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A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Gabe of the God’s Mac podcast. That episode is now available via their website or iTunes. Gabe and I chat about the tools I use for my graphic design work, the journey to my day job at a mega-church, as well as my t-shirt shop at birddoctor.biz and stopforwarding.us.

If you can sit through all my “uhs” and “ums” (so shamefull) you might learn something interesting.

The God’s Mac podcast offers a unique blend of Christian and Mac cultures. Each episode covers Mac related news, interviews with Christians who use Macs and a devotional. Go subscribe now!

Over the past few months, I have made a habit of preparing breakfast for the family on Saturday mornings. This has always included pancakes and, more recently, eggs, turkey bacon, toast and coffee has been added to the fare.

When I first started making breakfast I used a boxed baking mix like Bisquick for the pancakes. Since then, at the urging of my wife, I have begun to make pancakes from scratch. I’ve often been frustrated with pancakes served at home because they never quite tasted like the ones at iHop. I visited Google and soon came upon a top secret recipe for iHop pancakes. These pancakes are bad to the bone! Since finding the recipe I have altered it to use whole wheat flour and I ad a touch of vanilla extract. The result is a sweet pancake that tastes a little hardier and is nutritionally justified (somewhat) thanks to the whole wheat. I’ll admit a pancake breakfast isn’t the best thing to eat, but I’m trying to make it better by altering recipes, using turkey bacon instead of pork, and using low-calorie jams and syrups.

In the past week I have found two new resources to help me get better at cooking and, hopefully, do a better job feeding my family foods that will keep them healthy.

startcooking.com
I found this website via Guy Kawasaki’s blog. Guy has a recipe for his famous teriyaki sauce at startcooking.com along with dozens of instructional videos and tons of recipes. The videos are perfect for those with little attention span. Everything is shown to you quickly and the videos use stop motion, bright colors, and fun music which keeps things quirky and casual. The entire site is designed and written in this manner which puts me at ease and presents cooking as a skill that is accessible to anyone. The creator of the site and host of most of the videos, Kathy Master, is very personable and can totally be my friend.

Jessica Seinfeld: Deceptively Delicious
Okay, the above link is to Oprah’s website, but hear me out! I work with a lot of ladies. Ladies who are wise in the ways of feeding their kids and wiser now thanks to Oprah. Yesterday the ladies at the office were telling me about Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry’s wife?) who had a hard time getting her family to eat their vegetables. She punched this problem in the throat by sneaking pureed vegetables into foods like macaroni and cheese, brownies, and pancakes. She recently appeared on Oprah for some demonstrations and to pimp her new book. I have not tried any of these recipes yet, but I did download the sweet potato pancake recipe (find it using the link above) and this weekend I will modify my current pancake recipe to include pureed sweet potatoes (I’m thinking about just using baby food). I’ll let you know how it goes.

Oh and by the way, I’m still waiting for my Oprah connection to pay off. So if anybody with Oprah Infulence™ is reading, I’ll appear on the show at an affordable rate;-)

UPDATE: The sweet potato pancakes were great and the kids liked them too! I made a ton so we had them for Sunday breakfast with sliced bananas. Delicious! Also, thanks to startcooking.com, I am now an omlette master. I prepared bad-to-the-bone omlettes for the wife and I and they looked and tasted great!

Tonight I was going through some old starred items in Google Reader and came across an article at Lifehacker about alternatives to soda. I’ve gotten a little nuts with the Diet Dr. Pepper lately so I gave it a read. There is nothing groundbreaking in the article but it did remind me of something worth mentioning.

I’m a sucker for free samples and months ago I signed up for samples from True Lemon. True Lemon makes crystallized powders from lemon, lime and orange juice that come in sweetener type packets. When I got my samples in the mail I added the powder to a beer (pretty good), a diet soda (good, but not really the point), to water (good again) and I sprinkled the lime over popcorn once with some chili powder (awesome).

These little packets make a bottle of water a lot more interesting and they do it without artificial sweetener. The flavors are very natural and bright tasting. As an added bonus, you can take them to restaraunts and use them in your beverage instead of having a sketchy, potentially filthy, lemon wedge floating in your drink. So, if you’re a sample junkie like me or are looking for an alternative to soda, check out that article and then visit True Lemon’s website.

I’m ashamed to say that I have never been to a Fourth of July parade. In fact, I can count the number of parades that I have been to on one hand and none of them were related to celebrating freedom. This year I’m going to change that by taking my family to a Fourth of July parade. I must admit that the parade was not my idea. Brett of Art of Manliness was gracious enough to invite us to join them at a parade in the suburbs.

Having never been to a Fourth of July parade and not having much experience with any sort of parade, I decided to gather a few tips for the parade goer.

Get There Early
The main attraction of the parade is the parade itself. Most parades include decorated floats, marching bands and groups, antique cars, clowns, etc. so it makes sense to get there early and grab a good spot with a view. Parade routes are sometimes posted online which can be a valuable resource for planning on where you want to set up.

Bring Water and Snacks
I’m sure many parades offer food and drink vendors near by but if you’re like me, you have a problem spending five dollars on a soda. That’s why I plan on bringing bottled water and some snacks like pretzels, dried fruit or jerky to the parade. This will be especially important as the kids may need something to eat if their attention span begins to weaken. I don’t want to haul a cooler everywhere I go or be a nuisance, so I’ll likely carry these snacks in a backpack.

Bring Chairs or Blankets
If you happen to get a spot that allows you to cop a squat, then you’ll want to be comfortable by bringing a lawn chair or blanket. I imagine the blanket will only work out if you’re on a hill. Also, if you have a baby or toddler, you might consider bringing one of those baby packs that lets you put your kid on your back. You’ll need one less chair and your kid will get a view.

Bring Your Camera
The older I get (I’m not that old) the more I wish I’d taken more pictures over the years, especially as my family grows. If you have an underused camera, dust it off and bring it. Unless something truly spectacular passes by, I’m going to try to keep friends and family in the shots with the action behind them. I find these kinds of photos are more fun to look at later, but that’s just my taste. Also, try to divide camera duty between your group. Nobody like to see the whole event through the view finder.

Dress Right
You’re going to be outside for several hours, so dress smart. Since it is summer, I’ll wear shorts, a light colored shirt, sandals and, if I can ever find one I like, a straw hat. Be sure to bring your sunglasses along. If you will be doing some walking, then consider some good walking shoes. Sun block and bug repelant may also be appropriate.

Am I on the right track here? Is there anything I missed? If you have some killer tips on how to get the most out of a parade, please share in the comments!

Bonus: If you always find yourself wondering what to do when the US flag passes by in a parade, Art of Manliness has the article for you. Don’t look like a schmuck this Friday. Show some respect!

This past Father’s Day was rad. Not only did my wife bring a rad omlet to feast on in bed, but the kids made Father’s Day cards and got me a very special gift, a Merkur 1904 Safety Razor complete with mug, sop, brush and bay rum aftershave.

After my recent trip to the barber for a proper wet shave, I’d been talking up safety razors and the whole process to Hannah. I guess I dropped a hint somewhere that Hannah and the kids picked up.

When I got the razor I was both overjoyed with excitement and horrified that I slash my throat and bleed out with the family looking on as I tried it all out for the first time. So, to prepare myself I visited YouTube for some instruction. If you have not utilized YouTube for instructional videos yet, do it! In addition to learning how not to make a Pez dispenser of myself, I’ve learned how to confidently fix my kitchen faucet and Hannah learned how to put beads in Little Girl’s hair.

My search for instructional videos led me to the work of Mantic59. Mantic has 30+ videos related to shaving from the basics to advanced techniques. Not only do these videos deliver priceless information and demonstrations but they are also quite funny. Mantic seems to have a good sense of humor and his editing and commentary show it. Also, keep an eye out for his upcoming website, shavetutor.com.

Yesterday I bought a Wii for my wife. That’s right, she asked me to buy it for her. A few days before I made the purchase I gave Hannah a heads up about a series of purchases I was going to make to celebrate Mother’s Day and her birthday. Before I could get further, she stopped me and told me to read the note on the fridge. I walked to the fridge thinking I’d see a post-it note on a large, out-of-nowhere bill. instead I saw the ad you see to the right with, “Mother’s Day, My Birthday, Your Birthday?” written on it. In my head I thought, “Heck yes, you have a deal!”

The ad includes an attractive woman working out on a Wii Fit, Nintendo’s new exercise accessory for the Wii. The soft colors and lighting in the ad reminded me of a Pottery Barn catalog (I read that a lot). It’s obvious that this ad was meant for mom to see. The genius of the ad is not only does Hannah get what she wants, I do too.

When Nintendo launched the Wii they got a lot of flack from the hardcore gaming crowd for its lack of features and power. They may have lost a few customers. But I wonder how many customers they have gained from their aggressive efforts at marketing the product to gamers, casual gamers, older gamers and now, the most powerful niche of purchasing American society, women?

Genius.

If you’re visiting for the first time from the blog carnival (Manival) happening at Art of Manliness, then welcome to GetGeekStrong.com. There aren’t a whole lot of articles yet on this blog so take a quick look, you might find something interesting or enlightening.

I like to blog about entrepreneurship, parenting (from the perspective of a newcomer), marriage and anything that will help me get “Geek Strong” which is how I think of my holistic approach to general health which includes mental, physical, financial, relational and spiritual health.

GetGeekStrong.com is one of many projects that I work on in my spare time and I must admit that contributing to the Manival pushed me, in a good way. Perhaps with events like these and the gentle encouragement of my wife to write more (an old passion of mine) articles will come more regularly.

My thanks to Brett at Art of Manliness for the opportunity. His blog is like a much needed drink of water in an internet wasteland.

A few weeks ago a study was released and featured in this article that says husbands can add up to seven hours of housework to his wife’s workload each week. Despite my temptation to become defensive at such a notion, I have decided to write a post giving some ideas on how I and other men can reduce the amount of work they dump on their wives. The notion that I, possibly one of the worst offenders, would have the audacity to write such a post entertains my wife. I’m sure she is looking forward to reading this and seeing if I actually put any of it into practice.

On their own, these tips may reduce the amount of housework your wife must deal with only marginally. While I can’t imagine reducing all of the housework your wife will do on your behalf, I do think that done together, these tips may provide your wife with some relief and you with a appreciative and happy woman at home.

1. Put Everything in it Place. It’s simple, I know, but effective. If everything was put back where it belongs when it was done being used, clutter would be eliminated. My kids are awful at this. I will frequently witness them getting out a toy, playing with it for a few minutes and then dropping it where they stand to get something else. It’s amazing, but I do the same thing. Only instead of the floor I might place it on the counter where it does not go or just throw it in the sink. Let’s try this instead:
   • Rinse dishes and place in the dishwasher. Prevent sink pile-up and discourage roaches from hanging out on your counter tops. Bonus!
   • Before you leave a room for the last time before bed, make a quick scan and spend five minutes making sure things are where they belong.
   • Prevent Clutter with a landing pad. Landing pads are a catchall for the household where things can be set down and acted upon later. Here’s a quick video that explains launch pads in detail.
   • Get a “doorganizer.” This is a handy door hanger is made to keep track of everything you need on the go. If you’re still insecure enough in your manhood that you refuse to carry a purse, this can not only help you find you wallet and keys in the morning, but also keeps them in one place instead of on the mantle, on the dinner table, on your nightstand, etc.
2. Deep Clean Monthly. There are some chores that should be done once a month. I would suggest breaking these down into weekly tasks so you don’t end up spending an entire Saturday with these tasks. Cleaning windows and window treatments, changing filters on the a.c. or vacuum cleaner, and dusting ceiling fans are just a few tasks that should be done monthly. If you have a pool, add its maintenance to the list. This list should get you on a good start.
3. Prepare a Meal or Two. Some women like cooking, others welcome a needed break from deciding what to feed the family, preparing the meal, cooking the meal, serving the meal and finally sitting down to the meal only to be interrupted by kids needing more bread and bringing you a beer while she’s up. Why not relieve her of this at least once a week? I’m not talking about making waffles on Saturday mornings (though that is nice). I’m talking about instead of asking your wife what is for dinner that night, take care of it yourself. Here are a few ways to get it done:
   • Prepare in the morning. You might get up before the rest of the household anyway but if you don’t, get up early and take 30 minutes to prepare a meal that is ready for the oven when you get home. You might even consider a crock pot solution. My mom used to make a rad Italian roast in the crock pot that made the whole house smell great all day. It had the added bonus of reducing dishes because everything was made in the pot.
   • Buy it ready to cook. In my part of town, there have been businesses opening where you can prepare a meal or buy it prepared and frozen, ready for you to take home and throw in the oven. If you have the time on a lunch break to actually prepare the meal, do it. Places like Pass Your Plate make it easy and fun to prepare tasty meals and you might learn a thing or two. If you don’t have time, just pick it up frozen. This will set you back by about $20 per meal but you can buy in advance for a discount.
   • Take the family out. This should be a last resort. While it keeps your wife from having to prepare a meal. It may add stress by having to get the kids ready and in the van. Not to mention that it can be expensive. I’m also ashamed to admit that my family has become regulars of Golden Coral. It’s good food and all the kids under three eat free (which is all of our kids). We’d spend more going to Chili’s.
4. Choose a Chore. Help out on a daily basis by choosing and being responsible for a daily chore. This could include emptying the sink of dishes and running the dishwasher. Taking out the trash (I’m really bad at this). Or putting away laundry. Whichever you choose, don’t behave the way I do by forgetting to follow through. This will only add more frustration…trust me.
5. Share Financial Responsibilities. This is a hard one for me to write about because I am horrible with money. I will spend everything in my pocket before dusk if given the chance. So my wife handles the money. However, I can still make trips to the bank on her behalf. We’ve also set up online and automatic bill pay which makes paying bills a breeze.
6. Maintain the Car. Here is another area that I have no reason to be writing about. Car care is not my specialty. In theory, at the very least, it would be good of me to take my wife’s van to the car wash once a week for a quick vacuum and wash. While it may not save much in the area of time, she’ll feel better in a clean car and a clean and well maintained car is safer. Even if you don’t know how to change the oil and inspect the brakes, you could take a few minutes to check and fill the fluids, make sure she has washer fluid in the car and check the tire pressure.
7. Form Good Habits. This entire post is really about forming new habits. Done habitually, the above items may do a lot to keep yourself from adding to the work around the house. The best thing you can do, however, is ask your wife about the bad habits you have that contribute to housework and then act on changing them. Leaving your toothbrush on the counter, not cleaning your hair out of the drain, leaving the hose out in the yard, are just examples. By asking your wife to point out your bad habits, you’re inviting an opportunity to be defensive. Don’t be. Take it like a man and work together to keep your house in order and keep the woman you love happy.

Since adopting, I’ve started to freelance again to help offset some of the new expenses. It’s been going well. I have no shortage of work to keep me busy. Unfortuneately work has come so quickly that I have not had time to update my portfolio site. Well, I’m happy to announce that tonight my new site is up. The portfolio is a little sparse while I catch up adding new stuff and some older stuff, but I’ll be adding regularly.

I’ve also got a fun list of all the side projects that I’m involved in. So if you want a peek at what keeps me up at night, have a look around.

I stumbled upon this great video showing the making of HBO’s bumper from back in the day. I love the ingenuity that went into special effects back then. It was a simpler time.