tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386240842012-05-30T09:32:40.827-04:00Being a father isn't always easy, but then again, neither is fantasy football.Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-7472648576328129192012-05-23T06:38:00.000-04:002012-05-23T10:43:07.958-04:002012-05-23T10:43:07.958-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com2Happy birthday to my little Ms. Mia Tortilla. It seems like only yesterday I introduced you to the world (and The Life of Dad universe) and dished out your stats. But an entire year has passed, leaving me amazed at how much you've grown. You've...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/w52Oaf9EOcU" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-littlest-1-year-old.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-29967029938383863172012-05-03T10:44:00.003-04:002012-05-03T11:35:37.958-04:002012-05-03T11:35:37.958-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com5There is a meme going around on Facebook called "Letter from a Mother to a Daughter" that caught my attention (if you haven't read it yet, you can read it here). I see so many moms reposting this, pleading with their daughters to have patience with them....<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/ThxuFxpcGtU" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/05/letter-from-dad-to-daughter.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-68122583143011146472012-04-19T22:30:00.000-04:002012-04-20T16:47:15.116-04:002012-04-20T16:47:15.116-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com3My favorite children’s book of all-time is Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. I’d always ask my dad if it were possible to get a Truffula seed and plant one of those colorful trees in our backyard, to which my dad would reply, “Brian, it’s 4 in the morning, go back...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/EUBwUAvPFfc" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/04/why-one-on-one-time-matters-father.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-17212287498233790052012-04-05T10:32:00.002-04:002012-04-05T10:49:35.557-04:002012-04-05T10:49:35.557-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com6Joey Votto and I have a lot in common. He plays baseball. I play baseball (er, softball). He’s tall, dark and handsome. I’m tall, dark and handsome. He made $5.5 million dollars last year. I fear my daughters’ weddings will cost $5.5 million dollars....<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/lsiB_Id-Jus" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-joey-votto-means-to-dads.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-49948905620353946372012-04-05T08:00:00.001-04:002012-04-05T08:54:02.654-04:002012-04-05T08:54:02.654-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com5If you live in Cincinnati, Opening Day is special. It's the one day of every year that dads, moms, kids, firefighters, politicians, grocery story clerks, insurance salesmen and every other fine person in the Queen City come together and simultaneously...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/08T9MVMqaVw" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-opening-day-in-cincinnati-is-best.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-64749141039012427592012-04-03T11:02:00.000-04:002012-04-03T11:02:01.454-04:002012-04-03T11:02:01.454-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com5Happy Birthday Ms. Anna Banana. It was three years ago today when your mother refused to admit she was in labor because she "had some loose ends to tie up at work," and I paced around frantically, not able to think about anything but your impending...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/VR1a8B0YPnE" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-little-3-year-old.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-3982993864675933412012-03-23T06:08:00.002-04:002012-03-26T09:35:40.446-04:002012-03-26T09:35:40.446-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com7We’ve all been there: It’s 2 a.m. You’re comfortably asleep. You’re dreaming about playing SS for your favorite baseball team and hitting a home run to win Game 7 (which leads to a big kiss from Saved By The Bell’s Kelly Kapowski who, in your dream,...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/p3QTiM-VpXk" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-get-babies-to-sleep-through.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-25007375737739341962012-03-06T23:54:00.002-05:002012-03-08T15:51:12.293-05:002012-03-08T15:51:12.293-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com10Courtesy of Adam Pace @ loft3pd.com Today I am announcing my candidacy for President of our House. Over the past few years it's become abundantly apparent to me that there is technically no President of our house. This gave me pause: Without an...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/0F0Q0vumkbo" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/03/dad-for-president-of-house.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-87656308092730594082012-02-28T06:26:00.003-05:002012-02-28T14:50:58.025-05:002012-02-28T14:50:58.025-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com10Back in January I made a big stink (you know, the kind that's so relentless that it actually impresses your wife) about how 2012 was going to be an amazing year, and I set forth a list of challenging goals. We are nearly two months into the year of...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/Y-0jr6ZwK6o" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/02/year-of-amazing-resolutions-update.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-20745426222593714092012-02-14T06:32:00.000-05:002012-02-14T14:28:46.985-05:002012-02-14T14:28:46.985-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com5Valentine's Day used to be an easy, predictable process handled in 6 steps: Forget it was Valentine's Day. Panic because I didn't get my wife anything. Offer to make it up to her by walking around the house shirtless for the ...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/0YLcfaYds48" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentines-day-stress-in-6-easy-steps.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-17662571835700782882012-01-29T23:52:00.013-05:002012-01-30T09:03:19.462-05:002012-01-30T09:03:19.462-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com5Best Friend Ella (left) and our Ella (right) When I was young, my best friend's name was Brian. We were known around popular circles as "The Brians." We were also a bit cautious of the popular circles, because they were typically in something...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/tBRvGg0B018" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/01/whats-better-than-having-best-friend.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-14652092253175966072012-01-13T15:46:00.003-05:002012-01-13T16:25:12.867-05:002012-01-13T16:25:12.867-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com7I never lose anything, other than loads of money in annual fantasy sports leagues, so when the girls and I were packing up to bring a picnic-style lunch to my wife's office and I couldn't find my keys, I reacted like this. Let me explain: The day...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/hWj3tspQu80" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2012/01/curious-case-of-missing-keys-csi-klems.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-13394133111993695782011-12-31T10:57:00.006-05:002011-12-31T22:38:46.721-05:002011-12-31T22:38:46.721-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com15I'm worn out. Completely worn out. I'm not sure whether it's lack of sleep, dehydration or Nintendo thumb, but 2011 really beat me up. I have more aches in my bones than ever before and I'm pretty sure that the only one sleeping at naptime these days is...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/jqEp-U8b2l8" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-2012-is-going-to-be-amazing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-64868516817380508532011-12-16T14:04:00.004-05:002011-12-16T14:36:26.947-05:002011-12-16T14:36:26.947-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com2Santa Claus North Pole cc: mrs.claus@gmail.com Dear Santa, How's it going at The North Pole? Participated in any flash mobs this year? Based on the increased number of Christmas specials on TBS, I'd have to think you have royalty checks overflowing...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/PZWqlwx-7_Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-letter-of-recommendation-to.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-70612611773978807442011-12-01T23:49:00.006-05:002011-12-02T10:11:05.153-05:002011-12-02T10:11:05.153-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com5When people dream about having babies, they only think about the fun things, like squeezing their cheeks and using them to practice ventriloquism. They don't spend much time focusing on the tough parts of parenting, specifically changing diapers. From...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/bUccXmvcRes" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/12/5-levels-of-dirty-diapers-how-to.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-37371173793527654462011-11-24T12:22:00.000-05:002011-11-24T12:22:07.097-05:002011-11-24T12:22:07.097-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com1I'm thankful for a lot of things, including great friends, a caring family, loyal blog readers and very, very kind commenters. I asked my girls what they are most thankful for this Thanksgiving, and they dug deep in their hearts and both agreed that it...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/MSSSxKIkq6c" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/11/happy-thanksgiving.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-54631781275141980702011-11-16T01:32:00.011-05:002011-11-22T14:41:55.903-05:002011-11-22T14:41:55.903-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com19Too many things are often left unsaid, like "I love you" or "I appreciate you" or "I admit it, Toy Story 3 made me cry." In the wake of losing my Dad and my sister-in-law, I've been left completely shaken, worried that something could happen to me (like...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/lkm7x5btXMk" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/11/if-i-die-tomorrow-i-want-you-to-know.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-77497968510137438962011-10-31T14:21:00.003-04:002011-10-31T15:26:49.855-04:002011-10-31T15:26:49.855-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com16Thanks to Disney, Halloween is not scary anymore. It's true. Nearly every little girl under the age of 9 turns down the chance to dress as something spooky, like a witch or a ghost or your mother-in-law, and instead chooses to be something cuddly like...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/yhCTEmWV2PI" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/10/did-disney-ruin-your-halloween-too.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-45504449491018030402011-10-13T10:02:00.000-04:002011-10-13T15:35:57.064-04:002011-10-13T15:35:57.064-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com3My house is overflowing with Toys. Dolls, blocks, doctor kits, Tinkerbell phones, Mr. Potato Heads, magnetic letters for the fridge—you name it, I've stepped on it. Our house holds so many Toys that we are considering buying a second house just so we...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/LIDoPsFMFpM" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/10/dads-vs-toys-which-do-kids-prefer.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-40787665685498824842011-10-03T16:35:00.000-04:002011-10-03T16:35:59.622-04:002011-10-03T16:35:59.622-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com2Stress is the worst. It causes your hair to change colors. It causes you to feel so sick to your stomach that you can't eat and yet, somehow, gain weight at the same time. It makes you want to haul off and slap someone whether they deserve it or not—and...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/ch51E6JxrGA" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/10/parenting-and-stress.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-82762756849715030442011-09-29T18:55:00.000-04:002011-09-29T18:55:38.056-04:002011-09-29T18:55:38.056-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com0Hey Life of Dadders ... I was recently featured on The Parent du Jour as part of their "A Dad a Day" project. They asked me some pretty tough questions and I answered them as well as I possibly could without sounding like a complete...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/ZekHHbvy_L4" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/09/parent-du-jour.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-62804740514958210692011-09-15T20:27:00.000-04:002011-09-16T07:58:21.651-04:002011-09-16T07:58:21.651-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com3I have Opening Day traditions and Christmas traditions and Softball traditions (like enjoying the sweet, sweet taste of a Strikeout Beer 1), but I've never really had a "First Day of School" tradition. Both of my parents were scrambling to get me and my...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/Lt1t_yszkW4" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/09/first-day-of-school-traditions.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-27644236804019536312011-09-03T12:55:00.000-04:002011-09-15T13:36:26.871-04:002011-09-15T13:36:26.871-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com7You've witnessed a lot of firsts in your child's life—the first time she walked, the first time she talked, the first time she sneezed in your mouth. Your heart melted the morning when she first said "I love you," and you cried the first afternoon that...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/daY0hneKCb4" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2010/09/4-lessons-preschool-teaches-dads-and.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-62587516597275925442011-08-31T22:01:00.005-04:002011-11-07T16:47:42.634-05:002011-11-07T16:47:42.634-05:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com18My daughters are incredibly lucky because they have three amazing aunts. They have my wife's youngest sister, Aunt Melanie, who is a professional photographer and is constantly taking great pictures of our kids. They have my sister, Aunt Jennie, who is a...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/Ivs27UrC5ZM" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/08/everyone-needs-aunt-ali.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38624084.post-48126589631853405502011-08-15T09:43:00.003-04:002011-08-15T10:14:35.416-04:002011-08-15T10:14:35.416-04:00Brian Klemsnoreply@blogger.com8Dads have a lot of responsibilities. We set examples. We squash bugs. We coach third. We check the closets for monsters every night and assure our kids that it's safe to go to bed. These duties earn us love, admiration and respect around the house. They...<br/> <br/> Read more at TheLifeOfDad.com.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/thelifeofdad/~4/jJwUgxnyDMU" height="1" width="1"/>http://thelifeofdad.blogspot.com/2011/08/note-to-dads-who-have-daughters-get.html