Today’s the day. Â Another year slips into our memories as the clock ticks forward into 2012. Â As parents, nothing should be more cherished than time, for it is a resource that can never be replenished. Â A moment past is just that… a moment that has moved from now to then. Â A moment that can no …
Continue reading Father Time and Fatherhood2011
You are browsing the site archives for 2011.
In the holiday spirit of giving, this is a quick update to my post about Ultrabooks.  I mentioned that my Cast of Dads cohort, Michael Sheehan (@HighTechDad) and I would be presenting a chance for one of you to get an Ultrabook, courtesy of Intel, the driving force behind the Ultrabook platform.  Here are the details: You can …
Continue reading A Chance For You To Be An Ultrabook Dad (or Mom)(Note: this is a sponsored post, but the words and opinions are all mine.) It is fitting that Asus calls their new Ultrabook line “Zenbooks.” Just one look and you can see that it is a device that exudes a sense of calm and balance, purity and power.  An early entrant in the Intel …
Continue reading Zen and the Art of UltrabooksThe Cast of Dads got together to talk turkey (or in my case, Tofurkey) in the 47th episode of our (almost) weekly gabfest. Â As always, we are hard pressed to stay on any one topic for too long, and we run the gamut from Thanksgiving dinners to toddler vandalism to kids pooping in the dryer. …
Continue reading Macaroni and Cheesy… Cast of Dads Episode 47We learned about gambling at this year’s vacation. The resort gave us three $10 vouchers to double any $10 bet we placed at the roulette or card tables. With the kids waiting in the lobby, I placed a two-for-one bet and won on red. I came back to announce I had won $20. What should …
Continue reading Gambling With My Kids’ MoneyAs I have now watched my three kids grow, evolve, morph and mature from helplessly adorable infants to helpful and independent young adults, I find myself thinking a lot about my own evolving role as a parent. Â As much as our kids change, so do we, and so do the strings we have attached to …
Continue reading On Parenting, Kites and BalloonsDespite all of the attention that the subject matter of bullying has gotten recently, the pain and anguish continues. More and more victims are trying to get the word out such as this young man whose video on YouTube has become viral as he shares his torture silently by holding up cards describing his living …
Continue reading Silent Cries for Help
Last year, a bunch of the teachers at my daughter’s school formed a team and participated in Movember. For those of you not familiar, during Movember men around the world grow mustaches in the month of November, to raise money and awareness to fight prostate cancer and other men’s health issues. Â All the kids rallied …
Continue reading 27 Dads, 27 Mustaches – A Movember StoryAs parents we are in a special club when it comes to being thankful. Â We are in a club that knows, firsthand, from within every cell, every molecule, every essence of our being, what it means to have something to be thankful for. Â To have children to be thankful for. Â This is because there …
Continue reading Parents Are Lucky When It Comes To ThankfulHere’s a beautiful song called “Just Fishin’” by Trace Adkins who’s become the unofficial music artist of Dads because we’ve featured several of his songs on here already. What can I say? Trace truly understands and appreciates the power of being a dad and a parent. His songs on this subject matter truly captures the …
Continue reading Just Fishin’Does having more kids increase your chances of Adultitis? If so, how many kids can you have before it takes over your life completely? This sums up a question I recently received through our website. Here it is in its entirety: “Hi guys, if it’s not too personal of a topic, I was wondering if …
Continue reading How Many Kids Can You Have Before Adultitis Takes Over?Here’s a moving anti-bullying spot that contains very harsh language but that’s exactly the point…these are the words that become weapons against our beloved children. Sticks and stones can break bones but words can do far more longer lasting damage. We cannot let others get away with such horrible treatment of innocent souls. Kids, teens …
Continue reading EveryNoneNovember is Movember and thus there is an abundance of facial hair around the Cast of Dads.  Please consider supporting the cause and donating to Max, Brad, Michael or C.C.‘s efforts to raise money and awareness to fight cancer in men. As the holidays are already approaching it is exciting to see that we are fast approaching our 50th episode of …
Continue reading A Hair Raising Month: Cast of Dads #46More fun for free: Make a comic strip of your very own family life. Yes, this really happened. :: Joe Hage is chief storyteller for Medical Marcom, a medical devices marketing consultancy helping medical companies become more approachable and engaging. ::
Continue reading The Real Hages of WashingtonA pistol grip on a AK-74U reduces the recoil and improves accuracy. By taking advantage of reduced gravity you can buy yourself a few seconds of advantage as you jump over your opponent. If you wait a few seconds before firing and allow more of them to come into the picture you can take out …
Continue reading Pistol Grips, Reduced Gravity, and Problem SolvingI am still trying to figure out what my kids are thinking (and they are all in their 20’s!) Â Even so, I clearly remember the wonder of discovery on each of their faces as they grew from infancy to toddlerhood and explored the small, but fascinating world around them. Â Witnessing the rapid pace they grow, …
Continue reading What Do Babies Think?I had dinner with two of the three Sasslets the other night. It is hard to still call them “Sasslets” as my daughter, the youngest, just left her teens behind by turning twenty. Yes, she’s been Daddy’s little girl for twenty years, and that’s how long I’ve been wrapped around her finger. While I still …
Continue reading What I Learned Having Dinner With My KidsEvery time I talk about things regarding ‘back in the day…’ I start to sound like that old guy who yells at kids to get off his lawn. If there is anything universal I think it’s old people complaining about young people. And I have done my fair share for sure. I often get invited …
Continue reading Why Generation Y Is Better Than You and IThe Cast of Dads were cooking with gas in this week’s show as we stir the pot around the discussion of dads as the family cook.  There has been some heated discussion about this topic on the Interwebs, prompted by an ill-fated attempt by a well known spaghetti sauce brand to reach out to “daddy bloggers.”  While …
Continue reading What’s Cooking? Cast of Dads #45No the Cast of Dads haven’t fallen off a cliff, though some of us have had to face the wrath of hurricanes and wildfires. Â Even “the Mother of all Daddy podcasts” is subject to the whims of Mother Nature. Â To make matters worse, we actually recorded a show before this one and it was eaten …
Continue reading Mother Nature and the Mother of All Daddy Podcasts: Cast of Dads #44I am pretty sure I am in the minority here (here being Dadomatic). I am likely one of the few dads with grown children and an empty nest. In the three years I have been writing for Dadomatic I’ve gone through both High School and College graduations and have seen my three kids go forth …
Continue reading Giving Your Kids The BusinessMy blog posts on Dad-O-matic have sparked a running joke where some readers compare them to interviews by Barbara Walters because they both tend to make people cry. I take it as a compliment of course. I enjoy sharing some amazing songs with intensely emotional meaning such as my pieces for “You’re Gonna Miss This” …
Continue reading It Won’t Be Like This For Long“Dear Zachary” is an amazing documentary that everyone should experience. It’s a tough one to get through but it’s so worth it if you do. I won’t give away anything surprising but all I can say is that you will be moved and I think changed for the better after witnessing this masterful film. In …
Continue reading Dear ZacharyWe were getting ready for church. I was shaving. “Zachary,” I said, “They are probably going to be talking about 9/11 today at church.” “So is this a national holiday?” “No, I wouldn’t say ‘holiday.’ It is a day of reflection.” Lucas asked, “What does ‘reflection’ mean?” I answered, “Reflection means ‘thinking about.’ People will …
Continue reading Zachary, 10 Years Later: A 9/11 ReflectionBelieve it or not, it’s the 10th anniversary of 9/11. We’ve honored those lost on that tragic day every year since 2001 and knew this milestone was coming but it still feels like it came too quickly. It feels like it all happened yesterday and yet it also feels like a lifetime ago because we …
Continue reading 10th Anniversary of 9/11It is pretty darn easy for my 14 yr old son to get under the skin of my 11 yr. old. He knows exactly what to say to send his brother into orbit and cause a ruckus. Â I think pretty much every family can say the same thing, right? Your kids figure out pretty quickly, …
Continue reading Words are heavyUs dads are always looking for activities we can share and experience with our kids. Â Sometimes it is a sport or hobby. Â Sometimes it is a book or movie. Â Sometimes it is helping with a school project. Â My friend Steve Spiro and his son Sam have found a project they can work on together, while …
Continue reading A Father And Son Create A Charity Around LaughterDad-O-matic is focused on dads and the family and once in a while that means addressing the subject matter of the relationship between fathers with mothers. After all, they are partners in the business of raising children, right? Too often we parents are so busy working on all of the details involved with taking care …
Continue reading Reminders of Love
(This post was inspired by my recent trip to Intel’s Santa Clara Headquarters for their annual “Upgrade Your Life” Experience…) “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic…” – Arthur C. Clarke Of all the wonderful words that Clarke wrote, few have been as powerful and prescient as his frequently cited statement above. He was …
Continue reading Our Children’s World Is MagicalMy little brother and his wife delivered their twins yesterday. It was quite a day and I am very proud of him and his wife as I think they will make great parents. Â I could sense the pride in his voice and it still blows my mind that my little brother is now a father. …
Continue reading Revisiting Memories
The arm in the picture above belongs to my 23 year-old son, Zach. Â The tattoo belongs to him as well. Â It is his first. Â Personally, I am not at all the “tattoo type” and while I have come to appreciate and admire them (in many, but certainly not all, instances) I don’t see much “ink” …
Continue reading Of Tattoos and DeterminationI heard this absolutely beautiful song called “Daddy” at the end of Curious George by a group called LaughingPizza and I just had to find out more about it and hear it again and again. It truly got to me and I think it will for any parent. Such a sweet sentiment and such a …
Continue reading You’re The Best Daddy (Song)I’ve been thinking all week about a movie I saw on Monday night at the recommendation of my friend Clay Hebert and I still haven’t fully reconciled what I saw, heard and how to interpret the constant thoughts it’s generated. Transcendent Man is a documentary directed by Barry Ptolemy chronicling “the life and controversial ideas of luminary …
Continue reading Transcendent Man: A Look at Futurist Ray Kurzweil (Review)The other day I was surfing around inside Facebook and saw a post that was created by my 14-yr old daughter. One of her older high-school friends made a comment on her post and in the comment she said this, “…I want to no all about it…”. Â I made the remark to my daughter how …
Continue reading Facebook GrammarMy dad has a little brown spot on his hand. And when I was little he told me it was a ticklish spot. We were in our den and he was on the phone. I decided to tickle the spot. “It’s not ticklish when I’m on the phone,” he said. As it turns out, Dad …
Continue reading Eulogizing My FatherThe Wiggles are celebrating their 20th anniversary which is an impressive milestone for any band nevermind one for children. They’re currently on a US tour celebrating this achievement. Much like last year when I got to interview Jeff (the purple Wiggle), I had the pleasure of speaking to Sam (Yellow Wiggle) this time around. Me: …
Continue reading One on One with a Wiggle: Sam MoranAs part of the “Intel Advisors” program, my fellow Cast of Dads co-host Michael Sheehan (@hightechdad) and I were the lone males at the recent “Upgrade Your Life” experience at Intel‘s Santa Clara headquarters.  Surrounded by a bevy of talented women entrepreneurs and bloggers we were treated to an inspiring peek inside Intel and in particular, a deeper …
Continue reading Getting An Upgrade From IntelMy 8 year-old has been after me to watch Meet The Robinsons for the longest time so I finally made time to watch it with my kids and I sure am happy I did. I absolutely loved the movie. Now, I have to admit that I’m a sucker for most of the animated films these …
Continue reading Little WondersThe title of this post says it all. A a dad of daughter who is now 19, while she will always be a cutie in my eyes, I can fondly remember when she was the age of these incredibly cute (and talented) contestants on America’s Got Talent. Â I love seeing the parents in the wings …
Continue reading I Looked Up Cute In The Dictionary and This Is What I Found…Happy 4th of July Weekend! The Cast of Dads got together before the weekend to share our post Father’s Day adventures and we had a blast sharing some of our own stories of fireworks and other explosive topics. Â We also announced the winner of our Father’s Day Dell Inspiron Duo giveaway, thanks to our friends …
Continue reading Let the Fireworks Begin! Cast of Dads #43I have lots of people in my life who have things in common with me. I have neighbors who share our neighborhood in common with me, so when we talk to each other we talk about the neighborhood. I have work colleagues who share work things in common with me. I know the guy at …
Continue reading A Common ThreadI got there at 11:00 or so. He was sleeping but woke to a “really good” day. I got talk to him as I would someone in perfect health. With Mom nearby, I talked about my new business (“So proud of you”) and my family (“I love you more than you know”). I showed JPEGs …
Continue reading The Last Day with My FatherNBA star, Robert Horry, shared a touching open letter to his daughter Ashlyn who passed away on 6/14/2011 far too young at 17 due to a rare genetic disorder called 1p36 Deletion Syndrome. The NBA legend is famous for his late game heroics on the court but here he shares an even more incredible display …
Continue reading A Father’s Open Letter to His DaughterI don’t know if I’ll hit the publish button. I’m collecting thoughts after the most memorable Father’s Day of my life. My dad is dying. At one point today, my mother, sisters, and I crowded around my father’s bed in the assisted living facility. We professed our profound love for the man and each got …
Continue reading Saying Goodbye to DadInfluence is a decided buzz word, as is “influencers.” Â Many of us get caught up with the number of followers and on-line friends we have… we judge our online worth by our Klout scores, and re-tweets and blog comments. Â But today is the day to honor someone who is a true influencer… someone who, as …
Continue reading The Ultimate Influencer: Dad’s Got Klout!The list is long. My to-do list of work-related things is pretty darn long, and you know what I’m talking about. When you get something marked off your list it seems like 2 things make it onto your list. I am one of those people who doesn’t have a distinct separation between work and personal, …
Continue reading The Most Important Thing: Being ThereWe just lost our beautiful Papillon Chi Chi. He was a great dog and we will miss him terribly. My 8 year-old Matthew was closest to Chi Chi so he’s taking it the hardest. Seeing my son in such pain breaks my heart as much as the loss of our sweet dog. He’s too young …
Continue reading The Circle of LifeWe’re baaack!  It’s been a few weeks, but the Cast of Dads got back in front of our respective microphones, phones and headsets to deliver a new, fun-filled episode.  With political private parts in the headlines, bathroom humor abounds and we make our fair share of “weiner” jokes.  Brad goes so far as to reveal that …
Continue reading Showing Our Junk (And a Father’s Day REWARD!)Last week I had the chance to speak about kids and technology with Intel‘s Peter Biddle on his MashUp Radio show. Â We had a fun conversation that ran the gamut from toddlers and tablets, to “Free Range Kids,” to marketing to kids, to the concept of our kids never being alone thanks to technology. Peter …
Continue reading Talking Tech and Toddlers on MashUp RadioHere’s an excellent special from Chris Cuomo that aired on 20/20 recently about children diagnosed with Williams Syndrome which is a rare genetic disorder that affects one in 7,500 newborns. One of the tell-tale signs is an enormously friendly and outgoing personality. While this is sweet and wonderful in most situations, it can become very …
Continue reading Friendly to the Extreme?
From the mundane to the major, one of the things I have had to grapple with over the seven months since my wife passed is that I really no longer have a single sounding board to just talk through issues or hear myself say them out loud. I recently posted on my Single Dad blog …
Continue reading The Single Dad’s Sounding Board?It is June. Notable for the official start of summer, hurricane season (for those of us, like me, based in South Florida) and of course, Father’s Day. Like many dads, I am both a father and a son, roles that are intimately intertwined. We are all someone’s children, and as such we assume that who …
Continue reading The Real Father’s Day GiftWe just got back from the family vacation to the Great Smokey Mountains, and it has given me time to reflect on the whole family vacation experience. Â I wrote a number of weeks ago about the whole saga of trying to figure out a way to get the whole family together for a summer vacation, …
Continue reading Spend Your Money On MemoriesHere’s a hilarious music video called The Dad Life by Church on the move. It pretty much nails the experience. Dad Life lyrics Ha ha This is dad life It’s how we live 24/7, 365 Check me Gas station glasses Don’t care what the masses Think about me wit my sweet goatee I’m rockin’ my …
Continue reading The Dad Life
Dropping a cross post from my Dad the Single Guy blog because I think this audience would have some thoughts on this too: I’ve never been one (or at least I hope I have not been one) to look for help unless I am truly out of options and just can’t figure out a problem …
Continue reading Looking Inward for SolutionsParents always have a special song or two for each of their babies. One of my favorites is John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy” which still touches me deeply every time I hear it because I used to sing it to both of my sons at bedtime. Adding to the bittersweetness is the fact that John Lennon’s …
Continue reading Beautiful BoyMy seven-year-old takes karate. Makes him feel invincible. Him: “Don’t worry. If a bad guy comes, I know karate.” Me: “I still want you where I can see you.” Him: “Don’t worry. I know karate.” Me: “What if three bad guys come?” Him: “That’s ok. I can do my ‘tornado kick.’” I think when kids …
Continue reading Scared the S*** Out of MeAs parents our world changes the moment our kids begin to speak.  As those words begin to spout forth not so trippingly from the spittle laden tongues of our young ones we can sense the beginning of the end… the end of quiet, that is… and the beginning of a new level of communication between parent …
Continue reading You’re the Parent – Take the High Road!In this week’s installment of The Real Deal, we cover DSK. Here’s a brief overview first: Who is DSK: For more information, you can follow @realdealtv on Twitter as well as @ChrisCuomo and @Dad_O_Matic.
Continue reading Real Deal: Who is DSK?One of the goals of any good parent, I think, is to have your kids grow up to be awesome. And by awesome, I don’t necessarily mean popular. Or rich. Or having a job with a fancy title. When my daughter Lucy grows up, I hope she turns out awesome. I do hope she has …
Continue reading How to Make Sure Your Kid Grows Up to Be AwesomeI know we’re called Dad-O-Matic and our reason for being is to be a platform for dads by dads but our primary focus is actually on our children and our families. This news item sure brings home the message loud and clear. I doubt anyone can watch this and not be moved as I was. …
Continue reading Coming HomeThe kids from “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” reunited on the Today Show for the 40th anniversary of the film classic. Check out Charlie Bucket, Violet Beauregarde, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt & Mike TV as they look now all these years later. Noticeably absent is their ring leader, Gene Wilder and Grandpa Charlie who …
Continue reading 40th Anniversary Reunion for Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory
This is cross posted from my Single Dad blog, but I think its relevant for the Dad-O-Matic audience too. I had an exchange with 10.5 today (through a closed bathroom door might I add) that made me chuckle slightly, and appreciate the differences of the changed world in which we live. Â And in this case, …
Continue reading Perspectives Are Shaped By Our WorldI recently started a fitness training program and post regular updates on my website. I wrote this post to give my reason why I am getting fit. I think being a parent comes with many responsibilities and one is to teach our children how to live a healthy lifestyle. I thought this might be motivation …
Continue reading Being Pro-FitRecently I spent a Sunday afternoon replacing the insides of one of the toilets in the house. It was finally time because I couldn’t tighten things anymore to stop it from leaking, as the hard water had taken its toll on the seals. So I set about my business. As is sometimes the case, it …
Continue reading Changing your toilet and other dad dutiesWe are proud to announce a new weekly feature for Dadomatic where we will be presenting The Real Deal every Wednesday from none other than our very own dad, Chris Cuomo. You might know him from his time on Good Morning, America or from his current positition on ABC’s 20/20. In a world where we …
Continue reading The Real Deal with Chris CuomoIt’s safe to say that not one of us dads could or would be a dad if not for a MOM! Actually, if not for two moms – our mom as well as the mom of our beloved children! As I write this I realize that I have already expressed similar thoughts here two years …
Continue reading A Dad’s Tribute To Moms…Product commercials are known to be sappy on occasion. Â It seems the pulling of our heartstrings is a proven selling technique right up there with sex and humor. Â Effective branding ads frequently play with our emotions, creating clever brand associations that, when they work, can be deep and lasting. Â Google has a winner with it’s …
Continue reading Google’s “Dear Sophie” Ad Makes Dads Proud!My wife Kim and I had a big parenting test the other night. At dinner, my daughter Lucy got to drink out of a “big girl cup†with a straw. And for the first time ever, she discovered how to blow bubbles in her milk. In our household, this is on par with first words, …
Continue reading Blowing Bubbles In Her MilkAs you know if you’ve been following me here, some of the Cast of Dads had the chance to go to the NY International Auto Show, courtesy of Sony and Ford. Â As you may know, the Cast of Dads podcast began as an offshoot of the Sony DigiDad project, which brought together myself, C.C. Chapman, …
Continue reading Coffee, Cast of Dads & Conversation…
Just a word of warning to regular readers-this post will likely get more than a little sappy, and I can not guarantee the readability. Since the beginning of last summer, I’ve been trying to instill a sense of extended family in my girls.  To let them know that while we see each other all the time, grandma …
Continue reading The Extended Family PlanFor many years I have done my dad-ly duties by documenting the various family events such as birthdays, vacations, and sports games. Â I have more digital pictures than I care to count, and I will admit that I am quite fond of making music videos of the family events and posting them on Youtube (www.youtube.com/user/stevengholt). …
Continue reading Transforming My Son Into Steven SpielbergLast week 3/5ths of the Cast of Dads had the chance to get together for a road trip from Boston to NY thanks to the the teams at Ford and Sony who tried to be the first brands to get all of us together.  Unfortunately, crazy dad schedules (that is – crazy schedules, not crazy dads… well…) prevented …
Continue reading On The Road… AgainI don’t know how many of you work from home but the challenges that come with it are monumental, especially when you have a 3-year old running around. Shortly after my son was born, I decided to return to college to pursue a long uncompleted bachelor’s degree and my wife and I made a decision …
Continue reading Tips For Working From Home With KidsSome of my favorite childhood memories surround the fantasy of being a super hero. Spinning webs from your wrist as Spiderman, flying and x-ray vision of Superman. So I jumped at the chance to get my hands on a few toys from Mattel connected to June’s release Green Lantern. My daughter, the Harry Potter-loving, dress-up …
Continue reading Green Lantern Colassal Cannon Review
Cross posted from Dad the Single Guy: There are lots of signs out there-some that are really obvious, like the ones on the road when you are driving. Some that are designed to make you take an action, like a sale sign in a store, and some that are societal-a parent non-verbally communicating with their …
Continue reading Signs, Signs Everywhere is Signs
I love CostCo. I love getting a deal and I love that their deals cover everything from electronics to apparel, from books to food to a pack of batteries so large I never think we’ll go through them all (we always do). I love their return policy as well…in short, it’s satisfaction guaranteed. Always (ok, …
Continue reading My CostCo Love Affair…and My New Traeger SmokerHere’s something new from Charity Water, a charity Dad-O-Matic endorses and supports. It’s called “Water Changes Everything” and it clearly shows the tremendous impact that clean water has on families all over the world. We all know the importance of clean water but too many of us don’t fully realize how tough it is for …
Continue reading Water Changes EverythingI took the family to Disney World for spring break 2011 and it was even better than expected. Maybe it was because the kids were a little older this time (ages 12, 8 & 5) or maybe it was merely experience paying off, but all I know is that we had the times of our …
Continue reading Free Apps for Your Next Trip to Disney WorldThis week the Cast of Dads are feeling inspired by the spring in the air and the spring in their steps, but even better weather cannot keep us focused on just one topic.  Where else can you find five clueless dads debating everything from Justin Bieber vs. Rebecca Black to MacGuyver vs. MacGruber in a single …
Continue reading How Old Is Justin Bieber? The Cast of Dads Want To Know
Cross posted from my social media blog-its a relevant discussion for this audience too. As the parent of one tween (10.5 who will be 11 in two months) and an 8.5 who wants to do what her big sister does – social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc., are sources of big concern for me …
Continue reading (My) Tween(s) and Social Networking
This is cross-posted from Dad The Single Guy because I think the audience here will have a different take on this one: While it sounds simple, for the last 18 months or so I’ve tried to focus on getting day-to-day for me and the girls, and along the way doing the best I can to …
Continue reading Making Today A Better Day Than YesterdayIt looked really cool. My 11 year old son had taken a piece of paper on the counter and folded it into a boat, although I didn’t know at that moment that he was the one who did it. At first I thought that he might have found it somewhere, but I asked him where …
Continue reading Is YouTube raising my kids?In this age of digital images, how many of you still have boxes of family photos hiding in the darkest corners of your least visited closets? Â With the near ubiquity of digital photography, for many of us, our family memories have come out of the closet and have moved onto hard drives and online services …
Continue reading A Boy And His Dog… And A Pet Peeve About Digital PhotographyIt’s Masters Thursday and that means it’s the day I miss my father more than any other day of the year. More than his birthday (and more than mine). More than the day he died 10 years ago (how can it be 10 years?!?) You see…my dad loved golf. Loved to play it. Loved to …
Continue reading Masters Thursday is When I Miss My Dad the Most
I am cross posting this verbatim from my Dad the Single Guy blog because I think it will work as is for this audience as well: A friend of mine who studies and embraces work-life balance shared a link on her Facebook recently to a US News blog about managing the work environment when things at home …
Continue reading Work, Life and What’s In Between
One of the interesting things about being a 40+ tech nerd is that I have what I think is a unique and different view of devices and apps than the usual 20-something. Â So when I go to a Tweetup (a meeting of Twitter users), I am usually the oldest or among the oldest. Â When I …
Continue reading Follow Me On the Yellow Brick (Road)So we sat down at the computer like we always do (my wife and I that is) to figure out which week we needed to block out for the family summer vacation. We did this about a month ago, at the beginning of March. Â We are still trying to figure it out. I remember back …
Continue reading The Modern-Day Family Summer VacationKids: You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them! Â Granted, that expression may have originally been coined for someone (er, some gender) other than kids, but these days I’d like to think it has ample applications to our offspring, for, as challenging and frustrating as being a parent can seem at times, …
Continue reading Visiting Day At The Kids’ House (and Dinner for Dad)… and I’m sound asleep. “Joey? The dog.” I hate this. But I don’t fight it. My wife needs her sleep. And I can usually fall right back to sleep. The dog bolts out the front door. I wait. Nothing. “Brooklyn!” “Brook!” Five minutes. Ten. Finally the dog resurfaces. By now, I’ve complained about him …
Continue reading 2:58 a.m.For many geeks, the true March Madness is the trippy trip to Austin, Texas for South By Southwest (SXSW). Â Last year, fellow Cast of Dads dad C.C. Chapman and I had the pleasure of visiting the DadLabs Studios, where Daddy Brad (Brad Powell) and his paternal posse produce their short fatherhood flicks. Â This year we …
Continue reading Beer & Coffee: The Cast of Dads at SXSWWhat a moving story this is. 9 year-old sister sacrifices everything to save her 5 year-old little sister by pushing her out of the way of a speeding truck and gets hit herself. She survived by suffered tremendous injuries such as a broken neck and lost a kidney and one of her legs. She is …
Continue reading Big Sister Saves Little Sister’s Life
Today was a planned work from home day for me.  It’s a day I can have dinner with the girls and just make sure I am around.  Lately I’ve been trying to schedule two of these a week and try to give them a chance to talk or just hang and not have to worry about …
Continue reading The Daddy Dating GameSo here it is the first year I am officially a single parent, and no one told me about Single Parent Day-I completely missed it.  (For those like me who are uninitiated to this Hallmark moment, its the third Sunday of March). I did spend my  Single Parent Day out being a single parent, juggling …
Continue reading Hallmark and the Single ParentI had the chance a few weeks ago to participate in a week-long training seminar on leadership. Toward the end of the week I was a little worn out with all the heavy mental calisthenics I had been doing and was really just interested in going home. Then we had a 4-hour session on the …
Continue reading The Watermarks of LifeFor the last two years (maybe even longer) and ongoing struggle in my house is getting the girls (both of them) to do their chores. Â I don’t think I have given them a huge burden to take on-washing dishes, vacuuming once/week, cleaning rooms, putting laundry away and taking out the garbage (nightly). Â There are two, …
Continue reading When Chores are Done, But They Aren’t ChoresOne dad clearly #Winning in the news these days is Charlie Sheen, and the Cast of Dads took a few sips of Tiger Blood while recording our 40th episode.  As usual, we cover a cornucopia of topics, from Charile’s angels -er, goddesses, to Dr. Seuss.  As a true sign of a dedicated dadcaster, our own Max Kalefhoff …
Continue reading Whining and #Winning!
I put this over on my Dad The Single Guy blog this morning, but wanted to add it here because its one of those relationship issues that people on this blog seem to like. One of the semi-corny things you hear about a marriage is that its a partnership-we all have things we don’t do …
Continue reading Daddy WrappingA few years ago, my sister-in-law took her pre-teen daughter to the midnight opening of the first Twilight movie. On a school night. I always thought that was the coolest thing ever. Granted, part of the reason I thought it was so cool is because it was a break from the norm. My brother and …
Continue reading Breaking the Rules: The Best Part of Parenting?I am currently suffering from a bout of empty nest syndrome and one of the symptoms is recalling all sorts of memories of my kids at various stages and ages. Â My oldest, now 22, recently ran a half marathon – his first – and afterwards he threw up. Â Watching him barf as a young …
Continue reading An Ode To Parenting and PukingToday was one of those days. Â I needed everything to line up just right, and for the most part it did, but there were some very tense moments where it looked like the daily pyramid was going to crumble. I probably missed the early sign. Â I had to catch a train this morning no later …
Continue reading The Fragile PyramidI’m going to try and bring some of the cool or interesting stories I’ve found in my work at the DADvocate Project over here to the DAD-O-Matic community in the coming weeks and months. Today I’d like to share a music video buy Jean P that I think is just awesome: Over the course of …
Continue reading Amirs Song – A moving song about becoming a fatherWhen I was a kid my parents made me ride the bus to school. I hated it. Seriously. In fact, I rode the bus to school until I was able to get my driver’s license and drive to school. What is really telling is that I drove mom’s station wagon. Yeah, I was willing to …
Continue reading Do Your Kids A Favor And Make Them Ride The BusWhile I try to work through what this blog will be for me, and how to put all the disparate pieces together, I posted a self-reflective blog over at Dad The Single Guy that has spurred a pretty good discussion on the blog and on my Facebook, so I figured I would see what I …
Continue reading Thoughts of God, Spirituality and BeliefsThe other day I found myself compelled to take a ride west to the Everglades and take pictures of the Sunset. Â When I thought about why I was there, I realized that it was a place I often go to think and clear my head when things in my life are changing. Â Years ago, when …
Continue reading Sunrise, SunsetIts great to be able to contribute to this blog and perhaps find others who are trying to take on life’s challenges one day at a time, and in some cases one crisis at a time. By way of introduction, I am a recently widowed father of two girls. Â There’s tons of background about it …
Continue reading Life’s Journey, One Day At A TimeI was intimately struck by a piece of news last week that, although covered by everyone from the New York Times and Washington Post (who first reported the news) is getting far less buzz than the revolution in Egypt, the political hubub in Madison, Wisconsin and who’s going to be the big winner at this …
Continue reading Be An Organ Donor Today“You Can Let Go” is the debut song from Canadian country artist Crystal Shawanda which knocked me for a loop. I know that I’m a big ole sucker for these types of songs but I really was moved by this one. It tells the tale of a little girl and her dad as she grows …
Continue reading You Can Let Go Now, DaddyIt’s important children learn the role of tone and metamessages.
Continue reading “It’s the WAY you said it!â€As parents we know that most times it is the simple things we do for our kids that leave the most lasting impression.  The best birthday gifts are often not the ones we’ve spent the most money on, but rather, the ones we’ve spent the most love, care and creativity on.  The best cakes are …
Continue reading Angry Birds Lead To A Happy Birthday!The full Cast of Dads got together for the first time this year and we talk turkey about one of the most feared feats of fatherdom – having the “sex” talk with your child. Â The Cast of Dads’ kids range from toddlers to teens and beyond, so we all have our own unique takes on …
Continue reading Having THE Talk: Cast of Dads #39I think most dads would agree that their dad-ness is influenced in large part by the things that their dad did. I know that’s true in my life. My childhood was a normal one I think, with lots of great memories of family vacations, yard work, playground fights, and generally being a kid. I struggle …
Continue reading These Aren’t My Dad’s ShoesThree of us Cast of Dads (CC, Michael and myself) were in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and we got together upstairs in the Intel booth to record both a video and audio special episode of the Cast of Dads podcast. Â We invited Dave Delaney of Griffin Technology to join us as …
Continue reading Discussing Dadgets: The Cast of Dads At CES 2011Life as a parent is busy. We have work. We have bills. We have to take care of our children. We have to take care of our selves. We have church or temple. We have friends. We have commitments. We have as parents tons to do and we often don’t have enough time to pay …
Continue reading Change The WorldTheir 24-year-old son experienced a “religious awakening” and talked about going to California. He is off his medication and in danger. Here’s how you can help.
Continue reading Help us find a missing young manWith the hype and hoopla over, there will be plenty of talk around the water cooler tomorrow about “the game,” and of course, about the commercials. Â One of the standout commercials was the “The Force” by Volkswagen for the 2012 Passat. Â More than just Star Wars fans will love this humbling homage to the power …
Continue reading Super Bowl, Super Ad, Super Dad!We dads get so focussed on our jobs and careers that we sometimes lose sight of the things that mean the most in life. Yes, earning a good living is critical for providing for our families so we should all strive to do the best work we can do in order to ensure our livelihood. …
Continue reading It’s What I Do“I hate those quizzes dad.” Â That’s what my 10 year old told me. Â He got a Facebook account for Christmas and his friends immediately started sending him Facebook quizzes and polls. Â You know what I am talking about… “which garden tool are you?” Â and “So-and-so just took a quiz to see how smart you are. …
Continue reading Kids Are More Tech-Savvy, But Does That Make Them Smarter?(Sunday, January 30, 2011) I am writing this after a four mile run. Actually, I am working my way up with interval training, having started a month or so ago by walking two minutes and running one minute, then, a week or so later upping it to two and two, then a week or so …
Continue reading (Half) Marathon ManHaving kids does weird things to you. The gravity of being the one responsible for the care and development of another human being can be overwhelming. The role of responsible “grown-up†can make you terribly paranoid, overly strict, and endlessly stressed-out. In other words, completely Adultitis-ridden. A woman named Johanna recently described this transformation on …
Continue reading Mud is Too Dirty: Have You Become Your Parents?“I’m bored!” “I don’t know what to do!” “I’m sooo bored! This is boring!!” What do you do when your child is bored?
What to do when your child is bored
Continue reading When Your Child Says “I’m Bored!”It is Saturday afternoon and I am all alone. Olivia, my daughter and the youngest at 19 is at work at Panera Bread. Â My middle Son, Ethan, is in Boston, battling the blizzards and enjoying the extra time he’s getting with his guitar thanks to “snow days” off from college. Zach, the first born and …
Continue reading 10 Things I Miss Now That My Kids Are Older…I’ve been reading this great book, a real-life love story called The Motion of the Ocean by Janna Cawrse. It’s the story of a now-married couple, the journey it took them to get there and the adventure of abandoning their lives for a 17,000 mile sail around the Pacific Ocean in a leaky boat. I’m …
Continue reading Pink and Blue TasksThe other day one of my kids ran in the house after school and made a bee-line to his room. In a matter of minutes the XBox360 was online and he was fragging (ask your kids, they know what it means) his buddies and trash talking (using his wireless voice-over-ip headset) his way through a …
Continue reading Nazi Zombies, Mudballs, and Why I Am Afraid I Am Screwing My Kids UpAs part of the Dad-O-Matic CES coverage, Chris Brogan shared a look at the Crayola ColorStudioHD iPad app and “digital crayon” coming soon from Griffin Technology. Â Cool as the Crayola app is, it wasn’t the only neat thing we saw from the Griffin gang. Â Dave Delaney also showed me the Griffin LightBoard, which is a …
Continue reading A Kid Friendly iPad Case That Lets You Trace!As parents, as Americans, as humans, it is difficult not to have been affected by the tragic and senseless violence in Arizona one week ago today.  While the target of the horrific attack may have been a politician, all indications are that this was not an act of political unrest, but rather the appalling and inexplicable brutality of a …
Continue reading Shattered Dreams, And Hope For The Future…I had the pleasure of catching up with Dave Delaney from Griffin Technology at the Consumer Electronics show, and he caught us up on the really cool app that Griffin developed with Crayola, called ColorStudio HD. We shot this little review here: Can’t see this video, click here. Check out the Crayola ColorStudio HD and …
Continue reading Coloring for the iPad with Crayola ColorStudioHD???I am back from the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with sore feet, weary eyes and more than a few gigabytes of images and videos of some cool (and unusual) technology and gadgets. Â I look forward to sharing a lot of that content with you here on Dad-O-Matic, and will try to focus on the …
Continue reading Bringing Toys To Life at CES 2011: Intel Labs OASISThere is no doubt that gadgets have truly gone mainstream. Â Look around your home and what do you see? Â Smartphones, Tablets, E-book readers, Computers, Game Consoles. Â Gadgets galore. Â Never before have kids grown up in households that so avidly consume consumer electronics. Â Even two year old toddlers are playing with “toys” with processors inside. Â Instead …
Continue reading CES Bound: Gadgets, Dadgets, and A Remote Control Give Away!