The Stay at Home Dad Blog

My wife & I just had or second son. I have been a stay at home dad for about 18 months. We thought that since we had gone through the motions already that we could put it on cruise control and enjoy family time while she was home from work. Wrong again!! Everything from sleeping and eating patterns to demeanor did not follow what we expected. Adaptability was called for. So, we just stepped up to the plate.

Well, we can start with the labor. My wife was scheduled for a Cesarean section for a Monday, but our son wanted to come out on Sunday. The labor lasted only a quarter as long as with our first child. It was such a whirlwind; the baby appeared before the paperwork for admission was finished.

Our new son eats more frequently than our first and for a longer period of time. With son #1 his schedule demanded feeding every 2 hours or so. The second time around, hourly feedings are very common. Also, breastfeeding seems to be easier. The baby seems to have taken to breastfeeding with less difficulty and no need for supplemental formula, compared to his big brother. My wife can be credited as well, having more experience in breastfeeding this time.

His sleep patterns are wild. 

The experience of having two kids highlights the unpredictability of child rearing. It bears repeating, that every baby is his/her own individual. My expectations were way off as I was almost hoping for an easy transition into a new schedule. To be a good parent, one needs to be prepared. As it turns out, my wife and I are splitting the responsibilities quite nicely. In this earliest of stages, the baby needs mom more for feeding. At the same time, mom needs her time with the baby because she will have to go back to work. Meanwhile, I continue my previous job of raising my first born, teaching him how to be a big brother and generally helping my wife in any way I can.

I’ve become a proud dad, again. I take my job seriously and consider it my profession, now. I am blessed and happy. Just as in life, raising children is unpredictable and should be taken on a day to day basis.

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  The news of our time is atrocious.  Newspapers and news organizations are owned by large companies more interested in making money than disseminating information to the masses.  The 24/7 news cycle has reduced the news down to just filling time and not deciding what’s worth reporting.  The internet has made these news companies desperate to keep their shrinking markets.  Therefore, journalism has suffered and no longer do journalists research their subjects for accuracy.  Unless you have a few hours a day to check various news sources, you are uninformed.

  The Today Show is ONE news source I watch in the mornings.  The first hour is largely devoted to hard news (poltics, headlines, etc.).   Increasingly, you get more or less than two packages a day about hard news. By forty minutes into the show, the “soft” news or human interest stories have begun.  Twenty-five years ago, the producers of The Today Show wouldn’t talk about Britney Spears.  That wasn’t hard news.  Today, The Today Show has four hours to fill and they blend it nicely so at 7AM you’re watching news and at 10AM you’re watching a talk show.

  Many times, The Today Show has no follow up to their stories.  You can watch The Market Update every morning on The Today Show, but that’s not what it is.  It’s more like here’s the doom and gloom of the economy.  They refuse to give you positive news on the economy.  While watching this market update every day, I’ve noticed they never follow up with the previous day’s update.  For example, the update will say that todays numbers for companies earnings are coming out & the next day, you don’t here what those numbers are. 

  The worst thing a journalist can do is not check his sources.  The one story that comes to mind is a few years ago, a group of construction workers were working on an old building and announced they found hundreds or thousands of dollars in paper money dated from the mid 19th century.  The Today Show interviewed them as soon as the story broke.  Days after the interview, it was found that the construction workers had stole the money and then pretended to find it in the building.  The Today Show never followed up on the story, so if you only watch their show, you wouldn’t know that the construction workers were actual theives. 

  For us stay at home dads, The Today Show is just another sad example of how TV programming is “femmocentric” in the morning.  Their later hours are totally devoted to women’s health, fashion and how moms can best raise their children.  Men are relegated to commercials, where we’re too stupid to clean the house and our wife has to come in on her horse to show us the latest in cleaning techniques.  Unless you like to watch men talk about sports all morning on ESPN (amazingly, some men don’t), a stay at home dad is quite limited in what he can watch.  All they need to do is gear some of their time to stay at home parents and not just moms. 

  Do your research. Be skeptical about ANY news source.  Online, you have to check their sponsors and if they have any political bents.  I don’t want people telling me what to think.  And you shouldn’t either.

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Have you ever heard those familiar words, “I’m bored,” coming from the mouth of your child?  If so, then kid crafts are the answer.  Provide the kids with craft materials and boredom will be a thing of the past.  Read on for ideas about kid crafts.

Kid crafts essential materials include paper, crayons, safe scissors, and glue.  Paper for kid crafts can include construction paper, plain typing paper, cardstock of various colors, and many other options.  Even junk mail and old magazines can make interesting art projects.  Crayons are nice for younger children, but the stores are now filled with other options, such as washable dry-erase markers, watercolor pencils, and gel pens.  Kid crafts supplies can run into money, but even on a budget there are many possibilities.

Other materials kids can craft with include recycled junk and found objects.  By recycled junk, I’m referring to empty cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes, cardboard from packaging, plastic containers, and even tin cans.  If you let kids craft with tin cans, however, you need to make sure the open edge of the can doesn’t have any sharp edges.  Simply file these off or squeeze them flat with a pair of pliers.

Found objects include leaves, twigs, rocks, snakeskins, and other natural item a child might find.  Perhaps there is a sheep farm nearby.  If so, wool scraps can often be found stuck to the barbed wire fences.  Any or all of these items can be used in kid crafts.

One of the most fun and popular kid crafts is making a collage.  Kids can glue anything down when making a collage.  Use heavy paper for the background, and then let the creativity begin!  For an extra challenge, a collage can be built around a theme, like food, animals, or babies.  Old magazines can be searched for just the right pictures, which can be cut out and glued to the background.  The older child might wish to cut out details from magazine pictures and reassemble them in new and interesting ways.  They might cut out interesting words and headlines and add them as well.

Younger kid crafts can include collages made of glued down pasta, beans, popsicle sticks, leaves, and many other materials.  Don’t forget about glitter, too.  If the budget allows only a few kid crafts splurges, remember that kids of all ages, particularly girls, really enjoy crafting artwork that includes glitter.  But whether your kids are boys or girls, young or older, suggest some kid crafts the next time your kids are bored!

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Distinguishing the signs of colic

Crying is the primal means of an infant to express him or herself. This is why it experts say that it is only a common occurrence if a baby cries often everyday. However, if an infant shows sudden irritability, excessive crying for more than 3 hours a day, and suffer from noticeable discomfort, then this could be a sign colic.

Indeed, one of the difficult phases of parenting is dealing with the infant when he or she shows signs of colic—a severe abdominal pain caused by spasm, obstruction, or distention of any of the hollow viscera such as the intestines. Known as a common problem from the first three weeks up to first three months of a child’ s life, colic is becoming one of the foremost concerns of more and more parents because they also experience and discomfort when their baby starts crying endlessly.

Usually evident from the first 3 weeks of an infant’s life, colic consists of recurrent spasm and abdominal pain. This period of pain usually lasts from three hours up to 12 to 15 hours daily depending on the severity of the case.

When a baby suffers from colic, he or she becomes hypertonic and can show alternating body postures that involve contractions, sudden stretching, spastically stiffening while he or she turns red. When these signs occur, parents should start observing their babies intently because it might be a simple colic or can be signs of a more serious digestive problem.

Until now, doctors and people in the medical world have yet to discover the causes of colic in infants. Although, there have been various studies that indicate the possible causes of the condition that affects 20 percent of babies in the world. Researchers say that colic can originate in a baby’s intestines since he or she has sensitive and developing digestive and nervous system.

Others say that colic can be a result of some environmental factors like certain milk formulas and cow’s milk for certain infants.

THE SIGNS

One of the most common signs of colic in infants is excessive crying with no apparent reason. Statistics show that 1 in every 10 babies experience colic because it is an apparent abdominal pain experienced in early infancy. Usually, colic attacks are evident before, during and after each meal. The cry usually starts out and can continue for 3 hours and more. Aside from loud and excessive crying, periods of irritability, and body contractions are also apparent signs of colic. Other signs of colic include:

Vigorous and excessive for long periods of time despite extreme efforts of consolation

Onset crying that starts around the same time everyday or night and can be ending or never-ending

- Suffers from gas discomfort
- Slight bloating of the abdomen
- Has a hard and bloated stomach
- Unlikely and patterned body contortions like pulling of knees to the chest
- Hard-clenched fists
- Flailing arms and legs
- Arched back
- Frequent sleeplessness
- Chronic irritability
- Unreasonable fussiness
- Reddening face due to ling periods of crying
- Excessive belching or spitting up after feeding
- Passing gas
- Experience difficulty in passing stools

This list includes only the usual signs of colic. It is best if you visit a doctor once you see these symptoms in your baby so you can be sure that he or she is not experiencing more serious illness as early as now.

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As Neil Armstrong disembarked from the space shuttle, he uttered these words, “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”  If you remember that historic first walk on the moon’s surface, you will understand why one small step at a time is the basic tenet needed to break your goals down into measurable steps.

Mr. Armstrong didn’t just utter one day, “Well, I think I’ll walk on the moon next week.”  It took years of education; practice; knowledge, commitment and focus before he was even able to board a spacecraft, let alone walk on the moon.  The point is everyone finds it difficult to stay focused on a goal.  The topsy-turvy world of self-motivation is evident everywhere.  Lose weight; gain weight. Even the smallest goal can carry the heaviest weight.

Realistic expectations and a positive attitude, combined with small action steps can make your goals more achievable.  How? You must first know and understand your goal. Begin with one specific goal, and write it down often. It doesn’t have to be anything major; start with something simple. Use construction paper and hang it up everywhere. This is your first step to focusing on your commitment.  Then, break it down into small steps.

For example: Let’s say you want to begin a diet and exercise program. Your goal is to lose 50 pounds, and be able to run two miles a day.  It’s August; you indicate a target date of February. Write it down: 50 pounds; two miles a day; February.  Focus daily on these words.  Next, break it down into even smaller steps.  Follow a specific diet plan; and begin running 10 minutes a day.  If in the first week, you begin to see results – your confidence will build; and you will become even more motivated to continue.

Keep a journal. In one half of the book record your diet progress; in the second half of the book record the amount of running time you’ve achieved. You may not believe it, but when you write about yourself, you tend not to lie about it.  Read your journal often. Use a red pen to write your diet and exercise achievements. Even if you consume something you shouldn’t, don’t worry about it. You’re not perfect; and you don’t need that kind of pressure. Just keep going. You’re allowed a mistake every once in a while.

Finally, never give up. You’ve come so far; your confidence is growing, and you are so close to your goal – stay focused. Reward yourself every now and then.  You deserve it! Don’t think about the end result, enjoy the journey.  If Neil Armstrong can walk on the moon; you can accomplish anything you set out to do.

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Plants are just as popular as furniture when one is deciding on furniture and soft furnishings.
Aside from the aesthetic value plants provide your home with, there are also health benefits - grade school science class tells us that plants cleanse the air through utilizing the carbon dioxide and producing more oxygen. Here is some important information on how to care for your indoor plants to gain the optimum health and aesthetic benefits.

Lighting

Most indoor plants need good lighting. You can provide this through natural lighting in the room of your choice or there must be electric lighting. Darker leaved plants usually don’t need as much light as others.

Here are the varieties of plants (usually those that only require medium to low light) that are known to be suitable for indoor gardening:

a. Philodendrons
b. Boston ferns
c. African violets
d. Cyclamens
e. Creeping Fig

Watering

A common mistake most people make in indoor gardening is they tend to over-water the plants, which may lead to rotting roots.  Make sure to research the type of plant you have, because each kind of plant varies on their watering needs.

Potting

Choose good quality and attractive container for your indoor plants. Make sure that the pot is clean before placing your new plant into it to prevent infection and to encourage healthy growth.

Humidity

In indoor gardening, humidity is a big issue.  The amount of moisture in the air has effect on the growth of the plants. During mornings, you could spray the plants with water for their much-needed moisture. Make sure the leaves don’t get covered in dust.

Fertilization

Just like watering, fertilizing depends on the type of plant.  If you have managed to supply your indoor garden with the right amount of light, water and humidity, fertilization may not need much attention. A good indoor fertilizer can be bought from most home depot or hardware stores. Orchids need the special fertilizer available.

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B-L-T Dip
1 lb bacon
2 tomatoes, ripe, diced
1 c sour cream
1 c mayonnaise
Fry the bacon very crisp and drain on paper towels. When cool,
crumble into small pieces and set aside. Combine the sour cream and
mayonnaise. Add the bacon and mix well. Just before serving, fold in
tomatoes and stir gently until well distributed.

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Being a healthy eater requires you to become both educated and smart about what healthy eating  actually is.  Being food smart isn’t about  learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it  about studying labels and counting calories.

Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least  three times per day.  Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group.

Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway.  You might eat too much or not enough, consume  foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious. However, you should always fuel your body and your brain regularly with enough food to keep  both your mind and body strong and alert.

A healthy eater is a good problem solver.  Healthy eaters have learned to take care of themselves and their eating with sound judgement and making wise decisions.  Healthy eaters are always aware of what they eat, and know the effect that it  will have on their bodies.

When someone is unable to take control of their eating, they are also likely to get out of control with other aspects of life as well.  They could
end up spending too much, talking too much, even going to bed later and later.

You should always remember that restricting food in any way is always a bad thing.  Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body or your lifestyle.  If you’ve thought about making your life better, healthy eating is just the place to start.  You’ll make
life easier for yourself, those around you, and  even your family.

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Not so long ago, wood was used primarily as a survival tool. Along with the many natural devices available in the environment such as stone and different parts of animals, these survival tools became one of the most vital tools in the development of civilization.

Today, wood is still an indispensable tool that humans will never grow tired of using. In fact, as civilization progressed and advanced, so did the utilization of wood. This is because wood has become more valuable patterned on its aesthetic value.

This kind of craft is better known as woodworking, and since its inception, different tools and devices were utilized to facilitate the production and processing of woodworking products.

The Plan

Like any endeavor or venture, planning has always been the basis of most projects or products. This is because a good project entails the best plan.

In woodworking, planning usually refers to the act of creating a balanced sketch or illustrative outline in order to give you an idea about the fundamental design of a particular woodworking project. This goes to show that in a woodworking plan, the final output can be slightly visualized and evaluated based on the descriptions stated.

With the advent of the Internet, many woodworking plans have been readily made available online. With this, people can easily start downloading some specific woodworking plans so that they can immediately start on the production stage.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all woodworking plans are feasible and workable. Would-be woodworkers must know some important pointers in choosing woodworking plans. Here’s the list:

1. Do your homework

Like anything else, it really pays off if you know what you’ve gotten yourself into. Before you choose a particular woodworking plan, it would be better if you will do some research on it first.

It will do you good if you will know what to look for in a woodworking plan. For instance, plans should be appropriate to use, that is, it should entail materials that are available in your area. It would be hard to try finishing a specific woodworking plan if your wood is nowhere to be found.

2. Shop and compare

Many websites offer woodworking plans. They usually offer you the same thing, though, they may vary based on the prices. If you think the price isn’t right, try to shop around and compare. From there, you can choose which plan would best work for you.

Indeed, woodworking can be very gratifying, as long as you have a good plan in mind. So, be careful.

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Do you know what kind of wood to use in your planned woodworking project?  Be careful of the wood you choose. There are numerous species and each has different characteristics, so you might never know which one will best work for you. Some may be too tough and some are too malleable.

Moreover, there are particular types that are best for cabinets, machineries, moldings, boat building and more. Some also easily finish and some don’t.

Hardwood

1) Mahogany

This is used for making highly-valuable woodworking projects such as cabinets, musical instruments, veneers and wood facings, patterns, and boat building. It has a reddish brown color and fine grains. It is so durable that it resists shrinking, warping and swelling.

2) Walnut

It is fine textured, easy to work with, and strong. It can end up being an excellent material for a quality woodworking project because of its “velvety natural colored sheen” when sanded.

3) Oak

It can resist moisture absorption, is durable and finishes well. It can be a bit heavy and strong but bends easily. It is used for more complex woodworking projects like outdoor furniture, trimming, baskets, boat framing, desks, chairs and flooring.

4) Maple

This type of wood can shrink moderately and has a fine texture. It usually defies denting and decay and doesn’t split easily when screwed or nailed. Because of its unvarying color, it is best used when making first-rate woodworking projects such as woodenware and excellent furniture.

Softwoods

1) Pine

It is rather stiff, has uniform texture and is soft and light. It has “low resistance” to shock and easily glues and holds nails and screws as well. It is usually utilized in the construction of houses, paneling, caskets, crates, boxes, furniture and molding.

2) Hemlock

“Non-resinous,” can defy low decay, light weight, uniformly textured. It can be glued without difficulty but can be a bit brittle. It is usually used for building construction, lumber, sidings, doors, paneling and sub flooring.

3) Fir

It has uniform texture and is “non-resinous.” It can also defy low decay. It is commonly used when making furniture frames, doors, windows, plywood, interior trims and veneer.

So, have you decided which one to use for your woodworking project? Take note that some types of woods may not be readily made available in your state not considering the fact that some nice ones come with a higher price. There are always alternatives and ways to cover up woods flaws so you can manage your woodworking project in a breeze.

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