Even Superheros Need Love

Even superheros need love. 

   My 'Lil Man loves to be the bruiser. He's the first wrestle with me, the first into pretend skirmishes, and puts up one of the best manly fronts I've seen in a guy, young or old. It's that way, right up until it's not. It's incredible to see how fast our little ones go from a poker face, to a teary one. My older two, like most I've noticed, try to put on the bravest face possible. "I'm not tired." That's my favorite. It becomes historic when said through the tears of a tired and worn out child. 

   

   As I see my wee ones navigate their little lives in preparation for their big ones, I help, teach, and nurture along the way. I was at a mechanic recently, and took my two oldest along for the ride. I was on my tablet, typing away, when I looked down and saw my 'Lil Man holding onto my arm (pictured above). Given the shirt he was wearing that day, I thought, "Even superheros need love." They do, and they need it from you. Moms and dads alike.  

   I leave you withe The Superman Song, by the Crash Test Dummies. As it says towards the end, "Sometimes when Supe was stopping crimes, I'll bet that he was tempted to just quit and turn his back,.." Teach your little ones to press on, with you along the way to offer your arm if needed.

Stay strong,....super strong. 

J. 

Remembering Maurice Sendak - Part II

 

“And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!”

- Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak 

 

   I'm a sucker for good children's books. I remember hearing Maurice Sendak said he didn't write specifically for children, but that's where it seemed to be categorized. I wrote a post about the author of Where The Wild Things Are back in May of 2012 when he passed away. Please take a look at it if you have the time.

 

   In an NPR interview with Maurice, he states that he believes "children won't despair if you tell them the truth." I've tried to have more frank conversations with my 'Lil Miss. As she is 7 years old now, she's asking more about increasingly complex topics. It seems Maurice's take has been productive thus far.

 

   Today's Google Doodle is what set my mind ablaze with thoughtful creativity. Check it out:





   

 

   Just watching the world's he created is enough to find myself lost in thought. I enjoy the worlds we create for our children through stories and imagination. I believe we need to actively defend against growing up too much.  We need creativity and imagination for our own sanity, but also to encourage our children to have dreams and goals.

   Stay young.

 

J.



Men's Bath Products That Work For You

"Shaving cream? Don't you mean water?" - Overly Manly Man, Reddit.com

   As a young man, I wanted to shave so badly. My friends were doing it, and I was sporting the peach fuzz. I've since regretted that wish. Not that break out in a rash each time, but it's not the FIRST thing I want to do each day. I've had a goatee for the past 16 or so years, which means my shave regimen is less complicated than other gentlemen. I've lathered up with various products, from Gillette to hand soap. It's typically a chore, that can end in a generally satisfied customer, or a bloody, itchy mess. I've needed to find men's bath products that work for me. 

   Recently, I hooked up with Life of Dad and Johnson & Johnson, who supplied me men's shaving products by AVEENO® and their Active Natural's for Men. Skepticism set in, as I've tried a few competitor's products, with not-so-fun results. My biggest issues have been foam that isn't all that lubricating for the shave, and after-shave lotion that is too fragrant and makes my face feel oily WAY too soon. Thus I began using the product, with no high expectations.

   The AVEENO® Men's Face Wash (MSRP $5.99) is similar to some of the products The Wife has used. It was pleasant to use, had a mildly exfoliated, and didn't leave any kind of slippery residue. It's been said that it's best to exfoliate a bit before shaving, so I was game. My face felt clean afterward and wasn't overly dry throughout the day afterward.

   I moved onto the AVEENO® Men's Shave Gel (MSRP $3.99). What I noticed first was the mild fragrance. It was a pleasant surprise to be hit by some smell I didn't ask for. I understand why, but even when I'm not offended by the smell, I've never been a major cologne guy. This shave gel allows you to add on a cologne after if you wish, and not layer several before you leave the house. The gel lathered somethin' fierce, so a little goes a long way. I began shaving, and NO LIE, it was the smoothest shave I have EVER experienced. The experience of a "close, and smooth" shave was undeniable. The moisturizer certainly helped with keeping my face from drying out later in the day.

   The event was rounded out with the AVEENO® Men's After Shave Lotion (MSRP $5.99). It was nice to get the cooling and smooth affect of an after shave lotion, again, without the overpower smell of the added fragrance. My last after shave lotion made my face feel oily by lunchtime, and I've never enjoyed that. The AVEENO after shave did the job, and didn't feel oily ALL DAY. Nice.

   In all, this is a great product line. I'm planning on continuing the use of it when I run out. I know we'd all like to be so manly that we shave with our Bowie knife,....dry, but it's not to be. So happy shaving! I leave you with a manly man, shaving the way only a manly man can. 

(photo via www.9gag.com)

J. 

The products above were provided as a sample via Life of Dad for review. All opinions are The Cheeky Daddy's. 



30 Dads, 30 Days - Pondering Different Persona On Life of Dad Interview

"There's the private persona and the public persona and the two shall never meet." - Liev Schreiber

   I'm honored to be a part of Life of Dad's 30 Dads, 30 Days. This the dad community that brought you the hilarious and fun Cheetos Mix-Ups Art Contest. This has been a fun way to meet dad bloggers in our online community and have a little fun along the way. The questions were thought provoking and got me to thinking about the many persona that we have in each of our lives. 

   

   I was listening to NPR and there was a segment on the many persona that we carry in our various real life and online communities. It was discussed that we represent ourselves differently amongst family, friends, and our online relations. It was even pointed out that we represent ourselves differently from one social media platform to another. I thought this was ridiculous until I really thought about it and found myself agreeing completely. I blog in a way that represents me as a father. I Tweet in a way that tries to be funny in small sound bytes. I post in Instagram that tries to show me as pensive and thoughtful. 

   As I thought about what I was typing for the Life of Dad highlight, I tried to remain true to who I really thought I was. A father, trying to be funny, while enlisting his thoughtful side. Mission accomplished? Or perhaps, I've just carved out another persona. You be the judge. Check it out at Life of Dad. 

J. 

Blog Clog - A New Name For An Old Problem

“Writing is hard. Not as hard as not writing.
 Not writing is torturous, bloody, chaotic and a gruesome winless battle.
 A writer who writes, knows peace, lives connected to truth.
 Not writing is ache, betrayal, death of the soul and imagination.”
 - Coco J. Ginger

   One evening, The Wife and I were sitting next to each other, doing the Internet thing. She was working on some projects, and I was trying to think of what to write next. While there are a million topics to pick from, it's hard to single in on the one that inspires you to write. She sensed that I was having trouble deciding on what to write and asked, "Blog Clog?" 

Blog Clog - /blôg - kläg/

Noun - The inability for a blog writer to unclog the massive amount of ideas that amount to no new entries. 

   Now that we've given a new name for an old problem, how do we combat it? I've seen some great posts and articles about how to beat writer's block of any kind. Below are a few that might help. 

- Dad Blunders has a great post titled Blogging Basic - You Must Write, all about how to keep writing and finding your voice. 

- Dukeo has a great post that are Six Very Official Ways To Improve Your Writing. I think each tip is a great way to also determine which post might be your "next best thing."

- Social Media Explorer has a great Overcoming Writer's Block article. Tip #6 & 7 are key for me. Using stories makes it personal and more interesting in my opinion. Also the idea of "just write" makes sense. It helps to get out the crap, so you can get to the good stuff that you'll actually post. 

   I hope this helps, if for no other reason than being able to finally call the difficulty of getting a post out by name. Drop a line if you ever get "blog clog" and we can figure out how to get out of it together. Happy writing!

J. 

Nature Boxes - A Fun Outdoor Weekend Project

"That's the thing about Mother Nature, she really doesn't care 

what economic bracket you're in." - Whoopi Goldberg

   In a time where many of our children seem like Neo from The Matrix, I try to get the kids outside for some period of time each day. While the older generation marvels at how good our kids can be at today's technology, we as their parents like to limit the time they spend on iStuff in order to keep them balanced in all areas. Hence, the outdoor projects. 

   Just like the indoor activities, I've noticed my children's interest can be lost in the outdoors as well. If they migrate into the garage to dig through my tools, ask to help paint, etc., I know they're bored. So I keep a keen eye on the situation to determine if there are other children to play with, if certain toys have not been pulled out to ride one, and so on. It's a delicate balance, even if we as parents have ourselves convinced that "we played outside until the street lights came on without any problems staying entertained!" 

   So one recent weekend, I noticed how much of our yard was usable for projects. The kids are always picking stuff up and making pretend items, worlds, etc., so I grabbed them both a box and told them to start making something like a pixie/fairy or mini troll house. They got right on it and spend a LOT of time putting them together. The best part was that these "nature boxes" were never finished. They pulled them back out over the next several days and into the next weekend. They even had them out up through this Memorial Day weekend these past three days. It's been fun to see their imaginations run wild. The stories about the invisible inhabitants were as much fun as when they found caterpillars in the bushes and made them the new home owners. 

   It's about being creative yourself. People have often complained that they are "not that creative". It's not hard. I think you simply need to let go. Think back to your childhood and how easy it was to make believe. I pretend to be successful every day, so pretending with my kids should be a snap! Try something new with your kids, and let it be outside. See what happens. 

J. 

The Ultimate Dessert - An American Experience Abroad

(photo courtesy of www.smartertravel.com)

Server to my friend: "Sir, the Ultimate Dessert is intended for 2-3 people" 

Me: "Dude, he IS 2-3 people"

TGI Friday's, Southwest England, 1994

   I was at my local Cold Stone Creamery last night and asked them if their forearms hurt after a long day, hand scooping all those orders. The one kid came back with, "Only when they order one of those." He motioned to a half gallon tub, that was clearly meant for a hand-packed dessert that included any number of toppings,...hand-mixed in. At first I thought about their poor arms, and then I thought "Murica!" That's right, the fun new of letting people know "that's how we do it,...in 'MURICA!" It reminded me of a classic American experience when I was in England around February of 1994. STORY TIME!

   It was me and three buddies, two were pretty much cowboys from Utah, and the third a smaller fella. The bigger of the cowboys took us all out for dinner at a local TGI Friday's dinner for passing his driving test for an American experience abroad. The meal was average, but the dessert menu caught our eye. Our server came over. He was a tall, slender, young guy, who was happy we were there in a mostly empty restaurant. He asked what we'd like for dessert and the conversation went something like this: 

Cowboy 1: "Tell me about this Ultimate dessert" 

Server: "Oh, that's a popular one. It's three large scoops of ice cream. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. We then load it with chocolate, caramel, and raspberry sauce. Then we stick a banana at each end, top that with whipped cream, nuts, a large brownie, and a full sized chocolate bar." 

Cowboy 1: "That's sound GOOD! I'll have one." 

Server: (incredulously) "Sir, the Ultimate Dessert is intended for 2-3 people." 

Me: "Dude, he IS 2-3 people!"

Server: "Okay then. Sir what about you?"

Cowboy 2: "Yeah, that does sound good. One Ultimate dessert for me too." 

Server: (blank stare, eyes widen, writes down order, looks to our smaller friend) "And you sir?"

Smaller Friend: "Vanilla milkshake." 

Server: (to me) "And for you?"

Me: "That cheesecake looks good. I'll have that."

Cowboy 1 & 2: "Wimp! Loser! Chicken! You're not an American" (etc., etc.)

Me: (slam my fist on the table) "FINE! THREE ULTIMATES!" 

Server: (nearly passes out, eyes the size of dinner plates, quietly utters...) "I'll go see if we have enough to make all those."

   We destroyed those desserts, and proved why the world thinks we're gluttonous pigs. We were all around 19-20 years old and still able to eat whatever we wanted. Thems were the days, yeah? So in honor of all that have served on this coming Memorial Day weekend,...'MURICA! Bring me three Ultimate desserts!!!

J. 

Kitchen Cleanliness - Food On The Floor

"Cleanliness is next to,.....impossible." - The Cheeky Daddy

   Have you been to The Cheeky Daddy Leftovers Buffet? Just head over to the kitchen table and then look straight down. There you will find half of any dinner we've had, provided by my loving children. Sometimes it's a few crumbs, and other times it's a full balanced meal. Our 'Lil Miss is getting better at keeping it on her plate, though it wasn't too long ago that she shared equal part in the nightly mess. Our Wee Lass is just starting on solids, so she's not the problem. It's my 'Lil Man that's the problem. I've seen him scoop up massive amounts of pasta or rice on his spoon and see NONE of it go into his mouth. When every other bite of food a minimum is going to the floor, one can see the layer of edible flooring we have in our kitchen.
   So we have learned to do something we haven't had to do since we've had kids. Sweep every night. I can recall my sister-in-law doing it for her 5 little ones, but I thought it was simply the sheer volume of children and food. Nope. We can do it with 2. So unless we're so tired from the day we can't get to it, we sweep, dustpan, and sometimes mop each night. I'll give The Wife credit that she gets on it much more often than I. She deserves a medal for the battlefield clean up she does each day.
   My brother went though it earlier with his boy. He's a closet inventor with no patents to his name, and this problem was no exception. He wanted to invent a barber style plastic catch all that went over your child's head with arms poking out to each. The plastic would reach the floor and fan out to "catch all" of the food that never made it into the child's mouth. I've seen bibs that have a small catch, but I was told "they were thinking too small" for his boy. Great in theory, but they've never met my boy. He's 6-10 feet away from the carpet and I'm having to vacuum the carpet these days too.
   So in the effort to stave off the ant invasion and a choking baby who's now putting everything in her mouth, we've reached that point. The messes can be epic, but it's what comes with the treasures we call our children. Now if my invention of a sliding kitchen floor that you could hose off in the back yard would work out, THAT would be something.

J.

Father / Daughter School Luau

Almost like an exclusive club.

That's a whole 'lotta dads dancing.

 

You know someone is from Hawaii when,....

They are barefoot in most of their elementary school pictures.

 

   This past Friday, my 'Lil Miss had her school's father / daughter luau. When I saw the flyer a month before, I was really excited. It was something fun and special I could do with my sweet little gal, and it was an attempt to bring a bit of the islands to the event. We bought out tickets and counted down the days. I was unsure what to expect, as one of the events planned in the past was cancelled due to poor response. You just can't tell these days.

   So the evening of, I got home from work and we both got all dressed up. I got out my island shirt from vacations past, and she got all dolled up with her flower sun dress and hibiscus flower in her hair. She was bursting with excitement as we left the house. I told her to wait by the door of the car, as I walked up and opened it for her. She asked why I did that and I told her "that's what a gentleman does. He opens the door for a pretty lady." She got an embarrassed look about her with a smile and hopped in.

   We go there and the line to get in rivaled a Disneyland ride. Inside there were a few booths for games, stick-on tattoos, and treats. We got our photo taken together (will post when I received it) and played a few more games, dancing wherever we were to the music. She danced on my feet, arms wrapped around me. Toward the end, we joined the main group to dance the final two songs. A slow song where she requested spins, a few dips, and then holding her in my arms. Then there was the good-bye music we all danced to as the crowd thinned.

   It was a fun time to be sure. It was also amazing to see so many dads there. We were all in various levels of comfort. Some guys looked like a deer in headlights, others like a possum playing dead. There were the few of us that were in our element, making sure our daughters had a great time. No matter the level of enthusiasm, we were all there for our girls. That's what mattered and I heard veterans of the event referencing years past. It's nice to know they're setting a tradition. Sign me up for next year, and ALOOOOOOOO-HA!!!

J.

One Man's Trash - Wine Barrel Wood Projects

 

"One man's trash, is another man's treasure."

 

   The Wife and I have been working on some wood pallet projects lately. You can see some of what we have cooking on our Etsy shop. It's been a fun way to stay creative, pass time while watching the kids play out front, and so on which I've posted on Reclaimed Wood Projects. Our gardener saw us working in the garage one day and informed us that he did some landscape work at the local wine vineyards. He offered to bring us old wine barrels that were, in his words, "falling apart anyway, and just going to get thrown out." Enter The Cheeky Daddy.

 

   I had visions of weaving, lining them up for a new kind of canvas to paint on, etc. Then naturally I went on Pinterest to see what else inspired. I was not disappointed. Our gardener mentioned that he himself had made some benches out of them. The lids have the logo of the vineyard they are from on one end, and other cool looking text on the other. It set my creative mind ablaze and I haven't been able to get them out of my mind since.

 

   This illustrates the core of the "one man's trash" saying. Like discarded wood pallets, these wood barrel destined for landfill, inspire something more in people like us. I'm grateful that people we know see the potential and offer their "trash" to us to make something new out of it. The saga continues and be on the lookout for when we finally complete our first projects with these barrels of the forgotten. Geez, that sounds like a Nicholas Sparks novel.

 

J.