parenting

Cosley Zoo, Pet Stores, New Words, Daddy and Mary’s Party

A short time ago I took Emma to the Cosley Zoo in Wheaton. It is a small zoo that is close and FREE! We got to look at cows, horses, lamas, sheep, ducks, owls, hawks, pigs, turtles, foxes, deer and other small animals. Emma was a good girl and really enjoyed going into the old train caboose where the inside was decorated with plants and leaves. I recommend this place for a free and enjoyable excursion. Emma has become a fond admirer of pet stores now. She loves going there–there are 2 of them close, she calls one the old one and the other the new one. She loves looking at the fish and …Read more […..]

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July 4th in Wisconsin, Talking to Poppie, The Italian Feast, 1st Penis Sighting, New Words–Good & Bad!

This 4th of July was a very nice one! We spent it at the lake house with Nonnie and poppy. Emma had a great time swimming and finding jewels in the water that the “mermaids” brought. Nonnie started the tradition of throwing little knick knack jewelry items into the water and claiming to the kids that mermaids brought them. This tradition has continued for almost 20 years now. The fireworks were very nice as usual. Emma loves watching fireworks–as long as the loud ones are far away…. We watched the town fireworks from our house across the lake and then the people around the lake started …Read more […..]

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Stay at Home Dad Video

Cute video for all Stay at Home Dads! A bit of talking at the beginning but worth waiting for the song! …Read more […..]

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Grean Beans! Ballerina Costume, Nonnie was Here, Pink Eye-Yuch

So, it has been a heck of a time trying to get Emma to eat vegetables. Ok, she has been eating carrots for quite awhile…But that is it… She has been refusing all kinds of veggies for a looong time…Until now! Woohoo! She now eats green beans! We had been offering her them for a long while and it was when we didn’t offer them to her that she actually asked for them! How is that for reverse psychology?! Emma received a ballerina costume a while back and recently tried it on. Well, once it was on….it was staying on! Watching her looking in the mirror at herself, posing and talking …Read more […..]

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Tips for Stay At Home Dads

Excellent tips that I can definitely relate to and recommend! Child-care experts – and stay-at-home dad Chuck Shepard – offer the following tips to jobless fathers who are taking care of the children: •Talk about their frustrations with family or friends, said Aaron Rochlen, a psychology professor at University of Texas at Austin. If possible, do part-time work or an occasional project to feel satisfied professionally. •Isolation “encourages the sitting-on-the-couch- and-letting-things-drift period,” said Jeremy Adam Smith, author of The Daddy Shift. At-home dads …Read more […..]

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“Just Chillin Out” “I’m Your Daughter, I’m Your Daddy” “Oh My Gosh” “That’s a Good Idea” Gella is Here!”The Pleasure Is All Mine”

Some of the more memorable phrases that Emma has been using…. When I ask Emma what she is doing she now frequently says, “I’m Chillin Out.” She cracks me up, picking up all of our phrases. When I say to Emma, “You’re my daughter and I’m your Daddy” she repeats “I’m your daughter I’m your Daddy.” We have to work on this one…LOL When she is surprised, upset, or amazed, Emma will say, “Oh my gosh!” If we make a suggestion or tell her that we are going to do something, Emma frequently responds, “That’s a good idea.” Emma was very happy to see her cousin Gella(Angelica). Gella was here …Read more […..]

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Being a Stay-at-Home Dad is Just Fine … Except for That Feeling of Isolation

I completely agree with the feeling of isolation! It is hard to explain and I am not even sure that stay at home moms would understand how strong this feeling is with men..Maybe? I have heard from Moms that they feel the same sometimes but I truly doubt that it is as intense in women as it is in men–in general…. Instead of sitting in traffic for a long drive to his office in Concord on a recent Monday, Chuck Hammond sat at his kitchen table in Roseville, cutting the rind off little pieces of orange and feeding them to his 1-year-old daughter, Reagan. These days, Hammond works full time …Read more […..]

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The Baby Puked, Meera, Potty with Gianna, Kathy Kathy, Popstickle, Memorizing Max & Ruby Song

Emma likes taking baths with her dollies. For awhile she would bring them in with their clothes still on but after awhile we took the clothes off beforehand as the princess dresses are too nice to get ruined. Anyway, she has a big doll that we just call baby. Baby is a doll that has an open mouth and bottom that will drink from a bottle and go pee. Baby took a bath with Emma and I thought it would be funny–and I was right– to pick the doll up and squeeze it. When Emma saw the water coming out of its mouth and bottom she got excited and proclaimed, “The baby is going pee and it puked!” Too funny!!! For …Read more […..]

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Women Are Wired Differently

This is an article reprinted from another blog, http://simplefather.com, that “validates” my feeling that women and men are naturally different(in general)in respect to children, etc… This guy works full-time and his wife stays home with their two daughters but after a day with the girls he realizes what stay at home parents go through everyday, every week, every month, every year…. Although it has been a blessing, I have struggled to maintain my manly “lion in a cage” feeling during the last few years while staying home with my little beauty Emma. I had the pleasure of watching the girls …Read more […..]

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Mom Charged With Killing Own Toddler

Is there a punishment good enough for this sick, evil woman? I think maybe she should get what she gave…. LANCASTER, Calif. (April 28) – A Southern California mother has been charged with murdering the 18-month-old daughter she initially reported missing last month. Skip over this content AP Emma Leigh Barker’s mother first said her daughter was abducted but later recanted and led police to the child’s body. Prosecutors in Los Angeles County said Monday that 24-year-old Stacey Marie Barker of Quartz Hill was charged with one count each of murder, assault on a child causing death, …Read more […..]

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