tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904729457308520362010-02-08T20:17:16.370ZMeet Ed. Everyone always thinks Ed has the day off. Why else would he be out and about with three small children? But Ed has a wife with a paying job and a belief that parents should screw up their own children rather than leaving it to strangers. Most importantly, he also has a penpal...DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.comBlogger285125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-76655765358355834412010-02-08T11:00:00.004Z2010-02-08T20:17:16.378Z

Dear Dave,We achieved a new record in my household yesterday. Fraser was playing Peggle on the Xbox, Sarah was playing on my iPod, Marie was using the old laptop to buy furniture for a virtual bear, Lewis was tending to the needs of his pet monster on the desktop machine and I was in the kitchen hiding from all the bleepy noises while surfing the web on the 'new' laptop. All five of us were

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-54929998557010439542010-02-03T10:15:00.001Z2010-02-03T10:24:29.476Z

Dear Dave,I was away at the weekend.This isn't that unusual. The odd part was that Sarah and the kids stayed home. I had two whole days where all the children I saw belonged to someone else.My own children were somewhat bemused by the experience. Normally when I'm absent, such as when they're staying with their grandparents or taking a trip with Sarah, they know I'm not likely to get into trouble

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-33111358481213816222010-01-29T07:50:00.000Z2010-01-29T07:59:53.008Z

Dear Dave,Have a good one. You're long overdue a night out. It can't have been easy the last year or two, dealing with Daisy's poor sleep. Thank goodness she's finally settled down and Sam's over the bout of stroppiness he was having before Christmas. Life should get easier every day from here. Another few months and nappies will be behind you; another year and Daisy will be at nursery. After

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-51485018638553942942010-01-25T09:15:00.000Z2010-01-25T09:19:23.456Z

Dear Dave,Marie has some new gloves. You probably won't be surprised to learn that they're pink.Really pink.Even better than that, they're fluffy and sparkly. They also shed. We're not talking the odd ball of fluff and an occasional thread here. Whatever she goes near looks like it got caught in a fight between Fuchsia-Fun Barbie and a My Little Pony. I swear the things have already left more

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-44402819159585633972010-01-20T09:15:00.001Z2010-01-20T09:20:46.014Z

Dear Dave,Sorry you're under the weather. I'm not feeling too great myself. It's the usual blend of sore head, indigestion, lethargy and achiness. Could be a virus, could merely be parenthood - it's hard to tell.The last couple of years haven't been so bad for random illnesses. I thought leaving parent and toddler behind had cut down my exposure to fun and exciting diseases. This winter has been

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-40043064073622622542010-01-15T08:30:00.000Z2010-01-15T08:34:02.358Z

Dear Dave,It sounds like your overwhelming memories of the Noughties are very similar to mine - nappies, banana porridge and Teletubbies. You at least recall a little more about the early years of the decade but I'm struggling. With my eldest born in May 2000 and my youngest turning five in September 2009, the whole thing is rather a blur. It's like I fell asleep with Clinton as President and

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-71467878277730343122010-01-11T09:30:00.004Z2010-01-31T19:07:00.443Z

Dear Dave,I've been to plenty of seminars and discussion groups about understanding personality type. They're the kind of thing that are always used to pad out the slot before lunch on team-building courses. Many's the time I've been stuck with a whole load of Shapers as they've enthusiastically envisaged a future of cooperation while the Completer/Finisher in me has just wanted them all to agree

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-5012470154936335292010-01-06T14:15:00.001Z2010-01-06T14:17:16.406Z

Dear Dave,Happy New Year! I hope you had a good holiday. We're finally back from visiting my parents' house in deepest, darkest Norfolk - the land of turkeys, farmers and dial-up internet. Even dial-up didn't seem to be working very well this time, though. So much as checking my email became a torturous exercise in dropped calls and lengthy load times. Renting a carrier pigeon began to feel like

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-9425641484179316932009-12-29T22:30:00.001Z2009-12-29T22:32:44.461Z

Dear Dave,Today's letter isn't here. It's over at OurMilkMoney.com trying to act nonchalant and blend in.If you want to know what really makes me afraid, you should head over there now...Yours in a woman's world,Ed.

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-13475700802969622422009-12-24T09:30:00.001Z2009-12-24T09:30:01.695Z

Dear Dave,The decorations are up, the mince pies are warmed, carols are playing and the weather outside is truly horrible. I guess it must be Christmas.Remember I mentioned in my last letter that after all these years, the kids might not have any tricks left up their sleeves? Turns out I was right.Well... about the sleeves anyway:Christmas seems to have got here in a panicked rush of cards and

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-41308586726103246432009-12-21T09:30:00.003Z2009-12-21T09:41:05.790Z

Dear Dave,Well, that's another year almost over - another year of parental peril, another year of housedad adventures and another year of unsolicited parenting advice from me. Only Christmas and Hogmanay to go and we're safely into 2010. Phew!Wonder what I'll write to you about next year, though? I must have covered almost everything by now. Our kids can't have many more tricks up their sleeves,

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-9064929330689631822009-12-16T09:20:00.001Z2009-12-16T09:26:16.620Z

Dear Dave,When I first told people I was going to be a dad, many of them said that my world would change. I nodded and smiled. Of course it would change - that was obvious! I simply didn't appreciate, however, how the very fabric of space and time would be ripped and folded around me by the arrival of a small child. With hindsight, I might have been a little more cautious. I certainly would have

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-72687976838666637602009-12-11T09:00:00.003Z2009-12-11T09:08:56.482Z

Dear Dave,Small children are like insulation.Not that I'm suggesting you try lining the loft with them. Well, probably not anyway. (They'd complain too much to make it worth it.) Then again, I do know from experience that strapping one to your front will make you very warm, very quickly. They also have a tendency to lie around in awkward places such as doorways - despite being irritating and

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-47395961572031387152009-12-07T10:00:00.000Z2009-12-07T10:15:20.286Z

Dear Dave,Sometimes I don't know why I bother speaking.Fraser was upset yesterday because he'd fallen over and bruised his back. I was concerned with checking he was all right but he was more interested in blaming Lewis. He'd been leaning on Lewis and Lewis had moved out of the way without warning.I tried to explain to Fraser that really he had to take most of the responsibility for the accident.

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-49810963454866332312009-12-02T10:30:00.000Z2009-12-02T10:35:08.256Z

Dear Dave,Gah! It's almost Christmas again already. I'm not sure where the time has vanished to this year. It's disappearance has been all the more galling, however, because I don't have the excuse of sleepless nights and clingy small children. I've had more time available to me than at any point in the last decade and yet I'm still confused the summer has already been and gone. What happened to

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-32261042078596206492009-11-27T10:15:00.002Z2009-11-27T10:24:24.977Z

Dear Dave,The kids are all finally back at school. Hurrah! That only took a week. Doubtless one of them will come down with something else in a couple of days but, in the meantime, it makes a nice change not having anyone in the house lying around under a blanket, sighing deeply. Being stuck inside for so long as been a little much on occasion. At last there's no more bickering over whose turn it

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-42408594800603080212009-11-23T10:15:00.001Z2009-11-23T10:26:50.058Z

Dear Dave,Last week was the week.The week when I didn't have any school holidays to contend with. When my calendar was free of tradesmen and essential errands. When I didn't have parents staying, cleaning to do or school trips to help out on. Barring a quick visit to Iceland to pile a trolley with food and arrange a home delivery, last week was the first week in nine years when I was totally free

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-36674207084995954752009-11-18T10:30:00.000Z2009-11-18T10:40:43.486Z

Dear Dave,That sounds expensive. The cinema tickets alone must have cost over twenty quid and then there was the popcorn and drinks. Figure in the trip to Pizza Hut, the bus fare and the balloons and it must all add up to more than you want to think about. That's before you even take into consideration the essential supplies you'll have picked up seeing as you were in town anyway - I don't know

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-88164762582883217712009-11-13T10:30:00.002Z2009-11-13T10:49:07.368Z

Dear Dave,Useless Dad didn't waste time. "Do you have a suit?" he asked as soon as I opened the door."Er... Yes." I'd only just got the kids off to school and I was looking forward to settling down with a cup of coffee to check my email before getting on with chores. Having Steve turn up in a panic certainly hadn't been part of my plan for the morning."A smart suit?""It's not full of holes, if

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-168967083128035922009-11-12T11:00:00.000Z2009-11-12T11:08:27.971Z

Dear Dave,I should be lying around enjoying the peace and quiet, revelling in the fact I've lived through the pre-school years and finally got all three of my kids out of the house on a regular basis.But...Nine years of limited sleep and constantly running around like a headless chicken have acclimatised me to being busy. Half an hour of sitting about during the day, and I get this urge to be

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-91711790358770745832009-11-09T10:00:00.002Z2009-11-09T10:01:14.261Z

Dear Dave,Thursdays can be hectic. Marie has a friend round from school for an hour or so and then there's a mad scramble to do homework and eat tea before she and Lewis have to be along the road at church for Anchor Boys and Rainbows. Once they're delivered and I've got home again with Fraser, there's only a twenty minute gap until I have to take him in the other direction to Boys' Brigade. Then

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-58928436900511414582009-11-04T09:30:00.002Z2009-11-04T09:42:14.623Z

Dear Dave,Getting twenty-three seven-year-old school children onto the top deck of a bus is... an interesting experience. Oddly, the kids who've been wandering off and causing trouble all the way along the street are fine at this point - it's the ones who've been dutifully following instructions since leaving the classroom who cause the issues. They insist on holding hands even while going up the

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-77093738613028983052009-10-30T09:30:00.007Z2009-10-30T10:03:03.687Z

Dear Dave,Sometimes getting a straight answer out of a child can be like pulling teeth. You kind of expect it when you're asking why their sister is covered in graffiti or where the TV is gone but frequently there's no rhyme or reason to it. I mean, for example, you'd think they'd have a vested interest in giving a clear response to, 'What do you want for dessert?', wouldn't you?And yet..."The

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-87874077653211499322009-10-26T09:00:00.001Z2009-10-26T09:08:11.758Z

Dear Dave,Ed is unable to write today. He's suffering from fatigue induced from too many exciting outings accompanied by children and cuddly toys. I'll be sharing my thoughts with you instead. My name is Ted.Fred the Ted.I'm visiting Marie from school. Each of the Primary 1 children is taking a turn to have me home for the weekend so I can write about it in my diary and then share my experiences

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690472945730852036.post-10977045304763516802009-10-21T09:30:00.010+01:002009-11-12T21:55:38.179Z

Dear Dave, The jumble sale was in full swing. Dozens of people were milling past the stalls laid out round the edges of the Millennium Centre's main hall and dozens more were sitting at the tables in the middle, sampling the tea and scones. Everywhere was noise and bustle in a world of bric-a-brac, cakes and craft items. Thankfully the fire-breather had had to cancel, though. Kids were being

DadsDinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409820799442134743noreply@blogger.com0