Man Child.

Two.

Happy Birthday Buddy.

You are unbelievably loved.

Buds.

Two peas.

Is That Your Home Or a Walk-In Closet?

Myself, a grown man, and 2 kids live in a 1 and a 1/2 bedroom apartment.

It's tight. Especially in winter. But we make it work.

We should move. It's getting cramped. The kids are growing big. And the rooms are looking smaller. But...

I don't want to move. 

I love this tiny hole of a living space.

Why? 

Grocery Store

Walgreens (24 hour. Awesome)

Ace Hardware

Office Depot

Post Office

etc...

These are all mere steps from my back door.

I could skip a few times and be in line at Potbelly's ordering my homemade ice cream sandwich in 20 seconds. No lie.

Convenience is an addiction. ADDICTION I tell you.

So are those ice cream sandwiches.

There are other things I love...

The people in our building.

Louise's garden.

Friends live close. (Don't move Jess)

Close to train/bus/beach.

Feel pretty safe.

So with mirrors, bunk beds, and a little rearranging, I'm going to make this less than 800 sq ft. apartment feel like an 801 square ft. apartment.

Because I like my teeny-tiny home.

Very much.

P.S. In case you were wondering the bunk beds are for the kids...

But Jared, what do you think?

Laundry Or Dishes?

Would you rather...

Have your laundry or dishes magically done at all times?

Personally, I give the dishes the stink eye every day and wish they would go bug someone else.

Question:

Why are there at least 4 socks left without a partner after all the laundry is folded?

Where do those socks go? I really want to know.

I have a basket full of partnerless socks waiting for the return of their buddy.

Is this something Heaven will answer after I die?

Or can I get an answer now?

Or should I let it go?

Hmmmmm... these are the deep thoughts that plague me.

What? I have a life. Why do you ask?

But There's One Problem...

Do you see this girl?

She's a reincarnated dragon.

To put it extremely mild, we don't see eye to eye.

I've been desperate about our situation and received advice from many.

Starting yesterday I buckled down and turned on the Drill Sargent approach.

T.V has been taken away.

Time out is for extended periods of time.

Grounding has been implemented.

Life has been wonderful for 24 hours now.

Hannah is responding so well to this approach.

But there's one problem...

When you take T.V away from one, you take away from all.

Sorry dude.

He's One Of Those Boys.

To make a long story short...

Curious Boy + Sharp Knife = 1st round of ER

Abscessed Stiches + Rapid Swelling = 2nd round

Asher has gone to the ER 4 times in his little life for emergencies.

Um... that's bad... right?

Here's the story of the first trip.

I never blogged about the 2nd.

But they both involved x-raying for foreign objects.

So fun.

Crazy-Awesome.

We just lived through the 3rd worst blizzard in Chicago history.

Seriously one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

(Lake Michigan covered with snow)

The whole city shut down, and everyone played outside.

Asher likes it until he gets snow on his hands.

Crazy-Awesome.

Picture of The Month - February

It must be awesome to eat a fudgsicle and not care that it's dribbling into your belly button.