Freelancin'

  Recently I've begun writing for a few online publications. Check it out and share along if you feel so inclined! http://www.modernmanjack.com/the-san-diego-gold-hops-rush/

Wood Chips Off the Old Block

  Oh my creative curious sons. Do you recognize those things on the floor? Yes they are lincoln logs. Yes we are getting old, but it's okay...actually it sucks, but whatever. I get all warm and happy watching my boys play peacefully together. It could be because I actually get to drink my coffee when they aren't swinging from the rafters. Whichever is the case i'll take one of these few moments anytime I can get them, it's the easy part of parenting.
  And then I asked Isaac what they were building.
  Isaac: "A fire".
  Me: "Oh shit".

Google Ad-non-sense

  It would be cool to make money off this blog. It's not the intent, but who doesn't like money? So I enabled the ad-sense program and have made a few pennies off most posts. The problem I have with it is some of the ads that get posted are ridiculous. I can't lie, I dig some Popeye's chicken about once a year, but advertising on my blog? Where I rave about feeding my kids organic? I almost quit this blog when the Obama ads made their way on to my posts. I don't want ANY politician stinking up my page. I know there is a way to customize the ads, but at a few blogs a month, and a few pennies pace...I'd rather just bitch about it! 

Post No Bills

On the Board!

  My first time being published! Stoked! I'd like to thank the academy and Modern Man Jack magazine! More to come hopefully!
 http://www.modernmanjack.com/the-tiger-revelation-09142014/

My Letter to Adrian Peterson

  Yo Adrian, When I torched your jersey the other day, after having read about the details of your case, I woke up today glad that I had done it. I want to be clear though that I did it more as a statement against child abuse, than as a personal gesture against you. It was kind of like the ice bucket challenge thing if you know what I mean. What you did to your own four year old son is absolutely unexcuseable regardless of how you came up in east Texas. I go somewhere between firm disciplinarian to pushover daddy with my three sons, depending on how much I think they are understanding me. I can pretty much guarantee though that the only thing your boy obtained from the "whupping" you put on him, was scars.
  I'm too old to be overly disappointed in your actions, i've seen too much to have held you to a higher standard. As I stated in my previous post, I especially detest when anyone tries to tell me how to raise my kids. Also, we both reside in states that border Mexico where, if you watch the news, kids are dying in the desert everyday just trying to get in this country. So we both know there are a lot worse things in life. What i'm trying to say is that it takes a lot for me to go this far but, I just want you to know in case you didn't, that beating your kid doesn't make him tough. It didn't make you tough when your folks did it. You were already tough, it just made him scared. I'm sure it made you scared too. I have no idea what your childhood was like, I just know that once you grow up there are a few things you should live your life by in order to help make the world a little better place. I would consider you a tougher man if you made the effort to protect your children from the abuse you experienced, instead of repeat the cycle.
  When I was growing up in Minnesota in the eighties, I was a huge Walter Payton fan. He was an idol, a beast on the field, tough as nails, never quit on a run. Sound familiar? When you came back from the knee injury and rushed for 2,000, I was so happy for you. You proved me right too, when all my homies where saying you were done, I knew that you had that toughness that Payton had ingrained into my football loving heart as a kid. Now that i'm all grown up though and we all saw what happened to Walter, I just feel bad for him and his family. I read the book and learned what all that abuse on the field was doing to him. The handfuls of pain killers he was swallowing by the hour and the way his body looked toward the end, it's sad and haunting. One day the game will pass you by and your body will have taken too much abuse to allow you to put the pads on and lace em' up. When that time comes and your days aren't spent in the locker room or the practice field, all that will be left is your family. You're gonna need them, the numbers won't mean a thing anymore compared to having a family that's been waiting for you the whole time.
  Moving forward, I'm still first and foremost a Vikings fan. You will probably suit up and play for them again, and when you do i'll still cheer for purple and gold and yell at the tv when Cassel throws another pick. As far as when #28 busts off another thirty yard run and lays a Packers safety on his ass, the only thing i'll really think about is your son. According to your statements, you are a loving father, and knowing young children, i'm sure he will forgive you. I just hope for both of your sakes you can find a better way to make a man out of him. It'll make both of you feel a lot better after the fact. When your playing days are done, the man waiting for you to hang out with his dad, will have that much more love and respect, instead of fear and scars. Peace out "All Day".
                                                                                                                        -Vikes Fan
                                                                                                 

Adrian Peterson and the New "Real Man".

  This has been quite a week for the NFL. We've seen the video of Ray Rice knocking his bride to be out in an Atlantic city elevator after spitting on her a couple of times. I've heard the 911 call by a neighbor of Greg Hardy describing how he was abusing a woman inside his home. I had to go on to read the victims report which basically said to me that this guy is a monster. The thing is though...he's playing this week, and if the video of Rice hadn't been released he would be playing the week after. This leads in to my next point, Roger Goodell the commissioner of football is letting these guys off the hook with light suspensions and in Hardy's case, nothing.
  I'm not stupid, I understand that there is a legal process and huge financial liabilities for a team that suspends a player without due process. But i'm also not an idiot and I know damn well that the moral issue can brush aside all processes and procedures. I've been an NFL fan for a long time and i've seen a lot of crap go down. The world is far from perfect and in today's hyper-instant-info age a damning photo or text of anyone in the limelight can spark a wild fire and witch hunt real quick.
  But then came the news about Adrian Peterson "whupping" his FOUR year old son with a tree branch. This one hurts. If you know me you know i'm the ultimate Vikes fan, and I rock the #28 jersey with purple and gold pride. I also have three sons, whom I love to the depths. I'm not a perfect father, and being a stay at home dad while trying to grow my music career, has put me to the test like no man i've ever met before. It's tough, it's beyond tough, it takes everything out of you most days, just to try and stay sane, let alone be a good parent. I know that life is a case by case thing and i'm not comparing myself to Peterson. I especially detest people who would tell me how to raise my children. But this goes beyond how hard AP grew up in east Texas and I can't let it fly. A four year old child still doesn't "get it", but cutting his nut sack open with tree branch isn't gonna help him get it any quicker. I'm a forgiving person who tries to look at the whole picture of a man before casting a decision on his character. I saw the "alleged" pics of his son's wounds and it makes me sick, it makes me cry. But this following video that i've posted isn't about judging a person, it's my way of taking a stand against child abuse. Further more this is my way of letting any man who would lay an abusive hand on a child know, that to be a good father is a tough thing to achieve sometimes,  but it's your job to try.

Friday's Funnies

  On the way to preschool, Rockstardaddy is doing his thing singin' out loud...
"...I don't know what I been told, in the heat of the sun a man died from cold."-"New Speedway Boogie"...a little bit of Grateful Dead for the ride. Then Evan steps in.
E: Dad don't say that. "Die" is not a good word daddy. Don't sing that song.
  As I readied my apology and explanation, Isaac starts repeating himself in a low horror flick type voice.
I: Die, die, die, die.
Have a good weekend!

Appetite part deux

Okay it's nap time now and the mid-day totals are in. On top of the morning's "snacky" type of feeding...
 1 slice butter/honey toast
 1 bowl of buttery noodles(asked for another)
 1 apple crusher
 1 apple/carrot crusher
 1 dixie cup of milk
 1 cup of water
 1 tired kid
 1 tired, sore neck, emotionally drained dad. This is just one kid. Meanwhile I cooked a pot of brown rice and steamed carrots for Tristan and tried to keep Evan in the manner he's accustomed. If it wasn't for the fact that it's ninety degrees I ...damn Tristan just woke up.

Appetite for Consumption

Okay this is getting ridiculous so i'm going to use this blog to try and track this kid. Isaac woke me up from bed at 6:30am. It's now 10am.
1bowl of o's
1glass of milk
1/2 glass of water
1bowl banana yogurt with honey
1tj's fruit bar
1tj's fruit strip
1bowl of popcorn(because he used the potty)
  He also snacked on his little bro's breakfast and is now requesting eggs and bacon. We're out of bacon, so we'll see where it goes. I'll update later...

Most Mornings

   Most mornings start like this, pictured above. Once all three are awake they are pretty good at entertaining themselves constructively, after breakfast and the early cartoon viewing is over with. The problem i'm experiencing is nothing new, but considering the age and stage of all three, it's almost impossible to prevent the whole house disaster, as the panoramic pics below reveal. I do try, I do I do, to get them to play with something and put it back. It's just that it's still unpredictable at this point. So Isaac, after watching Evan craft these little guys above, decided to pick up a ninja sword and destroy the "city" as he called it. Unfortunately the city he referred to was living room city. He works quickly and effectively, it's impressive, while I sit and watch with Tristan 2.0 on my arm. I know it's just a phase and they''ll get it soon, but man...what a phase!!