It's been a while!

It's been a while since my last post. I seem to have lost track of time. After all, I've been juggling work, school, my kids, and my social life. Who am I kidding? What social life?! Nevertheless, I've been busy. So what has happened over the past two months?

- Finalized the divorce
- Tried to jumpstart my social life
- Running and getting swole (that's lifting weights for all you non-brahs)
- Booked a vacation
- Mingled with the singles
- Spent more time outdoors
- Attended school
- Everything else except for updating this site!

That list doesn't look like much, so I figured we should dive a little deeper into each one so you can get an idea of how the time has been spent. So without further ado:

Finalized the divorce

Quite possibly the most emotional and difficult time of my life is now behind me. The paperwork, the uncertainty, the questions, the waiting--It is all at its end. I can now focus on my future, my girls, and my life in general.

Jumpstarting my social life

I'm not the most social person, so meeting new people is definitely a step out of my comfort zone. Fortunately, I've had a little help with discovering my social side. Co-workers' birthday parties, study groups from school, gym conversations, and random occurrences of conversation have all kept me busy during the time away from my girls. If you already have a large social circle, I doubt you'll have to worry about looking for social outlets. If you're socially awkward at times, like me, then I recommend getting to know the people you spend the most time around. Start conversations with people you normally don't think twice about. The cashier at the grocery store. The person pumping gas next to you at Shell. The people in line at a restaurant. These are the easiest situations to practice conversation because they are short-lived, you already have something to talk about since you're both doing the same thing, and they don't how creepy you are (unless you open the conversation with asking what their address is. Don't do that.). Win-win-win.

Do you even lift?

I've always loved lifting. I've always hated running. So why am I doing both? Well, I signed up for a 5K a few months ago, so I have been training weekly. It hasn't gotten any easier, but I am improving! To top it off, there's a feeling of freedom when running outside (Treadmills suck. I already feel like I'm running in place, no need to confirm it). I'm able to take all of the frustration and negative thoughts and release it through physical exertion. Between the running and the weekly lifting, not only do I feel better, but I've cut down body fat and added definition.

Booked a REAL vacation!

People always take vacation time, but never actually travel anywhere. That's what I normally do. But not this time! I actually booked a real vacation and will be traveling around the Eastern US and Canada with Contiki Vacations.

They're a travel company for 18-35 year olds. My itinerary looks UH-MAZING. I haven't traveled for a long time and don't spoil myself enough for being as frugal as I am. I decided on a domestic trip since the flights are much cheaper and the difficulties of being single with two kids. I wanted to do something with my girls, but for the amount of money to book flights, hotels, and food, I'd rather they be a little older and remember the experience. If you've been cheating yourself from enjoying life lately, take a trip. It doesn't have to be extravagant, but at least get away for a weekend. Pick a six hour drive in any direction and GO. You owe it to yourself, and your kids if you decide to take them somewhere. Life is short and "next time" can take a backseat THIS time.

Dating

Over the past couple of months, I finally decided to dip my foot into the pool. I tried a few dating sites at first, seeing that I didn't have much time for socializing outside of work and school. I've read a lot of pros and cons of dating sites, but my overall experience was good. I was able to chat with some different girls and get a feel for what they were like without having to spend the time and money on a first date, only to realize how incompatible we would be. I did go on a few dates, but quickly realized a couple of things. 1) There wasn't enough time in a week to dedicate to someone else. And 2) I wasn't ready to start dating just yet. Dating consumed the little free time I have. It's difficult to date when I only have a few free hours per week and every other weekend available. I need time for myself as well and found it unfair to the girl I was dating. On top of that issue, I simply wasn't ready to pursue a long-term relationship yet. For the time being, it's probably best to casually date and test the waters.

The great outdoors

I've been doing my best to spend more time outside and less time inside. I've been taking my girls to the park more often, to the beach, out for ice cream, just spending more quality time with them. I have scoured yelp for new places to go and things to do. There are a ton of events in Orange County that are free or relatively cheap. Check websites for local events and find out what's going on in your area. You'll be surprised at how many cool things you miss every month.

Getting an edumacation

Besides work, school has taken up most of my time over the past few months. Sitting in class, assignments, projects, studying, exams. All of it eats away at the time. I put myself through the torture to build a better future for my career, as well as set an example for my girls. We should always strive to improve in every way possible. Become a better student, employee, friend, spouse, father, and person.



Just kidding. I'm in school so I can have the piece of paper that says I can get the job and get paid X amount of dollars.

Everything else

In all honesty, I should have been updating this site far more frequently than once every few months. I don't have many excuses, as I have had some lazy days where I literally did nothing for hours. But to defend myself, I'm going to share a few things I've been doing over my absence.

Movie/Milkshake Mondays
I started this one Monday night when I decided to make milkshakes and watch a movie with the girls. I posted the idea on Facebook and immediately made it official. Every Monday since then has been fantastic. Especially since I got my girls hooked on Marvel movies. In fact, we went to Target recently and they had all of the superhero masks. My daughter had to try every one of them on. I shed tears of joy.

Move over Dora and princesses. Iron Man, Captain America, and Company have claimed the throne. As they should.

Arts & Crafts
No. I'm not knitting or sewing. I've been making things for my girls. What kinds of things? Block Posters for example. This is an epic alternative to simple posters. I blew up a Nemo picture, attached each section of the picture to an 8.5x11 piece of foam board, and mounted it above their beds. Even though I forgot to cut out the white trim around each picture, it turned out great.

Lounging
Pretty much being lazy when I have the time.

Needless to say, I'm adding, "Updating this site" to the list of things I should and will be doing.

See you sooner than later.

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What's small, annoying, and makes you want to pull your hair out?

No, not Justin Bieber. I'm talking about head lice! The past month has been a constant struggle with these ninja-like bugs. In case you don't know what these grotesque rejects of heaven are, here's a brief synopsis. Head lice are tiny disease-free insects that inhabit your scalp and feed off of your blood. They cannot jump or fly and they are relatively poor travelers (and no, they aren't the same as body lice, which are a completely different kind of evil). Most people come in contact with them by bumping heads with someone who is already a host. Once they are on your scalp, they lay a few eggs each day (called nits), which attach to your hair follicles and will hatch in approximately one week, beginning the cycle all over again. Like chicken eggs, but not as tasty, nits must be warm in order to thrive and hatch. In order for this to happen, they must be close to the scalp. Nits lying a few inches down a strand of hair is unlikely to hatch, but it's still best to remove it since it gives people the heebie-jeebies. If your kids do get lice, don't feel bad. It has nothing to do with hygiene or poor parenting. They are common in schools and most kids will get them at some point during their childhood. I first noticed my younger daughter had them a few weeks ago, so I bought a kit at Walgreens. It came with the shampoo, a combing gel (which makes the included comb slip the hair easier), a spray for furniture and non-washable items, and the comb. Even though it was generic, the verbiage on the box sold me.

STOP LICE.  

1-2-3 Lice Elimination System

Lice Killing Shampoo

I like to call it the "Trifecta of Death"

 I felt like it would be my Spartan shield against the never-ending onslaught of Xerxes' army. I drove home in my Honda-built chariot and blasted the box open with the force of ten supernovas while yelling, "THIS IS SPARTA!" After I realized I had no clue how to use any of the products, I calmed down and chose to follow the instructions, because if there's anything I need instructions for, it's girls' hair (If I had boys, I would have shaved their heads and called it a day). Apparently, lice are so stubborn and evil, that the instructions stated a second application would need to be applied 7-10 days after the initial treatment. So without delay, I applied the first wave of products, checked their hair, then called it a night.

Less than a week later, I noticed a few eggs in my younger daughter's hair again. I ignored the small twitch forming in my eye and calmly applied the second treatment, this time tediously going through her hair and covering every square centimeter. I spent two hours treating both girls, then put them to bed and zoned out. Staring intently at the base of hair follicles is more exhausting than following a girl through the mall for an entire day.

As the third week ended, the girls returned from their mom's house. They came home, showered, and got ready for bed. I was brushing their hair, and once again, I discovered lice nits. There are few things that make me want to grind my teeth to powder, but this was definitely one of them. It was already too late to give them another chemical bath, so I used the nit comb and pulled out everything I could find in 20 minutes. I would have to revisit the issue the next day when I had more time.

Now at this point, **** really hits the fan. I decided I should notify my younger daughter's preschool about the lice so that I could determine where the source was. As soon as I said the word lice, I swear a record halted and a bottle broke. The teachers looked as though I had just dropped the F Bomb (although now I wish that was actually the case). They inspected her hair and found an egg, immediately sending both of us home. Now, for any of you who have you children in school or daycare: check what their policy is regarding head lice. Many schools are required to send the child home immediately and notify all parents regarding the find. This can be especially embarrassing if anyone finds out it was your kid, because trust me, they'll look at you funny.

Once we got home, I did a third treatment and began combing through her hair. I must have found five or six more nits before I lost my patience. There had to be an alternative to this madness. I contacted a few people from work and they recommended I hire a professional. They sent me a link to The Hair Angels who I called immediately. If you live outside of their area, look up an alternative online or in the yellowpages (do these books even exist anymore?!). They called me back within minutes and scheduled an appointment to come to my house within a few hours! I was more excited about that than I was when the Giants won the World Series (Yes, I'm a Giants fan... deal with the perennial greatness). When they showed up, they immediately got to work and answered all of my lice questions. It didn't take them long, but they found a few more eggs and a live bug. I was horrified and relieved at the same time, especially since they guaranteed their work. I took a couple of their lice products for future use and nearly hugged them as they left. Needless to say, my daughter and I spent the rest of the day celebrating by playing video games and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

Overall, my experience was nothing short of a nightmare. I am now a little paranoid about their hair, so I make sure their hair is up at all times when at school. Put it in a ponytail, bun, scarf, hat, whatever. Just get it up so it's not dangling like vines for these little Tarzan wannabes to grab onto. The Walgreens kit will do just fine as long as you get every bug and nit. Otherwise, you can expect the same torture I was subjected to for three weeks. Do yourself a favor and make sure you do it right the first time.

Final score:
Single Daddy 1
Lice 3

Eh... I still won.

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