Mr. Mom -- Day #15

Coming down the stretch now, and today was a day of a different sort.

It was a beer day. It was a fishing day. It was a car day. Not as much a "kid day." Thank goodness for Grandma's help.

Of course, if Grandma wasn't here it definitely wouldn't have been a beer-making day. The car, well...

The twins were off this morning without a hitch.

I had decided last night to make beer, so I sanitized all the gear (which is quite a pile for the mash-boil part of the process). Then Kenneth and I drove to Omaha to drop of his car at Jensen Tire. He remarked on Friday that something was "wrong" with is exhaust system. I said: "Fine. Make an appointment, and I'll help you take it in." Today was the day. We dropped the car at 10:00am and headed home.

Then I brewed -- Honey-Orange Ale -- while Grandma entertained Thomas with "Sorry" and "Legos". Once the beer was done, I started to wonder why we hadn't heard from Jensen Tire. We really needed Kennth's car back so Grandma could use Paula's car for a lunch she had planned with one of her friends (Kenneth had been driving Paula's car because his was dumping exhaust into the passenger compartment -- a wise call on his part). Finally, the called and said that he needed a $650 exhaust repair, and that was best case scenario -- if the bolts holding the exhaust pipe to the catalytic converter would come off. Otherwise, we would be adding a converter to the bill as well.

So we sat on pins an needles waiting for the"all clear" call from the auto repair shop, all the while hoping they didn't break a really expensive part in the process of making their expensive repair. As luck would have it, there were no complications, so around 4:30 we all loaded into my car and drove to Omaha to get Kenneth's car, and then to dinner at "the noodle place."

When we got home, the kids went on the trampoline, and I grabbed my fishing pole and went down to the dock. Caught a nice walleye on the first cast! Then the kids came and joined me, and I got four more fish including a walleye that went about 2-3 pounds. Then it was time to come in, as it was getting dark and a bit cold.

We watched Hercules, then it was time to go off to bed. Sarah had to give a "spoiled kid" performance because I (a.) wouldn't let her watch another episode of Hercules, and (b.) wouldn't let her watch an extra half hour of "Shake it Up." Someday, she will realize that pitching a fit makes it less likely for me to let her stay up later, rather than more. Up to now, however, she hasn't been able to figure it out.

Tomorrow is the big homecoming. I have lots of straightening and cleaning to do to make sure everything is ship-shape for mommy's return at dinner time.