Professional Dad

What would you have done?

Mike Brickl — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:06:45 GMT

The other day, I was driving westbound on I-94, a few miles east of Barker Road. It was late in the afternoon, toward the end of rush hour, so traffic was a bit heavy and slow moving. As traffic began to break up a bit, I noticed that the car ahead of me kept swerving out of his lane. (We were in the middle lane, so there was one lane on each side of us for him to veer into.)

It was obvious that this driver was somehow impaired and that he only had partial control of his vehicle. Through his back windshield, I could see the driver vigorously shaking his head back and forth. He was either trying to wake himself up, or sober up. Was he a drunk driver? Or just a guy who desperately needed a nap? Either way, it seemed like a dangerous situation.

As I followed behind at a safe distance, my heart rate began to speed up. It was one of those scenarios where you are just waiting for something bad to happen. Just as I was about to get on my cell phone to call 9-1-1, this driver took the next exit, and was soon gone from my sight. Hopefully he headed straight for a hotel, or a gas station to purchase an energy drink. The sooner he got off the road, the better.

If I would have witnessed his car sideswiping another driver, I would have felt terrible for not being proactive in reporting the situation. But what is the best course of action in a situation like this? Is it appropriate to dial 9-1-1 to alert the local authorities? Is it feasible to expect the cops to locate this driver in a timely manner?

If you had witnessed this driver swerving in and out of his lane, what would you have done?

Online Grocery Shopping

Mike Brickl — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:43:00 GMT

I don't like grocery shopping. I'm not sure why I developed this attitude, but there is something about this chore that has me looking for excuses to put it off for another day.

Going to the grocery store used to be a simple task when Jack was a baby. He would sit in the cart, content as could be. I could breeze through the aisles quickly, and complete my shopping in 30 minutes or less. But now that Jack is three years old, he has no interest in sitting in the cart, and would rather explore the store at his own pace, in his own erratic pattern. What used to be an efficient trip, is now a chaotic, drawn-out experience. So when I received a brochure in the mail the other day from a company offering grocery delivery, I took interest.

I've vaguely known about this type of service for awhile, but I never really seriously considered it for myself. I wondered, who is the typical customer for this type of home delivery service? Is it mostly people who can't physically leave their homes? Or perhaps individuals who don't have time to spend in a grocery store. Or, maybe it's people who just prefer to do all of their shopping online.

There are a number of companies online that offer home delivery of groceries. Because there are so many available, I have to believe that a fair number of shoppers rely on this type of service. Here are just a few:

PeaPod

NetGrocer

EthnicGrocer.com

GroceryWorks.com

PD Quick

Have you ever shopped for groceries online? Is the delivery service reliable? Can I expect a total stranger to be as particular as I am about picking perfect produce? And is there any real value to having your groceries delivered straight to your door?

If you have ever ordered groceries online, please share your experience.

I'm not convinced that online grocery shopping is the best option for me. But when I think about the hassle of chasing Jack around the liquor department of our local Pick N Save for 15 minutes, anything is possible.

Dum Dums on the Carpet

Mike Brickl — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:41:38 GMT

For the first three years of his life, Jack had little interest in candy. But recently, he has started to develop a bit of a sweet tooth. And with that discovery, comes a new found interest in sampling some of the various sugary treats available in the world. One such example, the Dum Dums Pop.

Jack refers to Dum Dums as "lolly pops". And when he is handed an unwrapped lolly pop, he seems to find more enjoyment making a "slurp, slurp" sound, rather than actually tasting it. But after Jack has had his fill of the lolly pop, it is usually abandoned at a most undesirable location.

Here is a lolly pop left for dead on the carpet in Jack's bedroom.

With Halloween only a few weeks away, we are heading into the peak season for "candy accumulation overload". So, rationing Jack's candy intake will be very important. I don't mind letting Jack enjoy a bite size candy bar every now and then. (There are health benefits to chocolate, right??) But as a general rule, if more of the candy treat ends up on the floor than in Jack's mouth, I'll feel no guilt in throwing that candy in the garbage.

How do you plan on handling your kids' candy stash this Halloween? Will you limit how they consume the candy? Or do your kids show self-restraint?

Bed Jumping

Mike Brickl — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:28:49 GMT

As an amateur "blogger", I sometimes find myself surfing the internet in the pursuit of discovering blogs of interest. I am intrigued by the endless accumulation of subject matters that are out there. From the mundane, to the insane, blogs can be as diverse as the world's population.

Recently, I came across a blog that immediately caught my attention: BedJump.com.

As the name implies, this blog features photos and first hand accounts from 'bed jumpers' in various hotels and cruise ships around the world. (The blog is actually a sub-site of Hotels By City.net).

Captured in various poses of suspension, responsible adults suddenly revert back to their adolescence. Maybe it's something about those wild-patterned bed spreads that gives people a little burst of adrenaline.

It takes a fast shutter speed to capture a pose like this. No fear.

If you've ever stayed at a hotel and heard loud thumps coming from the next room, it may have been this guy.

Just because a business trip takes you away from your family, doesn't mean you can't have fun.

The "Superman" seems to be a popular pose.

As I scrolled through this site, I kept asking myself, 'Is this really funny? Or just a big waste of my time?'

I think I've formed my own opinion regarding this 'bed jumping' blog. What are your thoughts? Is a blog on 'bed jumping' funny? Destructive? Or simply a waste of time?

Point. Click. Repeat.

Mike Brickl — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:35:55 GMT

Right about the time Jack turned three last week, he developed a strong interest in our desktop computer. Since then, its been difficult keeping him away from the silly thing.

I really don't mind that Jack plays on the computer. I think it's terrific that he is learning to work with a mouse. He's becoming a pro at moving the pointer around the screen, and "clicking" on the items that he wants to select. It's really quite an impressive feat for a toddler. He's manipulating the mouse better than many adults that I know.

How can a computer possibly capture the attention of a 3-year old? Jack is hooked on PBSKids.org. It's really a well-designed site. The site includes Jack's favorite PBS programs, and incorporates fun and simple educational games that relate to the theme of each show. For example, you can build sand castles with Curious George, visit the Neighborhood of Make-Believe with Mr. Rogers, or feed "letter" cookies to Cookie Monster on the Sesame Street page. Jack's favorite activity of late is going on reading adventures with Super Why!.

While it's great that Jack is developing his computer skills at an early age, I really think it's important that his time on the computer be limited and regulated. While I know there's no chance that Jack will start a profile on networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook, I don't want him thinking that 3 hours on the computer is part of our daily routine.

Besides, he may be sitting in front of computer for 40+ hours a week some day for his career. At this stage of his life, he's better off surfing our backyard rather than the internet.

Things that go "bleep bleep" in the night

Mike Brickl — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:25:15 GMT

About 48 hours or so. That's how long it took me to figure out exactly where the sound was coming from. Determining that the annoying little musical recording was coming from Jack's room was simple. But figuring out which toy was teasing me with random and unpredictable chirps and alarms proved to be the difficult part.

I first heard the sound in the middle of the night. In my half-conscious state, I thought it might be my wife's cell phone signaling that the battery was almost dead. But that theory was quickly dismissed. In a nearly pitch-black room, my eyes scanned up and down a six-foot shelving unit that holds dozens of Jack's toys. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a flashing light or something that would expose the guilty culprit. No such luck. This search would have to continue after sunrise.

Maybe you've been in my situation before. If your kids have ever owned a small battery-operated toy that incorporates sounds and/or flashing lights, you know that the manufacturers include an automatic shutoff function. After sixty seconds or so of non-use, the toy shuts itself down to save battery life, even though the power button has not been physically turned to the "off" position. To get the toy to re-activate, you simply start playing with it again.

This is where the situation got really frustrating for me. The toy in question was blurting out beeps, bleeps and cheeps for no apparent reason. It was as if some phantom force was activating the sound mechanism, but only when I was in the hallway, or one room away. And since it wasn't occurring at regular time intervals, I couldn't just stand in Jack's room waiting for it to happen again. It was like trying to photograph a lightening strike. Even if you knew it was coming, you couldn't get your camera in position fast enough to capture the moment. It seemed no matter how patient I was, I was never in position to locate the instigator.

Finally, I got lucky. After strategically weeding toys off of the shelving unit, I focused my attention on a small basket that contained a number of miscellaneous toys. And just at the right moment, the toy went into its musical outburst, and I found my nemesis.

Turns out the culprit was a dinky little American Idol-themed toy that Jack probably acquired with a McDonald's Happy Meal. As I had assumed, the power button was left in the "on" position. The toy is designed to play music when you lift the character's left arm.

Why the toy was going off by itself is anyone's guess. But I can assure you, that toy's power button is now in the "off" position.

The Children's Play Gallery

Mike Brickl — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:34:19 GMT

Our playgroup was supposed to meet at Wales Community Park on Monday morning, but dark clouds rolled in, and threatened our plans. By the time Jack and I arrived at the park, it was beginning to sprinkle, so we had to come up with an alternative plan. Jenny, (a member of our playgroup), and I decided it would be fun to try an indoor activity instead. Jenny suggested we head up to Delafield to visit The Children's Play Gallery.

This turned out to be a really fun option. I had read about The Children's Play Gallery before, but had never taken Jack there. The Children's Play Gallery can be described as a playroom taken to the nth degree. I was impressed as soon as I stepped through the front door.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the multi-level, "Ship of Discovery". This structure resembles a pirate ship, and kids can climb a ramp to reach the main deck, and then climb a ladder to reach the upper level to "steer" the mighty vessel. Jack and I had lots of fun playing "peek-a-boo" through the many portholes.

Before you can even reach the Ship of Discovery, you'll walk past a number of fun activity areas such as a little stage for junior thespians, a marketplace for shopping-time fun, and a musical instrument area.

Other spots of interest at the "interactive museum" include an arts and crafts center, a station for molding "moon sand", a reading room, a dedicated toddler's play area, and a two-story playhouse, (complete with slide).

The various activities at The Children's Play Gallery are conveniently located all within one big room. This makes it easy for parents to keep a watchful eye on a single child, or even multiple children. And family restrooms add convenience for extended visits.

After four hours of exploring The Children's Play Gallery, I was finally able to convince Jack that it was time to leave. And when I say "convince", I mean I was finally able to drag Jack out of the place. But Jack had so much fun, those four hours went by quickly for me too.

We will definitely look forward to more visits to The Children's Play Gallery in the future.

Grocery Store Adventures

Mike Brickl — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:57:01 GMT

Have you ever seen that guy in the grocery store chasing his 3-year old toddler up and down the aisles? Well, "that guy" is me.

Today's trip to the grocery store started out well enough. Even though Jack didn't want to sit in the cart, he stayed close to me and we made a fun little game out of gathering our fruits and veges. But that game ended as soon as we entered the "numbered" aisles. Jack's interest immediately turned to discovering all of the numbers hanging above the aisles. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that Jack has a strong interest in numbers. I just wish that his eagerness to count didn't involve an extended stay at the grocery store.

In situations like this, I don't attempt to fight Jack. I know that forcing him to comply to my wishes will only cause an embarrassing scene, and lead to a very unhappy little boy. So, I let Jack finish his numerical journey through the store, and by the time we reached the final aisle, Jack was ready to let daddy take control again. Which was great because in order to keep up with Jack's pace, I had to abandon our cart way back in aisle 3.

After reclaiming our partially-filled cart, Jack was 100% cooperative for the remainder of the shopping trip. He sat quietly in the cart, and I was able to collect the rest of our groceries in a very short amount of time. By giving Jack just a few minutes to satisfy his eagerness to discover something new, I was able to complete my task in a relatively efficient manner.

I guess it just shows that with a little compromise, we both will be happy in the end.

Fantasy Football Legend

Mike Brickl — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:30:16 GMT

Every year at about this time, countless football fans put on their "managerial hats" to test their abilities of drafting and managing a successful National Football League roster. Those who participate in and embrace this phenomenon, refer to their hobby as, "Fantasy Football". (The spouses of fantasy football enthusiasts probably call it something entirely different.)

The concept of fantasy football is actually quite simple; participants, (also known as "owners"), get together to "draft" real NFL players to their roster. Depending on how these NFL players perform during a game, points are allocated for various achievements, (touchdowns scored, yards gained, etc...). Each week during the NFL season, owners are paired up, and the roster with the highest point total, is the winner for that week. The regular season leads to a series of playoff games, and ultimately a league champion is crowned.

My wife actually gets a kick out of witnessing my involvement in fantasy football. As a stock analyst, Jennifer sees similarities between my strategies, and her professional, day to day activities. For example:
Jennifer invests real dollars in well-performing stocks.
I invest draft picks in players who are likely to score points for my team.

Jennifer researches new companies with a "good story" and high-potential upside.
I research "sleeper players" that I can pick up as the season plays out.

Jennifer's under-performing stocks get dumped.
My under-performing players get dropped from my roster.

The biggest difference between what Jennifer is doing and what I am doing is that her efforts bring home a paycheck. The best I can hope for is bragging rights among my fantasy football brethren. (As a side note, all trash talking within my fantasy football league must be delivered in limerick form. It is unorthodox, to be sure).

Why do so many guys get excited about fantasy football? The answer will come as no surprise. Fantasy football gives us a chance to actively show off our "expertise" in a sport that we are woefully under qualified to participate in. We know that we will never have the opportunity to be on the field with the likes of Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. But by "drafting" these NFL legends and deciding when they will "start" or when they will be "benched", gives us the false sense of power that we so desperately crave. The word, "fantasy" in "fantasy football" is grossly understated.

Today, fantasy football leagues are not exclusive to men, as many women are getting into the pastime as well. And the technology involved with fantasy football has evolved drastically. When my league first started twelve years ago, we relied on the Monday morning sports page to search for player stats so that we could manually tally our scores. Now, internet sites are available so drafts can be conducted online, and scores can be automatically tallied in real time.

While I can't get into all of the details of what happens at draft night in my fantasy football league, I will say that it's a once-a-year event that is the epitome of "male bonding". The stakes are low, but the excitement level is high. And with the recently unretired Brett Favre on my roster, I can't wait for the 2008 NFL season to begin!

i'm lovin' it

Mike Brickl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:03:59 GMT

Jack and I traveled to Middleton today to spend some time with my 11-year old nephew, Louis. The three of us didn't have any specific plans for the day, but we did end up going to McDonald's for lunch. We had a simple order; two Happy Meals, an Extra Value Meal #3 and a couple of beverages. Although I was carrying Jack on my right arm when I ordered, I really don't believe I gave the impression that my hands were too full to handle a tray full of food. Despite my self-confidence, a McDonald's employee behind the counter insisted that I seat myself and the two kids while he brought our food out to us.

Excuse me?!? Did I hear you correctly? Let me get this straight. You're offering to fill our order, pour me a Diet Pepsi, carry my tray, and then seek us out in the dining area? I was flabbergasted! I really did not expect to receive praiseworthy service in a McDonald's restaurant. No offense to McDonald's employees, but I've been to enough fast food establishments to know that this gentleman was acting above and beyond the normal call of duty.

By the time I got Louis, Jack and myself seated at a booth, our food and beverages arrived within a few seconds. Our order made it to the table without me having to risk a nasty spill and major embarrassment.

Perhaps this helpful employee is a higher-up manager with extensive customer service training. Or, perhaps he is just a guy who recognizes when a parent can use an extra hand. Either way, when it comes to receiving service like this, "I'm lovin' it".

New Shoes Blues

Mike Brickl — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:20:04 GMT

I'll admit it. I'm a bit of a pack rat. I tend to have a hard time growing out of things, and throwing them out.

I'm not a "crazy, out-of-control, save my own fingernail clippings" -type of pack rat. I just tend to hold on to things longer than I should - for fear of needing said items at some point in the future. I guess I inherited this trait from my grandfather. And now I think this behavior is being passed on to my young son, evidenced by his reluctance to move on to a new pair of shoes.

This past weekend, Jennifer took Jack to Famous Footwear to find replacements for his old Nike shoes. Jennifer specifically sought out shoes that looked similar to his existing pair; primarily white, with a blue swoosh. The only major difference was that the new pair had Velcro straps instead of laces. With practically identical sneakers, we were hoping for a smooth transition. We were wrong.

So far, I've only been able to get one of the new shoes on Jack before he notices my evil trickery. As soon as he realizes what is going on, Jack insists on putting on his old, beat up shoes. While I fully recognize that I am guilty of the same crime, (I usually wear clothes until they have been shredded to rags), a toddler should not be nearly as particular. In fact, a kid Jack's age should be embracing new shoes just as he would be captivated by a shiny new toy, or even the cardboard box that the new toy was packaged in. But this isn't the case.

So I'll keep working to somehow get Jack interested in his new shoes. (I honestly don't have a plan of attack yet, so this could be a tough challenge). But I guess like all phases in a kid's life, he'll grow out of this one involving his old shoes. I just hope his feet don't grow out of his old shoes first.

Social Graces

Mike Brickl — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:35:00 GMT

Attending a social gathering with a toddler in tow is somewhat like playing a hand of Blackjack. You never know what you are going to be dealt, and you know the odds are against you.

On Saturday, Jennifer, Jack and I attended a wedding reception that was being held at the residence of the bride's parents. Weather conditions were ideal for the outdoor event, with temperatures in the high 70s, and a slight breeze to defend against bugs. The hosts recognized that young children would be in attendance, so they had set up one of those big, inflatable, "bounce castle" things. While this bloated equipment offered adequate entertainment for most of the kids, Jack had other interests on his mind.

First on Jack's agenda was to get as far away from the rest of the group as possible. And since I am paranoid about letting Jack get out of my sight, this meant that I was separated from the main group as well. (The reception was held at a farm, so there was lots of room for Jack to roam). After Jack and I were off by ourselves, Jack preceded to amuse himself by pouring handfuls of gravel driveway through his hair. After I pulled him away from that mess, Jack found amusement in pacing up and down the sidewalk by the house. And after that, Jack thoroughly studied the landscaping of the entire grounds. Basically, Jack did everything he could to avoid contact with the rest of the crowd.

Was Jack misbehaving at this event? No. Was Jack disruptive or out of control? Absolutely not. But because he was more interested in wandering off to do his own thing, Jack missed an opportunity to interact with the other kids. Not to mention the fact that I missed the opportunity to converse with other adults. Our afternoon of potential social interaction turned into a much more private affair.

Working through this grace period of Jack's "social isolation" is just one of the (many) basic skills deserving attention. One positive step in this process is that we recently joined a playgroup. So far, our playgroup has agreed to meet regularly on Monday mornings, and I think that Jack will really benefit from this experience. As Jack becomes more familiar with the other toddlers in our playgroup, he will learn the value of friendship, and the importance of good social interaction.

And as a stay-at-home dad who feels socially isolated at times, this playgroup is a great opportunity for me as well.

Rewarding Good Behavior

Mike Brickl — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:59:10 GMT

The weather was incredibly beautiful this past Thursday, so it was very easy to get ourselves out of the house to run a couple of quick errands. First stop was Friends of Nature to pick up some wild bird seed and a couple of bags of horse feed.

Jack really loves the Friends of Nature store because there are images of animals featured on just about every piece of merchandise. Each aisle is thoroughly entertaining for a 2 1/2-year old. I like to let Jack walk on his own, (as opposed to confining him to a shopping cart), because he loves to explore the store. The store isn't very large, so there is little risk of Jack disappearing from my sight. It is important to keep one eye on him though because at one point today, Jack tried to eat an ear of field corn that was part of a display in the squirrel section.

After we purchased our stash of animal goodies from Friends of Nature, we headed up to Target. As soon as we set foot in Target, Jack led me directly to his favorite destination -- the toy department. As I mentioned in a previous post, Jack loves to add to his Thomas the Tank Engine collection. Today's purchase was a little yellow engine named, "Molly".

While Molly is not one of the major characters in the "Thomas" storyline, this engine has a very distinctive paint scheme, and is sure to be Jack's favorite locomotive for a very long time. Or at least until our next visit to Target.

With Molly now in his possession, I was guaranteed that Jack would behave like a perfect little toddler for the remainder of this shopping experience. I don't want to give the impression that Jack is spoiled, or motivated by material things. My point is simply that Jack is smart enough to realize that good behavior can earn rewards. (In this case, the reward came first, but that's a mere technicality). This is a lesson that I'm more than happy to instill on my son; when you choose to behave and do the right thing, (now and throughout life), rewards may follow. On the other hand, if you choose to misbehave, there are consequences that are not nearly as rewarding as receiving a fun new toy.

Following my own fatherly advice, I decided that my good behavior of doing laundry today deserved one of my favorite rewards -- an iced vanilla latte from Starbucks. Hey, even big kids need rewards.

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

Mike Brickl — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:12:31 GMT

Every once in awhile, you come across children's books that are more than just silly literature. Some books actually offer valuable advice that young children (and adults) should pay attention to. An example of such a book is "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed".

I've read this book to Jack a hundred times. And up until last week, the educational value of this book was little more than a fun way to count to five, and maybe an illustration of what a monkey looks like. But last Tuesday, Jack was the monkey jumping on the bed, and he fell off and bumped his head. Hard. Jack has a high tolerance for pain, so after 20 or 30 seconds of hard crying, not surprisingly, he calmed down. But when he vomited about 20 minutes later, I feared that the fall could be more serious than just a bump on the head.

I immediately called Jack's pediatrician, and he recommended coming in for a check up. I was able to get an appointment by 9:15 am, but in the meantime, Jack vomited for a second time.

At Jack's examination, everything seemed to check out just fine. But should Jack vomit again, or show signs of dizziness, I was advised to take him directly to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. After we got home from Jack's pediatrician, Jack ate a healthy lunch, and had no problems keeping it down. But in the early afternoon, Jack just didn't seem like he had his wits about him. So playing it safe, I made the decision to drive to Children's Hospital. (I had never been to Children's Hospital, so I had to look up directions on the internet).

We got to Children's Hospital by mid-afternoon, and after a very short wait, we were able to see a doctor. Again, Jack checked out fine, (heart rate and reflexes were fine, no blood in the ears, pupils dilated properly, etc...). But since we were at the hospital, we all agreed to get a CT scan, just to get a look inside Jack's head.

It was when we arrived in the room that held the CT scan equipment that the most traumatic part of the day began. Jack is one of those rare kids that won't allow you to put a band-aid on him. So I knew that we'd have trouble getting him to sit motionless for a CT scan. Because Jack wouldn't lie still, he was strapped down with a blanket. This only made the situation worse because Jack was very scared at this point. Since we couldn't get a clear scan of Jack's head, and we wanted to avoid making the situation worse, we decided to skip the the scan altogether. (Our other option was to have Jack sedated for the scan, which we opted against).

After we left the hospital, Jack appeared to have no other negative affects from his fall. And thankfully, he has been acting normal ever since that day. This time, all is well.

Although the day was traumatic for all of us, valuable lessons were learned. For Jack; don't jump on the bed! And the lesson for me; as a parent, always be prepared for a medical emergency. This includes having access to emergency phone numbers, (pediatrician, hospital, and even poison control), and of course, knowing where the ER is located at Children's Hospital. Planning a course of action while you are calm and level-headed is always easier than waiting to react when an emergency arises.

Old World Wisconsin

Mike Brickl — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:43:21 GMT

Weekends are always treasured at our house because Saturdays and Sundays are the days that Jack, Jennifer and I get to spend the most quality time together as a family. (On a typical weekday, Jennifer is heading to work by 4:30 AM, and doesn't return until 6:30 or 7:00 PM.) So we try to keep weekends open to allow for impromptu field trips.

This past Sunday, we decided to make the short drive to Old World Wisconsin, which is located just outside the small town of Eagle. According to its website, Old World Wisconsin is the world's largest museum dedicated to rural life. Describing Old World Wisconsin as "large" is no understatement. There are more than 60 historic structures on the grounds to visit, all of which originated somewhere within the Badger state.

The structures are arranged in small ethnic- and period-specific "villages", with each village set apart by a short walk. This is what makes Old World Wisconsin a great destination for toddlers. Jack was able to burn lots of energy as we trekked from village to village. Finding smaller paths through the woods was a great adventure for Jack. He definitely wasn't afraid to explore.

Wood burning stoves are a common sight in the residential structures at Old World Wisconsin. Back in the day, I wonder how long it took for a toddler to learn to stay away from these "burn boxes". With small living quarters, and few safety precautions, I bet kids learned that play time was for outside only. But then again, kids of yesteryear had more responsibilities and chores to attend, so energy was spent in a more productive way.

This is not "instant" coffee.

One of the best attractions at Old World Wisconsin is the human factor. Dozens of volunteers add "life" to the period, and are there to share historical information with guests. Here's Jack playing an early rendition of "checkers" with a wonderfully delightful volunteer.

On many weekends throughout the year, there is a special theme to experience. On the day we visited, a World War I encampment was occurring. Other themes throughout the year include: Laura Ingalls Wilder days, Civil War Experience, Vintage Baseball, and many others.

Even though Jack is too young to fully understand the historical significance of a place like Old World Wisconsin, I believe that visits like this will help grow his mind. And with each visit in the future, Jack may gain an interest in history, an understanding of preservation, and an appreciation for those who volunteer to make it all come together.

Dad's take

Mike Brickl — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:30:35 GMT

As you may have noticed from my name – and perhaps even my photo – I am not a mom. I am a dad; a stay-at-home dad in fact.

I wasn’t always a stay-at-home dad. From 1994 until December 2005, I wore a white-collared shirt, and spent my days at a publishing company. I enjoyed working in an office environment – the responsibilities, the social interaction, (the paycheck), and even the “structure”. But when the opportunity came for me to leave my career in advertising to become a stay-at-home dad, I had a lot of soul searching to do.

Did I really want to interrupt my career path at the age of 33? Could I afford to drop everything I had been working for since graduating college? What challenges would I face when the time comes to get back into the work force? And what kind of pressure would this decision put on my wife to be the sole bread winner?

After weighing our options, my wife and I decided that the best plan for our family was for me to stay at home with our son. It’s a decision we’ve never regretted, and I’m very grateful to be in such a wonderful position.

In March of 2007, I started a blog on Blogger.com called, “Professional Dad” (www.professionaldad.blogspot.com). The nature of my blog is quite simple. I don’t offer medical or professional advice, as I am grossly under qualified to be in the position. But I am qualified to write about the daily adventures of raising a toddler, from the perspective of a stay-at-home dad. And with a light-hearted approach, I record some of the activities and experiences that I share with my son.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading my blog on MilwaukeeMoms.com. Perhaps we’ll find that moms and dads really do have a lot in common, especially when our ultimate goal is the same – to be great parents.

Blog you later!