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Or… You Could Literally Give Dad “Nothing” for Father’s Day

Photograph of a 19th-Century stock certificate***not under copyright****

Photograph of a 19th-Century stock certificate***not under copyright****

You’ve probably already seen my “Last Minute Father’s Day Gift Ideas from Target” post. If not, check it out, because I’m really proud of it. But, today I came across another idea; one that is much more unconventional.

This year the kids can literally give Dad “nothing”… this story has been receiving some great online coverage from the Huffington Post, AdWeek and many local broadcast affiliates.

I admit, if my wife asks me what I want for Father’s Day (or really, any holiday), it is typical for me not to easily be able to think of something.

If that is common among dads, I would theorize part of it has to do with a husband and father feeling funny about being served by our his family.

We as husbands and fathers are wired to provide for our family. Especially with my wife and I being serious Dave Ramsey followers (a few weeks ago we bought a new car and already had the money saved in the bank, not because we’re rich, because we are that strict with our budget), I always feel like I’m making an irresponsible decision if I give my family the green light to spend money on me for something I simply want, but don’t need.

Or… You Could Literally Give Dad “Nothing” for Father’s Day

So yeah, I admit, “nothing” is a much more practical answer to give when my family asks me what to get me for a gift.

This year, Century 21 decided to help families actually give dad nothing; as in a piece of Nothing, Arizona, an uninhabited ghost town about 120 miles Northwest of Phoenix.

From now through Father’s Day, families can go to www.givedadnothing.com and enter their father’s name to lease a piece of Nothing, Arizona, for one day; June 19th, 2016 for free.

Then they can then download, print, or email a certificate bestowing “Nothing” on their father – all free of charge.

Yep, it’s true- and you heard it first from me!

Now, granted, I would personally still recommend by giving Dad something. But first, start off by giving him nothing.

Or… You Could Literally Give Dad “Nothing” for Father’s Day

*All photos and images courtesy of Century 21 Real Estate.

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Dear Holly: The Picture Mommy Secretly Took of Us Sleeping

7 weeks.

Dear Holly: The Picture Mommy Secretly Took of Us Sleeping

Dear Holly,

I did a particular household chore over the weekend that I never look forward to doing: the tedious and unforgiving task of uploading the hundreds of photos from both Mommy’s phone as well as mine; then making separate folders for them to upload to our external hard drive.

(It’s not the simple cut and dry process it should be, nor is the transfer as instant as I would like.)

In doing this, I finally saw a picture that Mommy secretly took of us; back from when you were just a few days old.

I had been sitting on the floor, holding you in attempt to help you get to sleep. Then as my back became sore from hunching over, I laid back on the carpet, while keeping you in a nest of blankets, with my legs crossed “Indian style”.

Dear Holly: The Picture Mommy Secretly Took of Us Sleeping

Apparently my method was quite efficient, because we both fell deep asleep. That’s how Mommy easily sneaked over and snapped a picture of us with her phone.

It happened in the midst of first days of having bringing a newborn home from the hospital that as a parent, I don’t really remember too many details surrounding the event. Everything was just a haze at the time.

After I saw the picture this weekend, I informed Mommy that my favorite radio station, WAY-FM, is holding a contest in which moms are sending in photos of their husbands with their kids, for a Father’s Day.

So obviously, this photo has now been sent. I’m sure we won’t win, but it’s worth a shot. (The prize is a $1,000.)

If nothing else, it’s fun to be able to see this picture. Though I really don’t like uploading the pictures from our phones, at least I was able to unearth this gem.

It was totally worth the work for that reason alone, if nothing else.

Love,

Daddy

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Postpartum: My 10 Steps of Caring for a Newborn during the First 6 Weeks

Postpartum: My 10 Steps of Caring for a Newborn during the First 6 Weeks

We survived! Yay for us! With Baby Holly turning 6 weeks old as of yesterday, my wife and I have apparently made it through what I hear is the toughest part of the postpartum days: the first 6 weeks.

That first month or so is when you as the parent must figure out the details on what works best for your baby regarding sleeping schedules, formulas, and diapers. It’s a culture shock as a parent, even after already having one child. I knew it would be challenging going into it.

However, I must have kept my expectations lower than I needed to because, honestly, it hasn’t been that bad!

Postpartum: My 10 Steps of Caring for a Newborn during the First 6 Weeks

Despite us managing our newborn’s infant acid reflux, for the post part, things have been fairly predictable. There have really been just 10 simple steps to caring for our newborn during the first 6 weeks:

1)      Feed her an ounce, burp her. Repeat until each ounce is gone.

2)      Change her diaper.

3)      Play with her by talking to her and helping her do exercises.

4)      Take a cute picture of her.

5)      While you teach yourself newborn photography, by the default of taking so many pictures, Instagram your work to show it off to friends and family.

6)      Change her diaper.

7)      Wrap her up in a blanket and rock her to sleep with the pacifier in her mouth,

then place her in the crib.

8)      Change her diaper, now that she finally fell asleep but wet herself again.

9)      Rock her back to sleep and place her in the crib again.

10)  Repeat two and a half hours later when she wakes up again.

Postpartum: My 10 Steps of Caring for a Newborn during the First 6 Weeks

Those are my 10 simple steps. This has been my life for the past 6 weeks.

Granted, these 10 steps have been my wife’s reality more than mine, since she’s on maternity leave, but I still work during the day. A lot of the time my main responsibility is to take care of our 5 and a half year-old son Jack while my wife Jill takes care of the baby.

This past weekend I celebrated the end of those first 6 weeks by shaving off my postpartum beard, as well as getting a hair trim. As you can see though, I was unable to overcome the temptation of shaving (and Instagramming) in stages.

Postpartum: My 10 Steps of Caring for a Newborn during the First 6 Weeks

Postpartum: My 10 Steps of Caring for a Newborn during the First 6 Weeks

And if my eyes look bloodshot and cross-eyed, and I look like I need some ginseng because of lack of sleep, it’s probably true.

As for Baby Holly, she doesn’t have that problem so much…

Postpartum: My 10 Steps of Caring for a Newborn during the First 6 Weeks

Fare thee well.

Postpartum: My 10 Steps of Caring for a Newborn during the First 6 Weeks

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Dear Jack: 5 “Bad Words” You Use When You’re around People You’re Comfortable With

5 and a half years old.

Dear Jack: 5 “Bad Words” You Use When You’re around People You’re Comfortable With

Dear Jack,

This past weekend, as Mommy’s sister’s family was in town from Pennsylvania, they got to hear all about butts, buttheads, poop, Donald Trump, and eyeballs; all of which are “bad words” in your vocabulary.

With us having very special visitors with us for these 4 days, you got away with taking no naps. And when you take no naps, you are less discreet in your words and actions.

(That’s one of the many reasons I don’t spank you; I don’t believe in physically punishing children because of how they act when they are hungry, tired, lonely, bored or sick– which are the reasons you “act out” when you do.)

In our house, you are not exposed to actual “bad words”. The only time you hear those is when, as the cool dad, I take you out go to see superhero movies– though you obviously don’t recognize the cuss words when you hear them since you don’t know them to begin with.

However, you have your own rolodex of bad words; most of which involve potty humor. The main one is butts.

Dear Jack: 5 “Bad Words” You Use When You’re around People You’re Comfortable With

I remember one time at the dinner table, having not taken a nap that day, you just kept saying, “Bbbuttsss!” then immediately laughing.

You were in a loop. You broke me down after a few times. You had me laughing every time you said it, though I was supposed to be a responsible adult, like Mommy was being.

However, it was indeed Mommy who bought you the book My Dad is a Butthead for the Kindle for when we went on our last major family vacation in Destin, for your 5th birthday- which happened to be exactly 6 months ago today.

(I realize that butts and butthead both have the word “butt” in them, but I consider them separate words in that a butthead is a person.)

As for poop, I suppose it’s always been one of your favorite bad words. That one is simply a given.

But you took it upon yourself to adopt Donald Trump on your list, after hearing that “Donald Trump is a bad word” from watching an episode of Fuller House. Granted, I personally don’t have a probably with you making Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton into bad words, as far as I’m concerned.

Dear Jack: 5 “Bad Words” You Use When You’re around People You’re Comfortable With

Eyeball is my favorite bad word of yours. Like Donald Trump, you decided on your own that this is an inappropriate phrase to use.

I love how you think you’re getting away with saying something sneaky when you shout out the word “eyeball” in vain.

Granted, you don’t say any of these bad words at school; or at least you don’t get in trouble for it if you do.

It’s not just with family that you have no filter with when you are in need of a nap. I remember a few months ago, we were meeting our friend Jarrid Wilson (and his wife and young son). He is a Christian blogger and author.

I’m glad that in the midst of us all having brunch together at Whole Foods, he found it hilarious that the word “butts” kept coming up in conversation.

As long as your bad words consist of butts, buttheads, poop, Donald Trump, and eyeballs, I’m just not too worried about it.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: No, the Nurse Didn’t Inform Us You are Mexican…

5 years, 5 months.

https://familyfriendlydaddyblog.com/2016/05/12/dear-jack-we-saw-captain-america-civil-war-on-opening-weekend-bought-mothers-day-gifts-in-the-2016-lexus-is-200t/

Dear Jack,

This past Saturday as we were driving back home in the 2016 Lexus IS 200t after buying our Captain America: Civil War tickets ahead of time for the matinee, we somehow ended up talking about Mexico; maybe it was in a Jimmy Buffet song we heard on Sirius XM.

Dear Holly: Our Family’s 1st Ride in the Same Car (2016 Lexus IS 200t)

I ended up mentioning that you, your sister Holly, and I are all part Mexican; whereas Mommy is not.

You then cautiously and curiously asked me, “Daddy, did the nurse tell you I was Mexican when I was born? Is that how you knew?”

I love that. I love the concept of the nurse in the delivery room announcing to the parents what the ethnicity of their newborn child is.

https://familyfriendlydaddyblog.com/2016/05/12/dear-jack-we-saw-captain-america-civil-war-on-opening-weekend-bought-mothers-day-gifts-in-the-2016-lexus-is-200t/

Doing my best not to laugh at your truly sincere question, I explained that my grandma is full Mexican, Nana is half Mexican, I am a quarter, and therefore you and your sister are an eighth.

I can tell you’re still trying to sort out what it means to be Mexican. You know is that we eat a lot of Mexican food at our house.

And you know that the main language that Mexicans speak is Spanish. You surprised me a few weeks ago when we were at the Franklin Main Street Festival and you announced to me, “Hey Daddy, look- those people have a perro!”

You said it loud enough to where the man and his wife heard what you said. They both turned around and glanced at us for moment, as we walked behind them on Main Street.

I was very confused, myself. “Parrow? Jack, what’s a parrow? Do you mean parrot?”

Then you very matter-of-factly explained to me, “Perro is dog in Spanish.”

You taught me a Spanish word. I took like 6 years of French between high school and college, so it was lost on me.

So to some degree, maybe you’re even more Mexican than I am.

https://familyfriendlydaddyblog.com/2016/04/29/dear-holly-mommy-gave-birth-to-you-with-no-epidural/

Love,

Daddy