Some Updates

Missing Mommy: We haven't encountered any major problems during the first couple days of my wife's business trip-mandated absence. I think the kids ask "Where's Mommy?" about 20 times a day (sometimes answering their own question by following that up with "Mommy's at a conference!" which they think is funny for some reason) and our son put up a brief fuss last night at bedtime when he wanted Mommy to rock him and had to settle for yours truly, but overall we're doing just fine. The biggest impact her absence has had is on my own lack of sleep. This is not because the kids require increased attention, but rather that I invariably become a bit of an insomniac whenever my wife is gone. When there's nothing but an empty bed waiting for me in the evening, I easily succumb to the temptation of late night TV watching, web surfing and book reading.

On a related note, Rebel Dad has noticed that a number of blogging stay-at-home dads are temporarily flying solo as their wives are off on various trips (did they all coordinate this at some working moms' meeting, or is May just a popular month for business travel?).

Bug Watch: Yes, more cicada news (am I the only one that finds them so fascinating?). The bug count in our yard has continued to climb each day. Discarded nymph shells now litter the trees and ground and the red-eyed adults that emerged from them are making their presence known. We had a good time yesterday morning pointing them out to some of the kids and dads who came over for our weekly playgroup. Here's a pic I took of one that had just emerged from its shell (that's why it's white; they darken to their normal black/orange colors soon after shedding their nymph skin). The kids and I had fun last night having a "cicada safari" in the backyard while I threw a steak on the grill for dinner.

Book Report: I've finished reading Austin Murphy's "How Hard Could It Be?" (last night, when I should have been asleep) and will post my thoughts on it soon.

Replacement Windows: The estimates we've had so far now range from $11,090 to $22,249. Thanks to several Daily Yak readers for forwarding their thoughts and recommendations on to me. We've decided to put our window replacement plans on hold for the time being.