Discovering Dad » Family Fun

Discovering Dad Blog Carnival – May/June

Jeremy — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 11:27:48 +0000

Welcome to the May/June 2010 edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival.

The Discovering Dad Blog Carnival is a monthly carnival that includes fun and informative posts about unique experiences, perspectives and challenges of being a dad. It also includes posts that talk about the impact of dads on the lives of children, spouses and family members, as well as some general parenting posts of interest.

Philip Dean presents Review: The Evolution of Dad posted at Random Acts Of Parenting, saying, “A few weeks ago I wrote about a new documentary on dads, The Evolution of Dad by Dana H. Glazer. Since then I have been able to watch the full documentary. Here is my review.”

Richard Hemby presents Top 25 Websites for Dads | Online Education Blog posted at Online Education Blog, saying, “Top 25 websites for dads!”

Kate Rothwell presents 100 Best Blogs for Parenting Advice posted at Nurse Practitioner Schools.

Yosef presents It’s OK if you don’t love your kid – at first posted at Get Ready Dad, saying, “Discussing the emotions of a first time dad and love at first sight.” Also, check out The Dog ate the Breast Pump.

BWL presents The Only 5 Things You Need For A Newborn posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “A look at some of the things you actually need for a new baby…”

Danny presents Where Does a Parent Go? posted at Where Does a Parent Go?.

Adam Allen presents All of the Fun Things You Can Do with Your Son posted at Fun with Son, saying, “It’s a list of almost 200 Fun Activities You Can Do with Your Son!”

Juliana Torres presents 100 Tiny Tips for Teaching Your Baby posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Kevin Poulis presents ParentsConnect.com – We’re Not Perfect, We’re Parents posted at SiteTally.com.

katie presents Blended Family – An Ex Perspective posted at Blending Ex’s… Stick that in your Cuisinart.

OurBlogs presents Summer Plans, Again posted at A Guide to Raising Great Kids.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival using our carnival submission form.

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Discovering Dad Blog Carnival – April 2010

Jeremy — Sun, 02 May 2010 13:12:34 +0000

Welcome to the April 2010 edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival.

Andrew Hall presents Raising an Atheist or Disciplining in Purgatory posted at Laughing In Purgatory, saying, “My boy decided to create some trouble on the bus. This is my response.”

Walter J. Shumate presents Before You Become A Daddy: Choosing A Daycare posted at DaddyJourney, saying, “Choosing a daycare seemed like a frightening task at first. It’s an easy task, though, if you start with a few criteria in mind.”

Jason presents Delayed Gratification posted at Live Real, Now.

Mickey Fuertes presents Piggy Bank vs. Checking Account posted at Sippy Cups & Cufflinks, saying, “I am a 28 year-old devoted husband and father. I have a 3 year-old son who is a budding anarchist and a semi-nudist. This blog is the story of our adventures.”

Kevin Heath presents You Know You’re a Parent When… posted at More4kids.

Isabella Smith presents 10 Big Ways to Fight Obesity in Your School posted at Online Degree, saying, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of children who are overweight has more than doubled in the last 20 years.”

Bryan Robinson presents Some Father Daughter Time | The Life and Times of Bryan Sr. and Family posted at The Life and Times of Bryan Sr. and Family.

Dan presents Tricking Your Children into Eating Healthy posted at My Dad Blog, saying, “Trick Your Kids into Eating Healthy Foods. With kids like mine, whatever it takes. Tips and Tricks that work for us.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival using our carnival submission form.

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Discovering Dad Blog Carnival – March 2010

Jeremy — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:56:27 +0000

Welcome to the March 2010 edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival.

Chris presents I dedicate this post to my beloved Wife posted at Hey-Dads.

Kevin presents You Know You’re a Parent When… posted at More4kids.

Case Ernsting presents 3 Tips for Organized Family Togetherness posted at Home and Decor, saying, “Keeping the family together is the goal of any father. As family members pursue their passions, family togetherness often suffers. Bring your family together in the family living room with some careful organization tips.”

BWL presents Premarital Financial Counseling: Questions To Ask posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “These are great questions that your kids should ask their fiance before tying the knot…”

Isabella Smith presents 60 Free Science Games to Excite & & Inspire Your Kids posted at MRI Technician Schools, saying, “Parents and teachers alike can supplement a student’s knowledge of biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and other scientific disciplines with literally hundreds of free games available online through a multitude of sources.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival using our carnival submission form. Submission deadlines are the 28th of every month.

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What’s Cooking Dad?

Jeremy — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:58:39 +0000

This article written by Contributing Writer Tom Bowns.

One of the best things you can do for your kids is to bring them into the kitchen with you when you’re cooking. The younger the better; it’s never too early to get them interested in cooking.

While it may seem like more work to have your kids helping to prepare a meal, and it often is – particularly when they’re little – in the end you’ll benefit from having a helper, someone who will be self-sufficient, and who might even cook dinner for you once in awhile.

Having kids help with cooking gives them something to do. It allows them to imitate mom or dad. It provides bonding time, and it teaches them numerous skills that they will be able to draw from their entire life.

One of the best things they’ll learn is how to prepare food at home. This will help them appreciate fresh ingredients and develop a sense of nutritional content. The more they can cook at home, the less likely they’ll be getting take-out or junk food somewhere else. They’ll be in control of their diet and what goes into their bodies.

Obviously they can’t do much when they’re very young. But even a baby can sit nearby and watch, and play with small pots and spoons and measuring cups designated for baby play.

When they’re able to stand close by on a step stool they can be taught how to carefully pour water from measuring cups into a mixing bowl and how to stir. They can take turns hitting the top of a chopper or pressing on a salad spinner.

When my kids were three and four, I’d have them help decorate cookies, knead bread dough and peel oranges. When making pancakes, they could pour the ingredients and do the stirring, and for dinner they could set the table and arrange vegetables on a tray. Anything that doesn’t involve boiling water, sharp instruments or a hot stove is fair game for the little ones. My five-year-old loves to help me sift flour, run the hand mixer and put baking trays in the oven. He also knows how to properly wash vegetables like broccoli, asparagus and peppers. Getting him used to these vegetables increases his interest in them, which is why he doesn’t shy away from eating them at dinner time.

As they get older, they can graduate to things like cracking eggs, measuring ingredients and even making simple sauces over low heat with supervision. All that’s required there is measuring, stirring, and patience.

By the time they’re twelve they should be able to learn basic kitchen knife skills, such as chopping, peeling and dicing (again, with supervision). They can be taught cooking techniques, such as sweating vegetables, braising meats, making dough and boiling pasta. My thirteen-year-old daughter is my official sous chef. When I announce that I’m going to make dinner, she jumps into the kitchen, dons her apron, washes her hands and asks what we’re making and how she can help. I assign her the tasks that are on par with her learning, while I show her some of the more advanced things I’m doing, and why each step is important. She’s successfully made chocolate chip cookies, ratatouille and most recently smoked Salmon sushi. I know that when she’s out on her own, she’s going to be an excellent cook because she’s learned to love cooking.

Kids love to do what their parents are doing, and from a very early age want to help. You can take advantage of that love by bringing them into the kitchen to help. It may require a little more effort on your part, and maybe a lot more cleanup, but in the end you’ll both be glad you did.

So, when your kids ask, “What’s cooking Dad?” You can say, “I’m glad you asked. I could use some help!”

Tom Bowns is a Contributing Writer for Discovering Dad. His personal site is Being Michael’s Daddy. You can also follow Tom on Twitter @michaelsdaddy.

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5 Ways to Prepare Your Kids for a New Sibling

Jeremy — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:38:04 +0000

This article written by Contributing Writer Daniel De Guia.

Last April my wife and I received an unexpected reality check: We were pregnant. Again.

I’ll be honest with you, it took us a few weeks to warm up to the idea of a third child. We were happy with the two children, and the even numbers made it easy for my wife and I to divide and conquer when it came to bed time and other parental routines.

Early in the pregnancy, though, our anxiety turned into excitement, and our worry turned into a focus on our children to prepare them for the arrival of the new baby.

Here are five things we did that I feel had the biggest impact in preparing them for their new sibling:

Babies are busy little bees – Our doctors gave us a poster that outlines the baby’s development month-by-month. We brought it home and hung it on the fridge. Our kids began looking forward to the new month, so that they could turn the page and see what their new brother or sister would be doing over those next four weeks. If you cannot find one to hang on your fridge, Sutter Health has a great Cliff’s Notes version of this.

One-on-one time – We always tried to spend time with each of our kids one-on-one but after finding out about the new baby, we made an even bigger effort. We explained to my in-laws how important it was that the kids continue to have quality time with us, as well as with their grandparents, during the pregnancy as attention began to swing toward the new arrival. We did this so that the kids would know that even after the baby was born, their entire world would not come to and end. During these “dates” with our kids, we would talk with them about their worries regarding the new baby. We let them know that they were free to say what they wanted and open up to us with their emotions. Through this process, we also were able to share our own worries about a new baby. They both came to understand that a new baby really is a big deal but that, as a family, we would adapt and welcome the new baby with love and care.

The freedom to choose – We let them be as involved (or not) as they wanted with the pregnancy. All of our pregnancies have been handled through a birthing center, staffed by licensed nurses and doctors who happen to follow midwifery/natural birthing practices. Because of this, they’re more accepting of involving our kids. They let our youngest help with the hand-held heart monitoring equipment, dedicated an entire appointment to showing the kids with the birthing center itself and gave them a kid-friendly overview of child birth.When our son was born, our daughter came into the room with us when she felt comfortable doing so. This was usually to check on her mom, pat a washcloth on her forehead and tell her “You’re doing a good job, Mommy!” She even had the opportunity to cut her baby brother’s umbilical cord.

Don’t keep them in the dark – We wrote up a birth plan, reviewed it with our family members and also talked to the kids about it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a birth plan is, it’s a formal request of certain things during the labor and care for the baby after birth. Our birth plan contains things such as family members we welcome to attend the birth; stipulating that, per my wife, painkillers were not to be administered unless she specifically asked for them; and who was going to be caring for our children. The kids have known for months who will be with them during the labor so they are not worried about being overlooked or forgotten in the chaos. For more information about birth plans, click here. If you would like to see a copy of our birth plan, feel free to email me.

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” – Dr. Seuss wrote it and kids respond to it. When their mom started showing, the kids seemed a bit stand-offish about the thing growing and moving inside their mom’s belly. We helped them get comfortable with the notion by talking to the baby. I give my wife’s belly a kiss and talk to it when I get up in the morning, when I go to work and when I come home, just as I do with them. Slowly but surely the kids began to talk to the baby, too. Even though they haven’t been able to see or hold their new sibling, the kids already feel a connection to it and have begun to proactively establish a relationship with their new brother or sister.

Please feel free to share your tips on how to prepare kids for the arrival of a new baby in the house too!

Daniel De Guia is a Contributing Writer for Discovering Dad. His personal site is deguia.net. You can also connect with Daniel via Twitter @deguia.

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