What’s Up Wednesdays: Stay At Home

Let’s dive right in with this week’s speedlink.

With (Canadian) Thanksgiving coming up next week, Rebecca Coleman is sharing a great recipe for everyone who plans to stay at home for a nice family dinner. To go along with your turkey, you might consider putting together her cranberry goji sauce instead of simply dumping some cranberry sauce out of a can. The goji berry adds some superfood goodness that ties in well with fall spices like nutmeg, star anise and cardamom.

Have you ever dreamed of giving up the 9-to-5 and taking the plunge into freelancing? Alison Tedford sure has and she already has a wish list of what her freelance life would look like. The grass is always greener on the other side and while the opportunity to stay at home to work sounds appealing, with lax rules on pants and a flexible schedule, it’s not for everyone. It may be hard work, but it’s definitely worthwhile for the right people.

But what if you decide not only to leave your day job, but to leave conventional work altogether to stay at home with the kids? That’s effectively what Brad Scott did and he’s all the happier for it. In fact, he says that it’s the best decision he’s ever made and being a stay-at-home dad is the most rewarding job he could possibly imagine. Along the way, his cooking skills have improved and he’s lost weight. In his own words, “I’m really starting to discover myself — and I like the person I’m finding.”

Of course, adventures in parenting have more than their fair share of challenges. It’s not easy raising a kid, especially in this day and age. Charlie Capen looks toward the wisdom of Gremlins for insight into his role as a father. Yes, those children (gremlins) may start off cute, but looks can be deceiving and you definitely don’t want to feed them after midnight. I’m not as sure about the getting them wet part.

Stay at home dad Simon Ragoonanan enjoys all sorts of geeky awesomeness with his daughter. He recently faced a difficult dilemma involving the slave Leia outfit from Star Wars. Girls and women should be free to dress however they like, and while the joke in Vader’s Little Princess is funny, it does make us question whether fathers have the right to disapprove of their daughters dressing “like that.”