Color, Cut, & Assemble

My daughter can't get enough of these activities right now, and I'm finding that it's ridiculously hard to find ones that don't need to be downloaded from an insecure site or are microscopic. Therefore, I'm sticking them here for other parents that don't want to waste 15 minutes every time they try to find one and make it work. I did not create any of these, nor do I own them--I just made them functional.
Enjoy!

Bumblebee

"B" is for Butterfly

Butterfly

Chipmunk with Interchangeable Eyes

Christmas Bear

Cornucopia

Cow with Milk

Dinosaur

Dog

Dragon

Elephant with Interchangeable Eyes

Fishbowl with Number Fish

Frog

Fruit Salad

"G" is for Gorilla

Heart Opossum

Heart Rabbit

"Jesus is Purrfect" Cat

Monkey

Monster with Interchangeable Eyes

Mouse with Cheese

Rabbit

Snowman

Toad with Interchangeable Eyes

Very Hungry Caterpillar

Vegetable Salad

I'm a Butthole Wife, and Proud of It

There's an article circling the Internet, and social media in particular. You can read it here:

http://herviewfromhome.com/stop-being-a-butthole-wife/

Before I go on my tirade, let me state clearly that I absolutely understand where the author is coming from and what point she's trying to make. However, the execution is so faulty that I now have to chug the reality train right into everyone's face...

IT'S OKAY TO BE A BUTTHOLE WIFE.

You should treat your husband with respect and dignity, frequently express gratitude to him for all he does for you and your family, and treat him as your best friend. HOWEVER, none of that entitles him to the right to not treat you in the exact same manner. Just how disrespectful is it for a grown man to completely ignore repeated pleas from his spouse to pick up his dirty clothes and put them in the hamper? What kind of freaking example are you setting for your kids to say, "Oh, well Daddy is choosing the greater good by leaving his clothes on the floor and spending time with the kids, instead."

SERIOUSLY??????

It takes less than a second for ANYONE to place his or her dirty clothes in an appropriate receptacle. How in the world is anyone's complete lack of respect for, and duty to, other members of the family a "good" thing? How are you ever going to teach your children to be responsible for their own actions, or to be an active, respectful member of the family dynamic, when they watch their own father constantly toss his junk anywhere he dang well feels like it, while Mommy follows behind and picks it up with a smile on her face?

Every single member of a family makes a worthwhile and necessary contribution to the dynamic. You want a happy family and home life? Everyone needs to pull their weight. No one is more important than anyone else, and that includes Mom, too. It's only fair that the same rules that apply to one family member apply to all.

I think it's completely frightening that this article has become such a hit. If you're accepting it for what it was meant to be, that we all need to be a little more gentle to and grateful for our spouses, run with it and proclaim it to the world. If you think that your spouse's mess is a sign of the blessing that they are in your life, you should probably meet with a psychiatrist. For real. My husband is an amazing man that does so, so much for me and our family. And I'm far from a perfect wife. But, guess what? I expect him to pick up after himself. Because I'm a butthole wife. And it's okay to expect every single member of the family to fulfill their own obligations and help one another out.

Women tend to tear themselves down, to feel like nothing they do, the very individual they are, is ever enough. Why are we spreading more of this? There are so many better ways to improve family and home life and spousal relations. Focus on reframing the problem ("Oh, this drives me nuts, but at least he did ______ (some good thing) today"). Practice not being a harpy ("Are you freaking kidding me??? Are you too stupid to pick up your dirty socks, you nincompoop????"). Encourage and support your spouse ("I'm so glad you went to work today. I know you didn't feel good. Thank you for making my life brighter"). But don't, I repeat, DON'T allow something that is driving you crazy to just slide because you don't want to "cause waves" or "be a butthole." That is not the way to a lasting, meaningful relationship. The job of wife/mother/homemaker NEVER stops, not even in the middle of the night, and it is perfectly reasonable to expect your spouse to pick up after themselves and set a good example for your children. Bringing home a paycheck, or being biologically male, does not entitle one to ignore the concerns of another. Please, don't feel guilty for expecting your spouse to engage. Please, don't feel that this is a man-hater, women-are-always-right post. Absolutely everything I've said goes both ways--if you want a lasting, happy marriage, you need to work this crap out, not slap a coat of glitter on it and pretend that it's a "blessing" or somehow right. It's not.

LDS Primary Flip Charts (Black and White)

I have a black-and-white only printer, and I want my daughter to know the songs they're learning in Primary, so I've been making black-and-white flipcharts off and on for a couple years now. I'll upload PDFs for them here. :)

Once Within A Lowly Stable

I Love to See the Temple (Verse 1)

If I Had Been a Little Child

I'm Trying to be Like Jesus

As a Child of God

Choose the Right (Verse 1 & Chorus)

• Verse 2

And a church talk that my daughter wrote as a Sunbeam...

I Know the Scriptures are True

When We Choose the Right, We are Blessed

What Happens When My Daughter's School Wants a Letter Explaining Absences

To whom it may concern:

My child was absent from school September 6-7. This absence was unavoidable due to the following reasons:

1) Her mother is an idiot.
2) When loading the truck to travel home from vacation, always remember to not, under any circumstances, place your keys inside of the trunk as the truck will automatically lock itself after 90 seconds.
3) It is nearly impossible to find any sort of help when said mother is an idiot on Labor Day.
4) By the time the keys were retrieved, it was very late at night and traveling back home would have been hazardous.
5) The next morning, the same truck that likes to lock itself decided to go kerplooey by lighting up with all sorts of hazard warnings and refusing to allow either turn signal or the hazard lights to work.
6) Idiot mother was forced to drive 261.4 miles to a dealership to have truck repaired.
7) Truck repair took five hours, again leaving it unsafe to travel home without hitting various wild and domesticated animals.
8) Idiot mother is now ordering a lanyard for her keys off of amazon.com

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to be the last of its kind. Idiocy appears to be a chronic condition. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,

The Idiot Mother

Answer to Things That Bug Me #2--Watermelon Flavoring

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/watermelon-flavored-photos_n_3314997.html?slideshow=true#gallery/298773/3

#4 is a keeper, especially the description!!!  (And, yes, I like watermelon Jolly Ranchers, they just don't taste anything like watermelon)

I had no idea #13 even existed, but now I want to try it...even though I know I'll hate it...  The same goes for #15

What It's Like to be Chronically Ill

This is a really tough post for me to write.  I don't speak about my chronic illnesses, or the fact that I'm broken.  I just put on a cute little smiley face and hope no one ever finds out.  Like it's something to be ashamed of, which is just stupid.  It's not my fault I'm sick.  It's not anyone's fault.  But I feel like I'm doing a disservice to other people to just ignore it.  I'll update this periodically, but for starters, here's a link to the best description I've found about what it's like to be me:

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

On to the ranting...

• Today, I'm missing church.  I hate missing church.  A lot.  But I hate it even more when I'm missing it for a totally lame reason.  Allergies.  Yes, allergies.  "So, you have a runny nose? That's pathetic."  NO!  It ties into the chronic illnesses!  I have chronic hives, as in hives every single freaking day of my life, so I have to take an antihistamine every day.  When spring (or summer, or fall) rolls around, my seasonal allergies attack but the antihistamine is already busy, so I get the full onslaught of the nastiness with no way to alleviate them at all.  So I feel completely nasty today, nauseous, exhausted, dizzy, achy, as well as congested, and I can't go to church.  But if I tell anyone that I'm not going because of allergies, I'll be judged.  Harshly.
• I was cleaning today when I realized that my flat-top stove needed a really good scrubbing. I had to stand there for a moment to debate whether to clean the stove right, or clean the rest of the house, because there weren't "spoons" to do both. I chose to clean the rest of the house. Do you have any inkling of how frustrating it is to be 33 and not able to scrub your stove? Pretty darn frustrating.

Fallacious Thinking

I'm the world's biggest chicken.  Let me make that clear from the get-go.  It's pathetic, yes, but something I totally can't change about myself.

For example...

I was looking through the Reader's Digest (because, yes, I'm awesome, and I totally rock the old people magazines) when I came across a story about a hotel that is supposedly haunted.  Now, I know I'm the world's biggest chicken, and I know better than to read crapito like that, but I'm an idiot and I always tell myself, "Oh, my heck, Laurie!  You're a big girl!  You can read this super lame article.  You're just fine!"

Famous last words.  Like when I thought I could watch a ghost hunter video about my local museum, which I can no longer attend, because I love the museum, but the super lame video scared the crapito out of me.

Anyway, back to the story.  I read the first two paragraphs of the Reader's Digest article.  All it said was the hotel was supposedly haunted, and that the ghost was supposed to be a little girl that was locked in a cupboard and would kick the door.  That's it.  No scary elaboration, no flowery words, just that.

I was so terrified I very nearly slept in my four-year-old's bed.  So she could protect me.  I had to work really, REALLY hard not to give in to that tenacious urge.  I even texted my husband at work to tell him how scared I was, then immediately texted him again to tell him that he could NOT come home and scare me because I would cry.  For real.  A lot.

You may be asking yourself, "What makes Laurie think she's the biggest chicken ever?  Sure, she's super lame, but so what?"

I'll show you!  Doubt my lame-osity, will you?  *grumble* *grumble*

All right ... Here it goes ... The gloves are coming off ...

I'm petrified of Bigfoot and aliens, even though there's not one tiny bit of me that believes they're real.

Did you read that?  'Cuz I was trying really hard not to let you see that.  It's embarrassing.

How far does this fear go?  Well, back to Reader's Digest...

There was another article about the most read case ever in the FBI's files.  It was about an extraterrestrial ship crashing, and three bodies being found.  Honestly, I think it's probably the biggest hoax ever.  For real.  But it still scared me to pieces.

Which brings me to my fallacious thought process.  After I was stupid and read this article, I had to go pick up the four-year-old from preschool.  Middle of the day, bright and sun-shiny, and I'm literally running to my car.  I jump in, slam the door, and lock it, only to realize my thinking process is majorly flawed.  I'm scared of creatures I don't even believe in, but, for argument's sake, let's say they're real.  Obviously they've got some serious technology at their disposal if they can travel way farther and faster than we can even comprehend.  So what makes me think locking the doors of my pop can car is going to protect me????  Or the deadbolt on my front door????  Or the plate-glass windows that my four-year-old could shatter without even trying????

I'm not safe.

Anywhere.

Ever.

Apache OpenOffice Issues

My new computer didn't come with Microsoft Office, and I refuse to pay every month for the rest of my life or a flat $300.00 fee to get it, so I use Apache OpenOffice instead.  It's a free, open source program that I love and have had very few problems with.  However, when problems do crop up, it's annoyingly hard to find a solution.

I just updated to Version 4.1.2 and the stupid thing started marking every single word as misspelled.  I've been fighting with it all day and just found the solution:

You need to shut down AOO, kill the soffice.* processes, delete the user profiles and restart. Done! The user profiles can be found at c:\Users\xxxx\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice.org . I simply deleted the entire OpenOffice.org folder.

Finally!

There were other instructions that were much more convoluted.  The "xxxx" after Users\ is the name of the computer.

At least now I'm not wasting all my time rereading everything I type for errors.

Now to get my one remaining keyboard functioning...since I broke the other one...

Answer to Things That Bug Me #1--Vegetable Oil

That's how the get the stuff out.  Now, why is it bad?  I watched another video on canola oil--made by the same people, so not from tree-hugging-hippy-freak-os that hate everything except foliage--and they freaking add bleach to it to make it lighter in color.

K, I'm not totally cool with eating bleach.

But I'll still totally use vegetable oil.  'Cuz I can.

Slacker Sack Review

I finally got my 8-foot Slacker Sack today (long story, let's just say order from the manufacturer and not Amazon).  Here's an annoyingly detailed review (mainly because I couldn't find any detailed reviews out there).  All in all, it was TOTALLY worth the price.  We are on it constantly.  CONSTANTLY. In fact, we have no intention of taking our couch with if we ever move, and we probably won't buy another one.

I found this kid wandering around on the street, so
stuck her in the pictures for scale...just kidding

UPS said it weighed 69 pounds

Inside the box

I had to totally roll the box over and dump out this...sausage

After taking off the tape and first layer of plastic it looked like a wonderful brain candy

This is when the toddler started screaming, "It looks like a brain!
Like in my head!"

Picture inside the bag once I got some of the foam broken up

It was super easy, and pretty cool, to separate the
cover from the compressed "brain" foam

Yes, unzipping the liner to show you the foam made a huge,
static-y mess.

With the cover

It only took about 15 minutes to break up 1/2-2/3
of the foam.

Highlights of the Week

A New Title

I take my daughter to story hour at my local library every week.  Most weeks, I end up showing up in pajamas.  What can I say?  I hate mornings.  Most of the others moms are dressed to the nines with fancy clothes, makeup, and big hair.  Me?  I look like death warmed over.  But I don't really care.  I go for story hour, not fashion hour.

The librarian told me I am officially the most casual mom she knows.

Yes!

My husband says that's not a compliment.  I say, I don't care.

My Vocal Talents

I was being super lame and singing Phantom of the Opera yesterday.  My three-year-old kept covering her ears.  I asked what was wrong.  She told me to stop singing because it makes her throw up.

The Dangers of McDonald's

My daughter announced she was going to sing a church song.  It consisted of the words, "McDonald's makes me dead, Jesus makes me alive."

Just so you know, McDonald's is her favorite place ever.  I am not one of those mothers that tells her fast food will kill her.

Socks Do Not Make Your Hair Curl

I'm always trying to find ways to make my hair take (and keep) a curl.  So when I watched this video, I thought, "Why not?"

5 Minute No-Heat Curls!

Yeah.  Not only did I not sleep last night (super uncomfortable having bulky socks tied all over your head), not only did I wake up in extreme amounts of pain (having bulky socks tied to your head hurts your neck and shoulders), not only did I have to wait until noon for my hair to dry (even though it was barely damp when I went to bed), no curls.  Snarly, awkward random kinks, yes.  Curls?  No.

Fresh Young Gagonut

Sometimes, Bountiful Baskets gives us some strange things.

Sometimes, those things are surprisingly good (persimmons, Brussels sprouts).

Sometimes the things are completely disgusting.

We got a fresh young coconut this week.  I've tried it before and remember how nasty it is, but my husband didn't believe me.  He hacked the thing open and it was pinkish.  Didn't deter him.  He drained it and got the "jelly" (he described it as snot) out and blended them.  It looked like pink vomit.  It tasted like butt.  He added Otter Pops.  It looked even more like vomit.  The taste made him swear and literally vomit into the sink.

Moral of the story?

Stay away from fresh young coconut.

Things I'm Going to Forget

1. When my daughter was just learning to talk, she'd always demand to watch "Happy."  It took me forever to figure out that she meant Barney the Dinosaur.  She called him Happy for ages.
2. One day, my daughter's friend got to ride on a booster seat rather than a standard car seat.  I knew it would upset my little angel, so I told her that I would call her "Madam" and she would be important and junk.  She asked who I was if she was Madam.  I told her I was "Butler."  Clear as can be, she responded, "You're butt crack?"
3. To this day, she calls potatoes igoes (eye-goes).  Don't know where she got that from, but, even at 3-and-a-half, if she accidentally says "potatoes" she'll correct herself with "igoes."
4. Currently, her favorite song is "Where is Thumbkin?"  She will do all the different characters (ring-man, tall-man, etc.), but only her thumb or her pointer gets moved.  She always responds to "How are you today, sir?" with "Thank you for the well day."
5. When singing "I am a Child of God," she always says, "Lead me, guide me, walk in my shoes."
6. When she first started feeding herself, the second she was full she would throw all of her food on the floor.  I never managed to get there fast enough to save anything.
7. Hamburgers are actually hand-ga-burgers.  And, no, she won't eat them.
8. For a long time, her future career choice was one of Santa's elves. 
9. She got her first love note in kindergarten.

Must See on Netflix

When you're feeling sappy...

• Snow
• Scents and Sensibility

For the whole family

• The Lost Medallion
• The Lost and Found Family

When you're feeling regal...

• Wives & Daughters

When you're feeling 14-years-old...

• Crash & Bernstein
• Mako Mermaids
• H2O
• Wolfblood

When your husband's whining about all the girly shows...

• Outcasts
• Survivors
• Primeval

You're welcome

Celebrity Crushes

So, I'm totally lame, and even though I'm old and way, WAY married, I still have celebrity crushes.  For a long time, this is the character I would have run away with...


Today's character is...



















Now, let me be absolutely clear.  It's the CHARACTERS here that I'm pseudo-in-love with, not the people.  Not even their physical appearances.  And if you don't understand, go watch Once Upon a Time.  You hermit.

Looks wise, this is my new dream boat...



Totally Evan-licious.

And if you don't get that, go read my books.

And, yes, dude is WAY too young for me...but not too young to be Evan...

It's not my fault I'm ancient.

And, again, I'm WAY married.  This is just an effort to cement my lame-status for all eternity.

Think Your Day's Bad?

• Not enough sleep
• Nausea
• Respiratory virus
• Dog with explosive diarrhea
• Scrubbing dried diarrhea off floor, toilet, walls, sink
• Looming mineral identification quiz
• 7 papers to review
• Lecture to watch
• House to clean
• Meals to cook
• Sick toddler to care for
• Homework

On the other hand

• I don't have to worry about where my next meal will come from
• I don't have to worry about my daughter being taken by ISIS
• I have a house, a bed, electricity, running potable water, medicine, peace

How's your day?

Coolest Checker Ever

I just went to the store and picked up a dental prescription for my husband.  I got a few other things, and put the prescription on the check out counter so it would get bagged with my groceries.  I wasn't really paying attention, and the checker didn't put it in the bag.

HOWEVER....

He did chase me into the parking lot, yelling, "Hey!  You forgot your husband's suppositories!"

Best

Day

Ever

Baptists & Mormons

I just had a really strange experience.  I recently changed doctors, and my new doctor mentioned to me that prayer can be very helpful.  I agreed with him, and we ended up in a discussion about religion.  He asked what church I go to, and I told him that my family and I are LDS.

Just for further clarification, LDS is a term relating to Mormons, though the official name of our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Anyway, back to the story.

The doctor was super nice and everything, and told me that he's Baptist.  I told him that I had a friend when I was in elementary school whose father was a Baptist minister.  I then said that I was surprised when I attended church with her to see just how similar the two religions are.

He was horrified.

Don't get me wrong, he was still way nice and everything, but I could tell that he was totally not okay with being compared to a Mormon.  He essentially said that the two religions are nothing alike.  So, I decided to write a post about how they are the same.  Because I'm bored.  And this blog is dedicated to random crapito.

I tried to find the most "official" site I could for the Baptist religion and settled on http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/basicbeliefs.asp, which is the Southern Baptist Convention.  In the first sentence on this page, they say that their mission is to "reach the world for Christ."  Mormons believe the same thing.

The site then says, "The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man."  Match.  "It reveals the principles by which God judges us....All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation."  Checkerino.

We both believe that Christ is the Son of God, though there is a difference of opinion about whether God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are one or three people.  In spite of this, belief in Christ's mission and atonement are the same.  The Holy Ghost can enlighten and empower a believer--for both religions.

Both religions teach that man is the highest creation of God and that all are created, and should be treated, as equals.  Christ's sacrifice provides the means for men to be saved for eternity.  Both teach that true Christians should endure to the end and not forsake their faith, even in trials.  Both churches baptize their members and believe that members should spread the knowledge of Christ throughout the world.  Each church is directed by Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Each individual is responsible for his or her own actions.  Both churches believe that only men may hold key leadership positions, as proscribed by the scriptures.

Both religions use the sacrament as a means of remembering Christ and turning their thoughts to Him.  Both churches believe that missionary work must be accompanied by Christlike lives.  Both believe that Sunday is the day Christ was resurrected and should be kept sacred.  Both believe in the Second Coming and Christ's judgment of all men.  The Southern Baptist website states that "all that we have and are we owe to [Christ]," a recurring theme in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well.  Both teach members that they should devote their time, talents, and material possessions to His work.

The site states that "[c]ooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations."  For some reason, people outside of the LDS church think that we are "cliquish" and keep to ourselves, but we are taught to embrace members of other religions.  We do not believe that only Mormons will go to heaven, or that Mormons are the only good people.

"Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death" (Southern Baptist site).  LDS members believe the exact same things.

"God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption.

"Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. ... The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation... Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage"  (Southern Baptist site).

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

"All human beings--male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny...

"We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan...

"Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

"The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed." (https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation)

Am I the only one that sees a pattern here?  God is God, no matter what you call Him, or how you envision Him.

I'm Smart

I'm going to college, and have been for over a decade.  We kept moving, so I had to change institutions (and majors) multiple times.  I have more than enough credits to have a Bachelor's degree, but I don't even have a certificate of participation to show for the last ten years of my life.  I've been feeling really discouraged, wondering why the heck I'm still going to school.  Then, I got a call from my college yesterday saying they had a financial aid check for me to pick up.  I had applied for scholarships, so I was all excited, thinking I'd gotten one for $25.  Yeah, I got one for $700.

Boo-yah!

Go me!

I'm awesome!

And rich!

My Mom Belongs in a Book

My dad paints, and he recently had someone commission a portrait from him.  My parents have two schnoodles that bark like crazy whenever anyone knocks on the door.  They also have those doorknobs that will open on the inside, even if they are locked, so they are constantly locking themselves out of the house.

A few days ago, my dad went outside.  A short time later, a knock sounded on their door.  The dogs went berserk, so my mom went to the door, yelling at the dogs and spraying them with a water bottle.  Assuming my dad had locked himself out (again), she opened the door and sprayed the knocker in the face.  Multiple times.

It wasn't my dad.

It was the guy that commissioned the painting.

My mom belongs in a book.  Especially considering that, after the guy came inside, she couldn't find my dad and had to send him away to come back another day.