The Adventures of a Stay-at-Home Dad of 5
When I was in 1st grade I got my first watch. It was a rather plain white watch with a basic face. I was probably the only 1st grader in school that was wearing a watch and probably the only one who could even tell time. But I was hooked and I've had an affinity…
I'm always looking for ways to save my family money. Fortunately, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is always looking for ways to help their customers save money. We live in a wonderful age where technology has integrated itself into our lives. As it turns out, this technology can help us save money. FPL has…
Well, Hurricane Irma gave us a run for our money here in Florida. Hurricanes come with the territory here as we wrap up the Summer and get into Fall. Know what also comes with Florida Falls? Cool weather and beautiful multi-colored leaves. Just kidding, it's still 90 degrees and any trees that Irma didn't blow…
If you're like everyone else I've ever met in my life, you like to save money whenever you can. That's easier said than done, though, when the hot dog-days of summer drive up the energy costs in your home. Fortunately, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has some great tips for ways you can noticeably…
Remember when you had to print pictures out before you could see them? It would take weeks before you would know if the picture you took turned out blurry or not...or if your finger was in the way. I remember that, but those days are long gone. Today we can look at the pictures we…
My family and I have recently moved. It was a local move and we moved to a bigger house with a larger yard. Our back yard has a terrific outdoor space and overlooks a beautiful marsh and creek area. Being that we live in Florida, we were quite concerned about bugs and mosquitoes. We were…
Do you have old videotapes lying around? Memories don’t belong in a box. These cute little DV tapes are full of memories… your wedding day, the birth of your first baby, your child’s first birthday, your favorite family vacation to Disney. So many BIG things on such a small tape. The problem is, they are…
If your kids are at all like mine, they have a few one piece pajamas. Those pajamas look so unbelievably comfortable. I've always been just a tad bit jealous that as an adult I don't get the same options for pajamas. Well, little did I know, I do have that same option as an adult!…
We live in a digital age and our photos are no exception. The digital camera has allowed us to take and share more pictures than ever before. It's a blessing and a curse. Of course it's awesome to be able to share those sweet images with friends and family instantly over social media but it…
You know what I love? Technology! You know what I hate? The smell of cat urine! Lucky for me, the Litter-Robot exists. Lucky for you, they are giving one away everyday until Christmas! That's right! Starting today and going everyday until Christmas the Litter-Robot is giving away an amazing prize pack. Click here and enter…
The Potty Protector is a nifty tool that was created with mom and dad in mind. Boys of all ages miss the "mark" from time to time and can quickly turn a clean bathroom into a messy (and smelly) war zone. The Potty Protector is a plastic shield that fits easily on your toilet to…
I don't believe I have had the pleasure of interviewing anyone on the blog before, so I'm excited to debut another Sunshine Dad first. I had the privilege of getting to interview children's author and illustrator Erin Frew. Her book Golden Boy Bailey has been named among the best in family-friendly media, products and services…
Thanks to CROSS Pens for partnering with me on this post! CROSS pens, which have long been recognized for their outstanding pens, has partnered with Marvel to come out with a fantastic line of pens featuring Iron Man, Spider man and Captain America. After much deliberation I decided to cast my lot in with team…
Father's Day is quickly approaching and every year we are always scrambling to find the best fathers day gifts for our dad. We want unique gifts or cool gifts but also gifts that our dad will actually want and use. A wooden watch from Jord checks off all those boxes. Not only does Jord make…
Sponsored post by Lunchbox. All opinions are my own. Learning to ride a bike is a childhood rite of passage. The falls and scrapes are all worth it in the end when you are finally able to ride free with the wind in your face and your worries at your back. For a kid a…
It's an idea I've had for a while but had a hard time motivating myself to actually do it: Create a yearbook for my family. A photo album book that would encapsulate one year of our lives. Thankfully Nowvel came along and offered me a chance to try out one of their books for free.…
The summer is quickly approaching here in Florida and that means two things; crazy heat and frequent trips to the beach. Aside from sunscreen one of the most important items to remember to take with you to the beach is a great big towel. I had a chance recently to try out a pair of…
We have 5 kids in our family and 4 of them are boys. Our one girl is vastly outnumbered but she holds her own with those boys. I think she might be the toughest one of the bunch. She has to watch a lot of TV shows the boys want to watch because she gets…
As some of you know, when I'm not watching my kids I really enjoy performing with my improv comedy group Mad Cowford . Our group puts on a show every Friday night in downtown Jacksonville, Florida at the Hourglass Pub . Shows start at 7:30 if you ever want to drop in. In addition to…
I've lived in 2 states in my life; Florida and Connecticut. Both states must regularly deal with moisture and the problems that follow. Basements in Connecticut are constantly fighting dampness as well as mold and mildew. Homes in Florida are assaulted by the ever present high humidity. Anywhere, a broken water pipe or a leaky…
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say everyone loves saving money. I don't know anyone who enjoys deliberately throwing money away. Unfortunately that's exactly what we do with our homes if we are not being energy efficient. We are wasting 100s and sometimes 1000s of dollars a year. Some of that…
As a parent, one of the things I think about quite a bit is my children's education. We made the decision to move to one of the top school districts in our state but that doesn't stop me from wondering if homeschooling would still be a great option. One of the things that has been…
I just did a review of a pair of sleepsie pajamas from Baby Deedee . You can read my full review here. Well, Baby Deedee has agreed to give all my readers 20% off their entire order via this link . If you click there and place your order you will get 20% off, that's…
I don't know what it is about Batman that stands the test of time. But he has been one of the most beloved super heros since he was first introduced by DC Comics in 1939. It's also interesting to note that Batman doesn't have any special powers, he relies on his intellect and great physical…
Sponsored Post by Lunchbox We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the newest addition to our family. This bundle of joy could come any day. With this addition will come sleepless nights, late night feedings and an adjustment period for our family. As she has done with our other 4 children, my wife will breastfeed…
I have teamed up with CanvasPop.com to bring you one of my best giveaways to date. One of my lucky readers will win a 16x20 framed photo with 2.5 inch mat. You are going to love this! CanvasPop sent me one to review. The hardest thing was to try and decide which of my hundreds…
I have mentioned several times that I am a big fan of the chalk board and the dry erase board around the house. I need a calendar to keep myself organized. Yes, I have one on my phone but it doesn't quite replace an old fashioned wall calendar. I have been through quite a few…
When we first got married my wife worked for one year as an elementary school PE teacher. One of their units was all about cup stacking. I grew up playing and excelling in sports. I loved PE; it was my favorite subject every year from Kindergarten to Senior year of High School. (For the record,…
Bed time routine around here almost always involves a few books. There is nothing quite like a great book to whisk you away on a great adventure. Recently I was sent a copy of Goodnight Lad to check out. The story was a tale about a boy who wouldn't go to bed and the lengths…
Did you ever want to create your very own super hero? Well, now you can. Click here to head over to DC Kids where you can customize your very own hero. I made my own in the picture above. He looks just like me, I know! While you are there you can check out some…
This post is sponsored by eKavach As if parenting wasn't already hard enough in the real world we also have to make sure we protect our kids in the digital world too. The internet has opened a whole new world of threats to our kids that we need to be aware of, such as cyber…
Scooby-Doo was easily one of my favorite cartoons growing up and I still have tons of LEGOS around my house now. Well, lucky for my 10 year old self, LEGO and Scooby-Doo have teamed up to make a series of stop motion YouTube videos using the new Scooby-Doo LEGO sets. I can remember taking my…
This post brought to you by Maytag . The content and opinions expressed below are that of Sunshine Dad. If your kids are anything like mine, they know how to get dirty. I'm not talking about a "oh you have a little dab of dirt on your elbow dirty" I'm talking about "go straight to…
The written word can be very powerful. It can be a great way to express love, record memories and give advice. Many parents have started journals or scrapbooks for their children and many others have started blogs. I have recently come across another way to preserve messages you want to pass on to loved ones.…
I've touched on this before, if you come to our house you will see we are desperately trying to keep our life organized through various methods. We have a dry erase monthly calendar on the wall . We have a separate set of dry erase boards to keep track in more detail of each day…
I have no idea who coined the term "sleep like a baby," obviously it was someone who never had a baby. Many babies have a very difficult time sleeping for extended periods of time, especially through the night. "Sleep like a teenager" is probably a significantly better term. I've seen teens go to bed at…
I sort of thought I knew a little bit about Blackbeard the Pirate but honestly I really only knew that he had a dark colored beard and sailed the Caribbean. I'm significantly more up to speed now thanks to the fine folks over at Blue Planet Tales . They have an excellent iPad app that…
If your kids are anything like mine they are always getting some random rashes. Sometimes they go away in minutes, sometimes they linger for days. I don't know if I should be putting moisturizing lotion on it or getting a prescription for an antibiotic ointment. So what do I do? Well that's easy, I ask…
I'm really excited about today for 2 reasons. One, this is the 100th post I've made to Sunshine Dad, a feat that seemed crazy just a few short months ago. And two, I've got a pretty sweet giveaway for you guys today. I have partnered with Mobicip to give one Sunshine Dad reader a free…
As Father's Day is quickly approaching, I'm sure many of you are scrambling to think of ideas for your dad. Dad's can be hard to shop for at times. So I have put together a list of a few items that you might not have considered. I'm also really excited that I'll be giving away a couple…
My kids love Batman. One of them was Batman for Halloween this past year. We've got more Batman stuff laying around the house than I know what to do with. So when I was given a chance to work with DCKids & WBKids to help promote Batman and give you guys a chance to win…