The Adventures of a Stay-at-Home Dad of 5
Cornhole, the game of tossing a beanbag into a hole on a smooth board, is a fun outdoor game. Families across the country play it in their backyards, on camping trips and picnics. It is easy to transport and easy to learn, which makes it a fun family game for all ages. It’s Easy to…
Maintaining a clean family home is incredibly important. Cleaner homes are healthier homes, both physically and mentally. The physical benefits are more obvious as regular cleaning eliminates the dust, germs and allergens that wear us down and make us sick. The mental impact should not be ignored, however, as a cluttered environment has been linked…
Being a parent is hard, but there are a few things you can do to make your life a bit easier. Here is a list of things you can do to simplify your life as a parent: Protect Your Valuables: This will not only save you a trip to the store, but also help you…
Winter is a season associated with curling up under a blanket inside and hiding from the cold in the outside world. However, those habits can lead to bad habits later in life, as people start to fall out of good fitness routines and start isolating themselves when the snow begins to fall. Instead, you can…
I've been running my blog for just over 2 years now and from time to time I have gotten requests from people to guest write post to help them gain exposure or just because they enjoy writing but didn't want the commitment of their own blog. I have largely resisted allowing other people to post…
At the start of the summer I sat down with the kids and they brainstormed all the things they would love to do over the summer. It was fun for them to dream up places to go and it was helpful for me to know what types of things to plan. I was rather fortunate…
As the summer is winding down and the kids are starting back to school, our family continued our tradition of ending the summer with a week on the beach. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all take the week off and head over to the beach for a wonderful week of relaxing, good cooking, fun, sun,…
Adding a 5th kid into the mix won't make a difference I said. Going from 3 kids to 4 kids was hardly noticeable, so I imagine going from 4 to 5 won't be a big deal either. I was wrong. It has been noticeable. It has been more difficult. It has been mentally exhausting. And…
Yes , Yes, I know. Mother's Day was nearly a week ago. I'm a little behind on my video editing and uploading. My apologies. My kids wanted to talk about their mom and they decided they should do it on the couch so it would be more special for her. I had a little chat…
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.…
As they've started doing lately, the boys told me they wanted to do a playground interview and then they got all crazy. What is it about a camera that makes kids lose their minds? Actually plenty of adults lose their minds in front of cameras too. I think entire TV shows are based around this…
When the package arrived in the mail, I could hardly wait to rip into it. I hurried inside and threw the junk mail on the counter and pulled the book out. As I saw the cover, I got goose bumps. After reading the personalized inscription I was tearing up. It only got better after that.…
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…
Here is the latest episode from our playground. I actually filmed it the same day as episode 5 in case you are wondering why we are all wearing the same clothes. It's hard to have a serious conversation with these 4 crazy kids. And there is something about a camera that makes kids lose their…
Happy Friday everyone! After a lengthy time away, playground interviews have returned. This week I asked my kids to help me make an instructional video. I didn't bother to tell them what we were going to be instructing about. I had to have my oldest son operate the camera so I could have both hands…
One day a while back, I went to wash my hands. I went into the downstairs bathroom and pumped a squirt of soap onto my hands. I immediately noticed that the soap was incredibly watery. I remembered noticing the day before that the soap level was low and thinking I needed to add more soap.…
I've been a parent of 5 kids for a month now. It's been a little bit of an adjustment period for everyone but overall it's going fairly smoothly. There have been a few things I've noticed and I've decided I'd share them. I can't remember the baby's name. His name is Finnley, we call him…
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've never been a morning person. Ever. Everyday as a kid getting up for school was such a battle. I can remember dragging myself downstairs to the kitchen table and falling back asleep waiting for my mom or dad to get me a bowl of cereal or a pop tart or whatever I was eating…
Kids don't come with a handbook and much of parenting is on the job training. Thankfully for all of you, I have learned a thing or two about being a great parent. As I prepare to become a dad for the 5th time I've decided I should share some of my pearls of wisdom with…
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…
The 3rd installment of Playground Interviews has finally arrived. In this episode we discuss our outrage that Starbucks has red cups for Christmas and the kids weigh in on their choices for the 2016 presidential race. This is a political debate unlike any you've ever heard. I promise. https://youtu.be/vONqd3rdRz8 You can watch episode 1…
What is going on in the world? I know my blog usually doesn't have anything to do with world events but it seems silly to just type away pretending Paris wasn't attacked 3 days ago. It's a sad, scary and uncertain world we are living in today. The sophistication of the latest attack was virtually…
Today is Veterans Day so I thought it was appropriate to interview the kids about that today. And what an interview it was! It was complete with a dinosaur and an appearance from a real helicopter. A big thank you to all the men and women who serve and have served to help keep our…
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,…
This is a post I wasn't sure I'd ever write. I wasn't sure I even wanted to write it. But with October being SIDS, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month I decided now seemed appropriate to write this post. We currently have 4 children and my wife is pregnant now. This is her 6th pregnancy.…
As a parent, family vacations are anything but relaxing, quiet, peaceful getaways. On many levels it's more stressful than just staying at home, but I can't imagine not going on family vacations. Isn't this what you sign on for when you decide to have kids? Aren't crazy family vacations what you talk about and laugh…
Like most people who have little kids will tell you, they can say the craziest things sometimes. My kids are no different. They are always making some off the wall and usually funny comment. It also seem that the crazy second child , Greyson, is the biggest culprit. I decided this past week I was going…
It's always been interesting to me how different my kids are. They each have the same biological parents and have each been raised together but they are all just as unique as they can be. As I got to thinking about it the other day I realized they were each like a point on a…
Here are a 6 practical, no frills pointers to help out any new and soon-to-be parents. Photo Storage System In about a weeks time you are going to have taken more pictures of your new baby than all the other pictures in your life combined. You will need to figure out a good way to store…
Here are a few practical, no frills pointers to help out any new and soon-to-be parents. Photo Storage System In about a weeks time you are going to have taken more pictures of your new baby than all the other pictures in your life combined. You will need to figure out a good way to…
What's up with #2? Why is it that more often than not the second born child is crazy? That's certainly the case with our second child. I often think of him as my own personal Charles Dickens "He's the best of times, he's the worst of times" His name is Greyson and I have found…
Growing up, nearly everyday after school my father would take me out to the back porch and proceed to beat me. He got so good at it, sometimes he would take a paddle in each hand and alternate one after another. I lost count of how many times he beat me. I was powerless to…
Dear Dad to-be, Congrats! Your life will never be the same. For better or worse, the birth of your first child is an event that will forever change you. So much of becoming a new parent focuses on moms. There is good reason, moms do all of the hard work for the first 9 months,…
Silence is Golden Trouble. Watching a movie and watching kids are two totally different beasts. Silence really is desirable in a movie theater. I don't want my house to be a screaming chaotic train wreck for 18 hours a day but when the whole house is pin-drop quiet I get uneasy. Allow me to back…
As a stay at home dad, I don't get all caught up in trying to portray some manly macho image to my kids or to the world to counter act the fact that I stay home and do a traditionally female role. It honestly doesn't cross my mind 99% of the time. We have 3…
When did birthing a child make you an expert on all things? We used to have the notion that father knows best but the media and women's liberation groups have seen to it that we no longer go around saying that. Now the catchy phrase is "mom always knows best." I saw the above flier…
I want my family to be able to go on a wonderful vacation. A long trip to Disney or maybe even a Disney Cruise would be a great option. A strategic road trip visiting zoos, aquariums and museums would also be lovely. Ten days is how long I would like this vacation to be, ten…
Heading home the other night we stopped at a red light and our 3 year old pipes up from the back seat: "Is that our lollipop getting place?" My wife and I looked over to see a bank drive though lit up and we just started laughing. As far as he is concerned, a bank…
When you become a parent everyone, whether you want it or not, decides they need to give you advice. You hear about how "It'll be the best part of your life" how "You'll never get any sleep" "Your life will never be the same again" "Cherish them, they'll never be little again." How-to book after…
My second born, the three-year old, is a walking soundbite. Sometimes I have a difficult time remembering all the crazy things he's said throughout the day to repeat them later. He's also so animated and has such great delivery that sometimes simply repeating his word doesn't do the situation justice. Last night at dinner he…
We are a family of six. Problem is we had a kitchen table for 4. So we took to the internet to find a table that would fit our family and our kitchen. The style we decided on were running anywhere from $400-$800. In the scheme of life that wouldn't break the bank but I…
I was late to the coffee party. My dad drank one cup of instant black coffee every morning and my mom never touched the stuff. A few sips of my dad's coffee as a child effectively turned me off to the stuff. But then in my late 20s something happened. I had a job where…
We don't do a whole lot of arts & crafts around my house. It's not that I have some aversion to it. I actually enjoy painting and the like, but it's really challenging with little kids. It's usually super messy, set-up & clean up take 45 minutes while the project itself only lasts 10 and…
On occasion I send the kids out into the fenced-in back yard to run around and play while I get dinner ready in the kitchen and watch them through the large bay windows. I usually open one of the windows so I can keep a better ear out for anything that might be going on.…
When our first child was born all he knew was one on one time with mom or dad. When our second child was born we could still rather easily find the time to split the kids up and get some quality one on one time with each of them. When our daughter was born it…
Trips to the doctor's office are always unpredictable. Thankfully today was one of those days where my wife had off and I didn't have to take all the kids in with me. The two youngest had well-checks so I tossed some extra snacks into my bag and off we went. Both kids fell asleep in…
I consider myself to be a typical dude. I love football, I hunt, I fish, I do my own car repairs, if I need a handyman I go into the garage and get my tools, I do my own yard work, I carry a pocket knife, I love all things electronic, I shave a couple…