Tag: The Dad Speaks

This is not going to be about shampoo and conditioner, I am sorry to disappoint you. Yesterday, we did the exact same thing we did as last Saturday, but we had Nina with us. Niko was showing off a lot for her. It was actually really nice to be together as a family and out…

The last time Niko and I made a trip to Party City was last June. And, the past two times we have had breakfast at IHOP this month, Party City wasn’t open yet. But, on Saturday, we finally made it there and they were open. Niko’s primary focus at Party City was water balloons! He…

It’s 7:38 pm on Saturday night, and usually, by that time, I have something written and ready to be published for Sunday morning. But, I have nothing tonight. I don’t want to bore you about the joys of being a homeowner! In the past few weeks, we had to shell out money for the a/c…

It’s 6:15 am, and I am waking up. Man, I was having a really amazing dream. Sometimes, it could be even earlier than that as sometimes Niko wakes up first. Most of those times, it’s the middle of the night and he has to pee and afterwards, he goes right back to sleep. One of…

As I mentioned last Sunday, I still am going to write book reviews and dad blogs on thedadspeaks.com. When I first started writing on thestatmanspeaks.com in 2011, my niche was sports writing and photos from high school football and high school basketball games. I also shared photos of two high school football stadiums getting renovated…

Last week, I told may wife that for 2024, I want to reach out to some real people who I am friendly enough with and meet up with them in real life. Not like every weekend, but maybe one or two per month. I feel like I have done a very poor job of keeping…

I was diagnosed with a strep throat on Thursday and am on antibiotics. I also have had no appetite for writing anything so this is what you get today instead of fun Christmas story.

On December 7th, I got a new iPad 10th Generation. The one I had was a hand-me-down iPad 7th Generation from Nina and Niko. Nina had it first, and then she gave it to Niko when she got a new one a few years ago. Before I go on, let me tell you about my…

Last Friday through last Monday, Nina was out of town. It was Niko and I alone with a loud cat, all day on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I wasn’t at all worried or concerned about it. In fact, I was really looking forward to it. Nina did buy some extra quick meals from the…

On Wednesday, and for the first time, I had a lunch date with Niko at his school. I didn’t tell him in the morning just in case something came up at work during that time, but it didn’t. When he was a first grader last year, I had work obligations during his lunch and couldn’t…

Niko was off all week, and goes back to school tomorrow. Nina was off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I was off Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Last Saturday, Niko and I went to our neighborhood market at the clubhouse, and we shared a cheeseburger, a sausage wrap, and brownies. Afterwards, he played in the playground and…

Every morning, I make Niko breakfast. On the weekends, we eat together, but during the weekdays, I am doing 65,876 things for him in the mornings, so I usually don’t eat with him. Just a few of those 65,876 things are: dad, I want Orange Juice, hot cocoa from the Keurig, greasy eggs (I will…

This is going to be a short post as last Tuesday, my Aunt Bobi passed away (my mother’s older sister) and on Wednesday, my best friend, William, passed away.  My Aunt was 84 years old and she lived a wonderful life (the last few years were a struggle with Alzheimer’s). I did get the chance…

Last Saturday and Sunday, and since it was finally cooler outside, Niko and I played soccer, splashed each other with the hose, and blew bubbles. We had a lot of fun and I enjoyed his laughs. Even though it didn’t happen, I kept waiting for Niko to fall down in the grass while he was…

When Niko and I do something together I try my best to make it an “epic dad success,” but sometimes they turn into an “epic dad fail.” I will say, I have a lot more successes than failures! So, with that being said, I do want to share something that was both a success and…

My interest in the Jesse Stone books was spearheaded by James Patterson and Mike Lupica, who co-authored three books (of which I have read The House of Wolves and 12 Months to Live). Well, Mike Lupica has written some of the later Jesse Stone books, so I was intrigued and after I read the first…

Last Monday, I started a new job at Health Equity as a Treasury Manager, Unclaimed Property. Everybody I have met so far, has been absolutely amazing and welcoming. All is good in my world, and I am excited to start this new chapter in my life. Last Sunday, and on a whim, since it was…

On Tuesday, Nina and I will celebrate our 13th anniversary, and I am so lucky to have her in my life. Every day, I tell her at least once, but sometimes multiple times, how much I love her. We are planning on celebrating with food next Saturday, but after the “ring of fire” solar eclipse!…

Last Saturday morning, I mowed the backyard. I enjoy mowing the yard, and always take great pride in my work! We don’t have a huge yard, as the front takes me about 15 minutes and the back is a bit longer, as I do have to move some stuff around. Even though it wasn’t hot…

Niko’s school is less than a mile from our house, but we still drive and park across the street from the school in the mornings. It’s been so hot (like over 100 degrees for the first few weeks of school), that when Nina and I come home, we are both drenched in sweat and have…