Our First Home Movie

This movie won't have Spielberg shaking in fear, but at least the kids are easier to work with than Christian Bale.

The Week in Review

Best thing I've read: ESPN.com's Pat Forde's great article on the Elliott County Lions, a high school basketball team trying to give Kentucky its own version of the Milan Miracle. I also enjoyed Michael Lewis piece on Shane Battier in The New York Times Magazine, even if it is a couple of weeks old. I'm also reading Ian O'Connor's book, "Arnie and Jack."

Best thing I've read to the kids: "R is for Racing." The boys, especially Alex, are really into NASCAR right now.

Same old story: Haven't the Redskins always spent big money on free agents? Does it ever work? Albert Haynesworth, as talented as he is, has a checkered history.

Coming up: Laura's birthday is next week. Big festivities are planned. I'm also looking forward to the Accenture Match Play, even with Tiger out of the tournament.

One Good List

I thought this list of fatherhood tips was spot on (and the Web site looks pretty cool, too). Tip No. 6 is the toughest for me. Patience is not my virtue right now.

Workout Warrior

"Moose" is doing pushups with me. He's a pretty good workout partner, though pushups are a little more difficult to do when he's underneath you - or on top of you.

Coyote "hunting"

Whenever we have extra time before preschool, as we did today, I take the boys coyote "hunting" or searching for the wild coyotes that reportedly are lurking in Grosse Pointe. Of course, we're hardly hunting - we stay in the van - and, of course, we are yet to spot one, much to the boys' chagrin. But in our hearts, we know Wile E. Coyote lives.

More stimulus numbers

Here's another take on how families will benefit from the stimulus. There's not a lot to it, but something's better than nothing, I guess. Plus, hopefully the stimulus will work, and we'll climb out of this economic mess. I think the best thing we have going for us is hope.

Balancing act

What's the best way to keep everyone happy?

This morning went fairly well. Everyone behaved on our shopping errand, and everyone came home happy. Of course, we had a short list, and we had snacks right when we came home. Mostly, though it's a matter of the parents' flexibility, not the kids', and knowing the parents' limits, not the kids'. The more open and adaptable, the better the day will be. That's proved a tough lesson for me to learn.

Winter Break

We laughed, we cried, and we cried some more. We had a busy week over Winter Break, starting with sledding at Balduc Hill on Monday and continuing with bowling on Tuesday, a lunch date with Laura on Wednesday and a trip to the Detroit Historical Society on Friday. The Historical Society was great, and the boys loved the trains and even the trip back in time down the "streets" of old Detroit.

My movie time

With the Academy Awards tomorrow night, and though I haven't seen any of the movies nominated for best picture, I'll list my favorite movies of 2008.
Best movie: The Dark Knight
Best comedy: Tropic Thunder
Best actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Take your pick of Iron Man or Tropic Thunder)
Biggest disappointment: Indiana Jones
Most thought-provoking cartoon: Wall-E
Here's an interesting The New York Times article on Hollywood elitism vs. mainstream movie-goers in regards to the Oscars.

Volcanic eruptions

We've had a couple of meltdown moments this week - not too surprising since the kids are just back from a weeklong vacation to Florida and came home to a week off from school with winter break. Nevertheless, the frequency of the volcanic eruptions was a concern, so I googled up some research from the Mayo Clinic. Now I just need some help on keeping my temper in chekc.

How will the stimulus help families?

Here's what money.com says.

I'm not very encouraged by the article, though the increased unemployment benefits should provide a bit of relief.

When good ideas meet bad moods

Good ideas rarely go unpunished.  

Today I had the bright idea of spending time with Rob and Alex while I hired a babysitter to watch Matt. We would go sledding, I told the boys, and they thought that sounded great - until the babysitter came. 

When she arrived, Rob and Alex thought it would be much more fun to stay home and Matt decided to grab his shoes. Finally, after a little coercing (and a few jokes that were met with scowls), the big boys agreed to go. Matt wasn't too happy, but he got over it rather quickly. Sledding was a big hit, even if a little muddy. 

Fortunately for today, all's well that ends well.

Why am I here?

As a father, I realize how lucky I am to have three amazing children and a loving wife. They make me laugh, they make me smile and they make me happy. I feel blessed, and I thank God every night for all of them. 

That said, raising a family presents numerous challenges, from stress-inducing mornings hustling to get everyone ready for school and work to hectic bedtimes trying to get everyone ready for sleep. In addition, balancing everyone's schedules - even just between my wife and I - makes finding time for everyone, including yourself, exhausting. Then there are economic and financial worries that top off the stress sundae.

With the good times and the bad times in mind, I'm looking to remember the fun, find ways to solve problems and learn from the experiences of others.