DIY a portable dollhouse out of stuff you’d probably throw away
My five-year-old and I made this awesome dollhouse out of scraps: an old box for the building itself, and carpet, fabric, and tile samples. My son Noah’s own drawings framed in old slide holders. Paper attached and coated with Modge Podge served as the wallpaper, and glue sticks and a wood veneer sample for the kitchen table (affixed with wood glue). A sunscreen bottle cap became the toilet (it opens and closes!), and a sponge covered in fabric for the bed. It turns out poker chips are perfectly sized doll plates, and you can make tiny stools out of wooden thread spools.
Why I ditched the “American dream” and became a Park Ranger
I took my responsibility as a father and husband seriously, and I was so focused on making sure that the life I gave my family was better than the one I had growing up that I lost sight of something extremely important… Myself. So I abandoned the “American dream” once I got inspired to live MY dream. And it was all for one simple reason…
How I learned to let go of fear, anxiety, shame when my son gets in trouble
While tucking my son into bed tonight I was flooded by grief and joy simultaneously. He is eight, so I am used to this. Every time he goes and grows up he leaves me with this memory of the younger boy he left behind that day, vanishing in my arms as I reach down to kiss him goodbye. Tonight is different though. Tonight, perhaps I am the one who grew up a little bit too. It’s amazing what a call from school can do.
How can I make sure my step-kids have friends when they visit us in the summer?
I have never wanted bio-kids of my own, but I fell in love with a father and now I have two step-kids who I love to pieces! They live full time with their bio-mom and her family and currently are overseas because of the military, so we keep in touch via phone calls, Skype, packages, and very infrequent visits. We just got the news that they will be moving back to the States (yay!) and our visitation will become more frequent and regular. We have a great relationship, but I want them to really feel like our house is their other home, and I especially want them to have social support and friends in our community who they will be able to return to on summers and school holidays.
A surprise pregnancy, understanding boyfriend, and a new family
Aiden will know that my boyfriend is not his biological father. He will also know how much more this means to his mommy: he’s not here because he has to be, he is here because he wants to be. That kind of love and dedication, the willingness to put aside DNA and open your heart, is what makes a family.
My son might be gay and we live in a conservative town: where can I find resources for him?
Since he could ask for it, my son has asked to dress up in girl’s clothing — pink and frilly, pretty and shiny. It’s the only kind of clothing he gets excited about besides snazzy boy’s dress shirt. To him, all other clothing serves only to keep him from being totally naked. This is ok with me, aside from fighting my own society embedded fears that make my first instinct to keep it in the house only (which has been going well).
All the grandparents want to visit all the time! How do we manage long-distance family visits?
We live on the West Coast, and the grandparents (my in-laws, my mother, my father and my step mom) live in three different East Coast cities. My eight-month-old son is the ONLY grandchild on either side. The grandparents are (understandably!) enthusiastic and each set wants to visit every couple of months, which adds up to a LOT of travel and/or house guests.
Happy Fourth of July: let’s talk about how cool parades are
Happy Fourth of July to all the celebrating Americans out there! Today we thought it’d be fun to throw in a special parade-themed round-up filled with photos from families at parades all over the world. If you’re not American, not celebrating, or not into fireworks.. maybe you’ll like this!