Daddy, Daddy, Daddy ...

This week’s LBWC is brought to you by Little Caesar’s, Mack’s Earplugs and my sanity.

I just spent a weekend as the sole caregiver to my children, while the Busy Girl flew the coop for a little R&R. She deserved the break. I deserved the punishment. No, I’m kidding. The Busy Baby, Little Tornado and I had a blast. Really, we did. It was a great daddy, daughter, daughter weekend.

And thank God for the things above, or I might not have made it.

On to the countdown ... the “How Many Times Can You Hear Your Name Called In The Span Of 15 Seconds” edition.

5) Saturday morning. Gulp!
She left. She really did. Busy Girl headed out for her weekend with the Busy Sister, and I was left to run the house. I wasn’t alone with the girls for six minutes when I almost had to take LT to the hospital.
We just got back from walking the Lazy Dog when LT turned around after taking her shoes off, took a step and ran head first into the corner of the computer table.
Twenty seconds of breath holding (by both me and her) was followed by 47 seconds of blood-curdling screams. Again, by both of us. Turns out, LT’s tougher than a $2 steak. Just a knot on the head and a pierced eardrum was all we suffered from the incident.

4) Saturday afternoon. Cinderella Story.
I live by two simple rules. 1) There is a God and I’m not Him. And, 2) If it’s free, it’s for me.
Chick-fil-A in the Village Mall had a Princess Day on Saturday, where any one wearing a princess costume would get a free kids meal. We’ll, since the Busy Baby has been sleeping in her Cinderella dress for the last two weeks, I figured it was time to cash in on the deal.

3) Saturday night. Kiss The Cook.
I’ve told you all about the Busy Girl’s cooking prowess. She’s amazing. Well, I’m no slouch either.
I whipped up a little somethin, somethin for the girls Saturday night that was a bigger hit than free Chick-fil-A. Honestly.
Me and my boy the Gorton Fisherman hooked up some fish sticks that would have made Captain D slap his momma.
To quote the Busy Baby ... “This is the best dinner ever!“
That’s right. What’s up now? Betty Crocker who?

2) Saturday morning. Of course we went to Walmart.
Hey, just because the wife is gone for the weekend, that doesn’t mean we nixed the trip to Walmart. Rain, snow, shine or single parent, Walmart must be visited.
I took the girls all by myself to get the weekly supplies. With one cart.
Welcome to the Thunderdome! Two men enter, one man leave.
Seriously, it was almost that bad.
But we made it. But we missed BG. Badly.
Even the lady behind the deli counter asked where the wife was. I wish I was making that up. That’s how much we shop there.

1) Sunday night. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Tucking in the Busy Baby on Sunday, reading her the same story for the fifth time, I realized how much I miss when I’m at work and away from the kids.
Sure, I spend a lot of time with the girls—more than most dads who have full-time jobs. But I do miss a lot when I’m away, and even when I’m home while my wife is there.
You don’t get the full view of how awesome children are until you spend quality one-on-one time with them, without any distractions.
I don’t know. Maybe it’s me, but I get caught up in a lot of things that take my time away from my family. Most days, even when I’m there, my mind is somewhere else.
But this weekend, I cleared my schedule and focused on the kids. And it was one of the best times I can remember.
My wife should go away for the weekend more often. Well, maybe just for the day.