Wii teamwork training

My boys love playing the Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo Wii. However, they are usually screaming at each other within 15 minutes:
"YOU TOOK MY PROPELLER!"
"I LOST MY YOSHI AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"WAIT FOR ME!"
"HURRY UP!"
"BOWSER BEAT US AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"IT'S YOUR FAULT!"
"NO! IT'S YOUR FAULT!"

So, I started playing the game with them... as the Blue Toad. At first, I started leading them with strategy:
"We need a penguin suit and a couple of propellers on this level."
"One of the propellers has to stay back incase the first one gets lost..."
"Luigi with the fire suit has to protect Mario with the penguin suit until Mario reaches the water."

It was really fun to teach them what I know about defensive & offensive strategies in completing various levels, even the concept of sacrificing a character to achieve a goal. When I ask them, "Isn't it much easier to complete a level when you work as a team?" They answer, "YES!" The little one even added that some levels are impossible to do by yourself.

After a while, I noticed that they were taking turns leading the team through the other levels and working together. "You're better with the propeller, so you take it."

Old cameras at LEGOLAND

We did something different at our most recent LEGOLAND trip:
I gave my sons old digital cameras to take as many photos as
they wanted.  Each boy took about 100 photos. 

I was impressed with a large number of photos that the boys took.
We went through the photos and discussed what was good,
and what could be better for next time.  We liked the color on this one,
but the frame could have moved a bit to the left. 

Great perspective on this photo. 

Nice ninja photo! 

Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin

I found a good interpretation of the lyrics, but it was submitted anonymously, so sorry I can't properly give due credit: 

"The son doesn't only represent the child. He also represents the family as a whole. The father is too busy with work and doesn't have the time to spend with his family. As the lyrics say "the cats in the cradle" - the family is at home - "and the silver spoon" which is a symbol of wealth the father has to earn. The "little boy blue" is the child that is sad because his father is away, while the father is represented by "the man on the moon" - the one far away who is unreachable, idealized by the child who sees the father as his male role model. So this is the metaphorical way of describing the pairs of opposition the song is talking about. The family which is in contrast to work and the sad and left-alone boy in contrast to his never-having-time-for-him father and role model." 

source: http://www.lyricinterpretations.com/Harry-Chapin/Cats-the-Cradle

Dadly?

dadly on Urban Dictionary

in a satisfying and proud macho father like way.

"deadly" in an acceptable, father like way.

filled with father-like wisdom.

effective and skillful.

I felt especially dadly guiding the kids through the mountaineering route.

That was a dadly way to handle the nasty ref.

by dadlyman

Enter the Dadly Ninja

I am a father of 2 boys, and I am a ninja. This blog is about my dadly adventures. 

I have considerable talents and skills. I bachelored and mastered ninjutsu at prestigious institutes. And, after working at a number of government and private organizations, I founded my own clan.

I was working over 167 hours per week battling other evil ninja clans. After a few years of unceasing struggle, my wife opened my eyes to the reality of cats in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man on the moon…

So, I made a vow that I will be a better father, and I have decided to keep myself accountable by sharing some of my adventures as a ninja dad. I hope some of my activities will help you become a dadly master, and you will share your dadly techniques with me.