If there's one thing I know about what works with kids it's keeping a routine. I remember someone telling me a few years ago that kids really love routine. Without knowing all the ins and outs of the psychology I guess they feel safe and secure in routines because they think mum and dad have life under control.

If they only knew!

So a few months ago our son starts staying awake later and later at night. Regardless of putting him to bed every night at 7.30pm he started staying awake longer and longer till finally hes dropping off at around 11.30! Ok he's happy enough reading, and playing cars and generally turning his room upside down.

The other night when asked why he wasn't sleeping this cute four year old says “Daddy I cant sleep because there is dancing in my head”. Talk about a conversation stopper?!? "Dancing in my head!" has he all of a sudden caught ADHD. I'm told by his mum don't worry most parents at some stage think their kids have ADHD.

Our friends at MakeItRuby.com have been busy putting up new activities for dads and daughters. What we like best about their material is that all ideas are aimed at encouraging dads with daughters to get into simple do-it-yourself projects for at home arts and crafts. Best of all - every project focuses on the 3 R's of reusable, renewable and re-purposed materials. The projects are also easy on dad's wallet ... you'll probably find most of the basic materials in your house anyway.

How about you give this one a go: "Sweet Puppy Keepsake"

Here's what you need: empty tissue box, puppy photos, scissors, all-purpose tacky glue, sticky letters, stickers, silk flowers

Step by step
1. Repurpose a tissue box to make this sweet puppy keepsake. Print 4 photos & glue one on each side of the box.

2. Decorate each side with words & themed stickers.

I saw this on the waterfront the other day - what a FABULOUS IDEA!!! One of the companies providing activities at the waterfront offered rides in a giant air bubble. They had these sturdy see-through plastic bubbles that were pumped up with air and kids (up to 40kg) could go inside and roll around on the water. Some of the kids got the hang of it really quickly and literally managed to walk on water - very cool! NB: the kid in the photo is completely dry inside the bubbtle. Don't try this at home - but definitely get your kids to try it out if it is offered as a ride somewhere.

Enjoy

-Stefan

Children in the 21st century ...

Originally posted by "papa en practicas", la coctelera and translated by Raquel Roncero

In case you haven't seen the "get dad to reenact a famous movie scene" concept check out the following:

I think the concept is great but they could have really pushed it a bit further. So definitely try this at home, but whatever you do ... stay away from reenacting the Fatal Attraction scenes ... now that's just wrong!

-Stef

We recently received a media release about a new soft toy character called "Mitch" made by a company called Neon Monster. We had never heard of it ... but after reading the release I just had to write a blog post. You gotta love these guys ... they actually created a "depressed" soft toy with complex baggage (there's a whole story behind it). In the press release we find out that "Mitch is a giant misfit, rather anachronistic in his taste, and with a tendency to slide into psychotic episodes" ... up until now I had no idea about the complexities of soft toy psychology. Contrary to his character, the rather positive and forward looking aspect of Mitch is that his plush is made of 100% recycled fleece. He is eco-friendly, huggable, non-pilling and appropriate for all ages.

Dads, if you are looking for something different for your kids - give Mitch a go (14-inch Mitch for $39 at neonmonster.com).

Enjoy,

Stef

If you have a toddler or an active young person then changing their clothes 3-4 times per day might seem like the norm? Well apart from putting them in dirt proof clothes you're probably also doing a lot of washing and may wonder how to get some of those damn stains out ...

Well, fear not, as usual DIYFather boldly goes where no dad has gone before ... a recent investigation into why our clothes are getting ruined and how to get rid off all sorts of nasty stains has revealed this very valuable information below. This should actually be in ALL parenting books (and yes we will put it in the 2nd edition of Call Me Dad). The stain removal tips will hopefully help you save some of the clothes for round 2 or make for a presentable item on your next clothes swap event. OK - here it goes - make sure that you treat the stains ASAP and they actually come out (I tried!!!)

Adhesive Tape

By Mark Lakewood

Do you sometimes get frustrated disciplining your child because the discipline appears to be ineffective? Do you sometimes change your discipline in search of the most effective one to use on your child? Have you come to the conclusion that no discipline is effective on your child? If you are experiencing any of these thoughts or feelings today, I would like for you to consider the following:

Have you ever wondered why so many people commit murder when they know the consequence is the death penalty or a lifetime in prison?

A while ago we made a mention of the recent film adaption of "Where the wild things are" - so one of our readers went to see it (again) with his children and wrote a review ... check it out!


By Pete Rorabaugh

"Let the Wild Rumpus Start!"
Those may be the most memorable words I have ever read aloud as a parent.

That is Max Records, who plays Max in everyone's favorite story about a boy who dreams he is a king. Last month I saw Where the Wild Things Are with my two oldest (9 and 11). I had already seen the movie once -- on opening night. I am that kind of fan of an assortment of things (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Cormac McCarthy, lots of musicians). I was really excited about the film. For once, I thought, an indie-kids movie.

Here's a handy site for finding transcripts of your kids' favourite movies. If you want to study the script with your kids or put on a little play at home check out www.scifiscripts.com.

Amongst many others, the sites has the complete scripts for: Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Anastasia, Antz, Aristocats, Finding Nemo, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Iron Giant, The Jungle Book, The Last Unicorn, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, Never Ending Story, Nightmare Before Christmas, Pokemon, Shrek, Sleeping Beauty and Toy Story.

Check it out and turn the living room into a stage!

Enjoy

-Stefan