So in a quest for some fun, active things to do. I may have over done it a little.  I went online  and started looking for some things that I like to do. I already have a ping-pong tourney in Des Moines, every Tuesday night at the All Star Sports Bar.  You know, it’s really sad.  I thought that I was the shit at ping pong.  Usually, when I play people that I know, I win.  I thought that I was really good at ping pong.  Turns out… I am not.  The last few weeks, I got eliminated right away.  But I think the people that I am playing are really good.  So I guess for good pong players… I am average.

Anyway, I searched for some games I really like.  Dodgeball, and soccer.  I found both.  I found a bunch of dudes that play dodgeball every Tuesday and Friday night up in Seattle.  It’s a little far, but I feel like it will be fun.  I had to miss the Tuesday match, because of the ping pong.  Bur Friday night at Cal Anderson Park, it’s on.  And then I found a outdoor, Soccer Team that needs a goalie, they play on Sundays… I played last in high school in 97.  But I have played off and on, indoor style.  It should be an adventure… God I hope that my keeper skills haven’t deteriorated as much as my body has.  I will let ya know how things go.

Have you ever thought you were really good at something, then found out you were not… heart breaking isn’t it?  Hope I’m not setting myself up for a beating.

From The Seattle Times

Wow…

Last Thursday, I got a call from a reporter at the Seattle Times, telling me that they were going to be doing a story on stay at home dads for the Father’s Day edition of the paper.  She was wondering if it would be cool of she asked me some questions.  I was like “heck ya” ask away.   She did.  A few hours later, the reporter called again and asked if she and a photographer could come out to the house in the morning and hang out for few hours and take some photos.  Again, I said yes… thinking this would be perfect for getting the Seattle Area Stay at Home Dads group some more members, and some more visitors to the blog.

Well, you can read the story by clicking here!

but i must say, that the story seemed to make out to be some kind of stress case… look at the photo they chose.  When they were taking this photo, I was thinking to myself how funny it would be if they chose this time (when I was feeding a baby, with a toddler attached to my head) to use the picture.  Well they did, and wouldn’t ya know it… used the photo that made it look like was in complete disaster mode (I was not), and then put it with a headline that says “He’s Mr. Mom, at its the hardest job he has ever had”

Seriously!!! That’s what your going with.  And it’s not like job is terrible at all.  I love my job as caregiver.  And it’s not like the other jobs I have had are hard at all (car salesman and bartender), so there is really no comparison.

It was fun to be in the paper, and I got a ton of visitors to the blog.  It’s nice to see that some people are enjoying some of the stuff that I have put on the website in the last few years, and I hope that the comments keep coming.  That why I make the blog… to get out there, make some connections online, and hopefully meet some other stay at home dads to BS with about our situations.

I’m sure that somewhere out there, somebody is having the best summer ever… just not anywhere around here.  This crappy weather has been holding us hostage in the house for some time now.  To make it worse… this year we joined the Normandy Park Swim Club, and have only got to go to the pool a few times.

The Normandy Park Swim Club is an outdoor pool and super awesome fun spot.  It has a full size pool and diving board, a kiddy pool with fountains, a amazing big toy and swings, pickle-ball corts, ping pong tables, a clubhouse and kitchen, tons of those outdoor heaters, for nighttime fun, and BBQs.  This place is amazing, there are tons of kids for the kids to play with, and tons of really cool family’s to make friends with.  You can bring a cooler packed with all the food and drink you want, and hang out at the pool for the day… you can even bring beer and drinks!!

My master plan was to spend every day here, and make a ton of new friends… but this weather is destroying my plan.  We have been trying to make the most of it, even going on rainy days… the pool’s heated, and there are lots of big umbrellas and covered areas.  Joining the pool, I am sure was a awesome thing to do, and I am sure that we are going to make a ton of new friends… I just hope the sun comes out sometime soon.

My  2 year old daughter starts swim lessons this week… rain or shine.  It’s supposed to rain… big surprise.  Don’t you just love living in Seattle.

Nope!

Father’s Day for me has always been about spending some time with my dad, and do the things that he wants to do that day.  We go over to my parents house for breakfast, or a dinner BBQ.  We usually go golfing and have a few drinks together during the day.  And then go home.  And that’s it until next year.  That’s the only day that dads get to truly feel like its their day.  I wondered what the day is like inside the head of a dad… did he want to do something else, hang with his buddies, watch sports games all day, or just sit and do nothing.  Or was he just glad that it would be a day for all of the family to get together and catch up… as a family.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day… and again, I am going golfing with my dad followed up by some BBQ.  But this year… I am a dad too.  Times two.  I have two little ones of my own at home, and as much as I want the day to be all about me hanging out with my kids and family all day… I just want my kids to be able to hang out with their mom, my wife, and their grandpa… and let me do all the work… after golfing and drinks of course.

Everyday for me is fathers day!  Us stay at home dads, are really the luckiest guys in the world. We get to spend all day, everyday with the kids, and do whatever we want to.  We get to see the kids grow up, raise them, play all day, really take care of the house, and the wife.  We get to have the best of life.  However, the job of the stay at home dad (or mom) is grueling, and un-relentless.  Sometimes mentally exhausting (all the time), physically tiring (most of the time), and the bosses (the kids) are demanding, unforgiving, and always EXPECT and DESERVE nothing but 110% from you all the time.  There is no calling in sick, sleeping on the job, coming in late for work, taking a extra long break ( no breaks at all).   We are on the job all day, every day.

But we are LUCKY and BLESSED that we get to have the great privilege of raising a family, being there all the time for them, giving them all of our best, and truly earning the right to be called DAD!

Being a Stay At Home Dad in Seattle, you are sure to come across some rainy days… 70% of them.  So, you need to have some good plans on how you are going to be spending most of your days.  Here 10 things to do on a rainy day in Seattle

1. Turn the house into a fort-  you can always find some stuff to do at home., make a fort out of couch cushions, put blankets all over the place, play hide and go seek.
2. Try potty training- got nothing else to do?  Why not get the whole potty thing training thing over and done with.(Requires lots of rainy days… luckily we have lots of thoese
3. Go to the Seattle Aquarium- this is sure to make for a great day.  Lots of fun stuff for the kids to look at, and even tide pools where they can touch marine life.  There is lots to do down on the Seattle Waterfront.
4. Seattle Chilerens Museum- way too much to list for the kids, so visit the site.  Its at the Seattle Center and there is so much to do, that you cant do it all in a day.
5. Seattle Science Center- way more fun for you… but your kids of all ages are sure to find lots of stuff to make them happy.  It always good to get them interested in science and fun educational stuff… plus it brings us back to your nerdy self.  You know that you have been sitting around watching the Science and History channel… go eat some astronaut ice cream, I love it.
6. Seattle Art Museum- Fun for the entire family, and they have some really good kids programs.  Its always free for kids under 13, and free for everyone on the first Thursday of the month
7. Play In It-  Get the kids in their galoshes and head outside.  Saltwater State Park in Des Moines is a fun place to go exploring in tide pools and there are lots of walking trails
8. Go To the Movies- Take the kids to a movie on a weekday during the day.  Usually there is no one there to be bothered by your noisy little kids… not that we care.
9. Walk the Mall-  waste a few hours walking around the mall, most big malls have a children’s play area, and its always good to get the kids playing with others… plus they will be tired from walking and fall asleep in the car on the way home, and you can just carry them to bed.
10. Visit Grandmas- cant find anything else to do… go visit your mom or some family members.  You know that they always want to see the babies, and you can even score some free lunch or a babysitter for a hour or so, and you can have a little time to yourself.