Friday, March 29, 2013
Still plugging along
Not much to report today. I'm not going to post every day, but I figured that in this early stage, silence might be taken as a sign of trouble. No, it's nothing like that. Everything's fine. Stace and I had taken a break for a couple of days, but she was back here tonight making dinner and taking care of some laundry for us. That was nice. And the snow is finally melting around here. Sheesh. It feels like winter dragged on forever, but spring is finally here.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
A surreal, successful day
There's a reason I'm not on Facebook: I'm just not that interested in the minutiae of everyone's lives, and I assume that no one's particularly interested the minutiae of mine. Given the success of Facebook, I guess most people don't agree with me, but I'm sticking to my guns.
Most days around here will go something like this: I got up, sent the kids off to school, went to work, came home from work, had dinner, helped the kids with homework, and went to bed. I promise not to inflict that on all of you. The average day around here won't be sufficiently interesting to warrant a comment. However, since we're all still adjusting, and since I'm taking a few days off, I'll give you a quick report.
The surreal part was shopping for my clothes with the kids. You see, the last time I shopped for my own clothes was--well, never. I pretty much went directly from my mom doing my shopping to Stace doing my shopping. I hate shopping for clothes. I don't care how I look. The only reason I care about clothes is that society has a fairly strong expectation that I won't run around naked, and I feel obliged to comply. (You're welcome, society.) However, since a big hole decided to appear in the knee of my jeans the other day, I was desperate. I took the kids so I could get their opinions. It was weird. For some reason, I felt like one of those TV sitcom single moms who engages in witty banter back and forth with the impossibly precocious kids while an artifically enthusiastic laugh track runs in the background. But at least I got some new jeans.
The successful part was dinner. Tanner found a recipe for a dish with the underwhelming name of "meat and pasta bake." It had a label that said "easy," though, so we went for it. It was a group effort. We figured out what we had around the house and went to the grocery store for the rest. Lindsey put together a list of ingredients for a fruit salad, and other than the chopping and cutting, she made it herself. Tanner and I tackled the main dish. I carelessly scalded two of my fingers, but it was otherwise a smashing success. The kids proclaimed it to be delicious, and the three of us ate almost the entire casserole dish. Tanner initially proposed that we rename it "divorce dinner," but we quickly decided that was a bit dark, so we'll find another name.
Overall, single parenting isn't so bad as long as you never have to go to work. Unfortunately, Monday is coming, but we'll figure it out.
Most days around here will go something like this: I got up, sent the kids off to school, went to work, came home from work, had dinner, helped the kids with homework, and went to bed. I promise not to inflict that on all of you. The average day around here won't be sufficiently interesting to warrant a comment. However, since we're all still adjusting, and since I'm taking a few days off, I'll give you a quick report.
The surreal part was shopping for my clothes with the kids. You see, the last time I shopped for my own clothes was--well, never. I pretty much went directly from my mom doing my shopping to Stace doing my shopping. I hate shopping for clothes. I don't care how I look. The only reason I care about clothes is that society has a fairly strong expectation that I won't run around naked, and I feel obliged to comply. (You're welcome, society.) However, since a big hole decided to appear in the knee of my jeans the other day, I was desperate. I took the kids so I could get their opinions. It was weird. For some reason, I felt like one of those TV sitcom single moms who engages in witty banter back and forth with the impossibly precocious kids while an artifically enthusiastic laugh track runs in the background. But at least I got some new jeans.
The successful part was dinner. Tanner found a recipe for a dish with the underwhelming name of "meat and pasta bake." It had a label that said "easy," though, so we went for it. It was a group effort. We figured out what we had around the house and went to the grocery store for the rest. Lindsey put together a list of ingredients for a fruit salad, and other than the chopping and cutting, she made it herself. Tanner and I tackled the main dish. I carelessly scalded two of my fingers, but it was otherwise a smashing success. The kids proclaimed it to be delicious, and the three of us ate almost the entire casserole dish. Tanner initially proposed that we rename it "divorce dinner," but we quickly decided that was a bit dark, so we'll find another name.
Overall, single parenting isn't so bad as long as you never have to go to work. Unfortunately, Monday is coming, but we'll figure it out.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
And, we're back
Wow! What happened there? I must have dozed off, and suddenly, it's seven months later.
I'll bring you all up to speed with some news that's a bit tough to deliver, and then I'll get on with the new purpose of the blog. The sad news is this: Stace and I are divorcing. It was a good run for 23 years, but we had many challenges during those years, and we were too human to make it work in the end. We'll have joint legal custody, meaning that we both have authority to make decisions for the kids, and I'll have sole physical custody. Stace is in a small furnished studio apartment right now, and while she's there, she can visit the house whenever she wants. We'll get her set up in something more permanent so that the kids can visit her on occasion. We're both still going to be very much a part of the kids' lives. Things are very amicable: there's no bitterness or arguing. We're negotiating everything. No one has to pick sides. (But if you do want to pick sides, you can join my side by sending me a check for $100.)
Okay, with that out of the way, let's get on with the new purpose of the blog. I was driving home thinking about all the new adventures I have ahead of me. I was somewhat amused by the thought of all the mistakes I'm about to make as a single dad. I thought to myself, "Well, if I think my mistakes will be amusing, maybe everyone else will think they're amusing, too." So you can think of this blog now as "Adventures of a single dad," or maybe even "Misadventures of a single dad," although I'm going to stick with the original Woods in Switzerland name. My purpose is to lay it all out there so that you can laugh at me as I mess up. Now, I realize that I probably only have one reader left (hi, Mom!), but as always, the blog is more for me than for anybody else, so I don't care if anyone ever reads it. It's a good outlet for me. It's not going to be about divorce or any of that; it's going to be about my experiences as a clueless single father.
I haven't had the chance to make any huge mistakes yet, but I'm sure they're coming. In fact, the first one may come tomorrow, because I've decided that dinner will be a collaborative venture between the kids and me. I'm taking a couple of days off for spring break. We're going to pick a recipe from somewhere, find or buy the ingredients we need to make it, and then make it together. I have no doubt that disaster will ensue. At least there's a McDonald's not too far away as a backup.
Other random observations: I'm really scared of Lindsey's hair. I never had a sister, and I know nothing about how to take care of a girl's hair. Truly. I hope she can somehow survive. At least it's shorter than it used to be. Maybe I'll just cut it really short and then never worry about it again. Also, I have no idea how to dress her. This is going to get ugly.
One of my favorite times with the kids is putting them to bed. I'll share a little secret, but no one can ever tell Tanner or it will be ruined forever. Even though Tanner is almost 15 years old and is threatening to reach or exceed my height before too long, I still put him to bed every night. He crawls in bed and then waits for me to turn out his light, tell him good night, and close his door. I didn't do that intentionally. It's just that I started putting him down when he was a baby, and somewhere along the line, we both forgot to stop. I hope it goes a while longer. If anyone ever points out to him that this is unusual, I'm sure he'll put an end to it, so that must never happen.
That's probably enough for a first entry. I'll report on dinner tomorrow night. In the meantime, feel free to send any parenting tips my way. I could use them. Also, does anyone want any decorative pillows?
I'll bring you all up to speed with some news that's a bit tough to deliver, and then I'll get on with the new purpose of the blog. The sad news is this: Stace and I are divorcing. It was a good run for 23 years, but we had many challenges during those years, and we were too human to make it work in the end. We'll have joint legal custody, meaning that we both have authority to make decisions for the kids, and I'll have sole physical custody. Stace is in a small furnished studio apartment right now, and while she's there, she can visit the house whenever she wants. We'll get her set up in something more permanent so that the kids can visit her on occasion. We're both still going to be very much a part of the kids' lives. Things are very amicable: there's no bitterness or arguing. We're negotiating everything. No one has to pick sides. (But if you do want to pick sides, you can join my side by sending me a check for $100.)
Okay, with that out of the way, let's get on with the new purpose of the blog. I was driving home thinking about all the new adventures I have ahead of me. I was somewhat amused by the thought of all the mistakes I'm about to make as a single dad. I thought to myself, "Well, if I think my mistakes will be amusing, maybe everyone else will think they're amusing, too." So you can think of this blog now as "Adventures of a single dad," or maybe even "Misadventures of a single dad," although I'm going to stick with the original Woods in Switzerland name. My purpose is to lay it all out there so that you can laugh at me as I mess up. Now, I realize that I probably only have one reader left (hi, Mom!), but as always, the blog is more for me than for anybody else, so I don't care if anyone ever reads it. It's a good outlet for me. It's not going to be about divorce or any of that; it's going to be about my experiences as a clueless single father.
I haven't had the chance to make any huge mistakes yet, but I'm sure they're coming. In fact, the first one may come tomorrow, because I've decided that dinner will be a collaborative venture between the kids and me. I'm taking a couple of days off for spring break. We're going to pick a recipe from somewhere, find or buy the ingredients we need to make it, and then make it together. I have no doubt that disaster will ensue. At least there's a McDonald's not too far away as a backup.
Other random observations: I'm really scared of Lindsey's hair. I never had a sister, and I know nothing about how to take care of a girl's hair. Truly. I hope she can somehow survive. At least it's shorter than it used to be. Maybe I'll just cut it really short and then never worry about it again. Also, I have no idea how to dress her. This is going to get ugly.
One of my favorite times with the kids is putting them to bed. I'll share a little secret, but no one can ever tell Tanner or it will be ruined forever. Even though Tanner is almost 15 years old and is threatening to reach or exceed my height before too long, I still put him to bed every night. He crawls in bed and then waits for me to turn out his light, tell him good night, and close his door. I didn't do that intentionally. It's just that I started putting him down when he was a baby, and somewhere along the line, we both forgot to stop. I hope it goes a while longer. If anyone ever points out to him that this is unusual, I'm sure he'll put an end to it, so that must never happen.
That's probably enough for a first entry. I'll report on dinner tomorrow night. In the meantime, feel free to send any parenting tips my way. I could use them. Also, does anyone want any decorative pillows?
Friday, August 31, 2012
Current state of affairs
Whew! That's the longest I've ever gone without a blog entry. We don't have internet access at the house right now, so it's been a little tricky.
In a nutshell, here's what we've done since the beginning of August:
1. I started my new job.
2. I bought a car. Stace actually likes it!
3. We closed on the new house.
4. With the help of Stace's mom, we got the old house ready for our renter.
5. We moved our stuff from the old house to the new house.
6. We received some of our stuff from Switzerland, with the rest to come in a couple of weeks.
7. We bought a van. Stace loves it!
8. The kids got here, ready to start school on Tuesday.
9. We've somehow managed to hang on to our sanity, barely.
All in all, life is good.
In a nutshell, here's what we've done since the beginning of August:
1. I started my new job.
2. I bought a car. Stace actually likes it!
3. We closed on the new house.
4. With the help of Stace's mom, we got the old house ready for our renter.
5. We moved our stuff from the old house to the new house.
6. We received some of our stuff from Switzerland, with the rest to come in a couple of weeks.
7. We bought a van. Stace loves it!
8. The kids got here, ready to start school on Tuesday.
9. We've somehow managed to hang on to our sanity, barely.
All in all, life is good.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Surprise!
Well, here I am in Utah, to everyone's surprise. I decided that since I hadn't seen the kids for almost six weeks, I should probably reintroduce myself. I didn't tell anyone I was coming. The kids were quite surprised and seemed happy to see me. Stace put up a good front, but I know that deep down she was probably a little annoyed. But she loves me anyway.
I'll be here until Tuesday, and then it's back to the couch in Lakeville. We close in just over two weeks! I bought one car, so there's just one more to go. I plan on us owning one minivan in our entire lives, and this one will be it.
I'll be here until Tuesday, and then it's back to the couch in Lakeville. We close in just over two weeks! I bought one car, so there's just one more to go. I plan on us owning one minivan in our entire lives, and this one will be it.
Friday, August 3, 2012
I'm a true suburban American
Guess what I'm going to do now? Yup, I'm going to mow the lawn at the old house. I haven't done that for about four years. The good news is that I won't have to do this very much at our new house because it comes with a built-in thirteen-year-old who mows the lawn whenever necessary.
Friday, July 27, 2012
More fun with German
I realized that yesterday's post contains a phrase that sounds a bit odd in English: "lady walker." The reason it says that is because in German, most nouns that refer to a person still have an ending that depends on the gender of the person to whom the word is referring. We have a little of this in English, but not much: actor/actress, steward/stewardess, waiter/waitress. If you want to get even more arcane, some words used to end in "trix" to refer to the feminine: prosecutor/prosecutrix, testator/testatrix, dominator/ . . . well, you get the picture. (This is a family blog.)
Anyway, let's have some fun with English: how about co-workeress? or friendess? maybe grantrix?
Anyway, let's have some fun with English: how about co-workeress? or friendess? maybe grantrix?
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