Riedlblog.

6 New Recent Videos

2012-02-08T22:08:00.001-07:00

Nolan and Jen Making Music: http://youtu.be/Av3qpvE_sjY

New Shoes Nolan 1: http://youtu.be/pjk1d7HedlM

New Shoes Nolan 2: http://youtu.be/hyx03bLGjOc

New Shoes Nolan 3: http://youtu.be/Nlq4Z82egDY

Jen Dunking Nolan: http://youtu.be/YZd-xYFK5YQ

Pool Hokey Pokey: http://youtu.be/lAyL8lhHVPw

The first two weeks of January

2012-01-27T15:35:00.002-07:00

This is quite a late report. The first two weeks of January were great couponing weeks! I made a trip to Albertsons and a couple trips to Rite Aid (bottom two pictures). Albertsons had salmon on sale for $2.99/lb and a deal where you get free veggies when you purchase a beef roast. So, we got about 2 lbs of salmon; 4 lbs of beef round rump roast; free potatoes, carrots, and celery; plus 6 cans of beans; 6 cans of tomato soup; 8 Yoplait yogurts; a bottle of juice; 10 juice boxes; a gallon of milk (1/2 gallon of organic for Nolan); and 2 boxes of Fiber One bars. This should have cost $89.38. I paid $43.02 after sales and coupons! I think that's pretty good for salmon and beef! At Rite Aid there were several deals on gum, plus a promotion on Johnson and Johnson items. I got 2 bottles of baby wash, 2 baby lotions, 2 flosses, 2 makeup compacts, 9 packs of gum (8 of which were free!), and two 75oz bottles of Tide. I should have paid $98.71 but only paid $33.16, and I have a $2 reward to use next time! My total savings in these two weeks was 60%!

Life Is Supposed To Be Hard

2012-01-22T13:29:00.002-07:00

This past weekend our car tire was slashed and our living room window shattered while we were watching tv late at night. The lights were on and somebody actually had the balls to vandalize our home while we were awake! Of course we didn't run outside immediately to see who it was, so we weren't sure if it was random vandalism or not. Since the window was broken right by our ears, it was incredibly loud. The scene from Remember the Titans flashed through my mind, where Denzel Washington's character whipped out his shotgun to protect his family when a brick came through his window. Although I had no shotgun to pull out, I still felt the same sense of duty to protect Jen and Nolan.

Just a few minutes ago Nolan was crying in his room and was having a hard time putting himself down for a nap. I went in, picked him up, and he immediately snuggled on my shoulder, under my chin, and fell asleep. Feeling the trust and the love that he shows me when I am caring for him gives me a new perspective when bad stuff happens like broken windows and flat tires. I see now that I love him even more when I think something might happen to him. What if it had been his window that was vandalized? Now that he is walking faster than we can blink, I think about the possibilities of him taking a journey out into the street and the dangers beyond our reach. If we lived in a boringly safe neighborhood, would I focus more on how annoying it is when he wakes up at night or would I focus more on how much I love him and get the privilege of putting him to sleep? He is safe in my arms. He is a happy, cuddly boy. Do I love Nolan more when there is more of a threat that something might happen to him?

Jen and I rarely fight when we are dealing with things like this. If anything, a broken window and a slashed tire brings us closer together. We usually fight when we are bored and tired with life. When it's the same old same old stuff going on every day every week, we find flaws and faults in the other person. But when we become fearful of something beyond our control, then we hold each other close. When I feel the need to protect Jen, I immediately see her as my beautiful bride who needs rescuing. My desire is to see her safe and lovely. Do I love Jen more when there is more of a threat that something might happen to her?

Life is supposed to be hard. Without struggle and obstacles, we would never grow. Without being pruned, we would never stretch our branches further and never produce better fruit. We must not see these hard times as something negative, but as something positive that builds us up and matures us.

The Lord is the stronghold of my life and He is my light. When life is hard and bad things happen, Whom shall I fear?

Week of December 18th

2012-01-01T15:17:00.001-07:00

This post is a little late in coming, but worth it since I got some great deals a couple weeks ago. I made two trips to Rite Aid (top two pictures) and two trips to Albertsons (bottom two pictures). Nolan got 6 shots and a blood draw on the 21st so I had to buy acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Luckily I had coupons! At Rite Aid I got 4 bags of chocolate Chex mix (yum yum), 6 packs of gum, 2 tins of Icebreakers, a motion sensor soap dispenser for the kitchen, plus the medicine and only paid $16.35 (would have cost me $54.65).

At Albertsons I bought 2 jars of applesauce, 3 6-packs of individual applesauce cups, 2 jars of salsa, 5 cans of refried beans, 2 bottles of salad dressing, 4 bags of shredded cheese, 2 bottles of apple juice, a giant bottle of soy sauce, 2 lbs each of powdered sugar and brown sugar, 4 boxes of crackers, canola oil, 2 big cans of Lysol wipes, 2 boxes of cake mix and 2 cans of frosting, 5 boxes of Rice-a-Roni, 5 boxes of Pasta Roni, 4 cans of chicken broth, 4 jars of spaghetti sauce, and 6 bags of frozen vegetables. I should have paid $161.84. I only paid $60.24 after sales and coupons. That's a 63% savings...success!

Nolan walking!

2011-12-26T18:48:00.001-07:00

He has been improving his mobility quite a bit over winter break! This was shot at Grandma and Grandpa Riedl's...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evXFP8ysMqI

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:20:00.003-07:00

Jehovah Jireh

2011-12-22T23:18:00.001-07:00

"The Lord will provide" is what Jehovah Jireh means. Sometimes it is difficult to refer to God as Jehovah Jireh, however. Does He really provide for us? Or do we provide for ourselves?

39 days ago, Jen and I experienced something that has given us assurance to know that God should definitely be called Jehovah Jireh. He provides for us.

Our whole marriage has been a struggle financially. We moved to Portland from Seattle after being married only six months. Jen worked low wages and I found minimum wage work as we slowly used up our savings. I eventually took out loans and went back to school to get my masters degree in teaching. This was bad timing to be looking for a teaching position, as most school districts were making budget cuts and laying off teachers. I was eventually offered a full-time job teaching in Ontario, Oregon, so we moved our little family of three to the small town on the border to Idaho.

We thought it would be easier to pay the bills with my new teaching position, but we were wrong. We both wanted Jen to work at home raising Nolan, but didn't have any experience with the strain of having only one spouse bring home an income. The money we had saved when we were both working disappeared in our move from Portland and with each month of additional bills. We worked hard to be responsible and tried our best to cut expenses, rarely going out to eat and even starting to coupon with every trip to the grocery store. But we still were losing money each month.

The point of me writing all of this is about money. ...Duh... Not about how little we have, but about how much we were giving away. Over the past four years of marriage, we kept telling each other that we didn't have enough money to pay bills and also give 10% tithe or offering to church. So we didn't give. Well, not much. Maybe 10 bucks a month or something ridiculously convenient for us. We kept telling ourselves that because we didn't have enough money, we could give our time instead. So we served. We spent a lot of our time serving in the children's ministry instead of giving money.

This leads me to what happened 39 days ago. We are sitting with a cranky, fidgety Nolan on Sunday morning listening to our pastor's message about money. He starts talking about how the church budget had literally run dry. He told us, like so many times we've heard before, that God will provide the money even though we had not been meeting the monthly budgets to pay the church bills.

Up until this point, Jen and I both wanted to tithe enough for it to be giving Him the opportunity to provide for us. We wanted to actually trust God rather than just trying to make ends meet on our own. And we were in no position to do this. The minimum payments on our student loans were almost 50% of our monthly bills. Thinking about this statistic, I knew that we didn't have much hope for fixing this problem ourselves. I certainly knew I didn't want Jen to go back to work and have to put Nolan in daycare. We wanted to trust God with our finances for the first time in our lives. We didn't even have to discuss it...after the service, we both had the same conviction to give 10% of our income to the church, even when there was no way we could afford it. We were trusting that God would do something.

It only took 24 hours for God to work! The next day I heard from a friend about a plan that Obama was trying to pass that helped out graduates who are burdened by paying off their student loans. After doing a little research, I found out that this was called the Income-Based Repayment Plan and only certain people qualify for it. Jen and I looked into it, learned that we do in fact qualify, and stayed up late that night applying for the plan together.

While we would have likely discovered the repayment plan eventually, even without tithing 10%, we are certain that it was more than just a coincidence in timing. Right after we both decided to go out on a limb and be faithful to God with our finances, He answered our prayer quickly and revealed His faithfulness to us. We were guided to a place where we were not feeling the burden of bills that has weighed us down since getting married.

And two days ago, on my last day of school before winter break, I get a call from a lady at Home Depot telling me that a man came in to anonymously buy us a new washing machine. Our current washing machine has been leaking and slowly dying, and apparently someone we know who referred to himself as "Santa" wanted to be extremely generous and buy us a new one! Jen thought it was a joke at first, but we went in to the store to confirm the order and have it shipped to our apartment. We were racking our brains trying to think of who it was that could have done this for us, but then we stepped back and realized that we already knew who "Santa" was. It was God.

God has provided so many things in our lives, even when we don't even realize it. This Christmas season has been extremely special because God made it clear to us that He is the one giving us gifts...not just at this time of year, but all day, every day. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and it was especially clear to us here. We will always look back on this time as evidence that God is at work in our lives. He is Jehovah Jireh and we can only respond by giving up our lives (which includes our money) to serve and love others.

Another double coupon week!

2011-12-05T12:04:00.001-07:00

I think we are to the point now where we have enough stuff stockpiled to wait and buy things when there is an awesome deal. We are also at a point where we are cutting back on our monthly grocery budget. It is a great feeling to know that we have saved so much money already, and now we don't have to worry about buying things! I love being able to go into my pantry and just pull out what I need. This week Albertsons was having a promo where you get $10 off the purchase of a gift card for every $30 you spend on select Procter and Gamble items. I bought Albertsons gift cards with my transactions, used them on other transactions, and ended up with all these things! The retail cost would have been $173.84. We got 10 boxes of Cheerios (good thing, because they are both mine and Nolan's favorite cereal), four 100oz bottles of Tide, a bottle of Downy, 8 cans of Pringles (Aaron was excited about that one), 2 boxes of tea bags, 3 boxes of Hamburger Helper, 2 big bottles of shampoo, and 6 jars of applesauce (another of Nolan's favorite foods). With the P&G promo, coupons, and sales, I spent $66.66. Couponing success!

Hopefully the last weekend of doublers for a while...

2011-11-23T12:38:00.001-07:00

I'm ready for a break! For the 4th week in a row, Alberstons put doublers in the paper. Couponing takes a lot of work, not to mention that I have been getting up early and going shopping, before things sell out! I went to Wal-mart this week too, to price match Tide since Albertsons did not have "Free and Gentle" that I use to wash cloth diapers. Here are this week's purchases: 5 boxes (big boxes this week!) of Honey Nut Cheerios, 1 box of Lucky Charms, 2 boxes Saltines, 6 boxes Barilla pasta, 10 cans Cream of Mushroom soup, 2 frozen Marie Callenders pies, 4 jars pasta sauce, a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, 5 boxes Pasta Roni, 2 cans coconut milk, 2 cans evaporated milk, 1 frozen orange juice concentrate, a canister of hot cocoa mix, a gallon of milk, Crisco oil, a bag of hash browns (OreIda is local here!), 4 boxes of cream cheese, 4 cans Progresso soup, a bottle of Tide, 2 bottles juice, a pack of 4 cans of sparkling juice, 2 bottles Aveeno body wash, 2 bags of marshmallows, and a bag of Twix minis (for Aaron's stocking! Don't tell him!). The total cost before sales and coupons was $206.71. I paid $77.18. Eventually, I might even be under budget for groceries! :)

Couponing is addicting!

2011-11-17T12:24:00.001-07:00

Albertsons had doublers for the 3rd week in a row last weekend (and there are rumors of double coupons coming AGAIN this weekend!). It was also the first weekend I got 5 Idaho Press-Tribune newspapers delivered to my door! I ended up buying 3 more newspapers at the store, which meant I had 24 doublers to use! I definitely added to our stockpile! This week's purchases include: 10lbs flour, 4 lbs powdered sugar, 4lbs brown sugar, 4 bottles of juice, 6 cans Progresso soup, 2lbs Tillamook cheese, a gallon of milk, a loaf of bakery French bread, 2 cans of cranberry sauce, 4 boxes of brownie mix, half gallon of soy milk, 5 packages of Oreos, 2 bags Werther's candies, yeast, 12 bags of microwave popcorn, 2 cans of SpaghettiOs, a package of Bear Creek soup mix, 8 jars of applesauce, a box of cake mix and frosting, 8 Yoplait yogurts, a sippy cup for Nolan, and a bottle of iced tea. The total value of all my purchases was $252.84. After sale prices, 3 trips to the store, 8 transactions, and more than 50 coupons, I paid $59.46. I could get used to this. I don't think I'm obsessed or addicted, but, embarrassingly, there have been multiple times when I have been woken up in the middle of the night by a crying baby and realized that i have been dreaming about coupons. How could you not be excited about saving so much money???

My Daily Battle With Poland Syndrome

2011-11-11T10:38:00.001-07:00

Many people have commented on my previous post (I Have Poland Syndrome) that they admire my courage and bravery in sharing my birth defect with the world. They appreciate that I look on the bright side and love life, being confident that God made me this way for a reason.

Well, I want to let you in on a little secret... I'm not courageous. I'm not brave.

I'm self-conscious.

Now, some of you might think that I am courageous relative to others that have Poland Syndrome. Others with this birth defect are afraid to even tell their closest friends that they have a misshapen body and a figure that would get stares from people at the pool or beach. That may be true, but it is hiding the whole truth.

The reality is that all of my family and friends often forget that I even have Poland Syndrome. They thought it was interesting at first, and now they don't even notice it. It is not who I am, it's just what's under my shirt.

The real battle is with my own self-image. I still see my one-sided chest every morning. Every day I see my puny right bicep and thin arm. When I have my shirt off at the pool, I often intentionally put my towel over my right shoulder in order to hide my missing right pec muscle. When I pose in photos, I often intentionally stand on the left side of people to show off my left bicep rather than exposing my right. These are things I think about.

The first photo above was taken four years ago when we moved to Portland. I have this photo in a frame by my desk at work and every time I look at it, it reminds me how I purposefully stood that way to hide my right arm. I like the way I look in it because it shows off my left bicep and pec muscle.

The second photo was taken about a month ago after we moved to Ontario. In this photo, I immediately look at my right arm and see how small it looks. Many would say "Aaron, it doesn't look small. It's not a big deal," but it looks small to me. I struggle with focusing on all of the joys in the photo. I'm not ignoring my beautiful wife and cute son on a beautiful day at the pumpkin patch, it's just that my eyes keep panning down to my arm.

This is the battle of self-image that I struggle with. It's not eating me up inside or anything. I live a pretty normal life. Most of my time is spent thinking about work and my loving family that I come home to every day. But those other times of the day when I am daydreaming or looking at photos, I see a man who is not as physically attractive as I would like to be.

The life-long battle of being self-conscious is one that will never end. I am constantly fighting these self-image issues and accepting the fact that I am different. Some days I love being different, while other days I wish I had a normal chest and two normal arms. It's a battle that I don't think I'll ever win... but I don't ever plan on losing the battle either.

God tells us in the Bible that although I want to do good and think good thoughts, evil is right there with me. The battle of my flesh is raging with what I know God wants: He wants me to focus on the love that Jesus covers us with...no matter what we look like. My body will eventually waste away and die, and it is what's in my heart and soul that counts. Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ!

Related posts:
I Have Poland Syndrome
My Tattoo
Will My Child Have Poland Syndrome?

Reflecting on God's Faithfulness

2011-11-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

I was hunched over, face on the floor, crying out to God. Two and a half months ago, at the beginning of the school year, I was alone. I moved here to Ontario, Oregon, without my wife and son. My evenings were excruciatingly lonely and filling with worries about what the middle schoolers might do to me the following day.

Each night I had to put together sad, pathetic meals with only plastic silverware and paper plates. After living in a comfortable motel for a week with a cozy bed, I moved into an apartment with no furniture and empty cupboards.

I couldn't wait for my family to join me.

Now, after surviving one quarter as a full-time middle school math teacher in the poorest county in Oregon, I can see God's faithfulness. At the time, I felt like I would never get through the stress and pain of being a new teacher in a new school in a small town far away from the city I know so well. I'm currently feeling relief as I am beginning to get into a comfortable rhythm as a teacher. Tonight I ate a warm, delicious meal cooked by my beautiful wife. We have also been crawling around on the floor, playing with my cute son.

Even though life feels much better now, we are still experiencing stress and pain. I still work 65+ hour weeks as a new teacher. It's difficult to keep from thinking about anything other than solving for x and trying to figure out who is throwing the damn paper airplanes in class. I can't spend as much time with my family even when I know that I need to. Life is still really hard right now.

Thankfully, I look back on how God was faithful to me when I was hunched over, alone, crying on the floor of my empty apartment. He brought me my family and a warm meal. And he will do it again. There is a lot to look forward to.

Great deals at Albertsons this week!

2011-11-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Not quite"extreme" couponing like on TV, but I am pretty proud of myself. Included in today's purchases: 9 boxes of cereal, 18 cans of vegetables, 4 cans of pineapple, 2 bottles of Torani syrup (can't live without it now that the closest Starbucks is a solid 30 minute drive away), 4 boxes of Jell-o pudding mix, 2 jars of peanut butter, 4 cans of SpaghettiOs, 4 boxes of pasta, 12 bags of microwave popcorn, a dozen eggs, and two 2.5lb beef roasts (yum, pot roast!). The total value? $163.16. I spent (drum roll please)...$65.71! AND, I have $9 in Catalina coupons to use on my next purchase. :)

Learning to coupon

2011-11-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I am going to learn to coupon. I decided to start with Rite Aid, which has a straight forward rewards system and is very coupon friendly. In the past month I have scoured blogs, printed way too many coupons from the internet, and sharpened my math skills calculating the best deals. I ended up with a free tube of toothpaste, free chapstick, 38 cent boxes of Kleenex, and got PAID to buy Zicam (cold medicine). So now I am expanding to couponing for groceries, and working on building a stockpile. I added Albertsons to my weekly calculations. These are pictures of the deals I got last week (10/30/11): Tide, two bottles of conditioner, a bottle of shampoo, two packs of gum, two boxes of cereal, two bottles of corn syrup (for Special K bars as soon as I score some cheap Special K!), cornstarch, baking powder, spices, and ten yogurts for under $12 total. At least it's not an expensive hobby! :)

First haircut!

2011-10-26T14:31:00.001-06:00

Before:

After:

4 Years of Marriage

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-06:00

This past year of marriage I have fallen in love with Jen more than I thought I ever would. Year 4 was definitely the big one...the tester of how our marriage would hold up under pressure.

Big events happened over the past year:
- Nolan was born
- My first [partial] year of teaching
- Jen went back to work (even though she wanted to stay home with Nolan)
- I stayed at home with Nolan (even though I wanted to go back to work)
- I was able to work as a long-term sub at the end of the 2010-11 school year (neither of us could stay home with Nolan)
- I accepted a job in Ontario, Oregon, and I was away from Jen and Nolan for 2.5 weeks
- We knew absolutely nobody in this town
- Now, we are starting to settle in and meet people from church

I missed my wife. Those 2.5 weeks of being away from Jen were a BIG deal. After you spend every day with a person for 4 years, being apart seems very lonely. I spent a lot of time thinking about how much Jen means to me. I missed her so much.

I admire my wife. Jen trusted me enough to follow me across the entire state of Oregon, away from friends and family. Go figure...I finally get a full time job, which means she gets to stay home with Nolan...but it's a home in a city foreign to us. She came here and was more supportive to me than I could have ever imagined. And she has even started a new hobby: Couponing! I admire her so much.

I love my wife. Jen is such a servant to me, and she conveys Jesus' love through her actions. She was courageous, moving here, is meeting other moms, and starting to get involved with helping in the nursery at church. I love her so much.

I am extremely thankful for the relationship that we have. However, it could not have happened without all the arguing along the way and Christ's redeeming hand keeping us on a firm foundation. He is our rock and our faithful guide.

Interviewed by Ontario's Newspaper

2011-10-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

I was recently interviewed by a reporter from Ontario's local newspaper. It was fun! Click here to read about it.

Peekaboo Boo-boo

2011-10-01T17:23:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MANeOziA-W4

Four new Nolan videos

2011-09-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

Here are four new videos of Nolan, since we have been in Ontario. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mahiag5p-qU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-O0LEvxpVY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsa0RNdzhlo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqXZZf0h3o8

Moving to Ontario, Oregon

2011-08-22T21:58:00.000-06:00

A week ago, I drove approximately 360 miles and 6.5 hours through the Columbia River Gorge, over the Blue Mountains, and across the dry high desert to the small town of Ontario, Oregon. It is right on the border of Idaho and the last stop on I-84 before crossing over the Snake River. There are only about 12,000 people living in the city, and I accepted an 8th grade math teaching position at their only middle school. I'm pumped!

Ontario Middle School is filled with staff who are so welcoming and willing to help me out. I have had so many people offer me a place to stay, to drive me around, and advice about the town. I have felt nothing but comfort in my new position, and I can't wait to meet my students! There are many positive things that seem to be happening in the district. There is construction on new buildings at the middle school and the high school, so it is clear to me that the kids have people who really care about them.

My home for the past week has been the friendly neighborhood Motel 6. It has been a nice place to relax while searching for a rental in the area. I ended up finding a great place in the north end of Ontario and plan on moving my small pile of belongings in tomorrow. The funny thing is that some of the people from my school have told me that it is the "bad" part of town. With drugs, drive-bys, and stabbings. Stuff like that. My immediate thought was, "Hey! It's just like home in East Portland!" After riding my bike all over the city, it really doesn't seem that bad to me. And besides, I believe that if there is something wrong with a neighborhood, you need to be the change you want to see there (I think that's a quote from somebody famous). I talked to Jen about it and we both like the idea of living in an area where we can be a positive influence, rather than just fleeing to live where nobody is struggling to get by. After just a week of being here, it seems to me that there is a great need in this city. There is a need for unity and integration between neighborhoods and communities. I really hope to help Ontario as a teacher and now as a resident.

My loving wife showed her complete dedication to me by being willing to move across the entire state, away from friends and family to a small town where we know absolutely no one. It has been very difficult being away from her and Nolan, but thankfully due to the internet and the new Google+ Hangouts (see pic), Jen's beautiful smile and Nolan's adorable noises are just a few clicks away on video chat. They will be joining me in just a couple short weeks, and Portland will be in our rear view mirror.

I believe we have a great opportunity to make a difference in the city of Ontario. There are many people here that are hurting, and I hope that God will use the Riedl family in a way that pleases Him.

S-A-H D Lesson #8

2011-08-20T23:51:00.000-06:00

Stay-At-Home Dad Lesson #8: I'm done.

I have learned a lot from being at home with Nolan. Living the stay-at-home life for a parent has been an eye-opening experience.

I'm done staying at home full-time. I accepted a job as a math teacher (more details in the next post), and Jen will finally be able to do what she has been wanting to do for a long, long time... to be a stay-at-home mom!

Fitting into our roles is something we have been looking forward to for years. I have always wanted to be the breadwinner of the family, and she has always want to stay at home with our child(ren). It has been very rewarding for me to take care of Nolan as he has grown from a 2-month old when I started caring for him full-time, to a super-crawling 8-month old. I have learned many lessons and I'm glad you were able to read along with me on my journey. I certainly believe that I have a new perspective on what it is like to stay home raising a little human being. The struggles, joys, hardships, and laughter has given me insight about how Jen will be feeling when she begins the same journey.

Below is a quick summary of all of my stay-at-home dad lessons and what I hope to do in my role as a full-time working parent:

Lesson #7: Baby Einstein is ridiculous.

I plan to spend time with Nolan and play with him, even when I have lots of grading to do at home.

Lesson #6: You learn as you go.

I plan to be patient with Jen, because I know that she will care for Nolan differently than I did.

Lesson #5: I need a kiss when you get home.

I plan to kiss Jen immediately (and passionately, haha) when I get home from work.

Lesson #4: The fruit of this labor does not blossom immediately.

I plan to thank Jen for the hard work she does as often as possible.

Lesson #3: Some days, you just don't feel like taking a shower.

I plan to tell Jen that she is beautiful. She is beautiful no matter if she has showered or not.

Lesson #2: I need to get out of the house!

I plan to give Jen opportunities to spend time by herself, with friends, or with us outside our home.

Lesson #1: When your baby is sleeping, do chores as fast as humanly possible!

I plan to help her with chores around the house as much as I can.

I love you Jen, and I respect you for wanting to stay home with our son. It is admirable, humbling, and exhausting work. I praise God for providing me with a partner who wants the very best for our children, just like I do. You are my Pookie. ;-)

S-A-H D Lesson #7

2011-08-11T11:48:00.000-06:00

Stay-At-Home Dad Lesson #7: Baby Einstein is ridiculous.

We borrowed a Baby Einstein DVD from the library, popped it in, stuck Nolan in front of the TV, and watched what would happen.

We were stunned.

It was mesmerizing! It was beautiful! It was........ ridiculous.

On the DVD we watched, it was just normal everyday stuff moving around to some classical music. I listed some examples of what I saw on the screen below.

I saw...

A toy turning around in circles.
A flashing light glimmering off a shiny object.
A little train going around a track.
Liquid dripping out of a bottle.
Hand puppets moving across the screen.
A girl playing a toy piano.
A girl playing a toy saxophone.
A girl playing a toy drum.
Balls rolling across the screen.
An adult hand stacking blocks.
Plastic toys spinning around.

All of these scenes were simple, basic, normal things that I could have done with everyday objects right in front of him. Baby Einstein is nothing special. It's just typical, everyday stuff.

I understand there are some situations where just putting your kid in front of the TV for a long period of time would be helpful, but I know that some people actually consistently show these DVDs to their babies because they think it will make them smarter. Ridiculous.

All you need to do is spend time with your child, play with them, and show them interesting things that they have never seen before. Develop a relationship with your child. Get to know them. Find out what they like. Take a variety of objects in your home and show it to your child so they learn about the world. Have them touch it, put it in their mouth, and discover new things around them. All these will do wonders for their future.

S-A-H D Lesson #6

2011-08-08T11:48:00.000-06:00

Stay-At-Home Dad Lesson #6: You learn as you go.

When I first started taking care of Nolan several months ago, he was about 2 months old. I barely had time to do anything for myself. At that time, I thought it was crazy how some parents are able to take care of twins, or even children at different ages...and don't get me started about how on Earth someone could possibly take care of sextuplets or some insane fertility accident. How exhausting!

If you had a newborn and a 2-year old, for example, how would you get the baby to sleep when the terrible two-year old is screaming or misbehaving or going psycho? I know you would try to do nap time at the same time, but how could you do that in a small apartment? They certainly couldn't share the same room, could they?

That's what I used to think about. But now, I see that you learn to be more efficient as time goes on. Nolan is our first child, and this is obviously my first time taking care of a baby full-time. It makes sense now, looking back on the last few months, that I have become more efficient and smarter with how I schedule a daily routine. Likewise, it makes sense that you would also learn as you go when it comes to multiple children. Thankfully, I have had the help from a lovely wife to answer my questions, as well as help from the wonderful internet, family, and friends.

S-A-H D Lesson #5

2011-08-06T11:48:00.000-06:00

Stay-At-Home Dad Lesson #5: I need a kiss when you get home.

I am alone with a crabby baby all day. I need to know that my hard work is appreciated. The best way that I feel like my bringing-home-the-bacon-breadwinner-of-a-wife is thankful for me is when she comes home and kisses me before she does anything else.

Old photo from 2009 surfing trip

I heard once somewhere, maybe a college course, that one of the best ways to succeed in having a quality marriage is by making sure to kiss each other when you see each other after work. I think that is so true. It certainly helps with me. I am much more loving and serving to my wife when she shows me that she appreciates me through a simple kiss. Even if I had a bad day, it can all turn around when I know my wife wants to kiss me.

This is something I really need to remember when I am the breadwinner again (someday) and she stays home. I need to remember that the rest of the evening when I get home from work depends on my first few actions when I come home.

S-A-H D Lesson #4

2011-08-04T11:16:00.000-06:00

Stay-At-Home Dad Lesson #4: The fruit of this labor does not blossom immediately.

I like to be productive. I like to see results right away. When I am used to that type of work, it is difficult for me to be a stay-at-home dad.

When someone stays at home to raise a child, it takes a lot of labor. That is obvious. Taking care of children is a lot of work. However, the fruit of that labor is not immediate. It takes many years to see the fruit of good parenting.

My cranky baby boy

The funny thing is, it also takes many years to see the bad fruit of bad parenting. Once the child realizes that they have choices and decisions to make in their lives, they decide to disobey the parent(s). All of these years of laboring to take care of your child is thankless work. Thankless work that does not pay off until they are older.

Jen is much better at this type of work than me. I get bored with changing diapers and having my son scream into my ear when I am trying to get him to sleep. But I know it will pay off in the end. I do it because I have to love him in that way. I don't know how Jen can find so much joy out of those thankless chores, but I am just glad that she fits into that role with joy in her heart.