Dad’s Favorite App

Some people — my husband and children among them — are lucky enough to be born to fabulous fathers.

Others find “fathers” (a stepparent, adoptive parent or other father figure) later in their lives and consider themselves doubly lucky to have someone wonderful to call “Dad.”

I met my Dad when I was six. He later married my mother and adopted my sisters and me. You can find more about that here.

I’m proud that we work together (OK, I work for him at his real estate management company) and play together (with the kids).

My kids adore their Papa John nearly as much as he adores them. They love him so much, one of them even felt comfortable enough to have a complete usually for-mom’s-eyes-only meltdown with him last week.  Somehow they have developed his sense of humor – they joke for their own pure enjoyment, for silliness when you least expect it.  If I’m counting aloud (you know, the wads of cash I have), 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, Ryan will throw in 53, 17, 1004.  Just like when I text my dad when he’s babysitting to see how the kids are doing, and he’s always sure to respond, “What kids?”

Kim and I tried to put together some old photos to let you get to know our dad, but I had quite a few computer/external hard drive difficulties.

So, instead, in honor of my most awesome dad, my iPhone loving Dad, I’d thought I’d share one of his favorite mobile phone apps: Songify.  The app is a cinch: simply make a recording in a speaking tone, and Songify turns it into a digitized song.  You can e-mail the song or post to Facebook, along with their cute tagline: “I talked into an iPhone and the magical app Songify transformed my unremarkable speech into a song to which all mankind can now dance.”

Waaaay before I had an iPhone, my parents once spent a few reportedly-hysterical hours at their friend’s house creating songs with Songify (they often have MUCH more fun than I do). My dad has endlessly entertained my kids with it — when he is not teaching them to swim, throwing them into the garbage can, telling them stories and/or making them giggle till their bellies hurt.

I’ve found my own fun with Songify – its quite funny to record the kids and play back their witticisms/whining/yelling.

Like if I recorded my whining about my computer troubles last night, it might sound like this on Songify:

Dad2 - Just click to play.

Try it with your kids — and your dad!

Happy Almost Father’s Day!