We have Moved again!

Please check out the new Wordpress powered blog and podcast. Subscribe in your favorite reader and podcatcher. Today I am taking Abby out of diapers, but I am not changing the title of the blog to the digital underwear - I have my limits :)

http://digitaldiaper.net

New Website Launch This Weekend

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for following the Digital Diaper. As I have said many times it is a work in progress and I have great things planned. The first of which I will have officially going this Sunday. Starting then, you can go to http://digitaldiaper.net for the blog articles and live radio. (So the blogspot address will not longer be active). I am planning on getting some other show hosts on the DD soon to add some variety. I am also open to comments and suggestions. Remember, if you have a topic you'd like to discuss or if you have an indie band you want heard - sent it all to digitaldiaper@gmail.com

Thanks to everyone who is tuning in and reading. I appreciate it very much.

Scott

The Digital Diaper Episode 3

Just in case you missed the live show. Just remember, it is a work in progress. Follow the link for the podcast.

Today on the Digital Diaper

Today's show:  2:00pm EST
Listen Live on The Digital Diaper

• Book Review: The Explosive Child. I will go into my thoughts on the book so far.
• Bullies: Technology makes things easier for some, but for kids there is a new threat.
• Listener Mail:  Some responses to the DD

Call Line: 1 (805) 292-0372

http://digidiaper.blogspot.com

Paint Me a Memory

Art Class in my grammar school was taught by the cat lady. You know the type: long flower-patterned skirt, loose-fitting blouse and frizzy hair with a butterfly barrette. Her clothes, and anything she touched for that matter, were usually covered in cat fur. For me it was the late 70's early 80's so the fashions were closer to the hippie generation than they are today. (Actually this is returning, and not for the first time, see 1993). But my teacher whose name escapes me was a very free spirit. I recall a lot of paintings of peace symbols and unicorns. She spoke in a wispy voice that floated on the musty air-conditioned breeze like the call of something wispy. She asked her class of second graders to reach deep within the vastness of their young souls and create, with water-based paints, that which could transcend the plane of reality and unite with the oneness of humanity. Huh? Actually she turned the art room into a time warp. We tied on our art smocks and  the next thing we knew it was time to go.

Dads (and moms too) can learn a lot from Miss Greenpeace and add her lessons to your arsenal. I will admit that I used to detest getting the kids set up for painting. If you have only one kid, then it is pretty easy. The age of the child matters too. Really young ones may have trouble understanding finger painting and instead use it as a dietary supplement. My kids love to paint, and when I suggest it to them they are truly excited. It's the kind of excitement that makes you happy to be a parent, and even happier that you have brought such joy to another human being. Finger painting is an OCD nightmare. I was always too preoccupied with the potential messes before - during - after. But honestly, I make a bigger mess in the kitchen baking brownies; water-based paint cleans quicker and easier.

My point here is: the kids will really immerse themselves in their art. Sure, some kids don't care for it much, but the vast majority really get a kick out of it. (Many times the kids' aversion to painting stems from their parents' own bias). Plus it is an excellent stimulant for their creative minds. Some people don't put much emphasis on this type of development, reasoning that math and science are where it's at. But I will argue this until I am blue in the face, Read this if you doubt. Artistic expression is part of the overall and even development of the human mind. The Greeks knew a thing or two about being well-rounded.

The best part of this is not the time they will be occupied, nor the joy and happiness you bring them by allowing them to be productively messy, nor the healthy mental and emotional stimulation which accompanies such activity. Rather, it is the wonderful collection of art they have created from the vastness of their young souls which transcend the plain of reality and unite with the oneness of humanity - huh?

You'll be proud enough to put their work on the refrigerator and on the wall. A little keepsake of the day that, with care, can be brought out on their wedding day in an embarrassing speech by the father of the bride.

Happy painting!

The Digital Diaper

The Digital Diaper

The Station is now listed on Audio Realm. Also proud (once again) to be running the Sam 4 Broadcaster Automation software.

Don't Stay at Home!

Go where today?

My first few months in the house with the kids was the winter of 2010. I was depressed and lazy, content with turning on the electronic babysitters: Nick, Jr. and the History Channel. (They're big fans of Modern Marvels and I am quite partial to Maggie and the Ferocious Beast). It was cold and snowy out and the last thing I wanted to do was to get out of the house. There are many emotional reasons for this on my part, but really I was just so lazy and unhappy with my situation. I resented my new situation and I also didn't want to be bothered with snow pants and boots, gloves and hats - yuk! Not to mention, there is not one pair of gloves or mittens in existence that is waterproof and will fit a 3 year old. (If there is please let me know where). Besides being completely selfish, this is not a healthy existence for kids. Children need an outlet to release energy and to exercise their imaginations. Needless to say, I rarely got out of the house and the excuses ranged from the bad weather to the intense priority of my "special projects".

Guys tend to move from one project to another, sometimes operating within multiple projects making the completing of said projects not quite as important as the act of being involved in one. This being the case I managed to develop many different time consumers that confined me to the basement or my computer (a blog does not count as one of these projects). The kids were bored out of their skulls, so I tried different games and adventured around the house. One of their favorites was an Indiana Jones game I created which involved creating treasure maps and hiding an artifact somewhere in the yard. This went over well, however was quite an undertaking and I ran out of places to bury my wife's jewelery box (sorry dear). Finally I woke up and realized the magic of venturing off-campus. Here is a short list of things I decided are the key to a successful day - I am sure there are more to include, but these were the most common for me:

• Bring food and drinks. Enough for about 3 small meals in total per kid. (Mixture of healthy and treats) The travel and excitement seems to super-charge the appetites of your adventurers.
• A change of clothes per child. (A lot of these playgrounds have sand boxes or are built on sand)
• Sunscreen/hats - a no brainer but easy to forget.
• First aid kit. 9 times out of 10 you use the band-aids for small cuts and scrapes that don't even bleed, but somehow the presence of a band-aid stops the pain.
• Baksheesh/bribe (usually in the form of a treat) This enables you to enforce the decisions you make by offering up this gift in exchange for amicable cooperation.
• Book, magazine for you. You won't get a chance to read it, but the day you don't bring it they'll leave you alone with your thoughts.

Playground
I started driving the kids to the local playground down the street which culminated to a 45 minute drive (one way) to the mac-daddy of all playgrounds in Parma,NY. Sometimes you can befriend a local mom and she will clue you into the really sheik places to go. ****BEWARE OF THE MOM-CULT**** Stay at home dads beware!

Water

You cannot go wrong bringing the kids to a canal, stream, lake, river or if you are lucky enough to have one nearby - the ocean. Go fishing or rent paddle boats/canoes. Go for a walk on a canal trail or around a lake. It seems obvious, but sometimes the simple things become elusive. Sometimes a water park can be just what the  daddy needs.

Learning Facilities

This one is often overlooked. Dads usually think of the fun and sporty/outdoorsy types of things, but overlook the 'geeky' ones. Find a local museum, many of which have something for kids of all ages. Believe it or not, kids love to learn. Even if getting them off to school seems like coaxing a mule to plow, kids will be excited to have a day at a museum or planetarium. Most major cities and smaller metro-areas have something decent. They are not all the Metropolitan Museum, but so many have much to offer and are usually run by enthusiastic people who started their careers off in education. The public library is also a great place.

Malls/Stores

This can be a slippery slope and ground rules must be established first. Claim that you are going on a scavenger hunt or maybe give them the directive of finding a perfect gift for mom. Make it clear, however, that you will not be buying them anything or it will be like Pavlov's Dog. Many malls have some kind of kid-friendly activity or attraction. The mall nearest my home has a carousel. You can end the trip with some frozen yogurt.

Farms/Zoo

Everyone knows that kids love animals. Take them off the beaten path to see some horses or cows. Even something as simple as pulling off the road with a snack and talk about the cows in the field. Give the animals names and make up stories about them. The kids will have a great time, and you will too.

If you are reading this as asking yourself,  "Who does this guy think he is? I am not an idiot!" You're right, you are not an idiot, and neither was I when I first became a stay at home dad. Deep down I already knew these things and where to take the kids. For whatever reasons, I didn't do it. Everyone's situation is different and maybe you have everything you need and know everything you should know. I sure didn't, and so if anyone reads this and it helps, then I have done something right.

Take care dads.

Positively, My Son

Last year I was all about positive thinking. I constantly had my iPod loaded up with motivational audio books like Think and Grow Rich, or How to Win Friends and Influence People. I studied up on the Law of Attraction made popular by the book and movie combination The Secret. I championed this for a good while, using the term FPP (Frequent Positive Practices) which was also the abbreviation of my new organization Fair Port Pictures. Sometimes it can be hard to maintain that kind of attitude and I let it slip. Then I completely dropped it - subsequently I went into a state of negativity I would not wish on my worst enemy.

Recently, I have been taking a long look at each of my kids and examining their general outlook on life. I have learned a lot. I see small aspects of the Law of Attraction at work. Simply put, what you think about a lot you will get - as long as you remain positive and fully grateful for your blessings. The latter half of that is key. My son Shaun is a wonderful example of this. He is almost always happy and can see the positive of any situation. This is his default setting. Something bad will happen and he'll remark, "It's not that bad Daddy.", or "This is probably only going to happen like this only once or something, right?"

Happy for the first day of school

I love the way he expresses his positivity with open affection to us. He is always telling us he loves us and is such a great little guy when dealing with his sisters - who are a bit more of a challenge. Often times he'll be in the background while they take all of our attention. Kelly and I always make sure to thank him for his patience and usually reward him privately with something special. I think he really gets it.

There are days where I am not happy with being a stay at home dad, even if the life is quite easy compared to some others. In reality, I have nothing to be sad about and everything to be thankful for. This is where my lessons from Shaun come into play. His bright disposition is a shining example of how to approach all the obstacles in my path. I just have to think to myself: "It's not that bad - and it will probably only happen like this once or something..."

Thanks buddy, I appreciate the lesson. Tomorrow you can teach me how to potty-train Abby.

Stream Update

Android phone users, you can stream The Digital Diaper on your phone if you sign up for a free account at YourMuze.com. I just did it and the stream plays beautifully on my Samsung Fascinate (Verizon). iPhones are always easy to stream to, you can grab the URL on the sidebar. Windows Media phones you can stream via the player on the side bar or also click the stream link.

Sweet tech!

Sorting Out Technical Issues

I am working on making this a more seamless digital experience so please excuse the changes as they happen. Not to get too technical, right now the Radio Show is hosted by Blog Talk Radio and my own personal audio feed from my studio.

When there is no show, we will be broadcasting original music.

Here it is:

• Listen via Blog Talk Radio's player for the live show in your media player or my stream.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes Right Here on this site only.

More to come....

Download the show!

I am working on the podcast functionality here, right now I cannot change what the Blog Talk Radio site has and podcasts with be up at some point when I can figure out what is going on with the coding, etc. Hang tight.

First Show: Eye Opener!

Today I learned that I must be better prepared for the show. I am grateful for the fact that it is early in this show's anticipated tenure. I plan on doing 50 push ups for every time I said "um, uh or you know." Life is for learning and improving, I am forever the student.

Here are some links to check out if you want to learn about proper fitness and nutrition. I swear by these sites, they have changed my life.

Stronglifts - for weightlifting, general nutrition, weight loss and health information.
Daily Burn  & Fitday- keeping track of the calories and macronutrients.
A Foam roller is great for spinal health and overall soft tissue work (soreness, flexibility).
This Book is wonderful for fixing your body the natural way.

Thanks to Barry Meyer for joining the show.  I am still learning how to do this. There is a wicked delay with the phone calls and when the show ends, the podcast recorder continues and it is not editable afterward. so if you download the podcast - you will hear post-show rambling. I also learned that the talk radio switchboard notices come through the SHOUTcast stream - so there are bugs.

Comments are welcome and I know I have a lot to learn, but if I can help a few dads to avoid the road I had to travel when I first began my domestic career I will be happy.

Cheers and join me next week!

Scott

Today on the Digital Diaper (2:00pm EST)

The green way to dry.

Today I am going to discuss a few ways that us Dads can stay or get fit in light of the temptation to sit around and eat Bon Bons all day. We are also going to check in with Blogger and accomplished writer Barry Meyer and talk about how he finds time to write film reviews for his Blogs Bad Ronald and Pop Cereal. Barry has two young girls and was also "made redundant" as they say and has been working at the Mr. Mom bit for some time.
Listen via The Web: Blog Talk Radio
Stream on your phone: SHOUTcast Stream
Call into the show and talk: 1-(805) 292-0372

The Digital Diaper Studio

The Diaper Room

The Digital Diaper studio in my basement. This most recent setup was a last minute shuffle due to network issues. I like it though, today I'll see if it all works. Sound reinforcement by: mattresses. The Mac G4 is running Ubercaster and Skype - output goes to a PC on the floor which powers the SHOUTcast server via Winamp direct input. The laptop has the Blog Talk Radio switchboard controls to take calls and play additional audio. All for FREE! (Though I had to buy skype credits which should last me about 6 months). BlogTalkRadio.com is limited for free membership: only a 30 minute show once per day and you can technically only do it over the phone, unless you want to pay for Skype, which I will do in order to have the little extras. I added the SHOUTcast simulcast myself - I have a few years of tinkering with internet radio under my belt to pull it off pretty quickly. During the non-show times I will broadcast the old Avant Guard music I loved so much including my old bands and some friends bands. If you have music (without licensing issues) that is your own or a friend who wants it played, send me an .mp3.

When the show is about to start the stream may go dead for a minute or so, but it will kick back in at 2:00 (2:30 today).

So there you have it!

Scott

Worrying worries me.

My six year old daughter McKenna has been one hell-fire of a child since the day she turned two years old. Before that, her infancy was a dream. She rarely cried and was always smiling. She ate anything we gave her and liked to sleep in. I remember before our third child came via Sr. Stork in Florida - the wife and I enjoyed waking up to coos and babbling at around 8:00 in the morning. A stark contrast to the youngest child who feels it is her duty to wake up the roosters. McKenna never outgrew the terrible twos. It progressed into the trying threes, the freak-out fours, the fouled-up fives and now the seriously challenging sixes. My wife and I are now going down the dreadful road of coming to grips with the idea that there may be something else at work here.
When I was younger, Autism was something I kind-of learned about by watching Rain Man (MGM, 1988) and later on learning about Doug Flutie's kid. I am not stating that McKenna is Autistic, though we did think that over a time or two. Recently we have been mulling over the possibilities of both Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) and Aspergers Syndrome. In addition, there is the possibility of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and even something a seemingly benign as Middle Child Syndrome. What do you do?

Collectively the symptoms seem to overlap in such a way that makes it impossible to make an accurate diagnosis as a parent. So yes, we need to take her to a specialist, and there is the rub. There are so many gray areas here, that trusting the right professional is a really difficult decision. How many times have you really liked someone only to find out later they were really incompetent at their profession. (It doesn't matter who it was or what they did. It could have been a friend who, as it turns out, was not a very good accountant - the same guy who has been doing your taxes for next to nothing.) What if that guy or girl is your child psychologist? I know, get a second or third opinion, etc. But at what point does this become harmful to the child? How many specialists can you cart her off to before she starts to get the idea that there may be something very wrong with her? Will this create some more issues? Makes me wish I were Amish and not privy to the crazed problems of the English.

All joking aside, it really requires the support of your spouse and other close family and friends. For anyone who has had to juggle a career and maintain the home while keeping up with the kids' school and medical/dental needs - you know that these situations are extremely stressful and also time consuming. WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT? Unfortunately one must make time. The Internet helps. I found the fine people at GoodTherapy.org and they have made a valiant effort to help. There are also a lot of other resources out there on the inter-webs that can assist even the busiest and least technical mom or dad.

Our journey is just beginning right now and I believe that it will all work out for the best. I have been taking each day at a time and making sure that I am holding my temper and being calm with the kids. As I have stated in the past, this is a tall-order for me. I am a reactionary, passionate person. I have a short fuse and don't like unreasonable people, which pretty much defines kids. I mean, of course I like my kids! But I was not wired to do this job. I am forced to, however and I am learning that everyone (who is relatively normal) can be rewired in some respect. I will never stop worrying about all the little things, but it would be nice to get some answers and move on to developing the minds of my kids.

If you have had or are having a similar experience, please post a comment or send me an email.

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who helped make all of this routing from social site to social site possible!

The Stream is UP!!!!

Hello fans to be! In addition to the stream available at BlogTalkRadio.com you can listen to a "simulcast" of the stream here. The stream will be playing music and information until we get a nice collection of shows to play. The stream will host the live show Thursdays at 2:00pm.

Drop in and listen - then spread the word.

Thanks!
Scott

We Support This Project!!!!

What is O.D.D?

O.D.D - an acronym that I wish they put some more thought into before they named it. Imagine being a kid diagnosed with ODD! "Honey, you're just ODD!" If you have a child with any emotional issues at all, this will not be taken lightly.

"Hey! Don't post this on your Blog!"

Here is some information taken directly from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

In children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), there is an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously interferes with the youngster’s day to day functioning.  Symptoms of ODD may include:

• Frequent temper tantrums
• Excessive arguing with adults
• Often questioning rules
• Active defiance and refusal to comply with adult requests and rules
• Deliberate attempts to annoy or upset people
• Blaming others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
• Often being touchy or easily annoyed by others
• Frequent anger and resentment
• Mean and hateful talking when upset
• Spiteful attitude and revenge seeking

 If you think your child is having the problems listed above, you must start changing your approach to parenting immediately. I, for one, have a bit of the old Irish blood in me and cannot stand a temper tantrum. It is like nails on a chalkboard. I react with anger and aggravation first. But now, instead of moving into the discipline mode, I am forced to bite my tongue and respond with unconditional love and coddling. Yes, I know that this is some people's first reaction, but I will guarantee that most of these are women and if you come from a hot head race like the Irish or Italians (of which I have a bit of both) the coddling is not your first thought.

We take each day one at a time, though we are not certain that one of our children may have this problem. It is one of a few things we have looked into - all the while being uncertain, and trying not to be too hard on ourselves for our own failures as a parent. Yes, this is the part of it all that is the hardest, coming to terms with your parenting mistakes and resolving to correct. There is always time to correct.

I just wanted to post this little bit of info for those who may be in our same boat.

Since I had this Digital Diaper idea for the blog and the radio show, I have not gotten much screenwriting done, but I feel accomplished nonetheless. Have any of you tried to undertake a serious creative project only to find yourself slave to your life and envy those whose life is slave to their art? I guess it is a transition for most of us.

Tomorrow I will touch on some of the subjects in future Blog Talk Radio shows hosted by yours truly.
If you have not checked out the show page, see it here. I will warn you that the first show was a bit of a ramble-fest, but I have fixed the known issues and Thursday will be 100% better!

The Wonders of Technology

The Digital Diaper is upgrading and posting in as many places as possible. Consider this post a simple test of the raw power of RSS and social networking....

Blogger vs. Tumblr?

I really think that Blogger is going to be the home of The Digital Diaper. I really want Tumblr to work, but the HTML code they use or the way they use it is just not that easy for me. I am not a code junkie, but I do know enough to make some stuff - and Tumblr, for whatever reason, just didn't click with me. Blogger, on the other hand, has just added the social networking aspects of Tumblr but wil the easy way to add gadgets to the site. I will check it out and blog on both until I can decide.

Until then, have a look at the radio site.