OK, this was one of the mornings they don’t tell you about in parenting classes. Before 8 a.m., I was urinated on twice, vomited on once, and managed to puncture a styrofoam cup and get drenched with 44 oz. of Diet Dr. Pepper. I hope the rest of the day is drier!
Here is a sample of what a restful break is like these days. I love my kids and my new dog but sometimes they make my blood pressure go through the roof.
We just got back from a (short) walk. We got to 2 1/2 blocks from our house and my daughter said she was tired (immediately after saying she wanted to see the secretary at my school, our usual walk destination). So we turned around. All of this was after a throw-down fit by my three-month-old son when I put him down to use the bathroom and help get Kathryn’s socks and shoes on, me chasing Winston (our 3-month-old puppy) all over the house to put his leash on (my son still screaming bloody murder), my daughter letting Winston out of the front door (on accident, she thought I was holding the leash but I was trying to calm my son down). My son fell asleep before we were out of the front yard and I was able to transfer him to his crib without him waking up (yet).
Now the big question: it’s now 9:13 a.m….do I wake him up for his 9:30 a.m. bottle or do I just let him sleep for a little while. I should probably wake him up to keep the routine going but I don’t know if I’m going to or not.
I think one of the biggest adjustment of going from the no-kids life to the life of a parent is that the simplest things (e.g., going for a nice leisurely stroll on a summer morning before the heat of the day kicks in), turn into gargantuan tasks that Superman himself couldn’t handle. Of course, Superman is the wrong person to look to in this sort of situation. I should be looking to Supermom (my wife). She makes this stuff look so easy and is so patient with the kids in situations like this. I really, really need to be more like her.
Here’s to the men and women on STS-121, which launched successfully today from Cape Canaveral, Florida. I am definitely praying for their safe and successful return after the Columbia disaster, which had such an impact on our local community.
OK, I admit it. I’ve watched The View. There, I’ve said it…and on a blog no less. Now, that being said, I haven’t faithfully watched since 2003, when my daughter was born and other, more demanding, and yes, more significant things seemed to occupy my time and mental energies.
So, I was somewhat shocked when Meredith Viera jumped ship to fill Katie Couric’s chair over on Today. I thought to myself, “Hmmm…why would Meredith bail on The View? Seems likes she’s got a good thing going on there.” But obviously I’ve been out of the loop for a while, because by all reports, things have not been rosy (no pun intended…well, maybe a little pun intended) with Barbara Walters’ estrogen-enriched gabfest. The very public and contentious (well, at least for the parties involved, anyway) departure of Star Jones Reynolds seem to indicate that things were not as pleasant and airbrushed as the public would believe.
But honestly, has anyone ever been under the impression that The View is anywhere near real journalism? True, Barbara Walters may have been a pioneering force for women in journalism back in the day, but 20/20 (which she is no longer a part of–unless she’s decided to jump back on board), The Barbara Walters Special (featuring three of the “hottest” celebrities de jour), and 2005’s 10 Most Facinating People (and, yes, we really do need to ask the question “Facinating according to whom, Ms. Walters?”), really cannot be considered serious, relevant journalism anymore (if they ever were to begin with).
Like Walters, Jones was a force in her own right before The View. An attorney and legal reporter (I read that she covered the OJ Simpson trial capably for NBC…but being an ABC News loyalist, didn’t see her), she had a lot going for her. But she made a fatal mistake, she confused exposure with dignity.
So here’s my note to Star Jones Reynolds (and, yes, I should probably CC it to Barbara Walters, as well): When you sign up to be a media whore, don’t act offended when your bosses eventually treat you like one.