The Married Bachelor

Not Superman

2016-12-26T09:46:00.002-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you realize you are not "superman" anymore...Not that you thought you were invincible but when you were single, you had all kinds of energy to do things...Now you crash when you go to bed and "late night" is now anything past 10 pm...Vacations mean so much more than they used to...but you usually veg the first day of vacation just to catch up and feel alive again...you realize you have never "worked" harder for any job or project than you do just living life with a family.

Honey-Do Lists

2016-12-22T13:35:00.001-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you used to laugh at men who had so-called "honey-do" lists...now it's not so funny...You realize that you do have "chores" even as an adult...but there is one big difference now that you are married...these lists, chores, jobs, you willingly do not only because your wife does hundred times more around the house than you do and you are appreciative of her but because you quietly say "I love you" for every job you do for her.

Driver's Education

2016-12-21T10:02:00.000-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when your son leaves driver's ed and analyzes every driving decision you make on the way home...You quickly point out that there is a difference between theoretical driving taught in a class and the reality of normal everyday driving where gut and intuition may override the traffic rule at that particular moment...Yet in a few short minutes you become caught up to speed of all the current traffic laws you may be breaking...you realize that you are just as excited for him to finish driver's ed as he is.

More Milk

2016-12-20T11:51:00.002-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you realize you buy two gallons of milk...every time you drive by Publix....Your son now drinks a gallon of milk every other day...between cereal, protein shakes, hershey's chocolate milk mixes, you are surprised you can get by with just two gallons...You decide to buy stock in Mayfield Dairies and hope you get your money back.

Washing Clothes

2016-11-29T21:40:00.003-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when the washing machine is run so much that you don't have enough hot water for your shower the next morning...and even after that, there's still more laundry to do...In fact, the laundry seems to be neverending...or inversely related to the speed a package of toilet paper seems to disappear...you think it is possible that the washing machine runs on toilet paper! In either case, you go almost daily to the grocery store for more milk, toilet paper, and chewing gum for someone else in the family.

Sunday Nights

2016-11-27T18:49:00.002-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when your Sunday nights are a mad dash to get ready for the upcoming week...Your wife is doing laundry...Your son is doing his last bit of weekend homework...Your daughter, well, she's catching up with Gilmore Girls...You realize Sundays are not days of rest but rather days of preparation...Until the next weekend comes and you can have a more relaxing Saturday.

Gas Stations

2016-11-26T18:39:00.001-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when every time you pull over to the gas station when your family is with you, it takes 15 extra minutes and costs $14 more for travel snacks...you realize you only can pull over to gas stations that have clean restrooms rather than ones that have the best gas prices....you even now know which stations have the best prices for peanut M&Ms.

X-Mas Tree

2016-11-25T10:12:00.001-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you put up a X-mas tree in your house...You used to not worry about X-mas decorations because no one came over to even see your decorations so what's even the point...You now have a new tradition of rearranging your den furniture to accommodate the new X-mas decor...The tree gets put up while a holiday movie plays in the background...The kids put up their favorite ornaments...Meanwhile you enjoy the holiday bustle of a house that is now alive with enthusiastic energy for the holidays!

Showers

2016-11-24T09:37:00.003-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you have to strictly schedule when you take your morning shower...you used to not have to worry about water pressure or even the prospect of running out of hot water...now if you are just a minute off, you end up with a half-pressured shower...you have even gone so far to call the water department to see if the water pressure intake to your house can increase...instead, you resort to your inner clock to alert you when to get out of the shower, otherwise you might be struggling to rinse off with the water trickle.

Trust

2016-11-23T09:30:00.002-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when your daughter drives your son to his practice and you immediately have a list of safety precautions to tell your kids...it's not that you don't trust your daughter's driving...you just don't trust everyone else out on the road...You find yourself praying for her wisdom, his maturity, even the truck's mechanical stability on days like today...You realize how little control you have over your kids' safety and how much you have to trust God on even the simple day by day errands.

Radio Gone

2016-01-23T20:56:00.001-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you have lost complete control of the car radio...You remember when the radio was for your enjoyment as you drive...now it's "Turn it up! I like this song!" Or "Change the channel! I hate that song!" Whenever you think you have a moment to listen to your music, you are reminded not to play it too loud because one of your kids is trying to sleep...so you go through your drive quietly humming songs from your singles days past.

Toothbrush

2016-01-22T06:08:00.001-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you are so tired after a long day's work that as you are brushing your teeth, your wife looks at you and says "you are using my toothbrush"...there is a moment's hesitation and then it's like "oh well, I've come this far."...You haven't ever intentionally shared toothbrushes before and if you were not so tired, you might have cared more...You realize in that moment that the toothbrush carousel had been cleaned earlier that day and it had accidentally rotated...In either case, you know it's true love when after you have rinsed the toothbrush, your wife reaches for it and begins to put toothpaste on her own toothbrush...

Lost Keys

2015-11-16T19:10:00.000-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when your son asks to see your keys to get something out of the truck and then later on that day you realize you don't have your keys but your son does not remember where he last put them...You realize you have to go to your daughter to ask her for her copy of the truck key so that you can drive...You son feels bad and you understand he is 13 years old which means he is glad to remember anything up to the last hour at the most...You just hope it does not turn out that he actually handed the keys to you and you are the one who forgot where they were!...In either case, you reassure him that the keys will turn up and you try to reconstruct the steps of a 13 year old boy for the last 6 hours!

Kitchen Singularity

2015-11-04T20:58:00.002-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you clean the dishes in the kitchen sink and you turn around and the sink is mysteriously full of dishes again...You think your kitchen is somehow connected to Hogwarts or maybe you have some paranormal activity going on...In either case, you wonder how the sink fills up yet the dishwasher seems to always have room in it for another dish...You also realize the laundry room has the same mysterious black hole where dirty clothes always appear no matter how many times you run the washer!

No Shave November

2015-11-03T21:43:00.001-05:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you ask your son when was the last time he shaved (even though he barely has a peach fuzz mustache) and he says he can't shave now because it is "no-shave November"...You chuckle because it might take the whole month before he needs to shave anyways...Still, you marvel at the young man he's quickly becoming right before your eyes...sometimes he copies you and sometimes he walks an independent path but you do realize that you have been given an awesome opportunity to be this young man's father; to guide him through these turbulent teen years; to mentor him in his walk with the Lord; and to be a shepherd for him when he needs direction and protection.

Slang

2015-10-28T22:52:00.001-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you kids say things and you have to go to Google.com to figure out what they are meaning...It's not that they say anything particularly bad, but it's just slang that you have not yet heard...If you didn't keep up with the slang, they could have an entire conversation right in front of you and you don't even realize what you are hearing...You do try to embarrass them by using their slang back at them...incorrectly, of course...They quickly do not use those terms again in front of you!

Home Alone

2015-10-21T21:47:00.001-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when your family goes out of town for school vacation and you are left at home because of work...You are incredulous to how quiet the house is...you can even hear the clock ticking on the wall...You look around at all the projects that you can work on, but you choose to focus on a few things you enjoy doing...You realize yet again how three people have walked into your life and you can't imagine a life without them.

Cold

2015-10-06T22:41:00.003-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when your wife picks you up from work because you have a miserable head cold...there are times when you have been the family doctor taking care of them...but this time you need to be taken care of...You are grateful for the potato soup and cold medicine she gave you, although you can't wait to taste the soup when you can later on...You also hope your wife does not hold it against you if she catches the same cold from you!

Purse

2015-10-04T20:11:00.001-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you realize you have held your wife's purse so much you don't even realize you hold it for her anymore...You sometimes even hold your daughter's purse, too...At times you look down and realize there's a purse in your hands...you just hope it belongs to your wife or daughter...You also have noticed that your wife gives you her cellphone to carry, too...You never knew you would be a personal valet.

Cellphone

2015-10-03T21:06:00.001-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you notice your son has downloaded apps on to your cellphone...You're not even sure what the apps do, but you think your phone is now a mobile gaming hotspot...Meanwhile you realize that your phone is being used by your son more than you sometimes use it...Still, it will be at least 2 more years before he has a cellphone of his own...although you wonder when he asks you, "can I see my phone?" as he looks at yours!

Hair Appointment

2015-09-29T21:21:00.001-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you are sitting in a hair salon waiting for your daughter to get her new "layered" look...You realize you have become a part of many appointments for your children...whether it is doctor's visits, eye appointments, sports physicals, hair cuts, or even school shopping...You wonder how many hours you have spent waiting for appointments and you realize you are wondering this while you are waiting at an appointment...Before you tailspin into a paradox, the appointment is over and you are now back on your merry way.

Cash on Hand

2015-09-28T21:03:00.001-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you take your son to Waffle House and when you go to pay for your meal you realize that your wife has the credit card with her and your daughter has your debit card with her....Fortunately, because you're not single anymore, you've learned to always keep extra cash on hand...Still, you realize with your daughter running errands for you now that she can drive, you have to be extra careful to make sure you have a way to pay for things before you leave the house!

Family Devotions

2015-09-18T23:52:00.000-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when one of your favorite times during the week is your family devotion time...You know it's hard to find a specific time when four people are pulled in all their activities in different directions at any time of day...However, when you do have those moments when the family is together, you slow down for a moment and reflect over your interactions with each other for the week...You see how God is orchestrating the lives of your family to be more in tune with what He wants from them...Although you wish you could have more time together as a family, you'll take what you get and make it a priority when you have free time to be together.

Saturdays

2015-09-05T10:41:00.001-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when Saturday mornings become "crash days" for your family and everyone sleeps in just to feel normal again...Although everyone still wakes up at 6 AM because they are used to getting up but they all fall asleep again...even the family dog wants to be taken out at 6 AM since he is used to getting up that time...Saturdays feel like the shortest day of the week since the family is not coherent until after noon....Of course this lasts only during football season because in baseball season Saturday mornings are one of the most active days of the week!

Wii

2015-08-30T17:12:00.003-04:00

You know you're not single anymore...when you are preparing for work each day at your desk at home and the sounds of the Wii are constantly running behind you...And of course you have to stop and play Wii with your son and daughter every now and then...You realize you get your best work done when everyone is in bed or early on Saturday morning when the kids are still asleep...Meanwhile you just realized you are at the Pro level on Wii Bowling!