I used to be a Christmas cynic. During most of my twenties and early thirties, I felt that Christmas is meant to be celebrated AFTER Thanksgiving. I’d roll my eyes at people who dusted off their Christmas music collection after Halloween, and I’d be thoroughly disgusted with Christmas displays popping up at retail stores in September (and sometimes as early as August!).

But my cynicism began to wane when I became a father.

These days, I have a hard time avoiding the Christmas spirit once Fall starts rolling in. It’s hard not to daydream about what presents I want to get for my kids or what traditions might get started this year. These early years of parenthood are an exciting time for the holidays because the experiences are so new! 

That said, it is kinda weird being the only person in the office listening to Christmas music in September...

When you’re a “big kid at heart” like I am, it can be hard to tell if your spouse has bought a gift for you or for your children. My advice: ALWAYS assume the gift is for the children.

Modern technology has allowed us parents to have CIA-like access into the lives of our children. We have video monitors in bedrooms, we can track smartphone and tablet use with our own smartphones and tablets, and we can determine the appropriateness of TV shows and movies without even watching them! I’m not trying to suggest that these resources are bad; in fact Kari and I employ all of these methods in our parenting. But I think we “modern parents” need to come to terms with an uncomfortable fact:

21st century parents stalk their children. We’re child stalkers.

Sleep tight, America.

It’s amazing how much your child’s feces evolves during the first year of his life.

In the beginning you’ve got the meconium, which has the look and consistency of black tar. The stuff is seriously hard to clean off your child’s bottom, and I’m pretty sure I caused some intense skin irritation for both my boys while trying to clean up that mess.

If your child is breastfeeding, the meconium turns to this strange, mustard-yellow color that has seeds in it. I don’t know where the seeds come from, but I’ve been tempted to plant some to see what happens. Maybe I could grow breastmilk trees so moms wouldn’t have to pump anymore.

After the seedy poop, you’ve got the soupy poop. It just looks like soup. Sometimes it’s green. Sometimes yellow. Other times, brown. Pretty easy to clean up, but because it has a thin viscosity* it’s more liable to shoot up your child’s back if he’s built up enough back pressure. As I’m sure your aware, this causes quite a large mess.

Finally, as your child starts to eat solid foods, the poop becomes more, well, solid. As a result, your child will discover that dropping a deuce takes a little more effort than it used to. In the Molebash household, it’s not uncommon for our toddler to stop in the middle of whatever he’s doing and start grunting. He won’t make eye contact; he’ll just stare at a spot on the floor until he’s done. When he’s finished, he needs his diaper changed IMMEDIATELY. Can’t say I blame him.

*I’m really proud of myself for using the word “viscosity” while discussing baby poop.

Parenthood means making lots of adjustments to your schedule and routine. I never realized how often Kari and I went out to the theater or rented movies until Parker was born. What was once a weekly affair had become practically non-existent over the course of Parker’s first year of life. In most cases, I didn’t mind changing my habits in order to be an attentive father...

But I really like movies.

One-year-olds are completely oblivious to the excitement of birthdays and holidays. You can try your darnedest to get them psyched up, but you’ll be met with blank stares and maybe some drool. Actually, drool is quite likely.

Kari and I waited until Parker was a year-old to give him solid food. I know a lot of parents give their kids solid food much earlier than that with excellent results, but our doctor advised us to wait until a year so that’s what we did. One of the milestones of child-rearing is when your kid switches from a milk-only diet to baby food. But it’s nowhere near as bittersweet as when you first cut up some solid food for your child, and they nosh away at with mostly gums and a couple teeth. In my short time as a parent, I’ve found that there are several milestones such as these that serve as a great reminder that your time with your children is limited; that it won’t be long until they’re out of the house and on their own. These moments make up what I like to call “The Unfortunate Reality of Parenthood.” Of course, by the time Parker is a teenager, I might be ready for him to leave. I guess we’ll find out during MOLEBASHED Season 15.

Real-life Parker will be three this year and the toys are only just now starting to get kinda awesome. We’re still not to regular LEGOs yet, but he likes his little Duplo set which tells me we’re on the right path. This is a huge relief, too, because - up until now - his primary gifts have been rubber balls, stuffed animals, and board books. Let me tell ya: it’s hard to get excited about an eight-page board book that you know you’ll have to read over and over and over again.

I don’t remember exactly how much we spent on Parker’s first birthday, but I can tell you this: we spent over $80 on the cake. Now I don’t know what cake costs are like in your neck of the woods, but where I’m from you typically get a homemade cake from a box mix on your birthday. Or, if mom wants to splurge (or has run out of time to bake), you might get a cake from a grocery store bakery. So the overall investment is between $5 and $15 when all is said and done.

To add even more context, Kari and I spent a shade over $100 on our wedding cake six years ago, and it fed considerably more than the 30 people we invited to Parker’s first birthday party, which leads me to another thing:

We invited 30 people to Parker’s first birthday party.

This may all seem like overkill for an event your child will have no recollection of, but you have to keep in mind that there’s a lot of merit in being able to stand with your child in front of your friends and family and say, “Look! He’s still breathing! And his clothes match. And they’re clean. Also, his hair is groomed. One could safely say this child is thriving. Here. Have a slice of this elaborately decorated cake.”

MOLEBASHED Season 2 is nigh!

How nigh?

Like, NEXT-MONDAY-nigh!

I’ve had a BLAST during my time away from the strip, but I can’t wait to share new cartoons with you guys and gals! Thanks for waiting patiently while Kari and I welcomed our second son into the world, and while I recharged my creative batteries.

Before Season 2 premieres next week, here are a few things you should know about the cartoon versions of Wes, Kari, and Parker:

+ The Molebashes have aged a little bit! Most notably, Parker. We’ll kick off the season with his first birthday. WHAT?! I know! Kids grow up so fast!

+ MOLEBASHED will be published in a new format! Instead of the standard daily newspaper comic format, MOLEBASHED will adopt a 2x2 format that will look really good on mobile devices. It’s 2016, people. We creatives gotta be all about that mobile.

+ New season = new color scheme! I love working with a limited color scheme! Not only does it look cool and “vintage”, but it’s also makes the process of creating comics very efficient. Season 2 is a great time to freshen the paint, so to speak. I hope you love the new scheme as much as I do!

+ Get ready for MOLEBASHED Mondays! Season 2 will update once-per-week on Mondays! Why am I going to a once-a-week schedule after doing three strips per week in Season 1? Well, mainly because I have an infant in my house again and he’s completely screwed up my routine (not a complaint; just an observation). I hope to get back to the three-a-week schedule for Season 3!

+ MOLEBASHED will continue to celebrate the Dad Life! And the Mom Life, too. But mostly the dads.

The wait is almost over, folks! I’ll see you next Monday for the season premiere of MOLEBASHED!

Thanks for reading MOLEBASHED Season 1! The second season begins on Monday, August 1. Until then, here’s what I’ll be doing:

//Writing and drawing comics for MOLEBASHED Season 2.

//Publishing MOLEBASHED Season 1. Thanks, Kickstarter!

//Welcoming our second son into the world!

It’s gonna be a busy summer, so make sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to keep up!

Vacations are expensive. Even “cheap vacations” will set you back a couple thousand dollars when it’s all said and done. But you know what? When it comes to date nights and family vacations, I’m OK with the expense. I consider these expenditures “investments in us (my family)”, and I’m happy to pay the premium. The ROI consists of wonderful memories and bonding time with my family, and that - to me - is invaluable.

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Today’s comic is the finale of MOLEBASHED Season 1! New episodes of MOLEBASHED will resume on Monday, August 1, 2016! Have a wonderful summer!

My favorite thing to do when preparing for a long road trip is create a super sweet road mix! I’ll spend hours sifting through my music collection to compile the perfect soundtrack for our adventure. You can’t just throw a bunch of songs into a playlist and be done with it; that’s lazy! Every song has to fit the “theme”, and the track list has to flow properly. You can’t have Merle Haggard following Zedd. There has to be a transition between genres. You need other songs between country and techno to assist with the hand off. Road mix curation is an art form and I consider myself a master.

And, yes, I still burn CDs.

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BIG NEWS: The first season of MOLEBASHED concludes THIS FRIDAY! New episodes return on Monday, August 1, 2016!

BIGGER NEWS: The MOLEBASHED: Season 1 Kickstarter campaign ends TOMORROW AFTERNOON! Now is the time to pledge to the campaign so we can get this book made! Ya dig?

I’m a procrastinator. I have a ballpark idea of how long it will take to do any given task, however my estimates are typically way off. This is the cause of much frustration for my wife who is a model for maternal preparedness. The way I see it, if we want to be out the door by 5PM and the car rolls out at 5:05, we’re good. As far as Kari is concerned, "leaving at 5PM” means “leaving at 4:45.” You’d think I would have learned to adjust to “Kari Time” after five years of marriage, but - alas - I have not.

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BIG NEWS: The first season of MOLEBASHED concludes THIS FRIDAY! New episodes return on Monday, August 1! 

BIGGER NEWS: The MOLEBASHED: Season 1 Kickstarter campaign is drawing to a close in a couple days! Now is the time to pledge to the campaign so we can get this book made! Ya dig?

Throughout the week, I make several geek-y jokes and references regarding the minutia of day-to-day life. My wife never gets any of them.

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There are only DAYS left to pledge toward MOLEBASHED: Season 1 on Kickstarter! Make your pledge today and help us get this book published! We know you’ll love it!

There are lots of milestones in the first year of your child’s life, but the First Tooth is one of the biggest. When Parker’s first tooth began to cut through his bottom gums, it was the clearest sign to me that he was growing up. A sobering realization to be sure, but also a cute one. And a drool-y one. My gosh, the drool!

I am 100% sure that Parker will need braces in his lifetime. I know this because both his mother and I had elaborate setups on our faces during our teen years. I’m talking metal, rubber bands, keys - the whole contraption. Granted, we both have astonishing smiles now, but I can distinctly remember seeing the dollar signs in my parents eyeballs whenever one of my braces popped off during dinner. Nothing like an unplanned trip to the orthodontist to spike a parent’s blood pressure. Kari and I still have plenty of time to prepare, but I’m not looking forward to this future reality.

I still have these surreal thoughts when I look at Parker. It’s so weird to imagine him as an adult doing adult things like paying bills and buying mulch and researching used car values. You hear parents tell their adult children all the time, “You’ll always be my baby,” and I’m starting to get that! And I’ve only been doing this “dad stuff” for a couple years!

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We’re getting close to the home stretch for MOLEBASHED: Season 1 on Kickstarter! Still plenty of time to make a pledge to the campaign and secure your copy of the book!