Tag: The Dad Speaks

Last Wednesday and Thursday were the first two days of school for my 5th grader. He goes back on Tuesday. Start easy! I like that! It was funny because last Tuesday, Niko was craving a cheeseburger and wanted me to take him to a local nearby restaurant for it. First, I was working, and second,…

Thirty-six days of completed writing prompts for me., and I am absolutely loving it. I only write for 5 or 10 minutes. This was my prompt for August 26: Day 32: Describe a memorable trip. Yesterday, Nina and I took Niko to the Great Wolf Lodge in Bloomington, MN (about an hour from us). Niko…

Yesterday, in the middle of the afternoon, Niko made an announcement, “I AM BORED.” To counter that, I offered several things for us to do, and he turned them all down. Most of my dad suggestions were things to do outside, as it was an absolutely perfect day (we had windows open and a/c off)….

A few weeks ago, my dad shared 365 writing prompts on his YouTube page: Thoughts from an Old Man, and I was intrigued and wanted to see if this is something I can do for a year. Well, I am doing it, and enjoying it. I don’t spend a lot of time on them (maybe…

Since we came back from San Antonio in June, Niko’s sleep schedule has been really messed up. In the evenings, he gets up several times for a pee, a drink, a snack, or just to complain about something. Because of that, he wakes up later. I thought it was a phase, and we could get…

Please don’t ask me which superheroes are DC and which are Marvel, because I have no clue. I have seen some of the movies and do enjoy them, I just have a very short attention span in the evenings and weekends, and would much rather read a book. When they are in the background, I…

The dad doesn’t often get the chance to wonder the aisles and browse all the fun things that Trader Joe’s has to offer. The majority of his visits are with his son (whom is 10-years-old), and it’s a quick 5 minutes for a grab n go! But, yesterday, the dad had a solo excursion in…

On July 6th, Nina and I swapped rooms. The furniture movement of beds and dressers went very well, and that night, we were both sleeping in new rooms. A few days later, Niko wanted to swap rooms with me, and I told him, yes, we can do it, but please give me a few weeks…

Sometimes, in the evenings and as Niko is preparing for bed, he will read thedadspeaks.com (hey, that is me!). He reads them silently, I read them to him, or we have the AI voice read them and he laughs a a lot. Last month, he told me I should I write a new The Dad…

I don’t consider myself handy, but this weekend, I fixed a slow draining sink in one of the bathrooms, I built an an IKEA wardrobe for Nina (she helped), and I figured out where an annoying beeping from the garage was coming from (it was the backup battery in the garage door ceiling mount). For…

School has been out for almost a month, and Niko’s bedtime has changed from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. However, since we visited San Antonio on June 9th through June 12th, that bedtime hasn’t been achieved yet (well, I think once, he was able to do it). We get him in bed at 7:30 and…

Niko turned double-digits last month, and with that came independence for himself. By that, I mean, he enjoys relaxing in his bedroom during the day with his iPad and/or Switch 2 and most times he has a few drinks on his night-table! Every hour, Nina and I either text him, FaceTime him, or just yell…

Last Tuesday, we went home to San Antonio to visit my parents (and to eat at some food places that we have missed). We arrived back to our Minnesota house yesterday.  We had originally thought of visiting in April, as Niko had a few days off from school, and we would take him out for…

On Wednesday and Friday, I watched the Spurs play the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals. Before Niko was born in 2016, I was a huge fan of the NBA, and especially the San Antonio Spurs. I also worked for the franchise from 1999 to 2002 in Marketing and Guest Services. My tenure…

Last Thursday was the last day of the 4th grade for Niko, and to celebrate that and also the fact that he did awesome (despite several absences due to being sick or being tired), we got him a Nintendo Switch 2. He wanted it earlier, but were adamantly saying not till after school on Thursday….

Yesterday, Niko had a birthday celebration at the local community center pool with some of his classmates. Easy setup for Nina and me, as we reserved a room with a door to the pool (they had over an hour to swim) and the community center supplied food and drinks for all. I picked up a…

Yesterday, Niko and I went swimming at the local community center pool. I am always happy to take him as he really enjoys it. We haven’t been in several weeks because he was sick. Last summer, he took swim lessons at the high school and he became a much better swimmer because of it. This…

I have been a Spurs fans for my whole life. Remember the late 80’s and early 90’s when they were bad? Then, we had dudes named David, Sean, Tim, Avery, Mario, Robert, Tony, Tim, Manu, Boris, Patty, and many more who rescued the franchise and bought the team and the community 5 championship trophy’s! I…

I like the ideas that IKEA showcases for various rooms and how their furniture can complement that space no matter how small or big it is. I also like that you can customize and design your own room online. I don’t like how when you grab something in the “self-pull” warehouse, it’s always heavy and…