Read To Me, Dad » Parenting Tips

Dadvocates Site Launches

Drew — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:42:11 +0000

My friend Kevin Metzger of My Spelling Sucks has just launched a new blog and a new podcast. I was part of Kevin’s first ever podcast and it was a great time. Kevin is launching DADvocates. DADvocates is a great project where Kevin is searching for a better definition of today’s Dads.

I love this from Kevin.

“DADvocates – Today’s dads are a new generation of dads and while I don’t think we have a great definition, I believe we are finding ways to be more involved in family life. We are doing jobs that allow us to be home more and we are finding ways to be more present when participating in family activities. We help drive parenting decisions that were previously made by women and we are not the Peter Griffins that dads are portrayed as on TV.”

Form me there are no TV role models for Dads out there right now. I can’t think of one Dad on TV or in movies that make me proud. Dad’s in the media are portrayed as morons or people who avoid time with their family. However, that is not the kid of Dad I am and also it is not the type of Dad that many of my friends are.

Kevin is looking to get 1000 people to take his DADvocates survey. He’s had 108 take it so far so he is a 10th of the way there. Can you please take this quick survey to help him with this project. http://www.TheDADvocateProject.com

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Cloth Couture Diaper Giveaway

Drew — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:57:29 +0000

Allison and I have been giving serious thought to cloth diapers for our second child (no news to report – don’t get excited). In our research for cloth diapers we ran across Cloth Couture Diapers. I liked how cute they were and I asked Allison Vaughn the owner and creator of Cloth Couture Diapers if I could get a sample to try out and then do a review and giveaway on this blog. She was totally game so she sent us a credit and we chose the diaper we wanted. We picked the large Chopsticks Please one. It was so different and fun.

Allison put Eva into this diaper one morning and let her run around the house wearing it. Even though this was something very different for her she took no noticed and went about the morning playing around till she wet the diaper. We didn’t realize that we needed a cover for this. We should have read the Cloth 101 FAQ on Cloth Couture’s website.

Allison Vaughn makes the diapers and they are so well crafted. Everything I’ve read so far has mentioned the excellent craftsmanship and great customer service. Allison Vaughn is really making a name for herself in the world of cloth diapering. I’m pretty sure that cloth will be the way to go for us for baby #2. And for that baby a great starter kit would be the prize that I’m offering through this contest.

The Contest

Allison has donated 3 gender neutral Cloth Couture Organic Bamboo Velour fitteds (fits 10-16lbs). The inside is a beautifully soft organic bamboo velour with a trifold soaker.
- 1 minky waterproof cover, size small.

This is a great starter kit for parents who are interested in getting into cloth. Here is a preview of what those little cuties look like. The bottom one is the Chopsticks Please one!

To Enter

Go to BenSpark.com for full Entry Rules and Participation.

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Chase

Drew — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:17:41 +0000

Eva and I love to play chase. She walks around the house shouting “Chase” until I turn around and put up my hands and say “I’m gonna chase you!” And then we play chase until I’m ready to pass out. And with all that jumping and rolling it is pretty quick.

Eva loves so many fun things one of them is SeaWorld. She had an awesome time there last year and if we win Ted Murphy’s contest for a vacation for 4 to be 1st to ride Manta well, then she can go on back there and have more fun. I can imagine her but the dolphin tank yelling “chase!”. She loved those dolphins.

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Oh, THIS Will Help the Economy

Drew — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:40:43 +0000

A new requirements to a 1972 law go into effect on February 10, 2009, The law is The Consumer Product Safety Act. The new requirements to that law could have devastating effects on the home based businesses. The new requirements were passed in law very quietly and only after it passed are consumers and home based entrepreneurs finding out how this will hurt them.

My friend Tristan of Maiden America has made a video with her concerns over the new law.

If I understand this correctly manufacturers need to run independent expensive tests for lead on the products that they make. This will significantly raise the prices that must be charged for their items. This could put many, many home based businesses out of business. Also in this video a store owner is losing her suppliers because of these new requirements.

Tristan has written two posts on this subject.

And people who are making non-toxic toys are also being hurt.

What a way to help the economy, gotta love the government.

And I thought this one was cute.

This video very eloquently states the issue and why it is harmful to the small independant toy manufacturer.

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Outside in the Fall

Drew — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:47:20 +0000

We live in New England and so the Fall is a pretty nice time of year to live here. The weather becomes milder and it is just cold enough to start wearing long sleeves. It is also a great time to take the little ones out to the local farms. I really enjoy frequenting the local farms because you can not only find some great deals on good food but you can also have a nice afternoon of entertainment for very little money.

Yesterday Allison and I took Eva to a local farm called Adam’s Farm and there they have some cows, goats, sheep and chickens. They also have a corn maze and an area filled with pumpkins. First we took Eva to the pumpkin area and there we set her down and let her explore. She climbed all over the pumpkins, found some small ones and really liked the weird looking gourds. The whole time she was doing that I was snapping away with my camera. Farms are great places to get photos, you are outside the light is natural and the scenery is perfect. If you have some time go and frequent one of your local small farms if there are any near you. You might end up with pictures like the ones I got.

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