Tuesday, April 17, 2012

TheRealMattDaddy.com Turns One Year Old Today - Let's Fiesta!


Or maybe let's not fiesta.  Someone's not in the mood.  

One year ago today, I woke up thinking that this at-home dad thing would be a sweet gig.  I would get to sleep in, take naps, watch TV, play my guitar, drink beer at 10am, and a whole list of other non-parenting things that I had been missing out on because I worked too much.  I can't say that I haven't done everything on this list at least once, but I didn't really know how much this whole "parenting" thing would get in the way of me accomplishing most of the items on my list.  One year later, that list is long gone, and I'm still having the time of my life.
Let's just make a checklist of some of the things that have happened to me since I started staying home with my daughter:

Get peed on? Check.  Poop in the tub? Check.  Went to an at-home dads convention? Check.  Resorted to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to get my kid to sit still?  Check.  Get an apple lodged in my daughter's nose?  Check.

Wow, it's been an eventful year!  Not only that, I got butt-bumped by a tourist at Hershey's Chocolate World.  I got into a written spat over a Huggies commercial.  I gave away a bunch of free stuff.  I made at least one (but really many more) new friends.

But what do I value the most about this past year?  None of the above.  What does it for me is that my daughter is happy and healthy.  My marriage is much better than it was when I was working too much.  And I am finally starting to work on my own health issues by getting more active and losing weight.  There are a lot of great things coming  in the next year at TheRealMattDaddy.com but they mean nothing if it costs me any time or peace with my family.

Thank you so much for sharing  this adventure with me.  I'm glad that my writing is meaningful to you, and I hope you keep coming back (and telling all of your friends)!

8 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your achievement. I wish I was lucky enough to be a stay at home dad with my son.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just make sure you take the time to give him every free moment of your undivided attention. It will have the same value, if not more since you are sacrificing your own interests in order to give him your valuable time. Thanks for stopping in!

      Delete
  2. So happy to see the last year has been such a fab one, and I can't wait for the upcoming year of more hilarious episodes, and heartwarming stories! Well done! xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. April is also the 1-year anniversary of #DadChat, Matt...so congrats to you and to me! Having fun yet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tell my wife all the time, "You had better not get fired because I love what I'm doing right now, and I never want to go back to work!" Thanks for your support along the way, Bruce. Your dedication to commenting and building a real relationship with your readers/tribemates does not go unnoticed.

      Delete
  4. I love this post! I'm coming up on the one year mark of staying home with my kids too! I recently had to make the decision about going back to work. I think you will se some similarities between us. If you get a chance to check it out that would be great- http://www.indyschild.com/Blog-6334.114134-6422.114134-Leave-of-Absence.html

    Keep up the good work!

    -Pete

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congrats Matt ! Woo Hoo ! so happy for you :) My buzz turned a year old just a few wks back & it was exciting. Love your blog! Just do more recipes though :) And all the best with your resolutions for the next year! hugs :)

    ReplyDelete

ShareThis

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...