Hooray For Saturday!

Advert

I'm experimenting with a couple of advertising things on the blog here in the next few weeks.  I'm not sure if they will stick or not.

If I click yours, will you click mine?  I know...we barely know each other and that's a little frisky, but aren't we all just trying to eat a little cake in our corner of the blogosphere?

Thanks.

Wow, A Year Gone By

How the time flies when you are documenting it. 

I started this blog a year ago today.  It started out as a way to document my life as a stay at home dad.  It has evolved over the year as a place where I can keep people up to date with what's going on in our lives, a photo journal, a soapbox, but honestly for the most part, it's cheap therapy.

This blog has become my water cooler.  Hands down, the hardest part of my job, as a stay at home dad, is the lack of adult interaction and conversation. I can deal with the dirty diapers, silly crying or knock down-drag outs over a trinket, simply because of all the great things I've been able to witness from being with our children.  However, at the end of the day, there is something to be said for bouncing current events, a joke, what you saw on television last night or anything else off of another adult, besides your wife. 

Hooray For Saturday!, along with my Flickr account, has become a place where I can take part in some interaction and conversation, even if it is not in person and over the internet.  I'm just now starting to get it and realize this.  So, to all that have commented here on my blog, left a note on a picture or dropped me an email, I appreciate you gathering around the water cooler with me.  I look forward to continuing the conversations, observations and just plain shooting the breeze.

I don't consider myself a writer, neither will you.

Stay Tuned

It's been almost a week and nothing from me.  Well, the rock and roll lifestyle can take a lot out of you.

Sick people can too, everyone has been kind of stopped up around here.

I've also been working on a couple of volunteer projects.

No one has been banging on the door or ringing me up to check, so I didn't figure I was missed.

The Lady found me some of this locally.  So while working on a project last night with friends, grown folks beverages were enjoyed.  She also leaves for Chicago tonight, for the rest of the week, to work, so maybe that was her parting gift.

Here are a few things that are on the little note pad for future conversation here at HFS:

• compare and contrast Costco and Sam's Club
• tax / stimulus money
• ear tubes
• book smarts vs. common sense
• what would you pay?
• cooking/recipes
• me on a podcast

So for the moment you can go here, to listen to a good interview with great dad, Greg Barbera.

Ugh!

"If everyone went and jumped off a bridge, would you?"

That's a question my mom would ask me on occasion as a youngster, when I was being an idiot.  I always kind of wanted to answer, "Yes.", but I recall ever doing so.

Not that I'm calling bloggers out there idiots by any means, but I'm going to do something just because everybody else is doing it.  The holidays took a lot out of me and I just can't seem to get this year going, I have no idea what's wrong with me, so I'm going to do as a lot of other folks are doing.  I'm going to look back at 2007, then see if I can't get my backside in gear and get 2008 started.

I don't blame you one bit if you hit the "x" in the top right hand corner of this window.

• We are nearing this time of year again, when I rely only on my kids for sport, ugh!
• I went and did some shopping for my wardrobe.
• Doodlebug started dropping deuces in the right place.
• I was interviewed and I also conducted an interview.
• This story was told, just to get it out and realize that everything is good now.
• We learned a big lesson about kids and music.
• This summer was almost unbearable.
• The comments came fast on the live music post.
• The mailman rang a few time during the Halloween season.
• Art class was in session.

There is a little review of stuff from last year, when I started airing my laundry.  Remember, I don't consider myself a writer, neither should you.

Thanks for reading.

Right The Blog

I got on a little blog roll there for a bit, that is posting a few posts pretty quickly in a row.  That is because The Lady has been letting me use her laptop.  I finally got out of the stone age and set up a wireless network here in the mansion, so it's nice surfing and blogging from the comfort of a recliner.  Very nice.  Speaking of blogrolls, feel free to add my to yours.  I know...fat boy is shameless.

Once the holidays are over, I'm going get this blog in shape.  No more eggnog and peanut butter balls.  I'm going to work on a design that might stick and update the sidebars with stuff that I guess the sidebars are supposed to have.  If I'm missing something, perhaps your blog, get in touch with me and let me know.  I've been pretty lame at keeping up with this, but I need to get on the ball.  Another thing I'm trying to work on here is becoming a better reader of other people's blogs.  I don't do that as much as I feel I should, so I might finally set up a reader thing-a-ma-jig.  Again, no clue as to what I'm doing here. 

Also, I've had people get in touch with me about checking out some of their products and reviewing them here on my blog.  The last time we all checked my paycheck...wait a second, I don't get one of those anymore...so I'm all for checking out free stuff, as long as it is something that will pertain to my life as you might know it, from reading here.  However, let it be known that I will give it an honest review.  Be it good or bad, that will be known after I've spent some time with the product.  I'm not that big of a whore (definition: a person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.), yet. 

So if anyone out there has a digital camera they would like me to review, because ours is all messed up, or a laptop, because this easy chair is nice, feel free to get in touch. 

Once again...shameless.

Thanks For Reading....Or Listening?

We are coming up on the time of thanks, and to thank you for wasting a little portion of your day with me, I have installed these buttons that allow you listen to my post from an audio reader.

If anything, there is some comedy involved.

Again, I thank you for taking the time to see what's going on with me, and hope all is well with you and yours.

Now, feel free to hit a button and listen to the reader say things like, drop a deuce.

Have a good week!

The At Home Dad Story, As Told By Mr. Barbera

I was excited to hear that full-time parent, part-time rock and roller, Greg Barbera was featured on American Public Media's, The Story on June, 15th.

I've had a lot of similar experiences as Greg and share some of the same opinions as him, on being a stay at home dad.

You can listen to his thoughts on the full-time job here.

The only bad thing about listening to his interview was, well after it was over I was no where near done pumping up an inflatable pool for our children using only a basketball pump with a needle.

It might be done by Friday.

Yes I'm an idiot, but I'm flying solo right now with The Lady in Chicago on business, so give me a little break.

Q & A

A while back Sarah from the blog Dreamdust, interviewed me and told me to answer on my blog.

My cousin-in-law, Samantha, then asked me to interview her.

The interview is up on her blog now.  Feel free to pay a visit and see what I had to ask and better yet, her answers.

Interview With The Full-Time Dad: The Insomnia Chronicles

Sarah, from the blog Dreamdust, was interviewed by a person and decided to continue the trend by asking if anyone would like to be interviewed by her.  I accepted just out of curiosity of what in the world she would ask me.

From what I gather, here's a bit about Sarah. She lives somewhere in England, is quite a gardener, has a quick wit, and she is part of a gang of shutterbugs that use a lot of imagination in framing their shots and the outcome is always nice to see.  Her wonderful photos can be seen on her Flickr site.

Now here we go with her questions and my answers.

You recently enjoyed the delights of London - if I were to come to the USA, where should I visit in particular?

The first place I would tell you to visit would be New Orleans, Louisiana.  It truly is one of the greatest cultural cities in the world and now more than ever, it needs people.  It features some of the finest cuisine on the planet, an eclectic mixture of music that is a joy to be heard, wonderful art, history and culture, as well as some of the friendliest people in the country.  It also is the site of, in my opinion, one of the worst failures by American government in history.  The devastation left from the levee failures after Hurricane Katrina, approaching two years old, and the lack of compassion from federal and local governments to show any sense of urgency to put people's lives back together after that catastrophe is absurd.  It's something I think that people that do not live there are unaware of, and that needs to change.  Hopefully with people returning to New Orleans to witness not only the bad, but the oh so good, they can become aware of that so indeed things can change.

Other destinations, and don't forget your camera.

• New York City.  Sure see the city, but venture into the neighborhoods as well.
• Chattanooga, Tennessee.  See Rock City.
• Chicago, Illinois.  Same goes here as for New York City.
• Drive from Estes Park to Steamboat Springs in Colorado during spring.
• Vermont in autumn for peak color of foliage season.
• Las Vegas, Nevada...Viva!  See the excess, it's nuts and makes for good people watching.
• Our house.  I'll cook a meal, then we can venture out and you can teach us how to take photos.

Your Flickr username Hooray for Saturday is certainly a notion I support, but what's so special about Saturday from your point of view?

Saturday is the first day of the week I don't have to give 100% of my time to my children during the day.  I know that sounds horrible to your average person, but after all week, all day, of being the caregiver, entertainer, diaper changer, referee, short order cook, and conversationalist to a three year old daughter and an 19 month old son I'm in need of a little down time and get away.  Saturday my wife usually likes to take the children out and about and I get to spend some time doing nothing or hanging out with my buddies playing disc golf.  Saturday is daddy's day to relax a little bit.

What makes you feel content? That gentle happiness that washes over you and makes you smile a little secret smile.

Ha-ha!  Saturday.  See above answer.

Being able to watch our children grow up without sending them to full time daycare at this age is nice.  It's great for us to see our children do their first things, such as say a new word, walk, get every button on a sweater buttoned, or finally eat a vegetable.  It's very rewarding already and like I mentioned before our oldest is only three years old.  It's funny to go back and look at photo albums because one picture can spark memories of the entire day of what went on with us.  That is pretty neat.

If I gave you a time machine with which to visit your 18-year-old self, what piece of advice would you give that younger guy?

Wow.  I would tell him to make sure he stays in touch with his friends. Don't let time and distance get between them, allowing that to stop communications.  That, unfortunately, is something I have become horrible at, allowing time and distance to get between me and people I care about.  Because of that, I have lost contact with some real good friends from the past.

The kids are being looked after and you've got $1000 to spend on a date with your wife. How do you treat yourselves?

This will sound pretty lame, but it's been some time since we've been on a date.  I would enjoy going to have a good meal, then taking the wife shopping.  I'm a simple guy, but my wife loves to shop and she gets giddy when she buys herself stuff or anything for the kids and I enjoy seeing that joy.  We never get to do anything like that without the children in tow, so just the two of us shopping would be fun.  She can shop, I can people watch and point things out to her that she might like.  The only thing I would require?  On the way home we stop and get big hot fudge sundae, with two spoons.  Just the two of us, there's the romance!

So there you have it Sarah and the rest of you seven people that might read this.

Oh really!?  You want to be interviewed?  Leave a comment letting me know and I'll email you five questions of my choice.  You answer them on your blog and then you offer to ask someone five questions and so on.  This is what the kids are doing on the internet these days, sooner or later we'll all be acquainted. 

I may even find some of those old friends I lost contact with.

Derby Fever

The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday and everyone around us has Derby Fever!

The run for the roses is absolutely huge around here.  No surprise there, seeing that we are in Kentucky, where "Unbridled Spirit" is not only a way of life, but the state motto.

Take that Illinois, in your face!  Think about it,  if you would have had a more free spirited motto, instead of the simple, "Land Of Lincoln", you might not have lost four quality residents like us.  I'm just saying, now all you got for me is a good presidential candidate. 

The horses, all of which have pretty cool names, are ready to run, the parties are in full swing starting today, and people around here are giddy with anticipation. 

Even the Queen is coming in for the race.  When we stopped by her place, we told her to feel free to stop by for a cocktail if she would like to, the door's always open.

So take a look at the horses and let me know who you think is going to win, place, & show.  That's right, pick three.  This is just a cheap way to see if indeed anyone is reading this and they will comment back.

Also, Alana over at Letter B is holding a real Kentucky Derby contest where a prize is involved, so get over there and pick your winners. 

I guess I could do the same thing here, I'll see what I can muster up.  I can't guarantee what it will be, but it will be worth your picks.