Author: Mark

On weekends, Niko and I will go out in the world and do something fun and amazing. Yesterday, I took him to San Antonio Plastic Bricks, which is a Lego store. We both like building Legos, and he often takes what I have built and makes it better and bigger. He filled up a quart…

Usually, I am one the one who has time off from work and when that happens, Nina works more hours on those days. Well, since last Tuesday, she has been off from work as her company is moving their inventory to another warehouse. And, I have been working all week on site at the physical…

Yesterday, Niko and I went to Barnes and Noble, Ross, Barnes and Noble again, and Whataburger. I love taking Niko out as we always have a good time – Saturday is our time and Sunday, we normally stay home and get ready for the week. I tend to start our adventures early so we can…

On June 10th, I finished reading this book: Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters by Ben Green. And a few weeks ago, I finished these two books: The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball’s Lost Triumph by Scott Elsworth and The Rivalry: Bill…

Usually, I always have something written in advance for Sunday as that is the day I publish something new. But I have nothing folks. I do have something in draft status about books. But I can publish that one on Wednesday. I don’t really have anybody to talk to about the books I read, so…

On Friday, Niko asked me if there was a party store and without any help from Nina, Siri, and Alexa, I screamed YES, and the store is called PARTY CITY. I showed Niko some of the Super Mario Brothers supplies they have, and he wanted them all. So, on Saturday, we went to Party City,…

I no longer have an Apple Watch alarm set for after Midnight to wake Niko up for a quick pee. I only have two alarms and they are for work; one is Monday through Wednesday at 5:45 am and the other one Thursday and Friday at 7:00 am. I don’t use the snooze feature because…

Lately, Niko has been watching Captain Underpants and, he actually pays attention to what is happening. He laughs, because it’s very silly. I don’t mind him watching as it’s better than playing video games and watching his iPad and we watch together. This morning, he had Captain Underpants playing on his iPad and the television….

Engineers are common in our family, and I have feeling, that Niko will be one as well. He really enjoys seeing how things work and taking things apart and building something better. We do that a lot with Legos as I will build a very basic car, boat, or an airplane and he will add…

I have only watched a few shows and movies on television since Niko was born in 2016. One of those was Tales of the City on Netflix and YouTube; I watched it after I read all the books in the series. I don’t miss television and enjoy doing other things in the evenings like reading…

Is it my responsibility as his dad to keep track of where things are put down? No, it isn’t! That is why I keep my stuff in the same place, wallet and keys downstairs and phone and kindle on my night table upstairs. My prescription glasses and work ID live in my car. Usually when…

Tomorrow, Niko turns 6 so we will do whatever he wants within reason. One thing he definitely wants is Freddy’s for lunch and we can easily do that. Even though I really enjoy having a double bacon cheeseburger from Freddy’s, I won’t be having that as I haven’t had cheese since April 9th; also, I…

My birthday was yesterday and to start the celebration early, I took Thursday and Friday off from work. On Wednesday’s, I get breakfast tacos on my to work. And that was meal number 1. Meal number 2 was Chinese takeout on my way home from work on Wednesday. On Thursday, Niko and I had leftover…

On Friday and after Nina and I finished working, the three of us packed ourselves in Nina’s car and drove to my parents house for a Passover dinner. At first, Niko was adamant that he didn’t want to go, but once we got him in the car, he was happy. His favorite person is usually…

Last Saturday, Niko and I went to La Cantera, which is an upscale outdoor shopping mall. We planned it the night before – Lolli and Pops, Barnes and Noble, and Luciano’s. But first, we had to sit in traffic as they had parts of a local highway closed down. They are working on expanding that…

Niko has, I hope, officially, graduated from the easy reading book phase to more complex books. Several weeks ago, we read some of the Roald Dahl books and for the past few weeks, we have been reading the Wayside School books by Louis Sachar. A few nights ago, I read a few chapters of the…

Niko found the balloon stash in the kitchen and because of that, I had to fill some up with water and let him throw them in the front driveway. I know Niko likes it because his squeaks are very loud and happy. I also know that he would love to throw one at me, and…

Since February 8th, I have been in the office on Monday’s, Tuesday’s, and Wednesdays and home on Thursday’s and Friday’s. A lot of preparation has to happen on the days before I go to the office as I just want to get up, freshen up, get dressed, and grab my snacks and drinks without having…

I pay bills. I have a mortgage. I have retirement accounts. I make sure our bank accounts are balanced so we know how much money we don’t have. I call people to fix things. I have an electric lawnmower and edger and enjoy making my lawn look and smell good. I cook, I clean, and…

So, right now, the only clothes Niko will wear to sleep and to go out is Mario. To help this phase, we have four Mario long-sleeved shirts and one pair of Mario pants. Nina purchased some iron on Mario sights so she could put them on other long-sleeved shirts and pants – so, soon, we…