| I suck. Haven't posted a damn thing all week. To make up for it, here's a sneezing panda. | |
« February 2007 | Main | April 2007 »
| I suck. Haven't posted a damn thing all week. To make up for it, here's a sneezing panda. | |
Posted at 01:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
I have a question for you all. And I know I'll get a wide range of responses because, well, DadCentric fans? Our numbers are legion. Or at least somewhere north of 100.
So, Mrs. Big Dubya and I actually have a date set for this Saturday night. Yep, a real date. Sans kiddies. No booster seats. No disposable Elmo placemats. No try-out for the macaroni toss . Just adult conversation, adult beverages and the ability to fawn over my wife without worrying about getting an earful of cheese sauce. It really is the little things in life, isn't it?
Anyway, this is the first time we actually have a babysitter who isn't named granny, nana or auntie and we're not sure what we should be paying this brave, incredibly naive kind-hearted soul. Back when I did some babysitting (during the Reagan administration if you must know), I got $6/hour plus benefits; benefits being refrigerator access, cable and Intellivision. What is the going rate now? What do you pay a babysitter in the off chance you actually can get a night out? Are there any stipulations? I mean, do I have to pay more because we don't have a flat screen? We do have satellite and a DVR so does that make it a wash?
I hate sounding like such a nOOb, but I could really use the help. We certainly don't want to commit some babysitting faux pas -- we may want to go out again some time in 2009 and don't want to burn any bridges.
Update: Almost forgot -- you may need to take into account that we have 2 under 2. Does that trigger the hazardous duty pay clause?
Posted at 10:02 AM in Baby Stuff, Grown Up Stuff, Kid Care 101 | Permalink | Comments (22)
It was inevitable, I guess. FCC complaints regarding this year's Super Bowl are beginning to surface on the 'Net now. It seems that some folks were having some big problems with the Snickers "Two Guys Kissing" commercial and Prince's half-time performance, specifically. This pinhead went as far as to complain that the big piece of fabric Prince stood behind during his performance of Purple Rain seemed to have huge semen stains on it to augment his penis-like guitar. I can't dispute that his guitar is quite phallic-looking. In fact, that damn guitar has been generously providing me feelings of inadequacy since the mid 80s. But wet spots that resemble semen stains!? Correct me if I'm wrong, but, wasn't The Artist performing in a fucking downpour? Wet things do happen when it rains, methinks. I don't know about you guys, but, I've never been offended by anything on television. You could air a show about a one-legged, transgendered midget who likes to fondle llama balls and I'd watch it.
So, who are these fucking cans of tuna who feel the need to bitch about my beloved TV? Go away!
Posted at 07:08 PM in Current Affairs, Sports, Television | Permalink | Comments (6)
I wanted to come in here today and write about something controversial. You know, post something that would start a whole firestorm of comments, drive up traffic, cause an Instalanche. It would have contained all the hot-button issues: a lactating, circumcised, SAHD who likes a beer or two at his weekly poker night/playdate. The cards are secondary to the conversations about using Death Cab for Cutie or Dashboard Confessional for bedtime music and a great sale happening on-line at Izzy and Ash. Occasionally, when they aren't talking about Buggaboos or playgrounds in Park Slope, they take swipes at working dads and how they're doing a disservice to their children and how great it is that moms are now more involved with their children: Can you believe she changed the diaper?
But I guess that's been done to death.
Anyway, hear that? Those are angels singing. On high, even. Why, you ask? Because we have reclaimed our bed. I can, once again, lie in bed and pretend to make snow angels without cracking my son in the head. Soon, once we get Little Dubyette into her own crib, Mrs. Big Dubya and I might actually be able to get...get...get...get busy y'all. Huh? Because there's a baby in the room. Duh. I suffer from enough performance anxiety without throwing that into the mix.
Anyway, back in early January I wrote that Little Dub was suffering from night terrors/nightmares. I also mentioned the effect it was having on his mother and me since we caved and finally brought him into our bed to sleep. Well, about five or six weeks ago we decided it had to stop. He had to learn to like his own bed and understand bedtime and sleep...oh...sleeeeeep. It was time for tough love. Well, maybe not so tough as somewhat rigid. You know. With a little give. But tough. grunt, grunt So, we bucked up and said that he would have to stay in his bed; that this is the only way it would work.
Ah, best laid plans and all that. We did put him to bed, but like clockwork, he would wake up, start howling and scream for Moooommmmeeeee. One of us would go to his room, rub his back, hold his hand and soothe him back to sleep. Sometimes it involved actually sleeping on the floor while holding his hand through the slats of the crib. We are not 20 and neither one of us was drunk so this could be particularly painful in the morning. Eventually, we stopped staying. We opted to just let him cry it out. And, boy, did he. For more than a week.
First, it was scream for 15-20 minutes or more at bedtime and then silence. Then that dropped to 10-15 minutes. Then 5-10. Now, it's a couple of cries, a whimper and then la-la land...Land of Nod...Like Little Mac meeting Mr. Sandman. Sure, sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night, but instead of shrieks and cries, it's Uh-oh over and over again and then Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Are we completely out of the woods on this front? Who knows? Something could happen that just blows this all to hell. For now, however, I enjoy being the king in a king-sized bed.
Posted at 11:31 AM in Baby Stuff, Kid Care 101, Kid Stuff | Permalink | Comments (7)
Recent Comments