Breakfast for Dinner

This was a very good week. I finally worked up the courage to ask my boss for a new schedule at work to allow me to work from home one day a week. The compromise we came up with was that I will work nine hour days Tuesday-Friday, and in return, will work a four-hour Monday at home, allowing me to spend the afternoon with the kids, cut one day of babysitting from my budget and the $6 or so worth of gas I would spend commuting that day. I’m very excited.

Wednesday night we decided to put some peaches left over from the potluck to good use by making our first ever peach pie. It turned out pretty well considering we needed more peaches and had to resort to some individual snack-sized cans of peaches in the pantry for filler. It was a little oversweet, but no one complained.

Then, tonight we had a fun movie night. We interviewed another applicant for the babysitter position, then headed for McDonald’s for Happy Meals (it’s a rare treat when I let them eat Happy Meals). After dinner, I drug my mattress out of my bedroom and onto the living room floor. Then we popped in Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium and snuggled under a blanket. The girls liked it despite the sad portion in the middle, and they both made it all the way through, though Finley fell asleep pretty much the second it was over.

It was a pretty special week. This weekend we have one more interview planned before we make a decision on a new babysitter, and we may head to the waterpark if we can handle the 102 degree heat until we get there.

Saturday is officially “Chigger Eradication Day”. I bought a large hose sprayer bottle of poison, and I’m gonna let it fly early in the a.m. Saturday. If anyone has a WWI-era gas mask they want to loan me, shoot me an e-mail. That should freak out the neighbors, but good.

Approximately 24 hours after what can only be described as a singularly successful potluck, fate reared its ugly head in the form of eight little legs and one word: chiggers. Everyone at the potluck Saturday is now scratching uncontrollably and probably cursing the day they agreed to break bread in my backyard.

I won’t get too vivid, but suffice it to say, the little bastards got rather intimate with me, and I have a couple itches that are kind of fun to scratch. Hopefully, a huge bottle of bug poison and an industrial-sized can of Off! will be enough to convince people to return in a few weeks when I decide to do this again.

After the last potluck disaster where we had no lights for about two hours, I thought I had broken the spell and recovered some of my hosting pride. Now it looks like a short-lived fantasy that has been beaten down by a tiny member of the arachnid family.

And because Merrie gave me grief last night for advertising for them, I present the two newest smoking hot, on fire, sex kitten, single moms in Denton.

Last night’s potluck was a smashing success. We had around 20 people in and out and a ridiculous amount of great food. A special thanks to Allen for smoking ribs, Meredith and Carolyn for the great desserts, and as always Jefe for manning the grill and all his prep work.

The girls had a great time seeing their friends from Austin that they don’t get to see nearly enough, and I had a wonderful time relaxing with good friends, new friends, and a couple guys I’d never met before in my life. It was by far the biggest turnout yet for a potluck here, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves enough to come back again in the future. The weather was hot as always but not unbearable and for the most part the bugs kept their distance.

I don’t think I’ve had a better evening in years. Check out the photos from last night, by visiting my Picasa album.

Two of my friends finalized their divorces in the last couple weeks, and mine is officially nearing its end, so this weekend’s potluck is going to be a full blown celebration of the single parent. Steaks, chicken, hot dogs for the kiddos, and the beer will flow like wine once the children are snuggled up in their beds. It’ll be nice to feel like there’s something to celebrate.

I’m even thinking about baking a cake. I’m not sure how to decorate a “Happy Divorce” cake. Anyone have any ideas?

Of course, it’s not really a happy occasion, but definitely a relieving one. Hopefully, we can send the two newest hot single moms in Denton out into the world in style.

Wherever you are this Saturday, tip your glass to single parenthood. There will be about 10-15 people here in my backyard doing just that.

A friend of mine told me tonight about this story in the Austin American-Statesman: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/07/02/0702divorce.html

I have to come clean that I am still in the process of my divorce (I’ve been separated for nine months and my wife has moved on so I’m single just not legal yet), so this infuriated me. State Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, wants to make the waiting period for couples to get divorced in Texas two years instead of the current 60 days. As someone who is going through this process right now, I say “Mind your own fucking business”. Read the rest of this entry →

Hurray! My kids are coming home tomorrow. I can’t wait to see them. I had a nice week without them enjoying some me time, but it will be great to get back into the normal swing of things. I’ll try to post more often this week now that things will be a bit more standard. Hopefully, I’ll eat normal now that they’re back too. I hate cooking for myself.

I’m relaxing this week while my kids are in Florida with their mom and grandparents. Feel a bit out of sorts being away from the kids for a week. Half of my identity feels like it’s missing. I might not do much posting this week, but will try to Twitter when I get the chance while trying out the role of single guy this week instead of single dad.