Sick Days: He who holds the remote control rules the world.

When the Daddy is home sick it's the perfect time to get acquainted with this elusive creature and assert yourself as the dominant force in the house hold.  Competition for the Mamas attention can become fierce when the Daddy isn't feeling well, so it's important to cling as tightly as possible to her but still give yourself enough wiggle room to interact with the Daddy as much as possible.  Accomplishing this feat is a delicate balancing act, but can be done with proper planning.  Start by making sure the Daddy is comfortable, you can usually tell when the Daddy is comfortable because he holds very still and makes a growling noise called snoring. Next, look around for the remote controls, the Daddy is normally very protective of these important devices, but will let his guard down when heavily sedated.  The most valuable of all the remote controls are the ones for the TV, and the DVD player,  Wii remotes are a bonus.  Don't get side tracked with one of those Sleepnumber bed remotes, I wasted a whole morning once trying to change the channel with one of those while the Daddy was sleeping (he wasn't happy when he woke up). Once you obtain all these powerful devices you'll be well on your way to achieving your goal.

Poking the Bear

The big kid and I get told on a regular basis not to poke the bear, but because no one ever bothered to tell me specifically where the bear was or how to go about avoiding said bear, I just went about my business randomly poking pretty much anything within reach, hoping that if I should happen to encounter "the Bear" he'd be so impressed by my charm and superior wit that he wouldn't gobble me up in my tracks.  Well,  I've met "the Bear" turns out him and The Daddy are the same creature (who woulda thought)  oh, and I wouldn't recommend hitting bears in the crotch with large plastic trucks while they're watching TV :)

The Daddy

The Daddy is an elusive creature, very seldom seen in the light of day.   He can most often be found in areas of the house that allow for lounging comfortably, like the bedroom or living room.   Occasionally there may be a Daddy spotting outside the house in the garage or on the lawn tractor.  He is also a frequent visitor at the dinner table.  Until just recently I thought the sleeping Daddy and the yard Daddy were two completely different people.   But after extensive study of this creatures behavioral patterns, I have a much better understanding of how he operates.  He should be a whole lot easier to set traps for now:)