Strange(r) things we've learned in the past 31 days

Mission Accomplished. Thirty-one days, thirty-one blog posts. NaBloPoMo, you are finished.

It truly has been a strange(r) journey this last month, filled with good, bad, ugly, cute, awkward and – most definitely – strange. I didn’t miss a single day (thank you, Michelle) and, for the most part, stayed on topic.

Thank goodness for the holiday, since a break from blogging is just what the doctor ordered. Just get to sit back and enjoy some Easter dinner and 85 degree weather in the Carolinas.

So what did we learn?

We learned that Kaitlyn knows Mommy is a girl and Daddy is a boy and Boo-Boo is a dog. We learned about the fifth food group, that Mommy used to rock a leather bomber jacket and Daddy shouldn’t be left alone with Sweet Tea, lemonade and Absolute Citron.

We learned that my child is not only smart, but beautiful and uncoordinated. But most of all, we learned that we can reach our investment goals if we discuss our future with a SunTrust representative.

In Pictures: Strange(r)s in our house for an egg hunt party!

Well, they're really not strangers, but it fit NaBloPoMo (Can you believe there are only three days left?!?! Did I just jinx myself?!?!?! How long of a break am I going to take after this whole thing ends?!?! And who's more excited for the break -- me or my readers?!?!)

It's a busy weekend for the Growing Up Kaitlyn crew. Saturday was the First Annual Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by Midas (not really, but wouldn't it be cool to get a sponsor? Goal for 2011: Get a Sponsor for the 2011 Growing Up Kaitlyn Easter Egg Hunt). Today we head to Curious George on stage at the Coliseum after YaYa and PopPop come over the breakfast, after Michelle goes dress shopping with Aunt Shannon and after we get the house back in order.

Did I mention it's a busy weekend?

Whoever decided 25 people, plus kids, in a tiny townhome at 9 a.m. was a good idea should have a good, stern talking-to.

They're off! The first two Easter egg hunters fly out the door.

The hunt begins.

The hunt continues.

Much like Halloween, the kids decide to see what they can exchange after pouring over their loot.

If you couldn't have guessed, Kaitlyn found the most eggs.

Too Lazy for NaBloPoMo, So We Shop Instead

For some reason I decided it was a good idea to go shopping to Old Navy and Kohl's with Michelle just as we both got paychecks. We ended up with another new Spring wardrobe for Kaitlyn. Oh well, it doesn't fit the whole "strange(r)" theme, but we can't win them all now can we?

In Pictures: Strange(r) Days Before Motherhood

Michelle always tells me that I missed her in her prime. I don't necessarily know what that means, considering she's pretty good now. Maybe she didn't nag or complain as much back then. Maybe she had friends on the Swedish Bikini Team. I don't know.

While we can't go back in time to relive those days (unless we're John Cusack, which we aren't), we are very fortunate that Michelle loves pictures so much she keeps them. Forever. So instead of just wondering what it might have been like, we can actually see what it might have been like.

And as I write this, I sorta kinda think I should have done this on my last day of NaBloPoMo, since Michelle actual might kill me once she sees this post. Pray for me.

Take note of the leather bomber jacket. 

If you look real closely, you can see the socks bunching around the ankles. That was the style back then, kids.

Nothing screams sexy like floral print sundresses with t-shirts underneath. 

Strange(r) Danger: Over-Concerned Mothers

Dirty looks are counterproductive most of the time. I mean, sure, you can occasionally get away with one and have your message conveyed properly, but most of the time it’s just annoying and makes me want to get up and smack that look off your face. Especially when it comes from a total strange(r).

Case in point: This past weekend, we took our houseguests to the Natural Science Center. During our excursion, we wandered into a part of the museum that had dinosaur-themed activities – two giant dino-bones puzzles, a play table with dinosaur toys for the little ones, a maze and some dino cut-outs that you poke your head in and take pictures. They also had a small triceratops that your lil’ ones could sit on.

Kaitlyn makes a B line to the triceratops because she loves her riding toys. Like any good dad, I’ve got camera in-hand waiting to take a picture. She lifts herself up onto this thing and does a pretty darn good job. Unfortunately, gravity gets the best of her and she plummets over the dino’s back and lands on the carpeted floor on the other side. And, like a good dad, I laugh and take a picture mid-fall (see right). Kaitlyn dusts herself off and goes right back to climbing this prehistoric toy.

End of story, right? Well, once Kaitlyn went ker-plat, this over-concerned pain in the ass woman ran over to Kaitlyn as if she was on fire. She leaned over my daughter to pick her up, but Kaitlyn was already halfway there and started back to the other side of the dino to try again. Between giggles, I thanked the woman for her concern. Nice dad, right?

Apparently not. The pain in the ass woman shot me the dirtiest of dirty looks and walked away. Throughout the rest of our time in the dino room, this woman gave me looks I thought were reserved for the likes of Hitler, Kim Jong-Ill and Rush. It was like I was John Mayer at an NAACP rally.

Now for all your over-concerned pain in the ass moms out there, I get it. You’re so caught up in the Oh my baby’s gonna die if they eat that peanut mentality that it shocks you someone might actually let their kid play on a toy dinosaur and get a bump on the head. That’s fine; swaddle your child.

But please, leave my kid out of it. If Kaitlyn falls of the dinosaur and something is actually wrong, I promise I'll put the camera down. If she skins her knee, she'll cry for a moment and then go right back to playing. Thanks for calling 911, but we don't need a medic for a scab.

And don't blame it on motherly instincts. Michelle was standing right next to me and laughed. Let Kaitlyn get right back up herself. You know why? Because nothing was wrong.

So over-concerned pain in the ass woman from the Natural Science Center on Saturday morning: don't pass judgment on me for letting my kid fall down. I don't criticize you for whipping your boob out to feed your eight-year-old, do I? Well, if you did that I probably would, but c'mon. There are better ways. Haven't you seen the breast milk cheese?

Strange(r)s Among Us, Part II

So here we are, 9:46 p.m. on Saturday, barely made it to beat the NaBloPoMo deadline. And yes, our strangers are still here and happy.

Aunt Laura and Uncle Todd, strangers to Kaitlyn, are holding up pretty well with two toddlers running around the house. And for two people whom never met my daughter, she's taken a liking to them quite quickly.

We've shown our strangers around Greensboro, brought them to the Natural Science Center, ate real North Carolina barbecue and bought some good cigars. It's been a true southern vacation.

Now we're sitting around the house and the guys are listening to the girls talk about the first love of their life, as if they never left Sweet 16. Quite disturbing, I must say.

Strange(r)s Among Us, Part I

Parents try to keep strangers away from their children. Michelle and I, on the other hand, are welcoming two into our house today.

Aunt Laura and Uncle Todd are making their way to North Carolina today to visit Michelle and I (for the first time). And, of course, Kaitlyn (for the first time). And Aunt Erin is coming back to North Carolina for her third trip, but this time she'll be bring her little bundle of joy, Emma.

Yup, you counted that right, four house guests for the next three days -- including two strange(r)s. At least this will give me a little bit of fodder to stay on topic for the weekend.

And just so you don't feel cheated because this is a short post, I've arranged a short video for you. On topic, of course. Enjoy:

Strange(r) Things You'll Be Seeing

Here's a real stretch on the topic, but I think all of us NaBloPoMo-ers are allowed a slight slip. I mean, what could be strange(r) than a whole new look to Growing Up Kaitlyn?

That's right, it's about that time. Kaitlyn's growing up, so why shouldn't her blog grow up with her? And instead of just shoving something down your throat, I'm giving you, all two dozen (that's being generous, isn't it?) readers a say in the process.

Here are the options:

wordpress.Fun 

Color Paper

dfMarine 

As with any template, it will have a little customization to it, including a new Growing Up Kaitlyn header and an actual logo for the blog. Any suggestions and comments on colors and the like are more than welcome. And if you happen to know a web designer who wants to create me a blog skin for absolutely nothing, then thing this little experiment will help direct that process. I mean, I'm good at this stuff, but I'm no pro.

There you have it. Voting starts today. Vote early and often. Kaitlyn appreciates it!

Strange(r) Things in Life: Family

I don't have the luxury of sifting through piles and piles of comments. I have 17 followers (depending on which social media you subscribe to). That number would probably be around 30 if anyone in my family knew how to properly use Facebook, RSS, FriendFeed or any number of social media applications. I can't even get them to comment properly.

Take my sister Tracy, or Aunt TeTe as Kaitlyn knows her. She reads this blog religiously. I think she's commented on 80 percent of my posts. Problem is, Aunt TeTe doesn't comment on the blog. You see, when I set up this little creative outlet, I put family members on email alert. That in and of itself, I now realize, has probably cost me hundreds, if not thousands of pageviews. Good thing this isn't about money. Sigh.

But back to Aunt TeTe. Instead of shooting a comment on the blog (which I have asked her to do, to no avail), she replies to the email notification. Which is all well and good, since she's reading the posts, albeit in a different form. But as any good blogger knows, comments beget comments beget comments. And I've lost a good 80+ comments from Aunt TeTe alone. If you multiplied that by a reasonable 1.5 (figuring for every two comments, there would be a response from someone), I've lost another 40 comments from you, the general viewership.

Here's her latest comment, which came from the daycare post:

Hey - in Mexico. Tell Michelle this place is AMAZING! Sorry she could not join me, maybe next time... I´ll touch base with you guys next week. No cell service, but internet is very cheap $8/hour. Just wanted to let you know in case of any emergency... :-)

I probably lost a good eight to 12 thread comment list from that. They probably would have gone something like, "What are you doing in Mexico?", "No cell service? Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?", "I know what else is $8 an hour in Mexico" and other classics.

I don't know what's strange(r): the fact that my wife apparently knew my sister was in Mexico while I did not, or the fact that my sister is willing to shell out $8 an HOUR to check email. Oh well, enjoy Mexico sis. You've just been blogged.

Strange(r) Things on the Web: Chatroulette

As I said in my intro to NaBloPoMo, strange(r) is a topic that we as parents are always concerned with. Case in point: Chatroulette.

If you haven't heard about this yet, you likely will very, very soon. Chatroulette, as described by the Associated Press, "randomly links users with strangers who could be anywhere in the world. If you don't like the person who pops up on the screen, just click 'Next.' Repeat." And it was built by a 17-year-old from Russia.

Think of it as channel surfing, except with real people. Everyone's got a webcam, so you're essentially peeking in on people at random times. Its equal parts chatroom, Facebook and voyeurism. And that's where the problems begin.

You see, for every quirky techno-geek you may find singing a song about apples ala Randy Newman, you can also find yourself face-to-face with a perv who could be introducing you to his "lil' buddy." Pretty scary stuff, huh? That's what experts like Dr. Keith Ablow are saying about Chatroulette:

Parents should keep all children off the site because it's much too dangerous for children. It's a predator's paradise. This is one of the worst faces of the Internet that I've seen. It's disconnecting human relationships rather than connecting them.

Or how about Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:

(It's) a huge red flag. This is extreme social networking. Absolutely random. No limits. Graphic sexual content. This is the last place parents want their kids to be ... A lot of kids are doing it in groups because they find it funny ... But you want to talk to them about what they're seeing, because who does that? Who just exposes themselves to a webcam and then waits for a pervert to come along?

Who indeed.

Strange(r) things in daycare

I have been bringing Kaitlyn to the Big Girl Class at daycare for a little more than a month now. She actually loves it – she sees friends from her former toddler classroom, latches on to them and plays to her heart’s content. There are new toys and some new kids, especially boys (keep your grubby hands off her, boys. You’re not too young to get a smackdown from Daddy).

But one thing I am noticing is the prevalence of strange (ha! NaBloPoMo topic covered!) behaviors not from the kids, but the parents. I don’t profess to be the best parent, but I think I’m on the right track. And I’m sure you know how best to raise your own kid, but I’m allowed to shake my head at some of the things I see going on, right? For example:

• I do think that it’s a little too early to be giving your 24-36 month old Biscuitville for breakfast every morning. Once in a while treat, especially on weekends? Cool. But having a sausage and egg biscuit each day is a slippery slope, is it not?
• Long car trips almost require a DVD player to keep the tikes’ attention away from the seemingly never-ending confinement. I get that and have even used that tactic. Tinker Bell has saved me once or twice. But to use the DVD player for the five or ten minutes it takes to drive your kid to daycare?
• Can we wait until, say, the sixth grade to begin hawking wrapping paper, cookie dough and other fundraising items? I promise not to do it if you don’t. And on a side note: If I do buy from you because your kid is too lazy to walk around and ask for himself/herself your teenager, you darn well better buy from my kid.
• The classroom is having a holiday party (Valentine’s, Christmas, Arbor Day, whatever). A pack of mini cupcakes is $2.39 plus tax. A jug of apple juice is $3.49 plus tax. Holiday plates and napkins can be had at any dollar store in the country. I was semi-retired and still got my kid’s class a snack. We’re all contributing. Do your part.

NaBloPoMo - Say It Five Times Fast

So now that I got some linkjuice love, I decided it's time to give all eight of those visitors something to come back to. Thanks MaryMac, you've officially made this whole blogging thing work.

So I welcome you to my attempt at NaBloPoMo; it's not just fun to say, but it's fun to do, too! Basically, it's sort of a blogging test - post once a day for an entire month. Plus, stay on topic. Because heck, anyone could write something about anything for 30 days; the trick is to stay on topic for each of those posts. Especially when the topic doesn't closely resemble anything your blog is about.

This month's topic is: Strange(r), which could mean anything from writing about random people you come across every day to odd things that you see on your drive to work to different (i.e. "strange") Web sites you come across daily (see how we played on the word a bit to stretch the topic? You know you're in the presence of a writer).

Being a parenting blog, I don't really think Strange(r) is a topic that meshes well. I mean, we tell our kids not to talk to strangers, not to eat strange foods, not to stick your finger there and a bunch of other NOTs related to strangeness. So this could be an interesting month.

Wish me luck. 30 blogs in 30 days, starting today. Enjoy it while it lasts.