Thursday, June 17, 2010

For Dads




Feeling a little unsure of what to do for the dads in your life this weekend?

Here are some ideas we've collected...

Food
Maybe you already make him breakfast and dinner every day. So go all out this Sunday. Try cinnamon rolls or coffee cake for breakfast. Have your children serve it to him in bed (of course). For dinner, make something special that you know he'll just die about, even if it stretches your culinary abilities. One year, when I was still a total amateur in the kitchen, I did this. Blew Taylor's mind. Working the grill is sure to please. Try these instructions for the perfect steak.

Gifts
It's always tricky to find something he will genuinely love and actually use. When possible, I try to give Taylor something that relates to fatherhood. Last year, for example, I gave him a rad Charm City Cakes t-shirt, because he makes awesome custom cakes for all of the kids' birthdays. And, if you have sons, the BEST gift you could give their father is The Dangerous Book for Boys. It's full of classic activities that are perfect for father and son to do together.

Traditions
Of course, more important than anything, we want Father's Day to be meaningful and memorable.

One darling idea we spotted on babycenter.com came from April Crevani, a mother in New Jersey. She said, "I take a picture of my children holding a 'Happy Father's Day' sign. Their dad keeps the pictures in a small photo album. When he adds his new photo each year, he looks back at the old ones to see how the kids are growing." (Lots more ideas from babycenter here.)

Along those lines, last year Emily interviewed her son, Henry, asking him questions about his father, Nate. (What's your favorite thing about daddy? What does daddy do at work? What's dad's favorite food? What do you like to do with dad?) She videotaped the interview and the family watched it together on Father's Day. Isn't that darling?! Em suggests, "You could really go all out and make a movie party out of the interview-watching." Love it!

And you, what will you be doing for dads this year?

6 comments:

Alicia said...

When I was trying to decide what to make Brad for dinner this year I remembered your post of FYF and have been planning on making it for a little while now. I'm excited. For breakfast, I am going to make french toast with buttermilk syrup (if you've never had buttermilk syrup, you need to. It's that good). We tend to do just little gifts and I haven't quite solidified them yet. I am happy that we get to celebrate the dads in our lives!

Unfailing Love said...

My husband is quite literally in love with a diner located about a 1.5 hour drive from our home. The diner's motto: "Walk in. Roll out." My husband's favorite breakfast: "The Lumberjack" or maybe "The Country Boy." We'll spend Sat. night camping, and needless to say, it'll be a real treat to take him there for Dad's day breakfast.
My boys and I picked up a little gift for him yesterday, which included a 5 car set of toy Ferraris. My three year old is so excited to give Dad the cars. He has already determined who is driving each car. He almost spilled the beans of the surprise last night! Here's hoping we can keep it a surprise until Sunday!

Natalie said...

Cute ideas girls. For the last few years I have traced the boys hands on a piece of paper, and then I ask them to tell me 5 things they love about Dad. I write each thing on a finger, it's funny to look back on their answers. I love the idea of having some things we do every year.

Sarah said...

Love the interview idea emily, I'm sure the answers were amazing! :)

Carrie said...

I'm 27 now and all 5 of us kids pitched in and are getting my dad the 4 disc BBC dvd "Life" (not narrated by Oprah:) with a note saying, "Thanks for giving us Life, now it's our turn." Clever right?

I like supporting public things too, and I remember my dad always listening to NPR. At the NPR shop, there is a "driveway moments for dad" that would be nostalgic too. (You can get it off Amazon for much cheaper by the way).

I like to ask my boys what they want to give my husband. My 3 year old thought for a minute and said, "Money!" I know you can go to Zion's Bank and get 100 1 dollar bills(for $103 or so) that are glued on one side so you peel one bill after another off (kind of like a post it note). It's kind of fun. I'll be looking to see if they have 20 1 dollar bills.

Happy Father's Day to all!

BJ and Shalene said...

I must say that I ordered The Dangerous Book for Boys for my hubbie for Father's Day, and he loved it. He's a guy's guy at heart, so it really struck a chord. I've never ordered anything site unseen, but this time, I'm thrilled I did. Thanks for the recommendation!