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Hold on to your seat gays!!! Lourdes Ciccone will make her music video debut this summer with an appearance in the material mom’s upcoming video for her soon-to-be released song “Celebration“. Shot in Milan the video is set to feature some fans in the clip as well as a trip down memory lane with a retrospective look at the different phases of Madonna’s career. Most important, it is rumored to feature a “special guest” playing the “Like a Virgin” bride.

Tick Tock Tick Tock!

Watching the trauma unfold for the first time as you leave your child at daycare is pretty taxing. No so much because you have to leave them behind for a couple of hours, but because of the screams and crying you will witness as you muster up the courage to leave them in that state. So, you can only imagine the angst and dread I was feeling as the days to Cole and Parker’s first visit to the dentist crept closer.

So the morning before our visit, I had the brilliant idea of explaining who and what a dentist did through pictures. After breakfast, we brushed our teeth and went online to Google “dentist.” After showing them kid friendly images (LOL) of what a dentist does, I decided to play “Dentist” with the boys. We sat on the couch, asked them to open their mouth while I probed and prodded their mouth and teeh with their toothbrushes. After creating this comfortable scenario, I was surprised that they were interested in really wanting to go see a dentist. Luckily for them, I had this day all planned out weeks in advance!

As a parent, not only do you often hear horror stories about first time visits to the dentist, but you get all types of advice, like stay in the waiting room and don’t go in. But because I like to document almost everything with pictures, I knew this plausible sound of advice was not an option.

Once in the dentist’s office, things ran really smoothly and no one cried or was difficult to manage. Other than Cole’s fidgeting, I would say the visit went so well that the boys are anxious to return and play with the “den-tits insta-ments” again. If you ask me, the most painful part of the visit was the paper work.

As a treat for behaving so well, I took the boys to Lincoln Park Zoo the following day. Rewards are a great way to show appreciation. Plus it’s a win-win situation for all. Plus, the sound of “no cavities” is always good to hear!

I know I've been MIA for a while and mostly it has been due to my fascination with Facebook and the fact that this summer has been a whirlwind; new clubhouse, new neighbors, getting my name out in Milwaukee, yadda, yadda, yadda.

For those of you who have or had an interest let me speed you up to date. For those that have stumbled onto this page, let me give you some background.

Having lived in Chicago all my life, I thought for sure that moving to the (quasi) country, Kenosha, WI to be exact, would be very challenging on my state of being, mostly mental. However, I have found it to be, literally, a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, I still do miss living in the city at times, the people and its diversity, the stores and its commodities. However, let's just say that, for now, I am content with having removed myself or being able to step away from the chaos of bumper to bumper commuters and, especially, the ever present and very feasible "gay lifestyle" which seemed to do nothing but get me in to trouble, good and bad.

Oh, I still like to have fun, however, as they say, all in moderation. Even though you can say adopting Cole and Parker had a huge influence on how my priorities shifted, I didn’t go down without a fight. When raising kids 24/7, it is not uncommon to feel that you have lost yourself in the abyss of diapers, baby food and stroller pushing! One day I am stumbling home at 4 am, and the next I’m getting up at that same hour to feed and burp two babies.

Well those two babies, Cole and Parker, turned three this past May, and they are no longer infants or toddlers. They are now indeed little boys.

Cole and Parker aren't carried. They run, jump and sometimes collide into their next destination. Cole and Parker don't need their diapers changed. Instead, they tell me they need their butts wiped, hands washed, and tummies fed. The phrase, I'm scared," is pretty much used to get out of anything they don't want to do. Mostly I hear it when it's time to go to bed. How convenient. Yes, Cole and Parker no longer goo-goo gaga and drool. Instead they wrap their arms around my neck and tell me they love me or scream NOOOOOO at the top of their lungs, when it's time to leave something that is fun, like the pool or riding their plasma cars around the block.

It's true what they say about parenting. "The days are long but the years are short." And that is how I felt today. Meltdowns are not good to have or deal with and today we had it all! So, I’m trying to gain composure as I write this.

I can see why parenthood is such a hardship. Aside from the financial stress, being a parent seems to also be a catch 22. You're dammed if you do and you're damned if you don't. Looking back, I remember longing for those infant and toddler days to be over. And, now that they are, it makes me cry because I will most likely not have the opportunity to experience those days again. Today, I would gladly switch back to wiping baby butt if it meant I didn't have to clean out another potty training toilet! I miss the cradling and rocking them in my arms. I miss them needing me to get from point A to point B. And what sucks is that I know that I could it better the second time around.

If you ask me, it's not so much the terrible two's that are so horrible, as it is the tremendous three's. And now, I catch myself longing for these days to be over. The whining. The tantrums. The pushing of limits. However, as much as I bitch, precious moments do seem to make the whole experience worthwhile. Today, out of the blue after getting in the car and starting the engine, Cole yells “ Wooo papa, let’s rock and roll. “ WTF. Seriously?!?!

The good thing is that when I sit down and write this, I can appreciate what I have now and look into the future regarding our boys. Cole and Parker are growing and I am grateful that they are healthy and happy, but what I have today is not what I will have tomorrow. That, in my opinion, is why I think parenting is hard. But letting go is even harder. I will soon enough, not be their priority. I will have shifted.

This is why I am so grateful I have Mark. He is my rock. He gets me through my rough days. And I am sure I do the same for him.