Day 4 – If I Were A Wrestler My Winning Move Would Be The Sleeper

day4Good afternoon to those taking the time to follow my journey through stay-at-home parenthood. It is Friday and that means my first week is almost over, even if it was a short week.

My brain is a bit mushy this afternoon and I really should be napping, but the readers want what they want. So I am writing from the top floor of Red Fern Towers. Charlie is off in dreamland, hopefully thinking to himself, man that Dad guy, he has it going on.

Today has been pretty easy and boring but that is okay because it started early, 4:45 am early. Remember yesterday when I said we got Charlie down to five bottles again? Well I think he missed it because he woke up in the middle of the night looking for a little something, something to fill his belly.

As the home parent now, I was on duty and after getting woken up by my wife (who is always on duty I think), I was off to see what was up. For a brief moment I thought I was going to pull off the magic trip of the year and get the baby back to sleep without a bottle. He tricked me and just when I was feeling pretty good, he unleashed his fury.

Before it woke up the whole house I was off to get the bottle. I gotta say, making a bottle in the dark with one hand is a skill I may put on my resume one day.

Netflix What Have You Done? Bring Back Mighty Machines!

Update on Oct. 31, 2014

I guess Netflix USA has also removed Mighty Machines. What is going on with the world?

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For the new-age parents who get to enjoy the power of technology to engage, babysit or entertain your kids, you begin to really rely on it.

My parents did not have computer, tablets, Internet or anything of the like. They had to use their brains to come up with new ideas to keep the kids from burning the house down.

So with relying on something like Netflix, comes the quick realization that one day, they could really burn you.

Our 3-year old, LOVES Mighty Machines. He knows the theme song, he knows the episode titles, he knows the name of the guy narrating the shows. So, you can imagine our dismay when the other day we went to look for it, and the show was GONE.

Completely wiped out of the database like it never existed. Before I go on, I want to clarify this is the Canadian Netflix. So for all of you lucky US users who have a way better setup, just humour me please.

Day 3: Following A Routine Is Key

like a dadGood day parental travelers, how are you doing? I just finished watching the latest episode of The Following and figured it should play into the title of today’s post. No, this is nothing to do with a cult or Kevin Bacon, the following I am referring to is following a routine with your kid and sticking to it at all costs.

Today is Day 3 of many and I would have to say I have adjusted nicely to being home instead of the office. I still have a lot of anxiety about getting stuff done, but I am working on it.

Today is just one boy, the baby. So that makes it a little easier to handle. Sadly for the adults in the house, our other kiddie was wide awake before 6 am so it has felt like a long day so far.

I have managed to: clean my desk area, clean the cat box, put out the garbage, do Harry’s laundry and tidy up the kitchen and living room. Yes, yes I have been taking care of Charlie as well.

Day 2: All Day Long, All Day Long Son(s)

like a dad

Yep, this is real. This staying home to take care of the kids is a thing. No turning back now. The wife seems pretty happy to be at work and coming home to cooked meals and tired boys.

So as you read, Day 1 was a  success. Every lived, nothing burned down and I still managed to get dinner ready before 10pm.

So what do we do for an encore? We add another kid into the mix. Yep, Monday’s and Wednesday’s Harrison stays home from school. So today was my first day with both boys, alone, all day long (son).

Recipe: Beer Can Chicken On Big Green Egg

Big Green Egg Updated January 26, 2026 I did up a beer can chicken on the Big Green Egg today and wanted to share the recipe. Nothing like celebrating the first day of parental leave with a juicy chicken, slow cooked to perfection.
 
The recipe and cooking details What you need
  • 1 chicken cleaned out. Can be anywhere from 10-15lbs. Cook a little longer, the bigger the bird, of course.
  • Your choice of rub. Today I used brown sugar, salt, onion salt and pepper.
  • Half a can of beer with a few garlic cloves tossed in. Drink the other half.. Today I am using a pale ale.
  • 4 pieces of bacon are added to the top of the bird once it is sitting on the can.
  • An aluminium tray or plate setter, which is what I will use on the Big Green Eggs. You don’t want anything dripping on the charcoal.
  • Big Green Egg primed to sit at 375 F.
  • Cooking time 1.5-2 hours.

Day 1: Getting Everything In Order

Like a Dad

Today is the first day of my parental leave and so far so good it has been great. As expected, our baby boy is stuck on a routine, so all you have to do is follow it and he is a breeze.

He is currently napping, which gives me some time to update. I have decided that I will do one post today that deals with the day-to-day of the parental leave. That way, those who want to follow without the rest of the stuff, they can.

I will add updates to the same post as the day goes and as I have time to add. So if you read the post early in the day, it could change.

So here goes, Day 1 as of 1:30pm local time.

You Need An All-Star Point Guard To Win – In This Case, Mom

The last week or so a lot has been happening in our house. The two biggest of course are first, my taking over the day time parenting duties for our 6-month old son and second, March Madness.

For me, college basketball’s wild tournament is like Christmas. So much good basketball to watch. This year has been extra special as my beloved Michigan Wolverines are back. They made it to the Final Four with a crushing 20-point win over Florida on Saturday. I did not even have to break a sweat watching that one.

So, I figured I would tie the two hot topics together for this post.

To win the big game, you need an All-Star point guard and in this case, a wife/mom who is the floor general for the household.

Tomorrow my wife heads back to work after six months away taking care of our little guy. I will be assuming all that comes with that role starting tomorrow for the next six months. Crazy eh?

Today Is My Last Day Of Work

Michael CusdenNo, I did not retire in my 30’s, win the lottery or just decide to become a recluse – today is my last day of work because I am starting parental leave next week.

For 27 weeks I will be the parent on duty during the day while my wife heads back to work.

Why on earth am I doing this? Because I want to.

So today is my last eight hours of working for the man so to speak. Now don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy my job as a marketer at SimplyCast. The office is fun and I get to do what I do best – write stuff.

But this stay home dad thing has been something I have wanted to do ever since we had our first boy.

It is not a vacation, a break, a rest, a chance to take it easy or any of the many other terms people use when you say you are going on parental leave. It is honest-to-god, hard ass work and for all the parents who do it – my hat goes off to you.

Working in an office all day, sitting in a chair typing is not hard compared to what is in store. But it will also be 27 weeks of fun, learning, laughs, naps, tears, poop, crying and growth. That is not even referring to the baby.