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World’s Greatest TV Dad
Growing up when I was young meant that I had a good bit of different influences when it came to “father figures”. My parents drove through splitsville when I was barely able to walk. I got to spend every other weekend with my dad to where he tried to do his best to cram as much fatherly stuff in as he could. My mom remarried and then I had a step-dad that molded me week to week in the way he thought was best. In addition to two powerhouses of daditude taking turns showing me the path to become a man I also had my grandfather who I saw during the week everyday after school. Three dudes in my life that all had different views on family, faith, values, politics, movie choices, and even soda choices.
I feel like even though I had several different influences on what guided me down the path to becoming a man and eventually a father were all instilled by one common factor…love. My dad showed me love for all of the time he had to spend separated from me. His excitment over having two full weeks in between visits made our time more meaningful and filled with pure adoration. My step-dad showed me love for providing a home for which I felt like I belonged to even when they added to the family in the form of a sibling. In a situation where I wasn’t his child he sure did treat me like one of his own. My grandfather filled in the gap between the others and understood me and knew how to make me smile. He gave me the love of not only the grandfather he was to me but as a seasoned father to my mother that included all of that experience.
There were sometimes that I had away from all of them and most of the time it was filled with TV. Man, there were so many dads on TV that taught me a couple of values in all of those 22 minute episodes. Now if I had to weigh in about who had the most influence on me in the TV realm besides Optimus Prime(?!?) I would have to go with a tie between Jason Seaver and Cliff Huxtable. Both dads had great heart to hearts and had a real sense of “dad” to me. Thanks to Man of the House for helping me come to this conclusion. Now you too can weigh in on the World’s Greatest TV Dad and who you think should reign supreme.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received promotional items to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Prom Review
Walt Disney’s Prom pulls all the right strings for a perfect teen movie. I think they do a better job then the teen movies I saw as a kid. The teen movies of my generation was on the bleeding edge of adult humor. Prom pulls far from raunchy jokes that I remember and centers more on teen angst, drama, awkwardness and fear of the future. There is no sexual undertones but a lot of romance that leads to extended kissing but nothing that feels like the audience is invading a private moment. Another flag for some parents may be a fight the character Jesse (Thomas McDonell) gets into.
I loved the humor played out in this movie. The awkward moments some of the comedic actors must endure is priceless. In one scene, Llyod (Nicholas Braun), who keeps getting turned down by every girl he asks, leaves a note on a girls locker asking her to prom. He, unfortunately, cuts out the letters from a magazine for his note and frightens the girl into thinking she’s being stalked. Fail.
I think my daughter loved the romantic story lines the best. Yes, story lines. The movie follows three major love stories plus many other romantic sub plots. It is a movie about prom and prom is very romantic. I have to say she ate it up. Honestly, some of my heart strings were tugged and I got a little misty. I didn’t fall apart. I kept it, manly.
It is a great film for teens and preteens. Adults in the audience will enjoy it too. Plenty of laughs and some tears (except me. I didn’t cry once) and my daughter and I both liked it. Check it out.
We Need a Vacation
Sometimes as parents we can get really burnt out. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love my job as a parent and I love my kids like nothing else in the world. I really feel like sometimes me and my wife’s relationship is really affected in the way of not seeing each other or spending quality with each other as much as we used to. Our kids grow up and our relationship with them also grows. It is really important for me to make sure that my relationship with my wife grows and matures as well. There are time when we need a little getaway for some time to ourselves. No, I don’t mean going all out and and taking 26 weeks a year and jet-setting off for some cheap holidays to Turkey but something a little closer would work I think.
A little while back the in-laws took the kiddos and we got away for a weekend only 20 miles away. We got a hotel, ate some nice meals, and had a great time just being able to talk and not get bombarded with questions or request to wipe butts or make drinks. I think this time we may look for some cheap all inclusive holidays where all we have to do is select where we want to go and pay some people and they take care of the rest. I really think that time alone with your spouse to repair and build on your relationship is extremely important. The more time you put in it, the stronger it becomes and it will last a lifetime.
Are All of Those People Camping?
We all took a little trip as a family to the other side of Houston this past Saturday. It takes us about 45 minutes to get to the downtown area and the kids always have so much fun looking at the skyscrapers and really old buildings that are packed into the concrete jungle that makes up downtown. If you are not familiar with Houston it has fairly decent sized “downtown” area but the whole metropolitan area spreads out about 30 miles in all directions. Where we live they aren’t really any buildings higher than about ten stories tall. There are a lot of new things that the kiddos see every time we venture downtown and some awesome and then some we have to explain.
One question they had was why is there a baseball field downtown where all of the building are. That is a good question. I answered that it is there because the people of the city wanted it there. We as parents have those questions pop up from time to time that even when you give an answer you know that twenty more will be popping up one right after another. They noticed that underneath a bunch of bridges there were a bunch of tents all crowded around. Inevitably they asked “are all of those people camping?” and I said “in a way”. “It’s a homeless village kids!” I just explained that some people that are in-between homes sometimes grab their tent and some sleeping bags and camp out until they find a new one. I didn’t go into the story of the royal family that lives in the large 4 person tent that was up on he hill that housed a princess that longs for a prince far far away. I will save that and incorporate it into story time one night.
Ryan
A 5 Year Old and His Zombie Game
Here is a little video of Rylan playing Left for Dead 2. Is it wrong to let my son play these types of games? Some people say yes and some say no. I do restrict the playing of games that deal with killing or the death of the living, but we say bring on the annihilation of the undead. What do you think?
Birthday Antics
This little video I shot on a trip to buy some birthday presents for Rylan. He makes me laugh.
Ryan
My Role During Halloween
Halloween. The one time of year where you can dress up and be anyone in the universe you want to be. What better excuse do you need to get excited about this remarkable day? Growing up I was always taught this. I was told it was a magical night where monsters ran wild, ninjas kicked butt, and vampires were scary and did not glitter.
When I first became a father I was leery about my role during Halloween. My friends and I all used to set up our own “yard of horrors” when we were younger. I soon realized once I saw the horror on my young daughters face in being frightened by daddy scaring people and acting so “not-daddy” to her. I soon hung up my mask and creepy demon fingers and traded them in for a pair of comfortable walking shoes and a little one’s hand. My role as a dad during Halloween has changed significantly in the past seven years. Now that I have three little ones that are so ready each year to go tromping through the neighborhood, I really see how important my role during this night has matured.
Here are some things that I have put into action over the years.
- Encourage you child to use their imagination to the fullest. If they want to fly down the street during trick or treating, talk with an accent all day, or even moan like the undead…let them.
- When it comes to selecting costumes for Halloween let them be whatever they want. As long as it is in good taste and holds still to your family values. My four year old has been Batman for the last three years and he loves it every year.
- Halloween candy is for Halloween. I let them indulge on some candy but after a few days it all goes bye bye. It is a night filled with candy and they shouldn’t have the desire to stock up. Keep it special.
- You already paid a ridiculous amount for those costumes. After the night is over just let them wear the costume whenever they want. Our kid’s costumes go in the dress up drawer and they come out and get put on frequently.
After all that I have experienced over the years I really feel it is important that my kids know that I want them to have fun on Halloween. I will be there when they need me to walk them up that sidewalk when it looks too dark and give them Pepto when they eat too much. I have always thought that it’s not just the act of walking from house to house that defines the night..it’s the walk and the time spent in between.
“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Dad Central Consulting and they sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
The Hotness
We have been trying to totally move Ry-Ry away from having accidents in the urinary department for a long while now. It’s just he gets so enthralled in whatever he’s doing whether it’s video games, tv, or annoying his sister. I constantly have to ask him “Ry-Ry, did you tee-tee?” He says “no” and continues on with whatever he was doing.
After several hours of not asking or checking his undies, I ask him “Ry-Ry you gotta tee-tee?” and there was no reply. I say “ok…lemme check”. I proceed to check his urinary area and find it damp. I say “Ry…what is this? Why did you pee your pants?” He says “I didn’t Daddy…it’s just my hotness!”
The Top 5 Keys to Succeed at SeaWorld
As some of you may know we recently took a couple of trips to SeaWorld in San Antonio TX. It had been a very long time since I had been there as a youngling and I hadn’t experienced it as a parent yet. Through my experiences I have devised a list of “The Top 5 Keys to Succeed at SeaWorld”
I hope that those of you that plan to attend SeaWorld in the future will hang on to these tips. I do think that by me learning from my mistakes of not doing them and then doing them made me a happier person. You want to be happy too right? Then just do what I say.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions
Cough Syrup Recall Rescue
Hey peeps! I just wanted to drop you a line real quick on how to solve a problem you might have and get something FREE out of it! As you probably already know, more than 40 over-the-counter children’s medications are being recalled, several of which are for colds, coughs and allergies. As parents across the country scramble to find an effective alternative for their children’s coughs during the 2010 season, one company is coming to the rescue.
Honey Naturals, the makers of ZarBee’s, the leading all-natural children’s cough syrup that is safe and effective for kids ages 12 months and older, wants to put parents at ease during this chaotic time and make them aware of this all-natural way to calm their children’s throat and respiratory irritations. The company is now offering all consumers affected by the recall the chance to receive a bottle of ZarBee’s Children’s Cough Syrup for free. Parents looking for a safe, natural alternative can receive a free full size bottle of the product over at ZarBee’s. Head on over and claim it!
Ryan
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