Check out a book called "Popsicle Fish" by Dr. Michael Murphy - you can read it free online at libertary.com (libertary.com/book/popsicle-fish). The book contains a number of funny and inspiring stories about Michael's fathering experience with his three sons. If you're like me you don't know who Dr Murphy is ... as it turns out he is a well known psychologist and family therapist who has received the Reilly Memorial Prize for outstanding creative writing and his work has been referenced in the book Chicken Soup for the Soul! Not bad, eh? So give his book a go and see what you think ... heck, it's free so you've got nothing to loose (other than time ... but there's nothing interesting on TV anymore these days anyway, so you might as well read a book) :-)

Enjoy

-Stef

The dreaded back to school season is back ... soon the kids will be heading off back to school, much to the disappointment of every dad's wallet. New uniform, stationary, books and sports equipment can be enough to put your bank account seriously in the red, especially if you have more than one child to buy for. So we've put together a few hints and tips on how to lower the costs (and the stresses) of buying back-to-school stuff for your kids.

1) Get Organised
If you find a good deal on some items, or come across them in a sale later on in the year then buy them in a bigger size for the start of next years term. In between the start of the new school term and Christmas there will be sales on uniform because retailers will be left with stock that they will want to get rid of before the Christmas rush.

2) Trade with Other Parents

DIYFather has an answer to the slow economic recovery and GST increase. Our new Book Baby on a Budget published on September 1st delivers real savings to families. The 130-page book presents the combined wisdom of fathers around the world on how to save thousands of dollars during pregnancy and the first year with a baby. Baby on a Budget is a must have for all parents who want to enjoy their new life with a baby without breaking the bank.

The book covers savings in areas ranging from food, consumables, toys, clothes, childcare and other “big ticket items” for families like going on holidays or purchasing gifts for special occasions. We have done all the hard work collating money-saving tips and researching government support, tax breaks, budget calculators and freebies. Baby on a Budget presents all the information in a useful format and provides shortcuts to all essential online tools and sites.

Have you read Peter and the Wolf to your kids yet? If not - why not get a book out from the library (perhaps with a CD) or check out the following links. It's an absolute masterpiece by Prokofiev and a such a fine example of how music and instruments can be used to paint characters, describe moods or even convey what happens in the story!

Recently Se-ma-for Studios (Poland) have done an award winning animation of the story, check this out!

My wife is Christian; I’m Jewish. Since we were not going to have children together, this wasn’t much of an issue since this was a second marriage for both of us. We did have the Christmas tree problem but resolved that amicably, by at first going to her parent’s house to celebrate Christmas with them. When my wife got sick and we couldn’t make it that year, I relented and we brought the Christmas tree into our home.

Now we’re celebrating both Christmas and Hannukah in our home and, more recently, I’ve even attended her church (Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, California).

This issue, of religion in the home is a touchy one for most couples getting married, especially as they plan on having and raising children. It’s not a simple question nor is there a simple answer. I believe it’s extremely important for a couple to discuss this, in depth, before they marry or have children if they believe and practice different faiths.

More tips from SAHD Brock ... keeping it simple. Nice!

Enjoy,

Stef

We've recently come across a website called Plummelo which was started by busy dad Paul Jin who was tired of the age-old "what's for dinner" question. I guess he did what we all do when something bugs us - we start a website! The idea of Plummelo is to help overextended parents organise recipes and get their food lives in order. Members of the site can use a central, online recipe box to upload all personal recipes (and collect online recipes) and create automatic shopping lists based on the recipes they want to cook. Simple ... good.

Check it out

-Stef

If you were to catch your teen texting or typing the acronym "PBS" and you're desperately trying to work out in your head what PBS could possibly stand for ... don't worry, you are not alone. These days our children are more likely to use TXTing, tweets and short updates on Facebook than to make an actual phone call. Consequently short codes or Internet speech is used in everyday vernacular. So "PBS" stands for more than just "Public Broadcasting System" ... in this case it's most likely to mean "Parent Behind Shoulder".

If you've run out of ideas on what to do with your little one, your toolbox typically provides a welcome relief to find new things to play with for a while. I just discovered that you can keep a 3 year old entertained for several hours by letting him play with a standard tape measure (the ones that roll up automatically). He discovered seemingly endless ways to use it - measure stuff, see how far it goes, work out how to lock it in position, see how fast the blade rolls up or holding down the hook and letting it roll up across the floor / table.

So far he hasn't managed to break it (yet) ... and the novelty hasn't worn off either. What more can you ask for?

Enjoy

-Stef

We've come a long way, right?

Teacher rules in 1872

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.


2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.


3. Make your pens carefully. You many whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.


4. Men teachers m ay take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.


5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.


6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.


7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden to society.