"Murphy was an optimist!"
Evening goal – relax May 26, 2012 9:38 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Cathy, Daily Life, Evan, Family, Of Being DadI really wanted to have a nice relaxing Saturday night to clear my head and find some extra happiness. Oh, of mice and men! Slow FTP. What could I do? Naturally, run to the steamed broccoli drive-thru. While at the local Chinese buffet, struggling to understand what the staff was trying to say, my phone buzzed with a panicked child, "The bathroom is flooding! Come right away!" I reply, "but I’m not at home." The ten year old quandaries, "where are you?" My head explodes, picturing a naive child talking on the phone, a wife unknowingly cleaning in the basement, while rivers flow through my home. All was well. The flood was bad. But our saving grace, were the tampons for they absorbed it well.
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Wednesday April 26, 2012 1:49 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Cathy, Daily Life, Evan, Gray, Of Being Dad, Pets, TommyI cannot improve upon Cathy’s Pulitzer Prize worthy post. Do read!
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From the mouths of babes January 23, 2012 11:13 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, From the mouths of babesMe: "It’s time to wake up."
Evan, 6 years old, stumbles from bed, stomps down the hall: "Argh. Why does this happen every night‽"
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To Live, To Love, To Learn, To Leave a Legacy January 6, 2012 4:14 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Deep Thoughts, Evan, Family, Of Being Dad, PhilosophyI slowly explained, with long sentences and great clarity, "To Live, To Love, To Learn, To Leave a Legacy
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There are no girl Jedi! September 8, 2011 11:29 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babes, Of Being DadWhile having coffee one morning at Mojoe’s Trailside Coffeehouse, one of the customers mentions her girl will be attending Jedi camp. Oh! I have to get Evan into this and sure enough, he finds a slot just before the camp fills up. Camp is the last week of June 2011 and Evan had a blast!
Fast forward to today, September 8, 2011, and I’m having coffee in Mojoe’s and talking to the wonderful mother who turned me onto Jedi camp. In the grand scheme of Evan’s life, an enormous amount of time has passed between Jedi Camp and today. The mother says, "Your son is Evan right?" The gears start turning in my head as she continues, "Evan and my daughter had a fight." My heart sinks. The mother smiles, "Evan told my daughter that girls cannot be Jedi. And my daughter argued with him and told him about the women in the Clone Wars." After a chuckle, we talk about little minds, the funny things they produce, and amazement at the fact that the two are still talking about and remembering Jedi Camp. Good times!
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From the mouths of babes August 28, 2011 9:55 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cathy, Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babesEvan, 6 years old: "Can I go next door and go swimming?"
Mom: "Were you invited?"
Evan: "No, I’m going to ask."
Mom: "That would be inviting yourself and is wrong."
Evan: "So can I go see if they will invite me?"
Mom: "No. That would still be inviting yourself."
Evan, stomps off exasperated: "I’ll just go stick my head in the toilet!"
Evan, from the back of the house: "Quit laughing!"
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From the mouths of babes August 24, 2011 6:10 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babesMe: "Evan, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"
Evan, 6 years old: "Yeah, I woke up on the edge."
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Saturday Building Projects for Children August 13, 2011 1:16 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Daily Life, Evan, Family, Of Being Dad, Of InterestWe participate in Home Depot’s Kid’s Workshops on the first Saturday of each month.
Kids Workshop is an award-winning program that has been offered at The Home Depot stores since 1997. The workshops are free, how-to clinics designed for children ages 5-12, available on the first Saturday of each month between 9 a.m. and noon at all The Home Depot stores. Children, accompanied by an adult, use their skills to create objects that can be used in and around their homes or communities. …
- Since 1997, 17.5 million projects have been built at Kids Workshops
- More than 1 million children built their first toolbox at The Home Depot.
- More than 845,000 birdhouses have been constructed at Kids Workshops.
- 75 children per store attend a Kids Workshop on average while many stores have 200 kids attend regularly.
See also: Home Improver Club, Home Depot Blog, and Corporate Statement.
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Too tired? Too busy? Muster the energy and time. Read a book to your child. July 8, 2011 10:26 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Daily Life, Education, Evan, Family, Health, Mental, Of Being DadTake a moment and read this story in The New York Times. In short, a doctor tells of a 74 year old patient who couldn’t get his medicines correct.
Mr. M was a typical new patient: 74, with diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol. He had some prostate enlargement and back pain. His bag of pill bottles was depressingly bulky. I spilled the bottles out at our first visit, sorting them by disease. … Mr. M didn’t remember the names of all the medicines … Mr. M was clearly still confused about his medicines…
[Source, NYT, A Problem in Following Doctor’s Orders by DANIELLE OFRI, M.D.]
In the end, we learn that Mr. M is illiterate, unable to read either Spanish or English. The story would be similar to many other stories of illiteracy leaving us emphatic, but emotionally disconnected, had it not been for the last paragraph.
My kindergarten-age daughter is just beginning to read, and she is taken aback with delirious joy each time a few random letters suddenly form a word that matches real life. It’s a painstaking process for her, but as I watch her I think about how this skill has powerful ramifications for her health and longevity. It’s a gift, really, one that I’d long to transfer to Mr. M if I could.
[Source, NYT, A Problem in Following Doctor’s Orders by DANIELLE OFRI, M.D.]
I know that joy! My son has become quite the avid reader. He no longer wants to be the listener; he wants to be the one who reads aloud. And I too wish I could give that gift to Mr. M.
Remember, they are never too old to participate in reading with you; whether you are the listener or the reader, make time to sit with your child and a book.
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From the mouths of babes June 8, 2011 10:37 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babes, Of Being DadSo Evan, 6 years old, comes downstairs wearing a terrycloth robe and matching slippers.
Me: "What are you wearing?"
Evan: "A robe and robe shoes."
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From the mouths of babes May 29, 2011 10:02 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babes, Of Being DadAfter poking and probing for a splinter in Evan’s foot, he teary eyed hugs his mother.
Me: "Can I get in on this hug?"
Evan, 6 years old: "No. You made it hurt."
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From the mouths of babes March 6, 2011 4:20 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, From the mouths of babes, Religion / Spirituality, Touchy SubjectsEvan, 5 years old, has religious debate: "It’s kinda weird."
Amy, 8 years old: "What do you mean?"
Evan: "Well, Jesus. How did he create himself?"
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18 hours of ice January 13, 2011 1:15 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cathy, Daily Life, Evan, Family, Of Being Dad, Sarah, Transportation, TravelSo in the past 18 hours:
- My wife couldn’t get off our street due to ice
- Our friend managed to get onto our cove returning our son 11pmish but couldn’t get out
- My neighbor had to use 4 wheel drive to escape the ice
- The postman slid into a neighbor’s yard
- My father-in-law had difficulty leaving the street
- My 17 year old daughter slid her car into our retaining wall and had to climb out the passenger side
- My 17 year old daughter took our van to pick the 5 year old up from school
Waiting with bated breath to hear that the 5 year old makes it home safely and that the van survives.
Oh, and btw, secondary roads in Knoxville are still precarious. This is why schools get canceled.
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From the mouths of babes – my Cats in the Cradle moment January 5, 2011 9:53 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babes, Of Being DadEvan, 5 years old: "Dad, you don’t play much. You work a lot."
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From the mouths of babes December 17, 2010 9:33 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babesEvan, 5 years old on the drive to pre-school: "beotch beotch beotch!"
Me, failing to contain shock and anger: "Who taught you that?!"
Evan: "No one."
Me, hypocrite, liar: "I get mad at lies not mistakes."
Evan, confessing and ratting out his friend: *he says his friend’s name. It starts with A but I won’t rat him out here*
Me: *relieved that he didn’t say my name, his mother’s name or any of his older siblings. I really expected it to be from Noah.*
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