This post, was really just a rather lengthy comment over at Freaked Out Fathers.  But at the suggestion of Robert from Middle Zone Musings I added it as a post here so that I could try my hand in the WILF group.  For those of you new to it.  WILF is an acronym for “What I Learned From…”  and it is hosted by Robert at Middle Zone Musings and The High Calling of Our Daily Work.   Please check out their blogs.

Animals are becoming the bane of my existence at the moment.

This weekend was the big move. Upon my first load of junk to the new house I discovered that I am now the proud parent of two barn cats and a barn kitten… Wouldn’t have been so bad, except for the weekend-long argument with stepdaughter on why the cat (especially the kitten) are not allowed into the house.

Last trip of the move, we brought our two dogs.  The dogs made a quick 15 minute perusal of the new house and then tore off into a nearby woods, hot on the trail of some new scent they never had experienced in the city.

I was fortunate enough to spend the last two hours of my Saturday searching the greater part of a three square mile vacinity as people occasionaly spotted the dastardly duo. It was to no avail and I gave up.

Score: Cats +3, Dogs -2

Sunday morning a beautiful golden lab comes strolling into my back yard and up onto my deck. The dog was friendly and unlike my dogs this one seemed to think our new house was a completely adequate place to live and proceeded to take up residence.

Score: Cat’s +3, Dog’s -1

Sunday evening a car pulls into my drive and asks me if I’m missing any dog’s. I should have said “no”, but idiot that I am I said “yes” and then unwittingly gave a description of the dogs, leaving me no room to deny association with them. The kind people in the car said, “yep”, they are at our house right now if you follow us you can get them.

When I pulled into the driveway, sure enough they were my dogs and oh-so-much-more. They were obviously successful on their hunt from the previous night, for not only did I get my dog’s back, but they brought with them the rich and pungent odor of a skunk.

As I am not blessed with a truck and an open bed, I had to load them in my van.

Scor:e Cats +3, Dog’s +,1 Skunk Stench  everywhere in my garage and van

The strange dog that arrived on Sunday left on Monday, but not after teaching my dog’s how to find their way home again. I believe my dogs discovered the wherabouts of the cats and two have disappeared.

Score: Cats +1, Dogs even, Skunk Stench possibly more powerful the next day.

My wife and I did research on treating skunk smells and found several concoctions that have some scientific sources referenced to them, so we have agreed to try them, but as we prepared to create bath, my first dog wanders in from his adventures coated in some strange-thick-evil looking oil. I was so exhausted from moving and then a zoo trip to boot that I gave up on the idea of cleaning him that day.

This morning his eyes were glowing red and a sulfury smoke was surrounding him. Whatever that oil was, it certainly posseses some evil.

Score: Cats +1, Dogs -1, Demon Spawn +1, Skunk Smell now its in the house.

I have become so frustrated that I revert to childlike behavior.  I resent her using anything that belongs to me. Even, if its something like my Xbox.  It’s not like she’s going to hurt it or consume something I would never get back.   Yet, I feel that if she can’t respect me then she can’t use my stuff.  It’s not right.  I know it’s not.  Yet, I feel that way anyways and I can’t detach like I do as a principal.

So, without further ado…
The top five things I learned from son during his second year:

1. If it’s taller than you, then climb it. Life’s obstacles don’t always have to be a disappointing roadblock, they can be fun adventures.
2. Be passionate about something and embrace each opportunity with enthusiasm. My son loves baths, Spongebob, being outdoors, spotting cows, and spotting bird-a.k.a tweet-tweets. The word “bath” sends him into a song and dance. He shouts “spash-splash” and high steps it all the way to the bathroom. No matter how many mornings he watches Spongebob or how many times we read a Spongebob book at night, he always sings along with the songs. No cow pastures gets passed without shouting “cow!”. No, bird is to plain to receive an eager praise of “tweet-tweet”.
3. It’s better to do it yourself than to have someone do it for you. He has to do everything for himself now. He closes all doors, climbs in and out of the van on his own. Buckles his own belt. Does his best to dress himself. We aren’t allowed to help him with his food. He insists on brushing his own teeth.
4. Get outside everyday. It doesn’t matter the weather, or the temperature. If he has an opportunity to go outside he takes it.
5. Be bold and trust that someone is looking out for you. He will go anywhere, climb anything, jump on, over, across any obstacle in his path. He does this because Mom and Dad are there to encourage him when he needs it, warn him if its dangerous, and pick him up if he falls. Most of us have someone to do the same for us.

I have been very wishy-washy when it comes to blogging.  It is fun to do, it works as a form of journaling which helps one to be more reflective about life, but… it consumes time.  Then again, so does watching TV and I still manage to watch my share of television.  The real question is this, “Is blogging a good use of time?” 

I’d like to think that this blog would be some amusement to my son when is he old enough to read and understand what is here.  If an occasional entry here, offers my son a little insight into what his old man is or was like, then I would have to say this is a worthwhile endeavor.

So, with that thought in mind.  I believe I will continue blogging.  No promises that I will post regularly, but I will give it a worthy go.

Here are ten songs that should be on an eighties album.  The criteria for these songs was this question:  “If I were a D.J. and had to purchase one eighties album to throw in the mix, what songs would either get the crowd to sing, dance, or say ‘this is our song’?”

These are not necessarily my favorites and I limited myself to only one song per band or singer.

1. Love Shack by B-52s

2. Should I stay or Should I go by The Clash

3. Come On Eileen by Dexby’s Midnight Runners

4. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

5. One Night in Bancock by Murray Head

6. Don’t You Want Me by Human League

7. 99 Loft Ballons by Nena

8. Every Breath You Take by The Police

9. Tainted Love – Soft Cell

10. *groan* Y.M.C.A. by the Village People

To try and salvage some of the trial, I have limited myself to a single large cup a day and I am moving that down to a single small cup next week.  I haven’t had any soda or other caffeinated beverages besides the cup of coffee each day.  I have been good about drinking water the rest of the day.  I sometimes forget the orange juice in the morning and the wine at night. 

This last week has been tough.  The “cold” that I have been complaining about since mid-January continued to get worse and as it did I continued to be busier and busier. Saturday was the climax of a big fundraiser we had been working on and I was nearly kaput.  I never got out of bed on Sunday.  Yesterday I had to take my son to the doctor and the doctor examined me.  Turns out I have acute-Bronchitis and was on the onset of pneumonia.  The doctor forbid me to go to work today and put me on anti-biotics and an inhaler.  So the boy and I are home today.

After our teeth are brushed, he runs into the living room and gives everyone a kiss goodnight.  Then he dashes into the bedroom and closes his door.  We hop onto the rocking chair and read a book of his choice. Sometimes we read for ten minutes, sometimes it is only for two or three.  Then he points to the light switch and it is time for the lights to go out.  I carry him over to the switch and he hits the lights. 

With the lights out, we get back into the rocking chair and say our prayers and then he lays back with a blanket (he calls it a night-night) and I tell him a bedtime story.

I really became interested in the idea of telling a bedtime story just before I started the bedtime routine. I have been fiddling around with an imaginary world that hopefully will be big enough to house any adventures that he and I can create.  I have created a couple of characters that I use now and I’m just practicing with the stories.  He is really too young to understand to follow the stories, but it sooths him and he listens until he falls asleep or decides it is time for bed.  When he decides he is ready for bed he will point to his crib and I know it is time to give him a kiss goodnight, to tell him I love him and help him settle in.

I look forward to the day that starts recognizing the characters and suggests what they do.  I hope this tradition becomes a memory he grows up with and continues with his own children. Maybe he’ll even use some of the same characters.

 Do you have any bedtime routines?

This tells me, I’ve become pretty dependent on caffeine.  I didn’t sleep any better last night, besides being sleepy.  It took a supreme effort of will to get up this morning and even after Pilates I am still dragging.  I don’t normally have coffee until around eight.  By the time I’ve been up this long, I am usually fairly alert.  But, today I am dragging.  Perhaps, I am feeling some residual effects from painting this weekend in combination with the cough I have.  Maybe, its not fair to judge yesterday and today on my lack of caffeine.

We’ll see how the next couple of days goes.

Because I was not able to take the time to leave her house and cook my own meals, I was dependent on eating the delivered pizzas.  So, I allowed myself to wait until today to begin the trial.  Today begins day one without caffeine.

 I’m going to take today and get some files sent to the lenders and then I’m taking the daughter to the mall.  Pray for me….