I had a whole different Aloha Friday post in mind, but I had stayed awake too late for too many days.  After the kids were in bed, I laid down on the couch and before I knew it it was 2:30am!  I was just way too exhausted from the week.  My body had just given all it could give.  My other Aloha Friday post idea will need to wait until next week.

My Aloha Friday question for this week is: How often do you reach the point of sheer exhaustion?

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #36

Everybody has limits on what they talk about to other people and that goes for blogging as well. Of course, these limits are dependent on who you are talking to. A close personal friend might lend a supportive ear during a couple’s fight, but the spouse is unlikely to post the gory details on their blog for all the world the read. Limits are also different based on people. Some people will post tons of photos of their children, others won’t post a single shot. Some will reveal their real names and others like being anonymous.

Here at TechyDad.com, I tend to avoid some personal issues and try to keep my blog rated PG. This wasn’t a concious choice, it’s just what I think is appropriate. Two things happened recently, however, that got me thinking about Blogging Limitations.

The first was a review opportunity. I saw a review by CutestKidEver concerning a massage kit from Eden Fantasys. In case you don’t know, Eden Fantasys sells (among other things) certain “gadgets” to help make you and/or your significant other “happy.” I commented to CutestKidEver how it might be a challenge to review some of their products on my blog. After all, I don’t use graphic terminology here so I’d have to describe the product’s performance via euphemism (e.g. “gadgets” and “happy” above). I wasn’t sure I was up for the job, but Eden Fantasys thought I was. I took it as a challenge. Look for my first review within a month. (I’m starting with a tamer item at first which should help.)

The next thing was a post that I wrote out. I had finished up and was quite proud of my literary accomplishment. I showed it to B and she immediately said “No.” It seems my idea of Blogging Limitations differed from hers and she didn’t want me posting on that subject or at least not in as much detail as I went into. (This was a mundane topic, nothing X-rated.) I was heart broken that my prose wouldn’t see the light of day (and did an awful job of hiding it), but I respected her decision. After all, I don’t want to make her uncomfortable with my blog posts.

What topics do you avoid talking about on your blog? What tends to be out of limits for you?

Weight: 192 lbs (up 2 pounds)

Average Hours of Sleep: 5.9 hours

Total Workout Time: 0

Total Calories Burned: 0

This week’s weigh-in was a mystery to me.  I followed the diet closely and didn’t go over my allotted points.  In fact, most days I left many points unused.  And yet I still gained two pounds.  The key here is to just accept that these fluctuations happen and to look at the bigger picture.  I’m still down 15 pounds from when I started and am a mere 5 pounds away.  5 pounds in 4 weeks is completely doable.

Yesterday, I wrote about roasting sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and red peppers. As the day progressed, I began to think about going through the grocery store to buy different vegetables to roast. I also began thinking about roasting fruit.

My Aloha Friday question for this week is: Have you ever oven roasted fruits or vegetables? If so, what fruits or veggies have you roasted?

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #35

One of the simple things I love doing is roasting vegetetables. Roasting them brings out all sorts of wonderful flavors and is so easy to do. The basic rundown is: Slice veggies, toss in a little extra virgin olive oil, toss in salt and pepper, place on a cookie sheet in the oven until soft and delicious. I made some of these to go with dinner yesterday and figured I’d take some photos to share the details of my procedures.

Read more of this article »

As JSL nears 3, he’s beginning to change. Among other things, he’s beginning to get quite the interesting temper tantrums. One minute, he’ll be sweet little JSL.

Then he changes into Mr. Hyde, screaming about the most insignificant of things.

(He wants cake and doesn’t care if they need to slice it!)

Then he’s back to sweet JSL again.

(Of course, cake helps!)

During Passover, we eat a lot of matzoh. How much? Well, we had 15 pounds of it before Passover started and ended with just under 9 pounds. That’s 6 pounds of matzoh over 8 days for 4 people. That’s an ounce of matzoh, on average, every single meal. It might not seem like a lot, but it adds up. The challenge becomes how to avoid matzoh (difficult when it’s the only grain you’re allowed) or how to turn an ordinary slice of matzoh into something other than a flat, near-flavorless cracker. One of the classic dishes you can make with matzoh is matzoh brie, or matzoh pancakes. Read more of this article »

Grab the torches and pitchforks… It’s time for a revolution!  Ok, maybe not *that* kind of revolution.  (You in the back, please extinguish that torch.)  This is a virtual revolution.

For a long time, dads were regarded as parenting jokes.  Who’s the guy who’s clueless about everything kid related?  Who wouldn’t know what to do with a stinky baby and a fresh diaper?  Who would scratch his head over anything cooking related that didn’t involve a microwave, grill or ordering out?  Yup, that’s dad!  Who’s the guy who drives mom crazy by lounging on the couch in his underpants watching football and drinking beer while she takes care of everything around the house?  Dad!  Who couldn’t care less about the fact that the kids are climbing on the bookshelf so long as they don’t knock it over until the commercial break?  (All together now…) DAD! Read more of this article »

Weight: 190 lbs (down 4 pounds)

Average Hours of Sleep: 6 hours

Total Workout Time: 0

Total Calories Burned: 0

I’m now back on my weight loss plan and I’m back on track again. I’ve lost all of the weight I gained during Passover. I now have a mere 3 pounds to lose and 5 weeks left to lose it in. Some potential stumbling blocks coming up are Mother’s Day (May 9th/week 18) and on JSL’s third birthday party (May 16th/week 19). If those don’t trip me up too much, I should be able to complete this 20 week challenge perfectly on track.

Yesterday, I wrote about my budding interest in genealogy. I’ve begun the process of tracing both my and B’s family trees. One of my mother’s family members traced their ancestry awhile back. (I plan on incorporating this into my tree.) He uncovered quite a few interesting stories including an ancestor of mine who had a ticket to go on the Titanic. Fortunately, he missed the boat (though I’m sure it didn’t seem like a good thing when it happened).

My Aloha Friday question for this week is: Have you traced your family tree? If so, have you come upon any interesting stories about your ancestors?

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #34