Nathan… Can you laugh?

So… this happened at the store…

And, it became a thing. I mean, it became a thing in that it kept happening for several more visits to this particular store… Trader Joe’s, ever since.

NOW, it’s all about “The Monkey.” We tell Nate we’re going to the store by telling him we’re going to go see “The Monkey.”

It’s hilarious. He even uses that as a way to communicate he’d like to get outta the house as of late. This is because, each Trader Joe’s has a theme and ours is all about a hidden stuffed monkey that they move around and the general theme of pirates.

Why share this moment? What does this have to do with a throwback to how I got here?

It’s all about moments of joy. Despite it being a hard road on this entrepreneurial journey. Despite the financial chaos, instability, and not knowing how things are going to work out… you can be assured that it is and it will.

It’s not about focusing on all the gloom and destruction. It’s about focusing on these precious moments of life… the very purpose why you’re taking the plunge, the risk, the dive, the leap of faith… to be around these people you love and wish nothing more than to spend your entire life with.

That, is ultimately why *I* became a Work-At-Home-Dad. I had plenty of success in the world of clinical care, management, whatever… BUT! I didn’t have enough success as a husband and father. That is where my aim is set. And, that is what I’m achieving with each passing day.

Can you laugh?!

I sure can 🙂

5 Things You May Not Know About Me

Let’s get to know each other a little better, shall we?!


5 Things You May Not Know About Me

1. I have ADHD.
It may not be super surprising, and yes, I’ve made this public before. Technically, it used to be called “ADD” and I have a LOT of thoughts about what it is, what it should be considered, how to leverage the raw energy of it, etc. I’m planning a post on this later. Suffice to say, it isn’t and shouldn’t be considered a big deal. If you take a look at any kiddo under the age of 3, they all seem to be have “ADD.” Why? Because they are LEARNING! In fact, all that fidgeting “ADHD kids” get in trouble for… it’s actually part of their learning experience. Movement. After all, movement is the first learning experience for babies. #JustSaying

2. I am fairly musical & have perfect pitch.
So, I started learning how to play the piano around age 4’ish? I don’t remember exactly. All I know was that I started playing Mozart stuff at an early age. I was under formal music tutelage until my junior year in high school. By then, I had my hand at the cello, trumpet, drums, percussion, guitar, bass guitar, and some other random things. All the stuff I needed to have go at being a 1-man-band. Well, I found out later in my musical experience that I have something called Perfect Pitch. I guess there are several versions of it and I never knew until I yelled at my sister during a practice duet for constantly missing a super obvious note that should go with the notes I was playing. It was obvious, wasn’t it? Apparently, it wasn’t. After a 30 minute argument, my parents finally figured out I had perfect pitch. They tested me, LOL. They actually had me identify notes they were playing while I closed my eyes to the piano. I got every single one. From then, playing music became a different deal all together. Good times.

3. I love surf fishing!
Despite how active I may seem from the past of surfing and current studies in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I love the peace of fishing. It’s been a very long time since I’ve gone surf fishing — I definitely miss it. I miss the entire process; gathering bait early in the morning, finding a really good spot at night. Or, using left over bait and hunting down a shore with croaker holes and choice areas where fish are gathering for runs. It’s just a really nice way of letting everything unwind; to enjoy the simplicity of being in the water for a single purpose — the experience. If I catch stuff, great! If not, I’ve really enjoyed myself. I usually use light line. Eventually, I’ll spend the money to try my hand at fly fishing the surf. It’s a Southern California thing, apparently… haha. One day 😉

4. I used to stutter.
I was a terrible speaker growing up. In fact, at age 8 or 9, I would send my little sitter up to order from McDonalds and what not — all because I couldn’t finish an order without stuttering myself into complete humiliation. I think it was a combination of my ADD brain going too fast for my body to keep up with — along with the fact that I just lacked the practice. I had absolutely terrifying fears of public speaking throughout elementary and secondary school years. Somewhere in college, I started getting comfortable. It was only toward the end of grad-school round#1 (the DPT) that I began to gather myself as a speaker. Funny enough, I am now considered a fairly decent speaker, having been invited several times to speak at the level of national platforms on health and exercise. #Irony

5. In high school, I was a failure at English.
My least favorite subject in school was always English. I hated reading and writing growing up.

Ironically, I now write for a living!

The thing of it was, I always got bad grades, always disagreed with the teachers on why my grades weren’t good, and basically hated the entire subjectiveness of reading & writing. I hated that I could write up a perfect essay with excellent points, all based on logic. However, the teacher could simply disagree with my points and my would be A grade would turn into a C. Somewhere in the mix, I finally figured out that writing for a teacher is very different than writing for an audience. A teacher has their own agenda. However, an audience wants content they can relate to, connect with, and invest their emotions in. Writing is about turning letters on a page into a timeless experience.

W-Sitting

As a Physical Therapist, child development in terms of physical health and muscle movement comes very naturally to my clinical eye.

W-sitting scares the crap out of me.

From the perspectives of joint positioning and stress forces: It’s the equivalent of a reverse heel hook in BJJ… the worst of the leg locks in terms of destructive power to the knee and ankle joints.


While I hate seeing W-Sitting, I know it’s not the WORST thing in the world. At the same time, it’s one of those things where healthcare providers are taught to LOOK OUT FOR!

Here’s one perspective:

If You Ever See Your Kids Sitting Like This, Be Sure To Stop Them. This Is Why…

And yet, here’s another perspective from one of my favorite pediatric PTs. So… maybe it’s a problem. Maybe it isn’t so bad. So long as it doesn’t cause HARM… then, we’re okay.

My final take on the matter is this: If you can get your kid to stop it, do it. If they seem hell bent on w-sitting, it may be worth to have them checked out — and, after — if there really isn’t any red flags, it may not be worth a battle royale for… just so long as it doesn’t last too long. For this, my guess is that your parenting instincts will take over.

If anything, I’ve seen my kiddos cousins, playmates, and even other children in the playground up to age 7, 8, and 9 demonstrate W-Sitting. None of theme seem to have self destructed or demonstrated developmental issues.

So, again, just so long as no harm is done & your parental instincts aren’t waving red flags… your kiddo should be fine.

Also, remember my thoughts on seeking a professional eye??? Boom.

An Apple A Day… In Bed

One of the funnier things Nathan likes to do is finding his “toy of the day” and bringing that back to bed with him. While this was originally a TBT post, the behavior remains true.

Yes, waaaaay back when, he decided that he loved apples. In fact, at the time, he loved apples so much, he’d bring them in bed for nap times. Just once? No… no, no. Many times. And, he’ll stash them, too! We’ll wake up next to a juicy apple. Our poor bed 🙁

The good news is that he loves fruit. The bad news is, he’s still a total sneak!

Common is the day that I’ll be cleaning up toys and what not, only to find some hidden chunk of apple he decided to bank away between his toys and stuffed animals.

Yay…

Still, the good news is that he never fixates on just ONE thing for a long time. Typically, it’s some toy or object of the day.

Yesterday, we were shopping, and all he wanted was “the paper.” The paper, being, the card stock postcard ad for us to change our internet subscription. But, it DID have one of his favorite Pixar movies stamped across the top so… I get it 😉

Either way, my thoughts simply go to feeling thankful. I’m thankful he doesn’t fixate on just ONE toy forever. I’m thankful he loves to eat heathlyish foods. I’m thankful that he has the preloaded habit for saving things away for later… let’s just hope that doesn’t turn into hoarding -_-

I’m thankful, that while catching up on these blog posts through March, going into April, I get to reboot everything and realize the tremendous blessing my family has experienced through this work-at-home experience.

I wouldn’t give it up for the world. And, I intend on doing this — or — something like this, for as long as I can!