100th Post Extravaganza

We did it everyone! 100 posts!!

To celebrate reaching this milestone, I figured I would do a fun themed list. Also, I pulled the kids on this one to help me write it :)

"100 Things the Megows Think You Should Know"

100) This morning, I stepped out of my room after getting ready for work to find all four of my kids still in their pjs, all crouching on all fours, forming a circle, and howling. Apparently, they were a wolf pack this morning. 

99) Lately, the kids and I have been getting into the Disney classic movies. I've discovered that Belle is my dream woman. (besides being a cartoon and all...) 

98) When I asked Stevie what she would like to share with the blog readers. She left the room for about 45 seconds and came running back with this…

“Dad, this is a moth pooping out the alphabet. This represents our family.”

97) Titus has decided to be a professional magician when he grows up. But he wants to be “the kind that wears the cape” not one on the street. Because if you wear a cape on the stage, you get to be with a pretty girl.

96) Speaking of Titus the magician, he has this new trick where he acts like he's cracking his neck. I haven't been able to get a video of it yet. But that junk is freaking impressive.It's so fun watching him create his little tricks. He gets really into them.

Another of his favorite tricks

95) Olive likes to put kiddie toothpaste on her lollipops to make them “spicy”. The last few suckers she has gotten, she has eaten while sitting on the bathroom counter.

94) Olive recently requested "melted ice" to drink. Not water. Melted ice. She sat and watched it melt to assure I didn't give her water. 

93) In high school, I was watching Scooby Doo and saw the way Shaggy walked and thought it was hilarious. So he walked around the room kicking his knees out like Shaggy does. He started doing it at school to be funny. After about a week, he couldn’t stop. Still to this day, I walk like Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

92) I've been giving the kids more responsibilities lately. Mostly, they focus on helping keep the house clean. They absolutely hate cleaning. I can't blame them. I don't like it. In the words of Neela, "God made me an aminal girl, not a cleaning girl. God gave me aminal super powers. Not broom hands dad."

91) As many of you know Titus's love language is Words of Encouragement. He is constantly telling me encouraging things when I'm feeling down. He also writes little surprise letters as I've shared with you guys before, but one of my favorite things about my little buddy is what he does when he gets in trouble. After getting in trouble for something, he almost ALWAYS comes back with a little handwritten apology. It's just so sincere and tenderhearted.

90) According to Stevie, Neela always smells like a skunk.. but only on Thursdays. 

89) Titus's thoughts on the weather lately: "It's confusing. At recess I get hot when I put on my jacket, but cold when I take it off. It would be easier if I could have hair all over my body like you. I could stay warm without a jacket. Dad? When will I grow hair all over my body like you? I hopewhen I turn 8."

88) Neela is currently torn about her future career as a zoologist. She wants to have a pet puppy when she grows up but is worried about jaguars in Africa eating her dog. It's a very very big issue in our house at the moment.

87) The last family meeting the kids told me that I was getting too fat. Their suggestion to correct this is assign to Titus develop me a workout plan. Because in their words, "You are soft to lay with so we like that, but remember dad, you aren't Santa."

86) The kids have really been getting interested in the blog lately. They've known we have "a website", but lately when strangers stop us and talk about the blog the kids have been thinking it's just super neat. When I asked them about how they feel about me sharing our family with the world, they always love the idea. Lately, they have been wanting to become more involved which I love. Stevie is wanting to start filming art lessons. Neela wants to live stream a frog hunt. Titus wants to use it to get his magic career off the ground. Olive just wants me to film her asking for candy and have people bring it to her. 

85) Every night the kids take turns with "alone time with dad". Alone time is really a special time for us. One on one time with each kid in our current life situation is hard to come by. So when it's each kid turn, they get to pick about 30 minutes worth of activities and we do it just us two in my room. Stevie had hers tonight. So per her request, we laid together on the floor and just talked. She just giggled for about 10 minutes straight as she told me about the funny dreams Neela has every night. Apparently for three nights in a row, Neela told Stevie has had a dream where the tooth fairy comes to their room, but Neela farts so bad that the tooth fairy passes out. 

84) Olive is about to be 5 years old in a few weeks :( While I am sad she's growing up, I'm super excited about seeing her little (giant) personality develop. 

This sweetheart has my heart.

83) Speaking of Olive's birthday, we are currently planning her birthday party. Today she told me she doesn't want cake or cupcakes at her party. She wants soup instead.

82) One time when I was a little kid my mom told me she was going to buy me a turtleneck shirt for our annual Christmas pictures. I was PUMPED! I never had ninja turtle shirt before!! Needless to say I wasn't thrilled when she came home and I found out what I turtleneck shirt was. I was crying in the family pictures that year. 

81) Neela asks about a dog daily. Literally every day that kid asks about a dog. When I ask her if she is responsible enough to potty train a dog, her reply is "Yes! I'm going to take it outside and poop in the yard beside it so it knows what to do."

"Trust me dad. I'm an aminal expert."

80) I try really hard to limit screen time. So I like the kids to ask before watching a show or getting on their tablet. It's hard to say no when Olive walks up and says "Dad. Can I have scream time?"  hahaha

79) Titus has been going through a "fancy clothes" stage. He wanted some new ties for Christmas. 

78) When I started my job at Wiregrass GA Tech as the person who ran the Testing Center (about 7 years ago) , I shared an office with my friend Nicole. So on one of my very first days of work, she went to go run down the hallway. I had this funny thought to hide under the desk and jump out and surprise her when she walked back in. I was dying laughing sitting under the desk just waiting to come back to the office. A few minutes pass and suddenly someone just plops down in my chair. So I just waited for a few minutes and finally just said "Excuse me. It's Seth. I'm trapped under the desk. Would you mind rolling the chair back so I can get out?" Of course it turns out to be my boss's boss who I hadn't really met yet. I'm an idiot.

77) Lately, my favorite time of day is late at night before I go to sleep. I walk around and see my kiddos sleeping peacefully. There's nothing more beautiful than seeing your babies asleep in the glow of a Panda nightlight. Sometimes, I just sit on the edge of their beds and wonder how the heck I got so blessed. It's always such a serene moment for me. 

76)  Over Christmas break the kids and I took a winter road trip. We went to stay at a friend's cabin in North Carolina. The kids absolutely loved hiking. Well.. most of the kids.

Olive: "I hate hiking. I hate leaves. I hate waterfalls. I hate nature. 

I only want to eat chips on the couch and watch Princess movies."

75) I'm convinced my kids found a way to mass produce the fake grass that comes in Easter Egg baskets, and my children are attempting to have it take root in my carpet. I can't remember the last time I vacuumed and didn't see some in the when I dumped it out. Next Easter if anyone gives my kids a basket and it contains that fake grass, I will cut you. ;)

74) I've recently adopted this tune as the official Megow theme song. 

"You got troubles, I got'em too. There is anything I wouldn't do for you.

Lets stick together and we can see it through. 

You've got a friend in me."

Geez, I love that.

73) Stevie's favorite thing is to show new classmates around the school. She always gets so excited at dinner when she tells me that she got picked to welcome the new student. I love that about her. That girl is the most loving and compassionate person I have ever met. She literally gives hugs to everyone she sees. We are checking out of the grocery store line, "Wait dad, I need to hug the cashier" They are with me at work "Wait dad, I need to hug all of your students.". Seriously, I have never met someone who wants people to feel welcome and valued as Stevie does.

My best friend

72) Neela is still on the hunt to find dad a wife. Honestly, she asks complete strangers everyday to marry dad. The other day we were visiting my grandma at the nursery home, and she asked a 90 year old woman to marry me. When the lady said "yes". Neela was ecstatic and asked her "So once you two are married, are you moving in with us or will we live here. I hope we live here. I've always wanted a house with an elevator."

71) I hate laundry. Recently, I waited a little too long to take the clean clothes out of the hamper. 

Oops.

70) I'm convinced there's nothing sharper for a man to wear than suspenders and a knit wool tie. #classy

69) Every night at dinner, we go around the table and all have to say one way that we each made someone smile that day. I think it's probably my favorite tradition that we do in our house.

68) My kids have been getting into legos lately. On an unrelated note, my feet are constantly sore. 

Pretty much my life now...

67) I'm about to launch a formal investigation to find the "Midnight Cheese Block Biter"

Exhibit A.

This is the fourth block I have found like this.

66) My favorite candy is black licorice. It's perfect because everyone else in the world hates it, so people just give it all to me. However, I might need to slow my roll on this gifted Black Licorice. (See list #87)

65) Speaking of candy, Titus came home distraught  because he figured out a boy in his class doesn't like candy. He says "Dad... I really just don't get it. I've thought and thought about it. I'm worried about him."

64) The kids have kind of thought of unofficial titles for each of us:

Seth- "The silly one"

Stevie- "The artistic one"

Neela- "The nature one"

Titus- "The nice one"

Olive- "Olive" 

63) Megows love palindromes. They are our favorite. The kids get so pumped when they see one. 

62) This Calvin and Hobbes strip makes me cry every time.

61) 2017 is the year I'm truly going to start writing my book. So everyone do me a favor, when you see me in public ask me how the book is coming. I need the motivation :)

60) I know it's rare in men, but I officially have baby fever. Geez, I want another little tiny so bad.

59) If you ask Neela what shes most proud of in her life, there's a 38% chance she will tell you about the time she ate a worm.

58) Every morning, Olive picks me a flower. It's my favorite.

57) I caught Titus practicing his winking in the mirror the other day. When I asked him what he was doing, he said "Getting ready for Valentine's Day." HAHAHA. I'm convinced that boy will have girls falling for him left and right. He's such a kind soul, but knows how to charm a lady ;)

56) Seth's secret to the perfect hot chocolate - Use marshmallow cream instead of regular marshmallows. Trust me. It's life changing.

55) When I asked Titus what he wanted to include on this list, he paused for a second and then said "I want to tell everyone that I love them... Also, tell people not to eat their boogers."

54) I turned 32 this year. When I asked the kids what they thought about that, the responses ranged from "You are still the most handsome" to "Wow. You are old. You might die soon. We should buy a lot of snacks to fill up our pantry. You know... just in case."

53) My kids are around each other quite a bit. So naturally, they argue. This is probably my favorite argument I have ever broken up. One time Neela punched Titus for something. Instead of hitting back, he quietly snuck into her room, grabbed one of her toys, took it to the bathroom and peed on it. HAHAHA. It was insanely hard not to laugh when I was talking to him. "Titus, did it make God happy or sad when you peed on your sister's My Little Pony?"

52)  Titus: "Dad, Neela has the chicken pox."

Seth: "No she doesn't."

Titus: "Well, she's walking around pecking like a chicken. So...."

51) One of my favorite feelings is when I "out-fun" the kids :D

50) Crap. Only half way through. Who's genius idea was this anyways? Oh yeah... mine.

49) I know people always make New Year's Resolutions or Personal New Year's goals. I don't think I will do that this year. Instead, I might just little humor tests to see if I can draw the line between funny weird and just weird. Just little things that are really off the wall. For example, when someone asks me a question, I would drop everything I am holding, walk up really close to them, make my face really serious and whisper back to them super awkwardly what they just said but a random name of the opposite sex at the end. For example:

Scott: "How's life been lately?"

Seth *leaning in ultra close to their face: "How's life been lately Linda?"

You know just see how weird I can really make myself in 2017.

48) One of my all time favorite Titus stories

47) This is me at every grown up event.

46) Although Neela can be ultra silly a lot of time, that girl can get really deep. I love hearing her thoughts. Normally on the weekends, she stays up late with me while everyone else goes to sleep. We just hang out together and talk. She has remarkably deep emotions and thoughts. That's one of my favorite things about single parenting. Sometimes I am the only person who gets to experience these little things about each of my kids. I can't think of a better blessing. :)

45) Before my divorce but after my ex-wife decided to move out, I got really down for a long time. I was still in love with her and trying desperately to make it work. I battled deep depression constantly. One night (very late, maybe around 3-4am) I remember crying and praying for God to show me some kind of sign that He still loved me and asked Him if anyone viewed me I was truly valuable and irreplaceable in their lives. Literally right when I finished praying, I saw my door crack up and Olive climbed in my bed, gave me a little kiss, and said "I just love you Daddy". Then walked back to her bed and went to sleep. Immediately, my heart was full. I love how God can use the tiniest things for the most significant, life altering experiences.

44) Another thing I love about single parenting is I get to set the normal in our family. It's just a freedom I just truly truly enjoy. One of the things that I've encouraged is holding hands. That is just something so simple, but is also something so close and affectionate. My kids have really picked up it and nothing makes me happier.

   

  

43) So I just looked at the clock. it's 3:47am. This thing is gonna be down TONIGHT. I need to go eat a (healthy) snack for some energy. By right back

_____________________________

42) Fact #42. I just ate some peanut butter crackers and drank the best beverage on earth for my snack.

This stuff is brain meltingly delicious

41) Oh snacks... That's one thing everyone loves. Snacks. Stevie is probably my biggest snacker (because she is an ultra picky eater). I'm sure she will grow out of it. But in the meantime, it's just a "pick your battles" thing. There's one thing this girl likes though. Chocolate. One day, she told me she needed my laptop to do some work. I found this file on my computer later in the evening.

40) Me and the kids love music. Our tastes are pretty eclectic; so the kids and I really like make 1990's style mixed CD's. There's really nothing better than a good mixed CD!! Don't you remember how fun it was when someone burned you a CD. Normally, me and the kids each pick a few songs to each CD. We will play it for a month or two in the car, then make another. Our current mix has everything on it from James Taylor, the Beatles, Jack Johnson & Otis Redding to Disney Princess songs and the theme song from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers 

39) Not trying to brag, but I had the most epic senior yearbook photo ever.

38) This.

37) I'm convinced if you greet people with a smile and pleasant attitude, your day is just going to be so much better. A smile and warm greeting shows people that you are happy to see them. Which makes them feel valuable about themselves and just leads to happiness all around. Making people feel valued is probably one of my main goals in life.

36) The other day I kept smelling this weird smell coming from the kids bathroom. I finally tracked it down to one of the cabinets under the sink. It was a mason jar filled with mud, applesauce, and ketchup. So I dumped it out and washed the jar. A few hours later, I hear this child screaming from the bathroom "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY EXPERIMENT?!?!"

35) My great-granddad used to be a millionaire. This was back in the day, so that was A LOT of money. He started a model company called "Megow Models". It was ultra successful. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, the government took all of his balsa wood to make cases for submarine missiles. That ruined his business. Megow Models have actually been featured in the Smithsonian. Isn't that so neat!! Google it! :)

34) My first car was a red 1966 VW Bus. Man. I loved that car. I had so so many awesome memories in that ole bus. However, it was kinda a death trap. I had to Flintstone stop that thing more than once, when the brakes, emergency brake, and transmission went out all at once. 

33) I love babysitting for friends. I enjoy it for a few reasons. One, it gives my kids friends to play with. Two, it gives my friends the chance to do something fun. Three, seriously once I passed three kids,it's pretty much a "herding" parenting style anyways. So there's not much difference adding a few more kiddos to the mix :)

"Adding a few more kiddos to the Mix"

FYI The Mix is a local froyo spot. See what I did there? 

Impressive writing huh?

32) I think I have life pretty together, but geez. I see where Neela gets her clumsiness from. Today I made a point to count how many times I accidentally dropped my phone on the ground. Six times. I dropped my phone of the ground six times today. This is everyday. Seriously people, don't give me nice things. I will break them, and then probably just blame it on my kids when they aren't around ;)

31) I think I'm super content being single. I know people say that to sound not desperate, but I really am content with how my life is at this moment. However, one day I would love to get married. I want to have a partner and best friend that I get to kiss whenever I want. I'm being patient though. I feel if you rush things like that, it's never going to end up with anything worth while. This is my scripture for my wait.

30) This song always reminds me of my Stevie. The first time I had ever heard it was driving home from the hospital after she was born. It's just extremely special to me.

29) I'm probably the most least competitive person I have ever met. Seriously, I don't really care if I win or lose at things. I don't really know that's a bad or good thing. It's just the way I'm wired. My parents were still super supportive of me playing sports and stuff going up. I mean it was still fun to win, but really I just enjoyed spending time with my friends. True story, one time during a soccer game I was on the bench (like usual) and wandered off to explore the woods behind the field. The coach called me in the play, but no one could find me. When they finally found me, I was just picking blackberries and was using my soccer jersey to carry them around in like a basket.

28) Neela is probably the messiest eater I have ever seen in my life. Good news about that is that it's impossible for her to hide if she ever sneaks any snacks.

Seth: "Neela have you been eating chocolate?"

Neela: "How did you know?!?"

27) I love wearing glasses. It's like decorations for your face. Plus, they make an excellent way to hide bags under your eyes if you haven't sleep in a month or two :) hahaha

26) Stevie literally don't care at all about fashion. She would wear the same thing every day if I let her. She's tried to talk me into letting her 3x adult men's pajama tshirt to school before. But I have also found that there is one fashion statement even Stevie won't sink to.

25) Number 25. Getting close! Let's make up a poem. (PS. I love little poems)

We are on number 25.

That number is divisible by five.

Not all poems rhyme.

24) One of things I miss most about my kids being little is carrying them around in a little chest carrier. I used to love to tote my little tikes around in one of those. :)

23) My kids are getting to the age, where they love having and spending money. It's just so exciting to them. I try to make them earn money they want. My favorite memory of Stevie wanting to make money was she wanted to shave our heads, dye the hair rainbow, sew them into afros, and sell clown wigs door to door. 

22) Olive will not go to sleep unless you rub her tummy. She will just stand there and stare at you. Until you do it. 

21) Another Olive fact. She is incredibly flexible. Like REALLY flexible. She sleeps in her bed every night doing a complete leg split. I need to enroll that girl in gymnastics or something.

A typical Olive relaxation pose

20) My kids love stuffed animals. I mean that's the only toy they really ever want or ask for. The thing about their stuffed animal thing, is they actually play with them everyday. I love it. It's just so much imagination. 

19) One thing I pride myself on is that I try my hardest to never give unsolicited parenting advice. On occasion I will have people ask random questions. Normally, when I get asked questions it's something like this "My kid is doing this ultra weird thing, have your kids ever done anything similar?.... Oh they have?.... Wow, they did that?... Oh well... at least my kid didn't do that. Thanks Seth!"

18) I've posted this to facebook before, but I freaking love it.

This is remarkably accurate :)

17) My kids love to text on my phone. They have on multiple occasions texted random contacts 87 poop emojis and the word "butt". I always get some classic responses from those.

16) I love how God puts us in places for a reason. Even when it seems we are in a holding pattern, there's something we are supposed to be doing. It's not always something big, just something. The way I got my current job was just sitting in a holding pattern for years. However, in those years, I was given tiny little opportunities to learn random skills. Instead of just giving me one of the jobs I was begging him for; He kept me there. He kept giving these things to do to sharpen random things in my life. Finally, I kind of just fell into my current job. If I hadn't been forced to sit in that holding pattern and learn all of that stuff while I was waiting, there's no way I would be successful at my current job. And without my current job, there's no way I would have been a successful single parent. I've learned that my big plans are usually just a distraction to what God has in store. Honestly, that kind of takes the stress out of life. I just pray and figure what God wants me to do today. He'll figure out the rest for me. :D  He gives us the easy job. I love that.

15) If there's one thing in life Titus loves as much as than being a spy and learning magic tricks, it's monkey bars. Tonight, we had a 45 minute conversation about monkey bars. Seriously, if you ever run into us in public, ask this kid if he's good at monkey bars. You will make his year!! :)

14) Here's the way to my heart. Talk to me about some "Bob's Burgers" and I'm yours. :)

13) Sometimes I have people tell me my house looks clean in pictures I post online, to those people I want to leave you with two words "effective cropping".

12) I don't care how many times I share this image, I swear it will always need to be shared ONE more time.

"Awe. Look how cute baby Olive is... wait... what..."

11) I sing constantly. I sing at home, at work, out to eat, at the playground. I don't care. I sing horrible and I sing loud. 

10) Our family is starting to switch from "God our Father" dinner prayers to real spoken prayers. Titus loves to bless the food and asks to do it every night. He's different than many other kids, I have heard pray. Instead of just listing off a ton of different things to pray about, he will sit and think while he prays and typically pick 2-3 specific things to focus on for that night's blessing. I love watching him pray. He's going to be such a great husband/dad.

9) The other day in the car Olive asked to have some of my Good and Plenty (black licorice), we were driving home from North Carolina, so I stopped and bought everyone (including myself a snack). A few minutes later, I remembered she doesn't like black licorice and turned around wondering what she had done with them. 

"Hey Daddy. Your candy smells good."

8) I think I radically changed my kids lives recently. I showed them the "Semi Truck Honk Request" Arm motion. Car rides will never be the same.

7) I've never shared this before because I honestly have no clue why he came home with it from school. But last year, I was going through Titus's Friday Folder. He apparently made this at school...

Teenage Titus Blackmail

HAHAHAHA

6) I'm officially old I think. I've had like 9 people explain the purpose of Snapchat. I'm still confused. Just call me a grandpa I guess.

5) Along the lines of Grandpas, I've already picked out my granddad name. I'm gonna be called "Pootie". I'm ultra excited about it. Some of my friends' kids already call me Pootie. It's one of my favorite things I've ever thought of. Ever.

4) This is proof that I can actually fix things from time to time. I love doing this like this. Single parents are both mom and dad. I feel like I have to lean into mom territory more than I'd like. So it's nice to be able to do man stuff when I have time.

I had to bypass some internal dimmer switches in our fans. 

I was ultra proud of myself.

#thanksyoutube

3) Again, not trying to brag, but I will blow your mind singing karaoke. It's more than singing, it's an experience. One day if I can find some video of one of my performances, I'll post it for the world to enjoy. 

2) Neela has some warts on her neck. She has named them. She loves her warts very much. Don't talk to her about removing her warts. She loves those stupid warts.

1) Finally, I'm just grateful for everyone reading, liking, commenting, sharing, messaging, and encouraging me with the Ole Dishwasher. It's really been big personal growth thing for me. Not trying to sound sappy but it really means so much that you guys read this thing and put up with all of the Megow silliness.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth

Megow Kids Q&A - The Kids Describe My Future Wife

These little question and answer sessions with my kids are my favorite kind of post. I'm always on the lookout for a new theme to ask them about. I recently saw this idea on a blog I follow and thought it would be perfect to include the kids on…

"The Kids Describe my Future Wife"

What is her job?

Stevie- “Just have a lot of cats.”

Neela- “She will just walk around our house and look all around and look at the mess we make and say, ‘Well, I guess this is my job now’…”

Titus- “Taking care of us. Making us feel safe. Loving us. And keeping her promises.”

Olive- “A teacher. And a police officer. And make cookies.”



What does she look like?

Stevie- “It doesn't matter what she looks like as long as she loves Jesus, loves daddy, and loves us. That’s what really matters.”

Neela- "She needs to dye her hair rainbow colored and look like *name kept private for confidentially purposes*. She is the prettiest girl."

Titus – “She looks like someone I can trust. And she smiles a lot.”

Olive – “She has hair like me. She has pretty legs and green eyes.”



What does she smell like?

Stevie- “Pizza”

Neela- “Blueberries”

Titus- “Pretty Peach Perfume”

Olive- “Chick-fil-A”



What are her hobbies?

Stevie- “Drawing with me. And making clay cats.”

Neela- “Playing croquet dressed like a sea lion .”

Titus- “Helping people and hugging us.”

Olive- “Eating snacks and having fun with daddy.”



What is her bad habit?

Stevie- “Smelling like Neela.”

Neela- “She doesn’t like frogs.”

Titus- “She only likes plain pretzels and not pretzels and hummus.”

Olive- “She doesn't brush her teeth.”



What is her favorite food?

Stevie- “Chick-fil-A”

Neela- “Edamame”

Titus- “All of the food”

Olive- “Popcorn”



Where should dad take her for a first date?

Stevie- “Take her to the Fun Factory and then Cici’s pizza.”

Neela- “Take her to a farm with a lot of aminals.”

Titus- “Take her to Disney World.”

Olive- “Daddy gets in his car and follows her to her house. And then goes into her house.”



What is her favorite movie?

Stevie- “Anything funny that is in the theatre. She likes to see funny movies in the theatre.”

Neela- “Home Alone.”

Titus- “Moana.”

Olive- *Falls out of chair. Completely motionless and with her face buried flat against the carpet she mutters* “Princess movies.”



Who is funnier? Her or Dad?

Stevie- “Dad.”

Neela- “Her.”

Titus- “Both. You are the same funny.”

Olive- “Me.”



Where is her favorite place?

Stevie- “Anywhere with daddy and me.”

Neela- “The Hockey Rink.”

Titus- “Our house.”

Olive- “McDonalds play place.”



What does she like to do on Saturdays?

Stevie- “Lay with me and eat snacks with me.”

Neela- *stands on table and sticks both arms straight up in the air* “Adopting a new dog every Saturday.”

Titus- “She does magic tricks.”

Olive- “Pick flowers at the park.”



How will you know that she is the perfect person for dad?

Stevie- “If she loves Jesus and is nice. And makes daddy smile..”

Neela- “She wears glasses.”

Titus- “She loves Jesus and is nice to daddy and is nice to us.”

Olive- “She plays with my toys with me and I hug her three times.”

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth

The Megow Kids in 25 Years - Seth's Prediction

So I was talking to a friend today about what I should post next. I like to keep topics and post ideas fresh for all of my favorite people (you guys duh) J. She suggested I try to guess what the kids might be do and who they might be in the future. I thought that was a GREAT IDEA! So I’m excited about this post. Again (like always), I’m gonna wing this and just see where we end up.

The year is 2041. It’s been 25 rotations around the sun since everyone’s favorite year, 2016. Let’s see what our favorite Megows are up to…

Stevie (age 33)

She wakes up 5 minutes before her alarm goes up. Although Stevie is extremely professional and career driven, instead of showering and picking out clothes for work, she sits on the couch drinking coffee with a ton of cream/sugar and plays on her phone. She enjoys waking up before the rest of her family for her alone time in the mornings. Suddenly, she looks up at the clock and notices she’s running behind. Stevie is an art teacher at a local elementary school. She has her own little personal art studio, which she likes to create. However, she loves the structure of the classroom setting and having a set schedule. She dashes around and wakes up the household (her husband, her son, and her daughter). Everyone’s lunches are packed the night before and ready to go. She also stuck little plastic roaches down in each of the kids’ lunch bags. Everyone is awake now, and they all eat breakfast together. Stevie has always been a morning person and loves spending time with her little family before they all head off.

In the car on the way to school Stevie and the kids make up a game called “signatures”. She instructs them the game is to awkwardly stare at people, then hand them a blank sheet of paper, tell them to sign their name but not offer any reason, and run away after each signature chanting “I did it!”. The winner of the game will get spray the loser of the game with a water hose and dump a bag of flour on them when they get home that afternoon. They pull up to school (they currently attend the school she teaches at). They don’t have to worry about being tardy, because Stevie was voted “Teacher of the Year” and earned a reserved parking space right next to the entrance of the building.  It’s no secret that Stevie is one of the favorite people at the school. Not only with the students, but staff as well. The chair by her desk has become the ‘unofficial counselor’s office’. People feel so comfortable talking with her because she has a real desire and compassion for each person she encounters.  Throughout the day (just like every day), she is such a joy to be around.

As the work day comes to a close. Her kids bust in the car. Her daughter got 17 signatures. Her son only got 11; however… he did earn a trip to the principal for awkwardly staring at the janitor for too long.  These results are too close to call so they just decide to prank their dad. Of course, dinner is ready when they get home due to Stevie setting up a crockpot that morning. As her husband gets out of the car, Stevie (wearing head to toe camouflage and face paint) sneaks out behind the bushes and bariades him with water balloons. Suddenly the kids jump out and throw flour on him. He laughs and throws it back. The neighbors slow down as they drive by watching this little family looking like maniacs in their front yard.

The night comes to a close and everyone heads off to bed. However, Stevie tells her husband, she will be in the bed soon and to just give her a few minutes. She sits on the couch, picks up the phone, and calls her daddy. She’s so excited to tell him about this goofy little game she made up and the flour fight in the front yard that she can barely get it all out without laughing. They catch up for a few more minutes and say how much they love each other. Before hanging up, Stevie asks her daddy to sing “her good night song”. She sings it to her kids every night, but still calls at least a few times a month to have it sung to her. Just like he did, when she was a little girl.

 __________________________

Neela (age 32)

Expedition Personal Log

Date: 12-30-2041

I’ve won over the walruses trust. Not sure why it took so many months. I think the key to gaining acceptance into their pack was masking the smell of my urine by eating beets.  And I honestly can’t recall the last time I’ve had a true shower. It doesn’t bother me too much. I’ve loved bird baths since I was 6 years old. Plus it keeps all of the annoying guys around here from bothering me too much. Seriously guys, I’m here to work… However, that one new guy is cute. Plus, when I was walking back from my last extended walrus study, I saw him outside studying a pile of polar bear poop. #husbandgoals!!!

I miss my family so much. It’s been months since I’ve seen them. However, they all call and text every day. This grant ends in February, so I’m flying home and surprising everyone. Note to self: Call Dad and get him to arrange a big party for me being back in town. I missed Christmas this year. My first year missing Christmas. But my peeps knew I would be down and planned something to cheer me up. Apparently, my dad got everyone together, dressed them up in bright pink spandex leotards, took pictures, and had them blow up to lifesize cardboard cutouts. They call chipped in and spent the $723 dollars to get it shipped up here to me. So… I’m currently sitting in my room staring at these massive cardboard replicas of my family. My little brother requested that his be wrapped in plastic and stuck in random people’s showers across the camp.

I was talking with Stevie yesterday and she asked me about my future plans. Geez, that girl would plan out a plan for a planning meeting if that was a thing, but I love her. So much. However, I kept my mouth shut and didn’t tell her my surprise news. I still can’t believe I got awarded that federal grant to open a raccoon sanctuary back in Georgia.  My dad is going to freak out, when I tell him I’m moving back the states. And he’s going to faint when I tell him I’m moving back to Georgia!

Overall, I’m just so happy that I get to work with God’s creatures every day. It’s been my dream since I was a little girl.

 

Until next time,

Neela “Nature” Megow, Ph.D.

  __________________________

Titus (age 31)

It’s late at night, and everyone in his house is asleep. He’s up planning a special surprise for his wife. He has to be at work in a few hours, but he has this idea in mind of the perfect gift and doesn’t plan on sleeping until he done (Titus isn’t one for store bought gifts) Also, It’s not their anniversary, nor is it a birthday or any other special occasion. He is just madly in love with his wife of eleven years. Recently, she started a new job as a nurse and is a little stressed and down because of all the change. Her schedule is tough and doesn’t get to see them as much as she would like. You see Titus simply loves being a husband and father. It’s his passion. He takes his role in his family very serious. I was going to talk about his profession as a Marriage and Family Counselor in this little post. He’s naturally so empathetic and gentle that this is the perfect career for him. However, he views his main purpose on earth is his family, so he would rather me talk about them.

At dinner tonight, he was talking to his wife and son. Titus was telling them the story of him at the age of 4 sneaking out of his bedroom window and backpacking solo to Toys’R’Us. When he gets to the part of the policeman pulling up behind him, he starts to laugh because it’s his favorite part. The officer asked him if he needed help, young Titus responded “No thank you. I’m just walking to the toy store. I have a dollar I want to spend.” At this part of the story, the whole table bursts out laughing. His own son is 4 years old now and just thinks his dad hung the stars. Suddenly, his wife starts crying because she doesn’t get many family dinners anymore due to her new work shifts. She hates missing out on these moments. She hates not being able to spend these times with “her boys”. Titus comforts her and takes them both out for ice cream. Side note: Ice Cream has been this guy’s favorite treat since he was little. He even snuck into in the bed once and his dad found him sleeping like this…

So back to this surprise… Titus was praying about how to help his wife with this transition. Then it just hit him, and he got started when they both went to sleep. Finally, he finishes up what he can for the big surprise around 6am and loads it all into his garage. Then he proceeds to pack everything up for later before waking everyone up and serving them breakfast (turkey bacon and swiss cheese omelets). Titus is a fantastic cook just for the record.

Later in the day, he takes off early from work, picks up his son from school, and heads home to finish everything up. The two boys drive over to his Papa’s house and borrow a trailer to get everything ready. You see Titus got a trait that skipped a generation with his dad. He’s super handy and can build anything he puts his mind to. He takes his little buddy outside and finishes up the surprise. His son is super excited about it. “Mom is going to love this” his little bud exclaims! Titus agrees and his face lights up as they step back and see the finished product.

They load up in the truck with the trailer and head over the hospital. Titus knows it is past his son’s bedtime, but he knows that you gotta let kids just live sometimes. They pull up to the hospital at his wife’s “lunch break” at 9pm. They both walk inside and Titus motions to his son to be quiet and stay around the corner so mom doesn’t know he’s here for the surprise. Titus peaks in the breakroom, where his wife is sitting lonely just eating a sandwich. He pops in and tosses a blindfold to her and says “Put this on, take my hand and follow me”. His son is beaming but trying his best to keep from laughing out of excitement.

Finally, he leads her to the surprise and motions for his little buddy to get into place. They yell “Surprise” and remove the blindfold. Titus leads his wife into the big box that he has built out of plywood into the bed of the trailer. Once they open the faux-door, she finds their son sitting down at this little folding table in this little DYI replica of their dining room. He stayed up the night before painting what each wall, window, cabinets, and wall art onto each of the four plywood walls. He used the tablecloth that was a wedding gift to cover the little table and parked the roofless portable dining room under a parking lot streetlamp for light. “Well,” Titus says, “We have been missing you at home during dinner time, so we brought dinner time and home to you.”  For the meal, he brought Taco Soup which is his specialty and of course ice cream for dessert. They just sit, enjoy their time, and have the most wonderful family meal.

Titus has things figured out. It’s just who he is. God wired this guy to be a strong, yet thoughtful leader of a family. He doesn’t make a ton of money in his profession, but he doesn’t let that determine his happiness. He doesn’t live constantly waiting for the weekend or some special holiday to enjoy life. In this moment on a random Tuesday night, he and his little family are enjoying life more than anyone on Earth.

  __________________________

Olive (age 29)

Oh Olive. She’s the wild child of the bunch. However, not the image of a wild child most would think. She is just full of life. From her fashion to her sense of humor, she is ANYTHING but ordinary. Olive has had a slew of odd jobs in the past. Not because she couldn’t keep a job, exactly the opposite. She became so proficient at each job, she wanted to push herself to learn and try new things. Straight out of college, she took a job as a live in nanny for a family. Of course, they instantly fell in love with her, and she with them. Olive has such a desire to nurture. The kids were so drawn to her spunky style and silly jokes. Every day after school was some sort of imaginative adventure. The parents loved her because she was a hard worker and very dependable. When Olive says she will do something, she will do it. However, as much as she loved her job and that family, she longed for another adventure.

So Olive did what Olive does best, she figured out what she wanted to do and she just did it. She wanted to make people laugh, so she became the first Megow to work in professional comedy.  Her stage shows were slow to attract crowds at first because it was very different than most others, but once word spread she soon started selling out venues. Her act was, she had a few wigs and costumes. She acted out stories from her childhood playing each family member. Even when she was a little girl, she always had the silliest sense of humor and soaked up every little aspect of her siblings and her dad. Her crystal clear memory served her well in this area. She would do these one woman shows about them all getting stuck in Walmart for four hours or peeing in sand castle buckets in the car. She was getting very successful in this field and started to get some big offers to advance her career; however, Olive being Olive got the itch to try out something new.

Ever since she was a little girl, there is one thing Olive loved… fashion. She has ALWAYS been about looking fabulous. 

Her latest venture is an upscale, but low priced, consignment store. The main portion of the store was pretty much like any regular consignment place, very fashionable clothes for reasonable prices. But this store has a little twist that makes it oh so different. In the back there is a special room for little girls “fashion” clothes. The clothes in this room are the most sparkly, sequin covered, glitter blasted things you could ever imagine. Every weekend she drives around yard sales looking for glam pieces for her special room. Then once a month Olive partners with a local organization that works with little girls from low income houses that might not have access to these types of clothes. First they have a fancy tea party and then the fun starts. Olive works with every little girl to pick out their perfect outfit. Once everyone has their diva look ready to go, she throws up the doors to the main store area to reveal that it’s been turned into a catwalk and the girls get to model their new clothes for customers in the store before taking them home to keep for free! She’s actually had this business for awhile, and it’s made such an impact the community. Her family hasn’t missed a fashion show yet. PS. Olive’s dad is so ultra-proud of her.

Well that’s my best guess on what my kids will be up to in 25 years. Hope you enjoyed it J

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Seth

Guest Author - Hannah Moody from Abrupt Joy

I've always wanted to have guest authors. It's just something that a neat thought. My idea for this blog is my little spot for smiles and encouragement in a world that can be sometimes harsh and dim. I love the idea of being about to share my little spot with other people who want to send out a similar message.

So I've never had a guest author and wanted my first one to be someone that my readers would enjoy. The idea has always been floating around in my head, I just never met the right author/topic until recently. As most of you probably have seen we recently got some family portraits done. They are my favorite things ever. The part most didn't know, is that our photographer, Hannah Moody, contacted me about the shoot and then told me she wanted to do it completely free of charge. Of course, I said yes. And if that wasn't enough, she also helped me coordinate outfits since I am horrible in that area.

Recently, I saw where see also runs a blog. So I clicked and checked it out. Turns out not only is she a fantastic photographer and all around wonderful human being, but also an extremely gifted writer. (Her latest post where she interviews her mom made me laugh out loud) So I messaged her about guest authoring and was ecstatic when she agreed. She gave me a choice of topics to write about and I chose the one you are about to read.

I also encourage everyone to check out her blog "Abrupt Joy"here & her Facebook Page


So ladies and gentlemen for the first time ever, I present my guest author Hannah!

_______________________________

I’ll start my post with my favorite Megow quote from my spirit animal, Nature Neela,

“High expectations. Hmm... Is that like when you climb a high mountain and you expect someone to climb it with you?”

I met Seth just a little while ago. We clicked over both being single parents and making Chick-Fil-A an essential food group, and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to throw ideas at him and interacting with his awesome kids. When Seth asked me to be a guest writer, I felt like I just got asked to scrub-in with Dr. McDreamy as an intern. For those non-Grey’s fanatics (if those exist), that’s a huge deal.

I’m Hannah Moody. I am a single-mom to my Noa, aspiring teacher, photographer, Jesus loving, occasionally funny 22-year old. I also recently started a blog, Abrupt Joy, which is why Seth found me semi-qualified to write something.

Noa and I spend a lot of our time watching Disney movies. We have lots of “things,” but Disney Princesses are our favorite. My favorite part of every movie is when the girl gets the guy.

Anna accidentally punches Kristoff then they kiss. Rapunzel almost tips the boat over then sings a love song to Flynn Rider under a ton of floating lanterns. Cinderella beats out all the other girls, ditches her shoe, and ends up marrying the Prince.

For a single mom, or any single woman, this is the dream, but as a single mom it is even more glorified and tempting because after sweeping all day being swept off my feet doesn’t sound too shabby.

But this post isn’t about that type of love.

I think we have love so confused. So, I’ll give a short history lesson.

The Greeks had a theory that there are 4 types of love: eros, philia, storge, and agape.

Eros love is the “self” love. It’s the princess kissing the prince and everyone is dancing and there’s a wedding and “oh gee I’m so in love” type of love. It evokes strong physical and romantic feelings. Eros is important in the beginning, but once one person is not “in love” anymore, it dies.

Philia love is a chosen and committed love. It’s the love found in an everyday friendship.

Storge love is a natural love. It’s the love found between your family. It’s the reason that even though your sister is wearing the brand new shirt you just bought and spills Coke on it, you freak out but get over it because you love her.

Finally,

There’s Agape love. I could talk for days on end about agape love because it’s a perfect, unconditional love. It’s rare and profound. It can’t be found under floating lanterns, by kissing frogs, or losing shoes. It’s the love that makes us feel fulfilled and abundantly satisfied.

When I had Noa, I had complications afterwards that meant spending a few extra days in the hospital. I remember waking up on my “go home” day, taking a shower, packing up, and I even managed to put a brush through my hair (truly a miracle), when my doctor walked in to inform me that I wouldn’t be going home.

There’s a saying somewhere about how an unhappy mama is an unhappy house. Switch out house and replace it with hospital because this mommy was ticked.

I kicked everyone out of the room and sulked.

I wanted real food.
I wanted my shower.
My bed.
My house.

In the midst of my tears and rants, I propped my Noa on my knees and traced her little features with my finger. This was the first time it was just me and her. She was always so aware and alert of what was going on. Her big blue eyes wandered the room. She flinched as she caught glances of the fluorescent lights. She had decorated her little face with scratches with her fingernails.

In that moment, it all hit me.

I made a life. I carried life. I brought life into this world and now I’m going to raise this little life.

No matter what decisions this little life makes, I’m going to love this little life because this is my greatest craft. Noa is my best creation.

Agape love.

In that moment, I saw more of God then I ever had. I imagine him tracing out what I think are my flaws and imperfections, whispering corny jokes that I could use for later in my ear, and saying, “I made a life. I’m bringing this life into the world. I’m going to guide this little life. No matter what decisions this little life makes, I’m going to love this little life because this is my greatest craft.”

Agape love.

Being a single mom has been the hardest job that I never imagined myself taking. I had my entire life planned out by the time I was 18, and being a single mom was never written in there. Not even in the fine print.

Loving another being turned out to be so much more than feeding, burping, changing, rocking, repeating.

-It’s laying in a toddler bed singing Cinderella songs until you hear little snores, then starting over when the door speaking wakes her up.

-It’s staying up until 2 AM on Christmas building a dollhouse that’s taller than you just so you can see that beam of excitement the next morning.

-It’s saying “no, I can’t” to your friends every single time, even when they are all being young and 22, because being mommy is so much better.

-It’s watching Hocus Pocus after Halloween because “Mommy that lady eats that spider and that cat talks and they fly” (AKA the obvious Christmas movie choice. Duh, Mom.)

-It’s finishing school a year quicker and taking 19 hour semesters plus summers.

-It’s kissing all the invisible boo-boos.

-It’s watching your child glow from excitement when a group of Brazilian students on vacation to Disney World chant “NOA! NOA! NOA!” on a bus back to the hotel. (True story, I think Noa is some kind of celebrity in South America.)

-It’s petting the goats at the petting zoo, even though they freaking stink.

-It’s not getting angry when your child pees on your electric blanket.

-It’s a lot of abrupt.

It’s an abundance of joy.

It’s an unconditional love, in receiving I don’t deserve. It’s an unconditional love, in giving that I can’t explain. It’s one of the purest forms of Agape love that we can find on this Earth. And I get to experience it each day.

It’s not always easy. A lot of my personal life gets put on hold so I can do what’s best for Noa. I’m missing out on a lot of “regular” 20 year old things and had to grow up quickly. But boy, is it worth it.

Thanks Seth for letting me ramble, and thank you for reading.


With Joy,

Hannah

'Twas the night before Megow Christmas

'Twas the night before Megow Christmas, when all through the house,

Neela had stirred every creature, the spider, the lizard, and apparently a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

Gum drops stolen from gingerbread permanently stuck in Olive’s hair.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

Except for Titus who has crashed on his floor after eating 17 Airheads.

Blue box mac and cheese for dinner, and dirty dishes filling the sink,

I trip over Stevie’s stuffed raccoon collection, spilling my drink.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

Exhausted beyond belief, I didn’t care what was the matter.

Eventually I peered out of the window, aided by the phone’s built in flash,

All the while thinking, “next year, we are getting a fake tree, I’m sick of this allergy rash.”

I finally muster the energy to stand and open the door,

But get distracted by the artwork created in boogers on the kitchen floor.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

It’s Santa and he tells me that he’s in desperate need of headgear.

“A cap?” I ask. “Maybe a derby or beret that dips to the right.”

“Be Quiet!” the jolly man shouts, “I’m in search of a head mounted flashlight!"

He said, “This fog is too thick and Rudolph came down with the flu,"

“And my elves forgot to make one, simply too much to do.”

I stood pondering, desperately thinking how help Ole’ Saint Nick,

Suddenly, He and I are both startled by a loud “click”.

We peek inside to find my four favorite little people beaming in sheer delight!

“Santa” they grinned, holding out their head-lanterns from our frog hunting nights.

“Please take our lights to help you see through the fog,”

“So many kids are depending on you. So you must make it past this smog."

Santa adjusted his stance very formal and straight,

Then leaned down counting little feet, Two… Four.. Six… Eight.

“You must be the Megow children”, he addressed them quite formally,

All four of their faces looking anything but normally.

His eyes intensely scanning them forth and back,

The children became nervous, what if there were no presents in his sack.

Santa leaned down and motioned them close,

His serious face immediately changed to the one they recognized most.

“I’ve heard about you” He said smiling “your exploring and treasure hunts.”

“I’ve witnessed you acting so adoring and helping much.”

The big man came nearer and wanting to tell them a secret.

Only on the condition that they would never repeat it.

He whispered something so gently I couldn’t even hear,

Santa then gave me a wink and told me the secret wasn’t for my ear.

He stood up quickly and told them he must go,

Schedule was running behind and toys would soon be covered in snow.

The man in red jumped in his sleigh, flashlight shining bright,

He flew off singing, much to the children’s delight.

As we walked in the house, I pulled them aside,

“Please tell me the secret. I tried to let it go. I tried and I tried.”

Knowing Santa wouldn’t mind, Stevie agreed to share.

So she gently cupped her hand over my ears and under my hair.

Stevie whispered to me as we were sitting together on the floor,

“Santa said he loves us, but you love us more”.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth

My Ideal Mate

Recently, I’ve been dealing with some drama and stuff regarding my ex. I originally was going to type up a post about all of that crap. However, I feel like it’s not really anything I want to discuss at the moment, and more importantly it’s my nature to look more towards the future than the past. So in this post, I want to talk about something I have never really discussed in depth before on the blog… my ideal mate.

Let me start off by saying this is in no means and advertisement for myself looking for dates. Nor is it a statement that I am ultra desire a girlfriend/wife at the moment. I think it’s more something for myself. I hope people don’t view this as desperation, because I can assure you it’s not. I just think people are just curious about my little crew and our situation. People ask me a lot about remarriage or dating. Normally, I just have my typically stock answers for those questions; however one question always stumps me, “What are you looking for in a wife.” Hmmm… Every time I get asked I normally just deflect it by cracking a fart joke. I really never really thought deeply about the issue. I think that’s why I wanted to type this up. So I’m about to wing the crap outta this thing and hopefully, we can all figure this out together we as go along.

So first things first. I’m looking for a partner and wife. Not a mom for my kids. Personally, I think it’s a big mistake going down the “finding a new parent for your kids” route. My kids will grow up. I want a connection besides my kids. However on the flip, I’m very attracted to someone with a compassionate heart and nurturing spirit when it comes to my kids. I’m not looking for a replacement mom for my kids. However, someone to fall in love with them as they are falling in love with me would be my dream. We are kinda a package deal ;)

That brings up the topic of single parenting. Realistically, I would like to find a single parent. I can’t even being to comprehend the challenges of blended families, but I just know I would like to not be the only ones bringing kids into the mix. People never end up as a single parent without some sort of sadness in their story. The kids and I have our own little story. This results in various behaviors, insecurities, self-doubts, flaws, etc. I just feel it would be mutually beneficial to have someone that kind of “gets it”. I need someone to not only be patient with my kids as they work through stuff, but me as well. I’ve worked through my divorce. I’m healthy and whole in that area; however, there was a lot of hurt. I’m sure things will pop up and I need someone patient and accepting.

But let’s talk more about the traits that I love. One of the things I truly love in people is selflessness and humility. In a world of selfies and materialism, it’s something that I feel is such a rare thing to find. I love when I notice these little traits of love in someone from their actions. They don’t purposefully talk about themselves. They love just to love. Not for recognition or reward. Just being Jesus to people. No frills. No fancy title. No reward. I can’t think of someone I love more.

Another thing I love is a serene and fulfilled spirit. Just FYI,  I’m not super big on money. It’s nice to have for fun special events, but I’m not looking for a highlight reel marriage. You know what I mean, just living from big event to big event. I’m more interested in a Tuesday night marriage. I want someone that is fulfilled with quiet times spent together. Someone who is more interested in intimate moments like laying on the couch reading a book while I play with her hair and write a blog post than someone who is constantly looking forward to the weekend. I think the best way to summarize this is that I want someone who enjoys each day as a gift.

Kindness and gentleness is a big one for me. I freaking melt when a see a tender heart. I’m a sucker for a women like that. I like a woman with deep emotions. From what I’ve seen deep emotions are my favorite. It results in deep fulfillment and deep satisfaction. I’m attracted to a sensitive heart. I mean everyone has their own tastes, so don’t think this is the “right way or wrong way” to be, but a sensitive woman is just so feminine and I love that. However, I will say… I also like my women with a feisty side. I guess I like a woman that could be described as the sweetest little woman, but someone you don’t want to piss off. Hahaha

Also, I would love to find someone with an artistic side. The world that God made is so beautiful. I think it’s so neat when people can capture that with whatever their chosen medium. I like when the artistic side of someone flows into their personality and gives them a quirky, one of kind little personality. I enjoy quirky. However, to bounce of off that completely, I am also looking for a “planner”. I’m very happy to bounce from moment to moment. Although there’s a lot of good to be found in how I live and think, someone to reign me in from time to time would be nice :)

I’m big on love languages. It’s one of the first things I try to pick up whenever I’m around someone new. I know my kids love languages and work them into my daily parenting. As a spouse, it’s super big for me to be aware of these. I want someone to recognize mine and make an effort for me to feel loved. My past marriage was hell to walk through and I’ve been a single parent for so long, having someone make a point to make me feel valued in a relationship would be nice.

Hmmmm… what’s next. Oh yeah. Humor. I freaking love to laugh. I would like someone who gets my humor. Also, I mean they don’t have to be hilarious per se, but someone who could make me laugh would be nice.

Can you tell I’m just winging this? I never really sat down to type it up before. What’s next… I like people who have their own interests and passions. I’m not looking for someone to just like everything I like or want to do everything I do. Why would I want to be with myself? I’m not that cool. I want to be able to learn about your interests and things you are passionate about. :)

Since I’ve been a single dad for quite a while, I’ve grown pretty independent. I want someone who’s also someone independent (another reason for a single mom). I want space to do things with my kids at times. However, one of my two big love languages are quality time. So while, I like to have my me time, I also want someone who wants and makes it point to spend together. I know that’s ultra confusing. I don’t like someone who is super clingy, but views me as valuable enough want to be around me more than not.  I want to know someone wants to talk and spend time with me.

I love when people are themselves. Seriously, I absolutely love it. I’m not talking about being different just to be different. I’m talking about when you are just you. You pick your clothes because it’s how you want to dress. You cultivate your hobbies because you truly enjoy them. (Take for example, how I’m drifting into the second person point of view by using “you” a lot in this post. I know it’s grammatically incorrect, but it’s how I feel like typing it. So that means I’m just gonna do it). I like when people own who they are.

Ok. I guess I will need to discuss the various things I am physically attracted to. Here’s what I’m attracted to: A sweet smile that results in squinty little eyes, someone wearing their natural hair color, someone who has tiny little features about them that are different. Basically, I love a cute woman. I’m not really big on “sexy”. I don’t know if I have an exact taste though.

All this being said, I think I’m kind of picky? Maybe it’s because I’m not really looking at the moment. However, I just kind of know I’m ready. Mostly due to the fact that I’m happily single. I think me and my kids have many areas of improvement, but for the most part, we have our little life on lockdown. We don’t NEED a woman, which is nice because I don’t feel pressure to find one nor would feel pressured bringing someone into our lives. It’s just a weird feeling I’ve been having lately. Like I might be in a relationship sooner than later. I can’t really explain it. It’s just this gut feeling, and I’m pretty at peace about it.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Seth

Megow Kids Q&A-The Kids Describe My Future Wife

These little question and answer sessions with my kids are my favorite kind of post. I'm always on the lookout for a new theme to ask them about and since they are constantly talking about finding me a wife, I figured I would just ask them about her.

"The Kids Describe my Future Wife"

What is her job?

Stevie- “Just have a lot of cats.”

Neela- “She will just walk around our house and look all around and look at the mess we make and say, ‘Well, I guess this is my job now’…”

Titus- “Taking care of us. Making us feel safe. Loving us. And keeping her promises.”

Olive- “A teacher. And a police officer. And make cookies.”



What does she look like?

Stevie- “It doesn't matter what she looks like as long as she loves Jesus, loves daddy, and loves us. That’s what really matters.”

"Neela- "She needs to dye her hair rainbow colored and be dirty."

Titus – “She looks like someone I can trust. And she smiles a lot.”

Olive – “She has hair like me. She has pretty legs and green eyes.”



What does she smell like?

Stevie- “Pizza”

Neela- “Blueberries”

Titus- “Pretty Peach Perfume”

Olive- “Chick-fil-A”



What are her hobbies?

Stevie- “Drawing with me. And making clay cats.”

Neela- “Playing croquet dressed like a sea lion .”

Titus- “Helping people and hugging us.”

Olive- “Eating snacks and having fun with daddy.”



What is her bad habit?

Stevie- “Smelling like Neela.”

Neela- “She doesn’t like frogs.”

Titus- “She only likes plain pretzels and not pretzels and hummus.”

Olive- “She doesn't brush her teeth.”



What is her favorite food?

Stevie- “Milkshakes."

Neela- “Edamame”

Titus- “All of the food”

Olive- “Popcorn”



Where should dad take her for a first date?

Stevie- “Take her to the Fun Factory and then Cici’s pizza.”

Neela- “Take her to a farm with a lot of aminals.”

Titus- “Go to the mountains.”

Olive- “Daddy gets in his car and follows her to her house. And then goes into her house.”



What is her favorite movie?

Stevie- “Anything funny that is in the theatre. She likes to see funny movies in the theatre.”

Neela- “Home Alone.”

Titus- “Moana.”

Olive- *Falls out of chair. Completely motionless and with her face buried flat against the carpet she mutters* “Princess movies.”



Who is funnier? Her or Dad?

Stevie- “Dad.”

Neela- “Her.”

Titus- “Both. You are the same funny.”

Olive- *Gets back in chair, looks at me and smirks* “Me.”



Where is her favorite place?

Stevie- “Anywhere with daddy and me.”

Neela- “The Hockey Rink.”

Titus- “Our house.”

Olive- “McDonalds play place.”



What does she like to do on Saturdays?

Stevie- “Lay with me and eat snacks with me.”

Neela- *stands on table and sticks both arms straight up in the air* “Adopting a new dog every Saturday.”

Titus- “She does magic tricks.”

Olive- “Pick flowers at the park.”



How will you know that she is the perfect person for dad?

Stevie- “If she loves Jesus and is nice. And makes daddy smile..”

Neela- “She wears glasses.”

Titus- “She loves Jesus and is nice to daddy and is nice to us.”

Olive- “She plays with my toys with me and I hug her three times.”

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth

Christmas Family Portraits

The kids and I never had professional pictures taken before, so I decided it was about to time to scratch that one off the ole bucket list. So I contacted a photographer I recently met and scheduled some last minute. The shoot was so fun and easy. I was a little nervous about how the kids would do, but Hannah (our photographer) was so good at getting them to smile and arranging them in cute little poses. I loved how they turned out. I hope everyone enjoys.

Also, she gave me permission to share her information since we had such an enjoyable experience. She officially has the "Megow Seal of Approval" because capturing photos of my crew is no easy task. Her business is Hannah Moody Photography and click here to find out more information :)