For those of y'all who don't follow my other blog, you should know that this week marked my transition from being a full-time-work-outside-the-home mom (FTWOHM) to being a part-time-work-at-home mom (PTWAHM), with yesterday being my very first day of staying home (VFDOSH).
Today, my husband decided to take a day off too, and right now, as I write this, from my cozy bed, buzzing from my third cup of coffee, THE MAN IS CLEANING THE HOUSE. No, seriously. I just went downstairs from some half-and-half and there is laundry being done. The kitchen is clean. Currently? He is Swiffering.
Recently it has come to my attention that they let DADS have blogs nowadays too. I know! Next thing you know, they're probably going to want equal pay and their own Flickr accounts. And possibly the right to vote. So in honor of my husband (good gravy, I hear the vacuum cleaner), let's check in with a few of my favorite online fathers...
DaddyTypes, a great blog for new dads, is conducting a poll about using Benadryl or other, ahem, sedatives on your children in preparation for a long flight. I am not touching that topic with a 10-foot-long pole duct-taped to a second 10-foot-long pole, but I think the discussion and poll results are pretty interesting.
The always-hilarious Dad Gone Mad got his son to blog about poop. Now THAT is an accomplishment, and I congratulate him on his most excellent nurturing of the next blogging generation.
And MetroDad wrote a letter to his 18-month-old daughter documenting the inevitable descent from Cool Person to Dorky Parent Type.
"There was a time when your parents were much cooler, Peanut. Hard to believe but it's true. Before you were born, your mother and I used to have quite an active social life. We would go to fun parties, attend Off-Broadway plays, check out new bands, chill out in cool lounges, and discover new restaurants. After you were born, things slowed down quite a bit. You were the only social life that we wanted to have. From the moment you were born, everything else fell by the wayside and you become the amazing epicenter of our new lives. We spent every moment of every day trying to figure out how to spend more time with you. In all honesty, we couldn't have been happier. "
Oh my. Ahem. I'm sorry, it suddenly got extremely dusty in here. Where's my husband with that Swiffer?
Too sweet, with the epicenter and the Swiffering. Great, now I need a tissue too.
Posted by: Missie | May 05, 2006 at 10:25 AM
How did you ever get your husband to clean? I mention that I need to clean and mine goes "yeah that would be a good idea." UGH!!!
Posted by: earlyduckie | May 05, 2006 at 10:30 AM
I am loving this new column you have, Amy.
Posted by: Starbuck | May 05, 2006 at 10:37 AM
Great post, Amy! I love being introduced to new blogs to read, and Daddy Blogs are such a nice change of pace. Nice to get a man's eye view on mushy, gooey, childrearing love.
Keep up the good work!
Amy :)
Posted by: Amy | May 05, 2006 at 10:45 AM
DGM and MetroDad are two of my favorites.
Oh, and I think you should keep Jason. CLEANING! Yay!
Posted by: mdvelazquez | May 05, 2006 at 11:18 AM
yup. my husband declared that he was "going to clean the house" this morning as I left for work. that is some hot man-on-swiffer action (HMOSA) right there, i tell you. When he whips out the disposable toilet brush, well, i can hardly contain myself;-)
so far, am loving reading you over here Amy!
Posted by: joy | May 05, 2006 at 11:58 AM
Can I just tell you that I love that I have not one, not two but THREE places to read your witty writing! You are keeping me entertained at work...
Thanks for the new links to blogs. I have read MetroDad before via BIYF (Because I'm Your Father) and BlogFathers. Good Stuff!
Keep Jason cleaning, my husband is learning to as well. This first trimester with twins has taken every last bit of energy out of me.
Posted by: Laura | May 05, 2006 at 12:27 PM
Um. . . any chance of Jason sharing some of that cleaning fever with my husband?
OK. Just thought I'd ask. God, you're one lucky woman! :-)
Posted by: Tara | May 05, 2006 at 02:56 PM
Hooray for dads. And hell, what's wrong with drugging up a kid on the plane?
:)
Posted by: Motherhood Uncensored | May 05, 2006 at 03:21 PM
The best thing feminism ever did was force dads to see how integral they are to their kids' lives.
A Swiffering man is a real man. Use that one on him tonight. ;)
Posted by: Lena | May 05, 2006 at 04:42 PM
Buy that man a Dyson quick!
Posted by: Anne Glamore | May 05, 2006 at 05:16 PM
My husband does the laundry (he was in the Army and does laundry like J-Lo does skank. Which would be 'really well'.), and I do everything else.
I absolutely feel this is a fair division of labor because I HATE laundry.
Posted by: Contrary | May 05, 2006 at 06:08 PM
I don't even know how to describe how hard I'm down with being linked-to on this site, Amalah (even if it is a link to an entry that I DIDN'T WRITE).
If bloggers were Power Rangers, you would TOTALLY be Red Ranger.
Posted by: Dad Gone Mad | May 05, 2006 at 08:41 PM
If you your husband is also handy with one of those Mr. Clean gizmos and can whip up a mean cocktail, then I'm really going to be jealous.
Posted by: Jamie | May 05, 2006 at 09:16 PM
Contrary, your J-Lo comparison is fabulous. Will be using that one (with proper credit given, of course.)
Thank you, Amy, for bringing us all the newest and best of the world o' blogs. I can't keep up so it's nice to have this round-up.
Posted by: Stacie | May 07, 2006 at 11:37 AM
Wow...Jason rocks.
I've been asking my husband to vacuum since our baby was born. But the jerk is too busy building our new house on his FMLA time. (He's really not a jerk, by the way!)
And although it's only been about 3 weeks since my baby was surgically removed from my belly, long gone are the days of concerts and movies.
And I think we're okay with that.
Posted by: Isabel | May 07, 2006 at 03:46 PM
I also love the blog fathers and many of the blogs out there where the parents write as a team. I couldn't get my husband to write on my blog even if I actually wanted him to.
Posted by: HeatherJ | May 07, 2006 at 05:55 PM
I love your writing here too!
I am pro-benadryl.
My wonderful husband cleans too..I love him even more when he does that.
I love the links...and post-baby bods really do suck.
Posted by: mandy | May 07, 2006 at 09:22 PM
Thanks for the props, Amalah! Daddy bloggers are like the red-headed stepchildren of the internet. Most people don't even know we exist. But although there aren't many of us around, we seem to be growing every day. I think that's a good thing. Because as my wife likes to say, "men who change diapers, change the world."
I think she says that so I'll change all the diapers. Smart woman, my wife.
Thanks again!
Posted by: MetroDad | May 08, 2006 at 09:45 AM
For another good Dadblog check out Laid Off Dad.
Posted by: Shannon | May 09, 2006 at 01:26 PM
Metrodad- I'm totally calling you out on the cut-n-paste job on that comment dude!
Posted by: dutch | May 09, 2006 at 04:34 PM
I actually recently found that the community of Father bloggers is pretty cool and welcoming. It's not quite the same as mothers, yet; there are no Post Awards, no BlogHim conferences, no Tags, but there are many Dads essentially modelling new fatherhood - being involved, being emotional, and being a Daddy - for the next set of fathers. Our fathers certainly didn't have anything like that.
Posted by: JGS | May 11, 2006 at 11:23 PM