Daddy-Daughter Date #1: Pizza & Building Cards

On Saturday, we had our first date!  Sarah had been planning on going to a coffee shop to do some work while we had some Daddy time, but the roads ended up being so icy that she turned around and came back.  However, we were not to be deterred, and Mommy went to work on her computer while I put Eden down to sleep.   Eden is three months old and Bethel is two and a half years old.   As soon as Eden was asleep, Bethel and I put our aprons on and went to work.

Our first project was pizza, and comes from “88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates” by Rob & Joanna Teigen on page 28.  For this we used the generic pizza crust mix.  All we really had to do was add water, and the instructions were all written out for us on the back.  This is perfect because Bethel and I are just learning how to cook things and easy is best for us.  Bethel got to pour the mix and water into the bowl, I stirred it, and then we let it rise for a while.

Our second project was cardboard building cards.  This idea comes from the “Childcraft” series.  I highly recommend that everyone get a set of “Childcraft” books.  Link to it on amazon here.  They are quite expensive to buy new (it is fifteen volumes), but thrift stores often have them used for very cheap.  This craft is from volume 11 entitled “Make and Do” and is on page 84.

I cut cereal boxes into squares while Bethel painted them.  Then I cut slits in the corners so that they could be stuck together.  Ours did not turn out quite as pretty as the picture in the book, but we had fun making them.  Here is a picture of the Peggottys enjoying the finished product after the paint had dried.

While Bethel was painting the building cards, I put the pizza crust in the oven for a few minutes.  Once it was back out and had cooled down, we put on the toppings.  I put on the sauce, and Bethel covered it with diced ham, pineapple, and cheese.  I put it back in the oven and a few minutes later we had pizza!

  

It tasted great!  Bethel was happy to have helped cook and Mommy was delighted to have lunch made.  Overall, our first “date” was a success.

Daddy-Daughter Dates

It happened one day when I was leaving for work.  I kissed my two year old daughter goodbye and she asked, “Where are you going?”  So I told her that I was leaving to go to the church.  “To play with Piper?” she asked.  Piper is another little girl at our church, and I realized that she thought that all my time away from her was spent playing with other kids.  Every time she went to the church building it was full of other kids learning and having fun with me.  She naturally assumed that that is how it is at the church building all the time.  This really got me.  In my mind I was being a great Dad, but in her mind I was daily committing the parental equivalent of adultery.

Since that time she has been to the church on other days and seen me at my desk, and I try to remember to tell her that I am going to work in my office.  She seems to understand it a little better.  But I also decided that I need to make sure that as she grows she gets a lot of play and learning time with just me.  My life is busy and now she has a sister (i.e. competition) so I need to have a plan for taking advantage of the time I have with her.

In my search for ideas I recently found a neat book entitled, “88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates: Fun, Easy & Creative Ways to Build Memories Together” by Rob & Joanna Teigen.   It is a very useful book and chock full of great ideas.  Check it out on amazon here.  I have also found a number of other neat ideas on Pinterest and other places.

My wife, Sarah, is starting a new job and I will soon have the girls to myself every Saturday.    My plan is to have a fun activity planned for us at least two Saturdays a month, and to post about it here.  You guys can hold me accountable and watch our progress.