Parenting as a Christian Single Dad

What a grumpy day... I find out my ex is living with several people one of which is her boyfriend and according to Madalyn they all sleep in the same bed. My ex just doesnt' get it and there isn't anything I can do about it, except get pissed. For some reason Madalyn tells me she is being washed in their sink and not the tub, granted she is only 4 but why would she make this stuff up and she has been dirtier than usual. I not getting the clothes back either and I am running out of clothes and patience. Then I get a notice in the mail that I over drafted a savings account. What the heck... they were charging me $5 a day for an account I never put money into. I feel terrible because I let loose on the customer service rep like it was all his fault. To top it off I headed to the store and went to park and people pulled through the slots from the other side where I was going to park, not once but twice. I totally felt like going postal! God grant me serenity for I am losing i...

I love making homemade salsa and eating fresh vegetables but lately my gardening skills aren't that great. I just not getting the results I want. My garden typically includes tomato, jalepeno, and onion. None of which are growing well anymore. I have seen ads for those Upside-Down Tomato Planters and am nervous to give them a try. Has anyone used them before and do they really work?

Laughter really does work! Imagine a beautiful spring day but for some reason you can’t seem to kick a gloomy depressed feeling. I find it interesting that when I don’t have Madalyn I wind up in that place a lot. My routine is out of whack and I seem to be unproductive and sometimes depressed. Anyhow, as the day passes America’s Funniest Videos comes on and typically I tend to find the videos more on the painful side of things, yet tonight was different. They were funny! I laughed and laughed, by the end of the show I was grinning ear to ear and felt great. Laughter really can make you feel better when you are down. So I have decided to compile a set of videos from You Tube that do nothing but make me laugh to combat depressed times. Give it a try.

I guess it is that time of the year again, spring is here and the flowers are blooming and I am in need of a woman. So again I am faced with the question of, "Why is it so hard to meet attractive, intelligent, godly women?" I am coming to the conclusion that they either don't exist (no offense to all you woment out there) or they are all married. Well I got one thing going for me. Winter is only 8 months away and I will go back to my cave and hibernate . A few weeks ago I was talking with my step brother and we seem to be in the same boat. There used to be a time in our lives where finding a date was not to hard but since our divorces we seem to have this invisible sign that stays "damaged" keep out! I know God has a plan for me and I have healed from my divorce 2 years ago but sometimes it is hard for me to know my ex is on her millionth boyfriend and my heart and soul is screaming out to God for the one He has for me. Everyone tells me to stop looking for...

I was praying a couple nights ago and my thoughts turned to a wonderful spring day that we had a few days prior. I had the front door open and Madalyn was kind of doing her thing and I was doing mine when I heard the voices of several children at my front door. This struck me as being very odd because we don’t have children in the neighborhood. I walk out into the other room and Madalyn is standing at the door with 2 other kids, right around her age, talking. As I proceed to see what is going on they all head off to her room to play, so now I am freaking a bit thinking there are strange kids in my house and what am I supposed to do. So I dart outside looking for a parent and there is their mom sitting across the street visiting with my neighbor. She gives me a wave and a smile and I reciprocate. However, things are still a bit awkward so I go in and drive the kids out. Like I said it was a beautiful spring day and they should be playing outside anyhow. Once outside I visit for...

Ever have one of those weekends where the rain is pounding against the window, the wind sounds like it is going to snap the tree in the front yard, and you feel a bit gloomy? I just had one of those weekends stuck inside and Madalyn at her moms it made it kind of lonely. In the midst of fighting the loneliness and boredom the phone rings and it is this 4 year old on the other end, "Hi daddy." I tell you what that perked me up! We talked for a few minutes and then it was over. I could not stop smiling. I had new energy and a positive attitude. I can't think of when I felt so blessed from a simple phone call!

I think one of the main reasons I want a bigger house is to have more space but last night I had the epiphany that if I were to throw crap out I would gain that space without the need for a larger home. Madalyn even got caught up in the idea. So as we both made our own piles of stuff for the Salvation Army we had a lot of fun and things are looking much better. I guess you can consider it spring cleaning but if that ends up being the case we have a lot more to do.

The energy that comes with the first spring day! As in the first day in spring that it actually feels like spring. Today was one of those days and it is gorgeous out. Of course it is Monday and I am alone and a bit lonely but the energy today was awesome. I love spring! How could anyone not? Sure tomorrow is scheduled for rain but I still have today and that is good enough for now.

I had an amazing experience with the kid lately when it came to cleaning. I mentioned to her that I needed to clean and that kid went bazurk. I mean she was picking up her toys, folding blankets, putting dishes away, etc. She actually helped me clean and not the type of cleaning that I had to redo. I was so amazed! She continues to ask me if we can clean again but she doesn't know what I know, cleaning kind of sucks. It was a great bonding experience for us and I am so proud of her.