Dad Taking Over!

I took Beth's place in the house while she was away at Girls Camp, so I think it's only fair that I should also take care control of the blog post for the week.

My first goal in this post is to breathe courage and confidence into the hearts of all Dads out there: Yes, We Can. No, I'm not an Obama fan, but I like the phrase.

Yes, we can take 5 kids to a movie, sneak in movie candy, and get them all out alive and smiling!
And for the record: NO! I am not a Fommy, I am a Dad! This is what Dads do- we don't need to rename it! We need to recognize it for what it is. I don't babysit- I parent! (Sorry for the overabundance of exclamation points, there. I really did love the movie and hope to buy it. But the idea of a "Fommy" is just plain ridiculous- which I believe was their point.)

Yes, we can go to the library, check out books, and not lose anyone! Even though I picked the worst possible time to go there- right when an activity let out. Drat.

Yes, we can make Bento Boxes- with a great deal of help!*

Yes, we can go to the zoo,

walk a ton, ride the rides,

feed the animals,

and come home totally worn out and late for lunch- with a great deal of help!*

Yes, we can host a movie marathon, but you already knew that! Get off the couch, you lazy bums! I highly recommend How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2.

Yes, we can go to the park,

catch frogs,

avoid the dog droppings, jump rope,

and pass the baton to another Dad that arrives as we're leaving (hat tip to Atkinsons)!

Yes, we can go to 3 grocery stores, and emerge triumphantly with the same 5 kids that went in there with us! It is possible! It is not, however, possible to do that while saving money; that's a fool's errand. Just get in, get out, and get on with life, men!

Yes, we can get the house perfectly clean enough, bake cookies, and deliver them to Home Teaching families! And yes, one of the women I visit laughed and said I did "pretty good, for a man"! Success! Oh yeah, and we can make cookies as big as our heads!

Yes, we can take the kids to the local splash park- with a great deal of help!* And while other kids might concuss themselves when they run into some random, completely obvious metal thing, it IS POSSIBLE to escape such an event unscathed!

Yes, we can take the kids to the trampoline park and let them go wild- with a great deal of help!*

And we can do all of these things, in one week! And we can also greet our lovely brides with lunch already prepared- with a great deal of help!* And we can massage their poor, abused feet. And we can fall asleep at 9:00 pm sharp, out of sheer exhaustion with them!

Now get out there and be a Dad! And don't forget to count your kids constantly! For heaven's sake, your wife will kill you if you lose even one! 80% is not a passing grade with kids, trust me.

*Many, many thanks to the kids' grandmothers, grandfathers, and aunt for their help in this wild, fun, exhausting week! (Technically, it was 4 days, but it FELT like a week!)