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SALT LAKE CITY — More than two years ago, Chris Illuminati quit his full-time job to be a full-time stay-at-home dad to his first child. As a writer and comedian, he came up with a unique way to document his day-to-day activities that has connected with thousands of parents around the world.
He said it first started when his wife went back to work after maternity leave and left him with a long list of instructions.
“I started writing down wise(crack) things like, ‘Feed baby. Change baby. Don't feed baby to cat.’ and hung it up on my bulletin board. I noticed it a few days later and laughed. I thought it would make a funny blog, dumb notes about my failures and observations as a father,” Illuminati told TODAY.com.
And that's how his popular blog “Message With A Bottle” was born, that has since resonated with thousands of people all around the world through pictures with commentary on his daily life with his son.
“It has been amazing,” Illuminati said. “I never, ever expected this type of reaction. I'm humbled for it and I hope people continue to read, share, and encourage my terrible parenting ideas.”
His blog covers topics from diaper bags to potty training to time management, all trying to find humor in the sometimes-mundane life of a stay-at-home parent.
“These are notes to remind myself what to do, and sometimes more importantly, what not to do when raising a child,” he wrote on his blog.
Illuminati, whose wife just had their second child, said people are always surprised that he chose to stay at home with the kids.
“People assume a man will be awful at it. Or they assume he's out of work. Both were true for me at one point but I don't understand why people think men will be so bad,” Illuminati said. “Are our parenting skills only good on weekends? ‘Well, I can control you on Sundays, but today is Tuesday, and I'm powerless!’"
There are 47 pages worth of Post-It note posts on his blog, and not surprisingly, Illuminati said it's hard to choose a favorite.
“I love them all equally. Choosing favorites would be like choosing a favorite child. I could never do that,” he said. “That’s a lie. I like one kid way better than the other.”
To read more Post-Its, see the picture gallery above and visit his “Message With A Bottle” blog here.
