Lexington Fun

We had some great fun every day of our trip to Lexington, especially our Harry Potter skit. Cast: 

• Ron: ME!
• Dumbledore: Jill
• Snape: Maggie T.
• Harry: Lexa
• Hermione: Emma D
• Voldemort: Louise McKee

During all of this the 3 boys were all upstairs ASLEEP!! and we were very loud...

Single Father, Day 2

Maggie and I are a mix. A mix of 

Woodis and Godfrey, 

on time and just in time, 

ready to go early and never ready to go.

Well... Maggie is gone, and Godfrey is burgeoning. 

• Wake up at 9am. Three of the kids are already awake, the Godfrey-one is not, of course.
• Dad-time (reading and balancing the budget) until 10am, when the kids inadvertently came upstairs to check on me.
• 10am - 1pm: Daddy Clean Elizabeth and Garrett's room, which involves taking everything that isn't nailed down, piling it in the middle of the floor and putting about half of it back. The other half takes a quick ride to the can. 
• Upon finishing, when all the children asked with longing eyes if we could postpone cleaning Emily and Louise's room. Realizing I hadn't eaten anything yet, and the kids hadn't had lunch yet (I assume they ate breakfast), I gave in.
• Except... there isn't anything to eat here (remember who's in charge here). So the oldest child takes the two youngest to Kroger, where a kid can be a kid.The kids' influence:



• Mac-n-cheese (the really crappy, cheap, eat in college kind)
• Gum (3 packs to share amongst the 4 kids, including 20 minutes discussing implementation strategy)
• Kroger-brand Doritos (they don't know any better)
• NOT-natural peanut butter (don't tell)
• Frozen Pizza Rolls (for lunch)
• Chef-Boy-R-Dee Italian meatball ravioli 
• Hot dogs
• String cheese
• Sunny D
• Bologna
• Fish Sticks (again, for lunch)  

• Return home at 2:30, where we 'cook' lunch of fish sticks, pizza rolls and chicken shaped into donuts (don't know where they came from, but they were in the freezer), and eat in front of the TV while watching. I threw in some fresh Broccoli. 
• Finish lunch around 4:30.
• Pack Emily and Louise for camp, where they get dropped off tomorrow.
• Come downstairs at 6:50. Oh, time to start dinner. Hmmm, what do we eat?

• leftover rice, and fried rainbow trout, caught by Garrett.
• Finish dinner at 7:50, play a few rounds of Blokus, until I realize that it's bedtime (for them, not me).

A day well planned is a day wasted;)

Time to stay up late and sleep in...

Politicize the Truth

I will do my best not to judge here; it is not my intent.

Had I been able to extend this chart from the beginning of Bush's presidency, we would see that US average prices when he began in office was ~$1.65/gallon. Across his 8 years in office it consistently rose until its peak just before the 2008 election to ~$4.10/gallon, when crude oil fell precipitously from $147 to $37/barrel. One might remember this time as the world brinking economic collapse, Detroit at the door of the Fed seeking bailouts, and the oil industry, traded in a speculative market, reacting with a short-term collapse of crude prices.

The world didn't collapse, the 1 billion + cars continue to drive their streets, and prices rebounded. In this election year, this truth and history do not serve the Republican voter (of which I will be one). Rather, we blame the President for the world crude oil market, of which the U.S. accounts for ~22%.

It is rather cute.

President Obama can be blamed for many things (including a now-tested lack of leadership capacity), and he has failed to develop a national energy policy just as his many predecessors did. Each of these justifies his removal from office in a short while. 

However, we would do well to be honest with ourselves and hopeful constituents and acknowledge that crude oil is a profitable industry in locations throughout the world with less regard for environmental conditions than the US Federal government (which is not the same voice as the citizens of said government). Prices have steadily risen across TIME, which happens to include the presidential terms of both Bush and Obama. They will continue to rise (relative to inflation) through our next presidential term, be that Obama or Romney, as the industrial growth rate and increases in worldwide standard of living exceeds the US inflation rate. 

There are national choices that effect this situation (that can be adjudged elsewhere), and it would be a pleasure if some form of leadership took root in Washington. But the days of $1.78/gallon are history, and would only return under dire economic circumstances that would cause more heartache than said gasoline savings would justify. 

Our First Time

Emily returned home this evening from her first adventure sans parents. In another manner, she returned home from the first adventure of any of our children sans us. Five days away, and we were delighted to see her home.
She experienced life and served her neighbors in Lexington KY with a few friends and adults I trust (well, mostly trust). Said adventures chronicled here. http://kidsonmission.blogspot.com/
Having a grand adventure ourselves without parental influence (I do not count once Maggie vacates her office), we were all exhausted, five of us in our jammies laying cross-ways on my bed reading at 7:30pm, and dropping off to bed shortly thereafter.

Single Father, Day 1

It is good to start out optimistic; helps to gain some momentum when heading into a challenging situation. The four remaining Bowlings (with Emily in Kentucky and mom in London enjoying coffee and mimosas at Gatwick International) took the hour drive up to Lake Arrowhead, where I spent many years working. 

After 20 minutes of being sandwiched between her younger siblings in my car, Louise broke down, acted irrationally, and disobeyed her father, a very rare event. 

We swam in a pool shaped like an arrowhead, with dad winning the belly flop contest (I have my pride). 

We at lunch at the clubhouse, overlooking the 18th fairway. That's my lot, right there, through those trees; the one that I thought would have a great view of the golf course when I bought it, but was mistaken. I'll sell it to you for whatever you've got in your pocket. 

Eliza ordered chips and queso. Garrett ordered homemade potato chips with blue cheese dip. Louise ordered cheeseburger with sweet potato fries. I ordered a spinach salad.

We desired to go swim in the lake, but it started thundering. So we spent an hour on a fabulous playground until the sprinkle turned to pour and then returned home. Louise rode up front, which I'm not sure is legal; but I could not in good conscience put her between the tweedles. 

Garrett was in rare form. I have been convinced by my wife and a large gathering of other parents-of-young-boys that his combination of obtuse statements/questions and general cluelessness of his surroundings is 'perfectly normal'. At one point (and let me make clear, this is just one of many potential items to share), as we were getting out of the car to eat lunch, with 3 doors open and 3 people getting out of the car, Garrett asked "can I get out of the car?". To counter my internal sarcastic responses (they stayed internal for the most part), I reviewed 1 Corinthians 13, Love is patient, love is kind... it always perseveres.

Ready for Emily to return home, with her mom closely following.