I have to give much love and incredible tribute to my wife. Not only is she busting her butt working every (long) day to make sure there’s food on the table and heat in the house but she’s also the inspiration for this blog. She thought it would be a good idea for me to have this blog for many reasons but the main one is for my benefit and my sanity to maybe jot down my adventures as a SAHD and express myself. I know of some guys who do the stay-at-home gig but they eventually go back to work or it was only for a short time. I also know of some guys who work from home and don’t/won’t/can’t do the fatherly duties even while being in the same house. I’m the only husband I know that from my daughter’s birth to now (20 months later) is still seeing no end in doing the SAHD gig and my wife and I even talk about what would happen if we had another child in a few years and I think I would still stay at home in the same role. From the get-go of my wife’s pregnancy we knew I would stay at home and my wife was totally on board and still (surprisingly) praises me and thanks me for being a SAHD. I still have bouts of guilt that all fiscal responsibility is on her shoulders but it has calmed down a lot. She assures me that she loves her job enough that she has no qualms going in the office everyday, although she does desperately misses time with our adorable daughter but she is very grateful that I am the one home watching her and that we don’t have to put her in day-care or burden someone else. So I cannot thank, support and love my working wife ENOUGH. She is our rock and our captain and I am her loyal first mate.

First thing I did my first day as a SAHD was watch Mr. Mom. I haven’t seen it since the 80s. It did exactly what I thought it would/should do. Make me laugh and prepare me for the unknown. The funniest thing I found with Michael Keaton’s hapless stay-at-home patriarch was the difference he handled things in spite of how his wife or how a typical parent/guardian would. And I don’t think he handled them badly or that he didn’t know how to handle these wacky and new experiences it’s how he solves his troubles or his kids troubles. The grilled-cheese sandwich isn’t melted enough? Use the clothes iron that is already hot…why not? Problem solved. The innovation that he shows is a great inspiration not only for the light-hearted humor but as a SAHD it relieves some stress for any future problems or crises. As a critical thinker AND now as a stay at home parent raising and caring for a baby I have to think faster and more creatively. What would ease my child’s teething pain? What can I do to make her eat her lunch? Her blankey is filthy and needs to be washed and SHE ABSOLUTELY CANNOT GO ANOTHER MINUTE WITHOUT IT!! As a parent you will learn to think faster to solve these issues or you will go insane. And it has nothing to do with gender because every parent will learn to cope with the new issues but I think the way the issues are approached and solved might be gender-centrically different. That’s the main point to Mr. Mom in that a man at home with kids might use unconventional means to figure out the madness at home. At least that’s how I might be as a SAHD.

I think I should write the remake screenplay.

So why the title Poppa Penguin? Well to those of my readers who didn’t see the documentary March of the Penguins a few years back the father penguin is the one who watches and keeps the unhatched eggs warm while the mother penguin goes back into the frozen and treacherous wilderness to retrieve food for their growing family. Even if the egg hatches the father penguin watches over the safety and concern of the young penguin until the momma penguin returns with the food. It’s not uncommon in the animal kingdom for the mother to be the provider of food and shelter for the family. Lionesses get the food not the den father. Lady Robin’s are the ones getting that early worm.

But the fact that the father penguin stays and watches over the egg/young while the mother goes out and gets the goods is what resonated so much to our family and what we’re going through at this point in our lives. You can all it a sacrifice, the greater-good, a necessity, a surrender, all-part-of-the-plan, or even dumb-luck that I’m not working and staying at home caring for my daughter but I am happy to do it. I don’t resent not working or going along with this gender reversal notion of the man is the sole provider. My wife makes more money and enjoys doing what she’s doing as a profession more than I do or probably will ever can and as long as we’re both happy, comfortable and financially stable with our situation than I say it just makes sense for me to take the SAHD role. I’m not saying it’s an easy decision nor am I saying it’s always easy on my psyche that my wife is the sole provider but I will say that I am still proud (prouder) of the loving and supportive family we’ve built and that we continue to grow in that direction.

A little introduction to this blog. I have been a Stay-At-Home-Dad or SAHD for 20 months now to our adorable daughter Madeleine (or Maddie, Mads) and have decided to chronicle my exploits, adventures and trials and tribulations in this blog format. Nothing fancy but I hope its entertaining, educational and fun to most of you readers. I’ll try to frank and open most of the time without getting too detailed and wordy.

A little about me: I am a first time father, 32-years-old, married for over 5 years and a graphic designer by profession and has had 5-6 jobs in a decades time. My wife is currently working full time at the same employment for over 10 years. When I lost my latest job in summer of 2008 we were already in the midst of planning our first child. Regardless of the lost income we decided to still have our beautiful daughter as we planned and haven’t regretted a single moment since. Except for the formula mishap. [more on that later]

I dedicate this blog to my wonderful, loving & very supportive wife as well to my adorable daughter Madeleine, the sole reason I’m writing this blog in the first place.