Accidental House Life

It seems impossible but the reality of being a house husband doesn't become any easier to live with, even after 7 years. It seems impossible that after 7 years of "practice" I still get things wrong. It seems impossible but after all this time I still can't balance the budget, get the shopping right, have all the correct clothes clean, the house spotless, shoes clean, dishwasher emptied or even (most mornings) have time to sit down with a cup of tea and a biscuit before remembering something that needed to be done. Now, dear reader, this isn't a rant about how tough this job is. Ask anyone whose done it, they'll be very pleased to tell you. No, this is a post about acceptance. After 7 years I have accepted that how I feel is ok. It's ok because that is the job. I know many who experience high levels of stress over their role as a stay at home parent, and I, the man with the accidental house life, have decided to no longer feel this way. The house isn'

Never write angry, that's the piece of advice I received when I first started blogging, hence no post yesterday. 24 hours later, the anger still lingers, steam gently issues from my ears, but I can breathe in a normal manner and no longer feel the need to shout at everyone. "But what has made you feel this way?" I hear you ask dear reader, so I shall answer the best I can without shouting or swearing (can't promise though so you may need to cover your eyes). Money. That terrible 5 letter word that no-one wants to utter but is always in our minds. I will take a leap of assumption and say that you, dear reader, have experience with raising a child or multiples thereof. You know how expensive a task this is. The givens of cost being clothes, shoes, food (apparently, although why they need so much is beyond me, I mean, they're tiny, where does it all go?) and fluids. Then we have the expected costs, such as hair cuts, birthday presents, Christmas and Easter. Then

Now that the girl child is in juniors and the boy child has gone into year 1, a new question has arisen in the Castle. Is it time for the full time stay at home dad to go back to the coal face? Now the list of pro's to return to work is long, the list of con's not so much, so here end'th the discussion. Right? Well apparently not. There are certain things that become second nature for the whole house when there is a stay at home parent. Clothes are clean, the house is of a state where you don't die of shame should visitors come a calling, meals are fresh and there is an instantly available parent needed when required at school. The dishwasher is empty, homework is complete, further study can be undertaken, emergency shops can be preformed and all deliveries can be accepted in person. Dogs can be walked, animals fed, cars MoT'd, bills paid on time and deals for broadband organised. I should go on but the point is made. But is that enough? Should I stay at home be

   It's never a good thing when the morning starts off with shouting. It's never a good thing when the kids are leaving for school wiping away tears from a morning telling off. It's never a good thing, but it happens. It happens, not because you're a bad parent, not because you can't control your children and not because your kids are spoilt beyond belief (I believe that was the centre point of this mornings sermon). No, it happens because 4 humans into 1 house at rush o'clock in the morning doesn't always go.    Let me share with you, my dear reader, a short insight into the morning of Castle accidentalhouselife. The wonderful wife is an early riser, not by choice but, by necessity of work. Unfortunately for yours truly, that means so are the kids. The boy child is a 6am man, whilst the girl child prefers the more relaxing 6.30. Joyfully this means a family that sees each other before the day begins. Not so joyfully this also means that at any one time 4

Thoughts of a Househusband. : 3 Years Have Passed. : August 26, 2016 3 Years Have passed. Seven years ago I very proudly became a parent for the first, but not last, time. Three years a...

Thoughts of a Househusband. : Previous Posts. : Previous Posts. October 9, 2013 I’m a stay at home dad. “Oh it must be so easy, at home all day, watching telly, eating biscuits an...

Thoughts of a Househusband. : 21st Century Problems. : What The What !? How much time is too much time for a 5 year old to spend on the computer? I know, honestly. Just re-read that ques...

Thoughts of a Househusband. : Summer Is Over, Time For a Holiday. So the long we... : Summer Is Over, Time For a Holiday. So the long weeks of 4 people in the house instead of 1 have come to an end. The irony of being the...

Summer Is Over, Time For a Holiday. So the long weeks of 4 people in the house instead of 1 have come to an end. The irony of being the stay at home parent. 5 weeks of 24/7, no breaks, spending money you really don't have, no time alone, still up at ridiculous o'clock, when will it end, do we have to go to Sea life, AGAIN, has finally come to an end. The period of your life that truly conflicts with those around you that is the school summer holidays. Now I'm luckier than some. The better half works in education so she is available, in the house, on trips out, helping tidy, prepping food for a BBQ, keeping the kids entertained, all round being lovely. But here in lies another issue. That means I now have another adult in my work environment. I know, I'm whinging, but hear me out. I assume most other long term stay at home parents now view what they do as a job. If so, they, like me will have a work routine. Now, dear reader, put yourself in our position. All of

What The What !? How much time is too much time for a 5 year old to spend on the computer? I know, honestly. Just re-read that question. 5 year old, computer, time, when did this happen? Trying telling your children that you didn't even have computers at your secondary school, let alone at home. It's like telling your childhood self that celebrities would openly show tattoos even if they hadn't been in prison, or that even having unlimited access to everything there'd still be nothing to watch on a Friday evening. So here's the issue. The wife and girl child are out so I ask boy child what would he like to do? The dream answers being, paint, draw, watch a movie or play a game. So what do I get? "Can I play on the computer Daddy?" Now before I go on a rant about technology blah blah blah, I do let my kids have computer time. They both own a v-tech Innotab and they both get to play on BBC bitesize but what have I done that means it's the fir

Previous Posts. October 9, 2013 I’m a stay at home dad. “Oh it must be so easy, at home all day, watching telly, eating biscuits and drinking brews whenever you want. Just a bit of tidying up in the afternoon and your day is done. Easy life.” There isn’t a mum or housewife who hasn’t heard a variant of the above, and there isn’t a stay at home parent who hasn’t steamed through their ears and momentarily forgotten their vow of non violence as in their mind they see a swift knee to the solar plexus (or lower) of the, usually, male distributor of domestic knowledge. But is it any different for a stay at home dad? Well, the short answer is YES. We men are different. Where the multitasking, multifunctioning mum just does, we men initially struggle. We are predisposed to order, we love lists (read any Chris Evans book if you don’t believe me), just doing takes effort (and normally a list) and a lot of time. Through this blog, I am to let the inner workings of a stay at home da

August 26, 2016 3 Years Have passed. Seven years ago I very proudly became a parent for the first, but not last, time. Three years ago I came up with the bright idea of writing a blog detailing my experiences as a stay at home dad, with the hope of helping out my fellow house husbands the world was beginning to hear about and relieve some of the stress from the actual job. However, as with most things in my life, the enthusiasm drained away and I stopped after 3 articles (the daytime TV interviews just didn’t happen and if I’m not going to meet Phil and Holly what was the point.) Why then, after 3 long years, am I doing it again? I could lie and talk of a sense of duty, or that I have a responsibility to continue to spread the word of the often mis-understood house dad. Was it because I saw the hundreds, nay, thousands of new bloggers treading all over the path I felt a little bit precious about? Well ‘no’ to all of that. Back in January 2015 I posted my articles on Google+ a