Rhythm Is A Dancer It’s A Kid Companion

March 1, 2016

dancingonbloorwest

How do your kids let loose, while remaining in the boundaries of what is right and wrong? All that pent-up energy waiting to be burned off, while you try to keep the day from turning into a train wreck.

It has become pretty hard to find something your kids can do to turn off the brain, stop the day-to-day structure, stay away from screens and just be a silly kid. It’s not like when we were a kid and just get tossed out the door to play and figure it out. So many societal factors now prohibit that kind of logic. So what do you do? A treadmill isn’t going to cut it.

In our house, for many years, it has been all about the dance party.

Because rhythm is a dancer, it’s a kid companion.

The Weekend – Earned It

February 22, 2016

No, not The Weeknd. I am talking about the previous two days known as Saturday and Sunday. But, I certainly did earn it (it being success). With just a small taste of spring in the air, it felt like the days exploded with activity, fun and being tired.

With Katie heading out of town early Sunday for  a work conference, it left me with the TCB title and every now and then I think it’s fun to have it all on your shoulders. You quickly appreciate having a partner to trade off with, figure things out with and simply remain sane with. Young kids naturally seem to work together to try to overthrow the kingdom. Many times they come close to knocking down the gate and storming in, but when you have backup, you can stop them at the last moment.

Being by myself, I worry they will finally break through mostly because I just don’t care anymore. Sure, you can eat spaghetti on the couch out of a cup. That makes perfect sense.

Well this past weekend, the castle is in a good state. The reason. Endless activities and at other people’s houses. It’s really the best way to survive a weekend.

#NewYearNewView For The Like A Dad Family

January 14, 2016

For anyone who knows our family, we like to do major things in bunches and then have a period of quiet. 2016 already looks like we are coming out of a quiet period. It’s going to be a crazy, wild and fun year ahead for the family. So when we are not stapled to the couch watching Netflix, there are a few goals we have planned for the upcoming 12 months. I already listed my personal ones, but here are a few that we are going to try as a family.

  • Expand our diets by trying new foods with the kids.
  • Get back to the kids eating the foods they used to.
  • Get back to putting the boys in enrolled activities.
  • Try to have our first real family summer vacation.
  • For mom and dad, to be more aware of screen time (personally and for boys).
  • Storing things in the place they are supposed to go.

My #2015bestnine sums up my life pretty good. Meat and kids.

A photo posted by Like A Dad (@likeadad) on

See You In Hell Diapers

December 22, 2015

This week was a turning point in our parenting lives. We changed our last diaper. Okay, let me rephrase that. We probably changed our last diaper. There is still always a chance as they say.

But let’s focus on the present. We finally pulled the plug on Charlie’s night-time pull ups. Why? Because we had a hunch he was being a bit lazy when it came to doing a number 2. For months now, Charlie has practically been potty trained. I don’t remember the last time we sent diapers to daycare. But….

He never did number 2 at daycare. He would save it up for that glorious time when a pull up was put on. Every night after about 10 minutes in bed, he would do his business. It was frustrating on so many levels. It meant two diapers per night. It meant Harry had to walk into a stinky room to sleep. It meant messy hands for mom and dad. It was not fun. Heck, some nights Charlie would even smirk at us like it was a big game.

Time To Do Your Homework

December 8, 2015

Who remembers liking homework? Just the thought of it gives me the shakes. I remember the day when I finished school. Of all the things it meant in my life, the biggest was no more homework. I was never great at homework either. Spoiler alert, I did not do much and always scrambled at the last-minute to make it look like I did something. I never enjoyed studying or doing assignments at home. I was much more into sports and doing my own thing. I think I also watched a lot of TV. Anyways, homework has reentered my life.

harry doing homework

Our oldest son now has homework. He is in Grade One. It started off slowly with the occasional task that needed catching up on. But now, we have full monthly homework packages to be worked on 100% at home. It’s all detailed and spelled out on a calendar and there is the freedom to do it when you want. But it has to get done for Harry to keep up.

One of my biggest fears as a parent is the day I am not smart enough to help with homework. Good news, I looked over the 31 tasks for December and I feel confident I can still be relevant.

Harry loves homework. Maybe it’s because he has no idea what it will be like in 10 years. Maybe he will love it forever and be an academic wonder? Who knows. But at this point, it’s great to see his excitement. It makes it so much easier to do with him when we have the time.