Equation for a Focused & Happy Toddler

Cheerios + Bowls + A Pair of Tweezers

Way to go, Lady Rad! Anyone else with incredibly simple, yet awesome activities for the young'in's during the hot summer months when you're a S@HM?

When to have The Talk with your kids

I can't believe that the Mu is not even 3, and already beginning to ask questions. What a world we live in.

A Toddler's view of Daddy

Sometimes I wake up looking like this.

I was told today that the Mu picked up his Incredible Hulk action figure, held it high in the air, and exclaimed "Oh look! It's Daddy!"

I assume, for my own sake, that it's because Hulk is big and strong, and not because he's bi-polar with an anger management problem.  

Now I'm no Lou Ferrigno... heck, I'm certainly no Ed Norton and I'm hardly even a Bill Bixby, but when I hear that, it reminds me that we ARE the heroes we attempt to be for our kids when we try.  No matter what our size or stature is, we can always give them the security of having a big, strong man around by just... being around; reading to them, wrestling with them, talking with them.  Loving them.

The greatest joy of my day is when I come home and get to grab both of the kids from Lady Rad and play with them.  That should be the greatest joy of any father's, and for those who can't get home from work early enough to experience that joy, I feel sorry for you.  Bringing home a paycheck or getting a promotion doesn't make you a Hero in their eyes - being present and engaged does.

I know the day will come when my kids don't see me as the powerful protector anymore -  we all begin to realize our parent's shortcomings as we get older - but I hope that for as long as possible, I can be the Hero they think I am.

Potty Training - it all comes out in the end

The SuperRad Fam has moved into a new frontier - that of potty training the Mu.

We wanted to put this off as long as possible, especially since our hands are pretty tied with making sure that Q doesn't roll into something painful as she manages to trench-crawl her way around the house like a Private during Boot Camp.

Still it was Mu who insisted, and we are happy to try to oblige him.  The past week hasn't been without highs and lows, many of which I'll chronicle in the near future.  For now, though know this - the SuperRad Fam is on high alert for all scatological activities in the area. 

And never have I imagined that Lady Rad and I would discuss poop in all manners so freely.

So long, Cable!

I did an unthinkable thing the other day.  I called up our cable TV provider, Surewest, and canceled our service.  When the Customer Retention Specialist asked which competitor we would be switching to, I said "None."  When he asked what our plans were for TV, I said "We don't really know right now, we're more concerned with getting bills paid off."

And then it was gone - all of my 700,000 channels in glorious High Definition precious shows tenderly secured on my DVR - gone.

And you know, at 3 days cableless, it doesn't feel so bad.

Want to say 'I love you?' Leave.

Make it a Quietccino

Here's a thought:

Lady Rad takes care of a 5 month old and a 2.5 year old every day, day in and day out.  She doesn't stop caretaking, doing laundry, making meals, cleaning, etc. until about 8:30p.m. most nights, even when I pitch in to help.  She is up at 5:30a.m. at the latest each morning so she can get 30 minutes of quiet time and exercise before she's on the clock for the next 14.5 hours.

So why would any compassionate husband of a woman who works this hard think that breakfast-in-bed, prepared by himself and the two kids would be what she REALLY wants for Valentine's Day?

Christmas Trees & Toddlers - the Dilema

The Mu is two-years old, and has gotten his first taste of Christmas Cheer.  Everywhere we go, he manages to point out every St. Nick and Snowman he sees.  So it is with great excitement and anticipation for him and me that we will be getting a Christmas tree soon.

This excitement is, understandably, not shared equally with Lady Rad whose current challenges involve making sure that the Mu doesn't cause too much toddler-destruction while she is needing to attend to Q's nap-training routine.  Normally, this challenge has been met by a diligent child-proofing routine every morning where Lady Rad can be reasonably confident that she can go into another room for 20 minutes while Mu is quietly playing with toys.  Brining a Noble Fir into the front room kind of screws up the entire flow that's been achieved thus far.

The Man-Bag: Good Enough for Chewbacca, Good Enough for Me

Wookie Fashion Statement

I maintain that the modern man has too many items to simply be carried in their pockets.  Keys, cell phone, wallet, sunglasses, MP3 player, headphones, ID badge, etc. could theoretically be carried in cargo pants or a tek-jacket, but who wants to look like they are going on a hunt in Borneo, when they are just trying to get to the store for milk? Belt clips don't help, either.  Unless you are a Contractor, Police Officer, or Batman, you should never have anything clipped to your belt - with the exception of, perhaps, a small cell phone with business dress, if absolutely necessary

When men carried traditional briefcases to and from work, finding a place for these items was natural.  But with the exception of a small population, most men don't carry briefcases anymore.  I, for one, loathe the briefcase as it is only really acceptable for the office and, even then, is pretty stuffy.  I carried one during my first year of practice and found it, ironically, impractical. 

ProTip: Emergency Chocolate

One of the things I've learned about Lady Rad, and women in general, over the years is the emotional catharsis that chocolate brings.  For whatever reason: biochemical, sociological, or metaphysical, chocolate is celebrated by Lady Rad in good times and bad.

The irony of this is, of course, Lady Rad's desire to maintain a hot bod, and therefore her insistence that chocolate should not be readily available in the house.  But when she has gone through a full day of balancing S@HM responsibilities - balancing two children who either desire to cling to her or spit up on her at all times of the day while preparing dinner and doing laundry - at the end of the day, chocolate is as imperative as a scalding hot bath.

Which is why I've started to have Emergency Chocolates on hand for whenever the occasion calls.  Nothing fancy, just a variety of fun-sized candy bars stashed secretly in our home - the whereabouts known only to me.  Whenever Lady Rad has that "Calgon, take me away" look on her face after the kids are asleep, I slip into the kitchen, find my secret stash, and produce a cocoa-based offering to the goddess of hearth and home.