Here’s a fun dadventure for those in or close to Oregon. This is a newspaper recount of an expedition made by Jennifer Margulis and her husband, GreatDad contributor, James di Properzio. If you’ve never been snowshoeing, you probably imagine you’ll crunch effortlessly atop acres of snow in your tennis-racket-like snowshoes, just like Yukon Cornelius, the blustery prospector who subdues the Abominable Snow Monster in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” But when my husband and I took our three children to Crater Lake on a squally Saturday in December, we grown-ups sank into the snow, flipping the powdery stuff into the faces of those who walked behind us. The kids,...

Dads can be hard to be buy for, but nothing is better than getting a gift from your kids that they made themselves. Here are two simple ideas that kids can easily make in time for holidays. Not only that, but the first is energy efficient! 1. A tie snake – With cold weather seeping in through every door and window, make a snake draft blocker using a colorful old tie filled with polypropylene pellets, or even dried beans (make sure they don’t get wet). Sew up both ends and you have a very long snake. If you want to go the extra distance, make it into a snake-looking object by sewing on eyes, and gluing on a red felt tongue. 2. A silk muscle-warmer made out of a tie. Fill the...

Here are some tried and true tricks for easing separation anxiety on the first day of school, or for any upcoming separation. 1. Be positive. Your child will key off your emotions about the event. 2. Give your child a preview. Most schools have orientation or visiting day. Make sure the first day is not a completely new experience. 3. Schedule some playdates before the start of school. Seeing familiar faces on the first day will go a long way to averting anxiety. 4. Pack family photos and a small stuffed animal so your child has a little bit of home to take with him. 5. On the first day, don’t hang around longer than needed. Reassure him that you love him and that you’ll be back to...

As I settled into my tiny seat on a recent flight, a woman asked me if I’d trade my aisle seat for her middle so she could be, as she said, ” with my girls.” She was a young-ish looking mom-type, and my first reaction was to give up my seat. After all, it was just a short 90 minute flight and for the sake of a beleaguered mom, I could afford to be chivalrous. However, in a split second, I realized that the “girls” she was referring to were the two boisterous women who were already next to me. It was a trip to Las Vegas after all. Was I close to having been hoodwinked, or was she just using the vernacular of the situation? It’s not important, but I wondered,...

Just in time for Fathers Day, we’re running a contest with a prize of the audio book version of The Expectant Father by our friend, Armin Brott. This book was given to me when we were expecting our first and was my first indication that dads would approach parenthood with a different orientation than dads. Just email me at Paul @ GreatDad (correcting the email address of course) with either your favorite thing about fathers day, or what you hope to do on fathers day. We’ll publish all the answers and award one audio book at the end of the week. Good luck!