It’s hard to avoid teaching your kid swear words when you walk into his bedroom and your very first comment is, “Oh shit…” …because apparently sometime overnight he opted to not only remove his diaper, but also smear his shit all over the carpet like he’s some sort of artist who’s chosen medium just happens to be his…
May 17, 2017: I Wanna Go Back to the Islands
I’ve been listening to a lot of Jimmy Buffett music this week. Maybe it’s because yesterday we booked our 10th anniversary cruise and I’m pretty excited about checking out a different part of the tropics than we’ve visited before, but also, island music just has this natural way of slowing life down that I think we can all use a bit…
May 15, 2017: Musings About Healthcare Reform…
Don’t get me wrong – I completely understand that healthcare is expensive. Quality, specialized care in particular, and I say that as the father of three kids who collectively spent 141 days in the NICU because they were born prematurely. Those months represent some of the most nerve-racking times that I’ve ever experienced, and yet thanks to…
May 13, 2017: Stress Test
Tonight was one of those nights that made me realize I forgot to take my anxiety pill yesterday, and even though I don’t necessarily think it can wear off that fast because it certainly took several weeks to build up in my system … boy, it sure does feel like it can come and go that easily! When first…
May 11, 2017: Farewell to Wishes
Last night we made the pilgrimage over to the Magic Kingdom to partake in the final showing of Wishes. And we certainly weren’t alone because WOW, was the place absolutely packed!!! 😯 We didn’t end up getting the greatest view because after grabbing dinner at Casey’s, pretty much all of Main Street and the hub were packed and cast members…
May 10, 2017: The Quiet One
Christopher, as our resident three year old, is the hyper one. David, the large and in charge twin, is the loud one. And Matthew, the smaller and more reserved twin, is the quiet one. You could say that I’ve got a kid for every mood, although admittedly lately I’ve been most appreciative of Matthew’s laid back demeanor because, well, the other…
May 9, 2017: Frozen Toilet Slush
We started doing Hello Fresh sometime around the turn of the new year, and for the most part we’ve really enjoyed it. They mail us the food to make three dinners a week, which greatly reduces the amount of grocery shopping that we have to do and has made for some interesting meals that we…
May 7, 2017: Boundless Energy
If only we were able to somehow harness the energy of our children… …it would actually probably be illegal because it would likely transform into a weird, Matrix-like scenario where little kids are kept in amniotic sacks in giant, autonomous energy farms maintained by creepy, spider robots… …but then again, hey – whatever keeps them busy and…
May 6, 2017: Cleanliness is Next to Exhaustedness
Maybe four trips to Orlando in a week’s time wasn’t the brightest idea after all, as tonight I found myself staring down a messy house of epic proportions with only one night to clean before we’re back on the road again in the morning … and the wife had to work tonight, too. 😛 It never…
May 5, 2017: The Baby Demands Minifigs
Hey, look – we found the new series of Lego Minifigs!!! …and as you can see, Matthew just couldn’t get enough of them… 😉 The last couple of series, I’ve had an increasingly hard time finding them, to the point where I think I only bought one batch of Lego Batman blind packs when I found them and…
May 4, 2017: Mother, Mother Ocean…
I think the last time I visited the ocean was July 4, 2006. An argument could be made for September 2012 because we went on a cruise out of Port Canaveral for our anniversary that year, but if the measure we’re using here is toes in the sand, salt water lapping at your ankles with every wave, then…
May 3, 2017: Putting Yourself Out There…
Tonight I finally launched the new writing project that I’ve been working on for the last month and anticipating for far longer than that, and let me say that it’s a combination of both exciting and terrifying at the same time! Scott’s Guide to Life – a collection of essays about the world as I see it… http://www.scottsguidetolife.com I’ve been entertaining…
May 2, 2017: Water Safety
All of our kids are taking swimming lessons so at some point they don’t fall into our pool and die. So far, it’s a strategy that has worked out surprisingly well! …although with three of them in classes now, already I’m starting to feel what it’s like to have kids in sports because it’s costing me a…
April 30, 2017: When Toddlers Attack
Is there anything more embarrassing for a parent than having to apologize because your kid hit another kid??? I’m sure there probably is, but with our oldest now entering the terrible threes, I guess this is the stage that we’re at… 🙁 Today is the first day I’ve ever had to deal with something like…
April 14, 2017: Fear, Hope, and Gratitude
Your world gets much smaller when your child is in the hospital, and everything that you thought were problems takes a backseat to the status updates for that little guy laying in bed with a million and one probes connected to him. This morning we checked Matthew in at All Children’s Hopsital down in St….
April 7, 2017: I Hated Assassin’s Creed … I Think?
We just got done watching the Assassin’s Creed movie. “How was it?” you ask? I’m not sure because I only took in about 60% of the movie! You see, I don’t speak Spanish, and given the historical context of this movie, there are a lot of scenes with ancient dudes speaking Spanish. No big deal – they’ve got…
April 3, 2017: An Illuminating Discovery
Back in December among the rest of our holiday decorations, I had rigged up some ambient lighting along the weird, ornamental shelf that runs atop one of the walls in our living room. Because I was typically too lazy to turn them off and on each night, we just let them run the entire season…
April 2, 2017: While Babes Sleep
There’s probably a limit for how long you’re allowed to take a break from following your passions. For me, anyways, it looks like that limit falls just a hair over three months … judging from my last Thing-a-Day post here on New Year’s Eve! 😉 I’ve done a bit of writing here and there, but…
December 31, 2016: Great Memories from 2016
2016 wasn’t a perfect year. We lost a Prince, and a Princess, and we gained a Trump … but it wasn’t all awful. Here are a handful of memories that I dug up this evening with the hopes that 2017 will be filled with even more joy and love and simple, goofy fun. Happy New…
December 30, 2016: Mantras for 2017…
I’ve spent a decent amount of time over the last couple of weeks both reflecting over the past year as well as looking forward into the next, and all in all, I’ve whittled my outlook down to three simple mantras… Life is good. Work harder. Have fun. Life is good. I don’t mean to brag…
December 29, 2016: Clear the Clutter
Tonight is the first night in about 2-3 months that I’ve been able to walk through my office without steering around and climbing over boxes, and I cannot begin to tell you how good it feels! Ever since the twins were born, my office has become a dumping ground for everything getting shuffled around as we worked…
December 28, 2016: Advanced Adulting for Parents – Life Insurance
No one wants to spend time thinking about their own demise, so let’s make this quick… 😉 A couple of months ago we decided to up our life insurance policies beyond their basic minimums for next year. It’s been something I’ve been putting off for a while and I’ve even tried getting a few quotes,…
December 23, 2016: The Great Christmas Light Fight
Particularly because we don’t get to see the Osborne Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios anymore, and possibly also because I really fell short with putting up my own lights this year, but I just started watching ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight this evening and, well, WOW!!! This year’s garage-only display aside, I used to think that I’ve done some…
December 21, 2016: That Which Once Was Broken…
Kids are why we can’t have nice things around here, I tell ya!!! 😯 On the left, we see Exhibit A – formerly known as Matthew’s 1st Christmas Ornament that we picked up for him while we were on vacation, broken less than 24 hours after we returned home because apparently Disney’s Christmas ornaments aren’t up to being tossed across…