Day 42: The Boys Of Summer

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Oh wow, the end of yesterday was amazing and a great tease of what is to come in the upcoming weeks. I am talking about the weather. It was one of those perfect Halifax evenings. Just enough heat and the right amount of breeze. Plus it was light out well past 8 pm. It makes the day feel longer and gives you much more time to play with the kids, or as I am going to call them, the boys of summer.

Yesterday was a quiet and lazy day for Charlie and I. We went for a walk, did a little gardening and lazed around for the afternoon. Then when we picked up Harrison at school, that is when summer started to show. It was muggy in the house, the windows were letting in fresh smelling air and of course, I had the grill fired up.

Playing with my kids, having a lazy afternoon and grilling for dinner. What a perfect day it was on the PL. Here is a little more for your appetite.

Day 41: If I Am Betty Draper, I Need To Drink More

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Well that title got your attention right? The reason I referenced Betty Draper was the quick conversation my wife and I had as she was heading out the door. Today, she left for work before 7 am, came home at 5:15pm, ate dinner and left again to meet a friend for a drink.

As she was leaving I called her Don. Today I felt like the house wife left all alone with the kids while my working in the city husband lived it up and then headed back to have fun with the boys.

Now, it is not like that at all with us, but it is fun to joke that if I am going to be the Betty Draper in this scenario, I need to drink more during the day. Then Katie pointed out I would need to be crazier as well.

Yep, today was a long day and it started with the cat waking us all about before 6am. Awesome.

Two boys, little sleep and no car. The good news, it was a sunny, sunny day. For me that made things instantly better. I made it. They are both asleep and “Don” is out on the town. Time to pour myself a vodka and light up a smoke. Betty for the win.

Here is the rest of the who, where, why, what for Day 41 on the PL.

Day 40: Thinking About The Cottage Life

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Well that was a beautiful day of weather in Halifax. The rain and dreary skies left and it was nothing but sun today. That made for a great day for being outside, going for walks and getting some more gardening in. I only had Charlie today, so it was pretty much do whatever I wanted time.

We just had delicious burgers from the Big Green Egg and there is nothing better than the smell of burgers on the grill on days like this.

So, the kids are in bed, my hands are clean after changing a very loaded diaper and now it is time to reflect on Day 40. Wow Day 40?

Where did the time go?

Start Saving For College Now Using Instagrad

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Our boys are decades away from college but we already have an account set up at our bank for their post-secondary education one day. I think it is something you should do as a parent if you can. Personally, I had to food the bill on my education, so I want to try to help out where I can when Harry and Charlie reach that age.

Another cool way to start saving now is Instagrad.

Day 39: Kids Were Not Feeling So Sleepy

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Oh Day 39, so close to 40. On this day, everyone was tired. Why? Well the day started at 5:30 am. Sounds about right for this dad who is still enjoying life on the PL.

Pretty quiet day although the naps were short and dad was pretty tired. It felt like a day where I did not get anything taken care of. I guess that is what Tuesday is for once Harrison goes back to school

The Spurs won, the Hawks won and Rob Ford’s world is falling apart by the minute. Now for what happened on the home front.

Teaching Our Son To Ride A Bike

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Teaching our son to ride a bike is a lot of fun.

There are many, many things on a dad’s list of things he can’t wait to teach his kids. Maybe even a million things. But one of the most exciting for me is teaching our boys how to ride a bike. I mean, the say, it is like riding a bike has stuck around for a reason right?

We bought Harrison his first “big boy” bike last year for his third birthday. It has training wheels, a bell and everything a boy’s bike should have.

He was excited at the idea of riding a big bike instead of this three-wheeler but going from thinking to doing took some time.

He hated to pedal and was not that thrilled with having to have dad push him.

So since it was fall and the snow would be coming, we just took it slow. Riding around out front of the house now and then. Pedaling, just was not going to happen.

I was not that worried as he was only 3-years old and there was plenty of time to ride.

Day 38: A New Format For The Daily Dish

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Well I am supposed to be sharing with you what I did on Friday. Seems like so long ago right? Well when you are on the PL, you get behind due to kids, being tired and all around disinterest with sitting at the computer.

I have been doing the daily posts for over 30 days now and have started to wonder if people find them boring? I mean, it is just 300-400 words on what I did that day. Nothing exciting for most. Short of my wife and family, not many will feel like they need to read the post every day.

Now if the boys and I do something fun and out of the ordinary, that is worth it. But for most days, it is just a list of changing diapers, making lunch and how I fill the time while the boys sleep.

So, I am going to combine two formats and make a new daily post format.

Parenting Is A Lot Like Weeding Dandelions


This photo literally gives my dad the cold sweats. 

Ah dandelions, those little yellow bastards that ruin everyone’s lawn this time of year. If you are like me, you are currently having that annual debate whether it is worth taking on the challenge of digging them up and returning your lawn to that pure green colour it should be.

I have the easy-dig stick thing that is supposed to make dandelion plucking fun. I have the interest to de-weed my lawn. I even have the patience to stand outside and do it for an hour or two. So what is the problem?

The problem is, no matter how much work I put into it, I know those little guys that my son calls flowers are just going to grow back and continue to taunt me. I mean, there are about 700 of them in my neighbour’s yard just waiting to come on over.

Yesterday as I was outside trying my best to get every last dandelion patch, it got me thinking. Pulling dandelions is a lot like parenting.

Try as you might to clear the deck of chores, problems, lists and events, there will always be more ready to pop up. Now, don’t get me wrong, these are not all negative things. But dandelion pulling remind me of and old adage that my dad would always use.

“_______ is a lot like painting a bridge. Once you are done, you have to start all over again.”

Again, that sounds like parenting to me.