It's Friday and the weekend has nearly landed - time for some vintage comedy from Monty Python's Meaning of Life. If you haven't seen this in a while - turn up the PC speakers (especially if you're are work) and sing along! Here it goes ... a great song for dads - "every sperm is sacred"! :-)

-Stef

Do you sometimes think ... our nursery / children's bedroom looks a bit sad. Then you come up with all sorts of amazing DIY and home decoration ideas that ... ONE DAY ... you're going to do. Well - there's a great short cut for us busy dads. It's called "roommates" and it means you can turn a somewhat boring nursery or bedroom into a pretty cool place your kids will love.

The concept is simple, cheap and fool proof (like most brilliant things in life). Roommates products are basically fancy stickers that you peel off and stick on the wall. The adhesive they use sticks to just about any surface - and even better, the stickers comes off without leaving any marks. I tried it out myself and it works perfectly. ... read more >>

In the 1930's, when The Times of London asked Britain's leading intellectuals what they thought was the biggest problem in the world, author G.K. Chesterton sent back a quick postcard response saying, "I am." He was on to something.

Too often we don't take personal responsibility to say that we are the biggest problems in our marriage, with the way our kids behave, and with how poorly our job is going. Instead, we look to point fingers. But real men take responsibility for their actions and, when things aren't going well, look in the mirror first. That kind of humility is what saves marriages, bonds kids to their fathers, and promotes career advancement.

If you are your own biggest problem, you can work to make the right kinds of change.

Posted with permission from www.allprodad.com

A wee while ago we were given a book to review – “Smart Start” by Margaret Sassé who established the “GymbaROO” programme for early childhood development and learning which has been widely adopted and has become a global success story with over 100 Gymbaroo centres established worldwide . Sadly, Margaret passed away on the eve of her book being published on May 2nd this year. Her passion in life, to help children reach their full potential of physical and mental development through simple exercises is well captured in her book. Why is his relevant for Dads? Because statistics show that it’s mostly fathers who accompany children to Gymbaroo classes. ... read more >>

If you've got children who are totally fascinated by different types of transport ... check out our list of TOP 5 youtube transportation videos. We've compiled them here for easy access so you can watch them with the little ones and see how they react!

At number 5 - it's ... a high speed train coming out of a tunnel!

At number 4 - it's ... a truck convoy! ... read more >>

I know my column is from my personal perspective, and often about my personal life. Yet I feel this topic is more confessional than many others and affects me too often. I take things too personally. Having this deficiency is truly toxic when you are raising kids or beginning a new marriage, both of which define my present state of affairs.

Let’s give some examples and see how many of you relate to them. Easy ones are when ShortRib (my wife) isn’t smiling, isn’t talking much, or doesn’t respond quickly to an e-mail, or text of mine. I always assume that it’s my fault or something I’ve done. ... read more >>

On the eve of Father's Day weekend, President Obama gives remarks at a White House Town Hall on the topic of fatherhood. June 19, 2009 (public domain)

He made some unusually clear and direct statement about effects of fathers being absent: ... read more >>

Get some father-daughter time and show her what a great dad you are by making a bracelet with her. This little project is real simple and relaxing to make.

Things you will need:
A bag of buttons
Ribbon ¼ inch or less in width
Scissors
Tape

Step by step instructions
1) Cut a 12 inch length of ribbon with one end cut at a sharp angle. On this angled end, wrap a piece of tape around the end to create a thin point.

2) Wrap the ribbon around the widest part of your child’s hand, usually at the knuckles and measure with the ribbon. You use this measurement to see how long your button pattern should be because this is how much you will need to slip onto their hand.

3) Now take your bag of buttons and spread out the buttons for your child to see. Let your child use their creativity and pick out buttons they would like on their bracelet. ... read more >>

There's no parenting problem that's too tricky for dads to come up with a smart, simple and effective solution.

Problem: How do you keep toddler-girls dry at night (if they move a lot or sleep on their tummy)

Solution: Use boy-nappies (as they are more padded towards the top of the nappy)

Done.

NB: If your little lady is younger than 18 months, you should ensure that she sleeps on her back to reduce the risk of SUDI

The last part of my mini series on travelling with toddlers is all about keeping your toddler entertained on those long haul flights. So we had 12 + 10.5 hours to get through in one go ... which is probably about the most extreme flying experience with a toddler you can have on planet earth. So I feel well qualified to sharing some tips and tricks.

Our little man is now 2 years old, which in our case means he is too young to fully appreciate the in-flight entertainment (which Korean Air doesn't even offer on all routes @#&*^@*&^#!!! so on some flights you are stuck with 2 inappropriate films which are shown on a big screen right in front of the bulk-head seats where you will most likely be sitting). But he's also old enough to want to be entertained non-stop.

So - here's the long-haul survival list (in order of keeping you sane) ... read more >>