So this poem really has nothing to do with what i'm writing about - except for the fact that it's a food item and it hints at how the silliest, most mundane things have become important facets of my life!  Uncrustables and Oreos!  Go figure. I had to laugh yesterday when I realized I was sending my wife a sweet, loving text as I was grabbing 2 giant boxes of uncrustables.  (you know - those peanut butter & jelly sandwiches - pre-made with the crusts cut-off for really, really picky kids.  And one of my kids still won't eat them!!)    Anyhow, it occurred to me that this was pretty much the most unromantic moment you could imagine...

Believe me when I say, I have lots of notes and pics like this.  They're all kinda funny, and at the same time, kinda sad.  When you see something like this - you feel like you were just ruining your poor kids life.  So??  Were we torturing our kids by taking them to church?  Or saving their souls from eternal damnation?   Who the heck knows??  But ultimately, the battle of time has won out...

What is the hardest thing in the world?  Well at 2am, in the dark, its one of those small wooden blocks painted with a letter!!   I wrote this poem the day after stepping on one.  And frankly, I was AMAZED at how much it hurt.  It probably didn't help that i was very tired, and very grumpy.  I quickly learned my lesson - you should turn on the light before you wade through the mine fields.  Of course, at that time, I had completely forgotten that our living room was a danger zone. I do remember trying not to scream (the kid was asleep finally!!) and boy did I want to scream.  That little brightly colored block hurt SOOOO much.  And I've stepped on tacks, nails, glass, sharp rocks...

As I realize the cats' litter box hasn't been scooped in over 2 weeks(and we have 2 cats!), I think its time to let all our pets know - they're STILL LOVED!  I wanted to share this picture of a sadly humorous memorial for Bluey, the Betafish.  When he passed away, there were tears and tears...

I think one of the toughest moments every parent faces - is the realization - that it never  ends!  There is no real stop.  No escape.  No return policy.  Especially in the early years, when there's never any sleep and all the days and nights meld together into one long gray period of life.  You're very aware - you can't go back!  And there's no pause button.  Those rare moments to breath come later...

So, I know there's probably not a lot of people reading this, but that's ok.  Cuz I'm just a Dad letting go of all those little battles in life that add up to one big crazy one.  Where time flies fast and you don't have time to catch your breath until you have that one, teeny-tiny quiet moment like this...

Sending your kid to school in tears is one of the worst.  It totally leaves a hole in  your heart.  And for me, I'm feeling like the worst Dad ever.  Of course, it didn't help that my son actually called me the "worst Dad ever"...

So, I wrote this Haiku - once again, to vent.  How many times have I walked into the bathroom to find things waiting for me to flush?!  Way too many to mention.  Therefore I decided it needed to recognize this in poetry form.  And HAIKU seemed to be the answer.  Basically, juxtaposing that beautifully simplistic prose against what was staring back at me from the toilet seems to capture the emotion!  I'm not much of a poet, but I felt it had to be put into words some way. You may see a running theme here...