Daddy Daze

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We all know raising kids is ridiculously expensive. There’s the free video poker downloadpoker videofree online poker no download,free poker playing online,free online pokerfree texas holdem poker gamefree on line pokercrazy game of pokerfree online texas holdem poker,free holdem line poker texas,free texas holdem pokerfree internet pokerpoker strategyvideo poker softwareseven card stud poker,seven card stud,how to play seven card studfree texas hold em pokeronline poker schoolinternet poker gameonline casino poker tournamentfree poker game downloadonline roulette pokerlowest interest rate credit cardbest card credit rate transferassociate national bank credit card,associate bank card creditbalance card credit transfer ukcredit card application on line,application canadian card credit linecard credit debt reduction servicesbank card credit ge moneypoor credit gas card,mobile gas credit card,gas credit cardcard credit debt reduce tip,card credit debt guide reduce,reduce credit card debtsecured credit card canadacard credit service wirelessdiscover student credit cardacceptance card credit guaranteed ukgreen dot prepaid credit cardbest bad credit card offer,best credit card offer,best credit card offer on the internetbusiness accept credit cardstolen credit card numberscard consolidation credit loan,low interest credit card consolidation loanuk credit card applicationcredit card debt consolidation serviceslowest rate credit cardcard consumer counseling credit credit debt through,credit card counseling,card counseling credit debt debtbank one aarp credit card,bank card credit one,bank one visa credit cardfree online credit card,card credit free online,card credit free online processingcard credit discover mart wal,wal mart credit card,canada card credit mart walorchard bank unsecured credit cardcard chase com creditapplication bank card credit orchardcredit card processing for business,business card credit processing startcard consolidation credit debt getcard citibank credit securedbusiness card credit smallgas reward credit card clothes, the food, the toys, the booze, the…(well, the booze is for the parents, but that bill goes WAY up once you have kids). Anyway, it’s about to get even more expensive. With the cost of wheat now topping $10/bushel and on its way up - we’re looking at $7 for a box of Cheerios. Sorry, junior, you’re getting the generic Tasty-O’s!

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Many of us will travel this month with the kids in tow. After a few days, the novelty of grandma’s house will wear off, and the kids will need something to do. How will you find a playground when you’re so far from home?

Check out the Kaboom Playspace Finder. It’s pretty cool - simply enter your location (city, state and zip code) and presto! Up pops a list of local play spaces. You can restrict your search to skate park, field, outdoor playground or ice skating rink. New locations are added daily (their database currently contains 5,000 entries), each containing photos, ratings, comments, addresses and other details.

I suggest you bookmark this one. You’ll probably need it.

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Christmas morning is crazy at Chez Daddy Daze (“Unbridled avarice” is how Jean Shepard described it). While it’s impossible (and probably wrong) to issue total control over the proceedings, you can make it a little easier for everyone. Here are three simple tips.

1. Use child-specific wrapping paper. We buy three rolls of paper each year. One for “To William from Santa,” one “To Grace from Santa” and one “For the kids from mom and dad” (We need SOME credit, after all). That way, the kids can immediately identify which presents are theirs, and who they’re from.
2. Remove those darn twist-ties before hand. Motivated by pure sadism, toy manufactures secure their products with industrial-strength twisties and gaffer’s tape. Extracting toys from their packaging is a trying ordeal - especially when Junior wants it now, NOW, NOW! Before you wrap, free each toy and then place them back in their boxes.
3. Install batteries before hand. While you’ve got the toys out of their boxes, insert any necessary batteries. That way, the toy will be ready to go as soon as it’s opened.

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Today I’m so happy to release my very first eBook, “5 Tips for Happy, Little Toddlers.” Don’t let the title mislead you; it’s much more than simple tips. In fact, this eBook contains extended versions of my post popular posts, including Seven Steps to End Mealtime Battles Forever, How to Avoid Reinforcing the Wrong Behavior, The Storm Before the Calm (why behavior gets worse before it gets better) and A Simple and Effective Reward System.

It looks great, and I’m very happy to make this 10 page eBook available for free as a holiday thank-you to all of my readers. I appreciate your time, and I look forward to spending 2008 with you. Happy parenting.

[Download the eBook “5 Tips for Happy, Little Toddlers” here]

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It’s Monday, and my latest story is up at Parenting.com.

“I’m in a room brimming with estrogen. The air smells like Aqua Net, makeup and rented tutus. Quick flashes of pink, sequins and tulle buzz in my peripheral vision as tiny, sparkling girls run in all directions.
I feel like an interloper in this frenzied beehive of feminine activity. Can daddy prep his little girl to dance in “The Nutcracker” all by himself?”

You can read the rest here.

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Today’s guest post is by Jeremy G. Schneider, MFT. He is a fatherhood expert, syndicated columnist, and therapist specializing in parenting, relationships and helping people overcome depression. He has appeared on The Today Show, and been interviewed by CNN.com, BusinessWeek, XM Satellite Radio and many more. He also runs a terrific daddy blog at Two Okapis.

I’m thrilled to publish a guest post from Jeremy. I know you’ll enjoy it. - Dave

It was a very short moment, but a powerful one, one that I still feel reverberating through my mind, one that started and ended with a simple song, but was infused with meaning and emotion like few other moments in life ever have.

My wife had gone away for the weekend and my almost five year-old boy/girl twins and I were sitting at the dinner table finishing up our meal. As always, my iPod was playing in the background.

“May I be excused, Daddy?” my son asked me.

“Why Elijah?”

“I want to sit on your lap.”

“Okay, come here,” and I let him climb up me to sit on my lap. They may be getting older every day, but I’m still not going to pass up a chance to have him sit on my lap.

Jordyn was still eating and we all sat at the table talking about their day, what they did at school, at Spanish class, with Tia, their Aunt. I had learned they made a book at school, that they had taken a different way to Spanish, but still got there on time, and that they played Finders Keepers, a new game from their Nana. Then a new song came on and I was distracted.

This may be surprising, but I am a huge hip-hop and R&B fan. I have been listening to rap and hip-hop since I was a kid and always wondered what I would listen to as an adult. Here I am, father of two, still listening to the same type of music I did as a teenager and sharing it with my children. As a teenager, it was impossible to fathom that this music would help me build a special bond with my future children.

The song that came on is by Jay-Z and is called Do You Wanna Ride? It features a guest vocal appearance by John Legend. Legend has a wonderfully emotional voice and on this song it is haunting and intense, moving me to a place words cannot articulate. His voice is healing for me, freeing me to express emotions that are bottled up inside. I believe music is incredibly powerful and it allows me to recuperate from the stress and challenges of my days. I would like music to be a resource for my children as well and allow myself to experience music with them in order to hopefully help them to feel safe to experience music in the way they feel comfortable.

As I sang, “I know, I know. Some places we can go, some places we can go. Do you wanna ride with me?” straight from my heart, I heard new voices in the song, the voices of my little children, singing with me.

I soon found myself looking straight into the eyes of my little girl, seeing her face full of emotion, singing with her whole heart, watching me intently, as if I was everything she wanted to be. My heart momentarily panicked – it is terrifying to see so clearly how important I am to my little girl, how much I mean to her, how it sometimes seems to all begin and end with me. But I kept singing and she kept mirroring me, in part mimicking, in part, I hope, freeing herself to be her true self the way music allows me to be my true self. It is utterly lovely to me listening to the soft, delicate voices of my little children when they sing along with the music. Throughout the weekend, whenever that song came on, our three voices would sing the chorus together.

My wife is back home, thankfully, and our family is together again. I had a wonderful weekend with my children, but despite all of the places we did go, nothing moved me like that moment listening to Do You Wanna Ride?

And now the song has even more meaning for me.

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Here’s the deal. In June of 2008, my employer will cease to be, and I will be unemployed. I’ve been searching for a new job since last summer with no luck. I’ve got two toddlers, a house and wonderful wife. I need to work, and I love to write.I can sit and say, “Woe is me,” or recognize this as THE opportunity of my life. Here is the universe saying to me, “I’ve got a clean slate for you. Here is your chance for a new career, an opportunity to do something wonderful. What are you going to do with it?”

I want to realize my dream of blogging full time. It’s a dream I’ve had for a few months, and I believe that in a few more months I may see it come true.

With the freelance jobs I pick up, the new Marketplace I’m creating for Daddy Daze and donations from you, I’ll be safe when my job disappears in June.

Note that I am not asking for payment for reading this site. Every part of Kaylow and Daddy Daze will always be free. I’ll never create paid, “feature content.”

However, if you feel that the articles you read here and at Daddy Daze are worth $25 a year, feel free to make a donation (that’s my suggested donation. You may donate more or less…or nothing at all. It’s up to you).

Here’s a list of ten reasons why you should make a donation

1. Give back a little for the time I’ve put into this site, if you find its content valuable.
2. You can help a good person realize his dream.
3. You are helping my family pay our bills.
4. I’ll be able to have the site professionally redesigned, making it more pleasant to read and navigate.
5. I’ll be able to spend all of my working hours creating terrific content on Kaylow and Daddy Daze. With all of my focus on the blogs, I’ll create the best content possible, consistently.
6. I’ll develop my existing resources, like my GTD forms, to their full potential, and create new ones.
7. By working at home, I’ll be available to my family whenever they need me. While that’s not really a benefit for you, it will make me happy, plus a better parent and husband.
8. You’ll occupy a special place of gratitude in my heart, which I won’t forget.
9. Help me cover the cost of hosting my sites and maintaining the domains.
10. I take your time and interest seriously.

To receive these ten benefits, click the button below to make a donation. Thank you.

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William: “The potty is where poo poos go if they’re sleepy and they want to go night-night.”

OK.

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My latest post is up at Parenting.com: Buzz, the Christmas Miracle.

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I’ve been so preoccupied with finding a job, that I haven’t been in the right mind to blog. I’ll get back on the horse soon. Thanks, all.

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