parenting

2 Comments Posted on fatherhood, new house, parenting, Storytelling, toy reviews, Uncategorized

Our Back Porch and Back Yard are Like 2 More Rooms of Our House in the Summer (Featuring American Plastic Toys)

This makes the 3rd summer we’ve spent in our house since it was built, yet it’s the 1st summer we’ve really made an effort as a family to utilize those 2 forsaken “rooms” of our house: the back porch and the back yard.

It’s becoming the norm these days that, as a family, we end up hanging out there under the blue sky, with the soybean field in sight right over the fence. My one year-old daughter loves it when I take her out there just to watch the robins fly by. She points to the sky, “Wuh? Wuh?”

I then confirm, “Yes, birds. Birds.”

While we were on vacation in Florida last week, American Plastic Toys sent our family some samples of their outdoor sports equipment for kids. (And yes, these products are actually made in America.)

So this past Saturday morning, we finally were able to break out the new outdoor sports toys and have some fun.

We made our way out onto the lawn so my son could hit some home runs. I forget how big our lawn actually is, but playing baseball helped put our “field” to use.

Our back porch transformed into a golf course, as our son wanted to refine his skills for the next time we visit a putt-putt place. Eventually, our golf game transitioned in to a hockey match, as our son is quite aware of the Nashville Predators. Before he was ready to move on, though, he also engaged me in a sword fight, using the golf clubs.

Summer is on its way. I want make sure we make good use of the great outdoors, especially when they are literally right outside the back door.

As for my daughter, she’s happy just to watch her big brother play, as she uses our back porch as a training facility for learning to walk.

3 Comments Posted on parenting, Uncategorized

Decorating Your Child’s Room Can Be Fun- By Special Guest Blogger, Angela Berry

Is it time for you to decorate or redecorate your child’s bedroom, but you’re just all out of ideas? Or you don’t feel like doing it, because you don’t know where to start? Here are some helpful tips and tricks on how to transform your kid’s room and make it super fun, cosy, practical and stylish.

Get your DIY on

Even if you’re not big on DIY projects, you will probably enjoy making things for your toddler’s room. We don’t mean you should make furniture from scratch, but some small details such as framing a picture or crafting a piece of décor. You can also bring out your sewing machine and make some cushions for your nursery glider, transforming it from an essential piece into a focal point for the room.

Bring in some colour 

If you’ve been planning to paint the nursery one colour, that’s ok, but have you thought about 3 or 4 colours? Maybe some dramatic stripes to make things more interesting? You can always go for a nautical look for boy’s room. Think blue and white stripes, wooden shelves, turquoise linen and furniture, and some fun suitcases as storage space. Maybe put up a life buoy as a finishing touch.

Don’t rush into things 

Buying a finished bedroom with all the matching furniture and décor will never look as good as a personalized room. You don’t want your kid’s room to look just like any room, but want it to have a personality that matches your kid. You can collect different décor pieces and furniture over time to achieve that new vs. old, cool and eclectic look. Or, you can choose one piece of furniture, and then build around it. If you don’t know where to start, you can browse for decorations from Angus & Dudley Collections  and find something beautiful for every nook in your kid’s room. For instance, you can get cosy Grey Raindrops Bean Chairs, put them in a corner and create a little nest for reading and relaxing. Reserve that corner for peaceful activities which will provide your kid with some space where they know they won’t be disturbed.

Shelving 

Most of the kids are collectors. They are very proud of what they own and want the world to see it. Make sure to provide your kid with enough display space, so they can arrange and rearrange their collection as they want (put shelves and cabinets on their level). If your kid wants to display photos and other memorabilia on the wall, it doesn’t mean you have to go with corkboard. You can hang them from thin ropes or clip them to a string attached to the wall. Also, you can buy (or make) a cool magnetic board made of galvanized metal for a more contemporary and industrial look.

Light it up 

One thing you must think about is the lighting. Your kid will need multiple kinds of lighting, such as overhead lighting for play, task lighting for studying, and a soft light for dark nights. Night lights come in interesting shapes and size, and are perfect for nurseries and young kids’ rooms.

Personalize for older kids 

Teenagers don’t care about themed rooms, but they want a space that tells you who they are. The best advice is to take things your teen loves, and incorporate then in the design. Is your kid an aspiring athlete? Frame their favourite athlete’s jersey or make a classic display shelf for all of their sports souvenirs. Is your kid a future musician? Find a cool spot for their instruments and records. If you’re raising a little explorer, put up a world map.

As you can see, decorating your child’s room can be so much fun, not just for you, but for your kid too. Let them help with decoration to make them enjoy their new room even more. Have fun!

photo
Angela Berry
Editor, Ripped me
E angela.berry@ripped.me W  https://ripped.me/

 

1 Comment Posted on car reviews, fatherhood, marriage, Storytelling, Uncategorized

This is 36: Taking Shifts with My Wife, As the Baby Sleeps in the Car

As you know, our family recently spent a week down in Destin, Florida for a family vacation over Memorial Day weekend. As you can imagine, with a 1 year-old little girl in tow, we largely had to base our schedule and activities around her sleep schedule.

For example, on the way down to Florida, we left our home in Tennessee immediately after an early dinner so that we could get to our condo in Destin by 1:30 AM. This created an environment for our daughter to be able to sleep through the entire drive. Granted, we only stopped once during the 7 hour trip for a bathroom break; to help ensure she didn’t wake up.

Since this formula proved effective, we did the same thing for the drive back home from Florida. That’s right- just 2 bathroom breaks during the 14 hour round trip.

Uh… impressed much?

We continued to cater to our daughter’s slumber throughout the course of our vacation.

One day we took a day trip over to Pensacola where one of my brothers-in law and his wife have recently moved. After we toured their new home which is currently under construction, everyone decided to walk through some of the model homes in the surrounding neighborhoods.

So my mother-in-law and her husband (who were also in town for the weekend), my brother-in-law, his wife, my wife, our son, our daughter, and I successfully toured two model homes.

But as we drove to the next neighborhood, our daughter had fallen asleep in just a matter of minutes. I volunteered to stay in the driver’s seat of the 2017 Toyota Prius Three as our daughter took her afternoon nap behind me in her car seat.

There in the driveway of that model home, I pulled out the classic 1984 Ride the Lightning album by Metallica to enjoy for myself. Fortunately, the symphonic distorted electric guitars helped keep my little girl asleep. She’s not too picky when it comes to music, yet.

Even after my wife and son returned from the tour of that model home, they returned to the car, only to inform me that there was yet one more model home to visit before we made our way back to Destin.

Honestly, I didn’t mind one bit. It was peaceful and relaxing for me. It gave me not only a chance to think, but a chance to help my wife out by giving her some time to see something new and exciting and to take a break from constantly caring for a baby.

Of course, it was no surprise that less than 24 hours, my wife would be taking the next shift of “chill out in the car while the baby sleeps.” Because for lunch the following day, as went out for Mexican food for lunch, our daughter had fallen asleep in the car.

So I took my wife’s order, then eventually brought her food to her roadside, while the rest of us ate inside the restaurant.

This is just how it has to be right now. We’re used to it.

This is 36.

1 Comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: Making Super Mario Jump Sounds for Actual Words

1 year, 1 month.

Dear Holly,

Mommy and I both noticed the same thing about your hair over the past week or so. Not only is it getting thicker, but the red tint is transforming into a golden hue.

I’ve caught myself calling you Goldie here recently. It’s not that your hair is blonde. It’s more gold than it is yellow. It’s undeniably golden.

Your brother’s hair was never this color. When he was your age, his hair was light blonde. And now that he’s 6 and a half years old, it has transitioned into a sandy brown. But he never had a red or golden tint at any point.

So I wonder what color your hair will transition to by the time you’re his age.

Maybe I find this more fascinating that most parents would, but I am so amazed that those long lost Scottish and Irish genes in our family tree. The hidden recessive traits are making themselves known in you.

Something else going on with you these days is it’s becoming obvious you are getting eager to start talking. While your actual vocabulary is pretty much limited to “Dadda-dadda-dadda” (me) and “Mama-mama-mama” (Mommy) and “Jaah-ja-ja” (your brother), you are now making sounds in place of words.

These placeholder sounds like identical to Super Mario when he jumps, from the original 1985 Super Mario Bros. game: “Mah-mau?”

You’ll crawl over to one of your books, then bring it back to me, like a puppy. Then you hand it to me and say, “Mau? Mah-mau?”

The obvious translation is, “Well, Daddy, are you going to read me this book, or what?”

You also have a habit of crawling over to fruit pouches when you’re hungry, then looking to me: “Mau? Mah-mau?”

The obvious translation is, “Well, Daddy, you know what to do. It’s time for you to help me eat this.”

While I will be very happy for you when you can start using actual words from the English dictionary, I am thoroughly enjoying the Super Mario jump sounds in the meantime.

Love,

Daddy

1 Comment Posted on fatherhood, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: You Love Taking Out the Garbage and Recycling

6 and a half years.

Dear Jack,

We keep the recycling bin pulled up to the side of our pack porch; that way, you get to toss our empty boxes and bags into it throughout the week. Then every Wednesday when I get home from work, you know what it’s time for: The dirty work!

You insist on opening the gate yourself, then wheeling the recycling bin from our back yard to the sidewalk in front of our house. Plus, you drag the garbage bin the same distance as well.

And the way our yard is designed, it’s a very long and skinny plot of land and there’s a sharp slope the whole way along that side of the house.

It’s quite a sight, since both the recycling bin and the garbage bin are much bigger and heavier than you. But honestly, you seem to do the job with more ease than even I can.

Of course, I always supervise, as I walk behind you to make sure you don’t slip on our slanted yard between our house and the next door neighbors.

But so far, you haven’t needed my assistance.

It’s funny because naturally, trash duty will be an official chore of yours when you get a little older. I love it that you already enjoy doing it.

In fact, there was one week where I just went ahead of moved the bins when I came home, because it was about to rain, and you actually got upset that you didn’t get to do it.

Obviously, you also take the empty bins back behind our house on Thursday as well. But I can tell that’s not as much fun for you, since there’s no challenge in transporting a much heavier load.

I am impressed with your garbage man skills. Lucky for me, you like doing the work.

Love,

Daddy