Suburban Reality Check: The Yard

When I moved to the suburbs nearly four years ago I imagined being outdoors a lot in the yard with the kids. In my mind I was playing games and cooking on the grill. 

In reality I spend just as much time taking care of the yard as I do enjoying it. 

Maybe I'm feeling a bit grumpy -- a word you use a lot more with a five and a four-year old -- because I spent much of the weekend planting our vegetable garden and flowers.

Next weekend I plan on getting a new grill so maybe the summer will take a turn.

Starbucks in Cars: 2013 Honda Civic

We purchased a 2013 Honda Civic to join the Cars.com long-term fleet back in February. It's turned out to be a surprisingly capable family car for the kids' car seats and errand running.

It also handles the regular grande and venti Saturday morning Starbucks run. The holders may look too big but the plastic prongs inside hold the cups in place without too much pressure. Not my best photo. Apologies.

How Much of Your Kids' Stuff Do You Use?

One thing I feel a bit guilty about as a parent revolves around my kids' toys and cartoons. I genuinely enjoy playing and watching them along with my children, especially all the Legos and cartoons my son likes because it reminds me of my own childhood.

Then there's the food which I admit to picking over once the kids are done with meals. Leftover chicken nugget? Can't let that go to waste. I hadn't eaten a chicken nugget in ten years at least before Carter came along. Now I'll down two without a second thought.

But then there are the odds and ends that go along with kids that I'm surprised I find myself using. Take Band-Aids.

They've come a long way since I was getting scrapes and bruises on the playground.

The coolest are these "tattoo" like strips that are hexagon shaped. They stick on super tight all the way around the gauze so it doesn’t get exposed to air and dirt.

I got a cut on the tip of my index finger the other day and dug up a Spider-Man one that completely wrapped around the cut and my finger. This was a huge help for typing. Plus I felt like every time I hit the t, g, f, v, c or r keys Peter Parker was busting some bad grammar.

Staycation: Cleaning the Garage

BeforeI took a few days off this week to clean out the garage. A task I had put off for ... about three years.

The main issue was getting rid of junk left by the previous owner like remodeling scraps and odds and ends. Plus it was dirty and had tons of cobwebs.

AfterThe before and after pictures don't look that remarkably different because the garage is still rather run-down, but there is a lot more room for the car and kids stuff and the workbench is completely cleaned off now which I can barely believe. The total weight of the junk hauled away was 980 pounds!

I also timed the cleaning around a certain sporting event. Just a coincidence I assure you.

Dad Essential: The Grey Hooded Sweatshirt

Dad fashion boils down to two categories:

• What you wear to work

• What you don't give a shit gets dirty

Sure, maybe you have some clothes you save for special occasions or date night, but for the most part it's whatever is comfortable for taking the kids to the park or store where other parents might still see you.

So that means you can't quite look like a total slob.

One problem I always have is wearing something that gets too hot when chasing my kids around. I usually skip a layer like a jacket if I'm at the park. Then when I cook or have to give them a bath I take off the sweatshirt and just go with the T-Shirt.

That's why the zip-up hooded sweatshirt, annoyingly called a hoodie, is the most essential of all dad apparel.

I have a cheap one you see here from Target that I think cost less than $10 on sale and is worn all the time.

I also own a nice, black Pearl Jam hoodie from a show in 2010.

My company even gave employees a very softly lined grey hoodie around our commercial airing during the Super Bowl. I'm not sure if three is a lot of hoodies to own or about average but having a spare is always a wise investment.

The best thing about the heather grey ones is they can go over any t-shirt color and match any baseball cap color too.

I also like having pockets on a sweatshirt. Those are essential.

And a bonus to them being cheap is the fact you really don’t care if your daughter needs to wipe her nose on the sleeve when you’re at the park and forgot tissues.