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Sometimes, you just need a weekend getaway to help clear your mind. And that is exactly what my wife and some friends are doing. It looks to be a nice weekend for a trip to the mountains and something that I’ve needed for a while.

The boys have been doing great in school, working through some behavioral issues. But getting there. And today marks their 100th day in Kindergarten. It seems strange that they have been to school 100 days already and it seems like yesterday they were getting on the bus for the first time.

100 days down and 80 more to go. But for now, it is time to plan and pack for a weekend getaway in the mountains. Sleeping in and hiking. Sadly, no skiing, as my Orthopedic has told me unless I want to have another knee surgery, that skiing is no longer an option.

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Life sometimes gets in the way of things, like blogging.  Life can sometimes get in the way of things that we enjoy too.

The last few weeks, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a fog of sorts. I’ve felt like there is a lot of noise from the political world, the work, home, etc. And I just haven’t been mentality able to sit down and write out a blog.

I feel like in someways, being a parent in this day and time is really hard. Cost of living is going higher each and every year. More dangers for our kids. More pressures at school and from the education side.

Life can be a struggle. But I think at the end of the day, it is really how we handle it. How we face these challenges. What we do to change the world to be a better place.

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It’s that time of the year, were families start planning or in my case, taking a family vacation. We decided to do a early vacation this year, instead of our traditional trip to the beach in September.

So tonight, we load up and head to a hotel about 45 miles away, spend the night and in the morning, we are taking the boys not only their first flight, but their first trip to Disney World!

So for the next week, the family and I’ll be on vacation and enjoying a week away and making memories.

 

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Looks like, after a solid week of sick kids, one having surgery and just an all out crazy week of life, it looks like things are finally on the mends.

Life is crazy enough without the outside factors. Our lives are all busy and we are all trying to juggle, but part of the juggling requires downtime too. We can only go but so hard and so fast before we fail too.

I’m really grateful that we live in an area and have access to great medical care and that the medical professionals were able to help both of my sons this past week. And as the boys and I talk about our day and at least one, if not two bike rides today, I’m just really glad that both of them are on the mends.

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What a week this has been. Ups and Downs. Frustration and gratitude. This has truly been a week.

Both boys have been out of school and completely off their schedules. Boy A had a dental procedure yesterday, which required a trip to the hospital and to be placed under anesthia. As a parent, there is nothing more concerning or more frightening than seeing your child carted off by strangers and hoping and praying that everything goes well.

But it did. The Dr and nurses took great care of him and once he was awake, he was a happy little boy, sleepy, but happy. And for the first time that day, I was able to breathe easily.

Now, for Boy B. He was taken to the local urgent care on Saturday because of a high fever and white spots on his tonsils. He was diagnosed and treated for Strep Throat, which he has had several times already. But, a few days later of moderate fevers and fatigue, we took him into his pediatrician and they decided to run blood work for Mono. That’s right, Mono.

And, based on the call from his Dr yesterday, even though they were waiting on one more test to come back, he was 99% sure that he did in fact have Mono. Who knew that kids could get it? Well, apparently a lot of kids under the age of 5 do.

So, what a week. We have been dealing with the impending surgery for one and fighting fevers in the other. We are grateful for the Dr’s and nurses that have taken care of both of our kids and today, it seems that everyone is on the mends and making recoveries. Though, Boy B is taking a nap after being up for only an hour, but that is part of Mono.

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A few weeks ago, my wife discovered Flaxie Packs while at a Christmas fair. When she first told me, I wondered why she got them, but that night, I wanted to hug her.

Baby A has struggled with his sleep almost from Day 1. So, when my wife talked with the owners of Flaxie Packs and they mentioned that some use it for their kids to help them sleep, it was worth the money to try. Well, that first night, Baby A slept through the night for the first time in quite awhile.

He loved that it was warm and it immediately got him to settle down and start relaxing.  Every night now, before he goes to bed, he asks if we can warm his Flaxie Pack.  And as I type this post, my son is sound asleep, snuggled up with his Flaxie Pack.

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Changing leavesJust like the leaves are changing and the seasons are changing, I am finding the need to make some changes in my life too. And today seems like a greT day to start.

1) lose weight – I need to lose 30 pounds atleast, but probably more  I want to be around for my kids.  So today I walked about 10,000 steps, and continued to modify my diet by implementing a morning Beachbody Shakeology Shake.

2) find a church home – This has really bothered me, just as much as the being overweight.  I miss the church and fellowship that I had when I was in Texas and it is something that I want my kids to  have as they grow up.

3) better financial position – This is a constant struge for most Americans.  One minute I feel that we are moving in the right direction, the next I am up all night worrying.  My wife and I are really focused on getting out of debt and have been throwing all the extra cash that we can at paying down credit card debt.  But, if we can get all of our debt paid off in 2 years, we should be able to save enough to pay for all 4 years of college for both boys and increase our 401k contributions from 8 to 12%+!

4) technology- My job and life revolves around technology  so this is going to be hard.  But I really want to cut back on my usage and dependency on technology.  This is crucial because I constantly get emails, text messages, calls, etc and everytime one of those messages comes in at night, it takes away from my kids.

These are a lot of changes and I realize that.  But i have asked several friends and my wife to help keep me accountable and focused.  So as the seasons are changing and the leaves have started to slowly change colors, I too am changing and I hope that these changes are for the best and for my sons.

 

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A few months ago, the Baltimore Ravens running back, Ray Rice was accused and ultimately charged with hitting his wife. Now, after being suspended from the NFL for 2 games, additional footage has been released of Ray Rice punching his now wife in the face.

Here is the thing. No man, unless they are being physically attacked, should they every lay their hands on a woman. EVER. And, if they are being attacked, they should never punch a woman in the face. They should only defend themselves to get away from the situation.

In my opinion, what Ray Rice did was uncalled for and the NFL, if it is true and that they watched the entire video, be ashamed for only suspending him for 2 games. The NFL has an obligation to the athletes and fans, and for this action to take place and Ray Rice only receive a 2 game suspension is a disgrace to women.

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Growing up, I remember going to baseball games and getting autographs from the players, didn’t matter who they were. To me, they were larger than life because they were playing baseball.  And the first autograph that I got as a kid, was Jim “Catfish” Hunter, who spoke at my church in North Carolina and from there it has just grown.

Over the years, I continued to go to baseball games and started to grow my collection, picking up autographs from athletes and movie stars. My collection has grown and grown and grown, to the point that I think that my wife is getting concerned. But, a few months ago, I slipped a clause into our will that says that she can’t sell the collection if I were to die before the boys turn 18.  I have really built it up the last 3 years for them. I’ve gotten a lot of the players that I use to watch playing baseball growing up, many who are now in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

At some point in time, I’ll try to put everything into a spreadsheet for the boys, but the autograph collection is getting to be crazy. But, it is a hobby, one that is fun and one that I’ll be able to share with the boys in a few years. I just hope that it is a hobby that they will enjoy and will want to continue.

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How many times have you thought to you self “I’ve got to make changes in my life?” We all have. Can’t think of a New Years that I haven’t thought that, then in a few weeks, I’m right back into the same pattern.

And how many times have you said, “But this year will be different?” We all have. And then we go right back into the same pattern and bad habits. Well, this year, I’m trying something different. I’ve got someone to hold me accountable. I’ve got someone that will ride my butt to lose weight, stay focused on finances, etc. And that is my wife.

We had a long talk this weekend about changes that we need to make, both financial and also physically. We have made great strides financially over the past year and we are starting to see the end in sight, we have a way to go, but it is there. But physically, I need to make changes.

I need to eat more fruits and vegetables and I need to exercise more. So, the changes, they are coming. But this year, I hope to do something different, I hope/plan to stick to my goals.

What changes do you want to make in your life this year?

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