Still Time to Score for Valentine’s Day [More Importantly, XOXO on the Reg]

There’s only a couple rules we live by in the Dude casa.

  1. Never break a promise: Trust is important
  2. Always give a kiss goodnight…

You can’t get today back. Make sure the peeps you love, know it.

  • “I hope they know how much I love them.”
  • “I wish I had a chance to say I love you.”

Such simple regrets to avoid.

Don’t wait for the next holiday to say I love you and share a good night kiss.

Today’s the day.

Holidays? Gifts?

Meh.

Make every day the right day to share a special moment.

With that said, I love love. Any reason for an extra squeeze is good by me.

It’s a week away, but you still have time to score for Valentine’s Day. Here’s how…

You’re welcome.

Hola 2014

January 10 already?! Dang, life moves quickly.

While we’re at it, 2014 already?! Yowza.

I’d say 10 days in is still within the “let’s reflect” and “look ahead” time frame.

Short. But sweet.

  1. Health: 11 questions to ask yourself
  2. Wealthy Habits: Instead of resolutions
  3. Predictions: Agree? Disagree? I’m not sure, but I do know that you should be a subscriber to Inside Hook. Pretty rad.
  4. Woodie Gutherie: I shared Woodie’s list of resolutions a couple years ago, but it’s pretty great…and getting some virality (no way that’s a word) this year.
  5. Achievable resolutions: Some resolutions you can handle? Thanks Inside Hook.
  6. Fire cider: Holy moly! Fire cider looks awful, and awesome. Definitely worth a try in 2014. More importantly, sign up for Kaufmann. Awesome gear.
  7. 2013 favorite new tools: Yeah, dudes love tools. Enough said.
  8. Mark Twain: If Mr. Guthrie deserves some props, than surely Mr. Twain does as well. Some awesome words of wisdom to soak up in 2014.

A Dude Family Christmas: 2013

3 kids. 1 dog. Countless presents. 1 car.

11 hours up. 13 hours back. 7 days of family holiday chaos.

6 adults. 7 kids (under 10). 1 roof.

Christmas Eve with the Dude’s 97 (yes, 97!) year old Grandfather…and 33 of our closest relatives.

QT with family unseen for years.

Perhaps a tense family moment or two. (No holiday would be complete without them.)

A trip to the local casino for a photo opp next to the fake Christmas tree, indoor waterfall, AND escalator.

A couple Santa sightings.

Homemade Christmas tree ornaments.

Many battle royals.

And Christmas Day full of holiday magic…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmuWgpK3rMA[/youtube]

Safe to say The Dudes enjoyed a pretty rad holiday. Hope y’all did as well.

See you on the other side of 2013.

PS – End of Year lists are all the rage. Here’s a few tasty nuggets…

  1. Best of Art of Manlieness 2013
  2. Best of Brain Pickings 2013
  3. 13 Best Books of 2013 (Brain Pickings)

Enjoy the Festivus: Hallelujia, Holy !#$@, Where’s the Tylenol?!

December already?! How does time move so quickly?

Tomorrow afternoon, the Dudes ship off on a two-day, 10 hour Cannonball Run up the Eastern Seaboard to enjoy an extended family holiday. Festivus at its best!

Ever felt like this during the holidays?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNFXk0GFiHc[/youtube]

Before our journey begins, a little holiday assistance from me to you…

1. Holidays = Meditation? | A great read from Zen Habits: Family Gatherings – The Ultimate Mindfulness Training Ground. My personal fav…

Let go of control. Stress often comes because we want to control how things go. Of course, we don’t really have control — we just think we do, or want to have control. Practice letting go and letting things happen. Practice not resisting what happens. Practice being happy no matter what happens.

2. Yule Log 2.0: If you don’t have a blazin’ fire to keep you toasty, let Yule Log 2.0 give you all the ambiance you need. Choose your fav, switch to full-screen, and let the magic happen.

 3. A traditionalist? | Let Netflix take care of your fake fire needs…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Vuwop3MGA[/youtube]

Last, but certainly not least, Festivus for the Rest of Us!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS7-jcsB_WQ[/youtube]

Buttholes Are Beautiful {Happy Turkey Day from the Dudes}

Shock Factor: The subjective measure of the psychological “impact” of any given event.

The Dude has been accused of enjoying the shock factor. Hence the title of this post?

It seems Little Dude shares this quality.

The three and a half year old is growing into his boyhood – chock-full of all the “poopie dutie” talk you can handle.

The Dudes were lucky enough to spend Turkey Day in the mountains of West Virginia, and Little Dude’s conversations headed towards bathroom-talk very quickly…just to see the reactions.

As we awoke early one morning to enjoy the quiet of the mountains, we wiped the sleep from our eyes and gazed out at the skyline in the distance. Little Dude nonchalantly mentioned to the Princess and I:

Buttholes.

Very matter of fact. No emotion. And again.

Buttholes.

Princess immediately followed with:

Stop!!! That’s gross!!!

And Little Dude – turning his gaze back to the skyline, with a confidence beyond his years:

No. They are beautiful.

Three year old boys. A natural wonder.

I chose not to respond. Luckily, I have not heard this discussion again.

Where does this insanity come from?!?

On the flip side, the sweetness is equally as amazing. Randomly, Little Dude likes to share…

I love you. I need a hug.

Other than discussions of unmentionable anatomy, the mountain/Turkey Day festivities were fab, including…

Sledding, photo bombs, hikes to the Big Daddy Tree, snowball fights, s’mores,  fried turkeys, grilled oysters and lots o’ family time…

Although, it is nice to be home. And get the kids back to work (notice the Princess and her pace, and of course Little Dude’s focus on safety-first)…

Notable updates…

  • The Littlest Dude has hit 10 months and is pulling up and making a fantastically amazing noise that is somewhere between a bird and a car.
  • The Princess watched the first five minutes of The Hunger Games and bought a slingshot the next day. Looking forward to our first squirrel dinner.

Update:

Everything you need to know about the sweet Turkey Day cabin wrapped into some smooth jazz from Ylvis. A lyrical genius.

The Cabin

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVyDovLA2vw[/youtube]

Happy 4th Anniversary Mrs. Dude – Love The Dude…and Old Gregg

The Mrs. and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary yesterday. Amazing. How does time move so quickly?

Remember when a school day seemed long? And a school year?! Insanely long.

Now, life is moving at a lightning pace. 4 years! Awesome.

Thanks for being you.

And thanks for introducing me to Old Gregg.

When the Mrs. and I began our courtship (You like that old-timey choice of words? I’m retro.), she introduced me to the most amazingly bizarre, creepy, and hilariously funny video – Old Gregg.

Old Gregg is one of the creepiest, yet amazingly funny videos I’ve come across. It’s an instant classic.

To celebrate our 4th anniversary, I give you the scaly man fish – Old Gregg…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIInySnQe4I[/youtube]

What’s up 2013?!

Adios 2012. So much for the end of the world. Ho hum.

Hello 2013!

The year of the Dude?! Fo sho. We expect big things every year. 🙂

Although, 2013 is most definitely going to get off to a fantastic start. The newest addition to the Dude Clan did not make an appearance during the holidays – although we were pretty darn sure we were close a couple times. So, we’ve crossed into a new month and a new year.

The Dude can only nest so much. I don’t think the house can get any cleaner. So, we’re just relaxing and waiting for the bambino to decide it’s (he or she?!) ready to say hi. Apparently there’s some cooking left to be done. No rush, baby, no rush.

I’m generally not much for New Year’s resolutions. I’m of the mindset that if you want to get ‘er done, then get ‘er done. We don’t need no stinkin’ resolutions.

However, we’ve had some time to kill, and I’ve come across some nice thoughts in my online travels, so here are some New Year’s thoughts – not resolutions – I’ll share with y’all…

Carpe Diem 
I subscribe to an online magazine called Bearings – “A Southern Lifestyle Magazine for Men.” It’s pretty great – food, music, fashion, drinks. I highly recommend it. They sent along a great end of the year message, and since you’re not a subscriber – yet, I thought I’d share a piece of their great message…

Seize the Day –  We are living bridges between who we were yesterday and who we can become, but the difference between the masterful and the mundane life is whether we make the most of the here and now. While some languish in their ode to past failures and others give up on their becoming because tomorrow never arrives, may we seize the day – purposefully living with the time, people and resources we have today.

Resolutions?!
Like I said, I’m not much of the resolution type, however, this is a pretty great list of 12 Powerful Resolutions You Should Make Every Year. Although, these feel like great life lessons more than fleeting resolutions.

I just started following this cat, but I’m digging what he’s laying down. I’ll let you click over to see the full list, but here are a couple good examples…

5.  Focus on solutions.

Life gets better when you choose to make it so.  Negative people make lots of noise about how bad things are, while positive people quietly and steadily improve things.

There are always problems, there are always challenges, and there are always people willing to transform those problems and challenges into great opportunities.  Those who have the courage, commitment and discipline to do so, create a better life for everyone.  Be one of these people.  Focus on solutions and work your way eagerly toward a brighter future.

9.  Set a good example.

It’s not about what you say; it’s about how you live your life every day.  The people who look up to you are watching you all the time.  These people are like sponges – what they see or feel you do, they will imitate.  So remember that your words mean a lot less than what you’re doing.  Choose to believe that you can and will change lives with what you do each day, and you will.

Let your actions speak for themselves.

Life Lessons
Speaking of life lessons, here’s a good list of 50 important pieces of advice that people usually aren’t told. Day 1 of a new year – a great time to soak up some great pieces of advice. Click on over for the full list, but here are a few of the Dude’s favs…

  •  Don’t lie to yourself.
  • Wealth is measured by your happiness and not by your financial statement.
  • Nobody has it all figured out.
  • Take your time.
  • Make mistakes  and LOTS of them!
  • Stop thinking so much and act.
  • Swallow your pride and apologize.
  • The grass is only greener where you water it.
  • You and you alone control how happy you allow yourself to be.
  • Be present here and now. You are lucky. Your life is a gift. Realize it.

Here’s to an awesome 2013! Keep on keepin’ on.

PS – Here are 10 great inspirational manifestos if you need a little added motivation.

The Dude Goes All Griswold on Your Arse!

Happy December! Festivus is officially underway. And the Dude is kicking it off right with some sweet holiday lights.

I’m not much of a holiday person. I don’t need a random day to give me reason to get in a good mood and share cheer. We should be doing that every day. We shouldn’t need a special day to remind us to say “I love you.” Do it every day. And the gift giving! Oh, the gift giving! For real, stop finding reasons to buy more stuff we don’t need.

Let’s be nice to each other, remember to say “I love you,” and share some surprises all year long. Don’t store up all of life’s sweetness for a few random days.

Ba Humbug!

Ok, I’m a bit softer than that…but not by much. (Here’s a look at the Dude’s softer side from Christmas 2010.)

I LOVE holidays because they get families to slow down and spend time together. I don’t really like the contrived jolly fella that encourages materialism, but I love that kids are using their imaginations – don’t get me started about that damn bunny…or worse, the ELF! I don’t like feeling the societal pressure to spend money, but I do enjoy giving, and it’s nice to open a special gift.

As with most things in life, my guess is moderation is key. Let’s not get too hyped about the holidays, but let’s enjoy every last drop of loving family moments and burst of energy from the little ones. Life is sweet, and now’s as good a time as any to recognize.

So, to celebrate, the Dude has lit up the Dude Casa like Clark W. Griswold.

Ok, not even close to Clark. However, compared to last year, I’m definitely in Griswold territory.

Last year, I tried to quiet the holiday chirping around the house with a sweet string of lights on our outdoor staircase. Yes, 1 string of lights. I had them laying around the house, so I used them. It was pretty sad. Very Charlie Brown’esq. Needless to say, the chirping got louder.

Since I’m generally the ba humbug dude, I had no plans to hang more. I already struck out. Did I not prove my limited holiday lighting capability?!

But the Dude’s plans changed when 1,000 lights landed in my lap…on the same day. Conspiracy? Or just some fun loving folks spreading holiday cheer?

My guess is the latter, but I’ll play out both scenarios for you…

For the conspiracy buffs:

Mrs. Dude: Rex, Dude’s holiday lights are totally bogus! (Yes, Mrs. Dude talks like a 1980’s valley girl in my mind.)

Rex (Mrs. Dude’s Dad, & the landlord, & the mechanic – a man the Dude should listen to :)): I hear ya Mrs. Dude. Let’s make sure he gets it right this year. We’ll both give him lights to make sure he knows Charlie-Brown-style holiday light displays are not accepted in this family. Arrgghhh! (Pirate noises always sound evil.)

Mrs. Dude: My thoughts exactly! Mu ha ha ha ha!!!!!! (that’s an evil laugh :))

How it actually happened:

Mrs. Dude to herself: Same as above.

Rex to himself: Whoa, I bought way too many lights. I don’t want to hang all these. I’ll give some to the Dude.

So, I ended up with 1,000 little lights that needed a home. And I needed to rectify the wrong from last year’s lame lighting.

I used every bulb and even added two extra strings, a Red Flyer wagon, three poinsettias, and a wreath!

Let the holidays begin!

Drum-roll please….

Lookin' Good Griswold

Lookin’ Good Griswold

The Festivus Wagon

The Festivus Wagon

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ar-__ub0rc[/youtube]

Thanksgiving Canceled! Turkey Day Replaced with Bill Day.

Mark your calendars. 2012 marks the beginning of a new holiday tradition –  end of Turkey Day and the beginning of Bill Day.

Similar to Festivus, it is completely contrived, so it can be anything we want. We reserve the right to add a catchy slogan (how great is “Festivus for the rest of us!?”) and/or adjust the holiday name at a future date.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS7-jcsB_WQ[/youtube]

But more on Bill Day in a minute.

So, The Dude Family trekked up the to DC area for Thanksgiving. Every other year we celebrate Turkey Day with my sister – aka Lady in a Shoe because she has a ridiculous amount of kids…although The Dudes are catching up fast.

Two years ago it broke out into a children’s Thanksgiving Day dance party…a rare sight on eat-until-you-sleep day.

This year, we stretched it out to four days and even included a trip to Washington, DC with three adults and six kids from 2-8…on the Metro! We’re ballsy.

Chillin’ at the White House…

Little Dude at White House

Little Dude at White House

led to antagonizing at the White House…

which led to a White House wrastling match…

White House Wrastling

White House Wrastling

that led us to taking a deep breath and watching the world pass us by at the Washington Monument…

Washington Monument Chillin'

Washington Monument Chillin’

Much to be Thankful for. Indeed.

After a great day in the big city, we learned that Thanksgiving had been canceled!!! 🙁

To be fair, Thanksgiving wasn’t actually canceled. It was just postponed to Friday. But “Thanksgiving Postponed” doesn’t have the same impact.

Turns out the Dude’s Padre – aka Bill – decided to get the flu vaccine the day before the turkey was to be served. And the flue vaccine made him feel muy mal.

Bill, Doc, really?! The day before Thanksgiving? #headshake.

Let me pull up my soapbox and clear my throat….ah hem…this is where I link to the Dude’s Tips for Cold & Flu season as an unveiled “I told you so.” 🙂

So, Bill was too sick to join us for Thanksgiving, and by Friday Grammie had to leave Papa at home to carry on with the festivities.

But Thanksgiving is Thursday, not Friday! Well, it was. Now Thursday has become Bill Day, and Black Friday has become the new Thanksgiving.

All the cool kids are doing it.

Bill Day = do anything you want day. Everyone else is busy, so the world is your oyster. We chose to go for a hike, cut wood, light a fire, drink beer and watch football…while relegating the kids to the basement to fend for themselves.

Much like Thanksgiving…but no turkey. The perfect Bill Day!

Then we enjoyed a great Thanksgiving on Friday while everyone was beating the shiz out of each other to get the last pre-paid cell phone and/or .50 cent towel at Walmart.

All in all, a pretty great tweak to the Dude’s favorite holiday (4th of July is a close 2nd). Although, we did miss you Papa.

But golfing by Sunday?! Are you sure you were sick…or just avoiding a house with 6 kids and a pregnant lady?

Hey, it’s Bill Day…do you. 🙂

Happy Easter. Here’s to New Beginnings, Dude.

Happy Easter 2012

Happy Easter 2012

Happy Easter to you and yours from the Dudes.

Family is the Dude’s favorite part of a holiday. To me, holidays mean a day of uninterrupted family time. A day to refocus on what means the most to us.

However, I know there is a more subtle meaning to holidays – an overt meaning to many, but subtle to the Dude. Religion.

But maybe it’s only subtle to the Dude because I focus on the wrong ideas. I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the religious explanations to holidays. Taking a literal interpretation of religious stories is hard for the Dude to hold onto. Yet, these seem to be the prevalent explanations these days.

A lot of stories – especially important stories – carry subtle, hidden messages. Focusing on literal interpretations can ignore the hidden – more important? – messages.

By refocusing the ideas that build meaning to holidays, perhaps the Dude can feel more comfortable with the religious/spiritual meaning behind the holidays.

Here’s an interesting point of view of Easter from Rudolf Steiner from 1906. I’m just scratching the surface of Rudolf – great name – but from what I can tell, Mr. Steiner has some incredible thoughts.

If you are unfamiliar with Rudolf Steiner, here’s an explanation from Wikipedia:

Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner[2] (25/27 February 1861[3] – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosophersocial reformerarchitect, andesotericist.[4][5] He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher.

Major holidays built around cycles in nature? Seems to make a lot of sense from a human evolution perspective.

Connecting holidays to a natural significance has a much greater appeal to the Dude.

And if we want to take Steiner’s thoughts to the next level, the celebration of new beginnings is much greater the than new beginnings of spring.

Yes, the natural new beginnings are crucial to our lives and evolution – and well worth huge celebrations throughout the millennium. But if we want to think BIG, and build our lives around a spiritual existence, what could be more exciting than celebrating the “resurrection” of a deep connection to the “Greater Spirit?”

From the Dude’s vantage point, there sure does seem like some hidden messages in the story of Jesus. Maybe we’re too literal.

At any rate, it’s Easter. It’s a beautiful Spring day to enjoy with the fam and celebrate new beginnings – however you define that.

Happy Easter.