Massage - the perfect gift for the whole family on Mothers Day (or any day)

A good therapeutic massage is better than having sex ... seriously, you get touched in places that you cannot reach yourself (unless you're a contortionist). If you haven't had a massage - splash out and experience it for yourself. Tell yourself that you have earned it and that with all the demands on a modern dad (or mom) you deserve a little treat. Try out relaxation, deep tissue, Thai or Swedish massages to experience the bliss of therapeutic massages.

Once you have done that and you know what it feels like to have a massage you can give massages to your kids, babies or your partner. Even if when you're not professionally trained it's still likely to be highly enjoyable for the recipient in your family. What you lack in skill you can make up in enthusiasm and devotion to looking after your family.

50 epic songs you must introduce your kids to before you die

Despite all the Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Spottify, RDIO and what not social sharing of information and music there is every chance that your kids will not have discovered one (or several) of the following songs by the time they leave school (or before you kick the bucket). So here's a chance to have some cool father-son or father-daughter moments by playing one of the epic anthems (as in mood altering songs that are longer than 5 mins) of all time to them. In alphabetical order ...

* A Friend In Need - Placebo
* Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
* America Pie - Don Mclean
* Angie - Rolling Stones
* Ashes To Ashes - David Bowie
* Bakerstreet - Gerry Rafferty
* Black Magic Woman - Santana
* Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
* Blasphemous Rumors - Depeche Mode
* Blue Monday - New Order
* Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
* Born Slippy - Underworld
* Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits
* Cafe Del Mar - Energy 52
* Creep - Radiohead
* Everyday People - Arrested Development

Games to play over Easter

Some ideas for Easter inspired games to play with your kids over the Easter holidays.

1. Easter egg hunt - the classic ... pretty simple to set up. Get some chocolate eggs, colored eggs, chocolate Easter bunnies or other treats and hide them in your backyard, garden, a park or just inside the house. When done - call your kids and let them find the hidden treats.


2. Chase the rabbit tail - use an old scarf and tuck into the back of your trousers and get your kids to grab the tail and take it off. Take turns on who's got the tail. As a variation you can play this in a way that all players are only allowed to move by hoping or jumping.

DIY with dad: top 5 easter egg designs

Here's some inspiration for Easter craft projects with the kids - depending on what you're into and what resources you've got at home you can pick a project from the following:

The ultimate Easter Gadget I guess ... the "Egg-Bot Kit" by Evil Mad Scientists - prints illustrations and patterns on eggs (other other spherical objects). Getting one of those will set you back $195 ... but hey what price tag can you put on being the coolest parent on the block.

Here's an awesome tutorial on how to create marble eggs ...

Make your own LEGO egg - get some felt floor scratch protection pads (usually used on chairs / tables to protect wooden floors) and stick on your egg. Afterwards paint over in typical LEGO colors (yellow, red, blue, etc).

DIY with dad - getting ready for Easter

Here's a great activity for dads and kids when you are preparing for Easter. Many families end up decorating Easter Eggs but to do that you need eggs you can decorate. So you can take the boring route and just buy some eggs in a craft shop. OR you make this task into an adventurous (and perhaps slightly messy ... but in a good kind of way) activity with the kids. Here's a step by step guide for blowing out eggs:

Preparation

1. Get some fresh Chicken or Goose eggs with white egg shells (shouldn't be hard around Easter)
   
2. Find a space that's either easy to clean (e.g. wooden floor / tiled floor) or put some plastic cover / old table cloth / newspaper on the floor. This is just to avoid any stains on carpets etc in case you break an egg or some of the liquid spills on the floor.
   
3. Grab a food bowl to hold the egg white and egg yolk (which you can use later on for cooking or baking)
   
4. Find some 2-inch nails, drawing pins or a high speed drilling tool and have paper towels within reach (just in case).

Blowing out the egg (you can also watch the video below if you're a visual kinda guy)

Ten things to do on Mothers Day

What can you do on Mother's Day to make it special for your partner (and your children)? Here's a list of treats for partners/mums and activities with babies/kids.

What you can do for your partner on Mother’s Day:

1. Let her sleep in (which typically means taking care of the baby and kids in the morning)
   
2. Give her a nice backrub / foot massage
   
3. Run a bath for her and put some nice aromatherapy oils/soap in it
   
4. Cook or bake something for your partner that you know she really likes
   
5. Make her a card with photos / drawings from your kids

And don’t forget your own mum – send her a card or give her a call to say thank you for bringing you into this world and looking after you all these years.

Explaining KONY 2012 to children

Amazing snippet of Jason Russell's short film "KONY 2012" about the Invisible Children project where Jason explains to his son Gavin what Kony does. Incredible ...

A fantastic example of explaining difficult things to our children and watching their (usually natural) reactions to it. Hugs thanks to Jason for sharing this scene in his film. Make sure to watch the full story about KONY 2012.

-Stef

ps.: DIYFather does not own any of the material shown here and fully acknowledges the copyrights of the Invisible Children project.

Public toilets fit for kids

Great to see that more and more public toilets are designed for kids - lower toilet seats and urinals do the trick and help our little ones gain confidence quickly when having to go for a wee. Excellent - big ups for toilet designers who keep the needs of kids in mind!

(the above public toilet was seen at San Francisco Airport in the US).

-Stef

New Year rituals with kids

As another year draws to a close we tend to reflect on the past 12 months and wonder about what the next year will bring. Most cultures around the world celebrate new year with special rituals or traditions. So I thought it's a perfect time to compile a little list of rituals you can do with young and old children:

1) Create a "best of" video / slide show using all the photos and video clips you've made this year (ideal for dads with babies and very young children) or record your kids asking them what they liked about this year and what they hope the next year will bring.

2) Make a time capsule by placing objects that you feel are relevant for the year gone by into a container. Seal the container and hide/burry somewhere (you can do this for or with your kids).

City Advent Calendars

One of my favourite cities in the world "Wellington, NZ" launched their "city christmas calendar" this week. What a fabulous idea ... every day there is a new treat for all citizens with special vouchers for each day. Great fun for the whole family and a shining example for other cities around the world!

If you live in Wellington - be sure to check it out!

Enjoy,

Stef