all on my facebook link to it).

Admittedly, my children had been getting at each others' throats for a few days. My wife connected it to when they found the old Super Nintendo, lugged it upstairs from its box in the basement, connected it to the television, and started playing. One controller was broken, so they could only play one player at a time. The non-playing brother would sit close by and offer "helpful" suggestions during play. Which inevitably led to sore feelings and inappropriate comments toward one another.

I pointed out that it didn't matter if they were playing video games or not. They were getting to the point of verbal combat with one another over the simplest thing, electronic or not.

And I understand that this is why some parents hate an unexpected day off from school. Especially on the heels of sixteen previous days. Especially when we've been in the midst of this "polar vortex" with -50 degree F windchill.

Thankfully (that word is about to come into play) I remembered all the writing I've done and all the conversations from friends about the importance of gratitude in one's life. So yesterday, on our drive to the YMCA for a little swimming (and to get out of the house) after a morning that wasn't completely pleasant around the house at times I made up a little game. It went like this:

"Okay, boys, we're going to play a little game (groans emerge from the back seat). Each of us is going to think up something that completes the sentence "I'm grateful for...or I'm thankful for..." (more groans). I'll start and then I'll count to five and then Anders has to share something before I finish counting. After he shares then it's on to Nils who has to share something before I count to five. Then it's back to me and we keep going. But if anyone doesn't think up something before I count to five, they're out. I'll give you a few seconds to think up at least two things your thankful for before I start."

By this time the moans had diminished and they were beginning to take it seriously. So I started. And the gratitude kept going around.

Some were serious: I'm grateful for a warm house; I'm thankful that the gas tank is full so I don't have to pump gas in this cold; I'm thankful for our Y membership right now; I'm grateful for the food we have to eat.

Some were more frivolous: I'm thankful for root beer; I'm grateful for candy; I'm thankful for Legos; I'm grateful for that I won Milles Bornes (the card game).

I had to mail a package at the post office on the way, so I had to pause the game then. We had already done nearly a dozen shares each. Now part of our bedtime routine is sharing something we're thankful for each day and then praying. Some days they have trouble coming up with something. But this format made it possible for them to keep going.

So I offer up a solution for those days of grumbling, fighting, and complaining: the gratitude game.

It can't hurt to give it a try. You might just be grateful you did.

Trying Not to Complain About Another Day with my Kids

2014-01-07T18:29:00.001-06:00

Confession: There have been times the past few days when I've yelled at my children.

We've been home for two days with no school because of the sub-zero temperatures and dangerous windchill that has hit our area. This is on top of Christmas break, so we're looking at nearly 2 1/2 weeks at home with the kids. Yesterday's windchill dipped to -50 degrees Fahrenheit. It's cold here. We've been trapped inside. We all need to move a little more.

I could participate in the trend I see on facebook: complaining about having to be around my kids these two extra days because we're all going stir-crazy. Yes, I'm tired of their complaining--especially when asked to do a chore. Yes, I'm tired of their arguing with each other--especially when one is playing a video game and the other is trying to be "helpful" (yesterday they were each allowed 15 minutes of video game time and even then it resulted in tears). Yes, I'm tired of being inside, too, feeling like there's nothing to do even though there is plenty.

But complaining only breeds contempt. And while my children aren't on facebook right now, they will be someday. What kind of message would that send to them? Yes, kids, we brought you into this world and love you dearly, but I can't stand spending time with you...

Do they hear my grumbling or do they see my gratitude?

Gratitude? Of course. At least I can strive to have more gratitude than grumbling in my life...

Gratitude that I am able to be home with them on these cold days and not struggling to find child care to shuffle them off to. Gratitude that they had some time helping their mom bake cookies and getting to learn some kitchen skills. Gratitude that we had a little extra time together.

Yes, we may get cabin fever and get a little stir-crazy, but how about using that extra energy toward some creative things to do together (and I fully admit that I don't always do this--that sometimes it's easier to do my own distraction and let the boys do theirs)? We did some cold experiments yesterday (along with half the facebook population in the Midwest). We threw boiling water in the air to see what happened (it was cool, but not as impressive as we thought it might be). We put a plate of dish-soap bubbles outside. We tried blowing bubbles to see them freeze (most popped before they froze). We had friends who froze a t-shirt and broke it in half and who played ice-bowling. It's too cold to be outside for long, but it's perfectly fine for short periods of time.

How about teaching children a new skill in the kitchen? Or having them help with a project that requires tools? Or simply doing some household chores together? Our boys enjoyed simply pulling off the blue trim tape after a painting project.

So many people are on pinterest, that I'm sure there's plenty of great things to try with children there (I haven't opened up that time-distraction--I've got enough as it is!). My boys have filled up several pages in the sketch books they received in their stockings at Christmas. My youngest is creating things with duct tape.

We haven't really had much screen time (mainly because they've lost some of it from bad attitudes; if we hadn't been coming off a two week break, we maybe would have considered a movie marathon, but we'd already watch several movies at night in the past few weeks), but we've played plenty of board and card games. And of course, there's plenty of reading adventures! Sometimes we take a break and all read together (last year we read through The Hobbit during one evening a week).

Maybe a good project together is to make a collage of things you are thankful for. Gratitude might just be a better way to spend a day rather than grumbling.

With that said, we're about to try and get the car started so we can go to the YMCA. My youngest will complain about the temperature of the water in the swimming pool (the child has zero body fat which is to his detriment for swimming time). But I'm grateful we have a car we can travel with, I'm grateful that we have a few months of Y membership, I'm grateful we can exercise together, and I'm grateful the gas tank is full enough that I don't have to stop and fill it in the cold.

Hopefully I can pass some of that gratitude on to my sons.

Easing Back into Routines

2013-08-18T21:43:00.000-05:00

We're using this week before school starts to get prepared. Not that we haven't in some sense all summer. The boys have been practicing their math skills as well as writing and reading.

But in the summer, the bedtime schedule goes out the window. 10pm is probably the typical bedtime most of the summer. Sometimes later.

But that doesn't fly during the school year. We aim for around 8:30. Maybe a little later for our oldest--a 4th grader now.

So tonight we're kicking of the earlier bedtime. The youngest has been in bed for an hour. Still awake.

This is to be expected.

The kicker comes tomorrow when we wake them up early. And keep doing that all week. No more sleeping in (which they can't since both my wife and myself are working this week--the boys have to be up to leave with one of us).

I expect there'll be some battles. But I'm hoping it'll pay off once school starts in a week.

Here's hoping at least.

The Birthday Sleepover

2013-07-06T22:19:00.003-05:00

Our oldest son turns 9 tomorrow. In the past we've let them invite one friend for each year of age. Last year he invited 8 friends over. This year, since he's getting bigger, we gave the option of having a sleepover. We mutually decided that two friends was a good start for the first non-family sleepover.

We did it simple and low-key, but I think everyone had fun (except for the friend who was homesick and went home before anyone was asleep, but he knew coming into the party that he would have a hard time staying away from home--and he had fun except for bed-time).

Personally, I think a lot of birthday parties have gotten out of control. It's great to celebrate and have fun, but we're not going to spend a few hundred dollars on a party. And we find that we don't need to in order for the boys to feel celebrated on their birthdays. They mainly want to hang out with friends anyway (okay, maybe open some presents, too).

So we did a grilled supper outside. The birthday "cake" was a frozen fruit bar.

It has become a tradition, I guess, that we make an obstacle course in the yard. Since this one is a summer birthday, we incorporate the swimming pool and water guns. By the end, it's just a water fight with very wet kids.

After drying off, they gave their gifts, played a few games on the Wii together, and then watched the old Disney Swiss Family Robinson movie while munching on popcorn.

They were pretty tired after that, so the got a fair amount of sleep. We told them the rule of the house was not to wake anyone else up--if you're the first one up and don't want to try and get back to sleep, you're welcome to go downstairs and have a bite to eat (fruit and cereal was on the table) and play. Once everyone was up, we did the real breakfast.

It also turned out that it was the Kid's Workshop day at Home Depot, so we headed there and did their building project.

Simple. Fun. Enjoyable. And the 9-year old had a good time.

Making the Drive Go Well

2013-07-02T22:59:00.001-05:00

When we go on long road trips, we try to line up a few books on CD for the boys to listen to as we drive. They usually have a backpack full of books to read, notebooks to draw in, and things to play with. But we don't do video games (except for an occasional game on the iphone) or movies (except for really long cross-country trips).

Of course it's important to find stories that all of us can enjoy. What the 9-year old likes, the 6-year old doesn't necessarily. And not all children's stories are appealing to the parents.

The classics are generally good ones--especially if read by a good voice actor. Last year we heard Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (one was on our way to visit the Tom Sawyer Cave in Hannibal, Missouri.

Last year we also listened to Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean. We enjoyed the follow-up story to the original. I've also heard that Dave Barry's stories of Never Neverland are also good.

We recently listened to The Amazing, Astonishing, Incredible and True Adventures of Me!: Charlie Small in Gorilla City. It was a fun, imaginative adventure as read from a 9-year old's journal.

We also just finished Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements. We were all pulled into the story of a boy in a small town in Nebraska who stumbles across a mystery. The story is about the importance of keeping promises, being kind to strangers, and being person of character. But it's all tied up in a great story that kept us wanting to drive some more so we could hear the next part.

Those are our current recommendations. We'll keep you posted on what we listen to next.

Summer Parenting Struggles

2013-06-19T12:52:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to an article I wrote on my other blog about summer parenting and the struggles sometimes.

Solution to a Bed-time Battle (for now at least)

2013-04-30T21:21:00.000-05:00

Some nights our kids can dawdle on forever in getting ready for bed. Which would frustrate us to no end when it would take 20 or 30 minutes to brush teeth, get out clothes for the next day, and get pajamas on--stopping to play with Legos or do a dance only added to it. We knew they could easily do 3-5 minutes.

They always wanted time reading before lights out (gone are most days when they request us to read to them), but sometimes that time was getting way past what we liked.

So my wife came up with this strategy that seems to be working a little better: before they get ready for bed, we say they're allowed to read until a certain time (say 8:20). If they get ready quickly, then they have a lot of time to read. Of course there will be those nights where they just want to dawdle and don't care about ready, but it seems to be working fairly well.

Good job, dear.

Five Days of Freebies from TheBump.com

2013-03-25T14:43:00.000-05:00

TheBump.com just launched a contest today called Five Days of Freebies. Each day this week, they’ll be giving away bottles, a nursing pillow, glider, diaper bag, stroller and crib set to one lucky winner. Visit their site to sign up for the contest. Plus, if you comment on this Five Days of Freebies post in addition to entering through their site, you’ll receive an extra entry.

Here are the giveaways this week:
3/25 – Dr. Brown, gift set of bottles and nursing pillow (value, around $100)
3/26 – Monte, Luca Glider (value, $995).
3/27 – Diaper Dude, Olive Convertible bag (value, $110)
3/28 – Bumbleride, 2013 Indie stroller ($529.99)
3/29 – Halo Innovations, Sleep Sack (value, $80 – 115)

Those are some big prizes, so be sure to comment on this post and visit TheBump.com's Five Days of Freebies.

Kids Workshops at Home Depot

2013-03-02T15:34:00.004-06:00

The first Saturday of the month Home Depot hosts their Kids Workshop. There are always several people there, but I'm always surprised at how many people aren't there. Our Home Depot is about 4 miles away. It's next to one of the closest Target stores. And it's still close to the inner-city. But the parents with children seem nearly suburban. Aside from a few Hispanic families and and occasional Hispanic family, almost everyone is European. I don't see African-American families there. Maybe other stores are different. I encourage more families--especially from my neighborhood--to take advantage of this opportunity.

Children receive an apron which they can wear and bring back each time (especially important with projects that require painting). They also get a little pin to put on their apron to show which projects they've completed (my boys have a jumble of nearly a dozen). They also get a certificate of completion at the end.

But the best part is letting them get to build things. When we started going, the boys usually needed us to help--especially hammering the nails into the wood. And almost always there is hammering to do (as well as securing it in place with wood glue first). Often painting. Sometimes stickers. They've made napkin holders, bird feeders, planters, picture frames, and today's project: race cars. And it's free.

Today the boys hardly required any help from me (they each had one nail hole where the nail kept slipping sideways)--they pretty much did it all on their own. It's time together and I get to teach them how to use tools with projects they're interested in helping in.

My Book

2013-01-17T22:40:00.001-06:00

One of the things I did while being a stay-at-home parent was a bit of writing. It's one of those things I enjoy. After several years of working to put something together, I am now a published author.

Please check out my book at Amazon or through my publisher.

Thank you!

Adjusting to Activeness

2013-01-16T21:50:00.000-06:00

We joined the YMCA last week. We've been meaning to do something like this for a few years--at least in the winter months--but weren't sure if anything was affordable. But I need to get some exercise in the winter and my main forms are through bicycling and swimming. Both of which aren't very convenient in Minnesota in the winter.

So after school most days I take the kids and we go to the Y for 30 minutes or an hour. We usually just swim. I haven't been able to do laps much, but I take the boys to the deep end and I end up treading water for at least 20 minutes, which is still really good exercise. Occasionally they go to the kids' drop off area and I can ride a stationary bike for 20 minutes or swim a few laps alone.

The hard part is finding the balance in life. We still desire to eat supper together as a family, so that ends up being a little later than usual since we're getting home later, which also means that the kids end up going to bed shortly thereafter and we have less time for getting chores done or having time together at home (and with their mom who doesn't get to go to the Y with us during the week).

It's good for us (me) to be getting more active. Especially in these winter months when seasonal affect disorder can raise its ugly head. It just means some adjustment for us.

Talks

2012-11-19T21:39:00.002-06:00

I heard an adolescent girl at church last night saying that her parents hadn't had "the puberty talk" with her yet. She continued to say that she didn't need it--she had heard it all at school. Now I don't doubt that her parents have had some version of "the talk" with her--maybe not just as she expects it should be.

It was a reminder for me, though, that as a parent I need to be the source of information for my children. Not the only source, and maybe not even the main source, but I definitely need to be talking with them. If my wife and I aren't talking with them, then our kids are getting all their information elsewhere: "the puberty talk," drugs, alcohol, racism, etc.

So talk with them. Tell them the things they need to know. Tell them your expectations. Tell them why. Tell them why not. Tell them your stories. But talk.

The Birthday Party

2012-11-10T21:20:00.000-06:00

Confession: I let my youngest son (who just turned six today) do all the work for this birthday party.

Not all the work. But he really had it planned out well. Last year I had made an obstacle course for his super-hero themed party. Apparently that was a big hit. He had spent weeks drawing out one for this year. Then he made a 3-D model of it. Seriously. He did. It involved string, cut-out paper folded dimensionally, and a few other things. Unfortunately, it rained a bit last night and the morning was quite dreary (we initially were told we'd have a big winter storm today), so we didn't set up the course. But then 15 minutes before the party started, we decided to do a short version of it. The sun came out and it ended up being 65.

He had also planned a game of "Pin the Head on the Lego Guy" (a version of the donkey game). He had drawn a Lego guy and made cut-out heads for the kids to put on it.

He had brought home some of his recent works from school, so he decorated by taping some of those on the walls.

He had also requested a Lego cake. You might have guessed there was a Lego theme going on. The boys learned at some point that if the presents their friends bring often go with the theme. So they come up with themes based on the presents they want. Shameless, I know. We didn't even announce the theme ahead of time; apparently he had told all his friends that it was a Lego theme. Which I guess works--the other parents don't have to guess what kind of present he might like.

We had also picked up some crafts at Michaels for them to do. Which, we should have thought before hand about having to have six Kindertarten-and-under kids trying to put together a wooden model...they required a bit of help with that. But over all it turned out pretty well.

And I never like coming up with activities, so it worked out well him having put it together. I heartily recommend getting the birthday kid involved in planning their party.

Happy birthday to my 6-year old!

Of Babysitters, Grandparents, and Blessings

2012-11-04T08:03:00.000-06:00

Confession: I get jealous of the parents who live close to their families. I am envious of having "built-in-babysitters."

If you have your own parents living nearby, be thankful. We live 4-5 hours from either of our families (with the exception of my sister who is a half hour away--she used to watch our kids a bit, but she has three of her own now; she is still very willing to watch them, though). When our eldest child was born we lived less than an hour from my parents. We didn't see them too often, but they were always willing to come babysit when we needed it.

We've got great friends who help watch our kids, and we're very thankful for them. But there are plenty of times when we need someone to watch the kids when both my wife and I have to be at work or at a church event (when most of our babysitters are also at church).

If jobs were more abundant in the areas where either of our families lived, we'd consider moving closer. They're both in small town areas (which I would prefer to live and raise kids in). And not just for the baby-sitting but for our kids being able to be around their grandparents more frequently.

Now I write all this not to try and sound whiny, but to bring awareness to the blessing of having family living close to you. Not only is it great for you, but it's great for the kids (which all of this is obvious, I know).

Sickness, Jobs, and Perspective

2012-10-31T13:07:00.001-05:00

My youngest threw up at school yesterday. He probably shouldn't have been there, I know. He woke up that morning saying his stomach hurt. A stomach ache is hard to diagnose as if it is a legitimate reason to stay home or a convenient excuse for not wanting to go to school. I also have a need to be at work and not let people down. I also have a hard time giving up a day's pay right now. So I took him to school. I checked in on him later in the day--he was doing fine after a rocky start. But a couple hours later his teacher had brought him to my room. So my wife was frustrated I had taken him to school. I still kind of feel in the middle of a rock and a hard place with those kind of decisions.

He said his stomach hurt again this morning. He hadn't had any more issues after the one. I thought he'd be okay. He maybe is. But I'm playing it safe today. We're both at home.

These sort of decisions were a lot easier when I was full-time at home. If my oldest was appearing sick, I'd generally just keep him home. Those decisions are harder to make when it requires missing a day of work for me as well.

There are a lot of things that are harder now that I'm working during the school year. Both my wife and I are tired when we get home from work, but there are meals to cook, clothes to wash, dishes to do, floors to sweep, bathrooms to clean, and a yard to take care of. Plus, we want to spend time with the kids, time with each other, and have time doing the things we need to do for ourselves as well. That's not including the meetings and other obligations that fill the schedules.

But I'm just preaching to the choir, here. Most of us are familiar with the busyness of life--and how it gets compounded when parents are working. Sometimes we just have to do our best.

A friend recently reminded me that no one has said on their deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time cleaning the house." Her point was that sometimes we don't do something we need to do for the sake of spending time with our children or spouse. Of course, we can't choose that every day or we'd get in trouble for sending the kids to school in clothes that haven't been washed in five weeks or for them getting sick from eating off dishes with an unnamed fungus growing on them.

The point is, sometimes we need to make the better choice. And some days that's keeping my kid home from school for the sake of his health (and the health of everyone else in the school). And I need to remember that having that time with him is a gift.

Best Buy's New Look & Give Away

2012-10-13T20:40:00.001-05:00

We were invited to look at one of Best Buy's new store layouts today. Four stores in the Twin Cities had grand openings for their new store design (with others in other parts of the country). Many have commented on how it's similar to Apple Stores--my wife is the one who goes to the Apple Store more often, so I can't comment on that. I do know that it was very "user friendly."

The signage makes it easy to find what section of the store you are trying to get to. Products were well displayed. Staff was on hand to ask questions. And you can purchase your items at many locations throughout the store. Best Buy now has "Solution Central" and other areas in the store to get help--not only on finding what you need, but to help get information on how to find the right technology for your needs, set-up/wire/connect your entertainment centers or computers, and people on hand to help fix any products that aren't working.

While we were at the store in Eden Prairie, Best Buy was having give-aways throughout the day to celebrate their grand opening (we didn't win anything, but there were some nice prizes). Earlier in the morning, chef Kevin Vanderaa, big winner on the Food Network's Cupcake Challenge, had been on hand doing some baking demonstrations. "Cupcakes at Best Buy?" you may ask. If you have seen their new kitchen section, you'll understand why. They have quite a nice selection of kitchen appliances on hand now--anything from Frigidaire refrigerators to Kitchen Aid mixers. Additionally, they were offering a few workshops throughout the day--much like Home Depot offers workshops on DIY projects, Best Buy was offering talks on things like "Time Saving Apps" and "Media for On-the-Go."

I was glad to see all their traditional electronics were still offered and well-stocked. I was delighted to find some things I didn't expect: in addition to all their kitchen products I also came across an instrumental section (if I need to replace a guitar string), office supplies, even Star Wars Lego watches. Which was a plus, because I had my youngest son with, and he was happy with all the fun things to look out (most of the displays are at eye-level and many are where children can check out things they'd be interested in as well). Be sure to check out a Best Buy store with their new layout if you have one near you.

Best Buy has offered some some gift cards to my readers. If you're interested in winning one, please leave a comment on this post (especially if you have visited a new store--I'd love to hear what you thought) with a way to get ahold of you if you win (such as an email address if one isn't connected to your log-in). Winners will be drawn at random on Saturday, October 21 at noon CST. Please post your comment before then.

Motivation

2012-08-19T21:35:00.003-05:00

Confession: I (and my wife) get frustrated (and maybe sometimes angry) that our son doesn't want to do the things he needs to do.

At the end of the last school year, our then second grader made a list of goals for the summer as part of an assignment. Despite reminders I don't think heh ever looked at them.

One of our goals for him was for him to have his multiplication facts memorized. Admittedly, I didn't follow through with it as well as I should have, with using driving time in the car to work on a fact family and such.

He's a kid with a delicate ego and sometimes poor self-esteem. He's said at times he feels like he's "the worst kid in the world."

We try to be loving and encouraging as much as possible. Apparently we don't always nurture that very well, though. At least it feels like our efforts haven't paid off in creating an "I-can-do-it" attitude.

We've tried various approaches: encouragement, check-lists, even the occasional bribe. Nothing's been effective. And ultimately we want him to have the self-motivation to do things on his own because he desires to achieve things.

So, I'd love to hear what works for you...how do you instill a desire in your child to accomplish the tasks before him that aren't going to go away? How do you help keep a child motivated?

Alone

2012-07-24T19:03:00.000-05:00

We dropped my wife off at the airport today. She'll be in Pennsylvania for the next ten days working on her research site for her doctoral program. The boys did well with this drop off--there wasn't any crying this time.

Sometimes I feel like putting a post on Facebook seeking sympathy for having to take care of my kids alone for the next ten days. Other dads get to do it. But it would be silly for me to do so. I'm used to taking care of my kids. Sure, I'm not alone most of the time, but I cook, I clean, I do things with the kids.

Still, it's never easy. The hardest part of a spouse being gone isn't necessarily the lack of support with tasks around the house or watching the kids. It's that you're now the only adult in the house. No grown-up conversations or interaction after the kids are in bed.

But it's only ten days. And I won't be alone. We've got friends and family. I can do it. So can you.