Daddyman @ Home

Little Blue startled me this morning. He usually gets up right around 7am, sometimes to catch Pink on her way out the door, sometimes not. He's not napping anymore during the week anymore, so we've decided to let him sleep in for a little bit.

But at 6:22am, he scared the crap out of me, the silent little sneak.

"Good morning buddy" I said with a bag of trash in my hand. "You're up early!"

"I am?" he said, puzzled.

"Yup, usually I get done with most of my work before you wake up."

"You got to work today?" (Little Blue meaning the library)

"Yup, sure do?"

"Right now?"

"No, I don't go to the library till tonight."

"Then how can you be working now?"

I chuckle. "Housework buddy, I'm doing my housework. I usually do this before you wake up."

"Oh, so where's Mommie?"

"She's upstairs getting dressed."

"How come she works a lot more than you do?"

"Mommie and I decided that it was too expensive to have you and your sisters in daycare, so we decided I'd stay at home and play with you guys all day and Mom would go to work. I just work at the library to make sure we've got enough money to get buy."

Either he didn't process it, or he decided to grab some toys from the toy bucket in the living room. After all, it was quiet and the girls were still sleeping, he had the living room to himself.

After I come back in from emptying the diaper pail and trash can, I hear the question I'd been anticipating ever since he woke up.

"Cartoons?"

I thought "yes" for a split second, then decided against it. If I let him watch them now, I'd be rewarding him for getting up earlier. I do what all parents do, tell a white lie.

"No, sorry buddy, they're not on yet. Are you ready for breakfast?"

"No, not yet."

One minute later.

"I'm ready for breakfast now."

I get his bowl of Hy-Vee brand rice chex ready as I'm finishing putting away the dishes.

He's munching along quietly as I lift out the utensil basket from the dishwasher. "Hey bub, when you get done, you've got a job to do, all right?"

He nods. Good boy, didn't talk with food in his mouth.

I get some iced tea water warming on the stove and see Pink opening the front door. Everyone is being sneaky this morning!

"Morning hun, looks like it rained overnight. Seemed a little cool out there." I glance at the clock as see she's still got ten minute. "C'mon and have some cereal. No sneaking out without breakfast when you've got time to eat."

She looked at me like she wanted to talk her way out of it, but she caved and joined the dude at the dinner table.

Wasn't too long after he had the utensils put away that it was actually time for cartoons.

"Turn it to channel 250 buddy. Two - Five - Zero." He's working on numbers and had them down pretty good (6 and 9 are still trouble), but I figured he could handle it.

Then he started to grumble. "I can't do it!?"

"So what do you need to do?"

Sheepishly, "Ask for help."

"You got it."

"Daddy, can you help me?"

"I sure ca..." I look at the TV in disbelief, then grumbled under my breath. "Buddy, you did everything right, it's the TV that's not the way it usually is. Looks like they've changed the programming again."

"Awww man! Again?!"

"Yup, lemme see what else is on..."

Gone is Bigfood: Meteor and His Monster Truck Friends and The Magic School Bus. The Learning Channel apparently changed their programming and eliminated their education friendly cartoons. He settled for Little Einsteins and some Micky Mouse Clubhouse, but it's just not the same.

Taken from the brain of DaddyMan at 8:38 AM