spending time with dad

We are celebrating Father's Day on the 17th and we're running a list of things you can do with dad. Bonding time with family need not be expensive. So here are suggestions that friends have wanted to do with their dads but never got to and before they know it, they've grown and are too big now to do these fun things to do with dad:

1. Fly a kite with dad. A friend had been wanting to do this with her dad but never got to because of her parents' divorce that separated her from her dad for the rest of her childhood.

2. Go fishing with dad and cook your catch together.

3. Play video games with him. This can be done at home or at the nearest mall where there are such games.

4. Play catch-the-ball with him at the nearest park.

5. Jog with him early in the morning or when he comes home from work. Make him choose the time and be the ever willing jogging pardner.

6. Does your dad like swimming? Then go swimming with him on Father's Day.

7. A picnic at your garden or at the nearest park with dad and the whole family would be fun.

8. Does your dad like to sing? You can go to a karaoke bar and sing along with him. If you have your own videoke machine, then you don't have to go anywhere.

9. Play golf with dad.

10. Watch his favorite movie with him.

11. If he likes to dance, go disco dancing with him.

12. Go horseback riding with him. If you don't own a horse, go to a nearby farm and rent one.

Make dad's day something different. Happy Father's Day to all the great dads on this planet.

Make him King for a day

Since June 17 is Father's Day, why not give your dad a big surprise? Make him King for a day. Have a program in his honor where you host and perform while your mom will be the audience along with your dad who will be seated on his thrown.

Get his favorite chair, cover it with some silky stuff (a bed cover will do) for his throne, make a crown out of cartolina, then color it and a scepter too using rolled cartolina, paint it of course and a sash bearing the title "Best Dad in the World". Prepare the whole thing before he comes home from work. Then when it is almost time for him to arrive, you might want to switch off the lights and when he steps into the door, switch on the lights and tadaaaa, let the program start.

FAther's Day

Happy FAther's Day to all dads in the world! You're doing great!

Once upon a time....

Once upon a time, when my children were still kids in high school, I got the biggest surprise of my life when they concocted a sort of program for me on Mother's Day. I am sharing this now because of the coming of Father's Day on June 17, some of you might get some ideas from this experience.

I just got back from the market and I was about to step inside the house when they gave me a surprise dramatic welcome. They had prepared the house in such a way that there was supposed to be a grand program that was going to happen and they were hosting it. They sat me at a chair in the middle of the sala and started the program. Of course, there was no big audience to witness that surprise program except my helper and our two dogs. But there I sat like a queen because they gave me a scepter and crowned me as "the best mother in the world" along with a sash bearing that title. It was such a big surprise to me that I did not know what to say.

See? My kids were being creative. They didn't have money to buy me anything but they had given me the greatest affirmation.

Happy Fathers' Day to all dads and also to moms who act as dads in the family.

the best gift for dad

June 17 is Father's Day. After honoring moms recently, now it is dad's turn. We all want to make our dads happy by letting him know we love and care for him. One of the ways to do this is by giving him a gift and this task of looking for a gift for dad can cause bewilderment to any girl or boy. We want dad to appreciate our gift, to be able to use it on his day-to-day routine. So what are the things to be considered in buying a gift for dad?

1. budget

You know your dad needs a sports car but you can't afford to give him that. So think of something that he will want and which goes within your budget. A new wallet? Do you notice the same wallet he had when you were a baby? It's time to change it.

2. dad's age

Do not give him earrings or hip-hop shirt. Your dad is not like your crush who wears earrings and hip-hop shirts. If you decide to give him a new shirt, don't forget to do some sneaking around to get his exact size which is found on the tags of his shirts. Also, observe his color preference and style. He might not want a pink shirt with a turtle neck.

3. dad's interest

What does dad do during his free time? Does he tinker in your backyard and do some gardening? Did you hear him complain about a tool he needs but which he does not have yet? That can be a clue. Between now and the big day, listen for clues from dad's own mouth. What does he say he wants to have?

Is dad interested in music? What type? You can give him a CD or a CD player. Find out about dad's interest. If he is into reading, again, find out what sort of stuff he reads and maybe give him a book of his interest.

There are myriads of other ways to make him happy if you do not have the budget to buy him a nice gift. You can shine his shoes for him, you can cook him his favorite dish, you might want to clean his room and organize his stuff, give him a surprise visit at work and declare to everyone that you have got the most wonderful dad in the world and reward him with a personally-made trophy and plaque of appreciation. There are lots of other ways. Be creative!