Dubit Family Panel

Dubit have asked me to let you know that they're currently looking for parents to join their Family Panel.

Dubit is a UK youth marketing agency that started out as a Young Enterprise company 10 years ago, created by 13- to 15-year-olds who wanted to improve the way young people are marketed to. It's grown from there but the idea is still the same - people are more likely to buy something if it's recommended to them by a friend or presented to them in the right way.

Members of the Family Panel team work on promotional campaigns, raising awareness about products, brands and services. Rewards can include cheques, vouchers and free merchandise. There's also a regular newsletter with offers and exclusive competitions.

Dubit are looking to recruit parents onto the Family Panel to promote only brands they love. Campaigns can last from one week to three weeks and generally consist of offline work (for example, handing out samples to friends who are parents) or online work (sharing opinions with friends via email and social networking sites).

For more info and to register, visit Dubitfamilypanel.com. If you have any questions, you can email Rachel at Dubit.

Obviously, I haven't tried it myself yet but I'm off to sign up. I'm actually a bit miffed I missed their recent Cheestrings promotion. My kids love the things and Sprog1 can take half an hour eating one. I could have kept him quiet for weeks with the free samples and got paid for it into the bargain. Drat.

Never mind, I'll see what they hook me up with and keep you posted...

Playhouse Disney website

Playhousedisney.co.uk

Features: Games, music, stories and resources related to characters such as Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse.

Amount of content: Several hours worth.

Power of computer required: Medium. Individual features work on an old laptop but switching between them can be slow going.

Target Age: Around 4 or 5.

Comments: Over the years, my children have been indoctrinated by constant advertising on CBeebies to go to the BBC website. I've printed out many, many pictures of Teletubbies to be coloured in. A lot of the online content for CBeebies/CBBC isn't that great, however - many of the games and features are lack-lustre or poorly devised. The pages are also hard to navigate, particularly for children too young to read. I have to be constantly on hand to get Sproglette (who's almost 5) to the right place, explain instructions and help her with tasks. I suppose it could be described as a bonding experience but it appears to be more down to a poor interface than a conscious plan to encourage parent-child quality time.

In comparison, the Playhouse Disney site is a revelation. After a few minutes getting Sproglette acclimatised to the layout, she was away. Everything can be controlled using the mouse, and running a pointer over menu options leads to them being read out. Instructions are also spoken and can be repeated with a click. I was only needed for occasional advice with some of the games and to work the printer.

That said, I had to work the printer a lot. Completing activities frequently leads to being rewarded with full-page pictures. Unless you have a vast supply of ink or toner you need to use up, you'll be wanting to set your printer to reduce the picture size. Even then, it would be worth implementing some kind of limit on how many sheets your child is allowed to print in a given session.

The only other issue we encountered was that because we don't get the channel itself, many of the featured characters were unfamiliar. I've never heard of Handy Manny or Jungle Junction, for instance. This didn't bother Sproglette, though, and she enjoyed all the activities. Thankfully, despite the whole thing essentially being an advert for premium-rate TV, she hasn't been clamouring for us to upgrade our cable package.

All in all, the site is robust and well-designed and has a good selection of material for older pre-schoolers. Younger children will need more help but they'll still have fun.

Conclusion: One to keep up your sleeve for when you really need a couple of hours of peace to get stuff done.

Rating: 4/5.

VoucherCodes.co.uk

I was thinking of writing a review of the latest Harry Potter film but then decided there wasn't much point. Chances are, if you've seen the others, then you're going to get round to The Half-Blood Prince sometime anyway. If you haven't watched the previous five films or read the books, then you're not going to follow a word - go and read The Philosopher's Stone.

This all makes a review rather redundant but, in case you were wondering, as Harry Potter films go, The Half-Blood Prince is OK. It kind of feels like an extended warm up for the last two, though.

So, that's that then. I think I'll go and enjoy a couple of hours of peace and quiet before I have to go and get Sproglette from school.

Oh, while we're here, you might want to check out VoucherCodes.co.uk. They've got a Back to School special running at the moment. The site lists offers and discounts for a whole host of online stores. Unfortunately, since these offers are sorted by store rather than product, it can be rather a trial finding anything specific. You'll probably discover a saving for something else you're after along the way, however, so it's worth a look.

Right, I'm off for a lie down...

Mutual Linkage IV

It's time, once again, to return the links DadsDinner.com has received from other sites. But first, let's contemplate a few of the more unusual phrases that have led anonymous web searchers here.

Some of these people have found exactly the opposite of what they wanted, such as the person searching for "great gifts for dads that do not like gameboys". Sorry about that.

Scarily, others discovered just what they were looking for, no matter how unlikely that might have seemed. "frozen diced onion review", anyone? Or how about "your grandfather owns a stud farm and has given you a horse."?

Plenty of queries fell somewhere in between. Was someone looking to buy "evil soft toys" or attempting to escape from them? Did the desperate individual crying out for somebody to "explain to me what washing up liquid is???" glean any useful knowledge? As for the search on "dream interpretation barbecued pigeons", that's anyone's guess. Personally, I'm glad to have avoided the meeting for which part of the preparation involved Googling "how to brush teeth powerpoint". I'm also hoping no one sends me a review copy of "Play fall down stairs for Wii".

I can, however, quickly comment on the following points for the next time someone comes looking:

"What's the time called between being asleep and being awake?" Early parenthood.

"While keeping everyone happy is a full-time job you manage it by multi-tasking and looking at each situation from an impartial perspective". Yeah, and with the help of chocolate.

"how long should you wear trousers before washing"? That depends to a certain extent on where you've been sitting.

"will wd40 stop a squeak on a pushchair wheel". Worked for me.

"what to wear with black chinos". Whatever you like - that's the whole point of black chinos.

"dear dave movie not released yet". Sadly, no. Don't rub it in.

"will my Xbox be delivered to me if it departed tamworth in the morning?". Only if you live really near Tamworth.

"if I buy biscuits the kids eat them all immediately". Maybe you should hook up with whoever had "mince pies coming out my ears".

"all I can remember is memories". Yes... Yes, they is...

"how much housekeeping money should our children pay". Now that's an idea.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, there are normally a few people looking for a "virtual wedgie". This took a more disturbing turn recently with a hunt for a "virtual sensual wedgie". Various specific categories of "rainwear fiction" were also popular...

Moving swiftly on to the links:

Kingston Fathers
A Kingston based group aiming to provide support for fathers and men with a fathering role with the object of encouraging them to build relationships with their children. Organises regular events in the Kingston area.

Herefordmums
Lots of really useful stuff... particularly if you live in Hereford. Forums, a 'find a friend' section, 'nearly new' board and info on everything from local shops to toddler groups. Excellent.

Whistling in the Dark
A mum with two young children tells it like it is... (Hi, Swiggy!)

The Mockingbird
Thoughts on publishing, food, caravans and just about everything else from Sj, my Authonomy friend.

After the dress...
Yep, this is still about sewing but Gwen sent me another award, so she gets another link. :-)

The Road Less Traveled
Jen's pregnant again and it's all just an excuse to buy a new fridge...

Did I miss anyone?

Want to get in on the act? Then put a link on your own site, click through and I'll do another one of these... when enough people link to make it worthwhile.

As always, welcome to everyone, wherever you came from. Hope you find the site fun and useful.

Cheers,

Edmund

Relate for Parents - Text and web chat services

Not so much a review today, more a public service announcement:

The forums at Homedad are the best UK web resource for finding other housedads and getting practical advice on fatherhood. Sometimes, though, you might not want to share your problems with the entire internet. Handily, Relate for Parents has recently launched a couple of new services offering support and information - Live Talk and SMS Text messaging.

Live Talk enables parents to pose questions and explore parenting difficulties in a live web chat. Consultants offer empathy and understanding, along with suggestions and other sources of support. Parents using SMS Text send their parenting issue or query, such as how to defuse a row or where to find local counselling, to 60616 and get an answer straight to their mobile. Both services are free and offer personally tailored responses.

The operating hours are 9-5 weekdays and 7-9 Monday, Wednesday and Sunday evenings, so this is an avenue for considered questions rather than late night emergencies. Nonetheless, the services are certainly a good first port of call if you want some help on relationship issues. In particular, it's hard to think where else there is to go when dealing with teenagers or grown-up kids.

The website itself features articles on such issues as divorce, self harm, stress and eating disorders. There are also links to various parental support groups.

Worth checking out.

(Back to films with explosions next week...)

Mutual Linkage III

Once more unto the internet, dear friends, once more...

What did we ever do without it? In the old days, I would have had to go to a library to look up a speech from Shakespeare to mangle, only then to discover the next line is about stacking up dead bodies and not entirely suitable for parody. The internet saved me no end of time there...

...which it immediately took back as I got side-tracked by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune which led me to The Simpsons, then Ghostbusters and finally Debbie Gibson. You're lucky I got round to writing this at all.

So, before I get distracted again, I'd better press on with returning some of the links that DadsDinner.com has received from other sites. That way you can get lost on a one-way surf to the home page of the saucer-people and I can turn this computer off and go spend some time with the kids.

But first... I want to share a few of the phrases that have led anonymous search-engine users here:

I was most confused by the person who Googled 'keith urban is polish'. It took me a moment to add my own capitalisation. As for the person who was looking for something to 'rhyme with raj' - he or she was probably the person whom I confused the most. Unlike whoever wanted 'Mulholland Drive explained' - they arrived confused.

Some people had questions answered about housedads and maternity leave. Hopefully, whoever asked 'How far is it from Zeebrugge ferry port to Bruges centre?' knows that it's too far to walk. Seriously. Get the bus straight away. And if you want to know 'what to do with a toddler with gastric flu'? The answer is... laundry.

I'm sorry I couldn't help whoever was looking for 'scientific fun stuff with rocks' but I'm kind of glad that the person searching for Mario fan fiction went away disappointed. (That's disturbing and incestuous, people!)

A few other questions need answered:

'Can mice bite through wire wool'? I sincerely hope not.

'Why do teenagers wear two pairs of trousers'? They what now?

'How fast do dragons fly'? African or European?

The phantom Google riddler struck again. Twice. 'Sid walks in the rain for 30 minutes without using an umbrella or wearing a hood but he doesn't get a single hair on his head wet'. I can only assume that Sid is very bald or a tortoise. And if you thought that was a strange thing for someone to type into a search engine and arrive at DadsDinner then how about 'if it takes an elephant a week to run a fortnight how many grapes are in a bag of nuts?'

Er, seven?

I'm also getting Google confessions now ('I sneak around in my underwear') and, after a Super Soaker incident, the Wicked Witch of the West went surfing for medical help ('he shot me i m shrinking').

It's an interesting world out there...


Links

Dad
This is a UK site offering 'information to dads, so that they can get the best for their kids'. It covers everything from pregnancy, birth and babies to financial, legal and education info - from a dad's perspective. It's a little overwhelming at first but there's plenty of good stuff there.

After the dress...
If you're thinking of doing some sewing, this is the place to be. I'm a little out of my depth myself but I'm keeping up with the on-going saga of teaching dress-making in a foreign language.

Gwen sent me an Excellent Blog award a while back. Accepting it requires me to nominate ten other blogs, however. This would entail me sending it to every blog I read and several I don't. So I'll have to pass on this occasion, although I very much appreciate the thought.

Heart & Home
DadsDinner is about survival and gadgets. Heart & Home is about family adventures, craftwork and chocolate. Think of it as a complementary source of ideas.

The Road Less Traveled
Follow the lives of a family in rural California. I might have mice in the house but at least I don't have bats. And the neighbours don't shoot at me.

Yeah, I know I've mentioned this one before but JenK bribed me with cookies and then blogged about it. A return link is unavoidable...


More Links

Seeing as I'm here and I lost any form of blogging self-restraint around about last November, here are some extras. (These guys now owe me cookies.):

HomeDad.org.uk
The place to discuss issues with other housedads online.

Stay at Home Dads.co.uk
A fun site featuring housedad info (and rants).

DadAtHome.co.uk
A good source of short articles on dealing with many issues affecting housedads, from altered finances to low social status. There's also information on general parenting topics, such as immunisation and household chores, but considered from a housedad perspective. It's an essential read if you're new to the housedad life or thinking of taking it up.

Ask Moxie
An American mom answers questions on child-rearing. She's pretty on the ball and there's a good back-catalogue of advice.


Did I miss anyone?

Want to get in on the act? Then put a link on your own site, click through and I'll do another one of these... when enough people link to make it worthwhile.

As always, welcome to everyone, however you got here. Hope you find the site fun and useful.

Cheers,

Edmund

Mutual Linkage II

Yep, it's that time again - time to reflect on the strangeness of the internet and to return some links that DadsDinner.com has had from other sites.

Last time, I mentioned a few of the phrases that have led anonymous web searchers to DadsDinner. Since then, the peculiar selection of information requested has only got more bizarre. A few people have definitely ended up at the right place, though - people needing a list of stuff to buy in order to prepare for parenthood, people wondering whether housedads should get pocket money and people wanting to know about cuddly Mario toys.

Others have had relevant questions that may not have been entirely answered.

For instance, someone asked 'Does an epidural really work?' To which the answer is 'Yes, it really, really does.' Someone else asked 'Can I get a mortgage during maternity leave?' To which the answer should be 'Yes, you can,' but is, in fact, 'Yes, but best not to mention it just in case.' As for 'Is there life after children?' - I can only say that I hope so. 'Numberjacks kids hate it', meanwhile, may be a question, statement or a desperate cry for help. Unfortunately, there is no help. Sorry.

Then, of course, there are the people who did not come to the right place. Whoever was interested in a 'pot-bellied orangutan' went away disappointed. So did the person who was 'looking for photos of very large women in plastic rainwear'. (I don't know how high up Google placed DadsDinner in the results from that search and, quite frankly, I don't dare investigate). Someone was trying to find out how to 'keep birds from getting hurt by immersion heater in bird bath'. That person was seriously lost... I did get excited when someone arrived searching for 'Jesus and physics' but it turns out that that was just my wife winding me up. A couple of people were after 'acrobatic sex' and someone else was enquiring about 'hygiene while using a toaster.' I'm pretty sure these weren't linked queries, however.

Most of the random Googlers in the last couple of months have been looking to buy a Nintendo Wii console and have found their way to my review. Sorry, all of you who've made it this far, but you're not having mine.

Someone has even started sending me riddles by Google query. They did a search on this:

'i have 6 coins laid out in 2 straight lines with one coin joining them. ie there are 4 coins in one line and 3 in the other. move only one coin and make 2 straight lines of 4 coins. you may not introduce any new coins.'

That's just vicious. I wasted a good fifteen minutes trying to work that out before I gave up and stuck it back into Google. Maybe it's a conspiracy or maybe it's just a clever way to get me to send you all to the Jokes Database.

Once you've wasted an hour or two there, you might as well give up on getting any work done and go and visit some of these nice people:

HomeDad.org.uk

Still the best place to chat with other housedads.

at home dad

Housedad news and views. Peter, the editor, recently gave this site a plug, describing it as 'fabulously retro'. Little does he realise that I'm really living in 1998 and this is totally cutting edge...

The Road Less Traveled

Housemom turns breadwinner in rural California. See things from a different point of view.

Men at Home

Australian site for homedads. Lots of useful links.

Stay at Home Dads.co.uk

The UK based website for dads everywhere. News, articles, money advice, gadget reviews and places to share and rant. Definitely worth checking out. The article on the pros and cons of being a housedad is particularly informative.

Time for dads

Blogs, reviews, news and a layout that isn't from 1998. I feel inadequate now...

Did I miss anyone?

Want to get in on the act? Then put a link on your own site, click through and I'll do another one of these... when I get round to it.

As always, welcome to everyone, however you got here (even if it's from that dodgy looking Chinese favorstar place). Hope you find the site fun and useful.

All the best,

Edmund.

DadsDinner.com

Dear other Daves and non-Daves,

DadsDinner.com has been up and running for over nine months now. You've had the chance to go all the way from the Making Babies section of The Housedad's Handbook to out the other side of the Maternity entry. (Tired yet?) In the meantime, the site's gone from twenty visitors a day to two hundred plus and I'd like to say thanks to all of you who drop by regularly.

I'm pretty happy with the way things are going but I was wondering what you guys want. Would a forum be good, for instance? Somewhere to discuss computer games without the fanboys, to swap gamertags and to reminisce about Spectrums?

I've had a suggestion for a dating service to link career women with housedad wannabes. I can't really see that happening but what features would you like to see on DadsDinner? What's great? What's annoying? What creaks?

I'm not promising to get round to changing things quickly. Let's face it, with three small children, nothing ever gets done quickly, but please leave comments below. (Don't feel you have to be a housedad to take part - everyone's welcome).

Speaking of comments, I don't normally get very many. One of my aims in setting up DadsDinner was to create some community but, so far, it's mainly just been me spouting about whatever springs to mind. I know from emails and conversations that some of you have a lot to say. Some feedback and on-topic comments would be great.

Posting comments is easy. Just click on the text at the bottom of any Stuff or Dear Dave entry. You'll need to choose an identity. If you've got a Google account you can use that. 'Other' lets you invent a name to appear next to your comment. You could leave an anonymous comment but why would you want to do that when you could call yourself KosmicKommentKing73? Also, if you make a habit of saying sensible/humorous things on a regular basis and always use the same name, everyone will know to pay attention.

One last thing, I've been contacted by a fellow housedad who's researching a PhD exploring 'the motivations and experiences of men who take on the role of carer for their children'. He's very keen to talk with other housedads (before February 2008!) to discuss their lives and views on parenthood. You can contact him at chris_waite@btinternet.com.

Yours in a woman's world,

Ed(mund).

PS I was going to put this notice in Dear Dave but then I couldn't decide if I was fictional or not.

PPS Special thanks to the handful of people who've clicked through and bought items from Amazon and the other sponsors in the last couple of weeks. It's rekindled my hope that I'll recoup my costs some day.

Mutual Linkage

The internet is an odd place. It's pretty strange when you're clicking around, taking in the view, but you only realise just how strange it is when you start adding stuff to it.

One of the pieces of information I get from my webhost service is a list of phrases people have entered in Google which have somehow brought them to DadsDinner.com. There's nothing to identify the people involved; there's simply a list of phrases and the number of people who've used each one. I am left with a peculiar snapshot into the lives of others. I know they had a need for information and I have a vague idea what they were looking for but I can only guess whether I was able to help them. Some, those seeking a 'pink t-bar scooter' or 'pokemon', probably gleaned a little useful knowledge. Whoever typed in 'copiously sick' almost certainly found something to read as well. Sadly, the person searching for 'numberjacks underpants' and whoever had a query involving 'potholing wear nappy', went away disappointed.

Of course, there have been a few sensible questions about maternity leave, so hopefully I was able to answer them. Oh, and I'd like to believe that whoever wanted to know where to buy a golden coinmaker took my advice and didn't.

One of the other major pieces of information I have is a list of external links which have been used to reach DadsDinner and the number of people that have used each one. Thanks to all those who have created these links. It seems only polite to link back. Two of the biggest links have been from Guardian and Herald articles I've already covered in the publicity section. Here is a list of other sites which link to DadsDinner.com. I'm not going to to do full reviews, just give a flavour of the sites. After all, if you like the sound of things, all you need to do is click...

HomeDad.org.uk

If you're a housedad and only follow one of these links, make it this one.

The site has recently been given an overhaul with a new look and new content. The main draw of the site is still the forums, though. There are plenty of active members (and they're actually housedads not mums looking for advice on how to handle their blokes). The banter is friendly and people are always ready to give help and advice on any subject from nappies to cabling.

at home dad

This guy's been doing it for years and has even written the book. A good source of advice and links.

The Road Less Traveled

This is the blog of a Californian mum who has moved to a rural area and is attempting to adjust. She's honest, thought-provoking and funny. Her life is at once very similar my own and at the same time very different. It's always good to see what she's been up to. I like her.

Nodrog's Gruntlings

The blog of a guy called Dave. (No, not that Dave). I've known Dave a very long time. I helped him carry his stuff into halls on his first day at university. He brought Angel Delight, a beanbag and a science fiction collection. I was impressed. I knew straight away that this was a man who knew where his towel was.

He's now a dad and a trainee minister in the Church of Scotland. Join him for a random mix of thoughts, theology and humour.

mumsnet

The parenting site with everything - articles, reviews, advice, local information and an absolutely vast forum section. I haven't investigated too hard - I know I could lose days following some of the threads.

Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist

As I said, the internet is odd. What were the chances of the busiest link to this site being from the word 'of'? No really. The word 'of' in the blog of a slightly scary American woman who thinks housedads aren't a good idea. (Which is a shame, 'cos her husband's one). Go and marvel. Oh, and hello to the scores of people who came this way. Welcome.

Did I miss anyone?

If you have a link I've missed, then let me know.

Want to get in on the act? Then put a link on your own site, click through and I'll do another one of these before Christmas. (Copy the banner for extra points!)

However you got here, I hope you find the site useful and fun. Keep coming back and don't forget to tell your friends. Cheers!