Current Events

Chief Breadwinner has found some time between mybookfacetweet sessions to keep you posted on the kiddos, so let's talk about me. Much has happened since we last spoke via the interweb. I turned 35, the Vikings lost 2 of 3 games in very poor fashion, I shaved, my addiction to sweat pants has increased exponentially, and my hope has been somewhat renewed in SNL. What else can a guy ask for really?

First up, the birthday. Chief Breadwinner got me out of the apron and took me to dinner while G&G J watched the offspring. Very nice. But more pleasantly surprising was the urging of Chief Breadwinner to go out with "the boys" the night before. What a turnaround from the days of yore when such an event would require more than a little negotiation. I must be doing a great job of looking worn out at days' end. Otherwise Chief Breadwinner has nightmares of me pulling a Jack Nicholson in The Shining or something. Either way, night out on the town - excellent. Unfortunately, at this advanced age, that means little more than meeting at a bar to watch the aforementioned Vikings get embarrassed by AZ. Ugh. Still a thoroughly enjoyable time though. Thanks boys.

Since we are on the subject of the Vikings, what is up? Way to jinx the team and buy a plane ticket to Miami Officer Glucose. By the way, both losses were games that I watched with Swede Larsen. As much as I enjoy the company, this game watching marriage may be over before it hardly began. I'll have to go back to watching the games in high speed TiVo after the kids go to bed.

Thirdly, I am now clean shaven again (or at least I was for a day.....). After fighting through the scratchiness period, I was really feeling the Grizzly Adams. However, it was not a big hit with Chief Breadwinner and Little A. Plus, the gray was really showing up. Fine with me, but to paraphrase/amend a classic movie line, "graying, balding, and overweight is no way to go through life son". Shaving off the facial hair did remind me of a product placement opportunity for Milk & O's though. Every Man Jack face lotion. A must have for every post-shave recovery period. Check it out at EveryManJack.com, and get some to stuff those stockings for that special someone in your life.

By no means does this concern for personal appearance limit my new found love of sweatpants however. As mentioned above, they are my new love. Sure, I've worn them occasionally throughout my life. But now, I've taken it to the next level. My only regret is that I have a limited supply of said fashion staples. Are you listening Santa? Get off your arse and get those elves sewing. Drawstring waist, no elastic around the ankles. Soft and loose. That is the way stay-at-home dads roll.

Lastly, did anyone watch SNL on 12/12 with Taylor Lautner (I think that is the correct spelling, right teen vampire fans)? Anyway, not the greatest effort, but if you made it to the last skit, you were treated to a classic. Doorbells & More. Check it out on the GoogleTube. I was rolling. Combine that gem with some newer staples like "What Up With That", "JJ Casuals and/or The Mellow Show", and anything that includes Andy Samburg's face, and I am back to being a die hard SNL nerd. Now if only I could revert back to 1990-1993 and watch every SNL with the HLOL group in Stenzel's basement after a raucous ping pong tournament. Then I'd truly be living the good life.

That's all for now. Stay cool Milk & O's followers. Merry Christmas.

Mr. Shaggy McGee (Before)

Who will miss the mullet?

A Farewell to Babyhood (After)

Colin's first haircut: Saturday, December 19, 2009

Kids' Hair, Eden Prairie Center

Celebratory lunch afterwards at D'Amico

He did a great job- no tears, just squirmy.

Mike is...

Buried under a pile of work

December 6, 2009

Bath time!

We had a nice and busy week and weekend. The kids are doing a great job at swimming lessons, and will have their last lesson of this camp on Tuesday. I went to the neighborhood womens' book club on Thursday evening, and while there was not a book in sight, there was plenty of wine! To be fair, it was their holiday party and white elephant gift exchange. It's so nice to be in a neighborhood with so many friendly neighbors! This afternoon, our next door neighbor had an open house, and Mike and I went over to visit in shifts, as we didn't arrange a baby sitter. We are planning on having a sitter this coming Saturday night for our friends Blake and Candy's annual holiday party, as well as an evening of shopping some night this week for Mike and me.

Colin had spaghetti and ragu for the first time this evening. He promptly dumped the suction cupped bowl on to his tray, and dug in with both hands! I shot some video of the proceedings, and here are some pictures of his bath, that was necessary after said meal.

And in case you were silently wondering (and some of you not so silently wondering), this is the week that we're taking my baby for his first haircut! He's been mistaken for a girl one too many times. He'll look so grown up, but I'm anxious to see how handsome he'll be too.

All through the house, not a creature was stirring...

I'm home for a short bit before heading out to catch the kids' swimming lesson. It is so rare nowadays that I find myself home alone, and I am enjoying it. Shug is happy to see me. I left work, as there was not much going on, and I am getting ready for an avalanche of work to hit on Monday, when I am scheduled to start seeing patients of my own in clinic. I didn't even know what to do with myself when I decided to leave, and all I thought of was getting home, even though I knew no one would be here to greet me.

I am having a bit of trouble removing myself from the day to day details of home life, and am sure that it is wearing on my patient husband. Not to mention being exhausting for me, since it was all I could do to handle everything when it was my only job, and now I've added full time employment on top of it. It's a tricky situation, because although I am not home overseeing the kids as my primary job, I still have the job of mother. Thanks for letting me vent. Everything else is great. I'm still loving work, the house is all decorated for Christmas, the kids are having a good time in school and swimming lessons, and Colin is full of pointing and grunts and working so hard to communicate with us. He's quite the little personality- and so in love with his siblings.

Did you learn that from your wife?

For those irregular followers of Milk & O's, as well as those who have not been privy to the multiple changes that have occurred with Swiss Family Frodermann since August 2009, the artist formerly known as SuperDad is now Mr. Mom. I have taken a few months to settle into the new gig before contributing to the FroFamily blog, but if I am going to really embrace this new role, the cross to bear that is maintaining this blog should become a bigger priority of mine. We all know that this blog has suffered anyway since the advent of MyFace and the stranglehold it has taken on KFro. It only promises to get worse now that work has "required" that Chief Breadwinner get an iPhone. Now it is SpaceTweetBook all the time, in the car, on the couch, ..... As such, this is the inaugural blog post of Mr. Mom, with the promise of regular ones to follow.

While a less sexy title than SuperDad, Mr. Mom is whimsical, clever, and descriptive, as well as conjures up fond memories of that classic 80's film by the same name. However, I vow to be more entertaining than the comical stylings of Michael Keaton and Terri Garr. Plus, I won't almost single handedly ruin the Batman franchise. Michael Keaton = Batman = lame. I also vow to not let the new role change me as a person. I will still be the same softball addicted, beer drinking, Chipotle eating fool that I've always been. Except now I've found myself drinking even more, and I've grown a full beard. Grizzly Adams - look out. There is a new sheriff in town. And I don't hang out in the woods with some old crazy guy and a bear. At least not yet anyway.

Now, to break you all in slowly, I'll leave you with a little anecdote from a day in the life. Hence the title of this post and accompanying picture. To set the scene, one night last week, Chief Breadwinner was working late doing what she does and the kids and I are eating dinner. I am doing some refrigerator maintenance by serving a variety of fruits as part of our meal to ensure that they do not spoil and thus be destined for the garbage disposal. As we are eating, the following conversation occurs.

B (in his typical loud excited voice): "Dad, we have three different kinds of fruit! Grapes, apples, and peaches."
Mr. Mom: "Yes B, we do. Good counting. Can you guys think of any other kinds of fruit?"
B (as he spies what is on the counter): "Bananas and kiwi!"
Mr. Mom: "Yes, good job."
A: "Pineapple."
Mr. Mom: "Great."
B: "Pears."
Mr. Mom (thinking when will this end): "Yes."
A: "Tomatoes."
Mr. Mom (completely surprised): "Yes. How did you know that? Most people think tomatoes are vegetables."
A (in complete teenager voice): "I learned it in school. How did you know that? Did you learn that from your wife? She is a scientist you know."
Mr. Mom (straight faced but busting a gut internally): "No. I learned it in school to, ... and why did you call Mommy my wife instead of just saying Mommy?"
A (matter-of-factly): "Because that is what she is. Your mommy is Grandma F."
Mr. Mom (now laughing out loud with B joining in): "You got me there A. You got me there."

Froderfall

Mike at the Office

Reading a good book

All dressed up and no place to go!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Our Christmas tree is up! I think this is the earliest that we've ever put up the tree, but I'm totally in the holiday mood already. We had to find a new lot since moving to the new house. It sure was nice to walk down the alley and carry a tree home, at the old house, but the new tradition will work just fine too. We got the lights strung on on Tuesday night, and decorated with ornaments last night. The elves came during the night, and we had a fun time discovering what they left in our stockings this morning. Now that the elves have visited, they will go back to the North Pole to tell Santa that our house is ready for him to come on Christmas eve.