Proud as Punch

Is there any prouder moment for a parent than when their child stands up in front of an audience and performs with great confidence?

click to watch Patrick reading "Trouble on Mouse Island"

Probably. But no matter.

I was so proud of Patrick when on Thursday night he stood up in front of the Pendle Hill community and read his new book, "Trouble on Mouse Island", to great applause. It was his second reading of the book and his voice was loud and strong.

He lifted up each page so the audience could clearly see each illustration.

I love that Patrick's teacher, Mr Sweeney, encouraged the whole class as creative writers. I have little doubt that this will stay with Patrick his whole life.

Completing the Cycle of Life

This Memorial weekend marks the end of the first two weeks that I am in full "house dad" mode.

How much shopping can YOU handle?

Now that Samantha began full-time nursing school it's my job to:

                    get the boys up                                                  feed them breakfast

                    make sure they're dressed                                  and ready for school

                    make lunch for Patrick                                        cajole Patrick to finish his homework

                    walk Patrick to the bus                                       walk Isaac to his school

                    bring Isaac home from school                              entertain him for the afternoon

                    pick up Patrick from the bus stop                        clean the house

                    wash the clothes                                                cook dinner

                    put them to bed                                                  (after bath and tooth brushing)

                    tell them to stop horsing around                           and "go to sleep already!"

                    melt in parental bliss over their cute slumbering forms

Down the Hill. click image to watch video

One of my joys is bike riding. As a teenager my bike was my transportation and I rode pretty much everywhere. At age 12 our family moved "up the hill" so I learnt quickly that a hill was really no obstacle. Moving to the US I wanted to be a careful steward of the environment and limit the fossil fuel usage. This meant, most likely, riding a bike.

With two kids in tow it becomes a different challenge. My solution: the trailer bike!

Not only does it enable me to ride with one of my children, it adds load bearing capacity on trips to Trader Joe's. I can now carry almost a full shopping trolley (cart) full of food home (see picture above).

Yesterday I rode 5 miles there and 5 miles back from Pendle Hill to Linvilla Orchards. Doesn't sound too bad until you see the elevation change along the route. We made it and here's Isaac enjoying the ride behind me.

Ahhh, the Nostalgia of Parenthood

I overheard a father talking with his ten year-old son. "They're re-releasing Monty Python's The Holy Grail. We should go and see it!"

Kind Arthur and his servant Patsy

I chuckled inwardly and wondered what on earth a ten year-old would make of The Holy Grail.

This morning I walked back into the house after my morning run to find Patrick reading an Asterix comic book. I'd found a bunch of them in Pendle Hill's free room and immediately thought to myself, "Patrick will love to read them!" assuming that since I loved to read them as a teenager a 7-year-old would enjoy them, too ... of course.

Well, it turns out I'm right. Though he doesn't get most of the jokes and puns - but he loves the visual humour.

In reflection, much of parenting is re-living our childhood through our children. Inflicting on them the best and worst of our own experiences, hoping somehow that it will be an improvement for the next generation.