Well, my fellow parents, we're all at home.  And we're all stuck at home with the kids.  I can personally say it's been very challenging.  (read:  painful!)  BUT it's also been pretty rewarding.  At our house, we've actually found time to communicate a lot more than we would have otherwise.  Plus, the kids are getting me to play more Fortnite!  This game used to be the bane of my existence (that's all my kids would do for 8 hours a day), now it's become something to do, and good bonding time.  And frankly, it's a moment when we're not all yelling at each other...

We're already smack into the middle of summer.   My book has been out for over 2 months now.  We've been away and returned from vacation.  And right now, I'm trying to gauge what's actually happened...

I'm learning a lot as I head into the 2nd week with STARK RAVING DAD on book store shelves.  Probably the biggest is that the word "poems" scares a heck of a lot of people.  It's so hard to get them to see past the idea of organized verse, even when the prose is disguised as irreverent, parenting, potty humor!!  However, when they actually DO read the poems - I've gotten a lot of chortles, joy, and people telling me they've "laughed out loud"!  That's such a great feeling.  It's an even better feeling when people tell me they've lived through all of these - and that they totally "felt" each of these captured moments.  I'm so thrilled to know that my "misery loves company" parenting poems are reaching people. However, sitting on the Barnes & Noble "Father's Day" table doesn't mean shoppers are going to crack that cover and look inside.  That word "poems" is still staring at them.  Sadly,...

It occurred to me, as I was working through this week's busy schedule, that certain very important things had suddenly been relegated to the "may not get to" portion of the "to-do" list.  Shockingly, I realized eating and sleeping were no longer high priorities.  They had become far-off luxuries.  Like dreaming of becoming a pro-basketball player, or buying ski chalet in the Swiss Alps.   They were those far-flung hopes that are nearly un-obtainable.  And sadly, now...

I stopped in to the supermarket today to grab some milk - and realized it wouldn't hurt to grab some apples. (since it's the only fruit my kids will eat!)  So in the middle of the produce section, I began my very meticulous search for just-the-right apples.  They couldn't be too red, too green, too brown, or too spotted.  They also couldn't have any strange markings on them, or look misshapen.  I wasn't just looking out for bruising - I was seeking out the ultimate in apple superiority!  These apples couldn't have any kind of disfigurement, or else my kids still wouldn't touch them (even though, as previously stated, that's the only fruit they'll eat!)  So as this process wore on - it suddenly dawned on me - my kids had TRAINED me!  I was spending what little precious time I had, meticulously singling out impossibly perfect apples.  Whuuut?  And it got me thinking - what else I'd been trained...