Good Time Daddy - Things Kids Love To Do With Dad!

JohnFRWhipple

I have three young daughters aged 8, 6 and nearly 4. They are my joy and my inspiration. Being self employed and the sole provider for my family I spend a lot of time working and working on my business.

Time with my kids and making that time special is so important. I don't answer my phone, get distracted by neighbours and try and make the day epic in every way I can. My wife has nicknamed me "Good Time Daddy" and I feel being in the trades I have the tools, equipment and the know how to rig up some fun days, outings and home made toys.

I have an seventy foot zip line on my side yard, have built a total of 3 igloos, snowy day bonfires and public transit adventures are some of my favourite memories of the past few years. We rigged up a water ballon sling shot that fired 40' to the street and tried hitting Dad standing on the fence! Fun times spent with my kids and our friends.

I made up this little car for my plumbers son the other day while I was drilling holes for the column radiators we are installing on a North Vancouver Renovation - my home! I have made about 5 of these in the past 6 years for my clients kids and the kids love them. Assembly time with sanding the sharp corners about 15 - 20 minutes. You can built it while eating lunch.

What are some of your favourite "Play Dates" with your kids?

Share your favourite days spent with your kids...

Even if it's just playing Barbie or colouring, GI Joe or sword play the kids love it when it's just them and you - period.

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John Whipple (By Any Design Ltd.) - Member of Terrazzo Tile and Marble Association of Canada, the National Kitchen & Bath Association and the National Tile Contractors Association. Specializing in Vancouver bathroom renovations, linear shower drain installations and shower waterproofing procedures.

SC sawdaddy

John I needed to see a post like this.

Just got in from a high school band concert with two kids in performance. Was late and didn't see my oldest daughter because T-ball practice lasted longer than usual and had to wait on my baby girl to run around the field with her team.
Had a late night last night watching girls fast pitch softball.(First game)

What will I do with my time when they've grown up???

KentWhitten

I play Candy Land with my 6 year old almost every night. What an infuriating game

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Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

SC sawdaddy

I hate getting caught in the...what is it?... chocolate syrup bog. You could get diabetes playing that game too often.

rselectric1

I have a 7 year old daughter. We're all about in the same place.
Those daddy/daughter songs on the country station have new meaning to me in the last 7 years!

Let's enjoy these times! From what I hear from older guys, you will always wish you could go back to NOW.

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220...221...whatever it takes!

rselectric1

Framerman, I'm sure you've tried out "Trouble", "Headache", and "Operation". Games from our childhood, but good ones.

She's probably old enough for Yahtzee and Uno too. Try those out!
Some day........Monopoly!!!!!!!

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220...221...whatever it takes!

angus242

:sigh: I just meet my son at bars...

(Going this Friday )

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Angus
L+M+O+P=C
"Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise"

loneframer

One of my favorites is "Storybook Land" around Christmas. I took my kids every year for many years. I didn't make it this past year. (My kids are 15 and 12 now) Nothing cooler than seeing the faces of hundreds of little kids as Santa lights up the town.

Another favorite is the Ocean City boardwalk and amusement piers. It's a very family oriented atmosphere. The beach isn't bad either.

My kids love basketball, bowling, going to the park and hitting the ball.... anything sports.

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"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



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shanekw1

My daughter is 4, going into kindergarten in the fall

Jackson, my boy, is 2, just getting to the fun stage

They both love it when I put on Lady Gaga and dance with them.

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loneframer

Chutes & Ladders will put you on the edge of a temper tantrum too.

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"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



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rselectric1

I'll need a couple by Friday night-where ya goin?

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220...221...whatever it takes!

angus242

Berdy, berdy fun place right by my house. I'll PM ya

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Angus
L+M+O+P=C
"Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise"

Anderson

Wednesday is home made pizza day, we get covered on flour and my 5 year old complains caus her pizza has nothing on it, but she dosn't like mushrooms or onions or anything but cheese.
She also loves helping me she said she is either going to have a purple or rainbow colored van.
Just a quick funny story. I was finishing up a big job last week, going through the punch list or at least my guys where. I took the day off to take daughter for her 5 year check up. So we go check on them my guy is going around looking for things, things we didnt even do or get paid for in the begining. So I tell him just follow the list. I leave and come back and he is again looking for other items. So I raise my voice just a little "Follow the list I am not going to tell you again"
Right next to me my little girl says in a demanding voice "Do what the boss says or your not getting paid"
Well I almost fell over it was so funny.
Although I did tell her off for being cheeky to her elders.

rselectric1

Making homemade pizzas are a blast. The whole symmetry thing with the sauce and just throwing the sausage, pepperoni, and cheese not even close to evenly spread is solely MY problem. (Anderson, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about)

To her, it's "beautiful" once it comes out of the oven.

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220...221...whatever it takes!

JohnFRWhipple

My favourite day trips with my girls.

1). Play Land (the PNE) - A full day of rides, A&W burgers, Candy Floss, Mini Sugar Doughnuts, Roller Coasters, Face Painting and laughs.

2). Public Transit Adventure - We take the bus from our home to the sea bus, the sea bus to the sky train, the sky strain to science world (walk up the block for ice cream), science world to English Bay by water taxi, walk the beach and take two buses home. Takes all day and the girls love it.

3). Pumpkin Patch - Out in Richmond there is a great pumpkin patch with bangos, hay rides, props, more doughnuts, hot dogs, pumpkins a plenty and the best a huge tent filled with bailed hay and loose hay for a monster hay fight and stunt jumping off piled bails.

4). Day at the Beach (my birthday) - Bring your work boots and a man's shovel and build a monster sand castle or driftwood fort. In no time you will have 10 plus kids pitching in if you bring extra buckets and shovels. Ambelside beach is perfect for this adventure.

5). Snow Days - If there is enough snow to build an igloo, snowman, have a snowball fight, set up a hot chocolate stand or go sledding there should be no work and no school. In Vancouver this is not many days over the year if any, so they need to be enjoyed. I inform all my clients of this "House Rule" and have done so since my eldest was 3.

6). Painting Party's - I pick up all kinds of miss tints from my paint wholesaler and a few times of year we paint large signs or crafts. This gets the kids into the shop and out of my wife's hair for the afternoon and most times all day. With scraps of wood and gifts for Papa there is no end of possibilities.

7). Lemonade Stand and Zip Line Day - Once a year we set up our zip line and sell rides and lemonade for my wife's efforts to raise money for "The Weekend to End Breast Cancer". On hot summer days we set the sprinkler up at the end of the line so you get splash coming down.

8). Our Fish Tank - we spend a lot of time caring for and feeding our fish. We have a small 10 gallon tank and I love to sit and watch the fish eat with my girls on my lap and by my side. They say the funniest things commenting on the fish.

9). Building tents - This is where zip poles, rope, C clamps, Nails, String and anything else you have in the van turns a basic job into a 2 hour design build. Secret rooms and letting them camp out makes it epic and over the top.

10). Boxing Day - On Boxing Day we camp out in the living room, push the coaches together and have a movie marathon. Polar Express and 2 others. It's the only night of the year we let them stay up past 10:00 and most nights its 8:30.

Story time - My favourite. Reading to the girls, discussing their day, the book, looking up a point of interest on Google and helping with their homework is most of my day by day time. We read to our girls every day and my eldest reads all the time on top of that. My favourite book of all time "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae
illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees

http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/giraffescantdance/

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John Whipple (By Any Design Ltd.) - Member of Terrazzo Tile and Marble Association of Canada, the National Kitchen & Bath Association and the National Tile Contractors Association. Specializing in Vancouver bathroom renovations, linear shower drain installations and shower waterproofing procedures.

rselectric1

OMG I feel so inadequate.

Can you be my dad too?

Awesome!:t humbsup:

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220...221...whatever it takes!

BillD

Now that they are older my kids love going to the shooting range or going hunting. When they were little sledding was their favorite thing in the winter and Wildwood, NJ beach and boardwalk in the summer.

Bill

boman47k

X2

Almost depressing when you realize it too late how the chance for parenting like that is gone for osme of us.



And ditto on the reading! Bet the other girls will read also. Not only read but comprehend as they get older.
Not to mention skills they are picking up and without even realizing it.


It is a pity that we get so caught up in making a living, we forget to live sometimes.

WarnerConstInc.

My oldest is 4 and the little one is 5 months.
I take the 4 year old to pre-school and usually try and stop back at home once a day to see her.

She has started hanging out with me on saturdays, we go to breakfast with the guys (she thinks she is sooo important)
then we run around and take care of saturday stuff.

I sped 3 nights a week taking care of the little one's while mom goes to work.

She is only 4 but, I can't believe how big she has already gotten.

I love my girls, I just can't believe how fast they grow up.

I take any spare time I have to play with her. We play chutes and ladders, mermaids, barbies, my little pony memory (she always wins). I read her 2 books before bed, now I miss her, school is over at 11:30.

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tbronson

Nice mate. A mentor of mine put it very well... "No one on their death bed *EVER* said 'Damn it! I *WISH* I spent more time at work!"

As to how fast they grow... The days can be long but the years are short!

For my 4 year old and I every Friday night is Pizza and movie night, at least once a month we go to the local aquarium, we play Star Wars or Star Trek (yes I did let him see Star Wars and my mother gave him my old Star Wars toy's to play with), he and I read a book together every night, and he helps me by "fixing" equipment or furniture with his Builder Bob tool set while I am working in my home office.