Family

Every year, I set the goal to start reading The Bible again and each year, something seems to get in the way of that time. I have always put an excuse or put something else above that time to read, but not now. For the last 2 months I have set aside 10 minutes a day to sit in quiet and read The Bible. And yes, I realize that 10 minutes is not a lot, but how much free time do you usually get with twin boys?

Quiet time is hard to find and there is always something to be cleaned, something to be straightened, but I realized that I was putting aside something that not only I wanted to do, but needed to do as a father. I needed to prepare myself in a different way, look at things in a different way, prepare my children for a life of growing up with going to church. And for me, the first step was picking up The Bible. Ok, I’ll be honest, yes, I own actually 2 Bibles, I’ve been reading the The Bible on my phone using the YouVersion.com app.  Is it cheating? Maybe? But I am reading The Bible and isn’t that what counts?

Our society is changing, let’s be honest and it is really changing in the way of the church. The traditional churches that we one knew are on the way out. Sure, I think that you’ll see some that will be in existence, but churches are now held in basketball gyms, The Compaq Center (Joel Osteen), a bar in Denver, coffee shops, on the beach, and the list goes on and on. And with that, churches need to reach people in a new way, i.e. The Bible app.

So, I’m back on my goal of actually reading The Bible and just started a year long devotional and have really enjoyed the quiet time and reflection that I have in reading it. I just hope and pray that this new journey will help me be more patient with my boys as they grow and allow me to share with them my faith, but also help them find out their own.

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Sunday night after dinner, my mother who is in town, said why don’t we get ice cream?  Well that is like asking the kids if they want to go to the park and play, we all know the answer. So after dinner, we went over to get ice cream. And I have to admit, the ice cream shop is smart, because they gave the kids a small cone of vanilla for free and we spent a good $10 on ice cream for the adults. And it was money well spent.

The kids loved having their own cones, even while trying to get licks in off of ours. There is just something about eating ice cream on a hot summer day.  And I am pretty sure that we have started a new family tradition as well.

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Cancer is a word that non of us want to hear, but all too often do. I just got word that a close family friend has been given 3 months to a year to live.

I thought that it was in remission. I thought that he was going to be ok. I hoped that he would out live us all. But the reality is, the cancer has come back.

But today, as I sit at my desk, trying to fight back the tears. I remember that my friend is still with us. He still has time left here on this earth. And if anyone can beat cancer, it is him.
Today, I pray for my friend. I pray for his family. I remember the things that I learned from this great man, this great leader, this great retired Air Force General. He treated me like a son.
He taught me so much. He trusted me to do things. He gave me the confidence to take risks and grow from my mistakes.

Today, I sit and really hate cancer and what it is doing to my friend.

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Today marks Day 1 of a new challenge that I have setup for myself and one that I hope that will continue for a very long time.

Ever since I turned 21, I have been reminded that both sides of my family struggles with alcohol. I have known it and have always been really mindful of it. The last 2 – 3 weeks have been really stressful at work and instead of coming home and having a beer or a glass of wine, I was doing 3 – 4.
I was drinking to get through the stress. I knew it. I didn’t want to admit it, but I recognized it. And when I said out loud that I was doing this, I felt like the world was being lifted off of my shoulders.

This past Sunday night, my wife and I had a long conversation and it was really me more or less mapping out what I wanted to do, to try to ensure that I am here for a long time for the boys.
And for the first time in my life, I acknowledged, that if I didn’t make changes, that I wouldn’t be here to watch the boys grow up. So, I asked my wife to give me 2 – 3 nights a week that I could work out
at the gym. I’ve already been doing a pretty decent job with the meals, so I wasn’t as concerned about that.

Today marks Day 1 of this new journey. Day 1 of a new me and a new life. I am fortunate that a few friends are taking this same approach to getting in better shape. I think that the biggest feeling for me, is that there will be accountability, because
several good friends will also be doing this and we will be able to keep each other on track.

 

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Play time is so important for the kids. Just getting out and running around and now that the weather is starting to turn nice outside, there will be even more play time to come.

This past weekend, I took the boys out for a walk, which helped me get exercise in, but also gave them a chance to get out and run too.   Getting the boys outside more is a goal of mine.It let’s them play more with other kids, but it also gets them use to the environment, playing on playgrounds, etc.

But, it is also quality family time too and gives me a chance to be a big kid all over again.

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After getting home from the pumpkin patch this past weekend, we decided to make some Homemade Apple Sauce. I have to say, at first, I was a little unsure how good it would be, but seriously? I’ll never eat apple sauce out of a jar again.

At the pumpkin patch, we picked up 6 large apples that were grown on the farm. Then we peeled and diced them up. Put them in the crock pot for 6 hours with 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, squeezed out 1/2 lemon (to prevent the apples from browning) and then put some lemon zest in the pot and we waited. Man, to say that it was good is a complete would not do it justice.

Not only was it easy to make, it will be healthier for the boys. And when they are older, they will be able to help make homemade apple sauce.

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My wife recently found something on Pinterest about things that you should do with your kids in the Fall. Now, the majority of the things that were on the list, our boys are still too young to do. But one cool thing that we did this past weekend was to take the boys to a local Pumpkin patch. They were able to run around, we took a hayride, picked out 3 pumpkins and planned on decorating the back of the house.

It was an inexpensive trip, but a lot of memories. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good pumpkin patch? And the best part, we were all together, we laughed and had a lot of fun. It isn’t always about going all out and overboard on things for the kids, but the time that you can spend with them.

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MoneyEven though we are years away from having to even think about a weekly allowance for our boys, I was recently asked what I thought about and more importantly, what we were going to do for our boys?  So, I asked my mom how when I was a kid, what she and my father did with me for an allowance. I honestly don’t remember getting an allowance when I was a child, I am a firm believer of paying kids for work that they do, not just give money away every week, just because.

When the boys are of age, I am guessing 8 or so, we will sit them, give them a list of chores and once they are completed, at the end of the week we will give them a set amount of money. The chores will probably range from taking out the trash, clearing the dinner table, keeping their rooms cleaned, etc. I want their allowance to be not about the money, but about learning to take responsibility.

Dave Ramsey has a great article on this same topic, that also follows this same thought process.

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