It's the little things that usually make the biggest difference.
Don't kid yourself. Whether you're in business or you work for someone else, the little things that you do everyday will bring you more success, more joy, more money and more love.
I used to own a breakfast restaurant. Do you know what I loved the most about this restaurant before I bought it? It was the thickness of the toast.
The toast was thick like homemade toast. It wasn't the bread we could buy in the grocery store. The only place you could get that toast was in our restaurant.
No one thought the thickness of the toast was important until it was taken away.
A few months into owning the restaurant, an employee asked if we could bring in caramel ganache. No other restaurants, to my knowledge, were carrying ganache so it looked like a small change that differentiated us just a little more. People were eating it so it looked like a good choice. It cost more than strawberry jam, but the decision to bring it on the menu was to give us a slight advantage over the other restaurant choices our customer had.
The protocol of the franchise system, I was in, made us give away free fudge at the door instead of the typical mints other restaurants would do. The fudge was made every couple of days and cut up by hand and placed at the cash as a final thank you to guests.
Each and every time, I would introduce myself to people outside the restaurant, I would hear one of three comments:
1. Oh I love the fudge.
2. You're the only place I ever saw caramel ganache offered instead of jam.
3. The toast is just like gramma's bread. Where do you get it?
The franchisor asked us to remove the ganache off the tables. They changed the bread for a cheaper product to keep the costs and customer prices down. Only the fudge remains.
Of course, we had to be good at the big things like serving a good breakfast. I believe it was the little things like fudge, ganache and thick toast that made us remarkable.
If you want to be remarkable in your business or in your job, think of all the little things you could do consistently every day. Maybe it's a happy attitude, the ability to laugh, or the way you compliment others around you.
I worked with a guy once that was terrible at his job. Yet, everyone loved him. He was incompetent in his job and twice got let go. Yet, every time a new job came up that seemed to fit his skill set, he would get it. Management wanted him around. They tried to find the right role for him. He knew how to make others feel great about themselves and that's where he eventually saw huge success.
So the next time someone says "Don't sweat the small stuff", tell them "God is in the details".
Greatness lies in the small stuff. What small stuff are you doing to bring out the greatness in you?
Monday, May 4, 2015
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Starbucks shows me how to be a better person
I love Starbucks. Not that the coffee is that great or the people are any better. Starbucks makes me feel different, even though I'm a faceless customer.
They make me want to be a better person. It's not about coffee. Think about it for a minute a simple exchange of money for coffee is nothing more than a chilly transaction.
Let me explain the story that made me love Starbucks so much.
Since selling my businesses, I have two choices in the morning: go to my home office and deal with people via phone or go to a coffeeshop and meet people the old fashion way.
On one particular coffeeshop workday, I had four consecutive meetings with just enough time between to prepare and liquidate for the next encounter.
It was a blistery, minus 30 degrees celsius outside. It was the type of day, where one rushes from the parked car to the office with the collars turned up to keep the ears from catching cold.
Not paying attention to the internal surroundings nor the others who've escaped the outside to the warm tables of Starbucks, I worked away.
From my peripheral vision, there was a guy sitting on a sofa directly across from me. I couldn't help but notice him. He was about 10 feet away and every time I looked up in thought, there was this mangled beard. He had a big coat on, that was almost as puffy as his beard, which he chose not to take off. He was a street person. Homeless, I assumed. I looked up, pretending to look deeply into the wall behind him, catching a peak through my peripheral vision wondering why a homeless dude would go to Starbucks for his coffee fix. There were clearly cheaper options.
He wasn't hurting anyone so no one complained. He just sat there and kept warm while others like me worked away on our shiny, expensive tools. Happy that he was able to stay warm on this terribly cold Canadian day, I kept on working.
Eventually I had to go to the bathroom. While I was gone, a thought blew between my ears: What if the dude rips off my computer while I'm indisposed. Then, another thought: Anyone can steal my computer, why am I only worried about that guy. Quickly shaking the thought off, I wash my hands and get back to my seat to verify that all my possessions were still in tact.
The guy was sitting there for about an hour when a Starbucks employee came over. There was a quick exchange that I couldn't decipher.. The employee left and then returned with a coffee for the bearded guy.
Shit! That hurt. What didn't I think of that? I could've easily bought this dude a coffee. I was too busy in my own thoughts to even be bothered to extend a helpful hand to someone less fortunate.
Starbucks is awesome. They could've easily kicked this guy out. He wasn't buying anything. But instead they did what I should have done. And for that, they taught me a very valuable lesson.
Helping humanity is as simple as buying a coffee for a dude who's trying to stay warm on a cold Canadian morning.
Thank you Starbucks! You showed me how to be a better person. That's rare in corporate America.
They make me want to be a better person. It's not about coffee. Think about it for a minute a simple exchange of money for coffee is nothing more than a chilly transaction.
Let me explain the story that made me love Starbucks so much.
Since selling my businesses, I have two choices in the morning: go to my home office and deal with people via phone or go to a coffeeshop and meet people the old fashion way.
On one particular coffeeshop workday, I had four consecutive meetings with just enough time between to prepare and liquidate for the next encounter.
It was a blistery, minus 30 degrees celsius outside. It was the type of day, where one rushes from the parked car to the office with the collars turned up to keep the ears from catching cold.
Not paying attention to the internal surroundings nor the others who've escaped the outside to the warm tables of Starbucks, I worked away.
From my peripheral vision, there was a guy sitting on a sofa directly across from me. I couldn't help but notice him. He was about 10 feet away and every time I looked up in thought, there was this mangled beard. He had a big coat on, that was almost as puffy as his beard, which he chose not to take off. He was a street person. Homeless, I assumed. I looked up, pretending to look deeply into the wall behind him, catching a peak through my peripheral vision wondering why a homeless dude would go to Starbucks for his coffee fix. There were clearly cheaper options.
He wasn't hurting anyone so no one complained. He just sat there and kept warm while others like me worked away on our shiny, expensive tools. Happy that he was able to stay warm on this terribly cold Canadian day, I kept on working.
Eventually I had to go to the bathroom. While I was gone, a thought blew between my ears: What if the dude rips off my computer while I'm indisposed. Then, another thought: Anyone can steal my computer, why am I only worried about that guy. Quickly shaking the thought off, I wash my hands and get back to my seat to verify that all my possessions were still in tact.
The guy was sitting there for about an hour when a Starbucks employee came over. There was a quick exchange that I couldn't decipher.. The employee left and then returned with a coffee for the bearded guy.
Shit! That hurt. What didn't I think of that? I could've easily bought this dude a coffee. I was too busy in my own thoughts to even be bothered to extend a helpful hand to someone less fortunate.
Starbucks is awesome. They could've easily kicked this guy out. He wasn't buying anything. But instead they did what I should have done. And for that, they taught me a very valuable lesson.
Helping humanity is as simple as buying a coffee for a dude who's trying to stay warm on a cold Canadian morning.
Thank you Starbucks! You showed me how to be a better person. That's rare in corporate America.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Let's talk about rules
Rules are meant to be broken.
Without rules, society would crumble.
Rules, rules, rules. Thinking about rules this morning as I drove my kids to school.
My son didn't want to be late to school. I promised him a fishing rod. This morning, as he was dragging his feet, getting ready for school. I put a zip in his step by removing my promise if he was late to school.
So as we jumped in the car, he told me, "Step on it". The next five minutes we talked about laws, and the consequences to breaking laws. Declaring there were no policemen around, I asked if it was ok to break rules when no one was looking. Another teachable moment I thought to myself...
Getting home, laws kept bubbling to the surface of my boiling brain. There is one law that cannot be misunderstood - Pareto's Law. Most of us will know it as the 80/20 rule.
80% of profits come from 20% of our customers.
80% of our joy comes from 20% of our day.
80% of our memories come from 20% of our activities.
80% of our wisdom comes from 20% of our experiences.
80% of our health comes from 20% of the choices we make.
If Pareto's Law is true, then it's the small things that make the biggest impact on our lives, our loves, our children, our jobs and our memories.
Using a business example for a second, imagine what the marketing budget looks like when a restaurant focuses so intently on its existing client base that the only clients they lose are those who die, move or have a life altering event.
It's easier said than done, but imagine finding out what exactly makes your spouse feel appreciated. Then doing more of those activities no matter how small and insignificant they seem to you.
80% of appreciation will be felt by 20% of your effort.
Is it hard to say "Thank you"? How about washing the dishes after a hearty dinner? Maybe making the bed every morning is a simple message of appreciation?
It doesn't matter what it is, the rule is simple and true. The majority of rewards will come from a much smaller portion of your activities.
To succeed with money, joy, memories, wisdom, love and health, my recommendation is to identify those influential activities so you can do more of them to reap even greater rewards in your life.
Now I know why it seems like my kids don't listen to me.
80% of the things I tell them gets absorbed 20% of the time.
Without rules, society would crumble.
Rules, rules, rules. Thinking about rules this morning as I drove my kids to school.
My son didn't want to be late to school. I promised him a fishing rod. This morning, as he was dragging his feet, getting ready for school. I put a zip in his step by removing my promise if he was late to school.
So as we jumped in the car, he told me, "Step on it". The next five minutes we talked about laws, and the consequences to breaking laws. Declaring there were no policemen around, I asked if it was ok to break rules when no one was looking. Another teachable moment I thought to myself...
Getting home, laws kept bubbling to the surface of my boiling brain. There is one law that cannot be misunderstood - Pareto's Law. Most of us will know it as the 80/20 rule.
80% of profits come from 20% of our customers.
80% of our joy comes from 20% of our day.
80% of our memories come from 20% of our activities.
80% of our wisdom comes from 20% of our experiences.
80% of our health comes from 20% of the choices we make.
If Pareto's Law is true, then it's the small things that make the biggest impact on our lives, our loves, our children, our jobs and our memories.
Using a business example for a second, imagine what the marketing budget looks like when a restaurant focuses so intently on its existing client base that the only clients they lose are those who die, move or have a life altering event.
It's easier said than done, but imagine finding out what exactly makes your spouse feel appreciated. Then doing more of those activities no matter how small and insignificant they seem to you.
80% of appreciation will be felt by 20% of your effort.
Is it hard to say "Thank you"? How about washing the dishes after a hearty dinner? Maybe making the bed every morning is a simple message of appreciation?
It doesn't matter what it is, the rule is simple and true. The majority of rewards will come from a much smaller portion of your activities.
To succeed with money, joy, memories, wisdom, love and health, my recommendation is to identify those influential activities so you can do more of them to reap even greater rewards in your life.
Now I know why it seems like my kids don't listen to me.
80% of the things I tell them gets absorbed 20% of the time.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
What we remember the most...
As I write this, Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again", is playing in the background of my brain. Sitting in a hotel room thinking of the events of a simple transaction yesterday creates a slight upward thought that encourages the corner of my lips to go in the same upward direction.
Last night, I arrived at my hotel destination. The hotel has been in this city for 25 years. It is my preferred spot to sleep in this town. It's a huge multinational chain and it's not the cheapest hotel out there. It doesn't have complimentary breakfasts. I've never seen its pool. This is the type of hotel I wouldn't bring my kids. Yet, the first time I stayed here, when I was 23, we had a wild and crazy night. A wedding shindig that ended up with all our friends dancing on the roof of the foyer. I looked down from my room tonight to see that very same roof and wondered if the hotel management ever welded shut those windows on the 3rd floor. We can't be the only ones to ever do that...
Nostalgia out of the way, the hotel had a facelift since my last visit. It's beautiful as far as hotel lobbies go. I remember a hotel lobby once in Manhattan that had all the treasures of richness only to misrepresent my expectations of the hotel rooms. From that one experience, I learned to never judge a hotel book from its lobby cover.
The employee at the front desk answers my questions about the facelift by saying, "We went through a massive renovation in 2011. That year was an extremely tough year as we worked through the discomfort of change. But thanks to that trying time, you and I can both enjoy our time here today."
How philosophical that statement is for both this hotel and people in general. Thanks nameless hotel guy for this wonderful line that I will now use unapologetically for the rest of my life.
How philosophical that statement is for both this hotel and people in general. Thanks nameless hotel guy for this wonderful line that I will now use unapologetically for the rest of my life.
Before he hands over the room key, he delights me with another gift. With my room comes a complimentary "premium" beer at the bar.
What??? I've never been given a free beer before in a hotel.
A free beer.
A gift.
No strings attached.
It wasn't advertised on Expedia when I booked the room. And it never will be.
The beer price is built into the price. It's not going to show up on an expense claim. It's such a small gift that most competitors don't think it has value. The value is massive. It created a moment of delight. It's different and it's remarkable enough to share. And share ability is what any good business should be striving for.
After enjoying my free beer, I went to the room to witness that the cover of this hotel book was well representative of its contents. The room was great! Yet, it was the toiletries that brought another smile across my increasingly impressed face. The hotel took the simple and made it impressionable. A simple message usually reserved for the social mechanisms of Facebook or Pinterest. And now I'm sharing it.
I know. It's just soap. But for me, this simple message could have been easily left off the bottles like every other hotel chain does. And it wouldn't have changed my overall experience. But this little message becomes a layer of increasing positiveness that warms my heart, encourages my fingers to type, intrigues my brain and moves my wallet.
It's not enough to attain average. Good is the enemy of great. No one remembers the average. No one cares about the mediocre.
In football we cheer for the star quarterback, not the faceless centre.
In business, we remember the shareable experiences, not the ones that are like everyone else.
In life, we remember the crazy moments, not the everyday ones where we just live and put in time.
After enjoying my free beer, I went to the room to witness that the cover of this hotel book was well representative of its contents. The room was great! Yet, it was the toiletries that brought another smile across my increasingly impressed face. The hotel took the simple and made it impressionable. A simple message usually reserved for the social mechanisms of Facebook or Pinterest. And now I'm sharing it.
I know. It's just soap. But for me, this simple message could have been easily left off the bottles like every other hotel chain does. And it wouldn't have changed my overall experience. But this little message becomes a layer of increasing positiveness that warms my heart, encourages my fingers to type, intrigues my brain and moves my wallet.
It's not enough to attain average. Good is the enemy of great. No one remembers the average. No one cares about the mediocre.
In football we cheer for the star quarterback, not the faceless centre.
In business, we remember the shareable experiences, not the ones that are like everyone else.
In life, we remember the crazy moments, not the everyday ones where we just live and put in time.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Culture and Energy
Going to my favourite sandwich franchise today, I witnessed real magic. This was not the slight of hand magic trick that illusionists do. This magic is stuff concocted by marketing wizards. But even marketing wizards cannot dream up what an 18 year old cashier was able to do at this location.
Let me explain. A new dessert is plastered all over the dining room. This is nothing special. Many restaurants promote a monthly special or a new product this way. They try to instigate trial to raise average cheque or to increase frequency of visit. This is the usual marketing practice and this is where these promotions fail. They don't have an active ability to encourage staff to sell the product. And most good products die on the idea table because of the inability to sell on the floor.
I have been at other franchised units in this chain and nothing compares to the experience I received today. It was remarkable. No. It was shareable. And that's all any good business should be striving for - share ability!
So, when I got to the cash to order my sandwich, there was a plain white piece of paper taped to the cash register. The page explained that the chain had a national sales contest amongst stores to sell the most desserts. This location was currently second in the country. The winner will get Henrik Zetterberg, who is a well known NHL hockey player, to visit the store.
The page wasn't remarkable. Although the story was interesting, it wasn't enough to get me excited. I don't live in this town. I don't like the team Zetterberg plays for and I don't give two shits about the player either.
So a young girl comes to the cash to take my order and here's the interaction between us.
"Would you like a Snowball with your sandwich?"
"No thank you".
"We're currently in second place in the country. If we finish in first in the country by selling enough Snowballs, we're gonna get Henrick Zetterberg in our store."
"Yeah, I see that, but no thanks"
"Did you know they are only $____ (I can't remember the exact price)?"
"Yeah, but I really don't want sugar".
"You can give it to someone else if you'd like, but it's gluten free and each one only has 73 calories. You deserve a treat".
"You're making it tough on me, but I'm still gonna decline."
"Ok, it's going to be amazing to have a real NHL'er in our store. Do you know how many young kids this could affect."
She still had a smile on her face the whole time. She wasn't pushy. She was energetic. She was supporting a community cause - getting an NHL'er in her store. Everyone in front of me ordered one. I have no doubt this store is going to win the contest because of the young people working there. Then I watched the rest of the team interact with each other and with customers as they smiled, laughed and joked around.
This location has become my favourite store in this chain. The management team has embraced a national promotion and created an energy that increases employee interaction with customers, average cheque, community spirit, and ultimately customer delight.
Congratulations Pita Pit Oromocto. You impressed me and that's not easy to do!
Let me explain. A new dessert is plastered all over the dining room. This is nothing special. Many restaurants promote a monthly special or a new product this way. They try to instigate trial to raise average cheque or to increase frequency of visit. This is the usual marketing practice and this is where these promotions fail. They don't have an active ability to encourage staff to sell the product. And most good products die on the idea table because of the inability to sell on the floor.
I have been at other franchised units in this chain and nothing compares to the experience I received today. It was remarkable. No. It was shareable. And that's all any good business should be striving for - share ability!
So, when I got to the cash to order my sandwich, there was a plain white piece of paper taped to the cash register. The page explained that the chain had a national sales contest amongst stores to sell the most desserts. This location was currently second in the country. The winner will get Henrik Zetterberg, who is a well known NHL hockey player, to visit the store.
The page wasn't remarkable. Although the story was interesting, it wasn't enough to get me excited. I don't live in this town. I don't like the team Zetterberg plays for and I don't give two shits about the player either.
So a young girl comes to the cash to take my order and here's the interaction between us.
"Would you like a Snowball with your sandwich?"
"No thank you".
"We're currently in second place in the country. If we finish in first in the country by selling enough Snowballs, we're gonna get Henrick Zetterberg in our store."
"Yeah, I see that, but no thanks"
"Did you know they are only $____ (I can't remember the exact price)?"
"Yeah, but I really don't want sugar".
"You can give it to someone else if you'd like, but it's gluten free and each one only has 73 calories. You deserve a treat".
"You're making it tough on me, but I'm still gonna decline."
"Ok, it's going to be amazing to have a real NHL'er in our store. Do you know how many young kids this could affect."
She still had a smile on her face the whole time. She wasn't pushy. She was energetic. She was supporting a community cause - getting an NHL'er in her store. Everyone in front of me ordered one. I have no doubt this store is going to win the contest because of the young people working there. Then I watched the rest of the team interact with each other and with customers as they smiled, laughed and joked around.
This location has become my favourite store in this chain. The management team has embraced a national promotion and created an energy that increases employee interaction with customers, average cheque, community spirit, and ultimately customer delight.
Congratulations Pita Pit Oromocto. You impressed me and that's not easy to do!
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Trading my fake job for my real job: Day 15
This is IT. The last full day that I'm a single parent. Tomorrow our Queen comes home!
I'm not sure if I was in denial or if I'm getting worn down by the kids. They are starting to bug me. And I'm bugging them. They've released the "idontlikes" on me. For 14 days, things went amazingly well. But today, the fighting has begun.
First of all, I'm definitely part of the problem. Letting an eight year old watch hockey until 11:20 is not a good idea, even if it does make him happy at the time. I've repaid that debt today.
Second of all, the kids are getting tired of eating down the stored food supply. As the pickins get slimmer, the kids get whinier. Today the whining was based on the lack of snacks we had in the pantry. According to both kids, snacks that no one likes means nothing to eat. I asked, pleaded, begged, and cried for them to eat up the remaining crappy snacks we had left so that mommy could go buy the good stuff again. But alas, I am but one man, and the kids can see through my weakness. They know their saviour will be home tomorrow and all that is wrong with the world will be righted again upon the royal return of the Beautiful Highness.
The dog tried to commit suicide! Things must be going downhill. She puked in her bed, on the kitchen floor, on the sofa, on the boy's favourite blanket and now on one of the chairs. She's still eating. Just to be safe, I will keep her out of the kennel for the night. She'll sleep near me where I can keep an eye on her.
There was an empty plastic wrapper on the floor. It looked like one of the candy wrappers you would get at the end of a restaurant meal. But when I looked closer, I saw little pebbles that looked like little clear marbles. The bag looked like something you'd find in a new jacket pocket. I don't know where this bag came from but the dog ate it. She probably wanted to end her life. She has no reason to live without her mommy and sleeping in a kennel every night is no way to sleep for a royal princess.
We spoke to the Queen as she was waiting for a taxi to bring her to the airport. She's tired and can't wait to get home. She's got 24 hours of flying and hanging around in airports. If she's tired now, wait until we pick her up tomorrow. She's gonna be exhausted, with two little kids wanting to catch up on the lack of attention.
I'm done. Things are starting to piss me off. I want to go back to work and not have to worry about supper, laundry, dog puke and bed times. It will be nice to see my Queen.
I miss her a lot.
I wonder if she misses me at all...
I'm not sure if I was in denial or if I'm getting worn down by the kids. They are starting to bug me. And I'm bugging them. They've released the "idontlikes" on me. For 14 days, things went amazingly well. But today, the fighting has begun.
First of all, I'm definitely part of the problem. Letting an eight year old watch hockey until 11:20 is not a good idea, even if it does make him happy at the time. I've repaid that debt today.
Second of all, the kids are getting tired of eating down the stored food supply. As the pickins get slimmer, the kids get whinier. Today the whining was based on the lack of snacks we had in the pantry. According to both kids, snacks that no one likes means nothing to eat. I asked, pleaded, begged, and cried for them to eat up the remaining crappy snacks we had left so that mommy could go buy the good stuff again. But alas, I am but one man, and the kids can see through my weakness. They know their saviour will be home tomorrow and all that is wrong with the world will be righted again upon the royal return of the Beautiful Highness.
The dog tried to commit suicide! Things must be going downhill. She puked in her bed, on the kitchen floor, on the sofa, on the boy's favourite blanket and now on one of the chairs. She's still eating. Just to be safe, I will keep her out of the kennel for the night. She'll sleep near me where I can keep an eye on her.
There was an empty plastic wrapper on the floor. It looked like one of the candy wrappers you would get at the end of a restaurant meal. But when I looked closer, I saw little pebbles that looked like little clear marbles. The bag looked like something you'd find in a new jacket pocket. I don't know where this bag came from but the dog ate it. She probably wanted to end her life. She has no reason to live without her mommy and sleeping in a kennel every night is no way to sleep for a royal princess.
We spoke to the Queen as she was waiting for a taxi to bring her to the airport. She's tired and can't wait to get home. She's got 24 hours of flying and hanging around in airports. If she's tired now, wait until we pick her up tomorrow. She's gonna be exhausted, with two little kids wanting to catch up on the lack of attention.
I'm done. Things are starting to piss me off. I want to go back to work and not have to worry about supper, laundry, dog puke and bed times. It will be nice to see my Queen.
I miss her a lot.
I wonder if she misses me at all...
Monday, April 20, 2015
Trading my fake job for my real job: Day 14
I had the best sleep last night. Probably had something to do with no 3 am whining wake up calls from the dog. Nevertheless the day started with me waking up from a dream where I was putting the dog out for a pee. Coming into consciousness, I remembered putting her in the garage last night. So I hustled downstairs not worrying about a t-shirt nor socks. She needs to go outside. She was happy to see me and rushed to the front door. Once she was outside, it gave me a chance to do my business. I hear a bark, followed by a double bark, followed by a triple bark. Rushing to the door, barely getting my shorts back on, the only thought is that someone is walking on the road and the dog is sprinting toward them. When I get to the door, she's ten feet away looking off to the left, bouncing as she takes every threatening bark. She doesn't come to my command, which isn't surprising. I have to break her concentration so I clap my hands, shout her name, whistle but to no avail. I'm getting cold. Yet she's focused on something. Probably a raven, I think to myself. She bolts across the lawn to the left of the driveway. The side of the house obscures my view, so I step out onto the cold cement step to peer off to the left. There's a massive raccoon to the left of the driveway and my 15 pound dog has decided to chase it down. In a pair of shorts, I sprint barefoot out the driveway to stop my puppy from getting her life clawed out. Stupid dog probably thinks the raccoon is another defenseless declawed kitty like her friend in the house.
I convince the dog that this animal is not worth her time. She'd kick this kitty's ass. "Come on, now, leave him alone, he's not worth it." I must have said something that broke her focus. Maybe it was the yelling at this early morning hour that surely woke the neighborhood, but in either case, she agreed and we ran back to the house together. Only when I get back inside that I realize that I was barefoot and bare chest on this chilly April morning. My feet started hurting from the little pebbles trying to penetrate the epidermus of the soles of my feet. With the adrenaline rush of chasing my guard dog, I was not cold until I got back into the house.
Today is clean-up day part two. My queen will be home in two days and I must make her castle look as good as it was before she left. So after the kids are fed, I take upon the task of completing my cleaning list.
The boy liked the fact there was more time for playing today.
The girl drew pictures most of the day.
Supper was another hit. My mom taught me that everything is better deep fried. So I took some fish that no one would eat but me, rolled it in batter and deep fried it to everyone's demand for more. I gained 4 pounds while our queen was away and we never ate in a restaurant once. I definitely don't make the same nutritious meals that mommy makes.
The boy wanted to watch his favourite hockey team play in tonight's playoffs, so once again he went for a 6 pm nap. I woke him up at 8 pm to watch the game. At one point, we were snuggling on the sofa, watching the game and drinking our beers, when I rubbed his head and told him I loved him. He straightened up, turned to me and said, "I know". Wanting to know how an eight year old sees love, I asked him how he knew. His answer created a tear out of the corner of my left eye. "Because you tell me almost every day".
Despite all the shit we go through, all the discipline, all the disappointments, my boy knows I love him because he says I tell him almost every day. He couldn't have made my day any better with that.
The game went into overtime. There's no way we're going to stay up and watch the extra period or periods. It's a school night. So I offer the boy a solution. We go to my bedroom, turn on the TV and lay in bed. With a suitable solution, we go to bed. About 20 minutes go by, as I wander off to never never land, the boy shouts in joy. His team has scored the game winning goal. Great, now we can turn off the TV and go to sleep. He accepts my offer to sleep with me tonight, so away we go together to our independent dream worlds.
I convince the dog that this animal is not worth her time. She'd kick this kitty's ass. "Come on, now, leave him alone, he's not worth it." I must have said something that broke her focus. Maybe it was the yelling at this early morning hour that surely woke the neighborhood, but in either case, she agreed and we ran back to the house together. Only when I get back inside that I realize that I was barefoot and bare chest on this chilly April morning. My feet started hurting from the little pebbles trying to penetrate the epidermus of the soles of my feet. With the adrenaline rush of chasing my guard dog, I was not cold until I got back into the house.
Today is clean-up day part two. My queen will be home in two days and I must make her castle look as good as it was before she left. So after the kids are fed, I take upon the task of completing my cleaning list.
The boy liked the fact there was more time for playing today.
The girl drew pictures most of the day.
Supper was another hit. My mom taught me that everything is better deep fried. So I took some fish that no one would eat but me, rolled it in batter and deep fried it to everyone's demand for more. I gained 4 pounds while our queen was away and we never ate in a restaurant once. I definitely don't make the same nutritious meals that mommy makes.
The boy wanted to watch his favourite hockey team play in tonight's playoffs, so once again he went for a 6 pm nap. I woke him up at 8 pm to watch the game. At one point, we were snuggling on the sofa, watching the game and drinking our beers, when I rubbed his head and told him I loved him. He straightened up, turned to me and said, "I know". Wanting to know how an eight year old sees love, I asked him how he knew. His answer created a tear out of the corner of my left eye. "Because you tell me almost every day".
Despite all the shit we go through, all the discipline, all the disappointments, my boy knows I love him because he says I tell him almost every day. He couldn't have made my day any better with that.
The game went into overtime. There's no way we're going to stay up and watch the extra period or periods. It's a school night. So I offer the boy a solution. We go to my bedroom, turn on the TV and lay in bed. With a suitable solution, we go to bed. About 20 minutes go by, as I wander off to never never land, the boy shouts in joy. His team has scored the game winning goal. Great, now we can turn off the TV and go to sleep. He accepts my offer to sleep with me tonight, so away we go together to our independent dream worlds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)