meta-dad » dad recomendation

Contemporary baby book

Meta-Dad — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:30:26 +0000

For those of you looking for a modern take on the classic baby book, check out the Binth Baby Book. Entirely screen printed. Entirely original. It simple clean no-frills layout with soft muted palette is screen-printed on recycled white stock and cloth cover.

Beautiful woodland illustrations will lead you from the day of birth through the 3rd birthday celebration. With ample room for photos, and to jot down thoughts and memories. In it’s handsome keepsake box this book will become a cherished family heirloom. In it’s handsome keepsake box this book will become a cherished family heirloom.

$110 bucks [+shipping] at Binth

DIY Dad; 5 simple dad-friendly kids activities

Meta-Dad — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:30:28 +0000

I will be the first to admit, it can be quite a challenge taking care of three boys when my wife isn’t around, or heaven forbid, I need to take them with you to get my errands done, but with the right attitude you can turn a quick trip to the grocery store into a scavenger hunt or turn your living room into a theater.

Allow these fun times as a chance to listen to your kid, play on their terms, while maintaining fair play and encourage healthy social interactions. Young kids, toddlers and preschoolers alike spend most of their day playing by ‘our rules’, let this be a chance for them to dictate things a bit; it is good for their confidence and promotes self assurance.

1. Masterpiece Theater – turn the living room into a cinema! Put dolls and teddies on a row of chairs. Take money for tickets, then show a DVD. An interval with a chance to buy a snack is popular!

2. Mix it up - Assuming the weather agrees, take your kids favorite toy outside. Right now my boys are all about their Geo-trax train set. We bring all the kits outside and they set them up under the cool shade of our lemon tree, they love it!

3. Scavenger Hunt – If you’re running to the store, turn it into a Scavenger Hunt and have each of your kids ‘find’ the items. It’s funnest with one kid. If you do it with more than one kid you will quickly find yourself trying to find your kids as they all bolt throughout the isles, I have anyway.

4. Off-off-off Broadway. Take brown paper grocery bags and cut out some holes for eyes and have your kids decorate them as their favorite storybook characters. When they’re done, have them act out the story. “Where the Wild Things Are” is a favorite. We end up doing plenty of improv’ that quickly decends to a wacky chase through the house or yard.

5. Teddy Hunters - Play hunt the teddy. Dress up the kids as safari hunters and take it in turns to hide it in the house. Put on some appropriate music (example; Lion King soundtrack) and if they can’t find the teddy by the time the song ends, it’s the other kid’s turn.

INTERVIEW: Dr. David Elkind – The Power of Play

Free Father’s Day Coloring Pages

Meta-Dad — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:20:32 +0000

Father’s Day is coming up and here is a list of fresh links for decent free Father’s Day coloring pages. Use the back of some old documents and recycle a bit. This will give them an opportunity to create something nice for day without spending a dime.

Granted this image caters to a dad comfortable with his internal (or external) ‘geek’. Geek or no geek, every dad will appreciate this outstanding collection of free Star Wars Coloring Pages available, or perhaps Star Trek or even a coloring book of Gangsta Rap Stars. If you Pop is a republican, here’s a fantastic John McCain or for the Obama Pappa there are plenty of printable sheets, alongside wonderful coloring pages of Salvador Dali, Ghandi and many others famous people.

There is also a small selection of puzzles can print for their ‘Old Man’ so he can have something to do with all that spare time you give him on his special day. For those dad’s more into other sports, cars and other more traditional things, scan the list below and see if anything sparks interest.

[*The image above is perfect for printing on standard sized paper, just right-click and save to you computer or send right to the printer.]

Father’s Day Coloring Books;
Star Wars Coloring Pages
Star Trek Coloring Pages
Famous People Coloring Pages
Skateboard Coloring Pages
Basketball Coloring Pages
Baseball Coloring Pages
Football Coloring Pages
Football Coloring Pages

Father’s Day Puzzles;
Football Word Puzzles
Free Printable Word Puzzles

Kids In The Kitchen

Meta-Dad — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:55:55 +0000

Although our kids are still quite young, my wife and I feel it is important they are involved with cooking and mealtime at some level. It promotes a healthy sense of responsibility, safety in the kitchen, offers some special bonding time between you and the kids and lots of opportunities to learn different concepts along the way. Think about it; there’s lots of potential for basic math and science lessons (ex. why do they call it a teaspoon? why does yeast make dough rise? how many quarts in a gallon?) when whipping something up in the kitchen.

Generally, there is one or two times a week where I grab the cutting board and prepare dinner. Whenever possible, I try and engage my toddler in the kitchen and have him be Daddy’s helper. He absolutely loves it. He’s very receptive and very serious in the kitchen (it’s very cute, he’s four and a half). We usually make pizza together.

If you are not comfortable in the kitchen, don’t fret. Choose one thing, make it simple and master it. Here’s a basic recipe for pizza dough that I tend to use. It’s very basic.

1 envelope active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar or teaspoon of honey
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of oregano flakes

Put warm water in a cup; sprinkle yeast over water and stir in sugar. Let yeast stand for about 10 minutes, or until it begins to bubble. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl; pour in yeast mixture and oregano – then beat until a stiff dough is formed. This is where we cheat a little (save some time) and use a electric mixer with the dough paddle attachment at a low speed. When it’s well mixed we turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Add extra flour as necessary to keep from sticking to hands and board.

Place in a large bowl greased with shortening; turn dough over to coat the other side with shortening. Cover with towel; let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, for about 30 minutes. This is the hardest part because 30 minutes is a long long time, so I try and use this time as an excuse to take the dog for a walk or play ball in the backyard.

By the time we come back the dough will be double in bulk. Punch dough down and divide in half. Grease two 14-inch pizza pans and grease hands lightly. Place half the dough in each pan and stretch to fit bottom and up sides of pan. Let the dough relax (it will start rising again, which is good) while you shred the cheese and prep the toppings. Keep dough slightly thick around the edges. Find yourself a good pizza sauce recipe, there’s a million of them. Don’t use spaghetti sauce, it’s too wet. It makes a soggy pizza.

Fill with favorite fillings and toppings and bake about 15 to 20 minutes at 425°. While it’s in the oven we clean up (very important habit to teach the kids, right) and give the mixer a good wiping down before Daddy puts it away.

For my son I think the whole process is like playing with Play-Doh. The only thing cuter is how he gives every slice he eats the “Brooklyn Fold” like his old man (folding it onto itself the long way, like a pizza sandwich).

Family Fun | Kids Recipes
Kids Cooking Club
That’s my Home | Kids Recipes
Amazon | Cook Books for Kids

Easy essential baby gift ideas from a dad that knows

Meta-Dad — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:30:57 +0000

Whether you are an uncle or nephew, grandpa or dad there is always one lingering person on your shopping list that may haunt you. If it is that baby nephew or granddaughter that your stuck on, here are a couple ideas.

Go for essentials- onsies, bibs, socks, etc. You get the idea, don’t get the run of the mill stuff- you want to get something memorable (also not too expensive, from my experience with three babies- expensive does not necessarily mean ‘quality’). Get natural fiber stuff and if possible get natural rubber toys and pacifiers.

Pictured above is some excellent stuff from the Modern Baby Company. There products are consistently made with quality fabrics (super-stretchy onesies and tops make it easy to change the kid) and sweet modern designs.

Kids lunch bag, BUILT-right

Meta-Dad — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:14:24 +0000

In our quest for the perfect lunch box, we found a BUILT-NY has developed a concept that incorporates whimsical fun with practicality. They collaborated with the award-winning children’s book illustrator, Stephen Savage, to take on the project of creating zoo animals for the design of the lunchboxes.

After all, what good is a lunchbox that doesn’t look good?

MADE FROM SOFT SIDED POLYPROPYLENE
TESTED LEAD AND FOOD SAFE
INSULATES FOOD AND BEVERAGE
SMALL HANDLES FOR SMALL HANDS
SAVES HUNDREDS OF BAGS OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR
UNZIPS TO A PLACE-MAT (STORES FLAT)

Munchler Bags @ BUILT-NY for $10 bucks [+shipping]

Water-powered clock for the kids room

Meta-Dad — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:31:21 +0000

The assumption is that this cool little clock design is made from a recyclable plastic since the merchant claims it is ‘eco-friendly’ but I have not verified. Regardless, it is a very clever design and will spare the landfill of a couple batteries.

With sustainable design and practical function in mind, this eco-friendly Bedol water clock keeps perfect time without batteries. Just add water and a dash of table salt to the clock’s water tank to make it work.

4.25″h x 3.75″w x 3.5″d
$22 bucks [+ shipping] via SFMOMA store

The complete Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Shopper

Meta-Dad — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:32:24 +0000

Every kid has their favorite show, right now my boys get excited about all things having to do with Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Last week it was Diego, next week- who knows! With birthdays coming up, I wanted to flush it out and see what things are available. Aside from birthdays, there is the seemingly endless need for fun, engaging activities and games for the little ones. I was able to find some pretty unique stuff, Wubbzy crochet kit, cross stitch, Here are some helpful links to build your Wubzy arsenal.

Check out the Frederator Studios link, it seems like they are involved with the production of the show and have some interesting articles and videos. Also, surprisingly, Amazon has done a decent job at creating a Wubbzy mini-store complete with free coloring pages and discounted and hard to find items.

A bit of show trivia for you thanks to the folks at Little Toons, originally based on a story by the show’s creator’s niece, Viviana Ogawa, which he assembled into a storybook called The Tail of Flopsy, Mopsy, and Ted which he later renamed as Widget, Wubby, and Walden. Wubby morphed into Wubbzy and Walden was named after Walden Pond.

Helpful Links:
Little Toons.Com | Wow! Wow! Wubbzy [*Beware! Loud streamed music on this page, adjust your speakers now!]
Baby Dreams | Wow! Wow! Wubbzy Party Supplies
Baby Dreams | Wubbzy Sticker Sheets
M80 | Great printable Wubbzy images (*great to set the stage for a Wubbzy Party)

Wow! Wo! Wubbzy! Videoblogs and Webcast
Frederator Studios | Talk to the Snail
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Wubcast [* video webcast]
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! production blog and webcast

Wubbzy Coloring Pages & Activities
Nick Jr. | Wow! Wow! Wubbzy Free printables and colouring sheets
Kids Turn Central | Wubbzy Coloring Book [*PDF download]
Amazon | Discounted Wubbzy Activity Books

5 helpful Dad ‘hacks’ for babies

Meta-Dad — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:23:33 +0000

I know very little about parenting, the number of questions, curiosities and perplexities of being a solid Dad and raising healthy kids is breath-taking. That said, through the natural course of trial and error, as well as shear repetition you will learn things about about babies and about you and your wife- good, bad and otherwise.

I have spent almost five years, along-side my wife in the trenches, as they like to say, taking care of the kids. Here are five simple Dad Hacks for parents of infants, babies and young children that may help some parents make their day that a little easier.

1. Changing Diapers – give them a toy (to distract them and keep there hands busy) and lift their legs from under their knees to reduce strain on their knees and ankles, opposed to the ankle grab.

2. Baby Fashion Faux Pas – never get a shirt with your kids name on it, you are giving pedophiles (and general Bad Guys) way too much information about your kid.

3. Is Baby Tired? – ever find yourself trying to figure out whether or not you kid is hungry, tired or needs to be changed? If I need to figure out if my baby is tired I hold them and stand in front of a mirror with them facing the mirror, if they turn away from their own gaze- it is nap time! Try it.

4. I.C.E. – In Case of Emergency (I.C.E.), put an entry in your every cell phone on your Family Plan (Mom, Dad + Kids) with an emergency number in case of an accident so the Paramedic, Firefighter or Police can reach your family as quick as possible in case something dreadful happens to you or a loved one. They will look for it in your address book.

Also, studies say men’s wallets with baby pictures in them have a 88% better chance of being returned, so if you don’t have any pictures in there maybe you should.

5. Bag of Tricks – I have found it to be priceless to grab a small action figure, matchbox car before leaving the hose with the kids when going out to run errands with them. In case you find yourself standing in line at the post office and the kid needs a distraction, I have something in my pocket.

The key is to keep them item as a surprise and hang onto it until they are at the end of their ‘rope’. If it is a well chosen toy, it may keep them entertained long enough to get to the front of the line. I also keep sheets of paper in my glove compartment for the same reason. In case of a parking lot emergency, I can whip out a couple sheets of paper and fashion a triangle football or paper airplane to entertain them while Mom runs in-n-out of a store while I wait in the car with the kids.

Solid kids trundle bed on a budget

Meta-Dad — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:30:25 +0000

We recently purchased a trundle for our oldest (4.5 yrs.) and middle (2.5 yrs.) children to complete the transition of our third into his nursery/bedroom. We quickly decided we wanted to get something that is going to be durable and safe enough to weather their active young years but not cost us too much money. At the time, we seem to be finding stuff in the $1000-$1700 range and felt we could find what we wanted for less.

Looking back, I am glad we found something local because well made solid wood beds are heavy and the shipping cost would have killed us in the end. Don’t buy a bed frame on line unless it is an amazing deal, even still you will be paying an arm-n-leg for shipping, I guarantee it. At the local Costco we got ours for just over $500 (tax included) and another $100 for a quality twin mattress. A similar Cafe Kid trundle bed is listed online for as much as $937.50 (tax and shipping not included)!

The Cafe Kid brand has proven to be our wisest furniture purchase yet. With solid wood dove-tail construction and non-toxic veneers and lead-free paints it seems we have a good understanding of what heirloom quality means now, not that it will really make it to the next generation but it should last this one. Regardless, it is a solid piece of furniture that I would recommend.