We have managed to convince our oldest that he’s not allowed to get out of his bed until after 6:30 in the morning – which means he’s in our room every morning at exactly 6:30am. Once he arrives, the negotiations begin. He wants us to get out of bed and play until it’s time to […]

The other day, as I was up in my office struggling with an uncooperative database, I heard my youngest son and his momma return from school. Their arrival is never quiet. As soon as they hear the car arrive, both dogs run downstairs barking and wagging. A few minutes later – just as the dogs frenzy […]

Many years ago, back when my wife and I were still yet to be married, we developed the habit of saying “love you more.” It was a cute(ish) little romantic thing. Whenever one of us would say “love you” the other would answer “love you more.” At this point, I’m willing to bet that you’re […]

After embarking on our brave adventure (part I), almost getting gunned down by SWAT (part II), our brave adventurers found themselves on an endless trek across Baldwin Park. For those unfamiliar with Baldwin Park, here’s the story. When Orlando closed it’s Naval Base, they converted its grounds into a giant planned town. It has shops, businesses, town […]

If you haven’t read part 1, go check it out. After making several more random turns, we found ourselves on a highway headed south. Once I explained the concepts of exits and how they were numbered, we decided to pick the number 27, and took that exit. Ten minutes later (or so), we spotted a […]

Those Tolkien fans out there might recognize this quote: He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river; its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into […]

Here’s a mildly disturbing conversation I had with my 6-year old son a week or so ago. After trying everything I could think of to get him to talk about his day, I finally asked about his ride home on the school bus. “Okay, how about the bus ride? Anything happen on the bus?” “Yeah,” […]

Here’s a fun one from a little while back. It happened after my oldest had his tonsils out. My youngest and I were eating breakfast before he went to school. His brother was still asleep and his momma was off walking the dogs. Cue the scene… The little guy took a long drink of chocolate […]

Our bedtime routine is pretty well established. It ends with me leaving the room, and the kids’ momma singing ”Stay Awake” (from Mary Poppins) while they fall asleep. Occasionally my wife is not available, leaving me with the honor of doing the last song. For a long time, I used my own variant of “rock-a-bye baby”: […]

[This tale is running in today’s Chronicle – but it’s not in their online version.] DaddyTales: Flying SoloBy Patrick Matthews I generally enjoy flying solo with the kids. I view it as a chance to get some special one-on-one time with the kids. So when my wife said she’d be gone for five days, I […]