It was like a one-sided bout against a prized fighter. But instead of getting my butt kicked by an actual person, my licks were inflicted courtesy of the stairs.

Last week around bedtime, I ventured downstairs to grab some water before going to sleep. Only, my leisurely “venture” turned into a rocky and painful ride as I slipped on one of Sloan’s toys and fell down the stairs. Out of 12 steps, I tripped on the 10th (from the top), resulting in a good amount of tumbling.

Our steps that separate our main floor from upstairs aren’t exactly forgiving. They are steep-ish and by no means soft. They were built to serve a purpose, not to cushion falls.

A look at the stairs I fell down in our house.

When I slipped on the toy, it sent me airborne for a short moment. I then landed on a top stair via my backside and crashed down the rest of them to the bottom. Although my clumsy descent down the stairs lasted a couple seconds at most, it seemed much longer to me. I was cognizant of each step my body bounced off, registering every single blow from the respective steps.

It wasn’t a silent affair. In addition to the sound of an adult male body falling down a flight of stairs, I managed to yell once I reached the bottom. As I sat there and let the pain register for a moment, I looked up the stairs to see Sid and Sloan looking down at me.

Sid was very concerned and made sure I was okay. She then turned to Sloan and scolded her for leaving the toy out and commanded her to apologize to me. Sloan’s initial response?

“It was daddy’s fault for not turning on the light.”

Yeah, that didn’t go over well with me.

But after Sloan gave an appropriate response/apology and my shock from the fall dissipated, I started to think about people—especially the elderly—who take tumbles down the stairs on flights much numerous and steeper than the one I tripped over. I am talking flights of stairs that aren’t even carpeted and might have some twists and turns incorporated. For someone like myself who is still equipped (at least for now 😉) to absorb a fall but definitely experienced some pain, I can only imagine how traumatic and agonizing it would be for someone a bit more vulnerable.

I was sore the next day but I moved on past my clumsy ride down the stairs. Rest assured, I won’t be challenging our staircase to any future bouts. Have you ever fallen down the stairs before? Don’t Blink.

With the different “national” days taking place today, you could celebrate each one and have yourself a meal that includes main course, dessert, and a beverage. Because I have a feeling you are dying to know my thoughts on each one, I thought I would briefly oblige…

National Fajita Day – Are you the person who likes to be the center of attention at a Mexican restaurant? Well, not only do you most likely say it is your birthday so you can wear a giant sombrero while the wait staff sings to you, but you probably also order a certain entrée. Yep, you get the fajitas every single time! Because what better way to have an entire restaurant look at you short of wearing a flashing sign that says “look at me”? I admit it, my eyes follow the skillet of sizzling, steaming fajitas to whatever table the stressed servers are bringing it to. But the fajita intrigue ends at the visual level for me; I prefer a classic burrito any day.

National Ice Cream Pie Day – This is truly a day for my family to celebrate! I have probably mentioned my mom’s famous ice cream pie no less than 20 times throughout the life of this blog. I went as far as to write an entire post about it and I named it my #2 all-time favorite dessert. With a chocolate brownie crust base, it is layered with premium ice cream and topped with candy, sprinkles, and chocolate sauce. Growing up on our birthdays, my mom would let us choose which ice cream she layered the pie with. Allow the ice cream to melt in your mouth while savoring the chewy crust.

Me holding one of my mom’s delicious ice cream pies.

National Pinot Noir Day – Water for me, please. Wine has always been a hard pass for me. In fact, wine isn’t a favorite of Sid’s either. Need evidence? Come to our house and see the bottles of wine that we have been given but not opened. I enjoy a beer and will even accept a mixed drink on a rare occasion but wine isn’t my thing.

I enjoy a Total Wine gift card but I don’t use it on wine. 😉

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So go ahead, you have an excuse to indulge in something spicy, sweet, or rich. Don’t Blink.

I’m hungry.

These days, Beau is always hungry (photo courtesy of Paola Muela).

That’s it. Those are the two words. Sid and I hear that short sentence expressed multiple times to us every single day by our 5-year-old. Sometimes it is drawn out in a whiny tone, sometimes it is confidently said in a matter-of-fact way, and other times it is said almost as an afterthought.

But no matter how it is expressed, these days we take it with some skepticism. Beau is fed three meals per day and he is given a snack in the morning and afternoon. Trust us, he is well-fed. This leads me to believe that his constant declarations of hunger are likely out of habit, boredom, or the thrill of eating something that tastes good despite having a full stomach.

Sometimes these declarations of hunger can become nagging. If it isn’t time to eat, Sid and I have struggled to determine the best way to tell him so. After a lot of deliberation, I have started telling him and Sloan the same thing:

It’s good to be a little hungry.

Of course the phrase packs a metaphorical punch. In life, it is good to be hungry. Many people attain success because they were “hungry” to do great things and thrive. That “edge” made all the difference.

I believe that “edge” exists in the literal sense as well. In high school, one of our coaches always cautioned us about eating too much prior to a competition. He constantly reminded us that “a hungry tiger hunts best.” When your belly isn’t full and you have a slight yearning/craving, it makes you motivated and alert. When you are full, you become sluggish and content. 

Beau might only be 5 but I want him to become at least acquainted with what it feels like to delay gratification. Although the time of craving can be tough to deal with, the breaking of the fast is always worth it. Food tastes better when you truly are hungry.

And then there is the health perspective as well. “Eating on call” or (even worse) eating when bored doesn’t turn out well. You overeat and your appreciation of food lessens. Sometimes it is simply best to embrace a little hunger, at least in the very “first-world” way that we do.

Do you have any better responses or practices to tell a boy who constantly suggests that he is hungry? I will just sit here and eat a donut while I wait 😉. Don’t Blink.

How do you entertain your kids in the car on road trips? I have this on my mind today for a couple reasons. First, my family will be embarking on a road trip soon. And second, I actually wrote about this topic on this exact date 10 years ago. However, back in August 2015 I wasn’t a dad yet, so I pulled the best tactics my parents employed from when my siblings and I were kids.

They included:

Road BINGO – Your card spaces corresponded to items you would see on the road (i.e. livestock, police car, barn, flag pole, etc.).

Gameboy – Tetris for hourssssss.

Pepsi vs. Coke War – A game that I made up that entailed us counting every Pepsi and Coke advertisement we spotted from the moment we left our house to the time we arrived at our destination.

2-XL – A mini robot we received during Christmas that you rested on your lap. The robot would ask trivia questions, play music, and “interview” famous people.

Name That Tune – My dad would whistle theme songs from television shows and we would blurt out the name of the show.

But all of that was from the 1990s. Now adults, what do Sid and I do 30+ years later to keep Sloan and Beau entertained in the car? Let me describe five quick tactics…

Sid and I pull out all the stops to keep the kids under control in the car during road trips.

Tablets – These things are absolutely magical for stopping fights and allowing us to enjoy some peace. I know you might think we are the worst parents ever, but sometimes you just have to let them look at their devices.

Podcasts – Believe it or not, there are some awesome podcasts made specifically for children. Our favorite is the Hallow app that offers superb Catholic content for kids. It provides Sloan and Beau with a quality listening experience and gets them excited for riding in the car.

Earn Your Vacay Budget – If we are going on vacation, we will give each child their own allowance (going rate is currently $50) to spend upon arrival. However, each time they misbehave in the car, $1 is subtracted from that allowance. Sloan might arrive at the hotel with $45 remaining while Beau might have $38. However, you usually just have to threaten them a possible money deduction and they straighten up real fast.

Grocery Store Alphabet Game – Sid introduced this one! The game starts by someone announcing, “I went to the grocery store and bought an apple.” The next person then announces, “I went to the grocery store and bought an apple and beans.” The next person then says, “I went to the grocery store and bought an apple, beans, and cereal.” And this goes on and on until you get to the letter Z. Can you come up with a food item for each letter of the alphabet but more importantly can you remember the entire sequence?

License Plate Game – This one is an oldie, but it keeps Sloan occupied throughout any car trip. The object is to spot as many vehicles with different state license plates as possible. The thrill of finding a car on the road with an “exotic” license plate from a place like Massachusetts or Hawaii is always fun.

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So there you have it, 10 total activities to introduce to your children for that late summer road trip. Do you have any suggestions of your own that Sid and I can entertain the kids with when we hit the road this weekend? Don’t Blink.