Messin' around

Daddy snapped these with his phone this afternoon.  You can tell the mischief in their eyes!  Except for Mary, of course, she's the "good one."

Bacon and bonding, not mutually exclusive

This little read just happened to catch my eye -- thought I'd re-blog it in honor of my husband, my dad, and my mother-in-law -- would post it anytime of year, not just mid-June :-)

WORLDmag.com Community Blog Archive Bacon and bonding, not mutually exclusive
Amy Henry writes in WORLDmag:

It’s 7 a.m. the day after Father’s Day and I just realized I forgot to call my dad.


Not being a touchy-feely sort, I doubt he’s all that upset about it, though. More than likely, when I call him later, he’ll be shy about this whole celebrating fathers thing, never being quite convinced that dads need (or want) special recognition for working hard to bring home the bacon, something my dad feels is just as elemental to being a father as his biological contribution is.

Not everyone agrees on the bacon bit, however.

According to this New York Times article, the Boston College Center for Work and Family just released a survey titled “The New Dad: Exploring Fatherhood Within a Career Context,” in which 33 first-time fathers say that “being there, being present, spending time, being accessible” is what a “good father” does.

Also quoted in this article is NYU sociologist Kathleen Gerson, who says, “Most men no longer assume they can or will want to support a family on their own, but there is no clear path to manhood. Work and family shifts have created an ambiguous mix of new options and new insecurities with growing conflicts between work and parenting.”

The NYT article presents no new earth-shattering information: With the economy what it is, traditional roles (man as breadwinner, woman as child raiser) have, in many cases, been flipped. Mom going to the office while Dad flips pancakes in the kitchen is more common than ever in today’s economic upheaval.

But what remains to be seen is whether or not this scenario is best for the family long term. Will girls, who see their mothers leaving home and putting in a hard day of work while Dad takes on the domestic duties, learn or even want to learn how to make a home? Will boys who grow up with Dad in the nontraditional “softer” role ever develop the grit to get their feet hitting the cold, hard floor in the morning for some duty more rugged than pancake making?

When I was a child, my dad got up at 4 and left the house about 5:30 in the morning. He came home late almost every night and never at the same time. Our “quality” time with him happened while cutting wood or making ice at our ice plant or weeding the huge garden or during the long drives to the mountains where we would help him install a kitchen. He wasn’t much for ooey-gooey, forced attempts at “quality time” or “bonding,” but simply included us in his everyday life when and where he could, all while staying focused on keeping food in our mouths and a roof over our heads.

So who’s to say that “being there” or “being present” and “spending time” and “being accessible” are mutually exclusive to working in the traditional male role of breadwinner?

Not my dad. Which is what I thanked him for when I called him later that day.

 
Big "shout out" to the hard-working dads of the world!

Hallmark holidays

I should be doing dishes or laundry or something but I'm going to try to bust out some content here on the blog. Watch out!

Just read this nice reflection from Dan Phillips. Well, I was going to copy and paste a quote here, but for some reason blogger isn't letting me do that. So, ugh, I guess I have to sum up.

DP is reflecting on Prov. 12:4

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like
rottenness in his bones.

Basically, an excellent wife makes her husband feel like a king. Try that, ladies!

DP goes on to ask his female readers what they're doing to make their husbands feel like a king on Father's Day. I wanted to comment, but since my comment wasn't really answering his question I decided I'd leave my comment here on my own blog. Here's what I was going to write:

Wait, we only have to make them feel like a king one day a year?

(See why he wouldn't have liked my comment?)

But really guys, do you expect your families to buy you something (with your hard-earned money), cook you a special meal (which they do every day anyway), and extraordinarily dote on you because of some date on the calendar?

The Bible commands wives to honor their husbands day in and day out. You do that faithfully and I fail to see why any of them would need a "Father's Day."

Well-kid check ups

We stopped in for a visit with The Great Dr. Don this morning. Mary, Paul and Sarah got well-baby/kid checks. I, being the wise, experienced mom that I am, made an individual appointment for Ruth for later this month when she turns four and is due for *S-H-O-T-S*.

Speaking of which, do any of you wonderful readers have ideas on how to keep her from screaming at the top of her lungs and throwing a fit in which I have to sit on top of her and hold her arms and legs down while the poor nurse inflicts said shots? (Yes, this was not one of Sarah's more glorious moments.)

But the verdict from the Doc...

they're...

healthy!

Height and weight percentiles are all 50-75%:

Mary - 2 mo.: 11lbs 7oz, 23in.
Paul - 2 yrs: 29lbs, 34.5in.
Sarah - 7yrs: 48lbs, 48in.

"Hike"

Styles by Stacy

Our good friend Stacy made these matching skirts for the girls. Too cute! Is there anything that girl can't do?