Blogging is no longer about your family...

 So I've taken a couple free siminars about how to monetize your blog and make it pay you. And over and over again, it says "blogging isn't about your family, it's about the articles!" and I just want to go on record saying, no, for me it's still about my family. It's still about parenting as a queer father. It's still about parenting in this anti LGBTQ+ timeline. It's still about the adventures of baby girl. It's still all about my family and will remain that way. 

Even if that means we can never monetize. 

Because to me, there are so many blogs who represent mothers in heterosexual relationship raising a kid or 10. But there aren't any blogs from queer fathers just living life, raising their family, and writing about it! So here we are! 

So if you aren't here to learn about our family, to enjoy silly family stories, and family adventures, then you are likely not in the right place! 

Come along as we continue telling stories of our family and our journey as parents! 

School cancellation day traditions

 As we have children in a more modern style of brick and mortar schooling, we are finding ourselves looking at new school cancellation day traditions we can implement. I think we've found at least one we can enjoy time and time again!

Ice cream bar!

Once we learned school was cancelled, we got thinking. I immediately knew what *I* wanted, ice cream. And thankfully all our kiddos love ice cream as well! So that was a solid. 

Five people in the house, five different wants! 

It was a huge hit and the kids are eagerly awaiting another school cancellation in order to do it again!

Navigating Schooling and beyond

Okay, so hear me out. WTF is happening out there in the school world? I know as a homeschooler, we were insulated from a lot, but damn if I can understand how schools function any longer!

Big girl has chosen to go to brick and mortar school this year, which is absolutely within her rights to want. But as we navigated out local school district and began looking outside of that, we got lost in a sea of WTF and holy hell. 

We ended up going with a charter school, which where we live are public schools but are done by the lottery system and have a different school board. Exactly what we needed considering we live in a county that banned Old MacDonald had a Baby from a school because the very last page you learn the farmer is gay. Nothing mentioned about being gay, nope, just a pic of him and his husband. Obviously we can't put our kid in schools that think like that... hello, we are gay. 

But now I find myself navigating teachers and electives and attendance requirements and lack of freedom to do anything and gifts and school dances and so much more! And it's overwhelming to say the least. I never thought we'd be here and now that I'm trying to figure it all out, I am so lost. 

I have decided what I need is a school buddy, whose kids are also in a public school, so I can ask them all my questions. I have a few friends who have kids in the schools, but their schools seem to work differently than ours? I am thinking it's because we are at a charter? Anyway, I am trying to find a school buddy who won't think I'm a complete idiot when I ask the most basic questions! 

But also, hats off to parents who do this year after year. You all are navigating a system that is very confusing and makes not a lot of sense. All because that's what you do! 

I am still holding out hope big girl chooses to come back home after this school year. It'll make my life so much easier if she does! However, she is enjoying her time there and I am so thankful for that. 

Technical Difficulties

 Please forgive my absence. We are experiencing some technical difficulties over here. I hope to be back to blogging ASAP!