Recently, we surveyed Cozi dads, and were thrilled to get hundreds of responses. We decided to take that data, share it with some (funny and famously frank) dads who write blogs, and ask for their perspective to help deepen our insights. Here were our take-aways:
1. Dads are modest and don't want gushing kudos
The overwhelming number of dads in our survey said dads these days are much more involved in family life than in generations past. But none of the dads we talked to wanted over-the-top recognition of it. Whit Honea, contributing writer to Babycenter, DadCentric and the blogger behind The Honea Express explains that he's actually "tired of going to the store with the kids and having people come up and ask, 'oh, is it daddy's day out?' Dads signed up to be dads," he says "and you see the results in your kids' faces every day. I don't need to be put on some pedestal for doing the right thing."
2. Dads feel that kids' activities have changed almost as much as dads have
After being more involved, the second most popular answer to our question about how being a dad is different now than in the past, was to cite the level, intensity and cost of kids' activities. Many dads felt that activities took more time, went on through more of the year and cost more than they did when they were kids.
While many dads were satisfied with this level of "busyness," we got the distinct impression that some might enjoy a breather now and again too.
Troy Pattee, author of the Dadventurous blog, and father of two kids shared this insight: "A lot of us remember all the things we enjoyed in childhood - soccer, camping, baseball, etc., but we're not realizing that we had 8, 10, or 15 years to try all that, so we try and cram it all in to 1 or 2 years." The takeaway? "Take some time to relax and let the kids experience life on their own a little bit," says Pattee.
3. Some dads are totally cool with letting mom run the family schedule - but they love being in the know
Asked what their best advice for staying organized to other dads might be, many, many dads talked about communicating with your spouse or partner. But quite a few also said, "Let your wife do it!" It seems that in some families mom is still the one to take the lead in getting things organized and dad feels good about that, even when he's the one who first discovered Cozi.
Greg Zellers, who writes Telling Dad, is a self-described work-from-home dad, who explains that he's "so involved with the kids that the line between mom and dad roles is really pretty blurred." Nonetheless, when asked what advice he would share about getting organized, he parried, "I'd like to read that myself, because my wife is the CEO of the family. If it's not in Cozi I have no clue what's going on. So my advice would be, have an organized wife."
4. Dads totally rely on their cell phones to stay organized
When asked which tech tools they use most to stay organized, many Cozi dads mentioned email, texting and computers, but ALL of them cited their smartphone. "I can't imagine life without that tool anymore" says Pattee.
But before you run out and buy dad a new smartphone, take heed of the last point:
5. The one thing dad absolutely, positively doesn't want for Father's Day is a present
Moms tend to think of Mother's Day as the chance to get a thank you for all their hard work as moms, but few dads shared this feeling. All the bloggers we talked to shared this sentiment, and Zellers summarized the feeling this way:
"Father's Day is more about the kids than me. It's more a holiday for the kids to make cards and cupcakes and the excitement in their eyes when they give it to me. It's just cool watching them buzz around, but it's not a day I look forward to for myself."
We learned this on the Cozi Facebook page too, when many moms and dads expressed dismay at a post with details about splurging on what dad wanted for Father's Day (although some "liked" the idea too).
So what about all the buzz and the great-gifts-for-dad lists that come out this time of year?
As Honea dryly concludes, "Blame Hallmark."
Posted on June 17, 2011, 6:07 pm in Featured
The June recipes are here! These two were picked just for summer—they use in-season produce, one is for the grill, and you can even use leftovers in each.
In case you aren't a member yet, the Cozi Family Dinner Club is all about teaming up to make dinner: sharing ideas and simplifying meal planning to help you get dinner on the table.
Join the Family Dinner Club to share ideas and get all the benefits of membership.
Here are the June Selections in the Family Dinner Club:
The flank steak is best if marinated overnight, so when you put this meal on the calendar, add a reminder to be sent one day ahead so you don’t forget to start the marinade the night before.
Using fresh corn cut off the cob makes this soup extra sweet and flavorful. To make preparation easier, use leftover corn on the cob from a meal served earlier in the week.
Posted on June 16, 2011, 3:02 pm in Featured
Get the kids to listen without nagging, reminding or yelling. Sound good? Great, because Cozi is partnering with Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, to bring you a live training webinar on just this topic, for free. All you need to do is sign up for one of our three sessions:
- Thursday, June 16th from 2-3 PM Eastern Time
- Thursday, June 16th from 9-10 PM Pacific Time
- Monday, June 20th from 9-10 PM Eastern Time
Webinar seating will be limited. Pick your date and reserve your spot now!
More about the webinar:
The session topic is Get Kids to Listen without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling and Amy McCready promises that you’ll walk away with concrete tools you can use the next day and see results. You'll be especially interested in learning the 5 R’s of Fair and Effective Consequences.
You can view, hear, and interact with Amy just like you would in a face-to-face meeting. Participants are not required to have a webcam.
You'll love the way this webinar is structured. Amy is right there LIVE, a video image of her is in the upper left corner of your monitor the whole time. As she talks with you, you'll watch her PowerPoint presentation that is packed with valuable background, information, and examples. She'll also stop from time to time to ask questions about difficulties and needs when it comes to getting our kids to listen. She will poll the audience and tailor the presentation based on the responses. You will also have the option to write in specific questions and she’ll address them, right there for you!
About Amy McCready
Parenting expert Amy McCready is the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, which has empowered thousands of parents worldwide to correct their kids’ misbehavior without nagging, reminding or yelling. Amy is a frequent guest on the TODAY show and has also appeared on Rachael Ray, CNN, Fox & Friends, MSNBC, and elsewhere. A regular contributor to the TODAY Mom’s blog, Amy lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons.
Posted on June 12, 2011, 8:16 am in Featured
Here at Cozi we know that even the most carefully organized plans can go awry. Someone gets sick.You get a flat tire. There's a 10 mile traffic jam between you and school pick up.
And with so many people living far away from extended family, it's our friends and neighbors who so often come through for us, and help us manage the unexpected hiccups life throws our way.
To recognize the incredible role communities play in supporting families, and to help strengthen those ties, every year Cozi sponsors three community block parties around the USA (and Canada).
And since not everyone lives on a quiet street where parties make sense, we are pretty flexible about what counts as a "block" in block party. What counts?
- Your street or neighborhood
- Your community pool
- You church/ synagogue or other community group
- And more... you get the idea.
All you have to do is get together with your community and enter.
HOW TO ENTER
- Dream up a name for your party. (Ex: The 16th Street block party, The happy moms of pleasantville party, the beautiful valley community center party, etc.)
- Go to giveaway entry form on the Cozi Facebook page to enter. (It will ask for your birthday to confirm that you are over 13 and eligible to enter)
- SHARE the giveaway sweeps on your wall (when prompted) and tell your peeps to enter too, so you will get MORE entries for your party
- You can also enter from the Cozi Facebook Wall by clicking on the "sweepstakes" tab on the far left.
That's it!
Winners will be chosen AT RANDOM, so the more entries you get for your neighborhood party, the greater your chances of winning.
Important! If you get more than 100 entries for your party, the prize automatically goes up to $750 dollars if you win.
If you have any questions, please leave them on our Facebook page (or here in the comments) and we'll do our best to answer quickly.
Important Notes!
The block party giveaway is only open to residents of the USA and Canada at this time. If you live elsewhere, we still love you, we just don't have the infrastructure to manage this internationally. Thanks for your understanding.
If you use Cozi now, we'd be delighted if you tell your friends and neighbors how Cozi helps you get your family organized. But you do not have to be a Cozi user to win for your neighborhood.
Feel free to complain about the rules or set-up of this giveaway. No contest is complete without a few people who have better ideas for next time. We promise to listen and consider all comments politely.
Still, reading?? Go to the Cozi Facebook page and enter now!
Good luck!
Posted on June 7, 2011, 2:39 pm in Featured | Inside Cozi
We got the ducks in a row!
On June 5th, Cozi set a Guinness World Record for the longest line of ducks in a row. Imagine 17,782 yellow rubber ducks stretching an entire mile through Magnuson Park in Seattle.
We'd like to thank all the families at the park who helped. You rocked! And you made the day loads of fun. As soon as we laid down the first duck, big kids, little kids and grown ups (and a dog or two) stepped up to help us line up our ducks. What a big help, considering we had to get those ducks touching nose-to-tail all the way from the kids' playground to the waterfront...
Why did we do this? To celebrate the millions of families who use Cozi to get their ducks in a row everyday. This was a big, fun gesture in honor of all those families... and to encourage more families to do the same.
And now you're wondering about what we did with all those ducks, right? Well, it turns out that for an early June day in Seattle, the weather was absolutely amazing!
Glorious sunshine and mid-seventies with a cool breeze = a park full of families. Let's just say we had no shortage of kids asking if they could take the ducks. So after the world record was set, we sent ALL the ducks home with folks at the park!
It was a great, sunshiny day!
You can still join in the fun, and maybe even win a smartphone to organize your family on the go. Learn more about the Cozi Summer of Ducks contest. Check out all the duck photos and find out if your ducks are in a row at cozi.com/ducks.
Now that we've set the world record, it's time to get back to helping families get their own ducks in a row—with THE BEST family calendar and organizing app out there!
Posted on June 5, 2011, 5:33 pm in Featured | Inside Cozi
To celebrate Cozi’s Guinness World Record for the most ducks in a row, we’re giving away smartphones to help you get your own ducks in a row with the fabulous Cozi app!
To enter, just send us a photo of your favorite rubber ducky—on vacation with the family, at a landmark, doing something you love, with the kids, on the playground, at a baseball game—any place. Every month between now and the end of August, we’ll select one entry at random to win an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry smartphone—your choice.
Why will Cozi get your ducks in a row? Cozi was recently voted #1 iPhone app for moms by Circle of Moms and named #1 Productivity Android app for moms by Babble Top 25.
(Cozi BlackBerry app will be available by the end of the month!)
Here’s how to enter:
- Take a photo of a rubber ducky in a fun place—any place will do but we’re hoping to get lots of pics of ducks having fun in the summer.
- You can enter as many times as you’d like.
- Submit your photo to Cozi by emailing it to ducks@cozi.com
- See your photos and others at duckduckduck.cozi.com. Plus, we’ll pick some favorites to share on Cozi’s Facebook page.
Every month (June, July, August) we’ll select one random winner from eligible* entrants to receive an iPhone, Android phone, or BlackBerry phone—your choice (up to $300 value)!
*Official Rules for Cozi Summer of Ducks Photo Contest
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY: Open to legal residents of the United States except Rhode Island, 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Entrants must be physically located in the United States. The sweepstakes period begins Wednesday, June 1, 2011 and ends at 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, August 31, 2011. Drawing for the winners will take place on July 1, August 1, and September 1, 2011. Void in Rhode Island and where prohibited by law. Entrants are responsible for keeping the email address associated with the promotion valid until after the drawing has been conducted to remain eligible to win a prize. Full terms.
Posted on June 3, 2011, 8:28 pm in Featured
