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In The End, We Know We Were Meant To Be

August 21, 2013 at 8:35 pm , by 

2 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

I really missed you today. While I was at work, I actually got sad thinking about how much I wanted to see you.

When I dropped you off at school this morning, even though things went great while we were leaving the house, as well as during the entire car ride, you didn’t want to let go of me when I was hugging you goodbye.

That’s not usual for you.

So I got caught in this sort of limbo between trying to hand you over to your teacher, knowing I needed to leave for work, and not wanting to let you go either.

I couldn’t shake off that thought for the rest of the day.

It’s not like something traumatic happened to cause it.

It’s not like you’ve suddenly spent less time with me here recently.

You just missed me… I guess?

I’m still in the frame of mind from a movie that Mommy and I watched last night, and really liked, on Netflix streaming called Ira and Abby.

Basically, the concept of the movie was this:

What if you met the person you were meant to marry and spend the rest of your life with- and decided to marry them the same day?

No matter what you learned about that person, you would love, forgive, and challenge that person no matter what; because you knew that in the end, you were meant to be with them.

Yes, of course, there’s a very real and romantic way of looking at that; like for Mommy and me.

But it also makes me think of you.

I know for a fact you and I were meant to be.

That means we will learn to love, forgive, and challenge each other as long as we’re on this Earth together.

And sometimes, just knowing that, well…

It causes us to be sad because we love each other so much.

Like today.

 

Love,

Daddy

 

 

 

 

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Pick 2: Love. Happiness. Kids.

August 15, 2013 at 8:38 pm , by 

2 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

This weekend Mommy and I watched a well-acted, well-produced movie on Netflix calledFriends With Kids.

It definitely more than earned its “R” rating.However, I still managed to appreciate and analyze the plot line and concept of the movie:

What if two people who were not at all in love decided to have a baby so they “wouldn’t have to deal with the complicated problem of combining romantic love, personal happiness,and kids?”

What if the dad and mom were “best friends with a kid,” but somehow with no emotional baggage and were free to go on with their lives with no commitment to each other other than their child?

In essence, the main characters of the movie (played by Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt) start out their experiment (with human life!) by saying that you can’t really have romantic love and personal happiness and still have kids.

Or kids and personal happiness and still be in love with the child’s parent.

Or kids and romantic love with the child’s parent and still personally be happy.

Obviously, I don’t agree with with those sentiments, but I completely understand what they’re getting at.

Those three things (love, happiness, and kids) are a challenging combo to balance.

As I’ve been writing to you about a lot here recently, I’m realizing that the least of these three is my personal happiness.

I talked about in “To Be More Like Clark Griswold On Our Family Vacations” how so much of what I let bother me is actually rooted in fear that I won’t get my way or be happy.

It’s true.

So for me, here’s the takeaway from the movie. It helped remind me that by default, parents are forced to prioritize love, happiness, and kids.

I choose love and kids, then.. my own happiness. (Or in my case, just one kid… for now.)

That’s not at all to say I’m not happy, because I’m very content and thankful for my life. But if I don’t put you and Mommy before myself, I’m not truly going to be happy anyway.

 

Love,

Daddy

 

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, reviews, vegan

Calling For Grandparental Reinforcement To Finish Dinner

August 7, 2013 at 9:54 pm , by 

2 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

There’s no question that you love your GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches. (As do I.)

It’s just that you’ve begun to associate finishing your applesauce with finishing dinner, and therefore, having to get ready for bed.

So you take your time eating dinner, essentially trying to make it never ending.

But a few nights ago, you were really putting up a fight… Mommy and I never let you finish dinner without eating some kind of fruit.

So half jokingly, Mommy asked you if we needed to call Papa (my dad) to tell you to finish your applesauce.

You hesitantly agreed.

I quickly briefed Papa on what was going on before putting him on speakerphone and handing the phone to you.

“Jack, you need to eat your applesauce. It’s good for you,” Papa advised.

You didn’t say a word. You just listened, nearly in disbelief that I actually called Papa about this.

He did his best, but ultimately, after the phone call, you still stood your ground.

We gave you a choice: Either eat your applesauce and have some playtime afterwards, or go straight upstairs to get ready for bed.

You chose to go straight upstairs. (Granted, Mommy still forced you to eat a spoon of applesauce before taking you upstairs.)

So sort of like the time you put yourself in time-out so you wouldn’t have to get dressed, you chose not eating applesauce over getting extra playtime.

Just in case you missed it, here’s the irony:

You didn’t want to eat your applesauce because it signified going upstairs to get ready for bed, meaning your fun time would come to an end.

So you refused your applesauce, meaning you went straight upstairs, forgoing the option of playing with your toys in the living room for a few minutes before going upstairs.

Even Papa tried to help. But sometimes you’re just so set in your ways.

 

Love,

Daddy

 

P.S. I have to brag on GoGo Squeez. Their products are free of high fructose corn syrup or any added colors or flavors. I’m not waiting or hoping for the government to mandate food labeling. Instead, I’m taking control of the situation myself by purposely buying food from brands I can trust. Brands that aren’t dependent on Monsanto for their livelihood or that are shady about their ingredients. Any food brand that can claim to be kosher certified, as well as vegan friendly, has my attention:

100% natural Kosher certified BPA free packaging Gluten free Wheat free Vegan friendly

 

 

(Plus, all GoGo Squeez products are produced free of common allergens, including milk, egg, wheat, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, fish and shellfish.)

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, reviews, Storytelling

“I Pack My Camel Shoes, Just In Case”: Okiedog Backpack Review

August 6, 2013 at 9:08 pm , by 

2 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

The brown UPS truck drives past our house every day at 6:03 PM. You always like to assume, “He brings a gift… for me?”

Well, last Thursday just happened to be your lucky day. He brought you your new backpack for the new school season.

You chose a panda bear, as part of the “Wildpack” series of Okiedog; the same brand where we found my “daddy diaper bag” four months ago. As the picture above makes clear, you were definitely excited about your new backpack.

Not to mention, you were very eager to try it out. So eager, in fact, that we decided to go on a family walk, immediately.

Before we could leave, you decided you needed to pack it with something first. Without hesitation, you turned to the hutch where we keep our shoes:

“I pack my camel shoes… just in case.”

It was so funny, and totally caught me off guard at the time, that I couldn’t process your statement quickly enough to laugh:

By “camel shoes,” you were referring to yourcamouflage shoes.

As to why you might suddenly need camouflage shoes during a 10 minute walk in our neighborhood, I’m still unsure.

Either way, you wanted to be prepared.

So we made our journey down the sidewalk, with your “camel shoes” in your new backpack.

You were so proud to display your new “gift from the brown truck” that you didn’t realize your pants had fallen down, and yet, you continued walking.

After Mommy pulled your pants up, you decided to start collecting rocks for your existing collection, which we keep at our front door.

Even though you could have easily stored your rocks in your backpack with your camel shoes, you chose to hold them in your left hand, since you were already clenching your elephant with your right.

Granted, that made it difficult to keep collecting new rocks.

It goes without saying, you made sure you wore your backpack to school the next day, simply if nothing else, for the reason of showing it off to your friends…

And actually, they asked me where you got it; the style of it is very unique in the midst to most other kids’ backpacks.

It reminds me of the kind of thing I saw back 10 years ago when I taught English in Bangkok, Thailand.

I’m happy the brown truck brought a gift for you… even if you still haven’t come across an emergency were you suddenly needed your camel shoes!

 

Love,

Daddy

 

 

1 Comment Posted on car reviews, parenting, reviews

2014 Lexus 9040A ES 300h Sedan: Family Friendly Car Review

I guess the idea of the existence of a hybrid electric luxury car had never crossed my mind…

2014 Lexus 9040A ES 300h Sedan: Family Friendly Car Review

But this week’s featured family friendly car review is on the 2014 Lexus 9040A ES 300h Sedan.

The concept is pretty simple: If you liked the Toyota Prius which I reviewed a month ago, but have a larger budget and taste for the finer things in life, the 2014 Lexus 9040A ES 300h is probably what you’re looking for.

It gets an average of 40 miles per gallon, as compared to the Prius which averages 50. But still, I’ve driven the Lexus for nearly a week and the gas hand is just now finally beginning to budge off the “F” for full on the gas gauge.

Lexus 9040A ES 300h

Unsurprisingly, the Lexus 9040A ES 300h drives very smoothly and has plenty of power for a sedan: 200 horsepower. Like the Toyota Avalon Hybrid which I reviewed last Christmas, you wouldn’t know it’s a hybrid except for the lack of the sound of an engine.

I’ll never complain about the size of any car I review because I recognize that people have different tastes and I don’t want my opinion getting in the way of that. With that being said, I love the size of the Lexus 9040A ES 300h and the way it handles.

By the way, ever heard of a “knee airbag”? I surely had not. But the 2014 Lexus 9040A ES 300h has it; as seen in the picture collage above.

2014 Lexus 9040A ES 300h

As far as the “family friendly aspect” of it, this car fits our family perfectly. I can’t say that for every car I’ve reviewed, but I can easily say it for this one.

So let me sum it up for you: Are you planning on purchasing a luxury sedan? Would you like one that is a hybrid electric vehicle that gets 40 miles per gallon?

If you answered yes to both questions, then I think it’s safe to say you will not be disappointed in the 2014 Lexus 9040A ES 300h.

Let me close with some stats for you:

2014 Lexus 9040A ES 300h

Total price, as featured: $48,542.00.

2.5L Dual Cam In-Line 4-cylinder Engine with High Output Permanent Magnet Electric Drive Motor/200 Total System Horsepower

40 MPG combined/40 city/39 highway

Annual fuel cost: $1,300

Thanks for checking out this week’s family friendly car review. Please come back next week to see which car I’m reviewing next; I never know what it’s going to be either!