I'm not a dad, I'm a mom, but I LOVE dadcando.com, I love the projects, the sense of wonder, and the joy in nerdiness and creativity that is the basic spirit of it. I've been a fan since I first found it, back when he had a few paper airplanes, a wand how-to, and some fun paperfolding crafts up there. It's been a couple of years now and it just keeps getting better and more fun.
My kids are getting a little older now, too, so the projects are really more fun for them than before, as well. The content has grown so much that it's hard to know where to start. it seems a little late to post a review considering I've been kind of a fan for a while now, but there's a reason for this entry.
Recently, at least since the last time I downloaded a project, the website changed over to a membership-required site (there used to be a support suggestion at every download, and now downloads are members only). I have to say to EVERYONE with kids (or a yen for Harry Potter crafts!) that this site is worth every penny of that membership fee. His design skills are great, his how-to's are well put together and easy to understand, and moreover, the projects are versatile, customizable, and fun to do with your kids. You are essentially paying for a well put together activity book that keeps updating with more stuff.
... And then there's the stuff for the parents (there's general stuff, parenting advice, and a HUGE amount of stuff for single parents, which is wonderful since so much that's out there assumes two parents). I'm not a single parent, but I sure spend a lot of time pretending to be one - that's the lot of a military spouse - and advice on coping with single parenthood is useful to me, too. Oh, and I'm not a dad, but I have two boys, and sometimes it's hard to remember how to tap into the wonder of childhood and exploring the world so you can share that with your kids.
I love this website. I can only suggest that you subscribe. I have.
Showing posts with label blog fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog fun. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Blogstalky, week 3: from here to there
Okay, okay, I'm doin' it. I know it's Thursday. I didn't really want to write about this.
This is Martha, my 12 year old, third-hand minivan, in the snow last spring:
She looks evil (like some kind of snowy evil pokemon-car) in the snow, but she's pretty benign. She takes us to the store perhaps once every two weeks, and on the odd family outing in between. Usually she sits in the driveway, resting as old ladies are wont to do.
Mostly, though, I walk around on these:
But they usually have at least flip-flops on when I'm outside, hiking boots if I intend to go far. We have a no-shoe house, so they are always bare at home, unless they are cold, in which case I can be counted on to be ruining some perfectly good pair of socks.
So that's how I get around. I have no pictures of the sleek, black mancar the husband drives, but I get to drive Lucy every once in a while. She's nice, and she'd better be since we now have a car payment again. Meh.
This is Martha, my 12 year old, third-hand minivan, in the snow last spring:
She looks evil (like some kind of snowy evil pokemon-car) in the snow, but she's pretty benign. She takes us to the store perhaps once every two weeks, and on the odd family outing in between. Usually she sits in the driveway, resting as old ladies are wont to do.
Mostly, though, I walk around on these:
But they usually have at least flip-flops on when I'm outside, hiking boots if I intend to go far. We have a no-shoe house, so they are always bare at home, unless they are cold, in which case I can be counted on to be ruining some perfectly good pair of socks.
So that's how I get around. I have no pictures of the sleek, black mancar the husband drives, but I get to drive Lucy every once in a while. She's nice, and she'd better be since we now have a car payment again. Meh.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Blogstalky: Purse Gutz
Well, I delayed to make it more interesting, but it really isn't. I'd be a wallet girl if I didn't need a diaperbag.
ETA: Okay, something that got eaten by blogger while I fought with the editing window in my other browser is that it isn't originally a diaperbag - it's a smallish medium-sized purse with lots o' pockets, as I despise most diaper bags, even the non-fluffy-bunny styles. I had intended to make my own diaper bag, but never got around to it. So I went hunting for one that fit my idea of what I wanted (I'd had the perfect purse-cum-small-diaperbag when FX was little, but gave it away to a friend who needed one), I hunted all over and found it at Target, I think. For 10 bucks. Cheap is good, and even more so if it doesn't fall apart (it's going on 2 years old now).
And it's about 10 x 7 x 8. A little bigger than I wanted, but still quite compact unless I stuff it.
(end added-left-out-part)
This, then, is my purse:
Wait. Mr. Giant Baby decided to "help" by violently shaking me while I snapped the photo. Let's try that again.
Okay, this is my purse. Lots of pockets. The silver zipper pocket is "my zone" and the pockets in front contain my things.
Yes, that includes cigarettes, but honestly, I only smoke one a day, at most, and I never finish them.
And I smoke outside. Also, there is the wallet with red flames which my husband bought me so I wouldn't lose it. So, of course, I have, several times. But I did always find it again...
Arranged according to their position in the purse are:
Next we have the contents of the inside and back pockets, minus the stinky diapers and wet bag, because those go straight into the diaper can when we get home. We have:
ETA: Okay, something that got eaten by blogger while I fought with the editing window in my other browser is that it isn't originally a diaperbag - it's a smallish medium-sized purse with lots o' pockets, as I despise most diaper bags, even the non-fluffy-bunny styles. I had intended to make my own diaper bag, but never got around to it. So I went hunting for one that fit my idea of what I wanted (I'd had the perfect purse-cum-small-diaperbag when FX was little, but gave it away to a friend who needed one), I hunted all over and found it at Target, I think. For 10 bucks. Cheap is good, and even more so if it doesn't fall apart (it's going on 2 years old now).
And it's about 10 x 7 x 8. A little bigger than I wanted, but still quite compact unless I stuff it.
(end added-left-out-part)
This, then, is my purse:
Wait. Mr. Giant Baby decided to "help" by violently shaking me while I snapped the photo. Let's try that again.
Okay, this is my purse. Lots of pockets. The silver zipper pocket is "my zone" and the pockets in front contain my things.Yes, that includes cigarettes, but honestly, I only smoke one a day, at most, and I never finish them.
And I smoke outside. Also, there is the wallet with red flames which my husband bought me so I wouldn't lose it. So, of course, I have, several times. But I did always find it again...Arranged according to their position in the purse are:
- from side pocket one: A bottle of Little Noses cold/allergy drops; A bottle of Infant Tylenol Dye-Free; a tube of baby Orajel (it is a diaper bag! I swear!)
from silver-zipper pocket: Pens mixed with some penlike makeup (eyeliner, mascara, coverup); checkbook; crumpled piece of paper; a penny; a large paperclip; Makeup (liquid, powder, lipstick, eyeshadow); an expansion pack for Chez Geek- from side pocket two: hand sanitizer (diaper bag!); a selection of emergency tampons.
- My wallet, which has lots of cards, a bunch of receipts, a small pen, and one dollar, just in case.
Next we have the contents of the inside and back pockets, minus the stinky diapers and wet bag, because those go straight into the diaper can when we get home. We have:
Several random pieces of paper. I have no idea whose phone numbers those are. I think this came from my husband's pocket, actually.- A pale yellow plastic fork-spoon-sporky thing
- The sewing pattern for Laura's dress.
- Two fortune cookie fortunes.
- Three velcro tiedowns (seriously, these belong in every diaperbag).
- baby wipes (diaperbag!)
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Going Fabric Shopping Today
...because I'm a nut and I volunteered to make a gown for my friend Laura, since we're both curvy and weird to fit. It's just plain better to make it from scratch if you have to have that much fitting done, I say.
I am taking Mr GiantBaby along, because Husband is exhausted (they do that to you regularly in the Marines, apparently), and he doesn't need 2 rambunctious kids running him over all day without backup. This means that all the stuff has to go with me too - stroller (no baby carrier, since he's HUGE and I'm already uncomfortable), cloth diapering stuff, feeding utensils (he's VERY into spoons), cup, juice, bag with toys...
And then there's what I need to bring - My swatches, since Laura and I are trying not to be clashy (we'll be hanging out all night while the men BS and drink, so we decided not to be clashy or matchy), the patterns, The Girly Stuff Survival Kit. Yeah, it's the Eve of That Week, and my uterus feels like it's warming up for a marathon. Ouch.
Blogstalkers: I'm making my Purse Guts post after I get back, because it's much more interesting after a day out. It's all boring now, what with me having cleaned it day before yesterday.
Also expect a "what I'm up to lately" post, since I've got the photos taken. I was just too lazy to write about them.
I am taking Mr GiantBaby along, because Husband is exhausted (they do that to you regularly in the Marines, apparently), and he doesn't need 2 rambunctious kids running him over all day without backup. This means that all the stuff has to go with me too - stroller (no baby carrier, since he's HUGE and I'm already uncomfortable), cloth diapering stuff, feeding utensils (he's VERY into spoons), cup, juice, bag with toys...
And then there's what I need to bring - My swatches, since Laura and I are trying not to be clashy (we'll be hanging out all night while the men BS and drink, so we decided not to be clashy or matchy), the patterns, The Girly Stuff Survival Kit. Yeah, it's the Eve of That Week, and my uterus feels like it's warming up for a marathon. Ouch.
Blogstalkers: I'm making my Purse Guts post after I get back, because it's much more interesting after a day out. It's all boring now, what with me having cleaned it day before yesterday.
Also expect a "what I'm up to lately" post, since I've got the photos taken. I was just too lazy to write about them.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
Blogstalkers! The Navelgazing Post, or, it's all about me.
In honor of the reanimation of Knitty Coffeeshop Blogstalking, I've redecorated. However, I took the easy way out, and just used a template, so expect it to change again when I get around to it. Maybe I'll just spend some time trying on templates. I dunno.
Anyway - we're supposed to be self-centered this week. I'm awful at that (see! That's about me!). Personally, I think I'm boring, while the things I do, the places I've been, and the people around me, are interesting.
Here's an example of the boring, the normal, the unremarkable:
I'm 37. I have 2 kids. I'm averagely pudgy and averagely tall. I have averagely large feet. I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers, and three stepparents. I wear glasses. I drive an old, third-hand minivan. I had three years of college, and left to work without my degree.
The Interesting:
I grew up in California. I'm from Berkeley/North Oakland, with moves to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Mendocino, San Jose, San Diego, out of state to Texas, Oregon, and Illinois, and out of the country to Ireland (in early childhood). I've lived everywhere from very urban environments to very rural environments - places I had to carry mace, and places I had to feed horses and care for sheep. I like to tell people I was raised by a pack of wild intellectuals in the woods, which is close to the truth.
I've been doing fiber arts in some form since early childhood. So long, in fact, that I don't really know when I learned to spin.
I know it was after 1973, because Susan Druding says that's when she sold my mom her wheel. I know I've been weaving since I was six or so, as I used to have a tapestry I made hanging in my room. I also don't remember when I learned crochet, but I remember my first attempt to learn to knit. It was AWFUL - my mother decided we would learn together, and we didn't. The resulting scarf was very 1970's, acid green, big "deliberate" holes, gauge problems, etc. I hated it, I hated knitting, and I never wanted to do it again. My mother hated the scarf so much she gave it away, and I remember being angry that she gave it away, because it was so hard won I did not want to part with it. Well, at least Nadia liked it, which is more than the horrid thing deserved.
I sew, and I sew all kinds of things. This week I designed a bra pattern for 1-way stretch denim I had lying around, and it is so comfortable. I'm also making my dress for the Marine Corps ball (in November), and I recently had fun doing brainless sewing for my living room (see the previous entry). I can drape, flat-pattern, and estimate yardage in my head. All for a hobby.
Professionally, I've been a bookshop clerk, a warehouse worker (I was so slim and strong, if only it had paid better), an administrative assistant, a graphic designer, a security guard (really), an illustrator, a web designer, a theatrical costume designer, a telephone operator, and a bridal dressmaker's assistant. I've also worked in restaurants, from being an assistant dessert chef at a 4-star gourmet place to managing a pizza parlor near a university.
I have geeky hobbies - I'm in the SCA, and I have done historic reenactments, museum volunteering (costumed interpreter, collections processing, docent). I like to play computer games (though I hardly ever get to anymore - I used to be really good at Quake.), and tabletop RPGs. I read a lot - everything from mysteries (I prefer historical ones where the authors have done lots of research that only other people like me would care about, of course), to horror, to fantasy, to hard research materials. I've been known to read encyclopedias for fun. I recreate medieval wire jewelry, collect beads (and sometimes use them), and cook stuff. I used to (before kids) work as a convention volunteer staffer for as many as three conventions a year, mostly science fiction. It's like herding cats, and that's just dealing with the important people :)
Um, I also used to be cool (sort of). I had a mohawk, and I have a tattoo on my scalp, of a knotwork roundel from the Book of Lindesfarne. Once, when I was a phone bank volunteer for KTEH in San Jose, the actor who plays Lister on Red Dwarf scared the crap out of me by sneaking up to take a photo of it. I managed to get a picture with him for that :) He is, by far, one of my favorites of all the "famous" people I've ever met (and I've met a lot of them).
See? it's the things around me that are interesting (even my hair is more interesting than me), not me. But I guess I clean up okay :)
Anyway - we're supposed to be self-centered this week. I'm awful at that (see! That's about me!). Personally, I think I'm boring, while the things I do, the places I've been, and the people around me, are interesting.
Here's an example of the boring, the normal, the unremarkable:I'm 37. I have 2 kids. I'm averagely pudgy and averagely tall. I have averagely large feet. I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers, and three stepparents. I wear glasses. I drive an old, third-hand minivan. I had three years of college, and left to work without my degree.
The Interesting:
I grew up in California. I'm from Berkeley/North Oakland, with moves to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Mendocino, San Jose, San Diego, out of state to Texas, Oregon, and Illinois, and out of the country to Ireland (in early childhood). I've lived everywhere from very urban environments to very rural environments - places I had to carry mace, and places I had to feed horses and care for sheep. I like to tell people I was raised by a pack of wild intellectuals in the woods, which is close to the truth.
I've been doing fiber arts in some form since early childhood. So long, in fact, that I don't really know when I learned to spin.
I know it was after 1973, because Susan Druding says that's when she sold my mom her wheel. I know I've been weaving since I was six or so, as I used to have a tapestry I made hanging in my room. I also don't remember when I learned crochet, but I remember my first attempt to learn to knit. It was AWFUL - my mother decided we would learn together, and we didn't. The resulting scarf was very 1970's, acid green, big "deliberate" holes, gauge problems, etc. I hated it, I hated knitting, and I never wanted to do it again. My mother hated the scarf so much she gave it away, and I remember being angry that she gave it away, because it was so hard won I did not want to part with it. Well, at least Nadia liked it, which is more than the horrid thing deserved.I sew, and I sew all kinds of things. This week I designed a bra pattern for 1-way stretch denim I had lying around, and it is so comfortable. I'm also making my dress for the Marine Corps ball (in November), and I recently had fun doing brainless sewing for my living room (see the previous entry). I can drape, flat-pattern, and estimate yardage in my head. All for a hobby.
Professionally, I've been a bookshop clerk, a warehouse worker (I was so slim and strong, if only it had paid better), an administrative assistant, a graphic designer, a security guard (really), an illustrator, a web designer, a theatrical costume designer, a telephone operator, and a bridal dressmaker's assistant. I've also worked in restaurants, from being an assistant dessert chef at a 4-star gourmet place to managing a pizza parlor near a university.
I have geeky hobbies - I'm in the SCA, and I have done historic reenactments, museum volunteering (costumed interpreter, collections processing, docent). I like to play computer games (though I hardly ever get to anymore - I used to be really good at Quake.), and tabletop RPGs. I read a lot - everything from mysteries (I prefer historical ones where the authors have done lots of research that only other people like me would care about, of course), to horror, to fantasy, to hard research materials. I've been known to read encyclopedias for fun. I recreate medieval wire jewelry, collect beads (and sometimes use them), and cook stuff. I used to (before kids) work as a convention volunteer staffer for as many as three conventions a year, mostly science fiction. It's like herding cats, and that's just dealing with the important people :)
Um, I also used to be cool (sort of). I had a mohawk, and I have a tattoo on my scalp, of a knotwork roundel from the Book of Lindesfarne. Once, when I was a phone bank volunteer for KTEH in San Jose, the actor who plays Lister on Red Dwarf scared the crap out of me by sneaking up to take a photo of it. I managed to get a picture with him for that :) He is, by far, one of my favorites of all the "famous" people I've ever met (and I've met a lot of them).
See? it's the things around me that are interesting (even my hair is more interesting than me), not me. But I guess I clean up okay :)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
I Can Has Ravelry!!!!
I got my invite ... yesterday? Perhaps it was Monday. It's all a blur.
OMGWTFBBQ. It's great, even with the bugs and incompleteness. I'm trying to figure out how to best help with the live beta development. It was so worth waiting 3 months for (I signed up in early May or late April, I'm not sure which.), and I love it. I have only entered a few stash yarns, a few of the most interesting WIPS and FO's, and spent most of my time just browsing around and using the features. Also, it complements my other fiber-focused online stuff, instead of replacing it.
I have to say that I love having what amounts to a customized newsfeed of my favorite bloggers and online fiber-freinds, the forums are fantastic (only what you actually scroll past gets marked read, wow!), and the patterns, and the yarn, and the...
(cut for interlude of unintelligible enthusiastic blithering)
Okay, if you have not yet signed up, go ahead and do it. It's great, and I can't wait to see it in a non-beta version.
Did I mention it's GREAT? Yeah, like the cereal. I could eat it up.
OMGWTFBBQ. It's great, even with the bugs and incompleteness. I'm trying to figure out how to best help with the live beta development. It was so worth waiting 3 months for (I signed up in early May or late April, I'm not sure which.), and I love it. I have only entered a few stash yarns, a few of the most interesting WIPS and FO's, and spent most of my time just browsing around and using the features. Also, it complements my other fiber-focused online stuff, instead of replacing it.
I have to say that I love having what amounts to a customized newsfeed of my favorite bloggers and online fiber-freinds, the forums are fantastic (only what you actually scroll past gets marked read, wow!), and the patterns, and the yarn, and the...
(cut for interlude of unintelligible enthusiastic blithering)
Okay, if you have not yet signed up, go ahead and do it. It's great, and I can't wait to see it in a non-beta version.
Did I mention it's GREAT? Yeah, like the cereal. I could eat it up.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Interview from Nayuh
Okay, i wanted to blog about something besides the baby sweater I'm making out of sock yarn (It looks like a washcloth at this stage and I've been working on it for 2 weeks), so I volunteered to be interviewed by Nayuh of Hello There! Here goes!
1. What three things would you take with you to a deserted island?
Probably knitting (this means all of it, plus the stash), books and an MP3 player full of music with a bottomless battery. That's teh totally dream-perfect-vacation list.
Practically? A knife, a spool of good strong twine, layerable clothes that I could potentially use for other stuff (like a net shirt ... for washing stuff in the ocean). As long as there was other stuff already there (like fruit, water, trees, animals), I'd work things out.
2. What one thing would you make illegal if you had that power?
Stupidity. I mean the willful kind that people/companies use as an excuse to injure others.
Also selfishness. And meanness. Most of the other stuff is already illegal.
3. What one thing would you never buy in a dollar store, no matter how much of a bargain it was?
Food. Dollar store food just creeps me out. It's always the stuff that nobody would buy at a regular store because it's too nasty. If I'm going to spend a buck on food, I'll go buy a bag of rice - at least then I know what's going into my body.
4. What is your dream job?
Easy! Getting paid to do creative work. All my most beloved jobs (except one) have been creative work - graphic design, costume design, set design, window dressing, house restoration. I once took a life-size dummy to work on the bus, for a window display at the bookshop I worked in, and even the scary/crazy people moved away from me!
5. What is your least favorite household chore?
I hate folding/putting away laundry. Hate it. I also hate it when I can't find my underpants, though, so I have to put my clothes away.
Want to play? Here’s the scoop:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
1. What three things would you take with you to a deserted island?
Probably knitting (this means all of it, plus the stash), books and an MP3 player full of music with a bottomless battery. That's teh totally dream-perfect-vacation list.
Practically? A knife, a spool of good strong twine, layerable clothes that I could potentially use for other stuff (like a net shirt ... for washing stuff in the ocean). As long as there was other stuff already there (like fruit, water, trees, animals), I'd work things out.
2. What one thing would you make illegal if you had that power?
Stupidity. I mean the willful kind that people/companies use as an excuse to injure others.
Also selfishness. And meanness. Most of the other stuff is already illegal.
3. What one thing would you never buy in a dollar store, no matter how much of a bargain it was?
Food. Dollar store food just creeps me out. It's always the stuff that nobody would buy at a regular store because it's too nasty. If I'm going to spend a buck on food, I'll go buy a bag of rice - at least then I know what's going into my body.
4. What is your dream job?
Easy! Getting paid to do creative work. All my most beloved jobs (except one) have been creative work - graphic design, costume design, set design, window dressing, house restoration. I once took a life-size dummy to work on the bus, for a window display at the bookshop I worked in, and even the scary/crazy people moved away from me!
5. What is your least favorite household chore?
I hate folding/putting away laundry. Hate it. I also hate it when I can't find my underpants, though, so I have to put my clothes away.
Want to play? Here’s the scoop:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
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