This week, here in the states, we are celebrating Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a time to gorge yourself with food high in carbohydrates, mingle with family members you haven't seen since last Thanksgiving, and of course, watch football.
But the part of Thanksgiving that I enjoy the most, (besides the green bean casserole with the fried onions on top), is the time to recognize what I am thankful for.
Today's article will be a little bit of what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. I encourage you all to post a comment of what you are thankful for as well. Read the rest of this entry »
As a predad, you will constantly worry about your pregnant wife. You'll stress over every little thing she does and you will sometimes piss her off with your obsessive safety precautions. "Don't lift that basket of laundry!" I have been accused of such obsessiveness from my wife in the past. But despite your best intentions, sometimes unexpected accidents happen and it is at the very instant that you realize, despite your best intentions, you can't really control anything.
My wife was in a fender bender last week, and its scared the crap out of me. When I first got the phone call, tons of feelings rushed through my mind. In order: Is my wife ok? Is my son (who was sitting in the carseat) ok? Is the car ok? I knew my daughter was at school at the time of the accident so I wasn't worried about her. Read the rest of this entry »
Obsessive compulsive disorder is thrown around these days like ADD. Everyone seems to have various degrees of it. I am admittedly throwing this term around the same way as I have never been officially diagnosed but everyone who knows me, knows I have some form of it. In a nutshell, my mind cannot be clear without a house in order. No, I do not wash my hands 30 times in a row (I do wash them once an hour). I don’t lock and unlock my door a certain number of times each night but I do frequently have to wake up in the middle of the night to double check it is locked and that does frequently result in unlocking it and then locking it again.
The biggest thing for me is I cannot stand clutter. Let me try to explain the distinction though between not liking clutter and not liking dirt. I can live with literally a pile of dust on the floor but if the mail on the kitchen counter is not in a perfect pile parallel to the edge of the counter, my head feels like it is about to explode. Don’t get me wrong, dirt bugs me too, just not as much. But it is an out of sight, out of mind situation. If you look through my closets and drawers you will find a dumpster but I will be damned if the counters aren’t orderly. Likewise underneath my toilet may look like Dagobah but the top of the seat is as buffed as vader’s helmet.
Unfortunately, pregnancy is harder than just dealing with your wife's nausea, insecurities, and fatigue. Sometimes along the way, you and your wife will have to deal with some seriously important questions.
One of these important decisions comes around the 16th week of pregnancy. It is the decision on whether or not to take the AFP test. AFP stands for Alphafetoprotein, a protein made by your unborn kid and secreted through their liver and then dumped into your wife's blood. The test is a simple blood test that checks for abnormally high or low levels of that protein. Read the rest of this entry »
You finally named your kid. Hopefully you didn’t wait too long after the little bugger was born. Now what? Besides the usual, changing diapers, warming bottles, ogling your wife’s boobs, or ogling your wife’s boobs some more, you should think about the internet.
I’m not talking about surfing porn or watching funny youTube videos. I’m talking about staking claim in the new frontier of the internet on your kid’s behalf.
Your babies and toddlers are only as clean as you make them. This isn't because they do not like to be clean. It is because they simply do not possess the skills to clean themselves. For example, if your kid is like my son, he could eat a popsicle, have the sticky syrup drip down his arms, then go coat his arm in the sandbox like a Shake N Bake pork chop.
If my wife and I chose to ignore him in all his breaded-glory, he would not think anything of it. It is our duties as parents to remedy that situation with a one-way ticket to the tub. Actually, it is our duty to take a picture of him first; then take him to the tub. Read the rest of this entry »
Most likely your kids like to create things. Whether it is paint, PlayDoh, crayons, or anything else they can get their hands on, the way you deal with their little masterpieces can mean the difference between a fruitful childhood and a downward spiral into despair. Ok, it's not that bad but it is certainly important to know how to handle the issue of kid artwork. That's why I have compiled a list of the 11 Most Important Things to Know About Your Kid's Artwork.
1. Every piece is a masterpiece
Your kid will be very happy to show you their great creation. Treat it like it is the most amazing thing in the world and your kid should go to Italy to become a master artist. Anything less might discourage your kid from creating more stuff and visual exploration has been shown to stimulate the imagination and improve things like memory, dexterity, and learning.
It will come once a year and start as early as preschool. It could stress out your wife in the early years and stress out your kid in the later years. It is school picture time and believe it or not, you do need to care about them. But with a bit of preparation and the willingness to learn from Noodad, you will be alright.
First we need to clear away any baggage you may be brining to the table. Caring about looking good for school pictures is not vain. Nor is it for just the female set. Although you may be taking poodad loads of pics of your kids, the school picture is THE picture that marks the year. It is THE picture that will serve as a visual bookmark for the grade. They may not really care when they are young, but they will definitely care when they get older. Dropping the ball should not be an option.
Ah onesies…the undergarment of choice for the under 3 crowd. With it's soft cotton and 3 button snaps. It is brilliantly designed. When used for the power of good, it can offer an extra layer of warmth, and a support hammock for a diaper full of pee. But for those who aren't trained in the ways of proper onesie application, it can be a one way ticket to Pissed-Off-ville or even worse, a near death suffocation.
There is a proper way to put on a onesie. And this way is cry-proof. Here's what you need to do: Read the rest of this entry »
This week, here in the states, we are celebrating Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a time to gorge yourself with food high in carbohydrates, mingle with family members you haven't seen since last Thanksgiving, and of course, watch football.
As a predad, you will constantly worry about your pregnant wife. You'll stress over every little thing she does and you will sometimes piss her off with your obsessive safety precautions. "Don't lift that basket of laundry!" I have been accused of such obsessiveness from my wife in the past. But despite your best intentions, sometimes unexpected accidents happen and it is at the very instant that you realize, despite your best intentions, you can't really control anything.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is thrown around these days like ADD. Everyone seems to have various degrees of it. I am admittedly throwing this term around the same way as I have never been officially diagnosed but everyone who knows me, knows I have some form of it. In a nutshell, my mind cannot be clear without a house in order. No, I do not wash my hands 30 times in a row (I do wash them once an hour). I don’t lock and unlock my door a certain number of times each night but I do frequently have to wake up in the middle of the night to double check it is locked and that does frequently result in unlocking it and then locking it again.
Unfortunately, pregnancy is harder than just dealing with your wife's nausea, insecurities, and fatigue. Sometimes along the way, you and your wife will have to deal with some seriously important questions.
You finally named your kid. Hopefully you didn’t wait too long after the little bugger was born. Now what? Besides the usual, changing diapers, warming bottles, ogling your wife’s boobs, or ogling your wife’s boobs some more, you should think about the internet.
Your babies and toddlers are only as clean as you make them. This isn't because they do not like to be clean. It is because they simply do not possess the skills to clean themselves. For example, if your kid is like my son, he could eat a popsicle, have the sticky syrup drip down his arms, then go coat his arm in the sandbox like a Shake N Bake pork chop. 
Most likely your kids like to create things. Whether it is paint, PlayDoh, crayons, or anything else they can get their hands on, the way you deal with their little masterpieces can mean the difference between a fruitful childhood and a downward spiral into despair. Ok, it's not that bad but it is certainly important to know how to handle the issue of kid artwork. That's why I have compiled a list of the 11 Most Important Things to Know About Your Kid's Artwork.
It will come once a year and start as early as preschool. It could stress out your wife in the early years and stress out your kid in the later years. It is school picture time and believe it or not, you do need to care about them. But with a bit of preparation and the willingness to learn from Noodad, you will be alright.
Ah onesies…the undergarment of choice for the under 3 crowd. With it's soft cotton and 3 button snaps. It is brilliantly designed. When used for the power of good, it can offer an extra layer of warmth, and a support hammock for a diaper full of pee. But for those who aren't trained in the ways of proper onesie application, it can be a one way ticket to Pissed-Off-ville or even worse, a near death suffocation.
