Dad Spotlight - Helping You Be The Best Dad, Father and Parent You Can!

In this episode we had the chance to interview Omar Sfreddo, contestant on this season’s SYFY channel show, Face Off. Omar Sfreddo is a single father of two girls and the Art Director for an event company in Deerfield Beach, FL. Before settling down in Florida, he graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a focus in special effects makeup and used the skills he learned on Hollywood projects like [amazon text=Blade II&asin=B007QWF26C], [amazon text=Chronicles of Riddick&asin=B001RTCP10], [amazon text=Sky High&asin=B000BJ7BCK], and [amazon text=The Last Samurai&asin=B000JUB7LW].  In addition to his current day job, Omar is currently working on my own line of masks and freelances in body painting and airbrush tattoos and you can see his work on his Face Off. 

Omar Sfreddo talked to the Dad Spotlight about his experiences being a father and a make-up artist in the movie industry and the sacrifice he made to be with his family and leaving the business.

He talked about being in the movie industry really is an exciting field. Leaving this field leaves a large void. Doing the show was a risk. He left his job to do the show and now has no regrets as he got to show what he can do on television to a much larger audience.

On the show Face Off, it is very intense, especially in Last Looks as you only get an hour to do what you are asked to do. Omar Sfreddo said that it is amazing what you can do when you push yourself.

Everything is recorded for the Face Off episodes over three days at a time, so there is a lot of content that you do not see as a viewer.

His daughters did not know what Face Off was when he applied to be on the show. As he started the process that he explained the show to them. He actually did not even have cable before the show. When he was on television though they watched and were very proud of

His youngest daughter loves to have him turn her into a princess while his oldest is more goth and says “go ahead and make me look great.” so he will go to town on her and have fun.

Omar Sfreddo talked about Halloween being big when he lived in Pittsburgh but in Florida it is not as large. While that is the case, he still helps his daughters to look great Halloween. Whether it be turning them into a vampire, a princess or anything else.

He was proud of his daughters and how they stick up for each other.

Omar Sfreddo is an amazing and committed father and it was our pleasure to have him on the show.

A photo posted by pibe75 (@pibe75) on Aug 24, 2015 at 6:21am PDT

A photo posted by pibe75 (@pibe75) on Aug 24, 2015 at 5:31am PDT

Mike Vrobel of DadCooksDinner.com is back to talk about how to saute great food and create meals that will delight your family! We have to say that anytime that Mike comes on, we leave hungry and know you will too!

 

 

### Basic Technique: Saute with a Pan Sauce

* Saute with Pan sauce

* Ribeye Steak Saute with Red Wine Pan Sauce

* Chicken Breast with Marsala Sauce

* Salmon with Tequila Orange Sauce

* Pork Chop with Orange Mustard Sauce

Mike Vrobel said that he forgot to mention that he learned the saute with a pan sauce technique from Pam Anderson’s “[amazon text=How To Cook Without a Book&asin=0767902793]“, which has a bunch of great suggestions for pan sauces.

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

We also hope that you will take a moment to share their thoughts on this quick survey. The results will be used to create even more targeted shows here on the Dad Spotlight to help you be the best dad that you can be!

We are very interested to have your input on a 4 question survey about being a dad can you please take 2 minutes to fill this out!

In this episode we had the chance to interview Amy Lang of BirdsandBeesandKids.com. Since 2005, nationally know sexuality and parenting expert Amy Lang, MA has helped parents of all beliefs make the birds and bees talks a regular and fun part of their family lives. Her goal is to help 1 million kids grow up to be whole and healthy adults by teaching their parents how to have easy and effective conversations with them about sexuality, love and relationships.

Today she came to talk to all of you about the conversations that you will have or may have had already with your kids about sexuality, sex, love and relationships. Amy Lang provides you practical tips and even some scripts about what to say and how to say it and when when it comes to these topics, so this is am important episode to listen in on!

Amy Lang started her career in sex education as a health educator to help people through difficult situations. Through this experience and through the experience of being a mom herself she learned that she was not prepared to deal with the conversations about sex with her own child, and that other parents were in the same situation.

 

Because of this she partnered her passion of working with kids and parents and talking about sexual health into her company.

 

Why is it so hard to have these conversations?

We asked Amy Lang about her thoughts on why it was so hard for parents to talk about sex and sexual health and she mentioned that the challenge for many of us is two-fold:

* Most of us did not get the help we needed to be comfortable with this.

* The United States is culturally repressed when it comes to sexuality. Because of this we, as parents, fail to have conversations with kids. The message that most kids get from this  lack of communication is that sex is bad and they will get in trouble if they think about it or have feelings about this. The problem is that sex is all around us and our kids, in the media, online, everywhere.

Both of these factors end us showing the crazy relationship that our society has with sex, making it even harder to bring it up with our own kids.

Amy Lang shares though that the thing that we forget is that we are sexual from the beginning just like we are intellectual or social – it is a part of who we are. As parents we talk to and support our kids in regards to many of the pieces of their personality, but when it comes to sexuality, many parents shy away from this.

When we understand this, it becomes easier and we can then see that our main goal as a parent is to keep our kids healthy and safe and that talking about sex is a part of this too.

What is the Biggest Mistake Parents Make?

Amy Lang says that the biggest mistake parents make is that they wait until they ask about sex to talk about it. Amy Lang has worked with many people and families and has found that most kids will not ask their parents and if they do, it is only questions that hit surface-level questions.

Where does someone start if you have not started talking?

* Start before 5th grade if possible. Don’t just let your kids get “sex ed” at school and expect they know everything.

* Many kids even find it interesting to talk about this starting at age five says Amy Lang.

* Waiting until after 5th grade will exposes kids to learning things that are incorrect through friends, online or some other source.

* If you waited, that’s ok.

* Get a book like one of the ones listed below, and start the conversation with your children by saying “I’m sorry, we should have started to talk about this sooner.”

 

What are the hardest conversations to have with your ki...

In this episode we are talking about Star Wars toys just in time for #ForceFriday to open up our new segment, The Dads Toolbox, where we share with you great information on today’s happenings to help you be the best dad possible. Drew Bennett from Benspark.com is joining us to talk about Star Wars and all of the great toys that were released on #ForceFriday!

If you missed some of the toys on Star Wars #ForceFriday, here are some of the Star Wars toys that Drew talked to us about. Check them out, they are awesome, and great for you and your kids!

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[amazon text=Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid&asin=B0107H5FJ6]

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[amazon text=Star Wars The Force Awakens 3.75-inch Vehicle Poe Dameron’s X-Wing&asin=B00SOFZF3U]

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[amazon text=Star Wars Furbacca&asin=B00TV0T0HY]

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[amazon text=Star Wars The Force Awakens Kylo Ren Deluxe Electronic Lightsaber&asin=B00SOFZZVW]

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[amazon text=Star Wars The Force Awakens Kylo Ren Extendable Lightsaber&asin=B00SOFZM42]

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[amazon text=LEGO Star Wars Poe’s X-Wing Fighter 75102 Building Kit&asin=B00WHZ6WOO]

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[amazon text=LEGO Star Wars Rey’s Speeder 75099 Building Kit&asin=B00WI0QCAM]

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[amazon text=LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon 75105 Building Kit&asin=B00WI0PJE2]

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[amazon text=Star Wars The Force Awakens 3.75-inch Vehicle First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter&asin=B00SOFZLMA]

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[amazon text=Star Wars The Black Series 6-Inch First Order Stormtrooper&asin=B00SD8I486]

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[amazon text=Star Wars Nerf Episode VII First Order Stormtrooper Blaster&asin=B00SOFZT54]

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[amazon text=LEGO Star Wars Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle 75104 Building Kit&asin=B00WHZ80HG]

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[amazon text=Star Wars The Force Awakens 3.75-Inch Figure Forest Mission Kylo Ren&asin=B00SD8GYEW]

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[amazon text=Star Wars The Force Awakens 12-inch Kylo Ren&asin=B00SD8IC9W]

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[amazon text=Star Wars Hero Mashers Episode VI Stormtrooper&asin=B00SD8HH3Y]

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[amazon text=Star Wars Hero Mashers Episode VI Darth Vader&asin=B00SD8HE1O]

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[amazon text=Star Wars The Force Awakens 3.75-Inch Figure Space Mission First Order TIE Fighter Pilot&asin=B00SD8H2GQ]

 

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

We also hope that you will take a moment to share their thoughts on this quick survey. The results will be used to create even more targeted shows here on the Dad Spotlight to help you be the best dad that you can be!

We are very interested to have your input on a

In this episode we had the chance to interview Ted Rubin who is both an author and father of two. If you don’t know who Ted Rubin is, he is a social marketing strategist, keynote speaker, brand evangelist and acting CMO of Brand Innovators. Also, in March 2009 he started publicly using and evangelizing the term ROR: Return on Relationship™

In speaking with Ted Rubin about this philosophy he talked to us about how important it was to default to happy. He brought up the great point that kids default to happy on a daily basis and he asks all of us, why can’t we.

Take a moment and paint a picture in your mind of one person who defaults to happy – can you name one? This might not be as easy as you might think! Ted Rubin is definitely one person that makes the decision every day to be happy. He takes a step back, and really reflects on what is important and refocuses on the happy no matter what is happening!

Ted Rubin shared that he always thought the videos below were great examples of what you should not do “don’t make the mistake they made, which is hold it inside”

Pins and needles, needles and pins – honeymooners

Serenity now (sinefeld)

Ted Rubin had a special relationship with his own father and he learned a lot about being a great dad. His father passed away not too long ago but Ted has written a lot about his father and about the return on relationship that he emphasized in the relationships that he had. Ted Rubin wrote a great post about this called Thanks Dad…

Ted Rubin shared how important it is to lead by example to others including our own children. Why? Ted stated that relationships are the new currency – We can now build relationships 24-7 without leaving our home. You used to have to have a lot of money and time to be able to build relationships and interactions. Now, every piece of content that you share, you have the opportunity for engagement!

So this means that we need to to put the social back in social media. Over the next few years Ted Rubin believes that we need to work to redefine what “friend” means. We need to add value back into this so that it is not meaningless word or just something someone does online on Facebook.

So how do you do this? How to look people in the eye digitally? Ted Rubin wrote a book recently called [amazon text=Return on Relationship&asin=1622958209] . In the book he discusses:

* How to Maximize your potential by using the right community-focused tools on the Internet

* The importance of moving from convince and convert to converse and convert

* What main problems will keep you from seeing dramatic results

* How building engaged and responsive communities around your brand will significantly impact your bottom line

 

 

Ted Rubin also talked to us about the obstacles and challenges of divorce and children – and he gave three things for anyone going through this type of life circumstance to consider:

* Make it about the kids – Put the kids first.

* Live by what Winston Churchill said – When you’re going through hell keep going

* Life is not waiting for the storm to pass, It’s about learning to dance in the rain

 

People also know Ted Rubin for his amazing socks. Whether you follow him on Instagram, Facebook or other social media channel you will see that he wears different (very vibrant socks) everyday and he shares this using the hashtag #TedSockie

 

In this episode we had the opportunity to interview past Rutgers Football star, lawyer and mentor Vaughn McKoy shares with us the journey that he went on as a person and a father to be the best person that he could be through the help and assistance of mentors in his life.

Vaughn talks about how mentors are all around us and sometimes in the most unlikely places. Vaughn shares some very important tips and tricks to assist you in not only finding a mentor for yourself, but also in maintaining this relationship. He mentioned that a mentoring relationship must be symbiotic and not one-sided. This is very important to remember whether it comes to a personal or professional mentor in your life.

To help all of us Vaughn McKoy recently wrote a book in 2013 called [amazon text=Playing Up: One Man’s Rise From Public Housing To Public Service Through Mentorship&asin=098926940X].  In this book Vaughn shares his own experience with mentors and how these mentors help shape and guide him to the person that he has become today.

This year, Vaughn McKoy continues the success of his first book with an innovative Teacher’s Resource Guide that meets Common Core State Standards. [amazon text=Playing Up: Coaches’ Playbook and Teaching Resources&asin=B00WRYKFWK] is a turn-key, ready-made solution for classroom or other instruction that makes [amazon text=Playing Up&asin=098926940X] attractive to educators looking for relevant and relatable text that will challenge students from middle school through college. It prompts critical thinking and problem-solving and includes mini-writing lessons, activities and resources.

You can learn more about Vaughn at any of the below sites!

* Website

* Facebook

* Twitter

 

Vaughn McKoy and we have both talked about having a ready-made toolbox of skills at the rea dy to help you be a better parent and today we are also excited to share with you that we are sharing a new FREE resource to help you with building this toolbox. Today we are providing you a guide with 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids!

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

We also hope that you will take a moment to share their thoughts on this quick survey. The results will be used to create even more targeted shows here on the Dad Spotlight to help you be the best dad that you can be!

We are very interested to have your input on a 4 question survey about being a dad can you please take 2 minutes to fill this out!

In this short episode we had the opportunity to interview Lisa Leslie who is a Wife & Mom, 4xOlympic Gold Medalist,3X WNBA MVP, Co-Host of We Need To Talk on CBS Sports, Brand Ambassador, Motivation Speaker and Leading in the Right Direction advocate. Lisa Leslie spent some time with Chris speaking to him about the importance of family dinners and spending special moments together. Lisa Leslie shared that the more that families sit down together, the more that things will be shared and the more that you can handle situations before they occur. Lisa Leslie shared that she has gathered a lot of great resources from The Family Dinner Project – from games to recipes and other inspiration!

Below is the video from this interview.

Our thanks to the folks at Boston Market for setting up the interview with Lisa Leslie for us!

As mentioned, this week is a short interview as we are re-purposing the way we do our show from feedback that we have received and from other conversations with people that we trust and starting next week we are looking forward to bring you a fun show that we hope will give you even more that you will love!

Also, come back again next week or subscribe today, as all existing subscribers, and new subscribers will be given a very special surprise starting next week as well!

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

We also hope that you will take a moment to share their thoughts on this quick survey. The results will be used to create even more targeted shows here on the Dad Spotlight to help you be the best dad that you can be!

We are very interested to have your input on a 4 question survey about being a dad can you please take 2 minutes to fill this out!

In this episode we had the opportunity to interview Blogger, Author, Speaker, Photographer, and Advocate for finding one’s purpose in one’s life, CC Chapman. CC Chapman has been known as a marketer for many years working with many big name companies. A few years ago he went to Ghana for the One Campaign and really was changed. This really changed his perspective on life so that he can work to help others in the work that he does.

He says it is so important to live by example. Figure out what works for you and what you are passionate about and then finding ways on how you can give back in these areas too is so important for yourself and for your kids to see too. As parents it is also important to see and understand what your kids are passionate about and helping them to learn more and get engaged with their own passion areas.

Here are a few videos telling you more about CC Chapman and about his beliefs.

Don’t Let Humility Be Your Downfall

Want to find CC Chapman?

* CC ChapmanWebsite

* CC Chapman Twitter

 

CC Chapman’s Books

* [amazon text=Amazing Things Will Happen&asin=1118341384]

* [amazon text=Content Rules&asin=1118232607]

* [amazon text=101 Steps to Making Videos Like a Pro&asin=193460237X]

 

In this interview I mention another podcast called Daddy Dev. If you are interested in this, you ca find out more about this and other Life of Dad Podcast Network podcasts on the Life of Dad Website.

We also had the opportunity to speak with Jeff Bogle from Out With the Kids about Music for kids and families. Jeff is our newest recurring guest and has a huge background and passion for music and you will hear this from him! In this episode we talk to him about the importance of music in all of our kids’ lives.

In our talk with him we talk about one issue that has been in the news lately about participation trophies, and interesting we talked about a group by the name of the Not-Its and a song that they wrote about this. Jeff Bogle recently wrote a post about this and the song and is giving everyone a free download of the song on that post!

If you like this song, Jeff also recently shared another beautiful song written by the group Mista Cookie Jar entitled BFF Goodbye. In this song the group wonderfully explores the emotions and feelings about losing a friend because of them moving. He wrote about the song in a recent post and is also giving everyone a free download of this song too!

 

We also have a great giveaway for our listeners again from our friends at Fandango that started in the podcast notes from last week’s (Episode 12) episode!

As always, please swing by to visit us on ITUNES and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on

In this episode we had the opportunity to interview John Pacini and Carrie Pacini who are an amazing couple and both parts of the respective teams of the Dad 2.0 Summit and Mom 2.0 Summit conferences.

This was a special treat for both of us as you do not typically get to hear these two talk together as a couple and you really get to know them and how their spirituality and family upbringing made them the people and the parents that they are today.

 

You truly get to see how strong of a relationship of John Pacini and Carrie Pacini has and you get a true feeling of how each of them build up each other to a level of mutual respect and love.

We talk to them about the conferences, but beyond this we talk about parenting and what has worked with them and their two kids. We also unveil their love for comics and comic-cons, which, as we have already discussed in Episode 8.

 

 

 

Want to find John and Carrie Pacini?

John Pacini

* Dad 2 Summit Website –

* Dad 2 Summit Twitter

* Twitter

 

Carrie Pacini

* Mom 2 Summit Website

* Mom 2 Summit Twitter

* Personal Website

 

 

Thanks to the folks at Velcro Chris also talked about DIY Organization Hacks with HGTV Design Expert Sabrina Soto. Sabrina is one of the world’s most sought after design and lifestyle experts and is an expert on all things home-related and true to Sabrina’s designing operandi, the LEED-accredited designer has enjoyed extensive exposure as host and designer of various HGTV shows such as The High Low Project, Real Estate Intervention and Get It Sold.

This was a fun interview where we even got to hear a bit about her thoughts on becoming a mom in November! While Chris was not able to be on the video with her, we did get a video of our talk with her and we are sharing that with you!

We also have a great giveaway for our listeners again from our friends at Fandango that started in the podcast notes from last week’s (Episode 12) episode!

As always, please swing by to visit us on ITUNES and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on ITUNES and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

 

 

In this episode we had the opportunity to interview David Stanley who is a past teacher, father and voice-over artist about blogging, fatherhood, cancer and more.  We owe David Stanley a lot for the start of the Dad Spotlight podcast and you actually hear his voice every week in the introduction to our podcast. So we were excited to speak with him and get to know him better. 

David Stanley writes on his blog DStan58 Rants & Mutters and is one of the founders and collaborators on the Dads Round Table website.

In our conversation with David Stanley, we really got to know him better as well as learned more about his journey with his brother as he battled cancer. He has written extensively in the past about this journey and works hard to try and help others that may be battling cancer or caring for cancer patients.

Some of the articles that he has shared in the past include:

* When the Diagnosis is Terminal; 4 Things to Remember

* Battling Cancer: 5 Essential Guidelines for Caregivers

* 7 Rules You Should Follow When Visiting Someone With Cancer

* Cancer, My Brother, and Me

* Many other Articles on His own Battle with Melanoma Over on His Own Blog

 

This personal journey and story was one that has led him to working on a new video series for cancer patients and caregivers that he and fellow blogger and Dads Round Table founder and contributer, John Wiley (also of Daddysincharge.com ) are currently developing and hope to have available to the public later this year. We will bring you more information as it becomes available!

While David is no longer a teacher in the classroom, through all of his writing, and everything he does, he continues to educate and teach and you will see that through his wit and writing, and when and if you meet him in person you will also see how genuine of a person he is as well.

Read more from David Stanley in the plethora of articles that he has written on his own blog or on Dads Round Table!

 

We also have a great giveaway for our listeners again from our friends at Fandango!

Fandango $50 GC Giveaway

 

Finally, did you listen in to last week’s episode? If not, you should. Dr. Robert Zeitlin did an amazing job talking to us about strategies for raising Kick Ass Kids and is giving away two copies of his great book. You can still enter today by checking out the podcast notes for Dad Spotlight Episode 11.

 

As always, please swing by to visit us on ITUNES and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on ITUNES and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!