In honor of Father’s Day, we are featuring one of the few daddy bloggers from our blogroll: Kurt of Jolly Green Dad. Join us as we gain some fascinating insights into the life of a stay-at-home dad of two.

How does a Cornell University grad end up as a SAHD/WAHD? Do you miss the workforce?
Well I ended up as a SAHD completely by accident. I wish I could say that my wife and I had a master plan for our recent life changes, but it didn’t quite happen like that. I was the last person in the world that I would ever imagine being at home. As a former Army Officer, and operations/financial manager for a Fortune 500 company, I would have been what many considered to be career driven.

That is until I had my “I have had enough!!!” moment a couple of months ago. I got to the point where I really hated the work environment I was in, was tired and grouchy all the time, and absolutely was not enjoying the corporate environment at all with the “Bottom line or else” mentality. I decided I had to make an exit strategy. I really wanted to get back to working for someone/something that would help others, something with a helpful “big picture” kind of company.

Parallel to what I was doing in the Army and “civilian” career, my wife had started a home business which had developed into quite a good second/part time income for us.

So, this was my plan, we had enough $$ for me to quit, and look for a job for a couple of months. I wanted to get into a more service oriented job. Besides, with my wife’s small business, we would be fine for a while. The plan was for me to help her expand her business, and look for a job at the same time. Her business fit in exactly with what I was looking for on a full-time basis. Let me say, this was the plan at least! I can still remember me coming home from the gym the first day after I had left my job saying, “Well, here I am, what do you need me to do here!”

To make a long story short, less than a week and a half after I left my job, my wife got a full-time job offer! And she wasn’t even looking for a job. We decided for her to take the job, and for me to work on expanding her business. Or, should I say, our business now!

So she accepted and we have since decided to give this “life arrangementâ€? a try with her working and me being at home with the kids. So, my role now is to be at home and I essentially took over her home business. She still works on it, but I do most of it now.

I really don’t miss the “workforceâ€? so to speak. It has been a great change of pace for me to be at home. I get my “workâ€? fix working on our business. I have found that is really important to me. My wife and I have really come to appreciate what each other has been doing the last few years. She has realized how hard it is to work outside the home and be a mom and I have realized how hard it is to run things at the house.

Tell us about the Jolly Green Clan.
There are four of us, five if you count our 11 year old Golden Retriever Aspen. My wife and I met at Cornell our senior year and have been married 12 years. We have two beautiful daughters, one is 7 and the other is 4. Our oldest was born in Germany while we were stationed in the Army there. Our youngest was born in Syracuse, New York while we were stationed nearby, for the Army again. I claim Massachusetts as home although I don’t have an accent anymore and my wife is kind of from all over the East Coast and Mid-West. My wife is by far the smarter one.

What has been the most challenging part of being at home? How have SAHMs reacted to you?
I used to love the challenge of facing new obstacles at work. Something fresh and new each day. The girl’s routines are pretty predictable yet very emotional. The drama can get to me some days. I don’t find there is quite enough mental stimulation at home in regards to the girls, but that is why our business has helped me stay sane.

It has been very interesting how SAHMs have reacted to me. At first I felt really out of place and still do to some extent. I would say the SAHMs fell into two categories at first, those that were extremely receptive and wanted to help me any way they could, and those that pretty much ignored me. The second crowd was by far the bigger one. I think they probably felt a little uncomfortable having a Dad around (although I am not the only one in the crowd). At first I felt really out of place and still do to some extent. Most have warmed up to me and will talk and chat and call to see if their kids and mine can play. It is a really interesting dynamic though and I find it fascinating.

Why did you start blogging and why the blog name Jolly Green Dad?
Honestly, I started blogging as a way to try and reach potential customers. I had read a lot about blogging and knew of two in particular who had successful ventures in Internet marketing having started out as bloggers. It sounded really interesting and I figured, why not?

However, after the first blog or two, I realized that it is quite boring to write just about your business and who wants to just read about that? It has really evolved from there and I enjoy the interaction with various other bloggers out there.

Ahh the name Jolly Green Dad. Well, I wanted to come up with a tongue-in-cheek kind of name. Something that people would remember, yet had something to do with what I was doing. It was coming close to Earth Day when I thought of it. After thinking about the business my wife and I were working on, it just kind of came to me. “Jolly” in that I am happy doing what I am doing (no I am not big Santa Claus kind of jolly), “Green” for the kind of business we are in, and “Dad” because I am a work-at-home/stay-at-home Dad now!

What can people do help their families lead healthier lives?
The one piece of advice I would give is to take you and your families health personally and don’t believe everything that you see advertised. Remember that most big companies are there for one thing, and that is for profit first and foremost. Lots of cleaners, foods, and health products make outrageous claims and in fact have been found to have toxins on them and you can be allergic to them. Many of the things that are in our houses emit fumes and chemicals. Think and research about what you buy for your family and make an educated decision based upon that. You need to take responsibility for your family’s health and not rely on others to do so. It’s all about the choices that you make and there are many small ones you can make that can have a big impact on your health. Like getting rid of the toxic cleaners in your home and watching what you eat.