the matthew Z project

We all know how to have fun without having to spend money!  It’s like riding a bike. Sounds easy enough right?  Well why don’t we do it often enough to have it make a difference on our wallet?  I think it’s because we’ve become too complacent with instant reactions and outcomes (elevators, Internet speeds, drive thru lines, etc) .  We have forgotten that when we were growing up, things took a little time.  But now if we’re hungry, we’d rather drive our car to an ATM, then sit in a drive-thru line for 5 minutes to receive a sadly inferior (to homemade) meal, and then drive all the way back home to eat it.  What we could have done is head to the local market and bought a pound of ground beef, some buns, a 2-litre soda, and a 5 pound bag of spuds for less than $10.00.  From here we could have cut and cleaned the potatoes and made good ole home fries.  Made our burger patties and fried them up. Butter the buns and toast them for a minute.  So now lets do the math.  A large value meal from a fast food place, we’ll say $4.90 + 6.0% sales tax equals $5.19.  One meal.  Now lets look at the market version.  1 pound ground chuck, $2.24.  2 liter of soda, $1.19 + $.10 deposit.  5-lb bag of potatoes, $1.49.  Buns, $1.29 (for 8!).  For a grand total of $6.31.  Read more…

Your Home of the 80s

Have you ever found yourself working at your desk and could use some refreshing tunes from your past? Or sitting around at home disgusted at what’s on the radio, and don’t know where to turn. Well, I have your solution! A free, (I don’t mean free after you sign up to 12 sponsored commercials, or free if you purchase something else), I mean a really free online radio station. It’s listener supported (using listener donations) and COMMERCIAL FREE! That’s right. Not only is it truly, completely free, it’s also commercial free. If you haven’t had the chance already please visit lost80s.com. At the time of this posting, I have just become a member of Club 15!  Doing my part to keep it free! Until anon…matthew Z

Let me begin this post by saying the following applies to ALL men who have or are expecting children.  Although this is more geared towards men with daughters, you can imply it can be used for sons as well.  First off, whether you planned on becoming a parent or not, once reality sets in, being a daddy can be overwhelming, but with a few pointers it doesn’t all have to be stressful.

Following is a list of pointers I wish someone would have given me, but learning them on my own wasn’t all that bad.  And I know all children are different, but this should serve the purpose well and give a relative guide to being a better daddy.  Some of this will focus on mommy too.  After all, she’s a part of this just like you.

1. LOVE - Unconditional is best. No matter what, give your love unconditionally to your child.  Remember this even when your baby is screaming and crying at 3:10 in the morning after only about 30 real minutes of sleep.  They can’t talk so this is their way of communicating.  LOVE will make it all better. This also applies to situations where a child learns to provoke a response from you to gain all your attention.  They are testing the boundaries. Don’t over react and remember, you love them!

 

2. COMPASSION - This one leans a little more to the daughter bearing dads.  When your daughter comes to you obviously emotionally distraught about her dolly losing a dress…take the 3 seconds needed to compassionately comfort her that it’s okay and you’ll find it.  Or when she starts to cry after being told ‘NO’ in a stern voice…remind her of what rule was being tested and show her you love her and snuggle with her to prove it.  Showing her sympathy for her feelings will only strengthen your bond with her. Rule of thumb here - show them you understand and then distract them. Try using stories.  “Have I ever told you about the time the ducks landed in the pond and flew away with it?”  Anything will do here. Read more…