Newfangled Dad

One of the reasons we renew our membership at the Morton Arboretum every year is that, in terms of value for us, it lets us "do more" for the same price despite somewhere like the Brookfield Zoo actually being closer to our house. If it's not biking together as a family, it's the Children's Garden. And if it's not the Children's Garden, it's a class. Plus there are special events...honeybee weekend, chocolate weekend, art exhibits, the Enchanted Railroad. It never gets old.  Last weekend it was Husky Heroes.  When we left the house, the sun was shining and only a lighter coat was needed. But when the clouds came, we were a bit unprepared for the chill. Even so, we managed a 3 hour stay. It was also good to visit with a family we were in Early Childhood preschool with last school year. My son is now in a different program so he doesn't see her as much. And we like the parents. So it's win-win.  Instead of a snowy course, unfortunate...

Once again, my roundup of good books we're reading from the library so you can check them out for your family, too... --Truck Stop  by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by Melissa Iwai. This is, by far, my favorite of the pile. The kids love it. I love reading it. And it's filled with all sorts of "hidden" messages about helping others, the value of hard work, plus the usual parade of vehicles. It's the story of a boy whose family runs a truck stop and the cast of characters who enter. They use the service garage, they order their favorite breakfasts, and when one regular customer doesn't show up the community pulls together to find the broken pickup. -- Cookiebot! A Harry and Horsie Adventure  by Katie Van Camp and Lincoln Agnew. A small child and his stuffed animal. The longing for a cookie placed out of reach by mom. An out of control robot stopped only by two best friends. And very cool, stylized pictures that are a cross between pop art and comic books. A...

I have a new pet peeve. But it's new so I'm not sure I'd even call it a "pet peeve" yet. It's just something I've noticed that makes me scratch my head and wonder what to say. Humble brag alert...I was recently interviewed by a writer from Time magazine (as part of a possible upcoming cover story) about being (roughly) a Millennial, a parent, a Stay At Home Dad, a technology fan, etc. and I noticed in my chat with her that a theme kept coming up. Mainly, that my life--the world today, really--is only possible because of the internet. Am I isolated as a dad? Do I lack good advice or information as a parent? Not really. Because there's a huge community of random people you'd never have been able to connect with in the old days...only now they're at my fingertips. Would I be miserable 20 years ago? Yes. Absolutely. Am I probably the only person in my neighborhood who roasts his own coffee? Maybe. Thanks to the internet I can log on and find a th...

Sorry for the visit into "that" parenting territory...this is one of "those" posts. You've been warned--potty training ahead. One of my kids has made huge leaps this school year to the point where I'm ready to call my oldest "done." Yes, there are still very infrequent accidents but they are by far the exception and not the rule. If he does have an accident, it's always being wet and never the more unpleasant kind. He can--with some help--use the restroom in public places. Sometimes the facilities aren't made for preschool size so I need to lift him up if there is no stool. Or get the soap for him. Sometimes pants are hard to adjust at the end. But he knows when he has to go and goes on his own without even asking if we're at home. He wears underwear without problems to the point where we've stopped buying training pants. He's done with all that. My youngest is another story. She briefly showed some interest in trying to tra...

And now, that agriculture post I was working on the other day before the Chipotle pork shortage. But first, a housekeeping note...I'm considering moving my "ag geek" posts to a completely different space. It seems more logical to chronicle our farm search, sheep topics, and eventual daily operation in one place. Then again, 2 blogs is more work for both me and the reader to find. I'm conflicted. Nobody has exactly complained. But it's clear from my pageviews that some topics interest you more than others. My blog so I can do what I want with it...I've just been thinking. What do I want our eventual farm website to look like? Considering that transparency will be high on the list of marketing techniques used to set us apart, perhaps I need to consider it a bit more. Perhaps there I'd rather focus on "our process" more than covering hot topics in the business? Just thinking aloud. Today's topic is checkoffs. No, not the Russian from Star Tr...

I can't speak for all 25 families who were at O'Hare International Airport with us on Saturday afternoon, but from our perspective it was an extremely positive day for our kids. It was a very positive day for American Airlines, too, and I'd like to sincerely thank them for the event. It was offered free of charge and the attention to detail for what is not yet an official "public" program was amazing. If you're new to my blog, check out my post from  January 9th  leading up to Saturday's airport experience. It offers other details I won't cover here. When we arrived at ORD, our first task was to find the correct parking...we were told Lot C. That was confusing, but eventually we found it. It was conveniently located next to an underground tunnel which connected to the terminal and the kids were already in high spirits from an escalator ride. So that tells you how the mood for the day went. Our instructions had directed us to a specific check-in w...

I had intended to write an agriculture-related post today about a completely different topic, but current events happen. Chipotle restaurants decided to stop serving pork that didn't meet their high standards for animal welfare and now we've been thrust into a national debate about, of all things, pig housing. Which, as an "ag nerd," I find both strange and awesome. Probably the best thing about the Chipotle news yesterday was the positive reaction it received from consumers. Most of the media and public seems to think the move to reject substandard pork reflects highly on the company. They make fresh, delicious, ethical food and it makes people flock to their locations. But if you dig around awhile there is--and has been--a dark undercurrent of farmers who are not fans. They were already boycotting the chain, generally, after the campaign against conventional/factory farming. They dislike the growing movement to transform the food system. They dislike what they see...