art of manliness Archives

Dads & Grads Wish List: Toshiba Gadgets Galore

May 13, 2011 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

With Father’s Day and graduation fast approaching, I wanted to send along some key gadgets Toshiba is recommending for Dads & Grads season this year. There’s no better way to show one’s appreciation for one’s father and grad than with fun and functional gadgets.

Whether you are purchasing a gift for their newly graduated student who’s just entering the workforce or their dedicated father who always has to have the most cutting-edge products, Toshiba’s got them covered with a wide array of tech gadgets that feature the latest technologies.

Below are the top gadgets Toshiba is advising for consumers to purchase for the dads and grads in their lives this year –

Toshiba Satellite E305– This premium thin-and-light laptop is ideal for any dad or grad who requires extensive wireless freedom, advanced entertainment features and robust performance. Equipped with Intel’s Wireless Display 2.0 that allows you to wirelessly stream content from your laptop to any HDTV, integrated support for 4G WiMax and a Bluay Disc player, the Satellite E305 serves as the portable entertainment system for work and home. Price: starts at $1,089.99.
Toshiba Portégé R835– At one inch thin, weighing just 3.2 lbs and packed with more than 9 hours of battery life, this ultraportable laptop makes is the idealgift for theon-the-go dad or dedicated young professional just entering the job market. The vibrant 13.3?inch diagonal widescreen HD LED?backlit display, webcam and suite of connectivity options ensure that you are equipped for success on the go. Price: starts at $888.99.
Toshiba CAMILEO BW10– For the fun-loving and active dad or grad, take portability to the next level with this waterproof HD digital camcorder. This on-the-go camcorder features a durable rubberized coating and compact design, coupled with quality precision full 1080p HD resolution, 10x digital zoom and a two inch anti-glare LCD screen for wherever your filmmaking takes place on land or up to six and a half feet of water. Pricing: $149.99.
Toshiba SL417 HDTV Series– Perfect for the digitally connected dad or movie-loving grad, the SL417 Series boasts Toshiba’s ultra-thin Blade Design to fit any man cave. Whether you’re watching sports or the latest Bluay, this sleek HDTV offers a 1080p resolution CineSpeed LED Panel with DynaLight and ClearFrame 120Hz, voice control, built-in Wi-Fi and NetTV with Yahoo! Widgets, and is available in 42-, 46- and 55-inch diagonal screen sizes. Pricing: $1,099.99 to $1,799.99.
Toshiba BDX2200 Bluay Disc Player– This ultimate home theater device is great for any grad, looking to bide time between graduation and work or who appreciates a good film or TV show. The perfect complement to your HDTV, the Toshiba BDX2200 BD comes with full HD 1080p resolution at 24 frames per second, built-in WiFi and Internet streaming capabilities for those awesome entertainment apps, likes VUDU, Netflix and Pandora. Pricing: $99.99.

New TNT Show – Men of a Certain Age

December 3, 2009 by dadofdivas 5 Comments

John Lennon once wrote, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” For three men entering the second act of their lives, those words are starting to hit home in TNT’s newest original series, Men of a Certain Age.

The show follows three longtime friends – played by Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise) and Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) – as they navigate the changes and challenges of mid-life.

I was given the opportunity to take a sneak peak at this show, and it does look at a myriad of issues that effect aging adult men in today’s society. With the line up (especially with Ray Romano being one of the writers) I expected comedy, but to be honest, though there were some snippets of humor, the show tackles some tough topics that all aging men have to deal with in their lives. TNT has put together a great cast which seems to work well together (at least in the preview that I observed). It is hard to say where the show will lead, but I can say that I will definitely check it out on December 7 at 10PM EST to learn more.

If this show sounds interesting to you check out the trailer!

The featured product in this post was provided to me free of charge by the producer. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Please refer to this site’s Terms of Use for more information.

——————————————————————————————-
New to the Divadom?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 30: A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned

October 14, 2009 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

What is the value of teaching your child the value of money and the value of entrepreneurship at an early age?

The picture you see here was a few years ago when my daughter (then at age 3 and ¾) took her first venture into being a saleswoman. At a two-day rummage sale she wanted to sell cookies and kool-aid so we put up the money for the supplies and let her have her shot at making some money.

During the first day she was amazing and stayed with it for almost 8 hours, which as most of you know is an amazing feat for an almost 4 year old. She was asking all of our patrons “Do You Want A Cookie” before they even got out of their cars, and most would favor her with some patronage. It was quite humorous and people throughout the day mentioned that we had a born business woman on our hands.

This weekend made me start thinking about the right and wrong ways to teach our children about the value of money and the value of hard work. I mean I believe that I emulate the value of hard work in my every day work and show that to my daughters. Yet, I still want them to understand that money comes from hard work and that it mut be respected.

The money that Diva-J did make (just over $40) was provided to her and she had the choice of what she wanted to do with it (though we encouraged her to save at least ½ of it). She decided to purchase some Disney polly pockets and to save the other ½ in her savings account. All-in-all I do think that we taught her some about the money that she made from her work, but I do know that there is more that she needs to learn.

After thinking about this, I decided to examine this a bit more for resources that I could use with my own girls. I found the following resources:

So today’s task is to develop a list of ways in which you are teaching your child to appreciate the value of money. Once complete, please come back and share your list and activity with others. How did the activity go for you and whoever you shared the time with?

If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well. Good luck with day 30 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 29: The Value of Friendships & Identifying True Friends

October 13, 2009 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

My youngest started school this year and on her first day she came home excited and stated “I made a new friend.” As all of us remember, friends were those people who truly carried us through good and bad times.

Unfortunately, there also were those pseudo friends that you thought were your friends, but really had other motives. Since we have moved to our new home we have had to deal with these pseudo friends, as everyone is a “friend” to a five year old.

We have some neighborhood kids that tend to hang out near our house and Diva-J has always been drawn to enjoying playing with kids that are older than her more than kids her own age. Sometimes this is fine, while at other times she can get taken advantage of by these older kids.

There is one, as I call it, fair weather friend that tends to come around on some days and on other days will not give Diva-J the time of day. This same “friend” tends to come over when Diva-PJ is outside as she likes babies.

It is difficult to help Diva-J understand the difference between friendship and real friendship. She also does not always understand the underlying mean nature that sometimes is occurring around her, as when I address the issue, she defends these “friends.”

It is at these times when I am at a loss for words, as I want Diva-J to have friendships, but at what cost. This also leads back to an earlier post that I had about being able to let go. It also though goes into the idea of when do you step in and save your child from others. I tend to try and let Diva-J learn some things by herself, but there have been times when I knew that she was being taken advantage of where I stepped in and said enough is enough and set the record, and the child affronting my child, straight.

So how do you teach your son or daughter about who is a true friend and who are just going through the motions so that they are somewhat held harmless? What have all of you done in the past?

In looking into this I found a few links I thought I would share with you all!

Some questions you should ask yourself include:

What has sustained your long-lasting friendships?
Are their common traits/characteristics of these friendships and if so what are they?
What concerns you about the friends that your child has?

As you begin to answer these questions you may find it necessary to revisit them over time as your answers and definitely the answers about your children will change as you all change and grow.

So today’s task is to answer the above questions. Second, make a list of things that you have done or will do to assist your child at understanding the value of friendships as well as helping them identify who their true friends actually are. Once complete, please come back and share your answers and thoughts with others.

If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well. Good luck with day 29 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 28: Teaching Perseverance

October 12, 2009 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Having your children know how to stick to the things that they start is one of the most important things that you can teach as a parent. The skills that you teach them regarding this will be ones that will continue to show up as your children get older and older. Hopefully, once your child reaches adulthood they are ready to be able to take the world on with full force and understand what they must do to be able to survive in a challenging world.

So how can you do this as a parent? Here are a few thoughts on things you can do to help your child:

Applaud Efforts
Notice and applaud things that your child does that shows that they are striving toward a goal. Even if they do not succeed, heep encouraging and helping them to see that the goal is possible. You may even need to roll up your own sleeves to lend a hand (if asked – don’t rescue them completely as this may have the opposite effect).

Honest Feedback
Give your child honest feedback on how they are doing as they strive to meet the goal or task at hand. If they need to work on an area let them know. Do not tear them down, but build them up and let them know that you are behind them in what they are trying to achieve. Communicating though is key, so that they know that they are not alone and that they do have support if they choose to ask.

Identify and work past obstacles
Sometimes our children need some assistance in seeing the boulders in the path ahead. Make sure to ask them if they want advice before you give it and be wary of those children that always come to you for your advice. With these children, the better question may be, how do you think you can overcome this obstacle? By doing this you are continuing to challenge them and asking them to be creative with their solutions and not to merely rely on others for answers.

Being able to bounce back
The ultimate goal as I stated earlier is to have children who can get back up when they stumble or fall. We all want our kids to be successful and to be able to achieve all that they wish for in life, but we also know that no one is able to achieve everything without some failures along the way. The important thing is that our children do not give up, but instead they have the fortitude to stand back up, brush off their ego and move forward again.

Some questions you should ask yourself include:

How have I been persistent in the past?
What traits do I see in others that allow them to be persistent in their goals and in life?
What goals have I set for myself that I have achieved and how id I achieve these goals?
In what areas of my child’s life have I noticed persistence?

As you begin to answer these questions you may find it necessary to revisit them over time as your answers and definitely the answers about your children will change as you all change and grow.

In researching this topic I came across a few sites that I thought that I would share with all of you:

http://www.parentingbookmark.com/pages/articleMB06.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2065821_teach-child-perseverance.html

So today’s task is to answer the above questions. Second, come up with a list of 5 ways that you encourage persistence in your child. Once complete, please come back and share your list with others.

If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well. Good luck with day 28 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 27: Set Up Rituals With Your Kids

October 11, 2009 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Kids are creatures of habit, they expect things to be the same as they have been in the past. For me, this was specifically important as we moved in the past year. Both of our girls were at an age where they knew the rituals that we had been doing at our old house. Thus J-Mom and I knew that we would have to find a routine very soon in the new home to make our lives much happier all around.

Rituals can surround anything such as bedtime, dinnertime, visits to the library or other things. You also can set up rituals around holidays or other such special events such as always going to your grandparents house the day after thanksgiving or other such activities.

Many of the things that I remember in growing up are the rituals that my parents had for me as I was growing up and in talking to many other parents about rituals, these are the same things that they start with in their responses. In making/developing rituals for your own kids becomes that much more important, as your kids will definitely remember.

In researching this topic I came across a few sites that I thought that I would share with all of you:

So today’s task is to develop a list of the rituals that were important to you when you were growing up. Make a second list of the rituals that you currently have going on with your own children. Last, make a plan to start or start a new ritual with your family today.

If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well.

Good luck with day 27 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 26: Be Engaged With Your Kids

October 10, 2009 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

When I talk about being engaged, I am referring to doing things directly with the kids that are important to them and that they find enjoyable and fun. This could be something such as cooking with them, playing sports or games or other such activity that brings a smile on your and your child’s face (as hopefully you are having fun as well).

Our children crave our attention and don’t care what else is on our minds. They don’t understand when we have a big deadline, or when we had a bad day. Instead, when they see you (especially as they are young) they light up and are happy to just have you around.

I know for me, I get distracted and get pulled away while at home, and sometimes it takes a word from J-Mom to break me out of my disconnected stupor to see that what I have in front of me is so much more important than what I was doing on the computer, or what was on the television or what was in a book. I appreciate the interrupt and at times I believe that we all need a bit of a disruption to get us back on track.

Some questions you should ask yourself include:

How are you engaged with your child?
How are you distracted from this engagement, and what can you do to minimize this when around your child?

As you begin to answer these questions you may find it necessary to revisit them over time as your answers and definitely the answers about your children will change as you all change and grow.

In researching this topic I came across a few sites that I thought that I would share with all of you:

So today’s task is to develop a list of five things that you can do to better engage with your child. Make sure that the list includes things that are important to the child but also will lead to positive experiences for you as well. Take one activity on the list and do it with your child today! Once complete, please come back and share your list and activity with others. How did the activity go for you and whoever you shared the time with?

If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well. Good luck with day 25 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 25: Talk To Your Kids

October 9, 2009 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

One of the most important things in learning a new language is to speak to others in the language and have others speak to you in the same language. Also, in reviewing numerous parenting books, language acquisition of infants is greater with those that are spoken to often.

Thus, from an early age parents need to be cognizant of this and need to instill the importance of communication in their kids.

As your kids get older, this communication becomes that much more important. Through disciplining your kids when they are young (so they can learn, grow and understand). As your kids enter school and they begin to meet other children, every day is an adventure. Some days are going to be positive, and some days will be negative. It is critical you’re your kids feel comfortable enough to talk to you about their hopes, fears, and concerns regarding their experiences so that they can know that they can depend on your support and guidance to assist them as they need it.

Even older, as your children start dating, as a parent you hopefully will have set a strong foundation for two way communication to occur. You will not always agree with each other, but with a foundation built you still should be able to communicate with each other so that you both can understand.

As they get to adulthood, your communication relationship will change as it has throughout their lives, but the foundation you set when they were young will remain solvent and critical for your future relationship to continue to flourish.

In researching this topic I came across the following links that I felt would be valuable resources for you to access.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/6/t061000.asp

Today’s task is to make a list of five things that you can do to better communicate with your children. Second, spend quality time with your children, talking to them and listening to their hopes, fears and dreams. Once complete with these tasks we ask that if you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well. Good luck with day 25 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 24: Become An Author

October 8, 2009 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

I have always written in journals. I still even have journals from when I was younger. As I have gotten older I still have continued to keep a journal. I have found that doing this helps to keep track of small things, important things as well as ideas and thoughts. I find that entries may be formal or informal.

I am recommending a journal to assist you as a parent because I have found that you as a parent you can not only see your own parental growth, but it can help you to assess your parenting and see what areas you may need to work on and develop.

Will your writing always be about parenting, probably not, but it could be if you so chose. One of the journals that I have kept is a journal for my daughters. Will I ever give it to them, maybe. I tend to be quite honest in it about the fears, concerns and truths about everything, and it would probably be quite a few years before the girls could understand and comprehend all that was in it. Never-the-less I still write in it and it is cathartic to say the least.

Many parent bloggers started their own blogs as a journal or letter to their own children. I know that this was the case for me. As I started to blog I wanted to leave something that my girls could look back at and say, wow, my Dad did really love me enough to write about me (maybe this is wishful thinking). As I have met more and more bloggers, I have continued to learn and grow myself in my writing and my parenting skills.

In researching this post I found the following resources that may assist you in starting a journal.

Today’s challenge is to take one week and start a daily journal about your own parenting journal. There is no set style that you must follow or length that is required. Simply follow through and see what you think at the end of the week. Come back here to let people know about your thoughts about how things are going after the first few days as well as the mid point and end of the process.

If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well. Good luck with day 24 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 23: Serving Others

October 7, 2009 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

I am a Rotarian and their creed is “Service Above Self”, thus for me it is important to be able to live this on a daily basis and also espouse it to my children with the hope that they will follow my example as they grow older.

Serving others can be as simple as doing something like what you see in the image above, or it can be giving your time to a child through Big Brothers/Big Sisters. No matter how you serve, it is important that your children see you doing this and understand why it is important. Too often in the media driven age that we live in, children fail to see the good in others and the good in reaching out and making a difference to people around them. Watching you as their parents, they will see either through overt or non-action what is important and will take your cue. Thus, if you can start instilling in your children at an early age that serving others in some way that is meaningful to them is positive and important, they will live a life of service as they grow into adulthood.

Some questions you should ask yourself include:

How do you and your child serve others?
What are some activities that you and your child can do together that will serve others in your community?

As you begin to answer these questions you may find it necessary to revisit them over time as your answers and definitely the answers about your children will change as you all change and grow.

In researching this topic I came across a few sites that I thought that I would share with all of you:

Today’s task is for you to answer the above questions as well as review the above articles. What are your thoughts regarding this topic? Make a list of the ways that you serve others on a daily/weekly basis. Once you have completed these tasks, come back and share your thoughts with the rest of the group.

If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well. Good luck with day 23 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!