Just wing it

Ok, so I'm just going to come out guns blazing and say it.. I kinda have a knack for this parenting stuff, I possess an uncanny ability to turn a child's tanty (which our neighbouring properties could easily mistake for an exorcism) into laughter that if you could bottle, would make you a very wealthy person, I am to fatherhood what Dr House is to saving lives.. Ok well maybe only T.K from Shortland Street good, but you catch my drift.

There are 3 reasons why I think I have acquired this super power. Firstly, because I can be just a little bit weird, meaning.. if the wiggles had another coloured skivvy they needed filling, I would probably be a suitable candidate (and since red is already taken, I'd be Mr green wiggle). Secondly, who do kids get along with best? Answer: Other kids haha, I'm still very much a kid at heart so I love playing games, doing the crazy shake with Team Umizoomi, and searching high and low for clues with our handy dandy notebook. Finally, and probably the best explanation, is the fact that kids are just so easily pleased, they can find happiness in the simplest things, whether it be standing over the vacuum cleaner for a blow dry..




..or cooking colourful cupcakes in a cardboard box oven..




..busting rhymes with an upside down bowling pin..




..or getting a tad carried away with drawing clues in the handy dandy notebook..




..which wifey at first was not impressed with, but then laughed because it didn't happen on her watch haha.

I remember being a kid and the things that would make me happy, and all the silly things my dad would do. Basically i just try to recreate those fun times and hope my boys enjoy them just as much, because although being able to make a kid stop crying makes my new occupation easier, I still have lots to learn. So when I'm confronted with an unfamiliar situation, I turn to my remixed version of Nike's slogan.. Just wing it.


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More iPads please

"Daddy I want to play on the mypad"

"Here, you can play on my phone"

"But I want to play on the mypad"

"I'm just reading something important right now (Facebook)"

"But I want to play on the mypad"

"I'll be 2 seconds and then you..."

"But I want to play on the mypad right now!"

If i'm not having this conversation with Carter, i will probably be in a tug of war/screaming battle with Woowee, with the iPad playing the role of the rope. Now I'm not a parent who chooses not to let their kids enjoy the benefits of technology (each to their own), but I do like to limit the amount of time they spend in the digital world, especially when the portal they're using to enter it is MINE haha.

I'm a big kid when it comes to gadgets, pretty sure I slept with my iPad in hand for the first week (in all honesty it still sleeps under my pillow) and even took it to work with me, even though there was only 5 minutes of the day that I would actually use it. Yup, those were the days.. Louie was still serving his 9 month sentence inside, and Carter hadn't yet reached rehab qualifiable full blown tech addiction. Now, i figure the only way for us to spend quality time (iPad and I) is if I become a ninja..




I have a black leather case though so I should be fine haha. But seriously, we need another one, ideally another 3, so then I can hand mine down and enjoy the clarity of 'The New iPad', I floated the idea of an iPod touch for Carter's 3rd birthday, but this post is evidence that the 100 watt light bulb that magically appeared above my head, soon flickered its way to a miserable death.

On the subject of little humans and technology, I find it so amazing how quickly they learn, and how willing they are to learn, many oldies foolishly assume such a thing is beyond them, but what can be easier than a device that comes with no manual? Carter's first experience with an iPhone was when he was only a few months old, he latched onto mine with his gums and sucked it like a boob, needless to say that 1st gen model suffered water damage. Although now, 3 years on, not only has he realized it doesn't have milk inside it, but he could also school people 30 years his senior on how to use any apple product, and Louie is not far behind..





..he sits there quietly studying his brothers every move, figuring out which app is YouTube and where to tap to play videos, also waiting patiently for him to put it down so he can strike!.. Gripping the mypad in 2 hands, he Usain Bolt's it into my arms for protection, then says "round n round" twirling his finger simultaneously, which means he wants to watch Wheels On The Bus, one of his fav's.

Wifey and I don't buy into the notion that all this is not good for the children, like any other toy they play with, they soon get bored and put it down to shoot hoops outside, or ride bikes on the deck. We see it as a valuable learning tool, technology is only going to get more advanced, so i think the bigger the head start the better. In saying that, we don't condone using such devices as babysitters, spend time with your kids, make sure they don't call 'Siri' mum or dad, everything in moderation.


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Food shopping made easy

If you're an iPhone user (or any smart phone I think) and shop at Countdown then check out their app if you haven't already. If I had a 'useful things' section in this blog it would definitely be in there somewhere. It's perfect if you need to do your weekly shop with the kids, as you can search all the items you need and their prices in the app, making things a bit simpler and quicker for those times when u wish children had a mute button. You can also choose your local supermarket and it will put the items in your list in order of which aisle they are in (unlike Pak n Save's crappy version) which is one of my fav features.

On top of all that you can shop online, check your Onecard points, and even scan what you have in your pantry and it will come up with the price, whether it's on special or not, and ask if you want it added to your list. Genius.

If you wanna know more check it out here or just download it from the app store. If I didn't already shop at Countdown I would now just for the app haha.


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Chipmunks is Awesome

So some friends of ours have a little girl who turned 2 today (Happy birthday Zayah!) and they were going to Chipmunks so the boys and I decided to tag along. I myself am a chipmunks/lollipops/whatever other ones there are, newbie, Carter & Louie have been but never with me, I knew it was cool but no one told me it was fricken AWESOME! haha. Especially cool was the cannon room where you shoot foam balls, and the big slide. I was like a kid in there, I kept losing the boys coz I was exploring just like them haha. When they finally found me Louie's eye was a bit red, worried I asked what happened? Carter's reply, "I just punched him daddy" lol I had to contain my laugh and tell him off.

Anyway we all had fun, and I think it's good that adults are free with kids, unlike lollipops where you have to pay. I'm all about free shit. So if you've never been (pretty sure that was just me though) check it out, next is BigUps!






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Time fly's when you're having sons

Today is a momentous occasion.. Our lil Carter just blew out 3 candles on the most delicious choc cake ever! (made by my 2 elves and I haha). If I'm to be totally honest, it's the first cake I have ever even attempted to make in my 28 years of existence, and no it wasn't one out of the box! It was an Annabel Langbein recipe that I found online and definitely one I'd recommend, find it Here if you're interested.

After opening his presents, out of nowhere he hugs me and says "I wuv this birthday!". Made my heart melt. Also, made me love this birthday. He's been a busy boy today, FaceTime calls with relatives, shopping for cake ingredients, playing with new trains, reading new books and learning how to draw shapes, letters, and numbers.. what I'd give to be a kid again.

Where has the time gone? The question is clichè, but actually, where? It seems not long ago I was spending my whole pay cheque down at the local bottle store (like most kiwi twenty-something's) drinking myself into oblivion every weekend, and on the prowl for some aunty's (=females). Now I'm baking cakes and playground hopping with 2 toddlers, and have a loving mightaswellbe wife (=mumsy).

Really all I want to say in this short post is a huge happy birthday to my man Carter James, and an even bigger thank you to him for changing my outlook on life, making me realise what's important, basically just making me grow the hell up :) You and Louie make me a proud father, love you guys to the moon and back x




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