Bridging the gap with my children’s interests: Why one geeky dad is learning to love cartwheels
I’m beginning to have an understanding of what my father felt when he came home after working all day, grabbed our baseball mitts, and stepped into my room to ask if I wanted to play catch. He would usually find me on the floor of my room, in the midst of a galactic battle between good and evil, Empire and Rebellion. Now that I’m a father, I find myself with two young daughters who have the same view of their father as their grandfather once held.
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.
6 reasons toddlers are smarter than the rest of us
I don’t know a lot about parenting, since I’ve only been a step-parent for four years and a bio parent for less time than that. What I do know, aside from having ALL my notions about motherhood, children, and life-after-kids utterly demolished, is that my daughter navigates this world better than I do. Thus, I present my case that my toddler — and really, most kids her age — is smarter than me.
Got a princess in the house? Here’s how you can make a felt and tulle princess hat
I am the mother of a (surprisingly, at least to me) very girly-girl, and I have very reluctantly entered the sparkly, pink, flowery world of princesses and twirly skirts and all other such fancy things. Since this seems to be all that my wee girl thinks about these days, I’m just going with it, trying to also emphasize the importance of independence, smarts, strength, and a good old-fashioned mess. While it’s far from my everyday, fancy is quite fun! So I’m letting my sweet one guide me on this sparkly adventure.
7 ways you can entertain your kid with nothing but a few pieces of cardboard
Cardboard is kind of the greatest toy-you-might-not-realize-is-a-toy EVER: there are endless possibilities! It’s so easy to come by! I can almost promise you that at least one grocery store in your town or city has a few boxes just LYING around, waiting for a family to come along and swoop up to turn into beautiful creations. You can also craft your own cardboard furniture if you ever get a hankering… the stuff is practically magic!
How to make a light-up robot costume for $15
I made this costume from duct tape, parts of old electronic equipment, LED Christmas lights, and dimmer switches. It was comfortable and safe, it stood up to lots of abuse and monkey-like toddler behavior, and it only cost me about 15 bucks to make. Here’s how I did it…
This pirate skull tutu — does it come in adult sizes?
Ok, so since we’re talking about princess phases … clearly, I’m still stuck in mine. This is one of those outfits that makes me regress a little. The zebra-print ribbon? The skull applique? The ridiculousness of the tulle? So, until I find out if my unborn son likes tutus, trucks, or both at the same […]
Saying goodbye to the princess phase
When my daughter Violet was a young toddler, she had no use for dresses. She screeched and flailed around if I tried to put her in one. She was extremely physical. She walked early, she climbed anything in sight and she had no fear. And then, her third birthday arrived…