IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER OF IMPORTANCE… I get to eat lunch with Niko. I can sleep in an extra hour. I can take a break on my bed. I can have a pillow party with Niko on my breaks and lunch. I don’t have to drive an hour each way. I haven’t worn my work…
Author: Mark
Ode To My Wife – Part 6 (Happy Mothers Day)
I already know what Nina does on a daily basis when I am at work and it’s a lot of work; especially with a very active child. And, since I have been working from home for a month, I get to see it daily. She has very little time for herself throughout the day. And,…
Niko’s Nighttime Tweaking/Niko’s 4th Birthday
For Niko’s night-time, we have always had a set routine of things we do. But, a new phase has emerged and the routine needs a lot of tweaking. Everything is fine until it’s time for him to actually get into bed and get tucked in by us; basically, he doesn’t want to go to sleep….
The Dad’s 43rd Birthday
On the evening before my 43rd birthday last Thursday, Niko screamed at me for almost 2 hours. He wanted a piece of yarn to play with and he wanted his iPad while he ate dinner and I said NO! Eventually, I did breakdown and gave him a small piece yarn, but that actually made it…
My New Co-Workers Are…/Random Daddy Thoughts
I started working from home on April 8th and my new co-workers, Nina, Niko, and Franklin, are still getting used to me being home. Even though we have a dedicated office where the door can be shut with a 27 inch iMac, I prefer to be in the open with my 15.6 inch laptop. I…
Work From Home AND School
Last Tuesday, I finished my 4th class in my first term for my MBA at WGU. My next term starts on May 1, so I have a few weeks off from school to relax, write, and read books. I need a little break. The book I am reading now is the biography of Steve Jobs…
School and Work
I am currently getting my MBA at Western Governors University and my first term ends on 4/30/2020. I have already completed 3 classes and just this morning, I submitted my final paper for my 4th class. That way, if it comes back for some revisions, I have plenty of time to fix it. If not,…
We Are Still OK
One of the good things for me during this time when most people are not at work, is the fact that my drive to and from work has been cut in half! I still would prefer to be working from home, but I work for a financial institution which is considered an essential business. I…
We Are GOOD
Nina and Niko are having lots of new adventures at home; from drawing to building blocks to looking for ladybugs in the backyard to cooking to relaxing to watching Facebook live videos of various places and things to do all around the world. I always take Niko out on the weekends since that is my…
No Diapers…Finally – Part 2
Well, it’s been 9 days and Niko is doing awesome and I am so proud of him. No accidents and when I get him at midnight and 3 am, he pees, gets a small drink of water, and goes back to bed. Me, I am doing OK. I also get to pee at those times,…
No Diapers…Finally
Niko only wears a diaper for nighttime and since last July, I have been waking him up in the middle of the night for a pee and diaper change. Before I started doing that, he was waking up in the morning with a very wet diaper, sheets, and blankets; and that happened several days in…
Talking About Death
How do you talk about death with an almost 4 year child? We have told him that as some people get older, there bodies stop working and they can’t be fixed. I think he understands this, but I don’t think he understands the full concept that they are not coming back. The reason I am…
A Sense Of Accomplishment
After almost 11 months of living in our house, I mowed our lawn by myself for the first time and it felt really nice and accomplishing! Before, I hired somebody from the neighborhood to do the yard-work, but now I can do it whenever I want. And, you know something, while I was mowing the…
Three Classes COMPLETED!
On Friday, I completed my third class in my MBA at Western Governors University. it was Management Communication and I really enjoyed the material; so much, that I purchased the book as a PDF. It was slow going for me when it came to working the assignments; mainly because Nina had surgery on January 29…
Social Media – Starting Over
Even though I haven’t shared anything Facebook since last November, I am slowly starting to use it again. I will be sharing my Instagram photos and my newest blog entries. I want to keep it very simple and not share every detail of my life; like I did in the past. I deleted my Facebook…
Child Bribing
Is it possible to bribe an almost 4 year old; Niko will be 4 in May? The bribe begins with something I want, something I need, or something that must be done…for Niko. The bribe ends with food; usually it will be chocolate. But to be honest, it doesn’t work because he is already smarter…
The House Didn’t Fall Apart
After being off work since January 29th, I go back this Wednesday. On that day, my team is having a birthday potluck; so I have to bring donuts and candy. It’s good that I won’t have to think on Tuesday night about what I need to bring to eat for Wednesday. I just need to…
The Cooking Dad
I may not know how to cook a lot of things, but I am really good at boiling water for pasta and making omelette’s! I also can cook a frozen chicken thigh or breast in a frying pan and make it really flavorful. Oh, I enjoy cooking frozen dumplings. This morning, I made myself fried…
Time Alone With Niko
On Wednesday, Nina has surgery scheduled and I will be off for two weeks to take care of her and Niko. Nina keeps telling me she really wants to be self sufficient and I think it will happen. She has a stash of things she needs and our job (Niko and I) is to make…
The Kitchen Helper
Under all circumstances, it is my job to clean the kitchen; mainly that includes putting all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, running it before I got to sleep, and emptying it the following morning. I do this so Nina doesn’t have to worry about it and can focus on other things like Niko. I…