Are You A Dad-er?

by Gina Valley

Do you do the daddy-ing?

Maybe you’re a father. Maybe you’re not.

Either way, the daddy-ing dads, stepdads, uncles, grandpas, brothers, cousins, neighbors, teachers, coaches, and many more do makes a huge difference for the better in the lives of the children they daddy.

Know that all of your efforts for the children in your life are appreciated and world changing, even if they aren’t acknowledged. On behalf of those children, please accept this gratitude. Thank you!

Happy Fathers’ Day!

In honor of all of you, here are some words of wisdom from both those who are wise and those who are wise-cracking.

The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get – Tim Russert

Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected – Red Buttons

My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it – Clarence B. Kelland

No one in this world can love a girl more than her father – Michael Ratnadeepak

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong – Charles Wadsworth

Mom and Dad say I should make my life an example of the principles I believe in. But every time I do, they tell me to stop it – Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes)

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother – Henry Ward Beecher

A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society – Billy Graham

A father carries pictures where his money used to be -Author Unknown

When I was a kid, I used to imagine animals running under my bed. I told my dad, and he solved the problem quickly. He cut the legs off the bed. – Lou Brock

I have never been jealous. Not even when my dad finished fifth grade a year before I did – Jeff Foxworthy

Becoming a father is easy enough, but being one can be very rough – Wilhelm Busch

A father is a man who expects his children to be as good as he meant to be – Carol Coats

When I was a kid, I said to my father one afternoon, ‘Daddy, will you take me to the zoo?’ He answered, ‘If the zoo wants you, let them come and get you.’ – Jerry Lewis

To her the name of father was another name for love – Fanny Fern

Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad – Anne Geddes

My father was too cheap to take me to the big downtown aquarium. This cheap bastard, he would just take me to the fish market. ‘Look, Tony, there’s the halibut. Shhh, they sleep in piles.’ I’m like, ‘Dad, they’re breaded.’ ‘That’s their blankie.’ – Tony Camin

I’ve had a hard life, but my hardships are nothing against the hardships that my father went through in order to get me to where I started – Bartrand Hubbard

When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in 7 years – Mark Twain

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me – Jim Valvano

Turn off that light! – Every dad. Every day.

Guns don’t kill people. Dads with pretty daughters kill people. – Unknown

In 1900, fathers passed on clothing to their sons. Today, kids wouldn’t touch Dad’s clothes if they were sliding naked down an icicle. – Unknown

If you think about it, Adam had more trouble than any of the rest of us buying his Father a gift for Father’s Day. I mean, what do you get somebody who’s Everything?- Unknown

If you can’t do some thing before midnight, then you don’t need to do that thing. – my dad

You should eat more protein and you should go to bed earlier. – also my dad

He was right. As usual

Happy Fathers’ Day to all you who do the Daddying!!!

Laugh Out Loud!

-gina

What’s your favorite dad quote? What’s the phrase your dad always said which made your eyes roll? I’m look forward to hearing all about it!

Who ARE These People?!?!

Who ARE These People?!?! …Gina’s Fav’s

by Gina Valley

It’s hard for me to believe it’s already been a year since my dad was killed in an airplane accident. I will never get over losing him, but my family and I are slowly beginning to heal.

Happy, funny memories like the ones that inspired this Gina’s Favorites post about him and my mom help a lot with that process. Honestly, just reading this makes me cry, but I’m smiling, too. He was a great dad and grand-dad. I was blessed.

Smile along with me.

Who ARE These People?

I try to take my kids the 1400-ish miles to visit my parents a couple times a year.

But I can’t.

We can go to their house. We can visit the people who live there and look just like my parents. But they are not my parents.

I don’t know who these people are, but they are not my parents.

My mom never baked a “Cake of the Day,” or, right before bedtime, or anytime for that matter, never encouraged us to “Have another big piece of cake or two to finish it up” because there’ll be a new cake baked in the morning. Today’s Cake of The Day was chocolate, by the way.

My parents never let the dog sleep in our rooms, much less our beds. Heck, our dogs were rarely allowed to hang out indoors at all. I know my parents would never let their giant golden retriever beg for and receive food from the dinner table. And breakfast table. And lunch table. And snack table.

My parents never said that we could “watch whatever you like” on TV, or “Let’s watch another movie. You can sleep in if you’re too tired in the morning.” I grew up under the impression that staying up late and sleeping in was a character flaw. These people encourage everyone in the house to do it, and occasionally join in themselves. Who are they?

My parents never loaded us into the car for a trip, be it to Grandma’s house, Disneyland, or the mall, after 5:00AM. Usually, 4:00AM was the goal. We were told we “have to get an early start” so often that I thought it was a federal law. These people scoffed at the idea of waking my kids before 8:00AM to start packing up our van for our trip. “Let them sleep,” they said. “They’re young. They need to sleep.” What?

My parents would never hire someone to bring in a crane to remove a couple of the 150 foot tall pine trees in the forest in their “backyard” to make a better sledding run. I believe we were told to “steer around” any obstacles in our path while sledding. Steer around? How do you steer around? Does that mean bounce off? ‘Cause that’s what we did!

My dad would never make a tool for girls who don’t want to touch the fish they just caught to hold up their quarry for a photo without having to touch the slimy, flapping thing. I was told that slime was good for my skin and would keep them soft. As I recall my soft hands stank for a week after each fishing trip.

My parents would never say that children shouldn’t help with chores while they’re visiting their grandparents. I don’t know who these people are who keep singing the “They’re on vacation. They don’t have to help,” refrain every time I tell one of my kids to take out the trash or to clear the table, but I know they aren’t my parents.

My parents would never have a candy dish they constantly refill throughout the day so as to ensure children had an unending source of sugar readily available to them. I don’t know who these people are who laugh about the trail of candy wrappers through their house, and say, “Isn’t that Sweet?” Isn’t that sweet? I don’t know. I’m too confused to think. I remember candy wrapper dropping costing me candy privileges for a week when I was a kid.

They don’t mind feet on the couch or toys everywhere, and just said, “We can vacuum tomorrow!”

Who are these people? And can I get that chocolate cake recipe?

Laugh Out Loud!

-gina

Did your parents morph into different people, too, when they became grandparents? Shoot me a comment. I’d love to hear all about it!

Dad’s Dadisms

My Dad’s Dadisms …Gina’s Favorites

by Gina Valley

It’s hard for me to believe it’s been a year since my dad was killed in an airplane accident. I will never get over losing him. My family and I are continuing to heal slowly. It is the hardest thing I’ve ever been through, and I was totally unprepared for how the grief would knock me on my rear.

Happy, funny memories like the ones that inspired this Gina’s Favorites post about him help me a lot with that process.

Smile along with me.

Top 10 Dadisms

My dad was a pretty amazing guy. In fact, the older I get, the smarter he gets!

He truly had this whole dad-thing down. You couldn’t find a better example. If you’re wondering what you need to be a real dad for the long haul, let these dadisms from my dad help you out:

#10. You’ll need to develop a unique linguistic style. My dad had his own language. He was the only person I’ve known who used phrases like “Dab gum it!” or “Don’t be a panty waist!” (I’m still not sure what that means exactly, but I always took it to mean “Quit your whining and move your arse”).

#9. You’ll need to be consistent. Every April 1st my dad went out to check my mom’s car’s tires, because every April 1st my mom told him, as an April Fool’s joke, that her car had a flat. Even though he usually remembered it’s April 1st long before he got to her car, he still checked on it. Just to be sure. Then, he’d go back in the house and play a joke on my mom.

#8. You’ll need to develop quality control systems. My dad reloaded the dishwasher after I loaded it. Every time. Even at my house. Of course, I did the same thing to him. Apple. Tree. All that.

#7. You’ll need to find your center. My dad was the most even-keeled guy I’ve known. I once saw him get his finger caught in an electric auger and barely raise his voice. I screamed at my kids for letting the dog eat the Parmesan cheese last night (in my defense, the dog had run all over our house shaking the container as he went, thoroughly garnishing our home with a fine cheese coating. Nothing like a well garnished home to produce a “scream at someone” kind of moment).

#6. You’ll need duct tape and a tool belt. My dad could fix anything. Anything. If he didn’t have the needed tool he’d get it. If they didn’t make the tool, he’d make it himself. I never heard my dad say “I can’t fix that.” He looked at stuff differently, through Dad-vision glasses. I might’ve see a former seating device, he saw a perfectly good chair that just needed 2 legs, an arm, a back, and a seat.

#5. You’ll need a rod and reel. My dad was an amazing fisherman. If there was a fish in the lake, he’d bring it home for dinner. I’m a pretty amazing fisherperson myself. If there’s wild caught salmon at Costco, I’ll wrassle a package into my cart every time.

#4. You’ll need to speak “auto” and carry a big wrench. My dad was The Car-Whisperer. He rebuilt engines himself, left out a couple pieces, and still made them hum like new. I, on the other hand, am The Car-Killer. I’ve had cars burst into flames just because I thought about being on time to a meeting.

#3. You’ll need to be a nutritionist. My dad always made sure people got just what they needed to eat. When my eldest child was only a few months old, my dad knew he needed some ice cream, and made sure he got some. I admit I wasn’t completely supportive of the idea at the time, but the fact that he chose Rocky Road to feed my little toothless wonder might have impacted my opinion.

#2. You’ll need to be a chef of haute cuisine. When I was a child and my dad would cook a meal, he always cooked everything in one pan. When we’d ask why he didn’t use separate pans for different foods, he’d reply, “Why? It’s all going to the same place.” Often, when I survey the mountain of pots and pans I’ve dirtied making dinner, I see the wisdom in my dad’s method.

#1. You’ll need to realize that your kids will always be your kids. My dad still dad’ed me, until the very last time I saw him, even though I have kids of my own. He made sure I had a coat on when it was cold. He reminded me to drive safely. He told me I needed to eat more protein. In other words, he loved me.

Take a page from my dad, and you’ll be amazing.

And, no, you don’t have a flat tire. Probably.

Well, you better go check.

Laugh Out Loud!

-gina

What do you see in the dads in your life? What dadisms should I add to my list? Shoot me a comment. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.

Photos courtesy of Stock.xchng – Used with permission

My Dad’s Dadisms …Gina’s Favorites

by Gina Valley

It’s hard for me to believe it’s already been a month since my dad was killed in an accident. I will never get over losing him, but my family and I are slowly beginning to heal.

Happy, funny memories like the ones that inspired this Gina’s Favorites post about him help a lot with that process.

Smile along with me.

**Top 10 Ways to Be A REAL Dad**

My dad’s a pretty amazing guy. In fact, the older I get, the smarter he gets!

He’s truly got this whole dad-thing down. You can’t find a better example. If you’re wondering what you need to be a real dad for the long haul, let him help you out:

#10. You’ll need to develop a unique linguistic style. My dad has his own language. He’s the only person I know who uses phrases like “Dab gum it!” or “Don’t be a panty waist!” (I’m still not sure what that means exactly, but I always took it to mean “Quit your whining and move your arse”).

#9. You’ll need to be consistent. Every April 1st my dad goes out to check my mom’s car’s tires, because every April 1st my mom tells him, as an April Fool’s joke, that her car has a flat. Even though he usually remembers it’s April 1st long before he gets to her car, he still checks. Just to be sure. Then, he goes back in the house and plays a joke on my mom. I’m predicting fake dog deposits this year, as they have a new puppy.

#8. You’ll need to develop quality control systems. My dad reloads the dishwasher after I load it. Every time. Even at my house. Of course, I do the same thing to him. Apple. Tree. All that.

#7. You’ll need to find your center. My dad is the most even-keeled guy I know. I’ve seen him get his finger caught in an electric auger and barely raise his voice. I screamed at my kids for letting the dog eat the Parmesan cheese last night (in my defense, the dog had run all over our house shaking the container as he went, thoroughly garnishing our home with a fine cheese coating. Nothing like a well garnished home to produce a “scream at someone” kind of moment).

#6. You’ll need duct tape and a tool belt. My dad can fix anything. Anything. If he doesn’t have the needed tool he’ll get it. If they don’t make the tool, he’ll make it himself. I’ve never heard my dad say “I can’t fix that.” He looks at stuff differently, through Dad-vision glasses. I might see a former seating device, he sees a perfectly good chair that just needs 2 legs, an arm, a back, and a seat.

#5. You’ll need a rod and reel. My dad’s an amazing fisherman. If there’s a fish in the lake, he’ll bring it home for dinner. I’m a pretty amazing fisherperson myself. If there’s wild caught salmon at Costco, I’ll wrassle a package into my cart every time.

#4. You’ll need to speak “auto” and carry a big wrench. My dad is The Car-Whisperer. He’s rebuilt engines himself, left out a couple pieces, and still made it hum like new. I, on the other hand, am The Car-Killer. I’ve had cars burst into flames just because I thought about being on time to a meeting.

#3. You’ll need to be a nutritionist. My dad always makes sure people get just what they need to eat. When my eldest child was only a few months old, my dad knew he needed some ice cream, and made sure he got some. I admit I wasn’t completely supportive of the idea at the time, but the fact that he chose Rocky Road to feed my little toothless wonder might have impacted my opinion.

#1. You’ll need to realize that your kids will always be your kids. My dad still dad’s me to this day, even as I have kids of my own. He makes sure I have a coat on when it’s cold. He reminds me to drive safely. He tells me I need to eat more protein. In other words, he loves me.

Take a page from my dad, and you’ll be amazing.

And, no, you don’t have a flat tire. Probably.

Well, you better go check.

Laugh Out Loud!

-gina

What do you see in the dads in your life? What dadisms should I add to my list? Shoot me a comment. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.

Photos courtesy of Stock.xchng – Used with permission

DadSpeaks …Gina’s Favorites

by Gina Valley

It’s hard for me to believe it’s already been a month since my dad was killed in an accident. I will never get over losing him, but my family and I are slowly beginning to heal.

Happy, funny memories like the ones that inspired this Gina’s Favorites post about him help a lot with that process.

Smile along with me.

DadSpeak

I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but the detail oriented scientist in me has observed that dads and moms have some differences.

Perhaps you’ve noticed.

For example, around our house, mom (me!) includes something green with every meal she prepares, even if it’s just chocolate kisses in green foil wrappers.

Dad (The Professor), on the other hand, includes cheese with every meal he prepares. He never includes green, even on St. Patrick’s Day. He’s a meatetarian, so he doesn’t want to chance ingesting a plant part.

Mom insists The Pack is dressed appropriately, in outfits that are at least close to matching, and are unmistakably clean. Dad is happy with Pack attire as long as there aren’t any parts hanging out that shouldn’t be.

In our house mom tends to be very direct and to the point, i.e. “No, you may not wear that. You look like a hooker.” Dad tends to be a bit more tangential, i.e. “Did your mom see that outfit? Are you going to a costume party? I thought you had school today.”

I guess everyone’s parents have their own way of communicating. I know mine do. My mom bakes a different cake for us every single day while we visit. She’s taught my kids to sew and to garden. She tells me how beautiful I am, even when I look like something the cat dragged in, thought better of it, and dragged back out again.

My dad takes a different approach to communicating.

My dad is the sweetest man alive.

While I visited my parents last winter I needed to drive from their tiny mountain village to the closest big city to pick up The Professor from the airport.

My dad wanted to serve as my chauffeur, as he usually does while I visit, but that would have left my mom, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, home alone with 9 grandchildren and no one to help her.

Nevertheless, he was quite concerned about me making the long, snowy drive, as he knows I’m a SoCal beach girl and don’t often drive in isolated areas, much less snowy ones.

He told me to wear my tennis shoes for the afternoon drive to the airport. “You’ll be more comfortable,” he said.

He packed my boots and coat in his car for me. “You never know if the car is going to break down and you’ll need them if it does,” he said.

He sent a water bottle with me. “It’s cold so it’s easy to forget to stay hydrated and you’ll be gone for 3 or 4 hours,” he said.

He told me to park on the second level of the parking structure at the airport, in the back, on the street side. “That way you will have the shortest walk to the terminal,” he said.

He demonstrated to me how to work the heater in his car. “You don’t want to over-heat,” he said.

He showed me where the light control switch was located. “It’ll be starting to get dark before you get there,” he said.

He reminded me to use the car mirrors as I backed his car out of his garage. “Use your mirrors. Use your mirrors!” he said.

He was looking out the window when I returned to his house.

He worried about me the whole time I was gone. “The roads get slick here. Black ice can sneak up on you,” he said.

He carried in my coat and my boots from his car. “You’ll want these for your walk in the morning. They’ll be warmer when you put them on if we bring them into the house,” he said.

What he really said, each and every time, was that he loves me.

My dad is “Papa” to 18 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren,

but he will always be my dad.

Love you, dad!

-gina

How does/did your dad tell you that he loves you? How do you tell other people you care about them? Are the male cooks in your life cheese-dependent? Shoot me a comment. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.

Who ARE These People? …Gina’s Favorites

by Gina Valley

It’s hard for me to believe it’s already been a month since my dad was killed in an accident. I will never get over losing him, but my family and I are slowly beginning to heal.

Smile along with me.

Who ARE These People?

I try to take my kids the 1400-ish miles to visit my parents a couple times a year.

But I can’t.

We can go to their house. We can visit the people who live there and look just like my parents. But they are not my parents.

I don’t know who these people are, but they are not my parents.

They don’t mind feet on the couch or toys everywhere, and just said, “We can vacuum tomorrow!”

Who are these people? And can I get that chocolate cake recipe?

Laugh Out Loud!

-gina

Did your parents morph into different people, too, when they became grandparents? Shoot me a comment. I’d love to hear all about it!

I Thought YOU Had The Worms

by Gina Valley

Today is my dad’s birthday.

He’s the first man I ever loved, and he’s a tough act to follow.

He’s set an example of hard work, giving back, and kindness that is an inspiration to everyone who knows him. And, to keep us from being intimidated, he consistently forgets to bring the bait when we go fishing, and joins in when we laugh about it.

In honor of him and his birthday, here’s one of my favorite posts inspired by my dad.

Who ARE These People?

by Gina Valley

I try to take my kids the 1300-ish miles to visit my parents a couple times a year.

But I can’t.

We can go to their house. We can visit the people who live there and look just like my parents. But they are not my parents.

I don’t know who these people are, but they are definitely not my parents.

Today’s Cake of The Day was chocolate, by the way.

My parents never let the dog sleep in our rooms, much less our beds. Heck, our dogs were rarely allowed to hang out indoors at all. I know my parents would never let their giant golden retriever beg for and receive food from the dinner table. And breakfast table. And lunch table. And snack table.

My dad would never make a tool for girls who don’t want to touch the fish they just caught, so they could hold up their quarry for a photo without having to touch the slimy, flapping thing. I was told that slime was good for my skin and would keep them soft. As I recall my soft hands stank for a week after each fishing trip.

My parents would never have a candy dish they constantly refill throughout the day, so as to ensure children had an unending source of sugar readily available to them. Who are these people who laugh about the trail of candy wrappers through their house, and say, “Isn’t that sweet?”? Isn’t that sweet? I don’t know. I’m too confused to think.

They don’t mind feet on the couch or toys everywhere, and they just said, “We can vacuum tomorrow!”

Who are these people?

And, can I get that chocolate cake recipe?

Laugh Out Loud!

-gina

Did your parents disappear, too, when they became grandparents? Were they replaced by look-alikes who have a totally different attitude? Shoot me a comment. I’d love to hear all about it!

Photos courtesy of Stock.xchng – Used with permission

Top 10 Ways to Be A REAL Dad…Gina’s Favorites

**Top 10 Ways to Be A REAL Dad…Gina’s Favorites**

by Gina Valley

My dad’s birthday was this week, so I figured my Top 10 Ways To Be A REAL Dad post would be perfect for Throwback Day this week.

Laugh along with this Gina’s Favorite post.

**Top 10 Ways to Be A REAL Dad**

My dad’s a pretty amazing guy. In fact, the older I get, the smarter he gets!

He’s truly got this whole dad-thing down. In fact, you can’t find a better example. If you’re wondering what you need to be a real dad for the long haul, let him help you out:

Top 10 Ways to Be A Real Dad

#7. You’ll need to find your center. My dad is the most even keeled guy I know. I’ve seen him get his finger caught in an electric auger and barely raise his voice. I screamed at my kids for letting the dog eat the Parmesan cheese last night (in my defense, the dog had run all over our house shaking the container as he went, thoroughly garnishing our home with a fine cheese coating. Nothing like a well garnished home to produce a “scream at someone” kind of moment).

Take a page from my dad, and you’ll be amazing.

And, no, you don’t have a flat tire. Probably.

Well, you better go check.

Laugh Out Loud!

-gina

What do you see in the dads in your life? What dad-isms should I add to my list? Shoot me a comment. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.

Photos courtesy of Stock.xchng – Used with permission

Thank You For Daddy-ing!!!

by Gina Valley

In honor of all of you who do the daddying here are some words of wisdom from both those who are wise and those who are wise-cracking.

Happy Fathers’ Day!

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope – Bill Cosby