Saturday 29 September 2012

Weeks End

Happy weekending everyone! I'll be back with more shockingly interesting tidbits on Monday.



Friday 28 September 2012

Lessons Learned from Home Brewing

My brother-in-law and best friend - Jason - and I are avid home brewers.  We've been concocting our beers for the past two years or so and enjoy pushing the envelope.  We're not satisfied with an ordinary brew, otherwise we'd settle for the generic junk the "Big 3" sell in the beer store.  Nah!  That stuff doesn't measure up to our brews which have included a decadent cherry stout, a tasty apple bottomed cream ale and a Czech style pilsner infused with a refreshing citrus zing.  Mmmmm...fantastic.

Our wives (who are sisters) encourage our endeavors as they see it as a way for the two of us to "bond" or as we call it, hangout.  It is a great excuse to get together and watch a game with a couple of cold ones while we wait for our wort to steep.

Once we had a batch that I thought we had lost...it just didn't seem to want to ferment.  The primary fermentation period for this batch was supposed to be 7-10 days.  During this period you're supposed to see bubbles rising or some activity in the brew as the sugars devour the yeast.  Ten days passed and nothing...I remember it being a particularly stressful time for Jason at work and I was dreading telling him the bad news.  I knew it would be met with disappointment followed by a few tears...okay, I'm kidding about the tears.  Jason's ex-military and as tough as any rough-neck.  Nevertheless, such a result would have been quite disheartening for both of us.  I decided to wait.  11 days...12...13...14...nothing

Day 21 and I was prepared to pitch the yeast again to see if we couldn't salvage the batch.  I lugged the pail upstairs from the basement and popped open the lid.  I was prepared for a moldy mess.  To my surprise I was instead greeted by a frothy, bubbly head...it worked!!

Kids are sometimes like that batch of brew.  Sometimes I wonder if anything I say, any of my "vast wisdom" that I try to instill in my daughters is taking any root.  Then one day...boom!!  Bubbles and froth!!  Yeah, they're listening...they're getting it.  Be patient my fatherly friends!



Thursday 27 September 2012

The Joy of the Stay-At-Home Daddy

Happy Thursday!!

For the past 34 weeks I have experienced something that every father should experience - the joy of staying home with his family.  Just over 8 months ago my wife and I welcomed our third daughter to the world.  Living in the wonderful country that I do (go Canada!), I had the opportunity to take a semi-paid leave of absence from my job to remain home for 35 weeks.  35 wonderful weeks!!  The bonus of my situation is that my wife is a stay-at-home mom and so we were both at home for that time.

I have a great job and am in the early stages of my career.  So the decision to put all of that on hold (not to mention giving up nearly half my salary) was met with raised brows, tilted heads and not a little bewilderment and trepidation by some.  However my wife and I hold strong convictions about the value of our family and so, for us, it was an easy decision.

First off 35 weeks is nothing when put in perspective of a 30+ year career.  I'm not going to miss those 35 weeks of work.  But that time spent with my family is invaluable especially in the early, formative years of my girls' lives.  When will I have an opportunity to spend so much time with my family?  The next time I'm able to do this might be when I retire.  By then my girls will be all grown up, our relationship pretty much established and they probably will have more pressing things to attend to than spending time with their old man.  

And while us spouses who work outside the home sometimes think we have the hard part and believe we understand the challenges and significance of the stay-at-home parent, until you experience it first hand, you can't fully appreciate it. Here's to my wife who does this all the time!

In the past, I have said that we were lucky to be able to take this time - but really luck had very little to do with it.  We made a choice, planned accordingly and sacrificed when needed.  I understand not every father is able to take such a leave...but if it is available to you, then you really should try it.  Take the word of another father - you will not regret it!!


Wednesday 26 September 2012

Ryan's Daddy Blog Kickoff

Hello!

This is my first attempt at a blog but I'm pretty excited because I've got somethings to say.  Yes...somethings.  Not just one or two things but a whole bunch to say about fatherhood and beyond.

This blog will be my spot to rant and muse about all things fatherly.  In fact I think an appropriate sub-title for the blog would be, "The Ranting and Musings of a Father in the Midst of It."  The "it" being fatherhood.

I have three girls...three wonderful girls who have changed my life.  I know, it's such a cliche and I will fight tooth and nail to avoid such cliches (oh no...there goes another one).  They really have though, from my priorities and things I value to the way my time is spent they have altered the way I view and experience the world.  They have given me greater purpose than I had without them.

They give me insight into the great mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life.  They challenge me...sharpen me...and make me a better man.  They've given me many fond memories and funny stories filled with laughter and the three p's of papahood:  puke, poo and pee (really the 3 p's of parenthood, no?).

I will share this insight (which may very well be common knowledge to you) and some anecdotes as well as vent about the things that yet confound me - the things I just don't get (which is a lot).  I hope other fathers read this and find solace knowing that they are not alone;  don't worry if you're not a father, you should still read it because it's sure to be amusing, intriguing, delightfully touching, and all that great stuff.

When my wife and I were expecting our first daughter, my father told me, "Son, there's never a perfect time to have a child.  If you waited until everything was just right, you might never have one.  You just gotta dive into it."  Likewise, I'm just an average father trying my best not screw my kids up too much.  I don't have it all figured out...I'm not an authority on fatherhood.  But I've got something to say and if I waited until I did have it all figured out...well then this blog might never be written.  So here I go...from one father to all of you.

Enjoy!