Triple The Dad

I'm just going to say it: The five-second rule is real. We (or at least I) practice it in our household. Now, I realize that once food touches the floor, even for a second, it has probably 99% of the germs it would have if it was left there for a full minute. I'm not so naive to think that picking food up off the floor within some five-second time frame magically keeps germs away. Instead, I use it as a guideline of sorts for my kids. Kids are devilish little things. They have lots of questions. How come we can say "yellow dye" but not "you die"? How come we can eat candy after dinner but not for breakfast? How come we can eat some  food off the floor, but not other food. Well, I'm here to tell you the answer is the five-second rule. Again, its not a germ prevention thing. Lots of times I use this as a short hand. If an uncooked noodle falls on the floor and its there less than 5 second, I'm putting it in the pot for boiling. Hey, its getting...

Great tips to help your marriage, even if it doesn't need help:  Marriage tips : A hilarious post about toddler Physics  that is well worth your time. BONUS: if you like it, don't forget to check out one of my  most popular posts, all about Time Travelling Triplets ! How to build self-confidence in your kids. A post all about how being a quiet parent can help raise a confident kid.

The British are coming. In fact, they have already arrived. And this time around, there is no Paul Revere to sound the alarm. Because they are insidiously putting down roots inside our brains. Like some kind of zombie fungus. First they come for words; then the horses. It all started the other day when my daughter asked if we had any tomatoes. Not tomAtos, but tomatos. Soft "a" sound, not a hard one. Then she asked me to "mend" her toy. Who says that? You know who? The British. These are clearly British phrases. What would make otherwise perfectly American children speak with a British tongue? Where is this coming from? Peppa Pig, that is where. The entire Pig family is British. The speak British. They go on "holiday" rather than vacation. They call the stripped animal from Africa a zebra - soft "e" sound, not a hard one - rather than zEbra, like everyone else whose brain isn't half fungus. That might not seem like a big deal. ...

"A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you a hundred moments of regret." I read this on Facebook while I was working on this series. Talk about timing, right? Patience is defined as: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. My wife will tell you I sometimes accept delay or trouble too easily. And I sometimes do  lack urgency. Some of that is because I tend to become scattered when rushed. I've learned over the years that its better for me to go slow and get it right, or at least try, rather than rush and forget two things, go home and get them, only to realize I've forgotten a third thing. But for whatever reason, I struggle with this when it comes to the kids. Some of it is that the cacophony is incessant. I know every parent complains about this. And truthfully, every parent deals with it on some level. But some days... Its just all too much. The hundreds of questions, the fighting, the q...

Yesterday was a no good, very bad, day. Not just yesterday, the last two or three days, really. I'm not even sure why. I am sure I have not been a good Dad or person these last few days. Maybe I'm not sleeping well - though I think I am. Maybe I'm not happy - though I think I am. Maybe I'm stressed out - though I have no reason to be. Heck, January was the best month for this blog by nearly any measure. The Robes broke up shortly after this show. Our piano player was moody. I've been short with the kids. Little things that  really should  roll off my shoulders have dug claws in me, edging me toward irritation. I've snapped. I've raised my voice. I've been very, very short. To the point my daughter has had to remind me to "take a deep breath, Daddy." A short aside: I'm so, so very proud of her for that. Because it really does defuse the situation; it really takes me out of the moment and allows me to reset. But when your 4-year-old ...