Howefitz Blog

Saturday, we went to the Denver area to see what this People to People thing is all about. If you’ve missed it in previous posts, Kat received a nomination to a People to People delegation to Australia. The mailings we’ve received say things like ‘cuddle with a koala!’ and ’swim a corral reef!’ so we were certainly curious. The informational meeting certainly peeked my interest. Kat will not only be given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but also will come back with 120 hours of elective social studies credits, which looks great on a college resume.

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I’ve spent all morning working on today’s post, well, the bits of the morning where I wasn’t taking The Teenager to school. Then there were the times I was holding the baby, which is a chore, let me tell you. Every time I hold that warm little snuggly body against me I can’t help thinking that I’d much rather be in front of my glaring blank white computer screen instead of throwing the baby in to the air and hearing his sweet, genuine giggle as I tickle under his ribs with my nose. Who wants that?

Martin Luther King, Jr. via last.fm

I recently read a wonderful post by Ron Mattocks at Clark Kent’s Lunchbox about what our hopes teach our children about their futures. Using Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech as a catalyst, Ron tells us stories of his father and the effects his father had on his life and parenting style. It’s great. I highly recommend you head over there and read it.

When I first started watching Glee, I was skeptical. I thought it would be just another teen drama that would send me running to the kitchen sink to deposit my dinner for the sheer sappiness and unbelievability of it.

Glee has sappiness.

Glee is, more often than not, unbelievable.

But there’s something about the show that I did not expect: the positive portrayal of fathers. Or at least, fathers-to-be.

I’d like to focus on two fathers-to-be in particular: Will Schuester and Finn Hudson.

This FatherHood Friday, I want to start off kind of heavy and then lighten the load. Bear with me, but I have to say something.

In Christopher Moore’s hilarious book, ‘A Dirty Job‘, his main character is a ‘beta male’. Moore describes a beta male as the guy that wasn’t all that popular in high school that, when something does go his way, he feels like it will be snatched away at any moment. The beta male’s imagination is constantly shifting to the worst case scenario.

I’m pretty sure that I am a beta male, and I have a pretty active imagination.

This post is a part of the glorious event that is FatherHood Friday. That’s where Dad and Mom bloggers come together on Friday and discuss what FatherHood is all about. Be sure to click the link on the left for more fabulous contributions. Isn’t this header thing like the top of the first page of an old comic? “Bitten by a radioactive spider, young Peter Parker….”

'Aaah, freak out!' Don't let this happen to you!

I took vacation this week and did a lot of house hunting. Right now we’re in a 2 bedroom apartment, which with the approaching birth of my son, will be waaaay too cramped for a family of five! So we’ve been looking for something a little bigger.

We found a townhome that I immediately fell in love with. Nice grassy back yard, another nice grassy area we can play in out front. (with no mowing by me, FTW!) It’s located on a quiet cul-de-sac, so no crazy drivers. 3 bed, 3 bath, fireplace, and a garage. Perfect. The two smaller rooms even already had a pink shade on the window in one and a blue shade in the other!

This doll will help Calli learn to potty ... right?

OK, I’m pretty sure around the time that Calli was born I read somewhere that girls generally start potty training at 18 months. ‘Woo-hoo!’ My inexperienced father’s brain cried. Only a year and a half of foul-smelling, foul-colored, unidentifiable, unexplainable messes in diapers? I can handle that!

Nearly three years later, I’m still changing diapers. I’ve failed. You can see pictures of the wife and I in the parenting Hall of Shame. There’s a failed potty-trainers wing, and we’re the star attractions.

Then again, maybe not!

Calli can help you conquer the world!

Yesterday I was stressed at work. The day before that, I was stressed at work. Last week: yeah, more stress. I don’t want to get up in the morning. I don’t blog but once a week (FatherHood Friday, as seen at dad-blogs.com! Be sure to check out all the cool moms and dads who selflessly share the lives of their families for your entertainment and delight!) I can hardly take making a decision anymore, because somehow it’ll be wrong to someone.

Whew! Happy FatherHood Friday! This week was a crazy one, and I’m pretty sure I missed a day somewhere. The store I work in is going through a remodel, and they hit my departments this week. I put in a couple 15 hour days, but man it’s looking good! Also, my weekly column at dad-blogs debuted on Tuesday! Make sure you check that and the other great articles and discussions there! I think I saw my family this week as well…

Without too much more drivel from me, I thought I’d share another of Kat’s paintings…

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