Epic Laziness

"What is it with flat blocks and trollies?" - Jim, 28 Days Later

   So the image above was a recent experience in the parking lot of a nameless "low price leader" store. The Wife observed the stereotypical lazy citizen, put a shopping cart (trolly) from the back of his SUV to the curb next to him. He refused to walk the cart the extra 10 feet to the actual "cart return". Epic laziness. 'Nuff said.

   Please don't tell me "that's what those people are paid to do" or I'll just start pushing my trash out the front door. Let's not get into how our bathroon habits would change. I think it's sufficient to say that I'd hoped more from ourselves. The Wife told me the story of a guy she dated briefly. They were sitting in a parking lot while he finished his bag of McDinner. Once finished, he took one last sip of drink, opened his car door, and pushed all trash out onto the ground before closing the door and driving off. Are we that lazy? I'm doing a self check. I recommend we all do. Self, then kids, then pets, etc.

J.

Banana Nut Bread

"Mommy, can I help you make balana bread?" - 'Lil Miss

   It's inevitable that our little ones will want to help us out at some point. Heck, 'Lil Man at 18 months is wanting to help with the hammer, matches, etc. This past weekend, the bananas had become sufficiently mushy, and banana nut bread was on the To Do list. It's been a small dream of The Wife to do a little baking with 'Lil Miss. This was her first real chance. She's helped with "pouring" things in with a lot of help. This time she mashed bananas, and mixed like none other.
   The result was a nice piece of warm banana nut bread as a treat before bed time. It was clear that the treat was THAT much sweeter from the work she put into it. That's the point isn't it? Teaching the value of a little work. Her arms were tired after the mushing and stirring. Yet, she saw the work that went into it, and appreciated the end result. It was fun seeing the process play out.
   Having toasted banana nut bread for the mornings to come wasn't bad either.

J.

Our Recipe (just in case):

What Makes Us Human?

   The above image was a recent event within the area I work. On the left if the pic of a baby falcon/eagle that was clearly a former resident of the next pictured on the right. I heard that the bird had an infection near it's mouth, ate very little during nursing back to health, and died a few days after the pic was taken. One theory was that the bird was pushed out of the nest due to it's ilness. True or not, it made me think of my little guys.
   Whether our rug rats have minor sniffles, leg aches, and such, we do all that we can to nurse them back to health. We carry wads of tissues in our pockets. We try to stay awake in the wee hours to rub a leg that's aching to the point of tears. We stroke strands of sweaty hair on a feverish head that has any number of illness attached to it. We hold and rub "owwies" or any sort to make sure our little ones are okay to play another while.
   Does it please you too, that we don't push them out of the nest, or abandon them to their demise. Granted, natural selection helps with overpopulation, but we won't get into that here. I was just marveling at what lengths we go to for our own. I've been calling it the "papa bear" (or "mama bear") effect. Whether we protect health or feelings, we all go "papa bear" at some point. It doesn't matter how loud or quiet any of us are. We will all go "papa bear" if it gets to a certain point.

Here's to all you "papa bears" out there.

J.

Nails, Tunes,..... Balance

   So this past weekend found me thinking about stuff in my life. One of the things that always takes me back to the roots of happiness is to quietly spend some time with my 'Lil Miss and paint me some nails!!! I'm getting better at it and she doesn't protest at ALL! In fact, her teacher said that she was showing all her school friends, teachers, classrooms pets, etc. Clearly she is a girly girl who loves to get 'er nails did.
   Make no mistake, is a conversation piece too. I speak with LOADS of people every day and finding small talk to either pass the time or build relationships is important. I rank my daughter's nail VERY high on the value meter. The ladies I speak with (that have influence in the offices I visit), think it's adorable, commendable, above and beyond as a father, and so on. I would have never known. Getting props is always cool, but it's reminded me of how uncommon stuff like that is. There are certain things that are traditionally NOT in a father's bag of tricks. I'm trying to change that, and the result is a closer relationship with my daughter and a different view of me in others' eyes.
   Have your wife show you the basics. Then just trial and error. You can always clean it off and start over (though, age + attention span = few tries). Oh, and I plan on playing several versions of my new favorite song "Never Going Back Again" by Fleetwood Mac. Here's the Glee version, which is pretty good.



Later,

J.

Fun With Facial Hair

   "There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless — boys and women — and I am neither one" - Greek Saying

    I've sported a goatee for some time now. So long, in fact that when I get a little annoyed with its length and shorten it up, the kids don't recognize me at a first glance. 'Lil Miss looks at me sideways with a scrunched up face, and 'Lil Man just stares at me blankly. It DOES give me a chance to relive the old days that I experience with my father.
   He would start with a full beard. Then he would methodically shave a piece off at at time, working his way down in looks. Lambchops, then goatee. Fu Manchu, then porn star. He'd inevitably end it all with the Hitler look. It was all done with the sons present, 'cuz it was fun to see him in all those states.
   I dropped this gem on you guys, 'cuz it was something I did with MY father. Now it's something I do with my little guys. A fun way to play with our looks and mess with their heads. Sure, "You look better with your beard." is always a compliment to how I look normally. However, I cherish any time I can spend with my kids, making them laugh, even if it's from me looking like a trucker or hated dictator.

Give 'er a try.

J.