Unfinished Dad

Dodging Swine Flu

Swine flu officially has my family surrounded.  I hadn't given it much though until recent weeks, when it dawned on me that Annie probably isn't the only 2 year-old who fails to cover her mouth when she coughs.  We aren't big lovers of vaccines.  We get them - we're not Jenny McCarthy or anything - but we don't run out and beg for them.  Now I find myself wondering if we should take the plunge.

 The first confirmed case in our world was in a 3 year-old class at Annie's school.  For the most part parents are good about keeping their kids home when sick, but the week before, we were sent an email about children showing up just "a little sick." The email arrived with a sharp reprimand from the school's director reminding us that things like swine flu were, you know, kind of all or nothing.

The next day we were sent another email from the director with a second case (also a 3 year-old class) in which a sibling tested positive, and the mother said it was "mild,"  Suspiciously, we weren't told if that particular child had been in school all week.  Two days ago, we received yet another email about a mild case of swine flu, this time in a 4 year-old class.  

Finally, I was out in the yard yesterday when a neighbor told me that the 15 year-old across the street was holed up with swine flu.  Suddenly, I wondered if she had given Annie a high five this week.  Or if she was on the bus with the other neighbors who love to visit Annie and Tilda after school.  Or if her family's dog sniffed my family's dog's butt and...you know the rest.  When Annie went to bed, I was convinced she felt warm.  Is it possible to give someone psychosomatic swine flu?

Now I'm that parent who is convinced his house doomed.  I see swine flu around every corner and I'm seriously considering getting vaccinated.  I know this isn't Captain Trips, but it suddenly seems serious.  What do you think, is this just a shift in my mental state or is it time to run out and get the family their swine flu vaccine?

I Have Enough Chores Already or Please Don't Forward This To My Wife

This guy is killing me.  The below link is just a snippet of how an at home dad's complicated life grows more so by the day.

Since she is “handling certain areas of the relationship” like making most of the money, he said, “you’ve got to handle your business.” By “business,” Hayes means sex. “You’ve got to be creative. You’ve got to be good!"

Windy Day On The National Mall

Last Thursday we found ourselves doing some sightseeing (another relative in town) on The National Mall.  It was the windiest day in the history of the world.  The Washington Monument was closed down because it was bent over like a young willow tree in a tornado.  It was so windy that Tilda couldn't walk without assistance.

While there, we stumbled upon The Solar Decathlon, a tremendously nerdy, super cool event in which colleges from around the country compete to create the baddest "green" home they can.  I liked these.

The competition finishes up this weekend and is worth taking a look, that is if all the homes haven't been blown away.

The Annual At-Home Dad Convention

Normally I have this annual gala, at home, with myself as the honorary speaker.  This year I thought I would spice things up a bit and put together a little something out in Omaha for the daddies.  I wonder though, how many at-home dads are there in the entire state of Nebraska?  Maybe the convention should be moved somewhere nearer a major body of water.  Oh, and don't be turned off by the casting call for the At-Home Dad Reality Show, the folks at Mad Fusion Media assure me that no cameras will be present at the convention.  So come on out to Omaha, you don't want to miss the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, the longest pedestrian bridge to connect two states in the country.