Dear Holly: A Father’s Letter to His Daughter on Her 3rd Birthday

3 years old!

Dear Holly,

Today is your 3rd birthday. I love it that our birthdays are just 4 days apart, because by the time my birthday wears off, yours begins!

I feel that I am definitely getting my money’s worth for having a 3 year-old daughter who loves Frozen and Peppa Pig.

However, I love knowing that you are so excited about something so not-girly as the big black Jeep Wrangler I am finally getting in a couple of weeks.

There’s no way for you to understand how much I love you… or how much I think about how our relationship will be when you get older.

Hopefully, this letter will help. I have always adored you.

I love you,

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: For Crazy Hair Day, You Chose to Be Green!

8 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

This past Tuesday, your class got to celebrate filling the jar with marbles, for good class behavior, by having Crazy Hair Day!

So before we left for school, I took you out to the garage and basically spray paint all your hair.

At first, I only sprayed the top, but you insisted I spray all of your hair, including all the back.

Looking back on these pictures though, I should have used the entire can; as there was still some sandy brown showing through.

Needless to say, you had a really fun day. And I’m fairly confident you’re going to be asking me to have green hair again!

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: It’s Fun to Look at the Oriental Trading Company Catalog with Your Brother!

2 years, 11 months.

Dear Holly,

For some reason, we randomly started receiving the Oriental Trading Company catalog every month at our house. I didn’t realize what a treat this would be for you and your brother!

While Mommy and I clean up after dinner, the two of you remain entertained the entire time, as your brother will ask you, “Holly, out of these on this page, which one would you want? You can pick three.”

You always happily go along with the fantasy, as if you truly get to have some of the toys featured in the catalog.

I never knew that magazine could serve as such captivating entertainment!

Love,

Daddy

More Than 1 in 4 Americans Don’t Know How to Cook: Americans Spend More on Eating Out Than Buying Groceries

The art of cooking has fallen by the wayside in the age of convenience. As parents, we’re supposed to be teaching our kids how to take care of themselves once they fly the nest. Unfortunately many of us have lifestyles that are too busy for cooking on a daily basis; so we hit the drive thru on the way home or we order takeout or we go sit in a restaurant- because who wants to do all those dishes anyway?

On the surface this isn’t a completely terrible thing – our kids still have food to eat, and it is totally possible to make healthy choices at a restaurant. It’s a budget-buster – go ahead and tally up how much money you spend on restaurants each month. You’ll be shocked.

The biggest problem here is that we aren’t always taking the time to teach our kids how to cook, and as a result, more than a quarter of American adults don’t know how to cook at all. Everyone needs to know the basics of cooking, even if you aren’t planning to become a television chef – it’s a matter of survival.

Learn more about the apps and tech out there to help you learn to cook – and cook safely – from the infographic below.

This infographic brought to you by KitchenByte

Dear Holly: Sometimes I Wonder If Your Stories Actually Have a Beginning or an End…

2 years, 11 months.

Dear Holly,

You just have so much to say these days. (And that’s a major understatement!)

Here lately, I’ve noticed that your most exciting stories seem to start in the middle, but they never really start or end.

I also am wondering how much of your stories actually happened- or are at least accidentally infused with details you are imagining, and then you possibly forget whether you are wanting to tell me a story about something that actually happened or just something you wanted to happen.

At this stage, I’m not sure you necessarily know the difference in the middle of the story… and neither do I!

Love,

Daddy

Photo by Mohamad Alaw