I'm gonna soak up the sun

Most of our days on vacation, Roger and I lived by the lyrics of Sheryl Crow's 2002 hit, "Gonna Soak Up the Sun." However, long gone are the days of lying on the beach in the warm sun without a care in the world. As you can see, Rog and I have struggled to find a place to catch rays at home. Although quickly waning with the onset of fall, we did manage to find a tiny spot in our dining room to share.

Bad weather at the beach is better than wonderful weather at work. During the two days of wind and rain, Roger and I passed the time by learning some essential homemaking skills. Mom says that at the very least, a well-rounded man needs to know the basics of cooking, computing, and child rearing.

Cooking - Lesson 101

We did so well with our culinary course that at the end of the evening, we were both knighted "Weber Grill Masters," a longstanding tradition in the Knowlton Family.

Computing - Lesson 101

Whether you use an elaborate software program, an old-fashioned calculator, or an ancient abacus, another fundamental life skill is being able to balance a checkbook. As you can see, Roger got caught asleep at the wheel and failed this exercise miserably.

Actually, I think Rog got tired of crunching numbers and decided to check out potential prospects on eHarmony. After all, he took it pretty hard when his little lady friend Stella left without giving him her contact information - the heartbreaking end of summer love.

Child Rearing - Lesson 101

Since I'm the only intact male in the family, including Dad, with the potential to reproduce, I was designated official diaper duty and honed my skills using Rog as a guinea bat-pig-baby.

After singing his favorite lullaby, "Rock-a-Bye Bat-Pig," to him, I put Rog down for his afternoon nap.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to never put a bag over your head - no matter what the circumstances.