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A Date With My Daughter

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As a father of 2 blossoming children with busy schedules, a full time shift work job, home day care and multiple other commitments, it’s rare that I get to spend any quality alone time with either child.

Sure, I’ll take my son to the grocery store or my daughter to a doctor’s appointment but I’m talking about “Quality” alone time. You know, the kind that you build long lasting bonds with.

You can only imagine my excitement this week when my wife mentioned that her and her mother would be taking my son out for some Back To School shopping, and that I would be in charge of my 2 year old daughter for an entire afternoon!

I’m pretty sure the adrenaline from the excitement kicked in right away and I got busy planning out our special Daddy/Daughter Date Night! Unfortunately, there were so many thoughts running through my mind that I needed to have a nap, but after that, I got back to planning!

Once the big day arrived, I sailed through my work day, only staring at the clock 7 or 8 or 100 times! We said our goodbye’s and off we went on our date. I should probably take a minute to explain a few things at this point.

1. My daughter has recently given up her afternoon nap, which means that around 4pm she gets very tired and will literally fall asleep anywhere.

2. She has no idea how much this alone time means to her Daddy. To her, at least from my point of view, it’s just another trip in the car.

Back to the date. I had a big night planned and our first stop was to the local Claire’s jewelry store. My little girl is really into jewelry and accessories right now (what little girl isn’t!), so I thought I would take her to pick out some new fashions! We had a blast, both trying on bracelets, rings and hair accesories, until she had found all the items she wanted.

It should be noted that Daddy did not purchase anything for himself, even though I did have my eye on some wonderful Hello Kitty sunglasses!

We then headed off to our dinner reservation at my daughter’s favourite fine dining establishment, Pizza Hut… Seriously, she loves pizza! This is where the story gets inexplicably emotional for me.

My daughter is a Momma’s girl through and through. For the number of times I’ve heard her scream “No, Mommy Do It!!” while trying to help her, my heart should be broken; but it’s not. While laughing and colouring at the table with my daughter, I received a text message from my wife that read “Stop making her laugh!”. At that moment I realized that my wife and I had chosen the exact same restaurant for our dates. I won’t even begin to try and explain what the odds of this were.

We went over to say hi and they asked us if we wanted to join them, to which I answered “No Thanks, we’re on a date!”. This is the part where I get all sappy Dad on you.

My daughter came back over to our table with me and didn’t mention Mommy, Nana or her brother for the rest of the time there. She just laughed, ate and enjoyed Daddy’s company for the entire dinner.

It was one of those moments for me, where time stood still and we genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. I hope someday my daughter will read this and understand how much this gesture meant to me because I’m not sure I can accurately put it down in words.

Cheers!

Apparently, My Helicopter Blades Are Still Attached

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I like to think of myself as a pretty laid back parent. Not in an “I don’t care what my kids do” kind of way, but I’m definitely willing to let them explore the world and learn on their own.

I have to admit, I’ve even chuckled to myself at times while watching parents’ who follow their kids around the playground, petrified at every turn! That was until this weekend, when a neighbour mentioned something that shook me to my core!

Our kids were playing on a backyard seesaw, while I inconspicuously watched from the street…At one point, I noticed my son wandering dangerously close to the “see” portion of the seesaw and couldn’t help but yell out, “Hey, stay away from the ends while people are on that thing!” I didn’t even notice I had said it. I also didn’t notice that I had now crept across the lawn and found myself standing a foot away from the backyard gate.

After a few more nervous sighs, my neighbour exclaimed, “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine”, and I stopped dead in my tracks! It was official, in that moment; I had become the very thing I was laughing at in the playground! I laughed it off with her but in my head I had a totally different reaction.

“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!”

You see, it was easy to keep an eye on them at the park. A lot of times I would even join them on the structures, not to hold their hands, but because I really like playing at the park and it makes me feel young. My son is now at an age where he is going over to other kids’ houses to play, without me, and that has started to conjure up some of the old anxieties that I thought I had rid myself of.

As it turns out, I am no different than any other parent out there. As I watched my son’s butt go flying a foot off the seesaw’s metal seat, I had a feeling of unease in knowing that the only thing I could do to save him from imminent disaster, was to tell him to get off of that deathtrap! I didn’t do that but it was definitely a struggle I had within the confines of my gigantic brain.

In the end, it was absolutely an eye opening and humbling experience and one that I won’t soon forget. In my battle for fatherly world dominance, I was knocked down a few pegs this day and have succumbed to the realization that while I want my kids to pave their own way in this world, it doesn’t mean I’m going to turn a blind eye to the path they choose.

Chopper on, folks! Chopper on!

Cheers!

A Dad’s Take On Baby Showers For @MunchkinCanada

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I know what you’re thinking, “What does a Dad know about Baby Showers?” You’re probably right, I don’t know much about planning or attending any type of shower, other than the one I visit every morning before work.

You caught me, I am not Super Dad. For all the whining I do about wanting equality for Dads in the media and on Television, I am not a fan of showery gatherings. That’s not to say I don’t like receiving presents, because I do. I just don’t enjoy the “signing up” and “planning” part of the process.

I do appreciate that the stores we register at have made it a little more fun for Dads by providing us with a laser gun to tag our items with. Unfortunately, we are usually still not allowed to run around shooting everything we see and apparently it is frowned upon to pretend we are setting our phaser’s to stun and pointing them at random shoppers.

All that said, I am smart enough to realize that as a first time parent, you rely on a lot of the things you receive at a baby shower and sometimes the silliest things are the most useful. If it’s alright with you guys, I’d like to mention a few products that were life savers for my wife and I.

Probably the single greatest thing we received and still use to this day, would be our Nursery Sound Projector. Yes, it wakes you up in the middle of the night but it also lets you hear all of the amazing sounds your children make. The cooing, tooting and even some of their first words, these are things that you will not soon forget. Here’s some info on Munchkin Canada’s Nursery Projector & Sound System:

 

A voice-activated system with soothing sounds, dreamy images and a comforting nightlight that helps provide an ideal sleep environment – because getting baby to sleep quickly is the stuff that dreams are made of. It’s the little things®.

Product Features

* 10 soothing sounds, including Mozart, lullabies, and white noise
* 3 image discs
* Rotating projector head allows for projection onto the ceiling or wall
* Voice activation feature allows baby to self-soothe
* Optional nightlight and 3 timer settings let Mom customize for baby

 

Next up for me would be child safety and with a day care now running out of my home, we are dependent on our Baby Gates. We actually have 3 gates in our place and I don’t know where we’d be without them! Munchkin Canada offers a variety of baby gates but this one is my favourite, mostly for the cool colours!

 

Product Features

* Gate locks shut with just a simple push
* Use EveryPlace™ in the home – top of stairs, bottom of stairs, between rooms
* Double-locking system on handle is easy for adults to use, but difficult for a child
* Optional third lock at base of gate offers added safety
* Steel U-shaped power frame keeps gate securely in place
* Extra-wide 21.5” walkthrough allows for easy in and out access
* Extends up to 54” with additional extensions (sold separately)
* Door swings open in both directions

 

Last but not least, especially with multiple young children in your house, something has to be done about the smell! Diapers are everywhere and anyone who has ever used a garbage can to dispose of a pile of them will tell you that it was not a smart idea. That’s why it’s ultra important that the first thing you put on your shower registry when you find out you are pregnant, is a Diaper Pail! Not baby books or bedding or even clothes, go with the Diaper Pail, it will save your house from those very unsavory odours!

In fact, we love the Munchkin Canada Diaper Pail so much that we bought a second one for our basement. I love the fact that it releases a blast of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda with each open and close of the unit. Here’s some more info on the Pail:

 

 

   Product Features:

* Powered by odour-eliminating baking soda
* Patented self-sealing system seals the bag as the lid closes
* Easy from start to finish – one handed use
* Just Snap, Seal and Toss bags to dispose
* Comes fully assembled and with 3 bag refills

 

 

 

Don’t believe the photos, just check out this Diaper Pail Demo for smell reducing awesomeness!

As you can see, while baby showers are a ton of work, the end results can provide you with hours of un-smelly enjoyment. In the meantime, for my male readers, you go right ahead and continue setting those phasers to stun because your important time will come sooner than you think!

Before I go, I also have a quick question for you all. What is your must have item as a parent?

I want to thank Munchkin Canada for letting me be a part of their first blog campaign and I look forward to what they have in store for us down the road. If you get a second, I encourage you to check in with them on their Facebook and Twitter pages. You can also go right to their website at www.munchkinbaby.ca for product information and more!

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This just in! Munchkin Canada is going to be unleashing an amazing giveaway very shortly. It is such a huge secret that they wouldn’t even tell me what it is and would only share that you should be watching their Facebook page for more details!

Dad Blogs Exposed! – Manhood V. Dadhood

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Welcome to another edition of Dad Blogs Exposed! This week, I would like to introduce you to Joe from the blog Manhood V Dadhood.

As with most of my Dad blogger connections, I first ran into JB on Twitter, where he goes by the handle, @ManvDadhood. I knew we hit it off immediately due to our shared love of all things super hero.

It wasn’t until I saw his Justice League of Dad Bloggers post that I really understood how creative Joe was. I’ve been a follower since and have to say that his writing style is one that draws you in and keeps you coming back for more.

Joe started his own project called DADuary, which will run each January, and which he describes as “I want DADuary to be something that is open to dads, moms, and everyone else who wants to talk about their dads, or the dads they know.” I hadn’t started my blog yet so I didn’t get a chance to be a part of this year’s edition but you can’t bet I’ll be checking in for the 2013 DADuary!

If you’re looking for a Dad Blog that’s going to come at you from all emotional angles, Manhood V Dadhood is the one for you. JB writes from his soul but also gives you laughs and even a touch of geek. His Definitive Collection series is something that needs to be read. If this post hasn’t been enough to convince you to check out his site, maybe this tweet of his will put it over the top!

Yep, that’s what I’m talking about! You can visit Joe on his site Manhood V Dadhood, or check him out on Twitter @ManVDadhood and Facebook.

Cheers!

Tonight I Mailed In “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

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{Mailing It In – Slang for doing the least amount of work possible or slacking off.}

We’re all parents, right? Let’s not sugar coat this then. I get tired by the time the kid’s bedtime rolls around some nights. Truthfully, I’m tired pretty much every night as the kids get ready for bed but tonight was a little different.

I didn’t have a good sleep last night because my daughter woke up at 11pm with nightmares and spent the night in bed with Mommy and Daddy. I know some of you don’t agree with letting your kids sleep with you but I’m not overly concerned with that.

Tonight, my wife went out to an ECE class and I was in charge of bedtime. This is not an unusual occurrence and I am more than capable of handling my children on my own. It was just one of those nights where I had absolutely nothing to give to anyone.

We played a rousing game of “Jump on Daddy while he lies on the floor”, then we played “Let’s see who notices we’re watching Doc McStuffins reruns”. We closed out the night with story time, which is usually immediately followed by a Canadian Idol style rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”.

The only problem with that was that story time took up the little bit of energy I had left. Between that and the countless times I had to ask my son to get back into bed, I was completely drained. I’m not proud of what happened next but I’m only human and I know it’s happened to the best of us.

We got to the Twinkle, Twinkle portion of the evening and instead of the usual Michael Buble-esque performance they are used to, the kids got something that best resembled a performance by Oscar the Grouch, if he had tape over his mouth, and had forgotten the words, and yawned 30 times in the middle….Yeah, just bad.

Funny thing about my mailing in of our nightly tradition though, the kids didn’t seem to notice. If they did they certainly weren’t about to throw tomatoes or eggs at their Dad. This helped prove two things for me:

1. I AM in fact a rock star because I can turn the crappiest mood into solid gold!

2. Your kids will love you even if you aren’t 100% all the time. Plus, they know Daddy will knock it out of the park tomorrow to make up for it!

Cheers!

Dad Blogs Exposed! – Dadditudes

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After a one week vacation, Dad Blogs Exposed is back and better than ever! This week I’ll be featuring a new site for Dad’s that’s taking Canada by Storm.

That site is called Dadditudes and it is the brainchild of Neil Hedley, who I was e-introduced to through a mutual friend. I couldn’t figure out how to accurately describe Neil’s profession, so I’ll copy and paste from his bio and you’ll see why…

“Along the way, Neil’s been an actor, singer, stand-up comic, author of a book that hit #1 in its category on Amazon, World Record holder, and in 2011, was one of the first five speakers announced at Canada’s first-ever 140 Conference.”

How do you narrow that down to one? Oh yeah, he also contributes weekly to Sympatico.ca and also does a weekly feature on CTV here in Canada. On top of all that, he’s actually a really nice guy, not like those other hot head World Record holders! How he had time to come up with Dadditudes is beyond me but it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite hangout spots on the net.

Fittingly enough, Dadditudes was launched on Fathers’ Day 2012 as a magazine, community and resource for men who have better things to think about than the latest raunchy photos of actresses on the beach.

That tag line caught my eye right away and after checking out the site for a couple months, I can say that they totally live up to their word. It’s your one stop shop for everything from movie and music reviews to fatherly issues. Throw in some sports, cars and television talk and they’ve got all the makings of a successful site for men.

With a full staff of 21 writers and counting, you’ll never be lacking for material with Dadditudes. The more I read it, the more it starts to feel like one of my favourite sites, the Yummy Mummy Club, but for men. Much like the YMC however, there is more than enough content for both sexes to enjoy.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes (or hours (or days)) to check out Dadditudes and everything it has to offer. Neil has created the beginning of something very cool here and it’s definitely worth your time! You can also follow them on their Facebook page or head on over and say Hi to both Dadditudes and Neil Hedley on Twitter.

Cheers!!

In The Presence of a Man

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I lost my little boy today…

Last thing I remember was singing him to sleep and holding him tightly, promising to never let him go. This morning however, he crossed through the gates to the other side and never looked back.

I don’t even feel like I got to say a proper goodbye. One minute he was there and the next, gone. I just stood there in stunned disbelief, remembering all the good times and thinking about all the things I still hadn’t taught him.

I definitely wasn’t ready for this moment, that much I know for sure. He certainly can’t be ready for the next stage of his life. What if he gets hurt? Who’s going to be there to make it better? What if he can’t get his lunch bag opened? He’ll starve to death! As I went through all the terrible scenarios in my head, all I kept repeating was “This can’t be happening! This can’t be happening!”

The reality is, it WAS happening and there was nothing I could do about it but stare in awe of the fine young man my wife and I had created and raised. My little boy had crossed the gates into manhood and I’ve never EVER been so proud in all my life!

Our walk to the school this morning was a long one for sure. My son had no idea the emotions that were swirling around the minds of my wife and I, but hopefully someday he will. That pit in your stomach as you feel like you are walking the longest plank, to imminent doom.

I hope that someday he will get to experience this moment with his own children. Maybe then he will understand that all the crying and stress from his parents wasn’t about sadness or anger, but a totally different emotion that overpowers all others.

Pride. Because that’s all I feel for him on this day as he embarks on his new journey.

I’m proud of him for having the courage to take that next step. I’m proud of him for making sure to hug his sister before he left us today. I’m proud of how he coloured in the lines at the teacher interview yesterday and how he counted to 30 and sang the alphabet song as if he’d been doing it his whole life. I’m proud of every accomplishment he has ever achieved and everything he still has left to do in his life.

Everyone told me I would love being a father, but no one warned me about the pride. Seriously, why did no one tell about this part? How am I supposed to be “Big, Tough Daddy” when I start to well up when my son beams about passing his first swimming class? If that’s the kind of thing that sets me off, what’s going to happen when he scores his first goal in hockey? (Okay, we haven’t discussed sports yet but c’mon, we are Canadian!)

The important lesson I learned today is that while my kids still have a lot of learning and growing to do, so do their Mommy and Daddy! I have to learn how to deal with all these emotions while continuing to maintain control of myself. All I wanted to do after we dropped him off today was to curl up in bed until it was time to go get him. I didn’t do that, but it was definitely on my mind.

As it turns out, he did just fine at his first day of school. As he says “I didn’t even cry, not once!” and “I even opened my snack box and now there’s nothing left in it!” with that big ol’ grin of his. My son is more than ready for school and I couldn’t be more proud of him for it.

I lost my little boy today…but I gained a wonderful young man!

 

The Dads Are Invading Pleasantville!

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Okay, maybe not Dads with an “s” and also not really an invasion per se…but I am Guest Posting over at Life In Pleasantville today!

I normally don’t pimp my guest posts on my own blog but I was so excited when local blogging celebrity, Candace, agreed to let me do it, that I had to share it with all of you as well!

On top of her own blog in Pleasantville, Candace is also a featured blogger with the Yummy Mummy Club and a Staff Editor at Child Mode. You can also catch her on her Life In Pleasantville Facebook and Twitter Pages.

Without further ado, here is my guest post in Pleasantville about one of the differences I’ve noticed between Moms and Dads. PS, there’s also a great video of my daughter pushing herself to a new level of crazy!

Thanks again to Candace for allowing me to infiltrate visit in Pleasantville!

Cheers!

Bieber, Prostitution, Trophy Dads & My Rap on The Life of Dad Podcast

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Recently, I was happy to accept an invitation to be a guest on the Life of Dad Show Podcast with Tom Riles and Art Eddy. For those of you who haven’t heard of Life of Dad, it’s like Facebook for Dad bloggers. There are a lot of great Dads writing over there and I’ve heard that the guy who runs their twitter account is handsome and awesome! (PS – It’s me, come and say hi @LifeOfDadShow)

On this particular podcast, which is about 30 minutes long, we talk about Trophy Dads, Justin Bieber, Ellen, Ping Pong, Prostitution, Canadian Geography, the Montreal Canadiens and I close it out with a rap that I wrote specifically for the podcast. Each podcast ends with the guest rapping and I was challenged to a rap off, which you will see I clearly won, lol.

It was a jam packed show and has inspired me to look into starting my own podcast. I’m not going to promise it will happen but it’s at least on the table.

So, without further ado, here is my day with Life of Dad. PS – If you’re looking for the rap, it’s around the 28:30 mark, although I don’t why you would want to hear that….

Dad Blogs Exposed! – Honea Express

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This week I’d like to introduce you to Whit Honea, who started his Dad blog, Honea Express, way back in 2005 before Dad blogging was cool.

One of the first things I read by Whit was his post entitled “When Stuffed Animals Die” and from that moment, I was hooked! Not surprisingly, that post also got him named as a BlogHer Voices of the Year winner.

The thing I like about Whit is that he isn’t afraid to show his emotions. In fact, he himself will admit that “Every time I speak about my kids on a conference panel I wind up crying in front of everyone”. It absolutely shows in his mesmerizing posts about his family.

His writing skills are beyond anything I could dream of achieving in my lifetime, which I why I like to read his stuff and take away as much as I can. After all, there’s a reason why he’s been published by the likes of Babble, AOL, BabyCenter, The Stir, MamaPop, The Disney Blog, CBS: Los Angeles, Man of the House, UpTake & Orbitz…..Yeah, that’s a lot of writing.

Another great thing about Whit is that you can tell he cares about the people that read and take the time to comment on his stuff. The way he responds to the comments on his site and his twitter feed (@WhitHonea) show how invested he is in his craft.

Just in case writing for his own blog and the others I mention wasn’t enough, you can also catch Whit writing over at DadCentric, co-owning a production company called Limey Yank Productions and oh yeah, working on a book! Here’s an excerpt from his blog.

Not too busy though, right? I can barely find the time to write 3 posts a week so reading all of these jobs is a little overwhelming to comprehend. The best thing is that his work clearly isn’t suffering from it.

Most recently, Whit was involved in The New Face Of Dad campaign from Philips Norelco. It’s a great campaign that showcases some great Dads and really captures the way most Dads feel about parenthood. Here’s the full New Face Of Dad video and you can check out Honea Express for Whit’s personal video.

I really hope you take a few minutes to check out Whit’s blog, Honea Express, I promise you won’t be disappointed. You can also find him on Twitter @WhitHonea and on his Facebook Page. He’s also got an upcoming project with Limey Yank Productions that will be going live soon.

You can also let him know you popped in by showing him some love in the comment section below.

That wraps up another edition of Dad Blogs Exposed! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Til next time!

Cheers!