Monster Truck Cake

Yesterday was my sons birthday, and he is currently obsessed with cars and trucks.  If he is watching his favorite movie "Cars" and you try to stop it, you better watch out.  Due to this current enthusiasm, we decided that he needed a Truck Cake but not just any truck. A Monster Truck Cake.  Making my children a cake is one the top things I enjoy doing for their birthdays.  This was my first attempt using Homemade Marshmallow Fondant and it turned out fairly well.  I learned a lot about 3D Cake making.  Any questions in regards to making this cake please feel free to ask.

"Run. Run. As fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the Gingerbread Man"

So my daughter started school a few almost a month ago and during the first week the teachers had an activity that they use to help familiarize the children with the school and the places that they will visit throughout the year.  This particular activity involved the story book character "The Gingerbread Boy". According to the teacher the Gingerbread Boy left clues around the school starting in the classroom which should lead his capture.  Apparently the Gingerbread Boy called out over the classroom intercom "Run. Run. As fast as you can. You can not catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Boy. I am. I am."  The kids followed his clues to the Library, Gym, Etc. around the school then back to the room.  But the could not catch the Gingerbread Boy.

Since that day, my daughter has developed a fear of Gingerbread Men or "Boys".  In her mind the Gingerbread Boy is real.  So I try to explain to her that it is just a story and he is only a storybook character. And that there is nothing to be afraid of.  The answer I get is, "but dad he is real.  At school he left us clues around the school and there were only crumbs left on the pan, we couldn't find him anywhere." She is frightened that he will get get out of the school and for whatever reason he is going to come into her bedroom.  Now I know this is a fear of hers and she gets really upset about it at certain times, specifically bedtime, but I can not help but giggle about it.

I am trying my best to find a way to help her get over her fear.  I talk to her about it and try to find out exactly what scares her about the Gingerbread Boy.  Explain to her that he is not real and just a storybook character.  "We eat gingerbread men and that they are delicious", I try to explain.  Today I spoke with her teacher to find out a little more about the activity and exactly what might of frightened her.  Of course her teacher is try not to laugh as I am informing her of my situation.  I am doing this while all the time trying to keep a straight face.  After I finished my story and she explained the activity, she tells me that she will send the book home with her so that we can read it at home. I hope that this help her overcome this fear of Gingerbread Men.

First Week with Baby C

The past week as not only been very busy but also very stressful.  I have not only be completely exhausted but also did something to my back the other day, which does not help when having to care for two little ones under that age of 2.

Chey is a beautiful little girl but she is also very demanding.  Compared to my other children she is in constant need of someone holding, carrying, or playing with her.  I don't know how people can get anything done around the house while having to hold or carry a child.  My children have never been this way, they have always been very independent, and to have a baby who is clingy is something out of the ordinary for me.  When you do not pick her up she tends to be very whiny and follows while crying and whining.  This tends to get very annoying but I have to remind myself that she is in a new environment with new people and that through time she will learn that someone does not always have to be by her side.  I try to provider her with the appropriate attention she needs, but also trying to give her space so she can play and grow on her own to break this behavior.

Not only is this hard on her, I also see changes in my son.  He has become very possesive of his toys, specifically his cars.  And it is almost like Chey knows this because she always tries to take his cars when he is playing with them.  I have been working hard at helping them both learn to share and I know this will take some time for both of them. 

Everyone is finally starting to get better from the cold that had everyone in the house under the weather.  This I hope will start to help us get a more routine schedule that works for everyone, as with the kids all sick no one was really having good sleeps, which makes for long and more often cranky days.  Overall I think the transition is going  well but again it has only been a week and through time things will slowly fall into place.  I just have to keep my patience in check and keep telling myself that everything will get better in time.

First day as a Stay-at-Home Dad of Three

Will today was my first day alone and caring for three children as my wife has returned to work.  It is a big change not only for myself but also for my other children.  Over all I feel it was a good day other than the fact that everyone has been sick for more than a week.  I am anxious for everyone to settle into the new family dynamics and start a routine that works for everyone.  I think the hardest thing is the fact that before obtaining custody of my niece we had our way of doing things as a family of four.  And you think that adding one more to the mix would be easy to incorporate into the routine we already had.  But we are just learning my nieces way of doing things for herself, along with the way my other children do things.  The fact that she was been in foster care for her whole life makes it hard as she is opposite of my children and the way be have raised them.  My children are very independent and outgoing, while my niece is very clingy and attached to things, like a pacifier, which my children never really took too.  Adjusting has also been a challenge as we just spent a week in Ontario and prior to that had a two week vacation in Newfoundlands.  So over the past month we have been traveling which throws the kids schedules out of whack.  The two little ones have been getting up at 430 AM since we have been back, which has been a hard adjustment for me.  But over the past couple of days they have slowly been sleeping  longer.  I just keep telling myself that things will get better and that we have only been home for a week as I feel very burnout, although being sick does not help.  Life tests you everyday and whenever you over come a challenge or obstacle you only become stronger.  Thanks for reading.

Journey's End and A New Beginning

Well here I am again writing a post after being away for awhile.  This past summer has not only been filled with adventures of our family but also a change in the dynamics of our home.  There is a new addition to our family and she goes by the name of Cheyanna.  She joined our family last week after a long journey to obtain custody of my 16 month old niece, Chey.  My wife has  created a blog, Our Journey to C, with details of the struggles and challenges we over came in our fight to get her in our care.  So after 16 months, she has finally been placed in our lives and we could not be more happy that she is finally here.  Now prior to this I was looking at maybe going back to work but with this addition, I now plan on staying home for the time being to take care of the kids.  Life with three kids is busy and a big change for all of us, but in time we will all develop and routine that will work and make things easier for everyone.  W are just glad that Chey no longer has to be moved from foster home to foster home and that we can provide a loving, safe, and stable environment where she can learn and grow.  Although one Journey has ended, another is just beginning in the lives of the Jacob Family and we are willing to share our story with anyone who is going through what we went through or any similar situation.

Been a Busy Busy Summer

Well here I am again writing my first post in over a month.  Things have been crazy busy for my family.  My wife has been hard at work and I have been very busy trying to keep up with the kids, as they keep me going all day long.  The weather has been great this summer and the kids and I have everyday been up to the park and out in the back yard enjoying the outdoors as much as possible.

During the past month we have gone out the mountains for an over night camping trip and also day trips to enjoy a BBQ, also to get away from the busy city and to escape the busy life we have at this point in time. The overnight trip was fun other than the fact that Isaiah did not want to sleep at all that night.  We think he was scared as this was his first camping trip and night in the tent.  I ended up getting up a 5am with him and taking a drive into the town of Canmore for some Tim's for the wife and I, also timbits for the kids.  But other than that, the kids had a great time.  There was also a show at the campground outdoor amphitheater that Paxton enjoyed very much.  This trip Justus came along, but the old man is not as young as he use to be and when the cool night air came in, he was having problems with his joints.  Then the day we were leaving, when we started packing I could of swore he was saying "home" and had the biggest smile on his face. 

There were many more adventures that have occurred since my last post and just decided to start with this quick post before heading to bed.   As tomorrow is another day with the wife working days, and I am sure will bring more excitement with the kids.  Thanks for reading.

Trip to Bow Valley Provincial Park

A few days ago, the family and I all ventured out the mountains for the day to Bow Valley Provincial Park.
It was nice to escape the  big city and the regular day-to-day routine to enjoy the great outdoors.  We rented a camp site for the day, set up the tent and enjoyed the beautiful day. 

All my daughter wanted to do was explore all the trails and play at the playground that wasn't to far from our site.

For dinner we roasted hot dogs for the kids.  Our day ended around 8:00 and we packed up and headed home as we had an early appointment to attend in the next morning.

It was a great day and nice to get back to nature with a trip out to the mountains.  Although it was just for the day, it was fun for the whole family, which had its up and downs, as all the sun and fresh air wore the kids out.

The mountains are beautiful and camping there is something we enjoy very much, and in the near future we will plan a trip to spend at least one night when my wife has some time off. 

   

Its Been Awhile

Well, what can I say,  I have not added to this blog in awhile now and thought I would get back at it.  Over the past months I have been busy; finishing school, trying to find employment, and being a full time dad, which occupied majority of my time.  I would just like to thank everyone for visiting while I was away.

Just to start things of I would like to share an article that my wife found on CNN, A father's day wish: Dads, wake the hell up!.  Being a stay-at-home dad for the past year has provided a different perspective on life. The time spent, along with relationships that have have made, with my children from being at home have allowed me to grow in ways that I would have never realized without this experience.

So take a read and feel free to provided your thoughts.

Trip to the Hospital

Last night my daughter was crying out in her sleep, tossing and turning, telling me that her throat hurts.  So around 4am, after I tried laying down with her to get her to settle down, we ended up taking a trip to the Alberta Children's Hospital.  When we were leaving home she started to tell me that her ear hurts too.  So after an hour and a half in the waiting room and another two hours in a room, we found out that it looks like she has an ear infection.  Doctors orders are to keep her comfortable with Children's Advil, and to keep an eye on it for the next two days and if it continues, she provided us with antibiotics to start on Saturday.  We ended up getting home around 930am after a long night of sitting and waiting.  Lets just say daddy is very tired.

The Little Surprise

My family has been fostering puppies for an organization in Calgary Alberta called Pawsitive Match, who helps rescue dogs from all over the world.  We started doing this as our dog Justus, is getting old and I am sad to say he may only have a few years left, so we want to start looking for a young pup to bring into our family. Fostering gives us the opportunity to have a variety of breds to try and find one that will fit into our family and lifestyle.  So last night, my wife came home with a 9 week old Husky puppy named Aspen who was rescued along with her brothers and sisters from the Northwest Territories.  She is very cute puppy with a great temperment.  My wife, for the last week has wanted to start fostering one but I was hesitant as I am coming up to the end of my semester and adding a puppy into the mix of an already busy day was not something I was looking forward too.  But both of us have a soft spot for puppies and she really want to foster one, so she went and picked her up without me knowing.  Now before this happened I told her if she was to bring one of the Huskies home I would not be able to let the dog go, and I have already grown fond of her, as when I was a young boy I grow up with three Huskies.  So with all that said we are the proud fosters of this wonderful, well-tempered puppy named Aspen, who we may consider to adopt in the near future.

Up All Night

Last night was a very long night for my wife and I, as my son decided that he did not want to sleep.  He was up almost ever half hour and then at 4am he was up and ready to start his day.  He finally passed up at 10am and took a decent nap. It seems like my kids are taking turns with who keeps us up at night but we are both exhausted as my son, again tonight has not wanted to go to sleep.  The poor guy has not been feeling well all day, but we hope now that the day is done and both kids are now asleep that we can try and get some well deserved rest, as all of us need it.

Today was also my daughters first day back to pre-school after a long week of feeling ill.  But over all she had a good day, even though she is still not 100% herself.  Her day at school did a number on her today as she feel asleep early on the couch shortly after her bath.  On another note, my wife surprised me this evening with a little something, but will literate on that subject tomorrow.  I have also added a guestbook to my blog, so feel free to sign, as I see there has been a little more visitors, but still no comments on any of my posts thus far.

Two Sick Kids and Two Tired Parents

Well yesterday was day four of my daughter being sick and along with that, my son is showing signs of illness.  Having one sick kid is tiring enough but add another into the mix and you start to realize how tired and exhausting it gets.  Two nights ago, my daughter was up who knows how many times, I don't even remember getting up with her at certain points, my wife asked me how she was at certain times that night and I responded, "I got up with her?"   On a funny note, we have been give my daughter Ginger ale to help settle her stomach, and for some reason, we do not know why, when ever she wants some she asks us, "Can I have some 'china pop'?".  I could not stop laughing the first time she said it.

Last night was my sons turn to wake up a lot and it is wearing us down.  Just hope that when my daughter gets up this morning that she is feeling better, as my sons seems like he is alright but that may change in a few hours.  With a little research last night on my daughters couch, we think that she is showing signs of 'whooping cough' but I guess a doctors visit may be in order to determine what she has if this continues.  So would just like to say that I do not wish more than one sick kid on anyone, and I hope we get to have a goodnights rest soon.

Two Days With a Sick Kid

So my daughter has been very sick with the flu for the last two days.  She has spent the days lying on the couch and having restless nights.  The funny thing is that she says that she has a "beaver" (fever), so I tell her that I don't see a beaver on your head. I love how kids cannot fully pronounce words, gives me a little comic relief. A sick kid is not something that is no fun, particularly when my wife has been working.  It has made for days of takign care of her while trying to keep up with my son, on minimal sleep.  To add to the situation, I have to try and find time to work on my schooling.  Luckly, my son has not been sick, but today he has began to show some signs that he maybe the next to become ill.  It doesn't help that my wife is also sick.  Suprisingly have I not been, but I too have not really felt 100%, but his may be due to the lack of sleep I have been getting.  Just can't wait till everyone is feeling better and I get a good nights rest. 

Past Couple of Days

The past of couple days have been fun exciting but also frustrating.  Let me start off with the fun and exciting.  The tile is finally done, now all that is left is for me to put up the base board, once the wife can decide whether she just wants me to put up the old stuff, or go and buy new stuff.  We had a fun day, my daughter and me, making a super big batch of peanut butter cookies.  So, yummy.  She is just like her mother and loves to eat all the cookie dough before the cookies are even baked.  I saved my wife some dough as she has been working the past few nights and I know how she loves cookie dough.  Along with that we did a lot of water color painting with both my daughter and son, which is fun for him as he ends up begin a multi-colored child by the time he is finished.

Now for the frustrating.  My nephew went to visit his mother, as of right now she does not have any of her 6 children.  He was suppose to return Sunday on the bus to my mother's (Grandma's) house but did not end up showing up.  He was not answering his cell phone and my sister does not want to give my mother and me her phone number because apparently all we do is wrong in her mind.  So since Sunday I have been on the phone with Dilco, the children service that removed the kids, trying to find out how or where he may be.  They would not send anyone to the address of my sisters because apparently they cannot be certain that she is even there. But the good news is that I finally got a hold of my nephew and he will be returned to the care of Dilco tomorrow.  So lets just say the past few days have been long, tiring and frustrating.  So now I am in the process of getting prepared to adopt my youngest niece as as there is a chance that she will go up for adoption as my sister has not yet got her act together.  The others are in a good place and when the time comes I will be taking them all into my home as my mother is not as young as she used to be and cannot handle the younger ones, but the older boys are with my mom and she will take care of them as long as they need.  It is a sad situation, but all that matters is the kids and they are the ones I am fighting for now as I have tried to help my sister with no avail.

So, the next few weeks will also be busy as my semester is almost up and I have a lot of work to do as much of my time was taking away due to the issue above.  So wish me luck in getting all my work done.  Thanks for reading.

Back to the Grind

Well, its was a nice visit with the in-laws and the kids had a great time with their Nan and Pop, but now it is back to reality.  It was nice to have help with the little ones and not have to worry about what I was going to make for dinner, as the mother-in-law always took hold of that role.  But with all this said now it is time to get back into the swing of things.  It was busy few weeks and got some work done around the house, one job which ended up being a lot more work than expected, which was removing the wallpaper in our bedroom.  But now that it is off, it is time for my wife to choose the color and so we can start to paint.  The kids, to my surprise handled the in-laws leaving very well, as when my mom came for her visit, my daughter in particular had a hard time with her going home.  So today what to do? Will we'll just see what the day brings our way.

My Daughters Garden

For my daughters fourth birthday we had gotten her some plants to grow.  There were dwarf sunflowers, watermelon, and bean stalks.  So shortly after her birthday, she want to plant them and start her garden.  I should have taken more photos of the process and maybe it wasn't such a good idea to start so early as the bean stalks are starting to get so big that I no longer have a large enough stick for them to creep around.  The dwarf sunflowers are growing strong along with the watermelon, which at first I thought weren't going to grow as they did not sprout as quick as the others.  But all the plants are healthy and strong and she makes sure that they get sun and water that they need to grow.  We picked these up at Canadian Tire and I also did see them at the dollarama.  It was and still is a fun thing for her to do and care for, if anyone wishes to try these with there own children, you know where you can get them .

Love for Pancakes

So my kids love pancakes and my daughter asks me to make them every morning.  I have no problem doing that as I know they will eat them all up.  Now I don't like using the pancake mix, as homemade pancakes are scrumptious.  So if anyone is interested here is my version:

1 1/2 cups of Flour
2 tsp of Baking Powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of sugar (optional)
Cinnamon (I never measure this, as I just do some shakes from the spice container)
Capful of vanilla (optional)
1 Egg
1 1/2 cups of Milk
2 tbsp of oil
And then if you like add your favourite fruit (Banana, Blueberry, etc)

Today we had Banana and it was delicious so enjoy my recipe which is nothing fancy but the kids love it and that is all that matters.  Enjoy.

Busy few days at home

Well yesterday the tile was started in the front entrance and bathroom on the main floor.  Thankfully my wife was home and she had taken the kids over to her cousins for the day so our cousin in law, Terry,  and I could lay the tile without any distraction.  Most of the tile is down, now today I have to do the grout.  Then under the washer and dryer and a small section in the hall can be finished.  It is looking great but has the house in shambles.  This has been a long process, as a few months ago I had laid over 700 ft of laminate hardwood by myself and I have never done tile so I had to wait until  Terry had some time to help me with the tile.  I will post some pictures of the work once it is complete and I have uploaded them to the computer.  Very excited to have the floor finished and just in time as the Mother and Father-in-law are coming next week.

Tell Me Your Thoughts

I have seen that there has been some traffic to my blog but not much interaction based on the posts so far.  So I want to create some interaction between my followers and I.  What I want you all to do is let me know your opinion or view on the idea of the Stay at home dad.  There are a lot of misconceptions and views on this subject and I just want to see the view of my followers.  So tell me what you think about this new growing trend? I am open to all opinions, views, and questions so please comment and we'll see where this subject matter will take us.

Update of my life

Over the past month, there has been a few things that have happened.  My daughter turn four years old which was not only exciting but also sad.  Just to think that four years ago was when my daughter came into our lives, is mind blowing as time flies by so fast.  She has grown into this little person who fills my day with laughter, frustration and excitement.  To watch her learn and grow since being at home is priceless and to think that this growth is the product of the day to day activities of our lives.  Also in this time my son, who still has not stopped climbing, has started to understand and learn more words. He is still very quiet compared to my daughter when she was his age, and it just shows how different there personalities are.  Both have added in my growth and understand of being a parent, and in trying  to provide routine and direction for my children.  But this experience is something that is going to benefit not only me but my children in the long run.  Now for me. Like I mentioned, I have started to take a course online, and adding this to my already busy schedule has just maybe more challenges for me to over come.  I do my best each and everyday to make sure that I accomplish all task, but what I have learned since being a stay at home dad, nothing ever goes a planned and you have to adapt to the situation that you are dealt. This is just a brief over view and will continue to literate happens as the occur.

Stay at Home Dad Theme Song

 Here is a song that I came across last night.   It is a song for all the stay at home dads out there.  Take a listen.

To My Fellow Followers

Well, I would like to thank the people who have been peaking at my blog that I have neglected over the past month.  My life became a lot busier at the time of starting this up.  I am taking an online course, Philosophy and the Internet, and due to my course materials arriving late, I ended up having to cram 6 weeks of work into 4 weeks, while still trying to maintain the household.  Along with this new venture of school, we also became Foster's to a puppy named Cory.  She is about 3-4 months old and is just as much trouble as my son.  It is actually funny to see the similarities in them as the are both very mischievous and look around for anything and everything they can get into.  So with all of this came long days and nights with more than enough to keep me busy. So with this said, I hope you return again to share this experience with my family and I.

Boys will be Boys

My son, the future mountain climber, doesn't stop climbing all day.  He climbs on tables, chairs, couchs, and just started to use the lip of the oven drawer  to stand on so he can reach the stove top.  The most frustrating thing about his new found talent is the fact that he will not stop no matter what I do.  When I catch him in the act he just smiles and laughs. It has gotten to the point where our dining room furniture has to be lied on its side so he cannot get on the table.  When he gets on a table, the next step is standing up.  Now I understand the thrill of climbing and the feeling of begin on top of the world, but his 'no fear' attitude will have us taking a field trip to the hospital.

   A few weeks ago we had to make a dentist appointment for my son, because he decided he want out of the bath tub.  So leg goes up and over the side of the tub and in the blink of an eye he slides head first on to the floor.  Now lets just say my son has earned his membership into the chip tooth club.

   I am very proud to say that it looks like he will follow in his fathers foot steps.  As a young boy, I knocked out both of my front teeth.  Not by climbing but by being a mischiefous little boy.  One I knocked out by jumping off my mom and dads bed, trying to fly like Superman. The other I was trying to run under the table, and lets just say I was to tall and SMACK, bye bye tooth.

Vocabulary of a Child

For this post, I want to let you into the mind of my child and the vocabulary that she creates on a daily basis. Here are a few words that she has brought to my attention:

The other day while my wife and I were laying in bed and my daughter comes into our room and asks me to 'scoop' over.  Now I don't know exactly how to scoop over but she just keep asking me, 'scoop' over dad.

Then yesterday we had take-out, and with her meal I had gotten her 'root beer'.  So as we are sitting and eating, she takes a drink, and says, "Mmmmm I love Fruit Beer".  No I don't know about you but since when did places start offering 'fruit beer'.  To me that doesn't sound to delicious.

Inside the Mind of a Stay-at-home Dad

Now, I don't know how all the other stay at home dads feel, but the lifestyle change that has occurred in my life has provided me many new perspectives on life.  Prior to this change, if you told me that I would be taking care of my children full time I would probably laugh.  To think that I would have to provide for my family in this way never would have crossed my mind.  But now that I am living that life, it has changed me in ways beyond imagination.

   I have grown with my children over the past few months both in ways both good and bad.  The day to day challenges that have occurred make you think and ponder the way that we all grow as humans.  But along with the day to day challenges that my children provide me there is also the mental component of living this lifestyle.

   I think that the hardest mental challenge that I have still not over come is the realization that I am no longer providing for my family financial.  This in my mind is the fact that the society we live in has grown to have the persona that the dad/man is the bread winner of a family.  We can all see that the women in are lives can also be the financial provider as the working world has evolved over the last hundred years.  Mentally this has been my major struggle and its not that I believe that the men in the world have to fulfill this role which has been established in our society  as the norm.  I am very proud and jealous that my wife has the opportunity to be in her dream job that she loves doing every single day.   Prior to staying home with my children, I would do whatever job I had to, whether I enjoyed it or, hated it with a passion.  As long as, my family was taken care of was and is all that matters.  But, the internal urge to perform this role still effects me mentally to this day.  It is something that I have to try to ignore, and focus on providing for my family in a different way.

    Now, that I have experienced the life of the say at home parent, I have come to realize that not only can it be frustrating and mentally challenging, but that bond that I have got to form with my children is priceless.  To have to opportunity to see my children grow in ways that were never possible before being home, is the most rewarding experience I have had in my life.  I love that everyday I get to spend this amount of time with children and would not change it for the world.

  I do recommend to all other working dads that if the opportunity arises that you seize it and expand the relationship with your children in ways that you would never know possible.

   Please if there are any questions you have on the internal workings of the mind of a stay-at-home dad, ask.  I will provide you with the best answer to the internal thoughts that make up who I have becomes since my lifestyle change.  Thank you for reading, and enjoy.

Introduction

    Will I would like to say thank you for visiting my blog and I hope my experiences as a stay-at-home dad are both intriguing and informative.  Blogging is a new world that was introduced to me through an online course that I am currently taking at Lakehead University.  My wife also suggested I start blogging about my daily adventures.  So here we go.

   My name is Joel Jacob and I have two children.  My daughter Paxton and son Isaiah. Each make my day both interesting and challenging.  That is what got me interested in sharing my life as it provides a persective into the all the fun, excitement, and frustration that can occur in a household.  

  My life as a stay-at-home dad started in the summer of 2010 when my wife got offered her dream job that she has persuded since her graduation.  With this offer, the decision for me to continue the duration of her leave was confirmed and the life of a stay-at-home dad began.

  It was a big change in my life as prior, I was working full time days and had got to spend very little time with my children as I would leave for work before they woke up and was home just before dinner.  So the time I got to spend with my children was limited during the work week.  This change was not only exciting, but scary and intimadating. I love my kids and enjoy every minute I get to spend with them, but to have to run a household was alot different then I was use too.  This challenge was the first of many that I had to over come.  Along with this, my son was developing into the little monster that I currently have today.  He was and still getting into anything and everything. My daughter is a great help with her little brother and she has the most creative and comedic personality.

   So over the past few months we have bonded in a way that a father should be able to bond with there children.  And it has changed my life in ways that I cannot described.  I will do my best to reliterate the past few months to try and provide a persective of what it is like to be a stay-at-home dad.

   I hope you enjoy my posts and please any comments and questions are encouraged as I am always learning and I would love to help other dads  in the same position.  Its a new era, and we all have to come together to teach, learn and grow.