Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Where are the dads?

Last weekend should not just be a wakeup call for the government, it needs to be a wakeup call for dads!
Quite rightly, the riots that convulsed North London and then spawned elsewhere in the UK were condemned by all government leaders and the post-mortem is currently underway.
One of the questions many community leaders are asking is 'where were the parents?'.

This is a question that we dads have to honestly ask ourselves. If any of these kids who took part in the riots were our own, will we step forward and take responsibility? Will we be able to stand beside them in court and if it applies, own up to the fact that we may have failed as a parent? Will we be able to stand beside them in court and if it applies, show tough love?
One thing is sure, the riots were not racially motivated or politically motivated. They were opportunistic. People did what they did because they thought they could get away with it. What is worrying though is the more deep seated issue with these rioters needing to be taught that stealing is wrong.

Thursday, 4 August 2011

A Dad's Thing

A Dad's Thing

Here's a link to an interesting post from a fellow dad.
Shamusburke refers to himself as a simple guy but in this article he explains vividly the challenge that dads face trying to balance their need for space and do their own thing and family.

Sunday, 26 June 2011

When mom is poorly

When mom is poorly, the day does not seem to start off so good. Those things that you take for granted that moms tend to do have to be done by dad. It is only then that dad realises how much moms actually do. Of course, like any thing, when one is not familiar with something, it takes twice as long to complete it. When faced with organising Hannah's bag in 10 minutes prior to leaving the house for church, this proved an impossible task. Took me 40. Actually, no, thats not the truth. I panicked and had to ask my poorly wife to organise it for me.
There was a fair at Daisy Farm park. I had some complimentary tickets handed to me which Hannah and I used at the fair. This was just another thing that I could do to keep Hannah occupied during the day while Mitzi rested. Hannah was not too keen on the rides so much and preferred instead to go to the playground nearby where she spent the next half hour on the slide. It was an especially hot day and after the fair, I thought it a good idea to take the paddling pool out. This was the first time that she was to use the paddling pool. Other than dipping her feet in the water, she did not try anything more adventurous. She is still only 2 years old so I am probably asking too much of her.

Sunday, 19 June 2011

Sunday, 29 May 2011

Aquaponics as a hobby

I have recently been reading about aquaponics.
In a nutshell, aquaponics is a new way of approaching farming. Unlike traditional agriculture where you needed plants to grow vegetables through a process of nurturing, with aquaponics you need water and fish to do the nurturing of the plants in order to have healthy food on your table each and every day. Basically, aquaponics relies on the interdependence between fish and plants: the fish produces bio-nutrients for the plants, while the plants clean the water, creating a perfect environment for the fish to grow and develop.
I can see quite a few benefits aquaponics can be to a family. From a dad perspective, it is the perfect way to make kids more responsible. They will need to feed the fish each and every day and make sure that the air pump is working perfectly so that the fish get enough oxygen. Also, they they will have to monitor the state of the vegetables and when they get yellowish, they will need to announce it. These are not easy tasks, but will give them a sense of responsibility as they know that someone relies on them. In the process, they will see how fish and plants grow thus expanding their knowledge.
Vegetable are an essential source of good nutrition. Yet, finding fresh, organic vegetables in the market is not always easy. With an aquaponic garden in the house, you will not have to worry about purchasing your tomatoes and lettuce and other vegetables as these will be grown in house without having to invest too much time.
Here's a site that provides a step by step guide for building your own aquaponics garden at home. http://ihdcsl72.aquaponics.hop.clickbank.net

Friday, 13 May 2011

CBeebies mags

I am sure there are quite a few 2 to 3 year olds out there who are CBeebie addicts! Hannah's one of them for sure. It has not taken her long to find out that every newsagent stocks CBeebie mags. When I walked into the house this evening, I asked her how her day was and she said 'It's been fine, thank you' and proceeded to sit me down and show me her new CBeebie book. She loves the stickers and have already got the hang of sticking them where they are supposed to be stuck. There was a time when she thought that the only place a sticker would look good was on my forehead!

Friday, 8 April 2011

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