Hockey in the Backyard Rink

Nothing makes you feel more alive, more Canadian than a little shinny in the back yard in February.

Snow fort

These are my kids. We went for a hike in the bush (near Thunder Beach) and stumbled upon this little wooden snowfort made of tree branches by Uncle Frank and his sister Hannah.

and this is their Mom

http://lizawatson.blogspot.com/

Heads Up Daddy!

I am embarking on a whole new adventure in the coming months. It is going to be extraordinarily challenging for me in may ways, but I believe that now, more than ever I have a purpose and a cause that is bigger and more important than me. Traditional Family dynamics have been changing over the years— so much so that modern Fathers are increasingly evolving their roles from traditional bread winners to become nurturers, caregivers, primary support workers, cooks, cleaners, shuttlebus drivers, psycho-therapists, guidance counsellors and still, the chief Hunter and Gatherer. To address the myriad of challenges facing the highly engaged and active Dads, I have launched a new project called Heads Up Dad. This new and very exciting Social Media portal is being created to tap into the power of community and help fathers work together to become the best parents, partners, husbands and if failing all that, to become the very best single Dad's and co-parenters we can be.

The site will features user generated content developed by a wide range of people from all walks of life and all corners of the world. Content will include useful tips and advice on everything from health and wellness to global awareness, activities to do with your kids on a rainy day and everything in between. We'll offer expert opinion and critique offered by a unique panel of experts on everything from parenting a newborn to saving for your kids education, navigating the stormy seas of relationships, separation and divorce and more. There are features that allow users to tune in and watch video blogs hosted by parenting experts, contribute and share their own ideas via weblog and share photos, video and other content with family, friends and others within the community. It truly will be one stop venue for everything a modern Dad needs to know about surviving and thriving as a Father and a spouse (or not), raising kids successfully from conception to college and beyond. Heads Up Dad will become the go-to support community for highly engaged and active Dads, wherever they may be. A resource pool of useful tools, interactive content, articles of interest and other illuminating stuff all designed to make the world a better place by helping Dads and "Daddies to be" learn, grow and become the best they can possibly be. This is my new mission.

Stay tuned for more, and do not hesitate to jump in and help out, I am going to need all the help and support I can get.

Fatherhood we need...

Barack Obama has set his sights on repairing the economy and healing his country's foreign-policy reputation. But he may already be inspiring change on the home front, where fathers' groups are holding him up as the ideal when talking about how to be an engaged dad. Christopher Shulgan reports in the Globe and Mail...

Read on...

Obama's High-tech outreach a hub for civic action?

From The Huffington Post... (www.huffingtonpost.com)

Obama's high-tech outreach has been instrumental in getting people across the country to donate millions of dollars and contribute millions of hours working on the campaign.

Will it now become a hub for civic action?

On Monday afternoon I got a blast email from the Obama Web 2.0 social networking campaign. I immediately wondered what I was going to be asked to do: Donate to the Franken campaign? Make calls for Jim Martin down in Georgia?

It turned out to be neither. The campaign was letting me know that barackobama.com was directing visitors to volunteer for -- or donate to -- relief efforts to aid the victims of the Southern California fires.

"Throughout the campaign," said the email, "we saw time and again that when ordinary people act together, they can make a huge difference."

Obama's high-tech outreach has been instrumental in getting people across the country to donate millions of dollars and contribute millions of hours working on the campaign. Will it now become a hub for civic action?

Read on...

Where do they find the time?

One night I was busy brushing my teeth, going over a client problem in my head, planning preparations for a birthday party for my son, writing a note to remind myself to get new vacuum cleaner bags and fold my laundry while watching a TV special about transsexuals -- and it occurred to me -- one thought only -- went racing through my mind:

Where do these people find the time to do this type of stuff?

I barely have time to get out of bed, put on the coffee, feed the cat, feed the dog, put drops in his eyes, dress and feed the kids, load them into the car, drive them to school, sign them in, chat withi the other parents, get to work, log in to my computer, check my mail, pay my bills, fix my network problem, write that proposal, research and seek out the stock photos I need for that brochure job, write the copy for the Newco micro site, co-ordinate the efforts of a dozen people on that Startup Inc. web site, organize my thoughts and prepare for the meeting to discuss the ad campaign for Widget Co., call my accountant and get the books ready so he can help me with the disposition of capital property issue and finally file my taxes, pick up the kids, drop by the vet to pick up insulin, stop off at the hasty mart to pick up a bag of milk and some light bulbs for the burnt out light in the kitchen, supervise activities while making dinner, feed the kids, change diapers and read stories before collapsing in bed late at night to get some rest, - let alone a new set of sexual organs.

I mean really!! Where do these people find the time for stuff like this?

It seems I always have a list of 45 things to do -- with only time to do 30-- and somehow always wind up knocking off 50 before collapsing very, very late just in time for six hours sleep so I can do it all over again tomorrow.

If someone can just hurry up and invent a day with more hours in it, or a way to have less stuff to do with the hours we have in a day, that would be just great. Until then, I have to rush off, I have a million things to do and I can't believe I just pissed away fifteen minutes to write this.

Still pondering...