Daddy's Den

RECOMMENDATION:

If you're looking for spill proof cups with a straw then I HIGHLY recommend these Contigo cups! We've been using them for quite some time now and love them so much we actually have 8 total. We have 4 at home and 2 at each of the grandparents houses. 🙂 (Link to Amazon below)

They're great for water, juice, or yummy shakes! As you can see, it has a rubber valve mid straw to prevent liquid escaping, as well as the hole on the lid has a thick rubber circular seal to hold the straw in place and prevent leaks. The lid also has a pressure seal to allow for pressurization as liquid is drawn out, which also has a little rubber seal fastened in there. All that said, we have had the straws spit out some home made breaky shake if the cold breakfast shake heats up and the cup is rather full, which is expected as the pressure would be rising in the cup as it heats, but it's pretty rare. These are top shelf dishwasher safe also by the way!

As for durability, we've never had one break (knock on wood) and they've experienced all your typical toddler / young child abuse... Everything from falling off the table to being thrown during a tantrum. Haha 😜 I honestly can't recommend them enough!

Amazon link:

https://amzn.to/3z6FdSz

Also, stay tuned for our on the go / school drink bottle recommendation to come.

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I am in the process of setting up a website so I can write a little more in-depth blog posts and discussion topics. The goal is to have the website up and running this weekend / early next week with the first posts coming shortly after that.

In the meantime, I appreciate you joining the community and would really love to hear from you all so feel free to comment and let me know if there are any topics you'd like me to cover.

Ultimately my goal is to build a Daddy community with an open forum style of discussion and engagement. A place where we can help each other out with tips, tricks, advice, support, recommendations, etc. It takes a village to raise children so hopefully we can become that village of Daddy warriors that can help each other out by providing our Daddy insight and experience for one and other. My wife has lots of Mommy groups but I find there aren't a lot of Daddy groups, so let's make one here. 🙂

My wife shared this on her Instagram this morning and I felt the need to share it / talk a little bit about this as well because Parental Burnout is very real and should be something you keep an eye out for.

I'll warn you in advance, it's a longer post because I feel this is a very important topic for parents, so being mindful of the signs / symptoms and addressing Parental Burnout early is imperative not only for you but will also benefit your children tenfold in the end. That said, strap in for a few minutes and as always please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

In this current climate of mental health awareness I want to address Parental Burnout today because I feel like a lot of parents, especially newer ones, sacrifice so much of themselves for their children and get so caught up in the day to day routines that they often forget to focus on their own feelings / mental health. It's easy to let these symptoms just creep into our daily lives because we're so focused on the kids that we don't even notice these signs of burnout until they’re already well established. Believe me, I know because it's happened to me. (The image below will outline a handful of the main signs / symptoms)

Being aware of these signs and staying mindful of your own wellness is extremely important when it comes to Parental Burnout. If we're not in the right frame of body & mind then we're unable to give 100% of ourselves to our kids during the time we spend with them, which is unfair because often we are their entire world and time spent with Mommy & Daddy is the best part of their day. Being able to fully engage in a positive frame of mind & energy brings so much joy to our children and when part of us is "missing" or "checked out" because we're burnt out, you can bet that they notice. They might not understand why but they definitely can tell when we aren't ourselves, which can ultimately be even more dangerous because they may just think we aren't interested.

That’s why it’s so important to address these issues as they arise and keep an open line of communication with your significant other, your family, or even friends, to ensure you’re able to get the help when needed. A best practice I find is taking a minute or two each day to just check in with yourself. Maybe that 60 seconds to have an internal dialogue comes as you’re getting ready for bed at night, ask yourself how you’re feeling in that moment after a long day. Be mindful of how your body feels, the emotions you’re feeling, you’re level of fatigue that day. Maybe you literally go through the list of symptoms and see if you can check any of them off.

If during this “mindful minute” you find that you do notice some of these signs / symptoms then it’s probably time to start planning for some recharge time. Finding time to “recharge” should be one of your top priorities when you start recognizing these symptoms. Personally I love to golf and play video games with friends, have a fire with my wife or cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie or show together, or even spend time watching Manchester United with my dad, all of these things refill the proverbial battery for me.

That said, sometimes life gets busy and the weekly or monthly schedule doesn’t lend itself well to carving out time to recharge. In those moments it’s imperative that you have those discussions with your support network (significant other, family, friends, etc) to create a schedule for some self care time. For example that might be me talking to my wife about a morning I can go golfing with my buddies that week, or my wife talking to me about an afternoon her and some of her friends can do a little wine tour. Whatever it is, we all need something that takes us away from those daily kiddy routines, which gives us a change of pace for some recharge time. That way we can come back feeling centered and ready to face the day with our little ones with a positive mind & energy and 100% engagement. It helps us and ultimately helps our kiddo’s too.

It’s not selfish to need some “me time” here and there so don’t be afraid to ask for it. Sometimes loving your kids means taking that time to love yourself too.