Think Outside of the (sand)Box

Here is where I post my own personal experiences of creative ideas for dads/kids.  Things that are not traditional "kid stuff", but events, places and activities that you won't find mom groups at...so enjoy!!


Cleaning Your Car:
I had to clean out the car (something smelled funky in back seat area), so I put my son in the front seat and let him climb/play in the car while I was cleaning out the back seat.  Car was obviously turned off, so he could push any buttons he wanted, turn knobs, push pedals and open compartments.  This was an experience he doesn't normally get.  Something totally different than the "stare out the back window strapped in a car seat" ride.  I then threw him in the back while I worked in the front.  I got the car clean and he had fun.  Until this day, I was always trying to schedule around his naps or evenings to clean the car. Not anymore...now it is an ApexDaddy event!

Fun Times @ the Furniture Store
If you find yourself near a furniture store...go in!  Last weekend we were in Crate&Barrel, so I broke way from the "design session" and took my son over to the couches.  He played with pillows and fabric samples for 20 minutes!  The colors and textures are great exposure...and everyone that walked by thought it was so sweet that daddy was teaching him colors.  Of course, please be respectful of the store. If someone is interested in purchasing the stuff you're playing on...move along.  And try to keep the drool off the nice furniture. :-) 

Study Traffic Patterns:

I found a pedestrian overpass of a busy highway.  I took my son there for a walk one morning during rush hour. He loved it!  Cars of all colors, shapes and sounds zooming in both directions.  A birds eye view of traffic that you don't get from your driveway.  For those in the area, it was the Greenway overpass of 64/1 near Cary Parkway exit. You can reach it from either the Kids-Together playground or the MacDonald Woods play area off Seabrook. 


Best $1 I Ever Spent:

Browsing around the Five Below store in Beaver Creek, Apex...my son gravitated to a box of "grabbers"...you know, the little two foot plastic trigger toys with funny heads.  He liked the whale...fitting since we were about to head to the coast for a few days.  I got it as a toy for him, but I use it all the time!!  It has become the universal tool in the car...since he keeps dropping (aka throwing) toys, cups/everything from his car seat.  Just reaching back, while keeping eyes on the road of course, grabbing whatever he needed to keep the decible level in the car down to normal road noise and not the blood curdling  screech that means "I will die if I don't get my toy back".  I decided to pick up a few more...one for each floor of the house.  I just wonder how long it will be until he realizes this is a tool to extend his reach by two feet?