In the event that you are not familiar with the show, “No Reservations” is hosted by chef and author Anthony Bourdain as he travels the globe sharing insights into the food and culture of unique destinations. The sometimes foul-mouthed chef might rub some people the wrong way but he certainly does not shy away from the outrageous cuisine or experiences that he encounters along the way.

The new season kicks off with Bourdain visiting Laos, where he will discover exotic cuisines as well as a mysteriously haunting history. Take a look at the following sneak peek to see what else the new season will deliver.

If you’re a fan of the show, which airs on Monday evenings on the Travel Channel, you might also want to follow @NoReservations on twitter to stay current with news on the show or check out Anthony’s blog - although with less than one post per month there isn’t too much to follow there.

Given that Anthony recently had a baby daughter, it would be interesting to get an interview on work life balance from a world-traveler to give us insight into the man we see on screen.

Are you a fan of the show “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations“?

After celebrating a safe and happy 4th of July weekend (for those of us here in the United States), check out the new season on Monday and let me know what you think.

“You always get to pick the game, it’s my turn!”

“You always get to pick the TV show, I don’t want to watch this.”

“You always get to pick the music, I want to listen to my CD.”

When it comes to siblings, there is no telling what kind of silly things they will find to argue about - who picks the movie to go see, who gets the mail from the mailbox, who turns off the TV (yes, my kids have argued about this before), and who decides whether we go on a bike ride or play football.

As a parent, we try to mediate as many of these arguments as possible. The difficult part as a parent is settling the argument without favoring one child over another.

Earlier today I was reading through some information at All Pro Dad and came across an article that was discussing a Kid of the Week plan to avoid sibling arguments.

The general idea behind the Kid of the Week plan is that each child is assigned the status as the special “kid of the week” on a rotating basis. Whenever a situation comes up during the week, the current kid of the week gets the first selection.

Whenever mom or dad attempts to settle an argument, there is a good chance that at least one child will feel the decision is unfair. With a plan like the Kid of the Week, the children will have a means of settling their own arguments in a fair way that is easy to understand.

In our house, two of the biggest arguments are centered around video games and the television. Since we have somewhat strict rules about how much television our kids can watch and how long they can play video games, they each want to maximize their time watching their favorite shows or playing their favorite games. Using a plan like the Kid of the Week could be a perfect solution to these arguments.

How do your children settle their arguments?

That is what has prompted me to write this post today - as earlier this morning my Grandma passed away after recently celebrating her 90th birthday. After receiving the phone call this morning and spending some time talking to my wife, we had to sit down and tell our kids that Great Grandma had died.

As a matter of fact, that was the first question I asked my wife: “Do we tell them that she passed away or that she died?”

We opted to say that she died.

One of the mistakes that we often make when talking to our children about death and dying is that we try to sugarcoat things to protect them. When talking to kids about death, try not to use words that will confuse them as that can cause even more difficulty.

Consider the following - your child asks, “What is death like?”

You respond, “Death is like going to sleep. Grandma is sleeping.”

When your child associates death with sleeping, don’t be surprised if your child has a very difficult time going to sleep for quite awhile. The fear in their mind is that they will go to sleep and never wake up again.

Last year we had a difficult time as we were mourning the loss of my Opa and our son became ill with an unknown virus that resulted in him spending a rather scary week in the hospital. At the same time, there was another death of someone we knew. As you can imagine, our son became very concerned that he was going to die in the hospital and had a very difficult time sleeping.

While you are being careful to use appropriate words and be as direct as possible, you should also prepare yourself for some very bizarre questions.

“Will the worms crawl all over Grandma in the ground?”

“How will Grandpa go to the bathroom?”

There are a lot of questions racing through a child’s mind when they encounter death, some of which will likely seem inappropriate. It is important to allow your children to express themselves and know that asking their questions will not get them in trouble. As mentioned earlier, be aware of how you answer their questions and be as direct as possible.

Along with the discussions about death and dying, you will be faced with the question of whether your children should attend the wake and/or funeral services.

In my opinion, yes they should - as long as you prepare them ahead of time for what they will (and maybe more importantly will not) see. If the services are open casket, explain to them what the casket will look like and that they will be able to see the person that has died. Also be sure to tell them that the person will not be able to sit up, move, or breathe.

Attending the wake and funeral can offer closure for the child and help them understand that they will not see the person again. However, it is probably best not to force your children to participate. If they don’t feel comfortable going up to see the body, allow them their space and provide them any comfort that they need.

Death is a part of life that children will be exposed to often at an early age. As a parent, we can help that process tremendously by being honest and as straightforward as possible in order to reduce the potential confusion and fear in our child’s mind.

Have you talked about death with your kids?

What has or hasn’t worked for you?

I wanted to dedicate this post to helping you get some great shots for this event. The techniques are really pretty simple! All you need is a camera that lets you set the shutter speed and ISO, and preferably a tripod if you can find one lying around.

The key to great fireworks shots (and we’re talking the controlled blasts happening in front of your house, not the big shows downtown) is setting a slow shutter speed. With that slower shutter, you give the camera a better ability to register all the light activity that’s going on in the scene.

Accordingly, you’ll need a tripod for those long exposures. You can still get some great light streaks going on without one, but you might not be able to see good definition in them.

Set the ISO to 100, because the fireworks are going to be so bright that you won’t need to go any higher than that. Set the camera mode to Shutter Priority (Tv). That’s it!

Here are a couple of example shots along with their shutter and aperture settings:

1/85th, f2.8

1 second, f8

1 second, f8

3 seconds, f8

The aperture really doesn’t matter for these shots - what the camera sets for you will probably be fine. You can see the difference between the first shot (handheld) and the subsequent images (on tripod). For autofocus, you might need to wait until the fireworks actually start before hitting the shutter button, because the camera won’t be able to focus if it’s too dark. Also, try to not end up downwind from the smoke coming from your fireworks - you don’t want that stuff messing up your camera!

So go forth and produce incredible fireworks images this 4th of July! And try not to blow your fingers off!

Eric Doggett is a photographer in Austin, Texas. He has a site specifically for baby photography tips at ShootTheBaby.com, as well as BoxOfficeBaby.com, a site where you can order custom birth/party announcement posters - a unique gift newborn children can keep forever. You can reach him at babydaddy -at- ShootTheBaby.com.

While we will still be hosting the party and it will be the same good time with plenty of food and drinks; there will be more kids in attendance.

During the inaugural party eight years ago, we had a few neighbors with kids but none of our friends had any children. Fast forward to today and the couples with children far outweigh those without.

When it is all said and done, there will be anywhere from 17-22 kids in attendance this year with the general age range between 5 years old and 9 years old.

The household dispute is centered around activities for the kids to enjoy.

We own one of those moonwalk bouncy contraptions and set that up every year. In addition, we usually fill up 200-300 water balloons for the obligatory water balloon fight and feature back yard games such as cornhole (bean bag toss for the uninitiated), ladder golf, and bocce ball.

Beyond these “organized” games, the kids typically run around the yard playing in the fort or the sandbox entertaining themselves.

This year my wife does not feel that the above is sufficient.

I do.

She wants to nix the water balloons, as it bordered on violent last year, and instead opt to rent an additional combo moonwalk and slide inflatable thing-a-ma-job.

I don’t.

The inflatable rectangle of joy that we currently own measures 8′ by 6′ when measuring the interior bouncing area. With more kids nearing the upper range of the 5-9 age bracket, it really isn’t big enough for a lot of them - but the smaller kids can still enjoy it.

The thought is that we can rent a moonwalk that is 15′ by 15′ for the entire day and the bigger kids can bounce their heart out in that while the smaller kids enjoy the bouncy that we own.

At a cost of $250 for the entire day, I think that is an expensive option given that most of the older kids will probably bounce in it for 15-20 minutes and be done. As an example, we just set up our smaller bouncy for our two kids and they were in it for about 10 minutes when a friend called and asked to play. They quickly ditched the bouncy for the time playing with their friends.

When my wife asks me what the kids will do if we don’t have a larger bouncy (or some alternative like a huge inflatable water slide), my response is that they can have a cornhole tournament or we can play some games like dodgeball, tag, or whatever.

Her response to that is those are everyday activities - the 4th of July party should be special.

I agree - but it doesn’t have to be $250 special in my opinion.

As we continue to discuss our options, my wife suggested that I turn to the community and see what everyone thinks about our household dispute.

Should we rent an additional moonwalk bouncy for the older kids?

Are there other activities that would be better?

Speak your mind!

No, not the bathroom.

We’re talking about a Man Cave!

A Man Cave is a dedicated area, such as a basement, bonus room, garage, or even a free standing shed, where a man can retreat for quiet time or party time with the buddies.

The distinguishing feature of the Man Cave is that it is designed (and decorated) by the man and for the man - basically all of the things that the woman in your life refuses to have in the rest of the house can be found in the Man Cave.

It is a place where you might find things like a poker table, sports memorabilia, video games, or even a personal keg-o-rator.

The possibilities are endless!

How popular are Man Caves?

The Man Cave is popular enough to warrant its own television show on the DIY Network (which my cable package does not offer) hosted by Jason Cameron and ex-NFL football player Tony Siragusa. Together they offer ideas and do-it-yourself plans to turn your own space into an official guys hangout.

There is even an Official Man Cave Site featuring a Cave Gallery and information on how to make your Man Cave the place that you want it to be.

What would you want in a Man Cave?

Some guys prefer a place to hang out while others prefer a more rustic place. Or maybe you prefer something a little more luxorious.

The important thing is that the Man Cave is what you want it to be.

After coming home Friday night to a house full of children bouncing off the walls enjoying a Camp Rock party, I could have really used a Man Cave of my own and have started a rough plan of what mine will look like.

Do you have your own Man Cave?

Here is your chance to show off and let all the other guys drool over your Man Cave. Send me a few photos and a brief description of your Man Cave to be featured here on The Man Page.

No, we aren’t hosting a birthday party for teething toddlers - although that might be a safer choice.

So what will be the cause of all the commotion?

Camp Rock!

For those that don’t know (which I didn’t until I received the dumb-founded stares and subsequent lecture from my wife), Camp Rock is a new Disney movie that is premiering tonight.

Mitchie Torres, played by Demi Lovato, has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend the prestigious musical camp known as Camp Rock. Little does Mitchie know but the camp is loaded with super competitive campers all working to perfect their musical talents. With the help of instructors such as Shane Gray, played by Joe Jonas from The Jonas Brothers, she will learn to face her fears of being in the spotlight.

Our youngest son is a music and hip-hop fanatic and a movie like this is right up his alley. He’ll likely be dancing along with the movie and loving every minute of it.

But it isn’t just my son that will be dancing around and being crazy.

We are hosting a Camp Rock party at our house tonight.

All of the kids from our block are coming over - about 10 to 15 kids total - to have dinner, watch the movie, and get a little crazy.

My wife gets into this stuff more just as much as the kids, as she has made Camp Rock t-shirts and has put together a bag of goodies for all of the kids. The house has an assortment of Camp Rock decorations and if I didn’t know better, I would think our house was part of the movie set.

What about me?

As much as I enjoy the excitement that the kids (and my wife) have for the debut of this movie, I’ll be sitting out on the deck with the other dads having a few cold drinks and some good conversation. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Are your kids going to be glued to Camp Rock tonight?

My kids are fans of just about everything broadcast on the Disney Channel, which means that I regularly see Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter, Miley, on the show Hannah Montana. They seem to have a good working relationship on the show and since I don’t keep tabs on celebrity news very often, I wondered why his fathering skills were being questioned.

Apparently, 15-year-old Miley Cyrus recently had a provocative photo shoot for the June issue of Vanity Fair that included a photo of a topless Miley wrapped in a sheet.

The criticism coming down on Billy Ray is not only about why he was not monitoring the photo shoot of his daughter; but also about a photo that he had taken with Miley that some feel looks inappropriate for a father and daughter.

Should Billy Ray have been monitoring the photo shoot?

In a perfect world, he would have been there during the entire photo shoot. However, being a celebrity himself with a previous commitment, he was not able to personally attend the entire shoot but there were people there whom he felt had Miley’s best interests in mind and had the situation in control.

As a parent, sometimes that is the best we can do.

The article at Yahoo! contains a poll, which at last count indicated the following sentiments about the photo shoot:

• 48% thought he should have been chaperoning the photo shoot
• 24% thought the publicist should have been monitoring more closely
• 30% thought there was nothing wrong with the photo shoot

During an interview on the Today show, Billy Ray was asked about whether he had words with Vanity Fair after the fact regarding the racy photo of his daughter. He responded with an interesting lesson he learned from his father:

The more you stomp in poop, the more it stinks.

He recognized the situation for what it was and said that they just needed to accept that this happened and deal with it.

That doesn’t sound like a terrible father to me.

When asked about the photo that he had taken with his daughter, which many felt looked more like a boyfriend and girlfriend rather than a father and daughter, his response was that he did not feel it was a mistake and was simply a daddy that loves his daughter a whole lot.

Looking at this photo, I can see how some would say it teeters on the edge of creepiness but you can also see the close bond between a father and a daughter who just happens to be growing up into an attractive woman.

Again, I don’t think this makes Billy Ray Cyrus a bad dad.

Do you agree or disagree?

It is with great honor that The Man Page presents the 8th Edition of The Manival.

For those that are new to The Manival, it is a weekly blog carnival featuring blog posts written by men and for men. You will find posts covering a variety of topics important to men, including information on careers, family life, health & fitness, and being manly.

With that said, I invite you to sit back, relax, and strap it down!

Editor’s Pick

• Corey Allan from The Simple Marriage Project shares the secret of “How To Have Curl Your Toes Sex.” While this might not be the raunchy, tabloid story you were hoping for; you will find great advice on building a stronger - and more intimate - relationship with your partner.

The Family Man

• Dad of Divas tackles something every dad has faced with a look at his “Fears/Issues of Fatherhood” posted at Dad of Divas.

• Kevin S. from manmail explains why it is important to “Get in the LEAD” and how this can benefit our children later in life.

The Healthy Man

• Over at To Be Strong, Strong One shares a new look on the relationship between aging and fitness with “How Do You Measure Your Fitness Level?“

• Israel Lagares from Fat Man Unleashed adds a nice touch of humor to the importance of being physically fit in “Decrease Your Likelihood of Being Hit By a Meteor.”

The Working Man

• Over at Primer Magazine, Andrew Snavely gives a crash course on “Golfing Your Way to a Promotion.”

• Brad Shorr appreciates the parallels between parenting and business, as he shares “What Parenting Has Taught Me About Copywriting” over at Word Sell, Inc.

The Manly Man

• Dr. Awesome clues us in on the six guidelines to navigating the delicate balance of a “Mancrush” over at To Every Man A Manswer.

The Thinking Man

• babbo from Daddy Brain takes an interesting look at the struggle to define and achieve our highest purpose in “The Magic Quarter: Creating Your Own Reality.”

• Over at Stormbringer’s Thunder, Bob explains that a man isn’t much good without one and how to go about building a good one in “You Have a Reputation.”

Conclusion

Thanks to everyone who submitted an article for this edition of The Manival. There was word that the submission form was experiencing problems this week, so please try again next week if you were not able to submit your article.

I’d also like to send thanks to Brett from The Art of Manliness for creating The Manival and allowing me to be the host for this 8th Edition.

Which manly post was your favorite?

Photo courtesy of frankh

In my experience, whenever a movie or television show gets great reviews from the professional critics, I come away disappointed. Likewise, the movies and shows that get poor reviews are often the ones that I enjoy the most.

This pattern holds true for The Bill Engvall Show - The Complete First Season.

After being bombarded with commercials for the debut of the 2nd season on TBS, which aired last night, I had to check out what this show was all about.

About The Bill Engvall Show

For those not familiar with The Bill Engvall Show, comedian Bill Engvall (Blue Collar Comedy Tour) plays the role of Bill Pearson, a Denver-based family counselor. By day he deals with a myriad of problems that his clients face; by night he is a husband and dad to three kids that doesn’t have all of the answers - even if he thinks he does.

A few of the scenarios that Bill encounters are struggling with his wife Susan’s (Nancy Travis) decision to return to the workforce, encouraging an older guy that he has no problem going back to prison if he messes with his teenage daughter Lauren (Jennifer Lawrence), becoming a burden to his teenage son Trent (Graham Patrick Martin) when he is named the starting quarterback, and overcoming his fear of snakes when youngest son Bryan (Skyler Gisondo) loses his pet.

In addition to the family encounters, we also get a look at Bill’s relationship with his two good friends: podiatrist Steve Hytner (Bob Spoonerman) and hair restoration specialist Paul DuFrayne (Tim Meadows).

What The Critics Say

Taking a look at what the critics have to say about The Bill Engvall Show might give you reason to pass right by this two-DVD set and continue shopping. Critics have labeled the eight episode first season as uninspired and mildly funny, with plots that have been played out on sitcoms from years ago.

A review from Rebecca Wright said, “Since this first season was only eight episodes long, I’m glad the suffering wasn’t too drawn out. The plots for The Bill Engvall Show are so flimsy, a show like Home Improvement looks like comic genius.”

Some feel that the show leans heavily on the talent of Tim Meadows, veteran of Saturday Night Live, and Bob Spoonerman, also known as Kenny Bania from Seinfeld, to provide the humor and funny moments.

Why The Critics Are Wrong

In a time where just about every television show is an, ahem, reality show, a comedy like The Bill Engvall Show is a refreshing change of pace - even if some of the messages have been seen before.

While you will not be laughing from beginning to end, there are plenty of scenes that mirror the every day lives that many of us lead to solicit a healthy dose of laughter. Given that I ride a Harley Davidson, I particularly enjoyed the episode where Bill wants a motorcycle for his birthday - and his wife buys him a scooter!

Another scene that my wife and I had a good laugh at was when Trent begins receiving quite a bit of attention from the girls after being named the starting quarterback. Wanting his son to be conscious of safe sex, Bill wants to teach Trent how to put on a condom with a variety of vegetables as visual aides - one of which is a small, skinny green bean.

Is this show ground-breaking comedic television?

No, but it is entertaining and will have many parents laughing at situations they have already faced with their own children or are worried that they will one day face.

Additional Information

The two-DVD set contains eight episodes and a healthy dose of special features, including interviews with the cast, a tour of the set, and a rap performance by Skyler Gisondo.

Another special feature is a segment titled Ask Bill: Answering Fan Letters. There are eight segments included, each featuring Bill answering three letters written by fans asking for advice on topics such as tattoos and whether your toilet paper roll should go over or under the top.

To get a flavor for the “Ask Bill” segment, here is a sample from the DVD:

Whether or not you will enjoy the show is largely dependent on your expectations. If you’re expecting a sitcom like you have never seen before, you’ll likely be disappointed. For those that are looking for some quality family entertainment and a humorous look at issues many families face, you should find that the show fits the bill nicely.

You can purchase the The Bill Engvall Show - The Complete First Season directly from Warner Bros. Online, as well as retailers such as Amazon.com.

Photo courtesy of Warner Home Video

Sure, it’s great when you’re new to photography and just bought a camera. You might have even taken the camera out of the bag on the way home and taken pictures of traffic cameras taking pictures of you. Green box mode is great for that. But there are reasons you want to avoid it like the modern day gadget plague that it is. But first, some back-story.

Fully automatic mode, affectionately labeled here as “green box mode”, is designed to make your camera truly point and shoot. It takes all of the guesswork out of photography for you, and, in a snap-judgement decision, decides the best settings for each picture you take.

It does have real-world benefits. If you need a quick shot to remember how your brother looked when he was passed out at your wedding, it’s great for that. But this column is about improving your photography, so let’s look at the options.

The good news is that you can experiment with different modes and still have the camera on automatic for the remaining settings. This works on all DSLRs and most pocket digital cameras. To get started, start from green box mode, take a deep breath, and try these other modes.

Shutter Priority (also shown as Tv) - This tells the camera that you are most interested in the shutter speed, and it can set everything else. You would use this mode if you were interested in playing with motion (either stopping it, or emphasizing it). For example, if you wanted to stop water from a water fountain so that you could see individual droplets, flip the camera to Shutter Priority and set the shutter speed really high (1/500th of a second or higher). Alternately, if you want to see a nice, blurry smoothness of the water, set your shutter speed low (1/30th of a second or slower). You will probably need a tripod or a steady surface to set the camera on when you are taking pictures with slow shutter speeds.

Aperture Priority (also shown as Av) - This mode tells the camera that you are most interested in what parts of your image are in focus, besides what you actually focused on. Smaller numbers (like 2.8) mean that less of your image is in focus. Larger numbers, like 16, mean that more of the scene will be in focus.

The three ‘pillars’ of controlling your image are shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Practicing with the two modes above will help you better understand how they work, and we’ll cover ISO in an upcoming article.

Of course, everything comes with a caveat, and here’s mine: your ability to experiment with the different modes will depend on the amount of light in your scene. For example, trying to set the shutter speed high as listed above will not work if the scene is too dark. Try that technique in the middle of the day outside. Additionally, trying to use a low aperture like 2.8 may not work outside, because it may be too bright, and your picture may be way overexposed.

There are big-time technical reasons why these things happen, but just experiment and you’ll start to understand why. Also, your camera/lens may not support an aperture as low as 2.8, or a shutter speed as high as 1/2000th of a second, etc. Be aware of what your gear can do.

Have you experimented with shutter speeds or apertures on your camera? What were your results? Tell us in the comments area below!

Eric Doggett is a photographer in Austin, Texas. He has a site specifically for baby photography tips at ShootTheBaby.com, as well as BoxOfficeBaby.com, a site where you can order custom birth/party announcement posters - a unique gift newborn children can keep forever. You can reach him at babydaddy -at- ShootTheBaby.com.

The Manival, a blog carnival created by Brett McKay from The Art of Manliness to highlight the best man posts from the blogosphere, is coming to The Man Page next week.

So if you have a post that you think is manly enough, you can submit your post to be included in the 8th Edition of The Manival. Submissions are due by Monday, June 16th @ 4pm Central Standard Time.

If you need some motivation or just want to check out what The Manival is all about, take a look at the previous editions:

• The Manival :: 1st Edition @ The Art of Manliness
• The Manival :: 2nd Edition @ A Good Husband
• The Manival :: 3rd Edition @ Schaefer’s Blog
• The Manival :: 4th Edition @ The Art of Manliness
• The Manival :: 5th Edition @ The Care and Feeding of Man
• The Manival :: 6th Edition Building Camelot
• The Manival :: 7th Edition @ The Simple Marriage Project

Now that you have a better idea of what The Manival is all about, don’t miss out on the opportunity to share your post and get some additional exposure. It would be nice to see a record number of manly posts for next week.

If you had asked me this question last year, my answer would have been a resounding “no”; today I would have to give it serious consideration. With the cost of gasoline continuing to rise, commuting to work is becoming more and more expensive.

With a 65-mile commute to my office, being able to work from home saves me not only time but also a considerable amount of money. However, my current position already has a great deal of flexibility - I am working from home twice this week - so it would be difficult to take a pay cut.

When you really examine the option to work from home, I have a hard time justifying the need to take a pay cut in order to take advantage. The reason for this is because when setup properly, telecommuting can benefit both the employee and the company.

As an employee, the list of benefits include things such as:

• Cost savings - fuel, parking, tolls, wear-and-tear
• Increased productivity
• Reduced stress

Employers stand to benefit as well, including:

• Increased employee satisfaction
• Increased productivity
• Cost savings - office space, supplies, etc.

If telecommuting were a one-sided affair, I could understand the necessity for a pay cut. However, with the assumption that the quality of work does not change by telecommuting, an employer requiring a pay cut for an employee to work from home is simply taking advantage of the situation.

As mentioned earlier, I already have the flexibility to work from home, as well as the luxury of a compressed work week, so my opinions may be slightly jaded. Therefore I am interested to hear what you think about this question.

Assuming that your job lent itself to telecommuting, would you take a pay cut to telecommute?

According to a report on Overweight and Obesity provided by the American Heart Association, the following statistics might surprise you and should definitely scare you:

Among Americans age 20 and older, the following are overweight or obese (BMI of 25.0 and higher):

• For non-Hispanic whites, 71.0 percent of men and 57.6 percent of women.
• For non-Hispanic blacks, 67.0 percent of men and 79.6 percent of women.
• For Mexican Americans, 74.6 percent of men and 73.0 percent of women.

Of these, the following are obese (BMI of 30.0 and higher):

• For non-Hispanic whites, 30.2 percent of men and 30.7 percent of women.
• For non-Hispanic blacks, 30.8 percent of men and 51.1 percent of women.
• For Mexican Americans, 29.1 percent of men and 39.4 percent of women.

Nearly 3 out of 4 men are overweight, with 1 out of 3 being obese.

There are numerous reasons that we should all strive to be healthy and fit. Among them are the benefits such as of having more energy to play with your kids, reduce or possibly eliminate the risk of certain health disorders, and a longer expected lifespan.

If those benefits are not enough to coax you off of the couch and into the gym, here is something that will interest most men. Being fit can benefit you in the bedroom as well, as overweight men are more likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction. In addition, as you feel and look better, your spouse will likely have a hard time keeping their hands off of you.

With all of that said, I bring this up today because I wanted to share with all of you that I am making strides to adopt a healthier lifestyle for myself. Unlike Jeremy from Discovering Dad, I’m not quite ready to videotape myself on the scale but I would like to share the journey with all of you.

As I begin the process towards a healthier lifestyle, I am taking baby steps; as past efforts have started off strong and then burned out. From an exercise regimen, I am starting with simple walking - both outside with my family and on the treadmill - and traditional situps and pushups. Sounds basic I know, but I want to make it a habit before I begin to increase the intensity.

The most difficult part of a healthier lifestyle for me will be the food intake.

One of my biggest obstacles is thinking of food as fuel for my body as opposed to a source of comfort and enjoyment. Sure, people claim that eating healthy can be enjoyable but a tofu salad doesn’t sound nearly as enjoyable as a pepperoni pizza. With my schedule, I am often up late at night and have a hard time resisting the snacks. Simply cutting out the late night eating - or choosing healthier snacks - should make a big difference for me.

Based on the statistics that I mentioned earlier, I know that I am not alone in needing to adopt a healthier lifestyle. As much as we might know that we need to be healthier and even how to be healthier, we still struggle with following through and becoming healthier.

While each of us is clearly different and needs to find our own source of motivation, I thought that I would share with you my top three reasons that I am adopting a healthier lifestyle.

#1 - Me, Myself, and I

You’ve surely heard the saying that someone will not change until they are ready to change. This holds true for fitness and eating healthy as well. People can talk to me all day about the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle but they best not hold their breath waiting for me to change until I am ready to change.

I am ready to change.

With the small changes that I have begun to make, I have reached the point where I am ready to change. I’m tired of being overweight.

#2 - My Kids

According to The Surgeon General’s Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese.

As an overweight man myself, I do not want to see my two handsome boys grow up as overweight men. By eating healthy and making exercise a visible component of my life, my children will learn good habits and we will have the opportunity to do more things together.

Being a role model for my children, I want them to see a healthy and fit man rather than an out-of-shape couch potato.

#3 - My Wife

As much as I want to be healthy for myself, I want to be healthy for my wife. Not only are there the benefits in the bedroom that I mentioned earlier, but reducing the risk of major health disorders means we will have more time to spend together.

When I think of our retirement years, I don’t want to see either of us being in and out of hospitals with health problems that could have possibly been avoided had we been healthier. By following a healthy lifestyle, we will have more energy to do fun things together and make the most of the time that we have with one another.

Hopefully all of you will join me on this journey as well - even if you’re already leading a healthy lifestyle or are not ready to make changes in your own life. It will no doubt be a difficult change for me and I am sure that the support of the community will help keep me focused.

Who wants to help me change those alarming statistics?

School’s out for summer!

The kids have just arrived home from their last day of school and they are going crazy. In a few short minutes, we are about to have the entire block descend on our house as we host an annual “School’s Out” party for the kids.

Before the kids turn to pulling pranks on their siblings - or worse, you - you need to get them busy with activities. This is also a great opportunity to remind yourself why being a dad rocks and get out there with your kids.

Here are 10 things to do with your kids to make this a great summer!

1. Attend a Baseball Game

Photo credit: joeshlabotnik

Whether you take the kids to a professional game, minor league game, or even a local high school game really doesn’t matter - as just being at the ballpark with your kids is a great bonding opportunity for dads and the kids.

Nothing beats a hot dog at the ballpark or teaching your kids how to crack open a peanut with their teeth and spit out the shell.

2. Go Fishing

Photo credit: binkley27

Grab the fishing poles and a handful of earth worms - although we always used hot dogs for bait when I was a kid - and head down to a nearby pond or river.

While it is fun to get out in a boat, you can have just as much fun standing on the shore casting out into the water.

It helps to have a tackle box with a few essentials, such as pliers, lures, etc. but don’t let the lack of these items prevent you from getting out there. If you plan to fish yourself, be careful as you may require a fishing license for your area and don’t want to get fined for breaking the law.

3. Take Them To The Zoo

Photo credit: brookenovak

Visiting the zoo can be a lot of fun. Not only will you get a little bit of exercise walking around the zoo, you will have the opportunity to learn about animals with your children.

As you work your way through the zoo, ask your kids about their favorite animals and why they like that animal the best. You might just be surprised at what your kids find interesting about the animals and their rationale for why they like a particular animal the best.

As an added bonus, all the walking at the zoo will likely leave your kids exhausted and provide an opportunity for quiet evening with your spouse when the kids crash early!

4. Go Hiking

Photo credit: respres

Just in case the walking around the zoo is not enough activity for you, take the kids hiking.

Many of your local forest preserves likely have walking trails that can test your level of fitness on and have hte opportunity to enjoy nature.

To this day, one of our family’s favorite vacations was visiting the Smoky Mountains where we spent almost the entire trip hiking the trails within the park. We got great exercise and had fun exploring the unknown.

5. Ride Bikes To The Ice Cream Shop

Photo credit: abbynormy

Getting out with your kids for a bike ride is a lot of fun. Seeing their eyes light up when they realize that the destination is the ice cream shop is priceless.

The exercise from riding to and from the ice cream shop is enough to offset the ice cream - well, maybe not but that is what I keep telling myself. Prepare for some great conversations as you sit with your kids on a hot summer afternoon with ice cream dripping down their face.

6. Have A Treasure Hunt

Photo credit: crobj

Whether you break out the metal detector to look for buried treasure or just make up a treasure list like when you were a kid at a sleep over, you will have fun exploring.

Part of the excitement with a treasure hunt is just imagining the possibilities. Maybe you will find some long-lost artifact that would make Indiana Jones proud - or maybe you will just find a dime that has been buried for years. Most kids will be just as happy either way.

7. Go Camping

Photo credit: baronbrian

Camping is a lot of fun and can provide an opportunity to do a lot of the other activities on this list at the same time.

Sitting around the camp fire at night, roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories is a classic family activity.

If you’re nervous about heading out into the woods, don’t be afraid to set up the tent in your backyard and pretend like you are out in the wild. Our kids even get a kick out of setting up the tent in the family room and watching movies from inside the tent.

8. Fly A Kite

Photo credit: tocs

When you think of summer activities, flying a kite is probably somewhere on that list. However, you don’t see many kids flying kites anymore.

Head down to the local hobby shop to pick up a kite and some string, or you can be adventurous and try to build your own.

Once you are out at the park, have a competition with your kids to see who can get the kite up the highest. Just prepare yourself for disappointment, as flying a kite as an adult seems much harder than what I remember as a child.

9. Gather Your Kids And Their Friends And Play A Game

Photo credit: davidgrant

Tell your kids to gather up a group of their friends and play a game with them.

Play basketball. Play dodgeball. Play tag.

You against all of the kids.

Your kids’ friends will think you are the coolest dad ever and your kids will likely be feeling the same way. As the kids get older, you can get more competitive and try harder - until the day that you are trying your hardest and they are whooping your butt!

10. Perform A Random Act Of Kindness

Photo credit: glennf

Doing something nice for someone without expecting anything in return will teach your children a very valuable life lesson. It is shocking to see how many people only think about themselves, which is quickly picked up on by children.

Take your kids out to pick up trash in the parks. Take them down to the neighbor who has been working late and cut their lawn. Build a birdhouse and take it to a nearby senior center and share it with someone. Get creative about the activity, just be sure to demonstrate to your kids how rewarding it is to do something nice for someone else.

Get Out There

As you can see with most of these activities, it isn’t so much the particular activity that is important but the fact that you are out there spending time with your kids. Take advantage of the summer weather and enjoy some special time with your kids.

Speaking of kids, the crowd we have at our house right now is calling for more hot dogs on the grill. While I head out to feed the hungry monsters kids, share your suggestions for additional activities in the comments.

Today is the last full day of school for our kids - they have to attend school tomorrow as well but only for a couple of hours to satisfy the state requirements. Even though our oldest son has a broken wrist, he and his younger brother already have grand plans for summer.

Hopefully our kids are still a little too young for what you are about to see, although they do have their own Flip Video Camera that they love to play with so we cannot be too comfortable.

As your kids begin their summer vacation, be on the lookout for any unusual behavior as you don’t want to find yourself on display at YouTube or Break like this mom. You have to give credit to these kids though as they pulled this off flawlessly.

Two Little Kids Prank Their Mom - Watch more free videos

To the kids everywhere, enjoy your summer but give mom and dad a break!

While interviews with these dads typically focus on their success with their blogs and businesses, these interviews took us to new places with many of these dads. We discussed their thoughts on work life balance, their experiences as a dad, and what they do to unplug.

Take a look at this selection of interviews to learn more:

• Alan Johnson from The Rating Blog
• Bill Pennington from Grumpy Security Guy
• Damien Riley from Postcards From the Funny Farm
• Darren Rowse from Problogger
• Jeremy Schoemaker from Shoemoney
• Leo Babauta from Zen Habits

Who would you like to see interviewed next?

Think about the dads (don’t necessarily have to be bloggers) that you would like to learn more about, including how they approach work life balance and what they do to unplug and relax.

Share your suggestions in the comments below and I will do my best to line up the interviews.

Don’t be shy, shoot for the moon.

Karen Putz | Deaf Mom asks:

Derek: Hmm, I think that is the first time that I have been referred to as a girl - at least since I was in grade school and getting teased on the playground.

Regarding my family’s favorite meal, I have to confess that my wife does most of the cooking but my kids claim that I make the absolutely best macaroni and cheese - I like to make a batch of noodles and then mix in a variety of different cheeses. Very cheesy! Other than that, most of my meals are cooked on the grill.

Not too long ago I cooked up some brown sugar rubbed chicken that went over well, although note the last thing I had to say on that post!

Greg asks:

This is how it turns out, as taken by a wedding couple of mine from last year:

It’s actually very simple to do, but you’ll want to practice it a few times first. First off, you’ll need a camera that supports either Shutter Priority (sometimes labeled Tv - the ability to change the shutter speed) or full Manual mode. All DSLRs will support this, and most pocket cameras will. You’ll also need a flash, whether it’s a built-in or a hot shoe flash. I’ve done this technique with DLSRs and pocket digital cameras, and the results are great.

Got all of those? Good! Here’s how to do it:

1. Find a location that has lights behind you like sconces or hanging lamps.

2. Set your ISO high if you are taking the shot in the evening. For the shot above, I set it to 1250. It was taken under an outdoor tent at night. For pocket camera users, I’d start with an ISO a little bit lower (perhaps 800). Pocket cameras produce a lot more noise at high ISO levels, so you will get better picture quality at a lower ISO. You may want to bump it up, though, if the picture looks too dark.

3. Set your camera to Shutter Priority (Tv). This will let you control the shutter speed while it sets the aperture for you. Set your shutter speed to around 1/5th of a second to start (that’s what it was set to above).

4. Make sure the flash is set to On (not Auto), as you will need to make sure that it fires.

5. Hold the camera at arm’s length and eye level. While keeping the camera in this position, start to spin around slowly. While you are spinning, take a picture!

It’s important the keep your arms level and extended throughout the motion. You don’t have to spin around too fast, either. Usually, a full turn will be enough time. Keep spinning until you are sure that the camera has taken the shot, and then take a look! If the picture is too dark, either raise the ISO or lower the shutter speed. The biggest factor in this shot is getting the shutter speed to somewhere around 1/5th. Everything else can be set to auto if you are happy with the results.

Once you get good at it, you can teach other’s how to do it as I did above. Just be sure that you trust who you are handing over the DSLR too

I’ve created a video of this technique using a spinning chair and a barf bag at http://www.ShootTheBaby.com/episode-11-what-goes-around/ . Be sure to check it out, and I hope you enjoyed this tip!

Eric Doggett is a photographer in Austin, Texas. He has a site specifically for baby photography tips at ShootTheBaby.com, as well as BoxOfficeBaby.com, a site where you can order custom birth/party announcement posters - a unique gift newborn children can keep forever. You can reach him at babydaddy -at- ShootTheBaby.com.

I first heard of mojo when I saw the Austin Powers movie in which his mojo was stolen by the bad guys. Like Austin Powers, a lot of men relate their mojo to sex. Not me. Well, maybe once but I was still in college AND did lose part of my mojo. In this instance I had lost my dating mojo and was on a dry spell for a long time. Have no fear, I finally got it back and met the woman of my dreams: My Wife.

Notice how I said “part” of my mojo. I see my mojo as being an overall positivity producing energy. It has it’s own smaller parts, i.e. sex mojo, health mojo, work mojo, and so on. While I have not experienced 100% mojoness (just made that up in case you were wondering), I have been close. I find it very hard to balance having all aspects of my life in full mojo nirvana. Please tell me your secret if you have! While one’s mojo can have smaller parts, I believe that there are a few crucial mojos that you must maintain in order to keep sane.

So what are some of those important mojos? I will only list a few, for each person has to prioritize their mojos. My main mojos are family, health, and work. These mojos then have their sub-mojos. Wow, what am I even saying here, sub mojos? I never thought I would be writing about my mojo, or sub mojos for that matter. Anyway, moving on. It’s easier to maintain your mojo if you break them down into parts. This way you aren’t overwhelmed with having to maintain this big positive energy force. It’s also common for sub mojos to influence other sub mojos.

Does any of this make sense? Any sense? It should because whether you call it mojo or not, this positive energy I speak of is a very important part of living a happy life. Happy being what YOU want it to be, not what life dictates itself to be. A lot of people get stuck in the rut and often lose themselves. I know I have. Have you? Without my mojo I don’t know what I would do. Actually, I do. I would be miserable, depressed, sad… Get it? Good.

For the past few years of my life I had lost my health mojo, mentally