Shout Out to all of the Dads (and every parent/care giver) Out There!

It seems that all of the dads out there need an advocate so let's see if I am up to the challenge and give all of the wonderful caring fathers their moment to shine! Today I was in the shop looking at the baby aisle as I got on with my shopping. I really have no idea why I still peruse this stuff. I don't buy nappies or wipes or baby food anymore but for some reason I just like to see what's going on over there just in case anything awesome catches my eye. I look at the endless jars of baby food with their colorful packaging and slogans that make you want to buy them when, once again, I see all the dads being completely ignored! One jar was staring me down with it's label that read "inspired by a recipe from Susan, a mom just like you". I thought to myself, "hmmmm ok" and looked at another jar, then another, and another.....until I had looked at all of the jars and not one of them was 'inspired by a recipe by a dad just like you'. BUT WHY???? Don't dads love their kids just as much as moms do? What about all those delicious meals lovingly prepared by dads all around the world? Working dads, stay at home dads, divorced dads, single dads.......... WHY ONLY MOMS, baby food?? I then went home and turned on the tv only to be bombarded by baby adverts telling me that 'moms choose this or moms approve that' and, frankly, I was outraged! I know that moms work hard and, believe me, this isn't anything against all of the mothers out there. For I am a mother and I speak for the.......dads.....and moms.....and grandparents, foster parents, step-parents, and anyone else who has ever looked after and lovingly taken care of a child. I have to ask, why can't things be 'parent approved'? So I am calling out to all of you dads wherever you are I salute you and I know you care for your kids. And I am calling out to all of the moms out there wherever you are because I salute you as well. It's not a competition! Parents have it tough sometimes. Heck, people in general have it tough sometimes. And I can't stress this enough: it is not about being perfect because that will drive you insane and to an early grave. I hear you snickering about how Jane dropped her kids off to school wearing her bedroom slippers and challenge you to think of a day when you didn't wish you could do the same. I see the pointing at Bob when little Kyle is waiting to go into class with chocolate on his face. Do we know for sure it was a chocolate bar and does it really matter??? I will put my hand up and say I have bribed my kids once or twice with a granola bar or cookie to get them ready on time just so I don't completely lose my mind. You put their clothes on, they take them off. You ask them to brush their teeth and they use it to brush the cat's teeth instead. Do I do it every day? No. Because then it would stop working! Hahahaha!  I'm only joking and I do try to keep all of my posts fun but I do want you to come away with a bit to think about and that is: we all do the best we can and we fall short of perfection. I would love to be the super mom with the immaculate house and freshly baked goods who always looks completely put together and smiley. I have been that person and I will tell you this. It never feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. So when you see me stopped at the curb begging and pleading with my kids to hold my hand while we cross the street, in the same jeans I have worn every day this week, a t-shirt I bought at Aeropostale when I was 16, and fluffy hair that would put a baby chick to shame just know that I read to my kids, make them healthy food, play with them when they get home from school, do my best to get everything else done in the middle. I am well aware that my life is perfectly imperfect and that's the way I like it. 

We Don't Lick Our Pets

Did you know that most people don't go around licking their pets? Maybe I am in the minority and unaware of what the cool kids are doing these days so I'm just going to have put this in the book of 'things I never thought I'd have to say' until I do some research or public opinion polls on the subject. We all realize at some point that we find ourselves saying things to our kids that we never thought we'd have to. This morning was one such occasion when Brannon was holding the kitten and rocking him like a baby, as you do, and I caught him licking the kitten! I can only imagine his sweet 2 year old thought process went something like this: 'Whiskers is my baby and he gives himself a bath so I should help him!'. I really can't blame the sweet boy, his thinking seems quite sound and a mouthful of fur is a small price to pay for being a good 'parent'. I am not sure why I am constantly surprised by these instances. It's just that they keep getting weirder and weirder! The other day I had to remind Brannon that we don't bite the cat even if Whiskers is playing a bit roughly. It's a good thing little Whiskers (who isn't quite so little anymore) has the patience of a saint. I am sure not all cats wouldn't put up with being dressed up in baby doll hats, being put in the play kitchen for a delicious roasted kitty lunch, made to sit like a person and watch the childrens' favorite shows, taking a quick zoom on the ride-on car against his will, and let's not forget the lavish tea parties he gets invited and then quickly uninvited to for not behaving as a proper gentleman should. That's love for ya!

Whiskers

The time has finally arrived! We got an adorable 8 week old kitten on Saturday and he is already very much part of the family with his playful cheeky personality. We all had different names that we wanted for him. I chose Jeter and Toby was quite set on Namath. Brannon was more practical and thought Kitty would be a winner but Lynnea in all her adorableness won the naming rights with the moniker of Whiskers. When we brought him home I thought that Brannon might just faint with excitement. It melts my heart how much the kids love their new pet. We've already had some adventures in the short while since he arrived. One such adventure was just this morning. Brannon was in the conservatory with the kitten and I had just left to go into the living room to see how Lynnea was doing when Brannon came in riding the car. You hardly ever see Brannon without a car of some kind and the ride-on is one of his favorite toys in the entire house so it was nothing unusual. When he got off of it and let Lynnea sit on it I got slightly suspicious since this NEVER happens. Why is Brannon sharing the car so nicely? Mere seconds later I heard soft meowing from an unidentifiable location. Upon being asked if the kitten was inside the car, Lynnea protested vehemently and I knew. I quickly picked her up and rescued the poor dear from the under seat compartment. There was plenty of room for tiny Whiskers so I can see why Brannon thought the kitten would like to ride all over the house in luxurious style. I would have done the same myself if I were a toddler. Nothing would have pleased me more than to have my favorite toy and best friend all at once! I have the feeling this is only the first in a long line of adventures that Whiskers will be having in the future. Luckily Whiskers was unscathed and has seemingly forgotten all about the incident. We definitely lucked out with him.