Read To Me, Dad

Survival Tools for Dads

BenSpark — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:05:32 +0000

As a new dad I didn’t know what to expect. But after 18 months of practice I’m pretty sure I’ve got many things down pat. Here are 5 things I could not do without.

5. – Books - My favorite one for prepping for fatherhood was The Expectant Father. Allison gave me this book and it was perfect.

4. – The Baby Sherpa - This backpack diaper bag was a life saver when Eva was little, I could put on the backpack and carry everything we needed, it worked great on the planes too when we would travel back and forth to Florida with Eva. I loved this so much that I got one for my boss when she had twins.

3. – Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat - We took Eva everywhere and she was a bit small for the regular high chairs so we got this. Taking Eva to different restaurants was so easy when we used this booster seat.

2. – Digital SLR - Capturing ever moment of Eva’s 1st year was very important to me and having a DSLR was key to capture the action. We now have so many incredible memories captured digitally to keep forever.

1. – Sense of Humor - So many fun things have happened both before and after we had Eva. Without an ability to find the funny we would have gone crazy.

Today’s assignment for Day 2 of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge is to write a list post.

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Copyright (c) 2009 Read To Me, Dad

Survival Tools for Dads
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Day 1 -31DBBB – Write an Elevator Pitch

BenSpark — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:08:04 +0000

Today’s task in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge is to write an elevator pitch for your blog.

This blog has certainly lost its direction. I intend to get it back in this 31 day challenge. I’m also doing the challenge on BenSpark.com

Here is my elevator pitch for Read To Me, Dad.

“Children love to be read to, and by doing this parents help their kids develop a love of reading themselves. Read to Me, Dad reads and reviews various children’s books and offers parents suggestions for the best books for them and their kids.“

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Copyright (c) 2009 Read To Me, Dad

Day 1 -31DBBB – Write an Elevator Pitch
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Springtime Fun is Here

BenSpark — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:51:00 +0000

With a few false starts it looks like Spring is finally here. This is one of my favorite times of year because it means we can finally leave the house without being all bundled up, wearing boots and hats. We can now go off to the local parks and zoos. At the local parks we can play on the playground equipment with Eva, she is a big fan of slides. She also likes the swings but we’ve not been doing much swinging lately. The last time she went was her 1st birthday. (Which, coincidentally, feels like the last time I posted to this blog.)

Dad Blogs is a fan of Springtime as well. They are having a whopper of a contest. Dad Blogs has teamed up with Kid’s Creations to give away the Three Ring Adventure. (pictured below)

This is an amazing playset. It has it all. Here is a list of the specs & features:

Features:

Trapeze Bar

Tire Swing

Telescope

Ductile Iron Swing Hangers

Steering Wheel

2×6 Safety Steps

Rope Ladder

Rock Climbing Wall

3 Swings

Disc Rope Swing

10′ Heavy Duty Wave Slide

2 Safety Handles

12oz Vinyl Canopy

4 Position Swing Beam

4×6 Deck Supports

4×6 Swing Beam

5′ Deck Height

5′x5′ Deck

Specifications:

Length 27′ 3″

Width 11′ 3″

Height 11′

Delivery Time: 3-4 weeks
Number of Boxes: 4
Time to Unload: 20 min
Shipping Cost: free with contest
Tools Needed:

Ratchet

3/4″ Socket

1/2″ Socket

Cordless Drill

3/8 Drill (to install rocks in wall)

Hammer

* Swing beam is rated at 250 lbs per swing *
Kid’s Creations is the only manufacturer to feature 100% con-heart redwood!

Growing up I remember having a swingset in the backyard. It was secured into the ground with concrete. Did you know that over time that gets loose and when you are a kid trying to swing as high as you can you can actually pull the concrete out of the ground. I certainly hope that Eva won’t try something like that, we were dangerous kids back in those days. What I do hope is that if we win this prize Eva will enjoy spending more time in her own back yard playing and having adventures. I think a playset like this one from Kid’s Creations would be awesome because there is just so much to do on it. I’m sure our place would be a favorite among all of Eva’s friends.
I could capture all the fun times with the Canon SD1100 powershot that Dad Blogs is throwing into the overall prize package. Not that I need another camera but I could upgrade my old SD800is.

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Copyright (c) 2009 Read To Me, Dad

Springtime Fun is Here
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Chase

BenSpark — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:17:41 +0000

Eva and I love to play chase. She walks around the house shouting “Chase” until I turn around and put up my hands and say “I’m gonna chase you!” And then we play chase until I’m ready to pass out. And with all that jumping and rolling it is pretty quick.
Eva loves so many fun things one of them is SeaWorld. She had an awesome time there last year and if we win Ted Murphy’s contest for a vacation for 4 to be 1st to ride Manta well, then she can go on back there and have more fun. I can imagine her but the dolphin tank yelling “chase!”. She loved those dolphins.

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Copyright (c) 2009 Read To Me, Dad

Chase
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Kids show by kids

BenSpark — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:02:56 +0000

I found a new blog that has some kids videos that are made by kids and/or selected by kids. They are cute. Although the sound and production qualities could be a little better as the kids tend to raise their voices well beyond what a cheap mic can record. But it is cute anyway. Take a look at The Awesome Web Show.

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Copyright (c) 2009 Read To Me, Dad

Kids show by kids
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