Our Summer schedule starts tomorrow! Woohooo!
Author: thepurposefulpappy
Pappy’s Day Will Be Here Soon!
All I am saying is, these three better be getting me something AWESOME for Father’s Day! I am mostly kidding, but despite the fact I have an amazing wife who would never forget Father’s Day, I have an irrational fear that the day will come and it will be treated like every other.
I’ve been wondering why that is and actually getting a little frustrated with myself about it. Why is recognition on some day that was probably created by Hallmark so important to me? As I pondered it, I feel like it isn’t about me.
I am lucky. I am told all the time that I am a great day and people around me are so supportive. However, I get stressed about Father’s Day for OTHER Dads. So many Fathers are parenting in a bubble. No one notices how hard they work or they are constantly criticized. They are told by the media they are stupid and incompetent and many Dads want to be better, but they don’t feel like they can be.
In years past I have made a point to feature Dads every day who are putting all they have into parenting. I really wanted to do that this year, but with Bellamy’s arrival it just didn’t pan out. But the fact that I ONLY think to do that around Father’s Day is lame as well. I see myself as someone who Champions Fatherhood, yet I am not shining the spotlight on good Dads like I should be.
So pay attention to this space. You will soon see the faces of men who are working hard to make the next generation happy, whole, and productive.
Thank God for good Daddies.
Dad Privilege? No Way!
I saw an article over at Rage Against The Minivan that caught my eye. First, I want to say I love the website and it can in no way be called anything but Pro-Dad. So, when I saw she was writing about what she called Dad Privilege, I was interested right away.
I encourage you to take a moment and click the link above to read her take. It is interesting. But, I have to say, it lacks some understanding about what it is like to be a Father in this day and age.
It has been an ongoing issue that almost every Pappy on TV (especially in commercials) is a bumbling idiot that doesn’t have the common sense to take care of a child. I see my fellow Dads being shown as so stupid they oftentimes cannot change a baby’s diaper without some help from a woman.
So, yes, when people see a Dad alone with their child they are often complementary. You see, as a Dad, I win as long as my kids make it through a day under my supervision alive. What she sees as Dad Privilege is actually simply people being impressed you aren’t an ignorant jackass or completely absent from your little one’s life all together.
Only recently have I noticed that a new trend has been coming into play. I see more and more men walking around with Dad-positive messaging on their shirts. I see commercials full of men who can not only change a diaper but they can do so without complaining about it. I see more and more of my male friends with their kids plastered all over their Instagram feeds. Men, in my opinion, are suddenly being ENCOURAGED to be good Dads.
Yes, it is absolutely insane that in 2015 we are seeing taking care of your progeny being a cool thing for the first time. But rather than say, “Stop giving men easy compliments for doing what they should do anyway,” we should just be thrilled that the tide of fatherhood is changing.
I often go out of my way to start conversations with Dads who are out and about with their kids, and I usually start those talks by complementing their parenting. You should see these big burly dudes almost tear up because no one has ever told them they are doing a good job. Resources for Dads are amazingly scarce, so these guys feel like they are doing it alone, because they aren’t moms and it doesn’t always come as naturally!
So I cannot get behind the idea of Dad Privilege and I say, while I am at it, complement the heck out of every dad you see! Let them know you recognize the fact that they are not babysitting, and that they are parenting and you think that is freaking awesome!
But, hey, complement the heck out of the mommies you see too. Because this whole parenting thing ain’t easy.
Kinsa For The Win!
This winter was brutal. I know, I know many of you would say that since I live in Virginia (and not in the mountains) that it was easy. And maybe it was, comparatively so. The cold and snow we could deal with, but our biggest problem was that it seems like we were constantly sick. At one point I was so down for the count we had to pack up and go stay with my parents for a week, because this stay at home dad could not get out of bed.
If it wasn’t me who was sick, it was my Harper. Or Asher. We would trade back and forth with only a couple of weeks of good health in between. The house smelled like bleach and Lysol, but we couldn’t stay well.
With such small kids, taking temperatures was a fight, which is the last thing you need at 3 am when they are crying and Mom and Dad are freaking out. Then we found The Kinsa Smart Thermometer.
It hooks into your iPhone so you aren’t digging around trying to find a thermometer in the dark. My favorite feature was that it saves your kids temperatures. Not just the last temperature you take, like some digitals, but you can save what they were running and their symptoms under their individual profiles. Let me tell you, that comes in super handy when the Urgent Care Doctor comes in and looks at you and your kids and says, “Which one of you am I here to see,” and the answer is ALL THREE OF US! I was able to pull out my phone and give him an easy run down of the last 24 hours, even though my brain was fried.
Everything you need comes in a nice box that is strong enough to withstand life in the diaper bag. And to combat the anxiety that my kids seem to get when you want them to hold something under their tongue there are fancy colors that go across the screen. (It will also take a temp under the armpit which was a godsend with my daughter.)
Now that we are expecting our third kid any day now, I have already set Bellamy up a profile on the Kinsa App on my phone, so it will be ready for the first late night fever that every baby inevitably pops.
I hope you will check out this amazing product. Just click on the Kinsa label below. (Kinsa Health did provide me a sample to try, but they aren’t paying me for the review.)
Baby, Baby, Baby
We are so close to Bellamy’s arrival. Her official due date is on April 25th, but little contractions have started for my wife here and there, so who knows if we will make it that far! Both of the other kids had to be induced, so I am praying that this time things will just be able to move along naturally.
The biggest change for this kid (other than the fact that she will have two siblings running around) is that we are going to cloth diaper. I had no idea how confusing that it was going to be. There are so many different types, styles, ways to wash…HOLY MOLY. I felt totally lost about it until I found http://www.fluffloveuniversity.com and it has been a life saver!
The site also has a number of facebook groups that are populated with super helpful mommies! No one has side eyed me for being a dad, which is nice also.
Such an exciting and stressful time!
The Pappy and Mamalode are at it again
I had a chance to read a heartbreaking memoir by Chanel Brenner for Mamalode. It was hard to write about because each page hurt my heart to read. It is so powerful. I hope you will click the picture above and see what you think about the book.
Winter Winter Chicken Dinner
I would like to say that life here in the country is ticking toward Spring, and I guess it is, but we have had some of the coldest weather this winter in the past couple of weeks. The kids enjoyed the biggish snow, but the Wife and I could certainly do without it. It was obvious we live in Virginia since the other day it was 70 outside and I had all the doors and windows open in the house, while we were simultaneously in the middle of a Winter Storm Warning for the Sleet that was to come in mere hours.
Spring in our house, though means baby chicks! I was at Tractor Supply and couldn’t resist them. Of course that was just what we need…an almost 4 year old, an almost 2 year old, and an almost newborn plus some baby chickens!
Speaking of a newborn…we are weeks away from welcoming Bellamy into our lives. We are thrilled, scared, excited, apprehensive…all of it. No matter what though, she is coming! I hope the kids are preparing themselves because things sure are about to change.
Fly free Oren. We love you. Rest Easy, Friend.
Picture by http://inkedupdad.com
31 WEEKS 4 DAYS!
What the what?!!? I can’t believe we are so close to number three joining us. I gotta admit, I am scared to death. Wrangling two kids is hard and I have never hidden the fact that being a stay at home dad is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It is beyond rewarding, but this winter we have struggled. The kids and I have stayed sick. We have cabin fever. We are supposed to get a foot of snow TONIGHT! AHHHHH!
But you know what, despite the growing pains, I am happier than I have ever been in my life. And I know it is going to keep getting better and better and better and better…….
Love Day…
I know that a lot of people have A LOT of feels about Valentines Day. Personally, I dig it, but I think that has to do with the fact that my wife is amazing and isn’t picky. I have heard about men getting in “trouble” with their spouses because they didn’t get the right thing. Are you serious?
For V-Day I alway try to send my wife some flowers at work. It not only gives her something pretty to look at in her office, but it gives her a chance to show off how great I am to her co-workers haha!
So, even though V-Day isn’t until this Saturday, I had her flowers delivered on Monday, that way they can be enjoyed all week.
Here is the arrangement I got for her:
She was very excited and appreciated the thought and making her happy makes me happy so hey, we are all happy.
I was lucky enough to be able to partner with Florists.com for this Valentines day. Since Mecalah is 30 weeks pregnant that was a godsend.
The other AWESOME thing that comes along with me working with them is I get to offer you 25% off of your Valentines Flowers! They even have same day delivery if you find yourself cramped for time!
Happy Love Day to all my Mommas and Pappys!
The Purposeful Pappy 