The Cheeky Daddy Turns 2



"It's hard to think of yourself as a loser at 2 years old." - Jeff Foxworthy

 



   I never thought that a blog could so perfectly be compared to a child. As The Cheeky Daddy turns 2 today, I realize that the blog is so very much like a 2 year old child, it's unreal. Sure, I can walk, but I still trip and stumble. Sure I can talk, but like Shrek said about donkey, "It's getting him to shut up that's the trick!" Luckily, in the blogging world, there's a bit of "it takes a village to raise a child" mentality if you open yourself up to new friendships and constructive criticism.

   Since the birth of The Cheeky Daddy, I've droned on for paragraphs with mindless dribble. I'm still finding my voice in a vast chasm of blogging talent out there. Yet, as I've made new contacts and friendships, it's been an evolving goal to be open to the possibility that I DON'T know everything (despite what I tell my children). So I look for guidance, opportunities for growth, and keep trying to refine so that my little baby can become something of worth to me and those who might enjoy stopping by.

   So as we head into 2014, my goal is to focus on continuing those self improving attributes. I hope to be here in another year, better for the wear. My children will continue to grow and provide stories and learning experiences for sure. I count on it. I hope to make more friends along the way. So happy birthday to The Cheeky Daddy. I hope these terrible twos go by fast.

J.

Blog Clog - A New Name For An Old Problem

“Writing is hard. Not as hard as not writing.
 Not writing is torturous, bloody, chaotic and a gruesome winless battle.
 A writer who writes, knows peace, lives connected to truth.
 Not writing is ache, betrayal, death of the soul and imagination.”
 - Coco J. Ginger

   One evening, The Wife and I were sitting next to each other, doing the Internet thing. She was working on some projects, and I was trying to think of what to write next. While there are a million topics to pick from, it's hard to single in on the one that inspires you to write. She sensed that I was having trouble deciding on what to write and asked, "Blog Clog?" 

Blog Clog - /blôg - kläg/

Noun - The inability for a blog writer to unclog the massive amount of ideas that amount to no new entries. 

   Now that we've given a new name for an old problem, how do we combat it? I've seen some great posts and articles about how to beat writer's block of any kind. Below are a few that might help. 

- Dad Blunders has a great post titled Blogging Basic - You Must Write, all about how to keep writing and finding your voice. 

- Dukeo has a great post that are Six Very Official Ways To Improve Your Writing. I think each tip is a great way to also determine which post might be your "next best thing."

- Social Media Explorer has a great Overcoming Writer's Block article. Tip #6 & 7 are key for me. Using stories makes it personal and more interesting in my opinion. Also the idea of "just write" makes sense. It helps to get out the crap, so you can get to the good stuff that you'll actually post. 

   I hope this helps, if for no other reason than being able to finally call the difficulty of getting a post out by name. Drop a line if you ever get "blog clog" and we can figure out how to get out of it together. Happy writing!

J. 

Writing Pad Dad Interviews The Cheeky Daddy!

I was recently honored to be asked for a Q & A interview for Justin Knight's "Blogs To Take A Shine To".



This is a great way to get to know some of your fellow bloggers through a funny and great dad contributor, Justin Knight (a.k.a Writing Pad Dad).

The interview starts:

1.  Please tell us all about your blog! Why did you decide to start a blog? What can readers expect when visiting your blog?

The Cheeky Daddy was a spin- off of The Wife's blog title. We may still collaborate in the future, but it started.....

 

 

You can check out the entire interview at Writing Pad Dad. Thanks to Justin for the opportunity to share and get to know more of my fellow bloggers.

J.

The Ultimate Blog Party 2013 - A Bit About The Cheeky Daddy

 

 

   The ladies over at 5MinutesForMom.com have a fun looking event going on. My mother raised us four boys on her own, and I think she could have used a group like them. They've invited dads to participate in order to grow, network, and share. So here's 10 things about The Cheeky Daddy:

 

1. I have three wee little ones: 7YO girl, 3YO boy, 7MO girl (yes ladies, the seat is officially kept down).

2. I've been at this blog since the first of 2011.
3. As an art major, I love fresh art supplies, and have a hard time bringing myself to using them.
4. As a kid, I once climbed the freeway fence and crossed all six lanes on foot, twice.
5. My favorite post to date is still Cheerios Butt.
6. I'm a bit of a pack rat, but must have my art space clean (The Wife LOVES that...).
7. I was to be named Clint or Jason, they chose Jason.
8. It takes over 750 lbs of power to drop a heavyweight boxer, and only 3 lbs. from my son's fist to my crotch to drop me.
9. I enjoy movies, books, plays, theatre, chick-flicks, guy-flicks, and cry at a good story ending,....much to my brother's fun-making delight.
10. You could once hold my blog up to your ear and hear the ocean. Now it's more like a small dorm party.

I wanted to keep this brief, but if there's overwhelming demand (1 or more requests), I'll add another ten. I know, I know, enquiring minds want to know! What secrets will be revealed! Whatever,...this Ultimate Blog Party 2013 should be pretty cool.

J.

Blog Anniversary - Art Projects

"I intend to live forever -- so far, so good!" - Stephen Wright

 

   Today is The Cheeky Daddy's 2 year anniversary. As with any two year old, there's been a lot of kicking and screaming. I started off strong, slowed down after a bit, and am now back in the game. Time certainly flies, but I find that even in the busiest of times, I can fit in posts about being a father, husband, or just me.

   For my bloggiversary, I painting plaster horses. They were a gift to my 'Lil Miss from her horse riding grandmother. It was the Fantasy Plaster Horses that are only $12.97 at Walmart. They were super easy, there was plenty of paint to complete the two enclosed horses and cleanup was a breeze. The time with my 'Lil Miss on some "arts and craps" as she calls it was priceless. It was a fun project. The above pic was my little side project to commemorate The Cheeky Daddy's 2nd blog birthday. Fun stuff.

   Being New Year's Eve, be safe out there, and all my best.

 

J.

('Lil Miss hard at work painting her Fantasy Plaster Horses)

 

Blogs, Blogging and Their Inherent Issues

     If at first you don't succeed,....

     With the birth of a new blog, comes all the digi-crap that comes with any new life form. So it is with The Cheeky Daddy. The specific portion of the blog I had issue with is irrelevant. The price came at nearly two hours of searching for an answer. The solution came in the form of abandonment of all hope of fixing, and simply replacing.
     The lesson learned is perhaps to not spend so much time trying to fix a problem that has no immediate answer. I found the answer in the list of Gadgets that Blogger had to offer. I simply replaced old functionality, with new. Point is, don't give up. As frustrated as I was at the end of it (...and since I couldn't actually set fire to the blog), I'm satisfied with the outcome. Now I can move on, older and wiser. Well,...let's not get carried away.

J.