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Books

Drew Magary’s Books

Photo by Christopher Pierznik

I love Drew Magary’s writing. Virtually everyone else online does too.

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Children Cooking Food In Appreciation of Marriage Parenting

In Appreciation of: Brinner

via Reddit

“It’s not the cooking that is the problem; it’s the deciding of what to cook that’s the problem.”

That is how my wife describes the daily struggle of deciding what to make for dinner every single night.

Categories
Learning Life

The Gift of Being Forgiven

photo by Christopher Pierznik

I was recently listening to a podcast and the closing question was “What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?”

The guest had a great answer. Did I?

Categories
Books Children Fatherhood Parenting Reading

Our Nightly Family Reading Time

“Children reading by lamp light” (Oil on Canvas), by Knud Erik Larsen

A household with two working parents and two children consists of many things but is largely defined by two: routine and chaos.

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Children Fatherhood Life Parenting

A Return to the Terrible Twos

A Dispatch from the Trenches

via The New York Times

“Having a two-year-old is like having a blender without a lid.”

— Jerry Seinfeld

This is a dispatch from the war. I’m writing this from the trenches, in the heart of the conflict.

After what has felt like hours of intense battle, the rebel soldier has deployed her ultimate weapon, the one that is unleashed when all else fails: standing in the center of the kitchen, screaming at the top of her lungs as droplets of saltwater jump from her eyes.

What could have caused such a reaction? What did the oppressive totalitarian government do to the people to cause this emotionally-charged attack from the rebel?

Dinner was served.

Categories
Children Fatherhood Life Parenting

Thoughts on My 2nd Child’s 2nd Birthday

My second child, my second daughter, turns two today.

My first, the oldest, is an eight-year-old that acts like she’s 14, and since there is such a large gap between number one and number two – for a very, very, very, very good reason – the past two years have been a refresher course in infant and toddler life.

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Career Fatherhood Life Parenting Work

The Other Essential Workers: Parents

via The Atlantic

One question that COVID-19 has brought to the forefront of our societal conversations is, Who are the essential workers?

The first professions that immediately spring to mind are obvious: doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers. However, the pandemic has proven that there are additional tiers and classes of essential workers, including grocery store employees, delivery drivers, warehouse employees, non-frontline healthcare employees, and teachers.

My wife and I are in these last two categories.

Categories
Children Fatherhood Parenting

Instagram Dads vs. Real Dads

We’ve all seen it — an image of a father and his child, perfectly framed, beautifully lit, adorned with smiles and a caption of how much they adore being a parent.

I look at those photos and I’m envious. I have a few of them, but not a collection like some I’ve seen online. I’ve been to wonderful places with my children and we’ve experienced some fantastic things, but nearly all of my pictures are either selfies or family poses that often look forced.

Categories
Children Fatherhood Lessons Life Parenting

My Children Help Me Battle My OCD (Just By Being Themselves)

Not my house but close (via)

“Life is a long lesson in humility.”

— James Barrie

It’s a cliché that having a child changes your life forever, but things become clichés because they’re true, and one of the biggest adjustments is just how much stuff children come with and how difficult it is to keep it all organized.

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Children Fatherhood Life Parenting

As a Father of Girls…

As a father of girls…