Month of March , 2007
Submitted by RickPalmer on March 19, 2007 - 12:28pm.
While sitting in my doctor's waiting room last week for a checkup, I browsed through a recent copy of FamilyFun Magazine. They did a survey of 2900 families and found that 40% of dads never make dinner. I hate to admit it, but I'm smack dab in the middle of that group.
 When my wife and I were dating, I was somehow able to cook her a grilled halibut dinner complete with all the trimmings. But now that we've been married for well over a decade, about the best I can do (or at least choose to do) is flip some burgers on the grill or boil up some mac and cheese. 
Nevermind that I can build a computer from scratch, change the spark plugs on my Ford Ranger, or install crown molding in the whole downstairs area of our home. Those kinds of physical mechanical tasks come naturally for me, and I enjoy doing them. But the thought of buying ingredients, preparing them and cooking them sounds like drudgery to me. I guess I'm fortunate that my wife is a great cook and enjoys cooking, but maybe it's time I pitched in for a change!
Our routine is for her to cook and me to either clean up or put the kids to bed, whichever she chooses. I'm sure I could score some serious points though by offering to both cook and clean one night. Know of any good recipes that a cooking-handicapped dad like me could whip up for my family?
Getting back to the FamilyFun magazine survey... they also found that only 38% of families eat together every evening. I think the family meal thing has become under-rated. Yes, it can be a drag with smaller kids – constantly getting after them to take another bite, but it's also a priceless chance to connect and discuss the day's events. We eat together every night of the week on most weeks, although occasionally I'll end up staying late at work or will be out with a buddy for a movie night.
For kid's chores related to meal time, they found that 88% clear the table, 83% set the table, 77% help prepare the food, and 62% wash the dishes. Our kids are doing great with the “clearing the table” chore, and sometimes help their mom prepare the food for simpler meals. I think the trick to success with any chore is consistently enforcing it until it becomes a habit. I find I have to remind them less and less as time goes by, and the older daughters are starting to do it on their own now without prompting.
What are your mealtime rules for whether they get dessert or not? According to the survey, 44% of families let their kids eat dessert "if you eat most of your dinner", 24% "rarely serve dessert", 14% had no dessert policy, 10% insisted that their kids "must try everything first", and 8% said "no dessert until your plate is clean" (that's us).
Submitted by RickPalmer on March 17, 2007 - 7:16pm.
Without a doubt my #1 and favorite "dad gadget" is my black Motorola Razr camera phone. I mean, I have a Nikon D50 digital SLR camera that I use for serious-duty photography of my kids in action, but my Razr slips right into my pocket so I always have it with me. The Razr holds about 105 photos, and even takes color video with audio.
 Take tonight, which was Family Fun night at my kid's elementary school. They had a jello eating contest, and my kids were chowing down in front of the whole gymnasium full of friends, parents, and teachers. I was able to whip out my Razr and capture the moment... along with a couple other dads doing the same thing. The picture's are not as clear as the ones I get with the Nikon, but they're fine as far as I'm concerned (more shots at the end of this article).
We took our Nikon D50 with us to Disneyland last year and snapped over 600 shots in 3 days - thanks to a 2 GB Sandisk memory card that holds about 1100 high quality images. But the D50 is way too bulky to carry around to all my kid's events. The Razr is perfect for that, although I wish it had more than a 640x480 resolution.
  To top it off, I got my wife and I each a new Razr a few months ago and both phones were free, thanks to Wirefly (an authorized wireless reseller with a wide range of free phone deals when you sign up for a two year contract - or extend your existing contract like we did).
Check out the deals for dads section on this website to learn how you can get a Razr camera phone for free.
Here's also a link to a discussion on the Nikon D50 that provides a lot of useful information about its features, as well as several recommended photo editing tools.
As promised, here are a few more shots that I took with my Razr... or rather, that my kids took. It's so easy to take pictures with, that my 5-year old took these shots of me and our dog Otis:
  
The Razr isn't the greatest for motion shots, but it does alright with still shots. Here's a 4-wheel drive tire shot I took a couple months ago when Regan and I visited Les Schwab to get a flat fixed:
I have taken hundreds of pictures already with my Razr of my kids inner tubing on Mt Hood, birthday parties, soccer games... and the list goes on and on. It has easily earned my "Ultimate Dad Gadget" award in the 3 short months that I've owned it.
Here's an article that describes how I transfer photos from my Razr phone to my PC using Motorola's Phone Tools and a data cable. You can also use BlueTooth if you have a BlueTooth-enabled PC and a BlueTooth adapter.
So what's your favorite "dad gadget"? 
Submitted by RickPalmer on March 15, 2007 - 11:49am.
At work, an open door policy means that employees are encouraged to talk with their managers about any concerns they may have. However, the effectiveness of such policies are only as good as the manager's approachability. His or her willingness to listen, validate, and work through the problem with the employee has a huge effect on their relationship with the employee. It only takes one or two run-ins with a brisk, arrogant manager, and employees won't make any further attempts to communicate.
I think it's the same way at home with my kids. I want them to communicate with me about their lives - especially as they get older. But I know their willingness to talk with me about things that matter to them is linked to how I respond to them when they're frustrated with me.
One of the things my wife and I encourage our kids to do is to make "When you, I feel" statements to both of us. When I lose my temper or make a bad disciplinary decision, I want them to come to me and say things like "When you were mad at me it hurt my feelings", or "It hurt my feelings when you weren't willing to listen to my side of the story".
Submitted by RickPalmer on March 8, 2007 - 6:46am.
K - 5
Our elementary school brought in an education expert last week to help parents like me get more involved with our kids learning, and I was hoping to come away with some hands-on tips for helping my kids with their homework.
His main point was that teachers empowered by parents are more effective than just teachers and parents working individually. He encouraged us to communicate with our teachers, ask questions, visit classes, and provide them with feedback.
I spoke with Bridgett's teacher and several other parents afterwards, and we all agreed that it would be helpful to have a website where information could be shared. Websites are "my thing" so I offered to set up a website with a blog so that her teacher could post announcements, assignments, etc. It will also give parents and students a chance to ask for clarification on assignments, or to discuss anything that's not clear.
Submitted by RickPalmer on March 7, 2007 - 8:29am.
Can I brag a little this morning?
My 7-year-old daughter Delaney was recently accepted into the TAG program at school (Talented And Gifted). We received a letter from the school indicating that she scored 99.5% in math and 98.5% in reading!
One of her nicknames is Laney Brainy because she's very smart and has a great memory. We also call her Laney Goose because she can be such a crack-up and always keeps us laughing.
It's really fun when our kids excel, but we also make sure they know we would love them regardless of their accomplishments.
Boost your child's education with these deals geared towards kids. You'll also find some great ideas for family time activities.
Fortunately I don't have to travel very often for work, but I have several friends who travel frequently (and they probably make a lot more money than I do too). Whether you travel for business or a badly needed family vacation, here are some great deals that will help cut costs on airline tickets, hotel, and rental car.
You'll also find savings on some helpful business tools, books, and software programs - perfect for the entrepenuer or aspiring career ladder climber.
I love to collect power tools for house projects, or equipment for taking care of my lawn. In fact, one of my wife's pet peeves is that I don't seem to use the tools nearly as much as I claimed I would when I talked her into letting me buy them.
She's completely missing the point though. It really sucks to have to go borrow a tool from a neighbor when you could have already had it sitting on your workbench, right?! 
I figure "you never know when I might need a table saw" (which is currently on my wish list), or recently it was an air compressor. Think of all the tires and pool floaties I can pump up with that baby, and now I can clean off my tools and workbench when I'm done with a wood cutting project.
Honey, if you're reading this - I still want a new table saw for my birthday coming up soon in June!
But I digress. Here's a list of several hand-picked deals I've found online on tools and equipment for your home and garden. I hope you find something you're looking for, or use the contact form to let me know about an item that's on your wish list. Chances are good that I'll be able to save you some money, which will help when you negotiate the purchase with "The Committee" (you know who I'm talking about).
My favorite sport for the last few months has been T-ball, since my youngest son was playing this season. I've signed all three kids up for soccer which will start in July, and that means another round of cleats, shorts, jerseys and knee pads.
My main athletic hobby is bicycling. I just finished a Father's Day Fifty ride with my riding buddy Frank, and I ride 10 miles into work 2 or 3 days each week.
Whatever your sports attraction or hobby, I hope I've listed some deals on this page that will help feed your addiction without breaking the bank.
Getting in shape or working on those love handles?
My personal goal is to get in the best shape of my life by age 40. I turn 39 in June 2007, and I've dropped from 196 lbs to 179 lbs since I started working out back in October 2006. My cholestrol has dropped 35 points and I really feel great.
These deals on workout equipment and nutritional products will help melt you away those extra pounds without eating up what's in your wallet.
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