What you can expect when your child gets married
What you can expect when your child gets married My wife and I have been married for over 20 years. We got married at a young age and we had little time to prepare for it. We really didn’t expect our parents to be too involved as we didn’t have a lot of money and we really didn’t want people spending a lot of money on us. Recently my middle son got married. And my oldest is planning to get married this fall. After my middle son’s wedding, I realized there were a lot of things that happened that I wasn’t really expecting. The month leading up to the wedding was hectic and the wedding day had its hiccups. But I think overall it was a great day. And we had lots of fun and good pictures to remember the day. Here are some things you can expect when your…
Maximizing your child’s scouting experience
Maximizing your child’s scouting experience Through the years I have done just about everything related to scouting. I have been a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Eagle Scout growing up. As an adult I have been a den leader, cub master, and adult helper with my kids. The one thing I have always noticed is the kids that stick with it and succeed in scouting typically have parents that are involved all the way. The boys that have parents who just drop them off and pick them up usually were less likely to advance and usually they would drop out. I have always seen scouting as a family affair. And as a dad I felt it was my obligation to help out and be involved any way I could. Whether it was volunteering to help during a fund raiser or if it was to step up and become a leader. Here…
Simple Back To School Tips For 2021
Simple Back to School Tips for 2021 2020 for most people was a year to forget. It was a year full of lockdowns, sickness, frustration, working from home, schooling from home, and even in some cases unexpected family loss. For those that had to do the whole schooling from home this was a new experience and presented a long list of hurdles. Trying to juggle working from home and helping with schoolwork. Or maybe you had to go to work and deal with the school work after you got home. But now that we have a vaccine and more and more people have already experienced this virus, here is to hoping we can get back to some normalcy in 2021. A new year brings new hope. And a new year also brings kids having to return back to school. Some states are allowing kids to go back with little to…
Burnt Toast : Just Make Another Slice
Burnt Toast : Just Make Another Slice The little things in life pick at us. They drive us crazy bit by bit until we break and go off the deep end. When you have kids the little things can be amplified and turn into big things quickly if we let them. But as adults we must learn that even though our toast gets burnt we just need to make another slice. But how do we keep our cool? How do we overlook those little things that drive us nuts and let the little things stay little things? I talked about previously how to use the scout laws to be a better parent but here are some ideas to help us overlook that burnt toast. Use the little things as a learning experience When your child does something small that bothers you, use it as a chance for behavior correction. Stop…
A Few Quick Tips to Help Foster Families
5 simple ways to help foster families My wife and I have been fostering for almost two years now. During that time we have had several foster children in our house and we have had several months of no foster children in our house. Fostering is not easy. But it is rewarding. Knowing that you are doing your part to help a child in need and making a direct impact in their life can fill a hole that you never knew existed. But foster parents are in short supply and the challenges of fostering puts a strain on them and causes them to stop fostering. Here are a few simple ways you can help foster parents and share the load. Provide respite care In my state in order for a foster child to be watched for an extended period of time the family that watches them need to be approved…
Productivity Hacks for the Busy Parent
Productivity Hacks for the Busy Parent If you ask a parent if they can do something the most common response is “We are just too busy”. Between school, work, sports, scouts, and church it is amazing we have any time to just have some family time. You go all day and by the time you cook supper, do homework, get baths it is time for bed and you have lost your day. To battle this I am going to share some productivity hacks to help you be a more efficient parent and maybe help lessen the stress. Prepare For the Next Day the Night Before Starting off your day the right way can reduce stress and anxiety all day long. I don’t know how many times a rough start to my day has just ruined a good portion of my day. By preparing as much as you can the night…
6 Essential Tactics for Working From Home
Working From Home More industries are starting to join the work from home bandwagon. Allowing your employees to do remote work can alleviate some of the frustrations of having to come into the office every day. For some, a commute can take hours away from not only your life but also from your family. By working from home you not only save time but also save money. Driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic can cost hundreds of dollars a year in wasted gas. If you are fortunate to be allowed to work remotely I will offer some tactics on how to be more effective in your work. Keep a routine One thing that a lot of people joke about is they want to work from home so they can just stay in their pajamas all day while they work. This to me is one of the biggest motivation killers. When I want…
Family Game Night Guide : Card Games
Family Game Night Guide : Card Games When we do family game night in our household we usually go in one of two directions. We either play a board game or we play card games. Most of the time we gravitate to card games because my kids love playing card games. While my oldest was in college it seems he learned a new card game every semester and he would come home and share that game with the family. General Tips for Family Card Game Night One of the hardest challenges when playing cards with our family is the age gap between kids. The older kids like more advanced card games that require a little more strategy while the youngest prefers to just have fun and not have to put much thought into the game. When planning a family card game night consider the age of your kids and the…
Parenting Through the Scout Laws
Parenting Through the Scout Laws I have gone through scouting with all three of my boys. Even though not all of them stuck with it I have enjoyed every moment. I myself went all the way through Tiger scouts all the way to become an Eagle scout. And through the years of scouting, the scout laws are etched in my life and my daily habits. I feel I am a better person and a better father because of the Scout Laws. Here are some ways to use the scout laws to help guide our children and help better themselves. A Scout is… Trustworthy When I was younger, I didn’t see the big deal with lying. I was just doing it to impress people or to hide the fact that I had no idea what I was doing. But as I got older (and hopefully wiser) I realized that lying just…
Five Simple Tips for Being a Better Father
“Every dad, if he takes time out of his busy life to reflect upon his fatherhood, can learn ways to become an even better dad.” — Jack Baker. Five Simple Tips for Being a Better Father I am far from being a perfect dad. But through my many years of trial and error I have found some simple tips to help be a better father. Some of these don’t even apply just to fathers, if you are an influence in a child’s life these tips might be for you. Put your phone down Looking around at everyone in my family and the first thing I see is they are all staring down at their device. Whether it is a phone, tablet or TV, these distractions in our daily life are robbing us of precious face to face time. On their own these devices provide us with tons of information and…