Cavity Creeps

My son got his first cavity.

He has no idea what's about to happen

Now I am not going to get on here and start preaching about how important it is to brush and floss, we all know now that by now.  Most I should say, I am a terrible flosser who gets told every time I go to the dentist that my teeth are going to fall out if I continue my nonflossing ways. It's just one of those habits that I never got into, and what do they say about teaching an old dog new tricks? Woof woof, it's probably not going to happen.

So I know I should be instilling this in my kids but it's hard.  When you don't do something yourself, how can you rightfully tell your kids to do it?

So when I logged into Facebook the other day I saw an article from the Circle of Moms about cavities in pre kindergartners.  They took a five year old study from the USA Today and proclaimed it as new and said that 30% of all kids get cavities before kindergarten.  It's not really shocking considering the amount of juice and candy that kids consume.  What did shock me though was some of the arrogance in the people that commented on the article and just how many people came across as perfect parents with perfect kids.  These are who I consider the cavity creeps.

"My little Suzie brushes twice a day and flosses three times a day at Head Start." 

"My girl has been to the dentist three times with no cavities and the dentist even said she was the best patient ever."

"My Bobby has the best teeth this side of the Mississippi."

I get it, we all want to be perfect parents and EVERYONE thinks their child is perfect, but you know what, there are many reasons that kids get cavities and it's not just from lack of brushing their teeth.  Maybe I didn't brush my sons teeth well enough and I feel really bad that he did get a cavity, but I don't need people to make me feel worse like I am some lesser parent because of it.  When you think you are leading the perfect life, it's best to keep it to yourself as to not make the rest of us feel inferior.  We are not worthy of the title parent around you.

Get over yourselves people. YOU ARE NOT PERFECT.

The perfect parent makes mistakes and grows because of them.  Life is a learning experience, not just for your child, but for you.  I might have made a mistake by not brushing my sons teeth as well as I could have, then again it could be that he has my genes, who knows?  I do have over 10 cavities. I am by no means a model parent.

There was one little guy that was perfect today though.  For ten minutes I was almost glad that my son did get a cavity.  It showed me what a big kid he is getting to be and how much he's growing up. Maybe we'll learn from this who knows.

There's my big kid, what a perfect boy.

Take that you cavity creeps!

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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Lost Toys... Starring Legos

My kids lose their toys all the time.  It's maddening really.  When they lose something they come to me, and half the time I have no idea what I am even looking for.  It's usually some small Lego piece that I would consider not that important, but for them, it seems like it's life or death.  I can't tell you how many times I have told them that they need to do a better job of cleaning up their legos.  We have piles upon piles of lego pieces and it seems that they just keep getting bigger and bigger everyday and that makes my job more difficult.

Maybe we just have too many legos?

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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Wednesday's Window... Shooting Headache

Like any other stay at home parent I bought my phone to stay connected better to the outside world.  It's been great, too great as there will be times when I have ignored my kids for hours waiting on someone to play a word in words with friends.  Another problem, the phone is no longer MY PHONE.  It seems as though whenever my boys want it they either pickpocket me or scream until they turned a bright shade of red.  It's not a phone so much as a gaming device with a bunch of colorful little squares on it that can also make phone calls, but who does that.

I always find myself amazed and what my boys leave behind on my phone, most of the time its pictures of the games that played or a picture of someones butt.  I know, how juvenile, but they are only seven and four and the fact that they can even operate the phone amazes me sometimes.  I don't always find pictures on there though, sometimes I find things that are quite disturbing.  I hope you enjoy this weeks Wednesday's Window.

Well, this is my phone and two can play at this game.  Tyler it's payback time.

Sometimes I wonder how they figure out how to do these things.  As long as they aren't plotting my actual death they can play with my phone as much as they want.  Pretty sure there isn't an app for that.

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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My Boys Will be Boob Men

Every now and then I get sucked into these online arguments over a woman's right to breastfeed in public.  It really amazes me that in this day and age this sort of thing is an issue.  I just don't understand how people could be so closed minded about this, it's a woman feeding her child, that's it.  If it is seen as anything else, that's YOUR problem.

My friend Scott down in Georgia has been championing women's rights for some time.  I first came in contact with him when the whole Forest Park, Georgia breastfeeding ban was being proposed.  He was adamant that day and he has not let up since on his stance that women should be allowed to breastfeed their children pretty much anywhere that they need to.

Well it hasn't stopped since, it seems not a day goes by that I don't see a tweet from him slamming someone that has said something stupid about a woman breastfeeding.  I'll give you an example of the idiocy that goes on in this world; these are actual tweets from real people:

Yeah really!

It seems that her child was hungry, how dare he want to eat something.  If you were to follow this particular idiots twitter stream she went on to say that public bathrooms are there for a reason, and that the mom should use it to feed her child.

My response?

I think that if this moron is so offended, she should get up and go eat her popcorn in the comfort of the theater's bathroom.  I mean how stupid could she be?  Why on Earth should ANYONE be forced to sit on a toilet and feed their child.  I will say it again, that mother is feeding her child, just like anyone else that feeds their children chicken nuggets or pizza.  If you have such a problem with it, MOVE.  I am sure that mother would be more than happy to not have your stupid ass sitting next to her anyway.

Now it doesn't stop with movie theaters, you can find people everywhere that have an issue with breastfeeding.  I am sure in this case the mother didn't want to be feeding her child in church but when they're hungry they're hungry.  It's not unlike my boys who constantly ask for snacks and won't stop begging me until I give in.  I would ask this person if they would have an issue with me offering my child a cheese stick in church. There really is no difference.  I am satisfying my child's need to feed.  How dare I do such a thing? Another issue I have with this is, what the hell are you doing tweeting in church?  Shut your phone off and get to the business at hand.  I am sure there are more people upset with you interrupting Gods work by tweeting on your phone, than are upset about the bond between a mother and child.

Seriously people, GROW UP!

Shocking that a mother would feed her kids at the Grocery Store, I know.  After all that is where you buy food and all.  I would ask this semi famous NASCAR driver if it was OK for a mom to pull a candy bar off the shelf and give it to their child, it's no different, except that feeding the child breast milk is WAY more nutritious.  What I can't believe is that he would buy himself a six pack of Budweiser?  Has he no shame? I just lost my appetite.

Why do moms do it?  Why don't they just let their kids starve?  Why won't a mother just let her kid scream uncontrollably when she knows that her child is hungry?  It makes no sense to me.  How dare THAT mom want to offer her child the food that they need?  I would ask Justin if has ever eaten a sandwich or chomped on a granola bar in the park. It's no different.  Except that I am sure that he would look like  the pig that he is doing it.

What is this world coming too that people would question a mother's right to feed her child?  The fact that there are so many stupid people out there that can't handle this nonissue just baffles me. I will say it again, if you have a problem with what you see , that's YOUR problem. If you see it as anything other than lunch or dinner, you have to get your head examined.

I am sure that most breastfeeding mothers are as discreet as possible when they feed their children, I know my wife was.  Do you really think that mothers want to walk around with their boobs hanging out all over the place?  I would have to think that they don't.  It can't be comfortable for them knowing that there are such stupid people in this world that would question what they are doing.  I would say instead of being disgusted by what a breastfeeding mother is doing, tell her how awesome she is for feeding her child. 

My boys will grow up in a world where women feed their babies however they want to. If that means a bottle in the comfort of their living room or a breast on a crowded subway, it shouldn't matter.  

I want my boys to be boob men, just like their old man*

*I also like nice eyes too 

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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Working Out... Starring Legos

So it's that time of year that we all make resolutions to get in better shape.  If you haven't already read I have started up a blog with a bunch of other dads called #DadFit.  The idea is obviously to make ourselves more accountable which will hopefully push us more towards our goals. So I am all in here.  The benefits of working are already being felt, and I can see a difference already.  I don't like working out so I like to change things up from day to day, I get bored easily.  But I do like the benefits that come from getting in shape.

The Movie

I hope everyone starts to get in better shape.  The hidden benefits are great!

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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Lego Friends

Oh no, my favorite toys are under attack.

Every now and then companies come out with some stupid marketing campaign, and parents get outraged.  Walking through Target today I got my first glimpse of the Lego Friends sets, and I have to say, they didn't really faze me.  I can see that some would get upset about a previously gender neutral toy now trying to target young girls.  Blah, blah, blah.  Who cares?  Here is an idea for all the parents that are upset; DON'T BUY THE STUPID TOY!  See it for what it is, a cute little building set, and move on.  If you and your legion of upset moms ALL do that Lego will take them off the shelves.

If something doesn't sell, they are gone.  If not, expect to see these building sets on toy store shelves for years to come. Like the countless other sets that are now discontinued, Lego will have no choice but to replace the Lego Friends series with something else, perhaps Prince of Persia 2.  The first series sucked and they are now off the shelves.  See how that works?  The only one we ever bought, my son insisted he needed to have a lego ostrich, who was I to deny his wish.

As far as the new sets are concerned, I won't buy them.  My kids are obsessed with Ninjago right now and I certainly don't expect them to want a Butterfly Beauty shop or Mia's Puppy House.  I will say that the City Park Cafe is pretty cool and I would have a field day making movies with that.  See my lego character can play with girl toys.

If you have an issue with Lego there are two things to argue.  First they are ridiculously expensive; I have spent thousands of dollars on these  toys and could probably spend thousands more.  Second, this new Ninjago show is nothing more than a glorified Lego commercial.  Lego knows this, they can dream up a new show, package it off as a weekly series and make countless lego sets to support the show.  I think we already own every Ninjago set, AND THE SERIES HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET. I can't fathom what might happen when the kids get more into it.

There is something here with the Ninjago show though that I hope Lego is not overlooking.  They keep advertising that there will be this GREEN NINJA, that is more powerful than all the others.  I won't get into the premise of the show here as I will just assume everyone knows what it's about.  I hear all this talk that the Green Ninja will be Lloyd Garmedon.  I won't be convinced until I actually see how the show plays out.  I know that it won't be Kai, Jay, Cole or Zane.  They just seem like they are too bumbling to ever take the leap and become the most powerful ninja.  I don't think they have the ability to use their powers to their full potential.

There is someone though who I think has that ability, Kai's sister Nya.  She seems to be tough minded and willing to learn.  She wants to be a ninja, why not the Green one?

Now how awesome would that be if the most powerful ninja, WAS A GIRL.  Would there be outrage at this?  Rioting in the streets by thousands of little boys?  I know my boys would embrace her as they have Hermione, Princess Leia, Elizabeth Swann and the countless other female legos that have been marketed to ALL kids.

Why does it really matter how companies market their toys?  Last I knew, kids couldn't drive themselves to the store to buy things.  It took a parent to actually pay for it.  If your kid wants to have the new sets, are you going to deny them that?  If a kid wants ANY lego set what is the problem, let your kid decide what they like.  If you don't like how it's marketed, please don't buy it.  I know that there will be those that say I am missing the point on this, maybe I am.  I just don't see what the point is you are trying to make.

It's Lego Friends, not a Lego Devil series.

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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New Clothes... Starring Legos

I'm so 2011

You would think for the past year we never changed our clothes.  Well, every week you would see us wearing the same outfits, it was almost like a uniform. I started to feel like Jack Bauer sometimes in the TV show 24. Every week he wore the same thing.  Our clothes were seriously going out of style.  Tyler was getting strange looks from the kids at school and Carter was just getting bored of his outfit.  It definitely is as good a time as any time get a fresher more updated look.  Our old clothes were so 2011.  Now we are ready for the new year.

So what do you think?  We clean up nice huh?

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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Burp

People ask me everyday how I spend time with my kids.  Normally we play with Legos or video games like anyone else would, but I also have to try and teach them things about being a man.  Part of being a man is learning how to relieve yourself of gases inside your body.  I can't tell you how many times that my boys come to me crying that their belly hurts.  My first instinct is to get them on the potty and try to get whatever is causing this issue out of their system.  I know it's probably the eight pounds of candy that they ingest daily, but as much as I tell them that eating all that candy is going to give them a belly ache, they don't listen.

Sitting down on the toilet doesn't always work though and this is where training to be a smelly gaseous man comes into play.  I know that when my stomach hurts, not from Carter punching me but from something I ate, it's usually a gas bubble that has built up inside of me.  Kids need to know how to get this bubble out.

Let's first take a look at Tyler.  He is the older of my two boys and the one that complains the most about tummy troubles:

Clearly he needs to work on reaching a little deeper into his abdomen and getting that bubble out.  He could probably communicate with a whale, but that won't do anything the relieve himself of any man gases.

Carter is a little bit younger and he doesn't seem to complain as much as his older brother about his belly, but when he does the complaining is twice as loud:

Now judging between the two, I think Carter is much closer to accomplishing this challenging task.  As you can see he digs deeper into his belly and what comes out, while not a full fledged burp is much closer to what it should be.  It's not surprising that he would be more advanced than his brother based on some of his other abilities.

Obviously we need a lot of work on this and schooling will continue.  One day my house with be filled with a bunch of burping men and my wife will certainly be happy that I was such a positive influence in my boys lives.

I look at this, as bonding time between me and the kids, and THAT is how I like to spend my day.

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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#DadFit

You may have noticed a little badge on the right side of this webpage.  #DadFit is is a new blog that I am involved in where our main purpose is to keep dads in shape.  I should say that it doesn't have to keep just dads in shape, anyone can join us as long as you are willing to make the commitment to your overall health.  This is not supposed to be just a fad diet or a fly by night sort of experiment, it's about a lifestyle change, a change a bunch of us dads feel is necessary to improve our lives.

All of us have gained a little weight over the years, including myself who has put on about 40 pounds in the past ten years alone.  I realize that I am not alone in this as it seems that every man my age has put on some weight.  I look at my friends and most of them are carrying around that extra spare tire that with a little work and change in habit can easily be taken off.  

We are in this together.  

I realized that it's easy to take the weight off, it's a matter of what to do when you reach your goals.  In the past I have been able to lose 20 pounds without much of a problem, but like anyone that that goes on a diet, I put it right back on.  I wasn't willing to make the commitment to change my lifestyle, something I know is necessary this time around.

I've got two kids and I don't want to be the dad that's stuck on the sideline with bad knees and ankles as my kids are running around.  I can already see my body failing on me as my feet have started to really bother me in the past couple of months.  It hasn't been officially diagnosed, but I know that I have developed Plantar Fasciitis, and it sucks.  I know that this is mainly caused by lack of physical activity, and the weight that I am carrying around.  So something has to change.

Any good change in lifestyle needs a good support system and that's where #Dadfit comes in.  The way we figure, the more people involved the better.  The more accountable we are, the more likely we are to stick with the changes we wish to make.  

Anyone can be a part of it.

All you have to do is follow the #DadFit hashtag on Twitter or Find us of Facebook.  You can also check out the blog at Dadfit.blogspot.com.  We are only trying make our lives better and with everyones help, I think we can do that.  Feel free to offer us advice or encouragement.  We could certainly use your support.  

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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I'm Sexy and I Know it

Being a four year old can be tough, especially three hours after bedtime. All night we waited for his favorite song, but alas he didn't make it. He's still sexy and he knows it... No matter what.


Poor Carter.  Little did he know what song was next

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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The New Year... Starring Legos

What a year it was.  2011 will go down as the greatest year in the history of Legos.  Well, any year that there are Legos to play with, is a GREAT year by me.  I introduced my Lego character back in April, and now 28 videos later, he has become a worldwide sensation.  OK, thats stretching it a little bit, but folks seem to enjoy him and I enjoy making the movies, so win win.  With the new year we can take a look back at where we have been as well as where we are headed.  We've had many great moments like the time my arm was bitten off by a shark, or when I melted on the hottest day of the year.  Thankfully I have replacement parts at my disposal.  So long 2011, 2012 is calling my name.

Here's wishing you all the best in the new years!

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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Wednesday's Window... Hippo Poop

We love the Aquarium.  We love it so much we would actually venture into the second most dangerous city in the country.  Camden, New Jersey is home to some of the worst violence in the United Staes.  Driving through that city, you make sure that you lock your doors tight.  I remember one night after a concert on the waterfront, taking a wrong turn and the street I ended up on looked like it could have been plucked out of South Central or anywhere in East New York.  It was pretty terrifying, but I made it out alive.

Once you get yourself through the city and to the banks of the Delaware River though it's a different story.  The Adventure Aquarium is one of the nicest aquariums that we have been to.  It's a shame that it's tucked into such a crappy town.*  My boys love going there and were so excited for two reasons:  first, they have a giant alligator which is one of the largest in captivity, and second, the hippos.

Carter became fascinated with the hippos after his first visit.  When he learned that the hippos make poop in the water and that the fish then go and eat it, he thought it was the funniest thing, and he was hooked.  For some strange reason doody is something that amazes him.  On a trip to France he didn't care about the knights and the castles, all he was concerned about was where the king sat on the throne, if you get my drift.  So after a quick walk through the rest of the aquarium the boys came to their favorite destination, the hippo pool.  The water is filthy (fully of hippo poop) and it stinks.  But the boys love it!  I hope you enjoy this weeks Wednesday's Window.

They do have other amazing things there, like tanks full of sharks and sting rays.  Their collection of penguins is one of the finest I have ever seen.  My boys though just can't get enough of those hippos.  If we have to put up with a little poop to get them to learn about marine life, oh well.  Their could be worse things in life, like living in Camden.*

*This is not to slight the fine people of Camden, it's a nice place to visit (at least the aquarium) but I wouldn't want to live there

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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Me I Want a Hula Hoop

I've done a few comparisons of the kids in the last month or so, and most of the time it's Carter who has some amazing ability that Tyler has not been able to master.  Whether it's raising his eyebrows or crossing his eyes, Carter has shown incredible talents that his brother just has not developed, at least not yet anyway.

My wife was fortunate to have gotten a hula hoop from Santa for Christmas.  If you need to know one thing about my wife, it's that she loves the hula hoop.  Santa obviously knew that.  She once competed in an international competition at Disney World where she won a board game.  She was 34 at the time, and the eight and nine year olds that she competed against never had a chance.

She is that good.

Well it turns out that Tyler possesses my wife's hula hooping skills, which isn't surprising as he seems to be able to do, or not do, a lot of what my wife can or cannot do.  While he looks like me, he definitely has the skills of his mother.

This ability will certainly help him later in life with the ladies, trust me. If I could hula hoop like this, I would not have spent so many Friday nights parked in front of my TV waiting for the phone to ring. Carter on the other hand, seems to be destined for a life like his father, a poor, miserable, lonely one where the hula hoop gets the better of him.

Let's just say he's a work in progress. I pray that this is something that doesn't hold him back in life.

I would hope in the future BOTH of my boys will possess this amazing ability and start to fight over the hula hoop.  Isn't that every fathers dream?

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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