A Top 5 for Sunday Morning: The ideal day versus reality

Posted on September 22, 2013 by vincentvicari

Sunday’s are interesting days. Sometimes they are filled with relaxation and football. Some of us worship in our respective ways. Others spend the day with family around a table eating. Still others need the time to mow the lawn and do all the things they didn’t get to during the week.

I started thinking about what I do on Sundays. Sometimes I end up doing basically what I don’t want to be doing. So what are five things I think most dad’s ideal Sunday would be:

Watching football, baseball or golf.
Eating.
Not doing yard work.
Sleeping past 7 am.
Checking the football schedule for next Sunday.

The items above make a great plan. Below are the five things that will actually happen today:

Watch cartoons to keep the little one happy.
Hopefully eat lunch sometime between 12 pm and 2 pm.
Mow the lawn.
I was up at 6:30 am.
There is no point in checking next Sunday’s NFL schedule.

Enjoy your Sunday!

I hope you enjoyed this post. All comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged!

Life After the Inflatable Pool: A Sunday Morning Musing

Posted on September 1, 2013 by vincentvicari

In my last post, Life In the Inflatable Family pool, my wife and I learned life is different now that we are older. After Little A didn’t want anything to do with the pool, it was time to deflate and pack away for this year.

It is with sadness I report in the end, the pool ended up in the garbage.

Inflatable pools are filled with air, not water. What do I mean? As we went to lift the pool to drain the water, we found it harder to move than expected. Somehow, water filled the two bottom inflatable rings. This was only learned after much aggravation, ( and a frustrated daddy Kung-Fu kick to an inflatable ring). Oh, and mommy seeing the water.

If you’ve tried to move the Blob before, you understand our difficulty.

The End

Ultimately, I had to slice the two rings open to expel the water. I was disappointed at the thought of cutting the pool. I’m not sure what it symbolized to me subconsciously. Maybe a failing in my parenting abilities? I digress.

Little A of course, wasn’t phased by the situation. In fact, I think he’s secretly pleased. Mommy was more frustrated at my Bruce Lee impersonation. I’m just glad I can re-grow the grass that started to burn underneath the pool.

In the end, life moves on. So the lesson we learned while sitting in the pool holds true. Enjoy the little moments and be weary of inflatable pools.

I hope you enjoyed this post. As always comments are welcome and encouraged!

Life In the Inflatable Family Pool (theevolvingdad.wordpress.com)

A Simple Quote Of My Own

Quote

Posted on August 27, 2013 by vincentvicari

“Sometimes parenting is easier than dog sitting.”

The Top 5 Beverages For Dads

Posted on August 25, 2013 by vincentvicari

Parents will tell you, there are things you need to do to get through some days with the little ones. Nutrition is also important regardless of one’s station in life. Various beverages can provide nutritional value. Combining these two needs results in more daddy’s needs for daily survival.

Alcoholic beverages (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So I compiled a list of my top five beverages every dad should have on his menu:

Coffee
Water
Green tea
Red Wine
Beer

The coffee and water are self-explanatory. Green tea not only tastes good, but is rich with anti-oxidants. From what I read, those are good things. As a man who was 103 told me, the red wine is good for your ticker. Who am I to argue.

A note about the beer: you don’t need to consume daily. This is more a delicacy than necessity best consumed after the little ones go to bed. Also, if you are having a glass of wine, skip the beer.

More Good News for Red Wine Drinkers (vinesse.com)

You Want What For Your Birthday?

Posted on August 21, 2013 by vincentvicari

I’ve found there are moments when parents question their decision to have kids. Mostly in the wee hours of the morning, the two-hour drive to the in-laws, or the wonder world of Walmart. I suspect these moments are fleeting. Fortunately for the kids, mommy and daddy love them and wouldn’t trade them for the world.

It was in one of these moments, when my beautiful wife looked at me with the all too familiar look of exasperation, and I blurted out, “maybe for my next birthday, I’ll get that procedure to prevent having more.”

I, of course, was completely joking.

With a straight face, and even more serious tone, she responded, “my birthday is sooner.”

I’m going to speak to the husbands and fathers out there: this was a moment of realization about my marriage and life that I honestly didn’t know how to take. Therefore my response was to laugh and change the subject. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Needless to say, since that day we’ve both come to our senses. I will never mention the subject again. I think my wife is somewhat concerned as to what my reaction will be if she mentions it again. So, she’ll just make the appointment for me.

As for Little A, he laughed, shook his head no, and then gave flight to the baby monitor.

Top 10 Lessons Parents Can Teach Their Kids Using A-Rod: A Sunday Morning Musing

Posted on August 18, 2013 by vincentvicari

I’m a baseball fan and a Yankee fan at that. However, I’m truly exhausted by the saga that is Alex Rodriguez. I need not go into more details or rant about my personal thoughts on the subject. Instead, I thought about how this relates to fatherhood and parenting in general.

The answer is rather simple, the entire situation is a great way to explain some important life lessons. So here is a list of the top ten things a parent can teach their kids using Alex Rodriguez:

No matter how far you can hit a fastball, bad behavior will always catch-up to you.
Anyone tells you to stick a needle in any part of you, and their name is not followed by M.D., seriously question what you’re about to do.
Sports are just entertainment. There are significantly more important things in life.
Get over yourself. Each of us has the potential to do great things, but that doesn’t make us better or more important than everyone else.
Don’t lie. Once you lie, you can never stop. See item #1 above.
Be grateful to those who employ you. For their generosity provides for your life.
If you truly don’t like who or what employs you, leave.
The world isn’t always nice, get used to it.
Some days you will wish you could go back to kindergarten, that’s a normal feeling.
Don’t be Alex Rodriguez.

One Grunt and My Son’s Turning Into A True Man, According To My Wife

Posted on August 9, 2013 by vincentvicari

Little A is truly developing a personality. His various grunts and noises are rather amusing. Baby talk doesn’t work on the guy anymore, which is good, but his responses are what makes us laugh. It’s time to work on the language skills.

According to my wife, he’s turning into a man because he doesn’t respond clearly. Usually we’ll get a grunt and a twist of the head. For example, I asked him where his ball was, and he looked at me, then motioned his head towards the ball while giving a “uh” sound.

I refuse to debate with my wife if this is typical male behavior, as I know that is an argument I won’t win. But, I will say, this dad is proud of his little man. Shh…don’t tell the wife.

Of course, I will continue to make sure he uses his words and proper associations. Not to mention using “uh” as a response won’t get him very far in life. For the time being, I’m going to enjoy his one-grunt responses and associated gestures. Once he actually starts talking, it’s all down hill from there.

Humor In the House: A Sunday Morning Musing

Posted on August 4, 2013 by vincentvicari

Laughter is the best medicine. We’ve all heard this before. I promised myself when I started writing The Evolving Dad I was going to have as much humor in the blog as possible. Well, as with any journey, I’ve touched on many topics, many of which not so funny.

But I’m fortunate to live in a home with much laughter and humor. Having a one-year-old supplies most of the material. For example, we prefer Little A stay out of the kitchen. Who knows what’s living on that floor despite our best cleaning efforts. The way from the living room to the kitchen is an odd angle for an inexpensive (I’m frugal, not cheap)baby gate. So we blocked the path with diaper boxes. Do you think this stopped the little guy?

After pulling himself up and surveying the land beyond the boxes, he sat down, grabbed the corner of the box and pulled. Eventually he got his way. As he smiled at his amused and frustrated parents from kitchen land, we realized at least he can problem solve.

Here we were, two adults, educated, and taking our parenting abilities seriously. Only, Little A was able to outsmart us. Master’s degrees be damned.

I won’t admit this to the wife, but it’s rather entertaining watching the little one discover new ways to get around. I guess that’s the joy in all this. The best of all, is that grin he gives. He can’t say it, but that look speaks a thousand words. I got you daddy, try again.

At least I can laugh about it.

Hunter Mahan, A Dad’s Golfer

Posted on August 1, 2013 by vincentvicari

Hunter Mahan (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

Hunter Mahan withdrew from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to be with his newborn daughter, Zoe. Kudos to Hunter Mahan. I’ve spent much time this week pondering a post about this. I wasn’t going to write anything, but then it dawned on me, what a great story.

Lately it seems no matter where we turn, some professional athlete, (I won’t debate here whether pro golfers are athletes) is doing something bad. The traditional media, and social media, are all over it. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, you’ve been bombarded with Aaron Hernandez, Alex Rodriguez, and now the unfortunate yet not uncommon tribulations of Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

Mahan’s story put a smile on my face. I was glad to see he put the career aside and his family first. I’m always saying there’s more to life than money. Thankfully Hunter Mahan proved me right.

New dad Hunter Mahan withdraws from Bridgestone (timesleader.com)
New dad Hunter Mahan withdraws from Bridgestone (sandiego6.com)
Leader Hunter Mahan withdraws from RBC Canadian Open when wife goes into labor (sbnation.com)

What Do I Know About Oatmeal Bath Wash?

Posted on July 30, 2013 by vincentvicari

Oatmeal (Photo credit: desegura89)

Oatmeal bath wash, I have no idea what it is. Never heard of it. But, I still get to provide input on the purchase of such a product. Yes, what am I supposed to say when my wife calls me and asks which oatmeal bath wash we should get Little A?

I realized a while back there is nothing beyond the realm of a dad. Nothing. Not hand and face wipes, Boogie Wipes, catching the little one’s drool with your hand, and now colloidal oatmeal. Life has come full circle.

Of course I want Little A to feel better and have his rash clear up. But this is honestly new territory for daddy. I appreciate my wife making the actual purchase, as I’m sure I would have the deer-in-headlights look. At least I would provide much humor to a potentially drab existence of a teenage cashier. But I feel in some way, unqualified to provide adequate insight. I need time to research, to learn, talk to other parents! But no, a random call answered with a hurried reply. My initial response: “huh?” I suspect I’ll be spoken to about that when she returns.

I further suspect we are the proud owners of several versions of said baby oatmeal bath wash. There is a lesson in all this, I just don’t know what it is. Maybe I’ll find the answer in my bowl of breakfast oatmeal tomorrow morning. The irony isn’t lost on this dad.