Tag: The Dad Speaks

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

I enjoy writing and am going to keep on doing it. But, sharing photos and my writings on Facebook and Twitter isn’t doing anything for me. So, with that being said, I have stopped posting and sharing things on Facebook and Twitter. I haven’t yet gotten to the point of deletion, but I can easily…

It was a really good year for me… I got a new job at the bank, we sold our house, we purchased a new one, I started my MBA at WGU, and we booked a real vacation for next year to celebrate a birthday and anniversary milestone. As far as my dad body image, I…

So, whomever at Apple came up with the idea of Facetime, I say thanks for this awesome technology. I have no clue why Nina and I didn’t think of using it while I am on my breaks at work, but just within the past few weeks, we have used Facetime. It’s really nice to be…

Weekends are hard for me because I take care of Niko all day on Saturday and Sunday; Nina works on Saturday, does grocery shopping on Saturday, and cooks on Sunday. Yeah, we do have Nina at our disposal, but I try to give her a break because she takes care of him during the week….

Yesterday, we took Niko to Sea World in the later afternoon, mainly because we wanted him to see the 9 million Christmas lights at the park! And, let me say, it didn’t disappoint any of us. It was much better than last weekend when we all went to La Cantera. We even tried to see…

On Friday, November 1st, as I was preparing Niko for bed, he looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes and opened his small baby mouth. The words that came out were, DAD, I WANT TO GO OUT SOMEWHERE TONIGHT. It was 6:15 in the evening and too late to go anywhere, I answered him….

I am trying not to eat Niko’s Halloween snacks in his Magical Mystery Tour ceramic cookie jar and the Halloween snacks at work, but they look so lonely and would be much better in my stomach! So, yes, I have eaten a lot of bad stuff; anything chocolate at home and skittles and starburst at…

Yesterday, Niko and I sorted thru the majority of his toys; some of them ended up in a huge donate box, some of them we threw away, and the rest we kept. For the ones we kept, I organized similar toys into bins. Our play areas looks a lot better now that everything has been…

Since I started eating better and exercising, I have also started to make healthier decisions when it comes to food. I do struggle a little bit at home, but at work, I do really well. At home, I have to eat a very small snack when I come home and I can’t eat Niko’s dinner;…

Last Thursday, Nina and I celebrated our 9th anniversary; ALONE WITH NO CHILD, by buying myself a belt at Marshall’s, dropping off a package for Nina at the UPS store, depositing money at our bank, and eating at Salt Grass. The icing on the cake was an impulse stop at CVS for Blue Bell Mint…

On Thursday, Nina and I will be celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary. Yes, we are 10/10/10; it’s easy to remember! I am off that day and also on Friday. We don’t have big plans, probably just a steak lunch somewhere while Niko naps or doesn’t nap and maybe some shopping for a new belt…

On days where I have work the following day, I always get my clothes out the night before and put them in the closet. So, when I get up the next morning, I don’t have to think; just put on the clothes and I am good to go.  Yes, I get dressed in the closet. …

So, I am 11 days into my phase to lose some weight and although I don’t think I’ve lost any weight, my body feels different; thinner may be a better word. Since last Monday, I started to walk instead of reading during my breaks at work. It’s nice to get away from my desk. I…

Hi, my name is Mark and I want to lose 20 pounds. I have been eating unhealthy for several years. I am by no means overweight, but I do enjoy food; especially pasta, rice, and bread. And, definitely anything sweet! The hardest thing for me will be eating healthier. I tend to snack a lot…