Well, not really. I had an accident last week and am now essentially bedridden at home for the next 6 weeks! Not fun. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Percocet sees to it that my mind is not sharp, and the contraption on my leg makes sure that I am as uncomfortable as humanly possible. So, that is why I have been remiss in my homework!

I am not sure if the Capital figured out how to allow photos or comments on the blog yet, but regardless, I encourage feedback.  If the commenting does not work--use the email link above. Not as fun but I guess it serves the same purpose.

I will try to do better, but I do need to work in some of the paying gig between my lucid moments--although a non-lucid blog might be entertaining!

One of the most challenging things about family life today is finding time to do the things you want to do as a family. I am not talking about the scheduled activities such as attending the kids' soccer games or the visit to grandmother on Sunday afternoon. I am referring to an enriching family experience that you make happen every week.

As working adults we all have experience in structuring our workday for maximum efficiency. We may not achieve that maximum efficiency goal every day but at least we try to be pointed in the right direction. Conversely, when we arrive home, we want to relax, kick off our shoes and do only what is necessary to get through the evening or the weekend. Minimum programming becomes the goal once at home.

When I became a single parent, I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of caring for three kids, putting some jet power into my career, and finding the time to run a house, pay the bills, and do some fun activities with my kids. Time constantly ran away from me. I decided to organize my weekends the way I organized my workday and I set some simple goals:

1. I vowed that each Sunday the kids and I would do one enjoyable activity together even if it was only for one or two hours.
2. I created a "Sunday Outing" file. When I read about a family activity in The Capital I would clip and save it. Examples were hayrides, pie-eating contests, or a special exhibit at a local museum. Each Sunday the kids and I would decide together what to do.
3. To achieve goal #1 we first had to accomplish all our chores on Saturday - housecleaning, errands, laundry, homework research. We divided up the chores into little blocks of time. It took many months but eventually we developed a system that worked for our family.

From there it escalated. Once a month we would plan a day trip. We found exciting things to do as a family that didn't cost anything - hikes in state parks, picnics by the bay, visits to historical villages.

Playtime had become an integral part of our weekends.

Planning a vacation became a family endeavor. My "Sunday Outing" file expanded into a "Vacation Places" folder. The kids and I would choose a place we all wanted to visit and the research would begin. We would then have family "pow-wows" to craft an itinerary that was fun, educational and an adventure. We started with road trips, then fly/drive throughout the USA, then Europe, the Caribbean and eventually some very remote places such as the China. The world had become our playground. We had learned to budget our time and our money and travel with joy and confidence.

Now, as my children are older and one is even driving, our routine is not the same, but I found this system extremely helpful when they were a bit more manageable!

Hello Annapolis!

I am the new single dad blogger for Hometown Annapolis and to be honest, I have no idea where this blog will go, so I encourage you all to comment on my posts to get some good discussion going! Single moms are also encouraged to participate, but just to disclaim any opinions--they are from a male perspective!

With the divorce rate still hovering at or over 50%, there are a lot of  single parents trying to muddle through and raise our kids. But, with a divorce rate that high, there are far too few resources for us. A lot of what I have learned has been by trial and error--mostly error. And if I can pass along a tip or two that helps someone else, I consider this blog a success!

A bit about me, I am 6' tall, grey hair...(oh wait, this isn't Match.com) ... I am a single dad of three kids ranging in age from 11 to 16. All attend public school and are really great kids--most of the time. We enjoy baseball, traveling, and a cheese steak or two from Pat's!

I don't know what direction this blog will take, so we will le the audience decide -- drugs, alcohol, dating (for kids and parents), finances, travel, careers, divorce....... all of these have a unique perspective for single parents.

So with that said, I welcome your thoughts and comments and welcome to Tales of a Single Dad!