Dad of Divas

One Dad's Quest to Regain Control of his Kingdom

Projects are Great Ways to Bond as a Family: Here are Five to Try

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Projects are Great Ways to Bond as a Family: Here are Five to Try

For children, growing up seems to take forever. That’s because the younger they are, the more significant each and every year is too their lifespan. To a four-year-old, a year is a quarter of her whole life, so it’s no wonder why kids sometimes can’t wait to “grow up”. For parents, however, kids grow fast (too fast, even), which is why you need to make the most of it and bond together as a family and having projects that you can accomplish together help to do just that:

 

  1. Carpentry Projects

Who doesn’t love putting something together? Carpentry projects are puzzle projects without the edges, and the final result can leave you and your children feeling proud and accomplished. If your child loves Lego, then build them a Lego play table and storage facility using the Safestore tutorial. Meanwhile you’ll be doing the hard work, you can still do something fun with your kids as they watch, learning about the progress.

 

  1. Art Projects

Art is the chance to be creative and to be expressive, and it can be as varied and as unique as your imagination. Art projects are great ways to have fun with your family, and there are so many to choose from. You could paint together, you could create sculptures, you can have paint wars on a white sheet. Art is entirely subjective, important for any child’s education, and a lot of fun.

 

  1. Repurposing Projects

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Take these words to heart and try to create new things from old items, to not only have a fun afternoon, but to also teach your children the value of even things that you would have otherwise thrown away. Take those old boxes from your move and make a castle in your basement, for instance. There are so many opportunities, and they’ll have a greater appreciation for how things can be repurposed.

 

  1. Gardening Projects

Kids are notoriously picky eaters, but by allowing your kids to have some say in the kitchen, they can learn how cooking is a wonderful experience that could help expand their taste buds. The same applies to gardening. Of course, not all gardening projects will be edible, but knowing how to grow something is something they can be proud of. It’s a fun project that takes patience, which is a valuable lesson for every kid to learn.

 

  1. Cooking Projects

Cooking together to make yummy food (both sweet and savory) is a great way to spend time together as a family. It’s also how you can guarantee that your family will know how to take care of themselves and have a healthy diet when they move away. Make it a weekly event, or a daily one, and the benefits for your relationship and their development will be great.

 

These activities are not only fun to do together as a family, they are excellent for teaching your children (and even yourselves!). Learning together is one of the best activities that you can do with your children, because not only does it teach them a new skill, it teaches them that you are never too old to learn.

Traveling with Your Kids: Parenting from the Road

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children sitting on luggageTraveling with Your Kids: Parenting from the Road

Easy Tips and Teachable Moments

 

As we all know, parenting is a full time job that provides no time to rest on our laurels, even on vacation. We’re almost in the thick of summer, and for your kids that probably means endless hours of freedom—at least until school starts back up again in the fall. Instead of letting your kids waste the summer hours away in front of the television set or computer screen, plan a family road trip that will create beautiful memories you can all cherish for a lifetime. Check out this collection of fun travel activities that will provide great teaching moments for your kids during your journey.

 

Before You Head Out

Before packing up the car and hitting the open road, make sure you incorporate your children’s thoughts into the planning of the trip. If you already have a destination in mind, make sure they know where it is you’re going and help them do a little bit of research on the place before you depart. Outline what you will do, take a look at it on the map to improve your child’s geographical awareness, and discuss the types of things you will do whilst there. This will help your kids develop a relationship with your destination and make it less foreboding, and more exciting. Need help with destination ideas? This travel resource has some great ideas!

As the day of departure draws closer, organize and pack for each day of your travels. This will help your little one practice their critical thinking and improve organization skills in one fell swoop. Once the suitcases are packed, build a wish list with your little ones. Talk about the opportunities there are to be had in the locale you’re visiting and find out what your kids hope to see or do. Keep it with you during the trip to refer to and have your kids ready for the next activity throughout the entirety of your journey.

luggage

If you are renting your house out while you’re away (I often do this for some extra income), have your children help prepare for the guest. Whether said guest is a friend, family member, or someone paying to stay in your home, having your child participate in the preparation aspects will help him or her feel pride and satisfaction even before you head out on your journey.

Extra Tip! I always rent my home when I leave for an extended period of time. If you follow this route, make sure you vet your tenants. For children (and their parents), coming back to a robbed home or trashed house can be a traumatic experience. I use this resource to get extra background information on my renters, but Airbnb and Homeaway also have great insurance policies.

 

During Your Travels

Keep your kids busy during a long road trip with educational projects. Coloring books help keep boredom at bay, but they also work wonders for creativity, independence, and improve fine motor skills. If your little one is old enough to write, task them with a project: list all the interesting things you see during the road trip. This will help you learn more about things making an impression on your children, and keep them occupied for hours. To go off of this idea, you can take part in a rousing game of “I Spy” —an oldie but goodie. This simply game supports problem solving and critical thinking, and will definitely help them to take in their surroundings.

Extra Tip! Traveling can be especially difficult when your children are young. To ease your travel needs, make sure to prepare all the necessary food and travel supplies beforehand. Instead of stopping on the way for greasy, unhealthy fast food, pack some yummy and nutritious snacks your little ones can chow down on in the car. Check out this resource for some great snack ideas for travelling.

child writing

You’ve Reached Your Destination

Once you’ve arrived, take advantage of the teachable moments that come your way. Whether you’re out sightseeing or relaxing at the beach, you can incorporate these fun activities to make for an education and entertaining family vacation.

Inspire your child’s inner Sherlock Holmes with detective games. Give your little one a difficult task and have them try to determine how to solve or complete it on their own. For example, ask your child to find five items made of red, blue, green, yellow, and orange. If you have multiple children, make it a competition to see who can find the most creative item.

Help your little one improve their art skills with designated drawing time during your travels, especially if you’re in a picturesque destination. Bring along paper and colored pencils, and pop a squat whenever you see a vista or beautiful sight. Then, spend the time with your kids taking in the views and sketching a portrait of all you see. This is sure to leave more of an impression than a photo taken on your iPhone will.

If you’re leaving on an extended vacation, teach your child the importance of maintaining relationships by writing weekly letters to friends or family members back at home. In these letters, encourage your child to explain the best things they’ve seen; this will help with retention, personal skills, and inspire better independent thinking.

Extra Tip! If you’ve stayed in an Airbnb or some other sort of rental, teach your children the lesson of gratitude by writing thank you letters to your host. Instruct your little one to write down (or dictate to you) the best parts of their trip. This will come full circle if you are renting out your home, as your children will be able to see things from the point of view of both a host and a guest. Check out this guide for great ‘thank you’ writing tips.

As we get further into summer and your kids frolic in the freedom of summer break, it’s likely that you plan to head out on the open road and check out some new places. To keep your sanity and make sure your kids have a wonderful experience, keep these “parenting on the road” tips in your arsenal.

 

Author Bio: Hank can eat a whole pizza in one sitting. He is a wacky DIY blogger with a nose for adventure. Check him out on twitter to see what he is tweeting about next. @Homebyhank

Big Hero 6 Baymax Birthday Blogger Button!

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To celebrate the release of Big Hero 6 on Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere and Bluay, I wanted to share this Baymax Birthday Blogger Button (say that five times fast)!

 

Be the big hero at your birthday with these fun activities guaranteed to upgrade your party! Don’t eat too much cake or Baymax will have to check and make sure if you’re feeling well.

Blog Pop Christmas Wishes Sandzini ( @EtchASketchUSA ) Pony Creator Set #Giveaway #bpop

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We’re getting close to the holidays and that means that it is time to celebrate with the Blog Pop Team’s Christmas Wishes Event! Between November 28-30 the 7 bloggers from Blog Pop are working together to bring you some awesome giveaways! So go and check out the following blogs for some other great prizes, and remember to come back here a lot over the next few days to enter for some great prizes! The seven blogs that are a part of the Christmas Wishes include:

My next giveaway is Below!

 

Sandzini® – The magical compound that takes any shape. This vibrantly colored and incredibly versatile compound provides hours of creative fun for kids of all ages.  With Sandzini, kids can cut it, mold it, sculpt it, cover it, let it dry and, VOILA!, amazing creations can be made that will WOW all the kids in the neighborhood.  All this without a big mess, too!   Great for young kids who love activity-based play, as well as for slightly older kids, who want a more sophisticated arts and crafts experience. You gotta’ feel it to believe it!

Every little girl wants a pony.  Now she can have her very own miniature version.  This kit provides you with Sandzini compound, a sculpting tool and instructions on how to cover the included pony form.  A great gift for the creative little girl in your life.

Features

  • Product contains 7 oz Pink, 2 oz Blue and 1 oz Purple Sandzini
  • Includes Pony mold with removable mane, sculpting tool and instruction sheet
My Take on the Product
I gave this set to my eldest daughter to create and she simply loved it! She was so impressed with how fun the set was to put together, even though at first she did not know how it would work or whether she would like it. It ended up making a rainy Saturday afternoon into one that she simply adored and she completed the project in no time and now has the Pony in her room in a place of honor where she can see it daily. The set itself provides straight forward instructions on how to use this and though it can get a little messy, it is far less than I would have expected and the end project is much nicer than I could have expected too. I was very impressed and I know that you will be too!
Giveaway
How would you like to win a one of these for yourself or your own family? All you need to do is fill out the below form to enter. The contest will run for one week and will end on December 6, 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

        • Enter any of the giveaways below (+1 per giveaway entered)

 

Winner must be a resident of the U.S or Canada.

Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

As required by the FTC: Blog POP! received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are those of the writer’s alone.

THE FINE PRINT: All entrants must be 18 years of age or older. Please read each giveaway’s directions carefully as entry methods may differ, and giveaways may be open to different world areas. Please make sure you leave a way (valid email address) with your entries to be contacted if you win. Please note that Dad of Divas, Blog POP! or the Blog POP! bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. We will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor please notify the blog you won a prize from within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you. Good luck!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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My Ribbon Barrette Maker Giveaway

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Crorey Creations, Inc., creator of the popular children’s product My Friendship Bracelet Maker, will launch its new product, My Ribbon Barrette Maker, exclusively on QVC July 24. Don’t miss the sneak peek to see why ribbon barrettes are the new must have for fashion forward fun!

My Ribbon Barrette Maker, a return of the popular 80’s barrette-making trend, is a craft project that both moms and their daughters alike will love doing together. My Ribbon Barrette Maker has already won three top industry awards, including Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Toy Award, 2011 Tillywig Best Family Fun Award and the 2011 Creative Child Magazine’s Kid Product of the Year.
Not only will My Ribbon Barrette Maker bring back fond memories for mothers around the world, but it will also provide an opportunity for mothers and daughters to create lifelong memories together as they weave. The new ribbon barrette maker kit makes the process of creating fashionable and fun barrettes a cinch. The QVC exclusive – which includes 16 barrettes, 64 ribbons and 256 beads – also comes with a built-in storage drawer, making this kit great for traveling, sleepovers and rainy days.
“We are always focused on finding fun ways to inspire creativity, crafting, friendship and social involvement in children,” says David Crorey, Founder and CEO of Crorey Creations. “Why not give them the opportunity to create something of their own while having fun at the same time? We think My Ribbon Barrette Maker does just that and are thrilled to be able to introduce our new product this month on QVC!”
For more information on My Ribbon Barrette Maker or My Friendship Bracelet Maker, please visit www.myfbm.com or call (866) MYFBM4U (866.693.2648).

Giveaway

How would you like to win a My Friendship Bracelet Maker for your own family? All you need to do is Subscribe to this blog and follow on Google Friend Connect and then visit http://www.mybfm.com and check out this product and tell me one thing that you learned from the site itself! The contest will run for one week and will end on September 1, 2011.

 

Bonus Entries
  • Blog about my Giveaway by linking back to this post (1 entries per blog post. Please leave each entry in separate comments with your URL link in order for it to count)

 

  • Grab my badge to your sidebar

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    • Follow me on Twitter (@dadofdivas) (leave username in comment)
    • Follow My Friendship Bracelet Maker on Twitter (@mybfm) (leave username in comment)

 

    • Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook or any forum, including the name of the prize and a link to this post. Here I’ll make it easier on you, copy and paste this:” @dadofdivas is giving away a My Ribbon Barrette Maker from @mybfm  –http://dadofdivas.com/giveaway ” (Then leave the link to your post. One entry per place per day)

 

 

Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

This contest will run until September 1, 2011 at approximately 11:59 pm Eastern.

Winner must be a resident of the U.S or Canada.

Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

 

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’sDisclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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My Friendship Bracelet Maker Giveaway

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About the Product
It’s simple yet brilliant. While babysitting his granddaughters, they asked David to make friendship bracelets with them.  This is a trend that’s had a recent surge in popularity as moms teach their kids this age old tradition with a bit of nostalgia.  Friendship Bracelets are seen all over TV, and Tweens everywhere are making them.  The process of making them involves securing a knot (online instructions will tell you to pin to your pants or hold with a nail in the wall!) and keeping the strings in order while knotting the threads.  After one experience with the grandkids, David decided their must be a better way!  Crorey Creations was able to tap into some of the best talent in Detroit (engineers, graphic designers, website developers) who have unfortunately found themselves unemployed in this tough economy.  After many engineered drawings, prototypes and focus groups we now have a perfected, patented product.  My Friendship Bracelet Maker is the right product (Quality Toy in the coveted craft sector), at the right time (current trend..focused on the right target demo = TWEENS) at the right price (under $25) and has already been named Dr. Toy’s “Best Vacation Products” Winner for 2010.  This product will have appeal beyond the US market and can be global in scope, as evident through online research of friendship bracelets.

My Take on the Product
Do you remember making friendship bracelets when you were a kid? Do you remember having to tie off the string with tape and then figuring out how to pull everything together in the end. This product was so much fun and it allowed my daughter to see some of the things that my wife did when she was a kid (I did not make friendship bracelets when I was a kid).

In trying out this product my six year old was given the task to try this out for herself and see what she could come up with. Seeing that the product was made for kids starting at age six we thought this would be a great summer activity that she would enjoy into the future, and we were right. Now the only problem that we have is that her 3.5 year old sister wants to do it as well and it is still a bit beyond her level of comprehension.

I found the instructions in this to be very self-explanatory and the variety of colors available to be adequate. One of the things that was great about this was that if you go to the website – myfbm.com they provide you with a ton of great ideas on how to make really cool patterns in your bracelets (ones I would have never even considered).

Anyway, if you are looking for a fun summertime activity for the whole family, look no further than this!

Giveaway

How would you like to win a My Friendship Bracelet Maker for your own family? All you need to do is Subscribe to this blog and follow on Google Friend Connect and then visit http://myfbm.com and tell me one pattern you would like to try! The contest will run for one week and will end on August 31, 2011.

 

Bonus Entries
  • Blog about my Giveaway by linking back to this post (1 entries per blog post. Please leave each entry in separate comments with your URL link in order for it to count)

 

  • Grab my badge to your sidebar

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    • Follow me on Twitter (@dadofdivas) (leave username in comment)
    • Follow My Friendship Bracelet Maker on Twitter (@myfbm) (leave username in comment)
    • Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook or any forum, including the name of the prize and a link to this post. Here I’ll make it easier on you, copy and paste this:” @dadofdivas is giving away a My Bracelet Maker from @myfbm  – http://dadofdivas.com/giveaway ” (Then leave the link to your post. One entry per place per day)

 

 

Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

This contest will run until August 31, 2011 at approximately 11:59 pm Eastern.

Winner must be a resident of the U.S or Canada.

Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

 

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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PhotoCard Creations Giveaway

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Photo Card Creations is excited to announce that we will be adding a great new feature to our website this fall that will enhance our customer’s online experience!  This new feature will allow our customers to completely customize, view & approve their cards online before ordering!  After selecting the card you’d like to order, you will be able to customize your card using our online custom design wizard.  You will be able to upload, instantly view, zoom, reposition & convert your photos to Sepia or Black & White.  If you don’t like the photo(s) you originally added, you replace them with alternate photos, experimenting with different photos until you find the photo(s) that look best on your card!  You will be able to choose different background & photo border colors.  You will be able to fully customize your text, using suggested greetings available on our website or your own custom greeting.  You can also change the Font Style, Ink Color & Font Size for your greeting anywhere on your card.   You be able to toggle through drop menus to create the perfect card design, watching changes occur as you make them.  Once you are finished designing your cards,  you can preview your final card online and then place your order, which will be shipped to you approximately 3 business days later!

Some Examples of Cards You Can Find:

Boy Birth Announcements – http://www.photocardcreations.com/all/photocards/baby-boy-birth-announcements.html

Girl Birth Announcements – http://www.photocardcreations.com/all/photocards/baby-girl-birth-announcements.html

Multiples/Adoption Birth Announcements – http://www.photocardcreations.com/all/photocards/baby-girl-birth-announcements.html

Party Invitations – http://www.photocardcreations.com/all/photocards/birthday-party-invitations.html

Thank You Cards – http://www.photocardcreations.com/all/photocards/other-thank-you-cards.html

Entire Holiday Card Collection – http://www.photocardcreations.com/holiday-cards.html

Giveaway

How would you like to win $50 towards Photocards for yourself? All you need to do is Subscribe to this blog and visit the following website – http://www.photocardcreations.com/ and tell me your favorite design here in the comments. The contest will run for one week and will end on June 25, 2011.
Bonus Entries
  • Blog about my Giveaway by linking back to this post (1 entries per blog post. Please leave each entry in separate comments with your URL link in order for it to count)

    •  

  • Grab my badge to your sidebar

    • <a href=”http://dadofdivas.blogspot.com/”><img src=”http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk235/lewisca3/DadofDivasButton1.jpg” /></a>

    Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

    This contest will run until April 4, 2011 at approximately 11:59 pm Eastern.

    Winner must be a resident of the U.S or Canada.

    Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

    Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

    All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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    Discovery Store’s Happily Ever Crafter Kit

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    About the Product

    The Happily Ever Crafter Kit is the perfect all-in-one solution for kids that just love crafts but can’t pick their favorite activity! With the Happily Ever Crafter Kit, kids will learn the essentials of crocheting, embroidering, and sewing with a myriad of fun activities and supplies to keep them crafting for some time! Packed inside the colorful storage case of the Happily Ever Crafter Kit, kids will find all the supplies and instructions they need to make 9 separate projects, including a stuffed dog, coin purse, felt brooch, sewing pouch, hair ribbon, embroidered bandanna, wall hanging, bracelets, and a scarf. And when they are done with the projects, they will have plenty of left over materials to use when making their own special projects. The Happily Ever Crafter Kit will lead to many happy craft endings, merry tales of fairy seamstresses!

    • Projects include a stuffed dog, coin purse, felt brooch, sewing pouch, hair ribbon, embroidered bandana, wall hanging, and a scarf.
    • Kit includes all materials needed for each project.


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