The New Normal

With my wife buying a clinic out of the area, she and our baby have moved in with her parents, until we buy a house. The boys and I are at home, until the school year is over. So I have become a weekday single parent. Since I don't have to work, it isn't that bad. But its the loneliness that gets you. You get so used to someone there either watching TV, talking about the day during dinner, and especially sleeping in bed. Two Pillows lined up, make a pretty poor wife replacement. I don't mind taking care of the boys by myself, its pretty routine, I've done it for years. But the evenings are the worse. Its a boredom that is hard to describe. You physically feel the other half missing. It is only temporary and that is the good thing. I just have to keep busy. I can only imagine how hard it is for real single parents.


Lucky for me only one of my boys, seems to be really sad at the current situation. But he has been always mommy needy. My youngest boy seems to live by the seat of his pants, so he's like whatever. It is not fun dealing with the disappointment weekly, that we have to separate from Mom, every Sunday. I know its hard for me, but I understand. Children don't quite get it. The trick is to keep busy. Well maybe its for me. Because just sitting around makes me sad.

So the next few months I'll have to make the best of a crappy situation. Maybe the Sabres can bring some joy, and distract me. But leaving your hope and joy for a Buffalo Sports team, is always a bad idea. If any readers have ideas, or hobbies, that can make time fly by, let me know. And no, drinking isn't one of them. Though, trying out new beers might not be a bad idea. But I try not to drink around my kids. Its a thing I have.

Bringing back my blogging has been the only real change of this situation. Soon I'll have fun features of things I haven't done here before. So still looking for suggestions of unique Buffalo things to try before I leave.

My days are numbered

I have lived my entire life in Western New York. All in Amherst or the City of Buffalo. I didn't intentionally make it that way. I wanted to go away to college and I looked for jobs out of state. But something always kept me here. I loved seeing the transformation of the city, while being here day in day out. And I will be sad to not be here as the region grows and transforms into what I hope it can be. This summer I will be moving away, not that far away, 3 hours away to Central New York. An area I have gotten to known a little, since my wife's family is from there. So I'm excited and sad at the same time.

I was born in the same hospital my kids were. I was getting heavily involved in my kids future school. I felt really at home, at a house my wife bought before I met her. I was happy, content and looking forward to the future. I was just starting to build adult relationships again. Ones I haven't had since leaving work full time 4 years ago. Being around children all the time can be lonely and isolating. It was refreshing to have adult conversations, a lot about kids, but still adult conversations. Now, I have to basically start over again. I don't know my kids new school will welcome me in, like the current one. Men are rare in the PTA world. Its a woman's world, but being a stay at home dad you get used to that. My wife also buying a clinic, may mean I get to work a little again. But with a young baby, I don't have that much time to contribute.

Well this blog is mainly to document my final months in my hometown. To try things I haven't done before I leave, or do things I haven't done in a long time. I don't know how often I'll get back. Yes my family is here, but I'll have responsibility in my new hometown.

Its sad to realize that my kids probably won't remember living here 4 to 5 years from now. The pictures of the house they grew up in, will be foreign, the friends they made, forgotten, and will consider the new home, their home. Ill be Buffalo through and through. But I know I'll lose my Buffalo self in the years to come.

So anyone that reads this blog, can give me any suggestions on what to do, or just want to share their stories of leaving and probably not coming back. Because I won't becoming back as a resident for a long time, if ever. I'm just glad I get a few months to soak it all in before, its just a distant memory.