Making Christmas Memories

All men love Christmas, as a boy (toys), as a young man (beer) and as a young couple (expensive presents) but then as you become a dad, Christmas changes. Apart from wearing the duty Christmas Jumper, It’s all about the kids (However it does get annoying when your 4yo daughter claims she wants everything on the adverts from Sept onwards!). You forget about expensive presents for your partner and spend everything on the kids. However there is an ulterior motive! As mentioned above we love Christmas, we don’t get toys ourselves (lets admit it we are big kids!), but we get them by association. After all who is going to build Charlotte’s Princess Castle (securing it with a bit more glue – just to make sure) and who is going to set up and play with Tom’s Scalextric’s set. “But he’s only 2!” says mum, “and your point is...? He’ll grow into it!” you shout as Lewis Hamilton beats Heikki Kovalainen for the 10th time this morning!! (women will never understand the complexities of handling a harpin bend at speed!), or you are taking on the hoards of the Covenant in Halo on the “families” new Xbox! 

But the most special bit is when your children are still young, is helping them lay out Santa’s treat by the fireplace just before they go to bed. The mince pies and glass of milk, not forgetting the carrots for the reindeers. Then in the morning seeing their faces as they see the empty plate, apart from a few crumbs. An empty glass and a few frosted footprints leading the fireplace…! Magical. They then see the presents and then all hell is let loose…its usally a blur of hands and wrapping paper!

However, my top tip for Christmas is… Don’t forget a good supply of batteries! (usally AA’s) Come Boxing day everything will be run flat and all the shops will be closed….As a final note…Merry Christmas and enjoy the time with your family…

Summer means family days out for dads...

Picnics! That’s what summers are meant for (well, apart from BBQ’s, but that’s another story!). So come the weekend and the sun is out, it seems rude not to go for a picnic. So we sort the sandwiches, make the soft drinks, rummage round the kitchen for the plastic mugs (that haven’t been used since last year) find a bag and start packing it. Now for the car, in goes the food bags, then the blanket, the kid’s hats, spare clothes (just in case), suntan lotion and balls of various sizes. It takes all the planning and preparation of a small scale military expedition just to sit 

in a field to eat a sandwich! Our destination for this day out is one of our favorite parks, Blaise Castle. It has it all, good fields, old house, woods, café, playparks and a castle (although not a real one), but it seems whenever we go there, it always seems like we’re sat in a wind tunnel. Great for kites, but not so good for picnics, but being stubborn English we put up with it. “It took all this effort to come out, so we’re sitting here and we’re going to enjoy our sandwiches!” Needless to say we are soon packing up and heading back to the car and heading off to a less 

windy venue…… our back garden! 

dads! - Hands up who likes soft play!

As a new ‘Self-employed’ dad, my first stop on my road trip worries me at first. I am directed to a non-descript warehouse in the middle of an industrial estate. “What here?”, “yes, dad!” is the reply, Not a good start! However I am soon comforted by all the other MPVs in the car park with “”Dad’s Taxi’s” and “ Little Princess on Board” stickers on the windows, and a dusting of crisps throughout the interior.

I walk into reception pay my entrance fee and then they take the children’s shoes (is this to keep us captive?) and I walk in. WOW! What used to be a centre for industry is now fully carpeted and full of inflatable castles, slides and other structures that would not look amiss on the Krypton Factor’s Assault Course!

I have heard many mum’s complain that they don’t have a husband, but a grown up child. If that the case then soft play is fantastic as you can kick off your shoes and become 8 again, with the excuse that your with your child!

Lots of soft play centres have the same format, a play area and a café where you can get a coffee and the kids can get another hit of sugar to keep them going…. Now I have to try and calm them down, get back to the car (after claiming our shoes back) and set off to our next stop…the journey continues….

Taking a new path as a full time dad

There are certain stages of your life when you find yourself diverted off the fast lane of your career path and end up in the greasy spoon at the side of the road. Until recently I was sat in that greasy spoon, drink bottomless cups of coffee, watching the careers of others speed past me, you see I was made redundant this year and as I work in construction it is very hard to find employment.

Over the past few months things have been hard at home, trying to juggle the kids, searching for a job and helping Lucy with her 3 businesses (yes I did say 3!). We have now come to the decision that she will now work full time whilst I stay at home and become...... A House Husband!

Honestly, if this was mentioned 8-9 months ago I would have shivered at the idea, but now I'm quite looking forward to it, getting up when the kids do and not an alarm. The short drive on the school run, without the traffic and not worrying about 'that accident' on the way home which is causing a 3 hour delay! So now I have left the greasy spoon, got into my MPV complete with car-seats and I'm heading off the slip road into the unknown..... the journey as a Full Time Dad continues.....


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