It's about time

My life is all about time. More importantly, its about time balance and time management.

Here in Minnesota, we value summer like no other place in US. We don't get much of it, and when its here, we look around and see some of the most beautiful places you can imagine. We have lakes and streams and hardwood forests. Not to mention, swimming pools and picnics and LOTS of baseball.

The only problem is we still only have 24 hours and a day and 7 days in a week. Our weekends are still only 2 days long. CRAP! I need more time!

I remember being a kid growing up here. Summers lasted forever! We spent the entire summer just being kids and exploring the world we lived in. We came home when we were hungry or on the off chance we actually heard mom and dad yelling for us to come home. It was a different time. My mom was a SAHM for much of my childhood, but I don't think we really saw her very much. There was too much to see.

I have kids, a wife and a career now. The freedom of my youth is gone. I'm not complaining, I do miss it but I'm also doing my best to make sure my kids get the same sense about summer, but its a hard battle. How do we not drag our kids into our hectic lives?

The balance in life seems to be the hardest problem I've ever had to solve. I have things I'd like to do, but so does the Mrs and so do the kids. We usually try to lean the priorities to the kids, but frankly, I think sometimes, its too much for them to have things to do. Sometimes its good to just let them do what they want to. Like veg.

Enough of this. Let's just say, summer is zooming by and I can't make it stop.

In my last two quick posts, I showed you two of my father's day presents. They were two ties. I find myself now a member of a very small group of me. I'm am one of the 6% of men that routinely wear neckties to work. My Dad never wore a tie to work. My brother teaches phy-ed now, so he gets to wear sweats and shorts to work. Nope. I still button it all the way to the top and wrap the tie around. My only salvation of personal expression is the tie itself.

In years past, my wife has bought the father's day presents for me and the girls had only a small bit of input into the process. I love my wife, but, well, that's just not as much fun. This year, she asked me what I wanted for Father's Day. My answer, "What ever the KIDS pick out for me." I kind of expected mom to weed out the Barbies and the Littlest Pet Shops gifts. I know they THINK Daddy wants one, but I know that will end. "Dad, since you aren't really play with that, can I..." The classic Fred Flinstone end around gift. I'm a guy, of course I know how this works.

It seems OhCountess took the girls shopping for ties and let them pick them out. She told me she filtered a little bit know that my place of employment can be a little, um, stuffy. There is still a dress code here and the ugly tie day is not greeted with joy.

This tie was picked out by OhPrincess1. and I figure I'd share a little bit about why this tie is really amazing to me.

My 3rd grader really seems to like school. Not always the classes themselves, but she doesn't seem to loath going each day. The school she attends is fantastic and does a great job of teaching what I would consider a classic eduction. Heck, we even still have an art class!

This past year, they were doing a little work in studying the classic artists. She even studied one crazy man called Vincent van Gogh.


In studying the master painter himself, they were given the task of reproducing the classic work, Starry Night with their own little twists.

At right is what she did. Now granted, the school didn't frame and matte it, but we did. It now hangs, with honor, in the bathroom on the main floor for all to see.

According to my wife, she found this tie in Ralph Marlin and just knew I'd love it. She even asked if I knew why she picked it out. Well, honey, of course I do.

I even had fun at work. I got some awesome comments from co-workers loving the tie, but I had to ask them, do you know what it is? My 8 year old does :)

Why spends hundreds or even thousands of dollars on fancy smanshy framed art when you can hang one of your kid's masterpieces? Common on, what would you rather look at while doing your business...a framed velvet Elvis, or Starry Night as seen through the eyes of your child?