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You have all come to know that every Saturday we feature a Smarty Mom. Well, today we are featuring our first Smarty DAD! Himanshu Desai is a stay-at-home dad of two boys: Deven, age 5 and Ethan, age 2 . Himanshu, his wife Kruti and the kids live in Ballantyne. Himanshu is one of the most “smarty” guys I know. He is an amazing dad and a genuine good guy. He really knows his stuff when it comes to kids. Now, make no mistake, his wife Kruti is extremely smarty too. Talk about a great team, those boys are lucky.
1. What’s the most interesting thing about being a stay-at-home Dad?I would have to say the most interesting thing about being a stay-at-home Dad is making life-long memories with my two boys. Everything today seems so structured; from pre-school to play dates to sports activities. But the most unbelievable things happen when we’re just “hanging out” without any real plans. Impromptu finger painting, nature walks at the park, or just having an ice cream cone together. One day my 4-year-old suddenly decided he wanted to take the training wheels off his bike. So we did and within a few minutes he was riding a two wheeler like he’d been born riding it. That’s the kind of moment that I stay at home with my boys for.
2. Do you have any boy clothing splurges?
I’m sorry to say I really don’t do the kids “boutique” stores. Only because I think that I’m too intimidated to go into them. You generally don’t see many men with kids shopping by themselves there. But my favorite place to buy my boys clothes is J.Crew. They have a great kids line of clothing that is classic not just shirts with pictures of Thomas the Train & Lightning McQueen, etc. (Of course GAP is always a staple). 3. Favorite place to get a good deal on kids clothes?
I usually find great deals on kids’ clothes at Concord Mills Mall. Between Polo Factory Outlet, Nautica, Childrens Place, GAP & Old Navy I can usually find some good bargains. 4. Favorite weekend activity?
My current favorite weekend activity is going to basketball practice/games with my 5-year-old son. He is in the MARA basketball league and we both have a blast every Saturday morning. 5. Favorite weekday activity for the kids?
We have a family membership to Discovery Place and enjoy going there when the weather doesn’t permit many outdoor type activities. My 2-year-old loves the “toddler” play area with its water table and my 5-year-old loves everything else. We also like using our season pass to Carowinds. During the week we don’t have to deal with the big crowds and its fun to just go for a couple of hours and get back home in time for lunch and naps. 6. Favorite place to eat dinner out with the kids?
We love going to Nothing But Noodles at Stonecrest Shopping Center. The service there has always been great. They always get the table ready for us with high chairs, silverware, drinks, etc. My kids love the Mac & Cheese, but the nice thing is you can add whatever you want to it. We usually add broccoli and both my sons love it. 7. Favorite parks in Charlotte?
Our favorite park is the Colonel Francis Beatty Park (near Weddington Rd. & McKee Rd). It has great nature trails that are both paved and unpaved. The playground is covered by “tarps” so that there is actually some shade during the hot summer months & lots of other activities like paddle boats and bike trails. 8. Best kept secret in Charlotte?
I don’t know if it’s really a secret anymore but I love Learning Express at Stonecrest Shopping Center. It is the perfect place to run in and grab a last minute present. Their customer service is great and gift wrapping is quick and free! 9. Best Birthday Party you have attended?
We recently had our sons 5th birthday part at Space Cadets (off Hwy. 51 near Hwy. 74). It was probably the most organized birthday party venue I have been to. They only do one party at a time so there is no massive mix-up of kids from different parties. Everything is taken care of from the decorations to the cake (if you want). And the nice thing is that the owner is actually there making sure everything is perfect. 10. I could not live without my…
I’m sorry to say I really don’t do the kids “boutique” stores. Only because I think that I’m too intimidated to go into them. You generally don’t see many men with kids shopping by themselves there. But my favorite place to buy my boys clothes is J.Crew. They have a great kids line of clothing that is classic not just shirts with pictures of Thomas the Train & Lightning McQueen, etc. (Of course GAP is always a staple). 3. Favorite place to get a good deal on kids clothes?
I usually find great deals on kids’ clothes at Concord Mills Mall. Between Polo Factory Outlet, Nautica, Childrens Place, GAP & Old Navy I can usually find some good bargains. 4. Favorite weekend activity?
My current favorite weekend activity is going to basketball practice/games with my 5-year-old son. He is in the MARA basketball league and we both have a blast every Saturday morning. 5. Favorite weekday activity for the kids?
We have a family membership to Discovery Place and enjoy going there when the weather doesn’t permit many outdoor type activities. My 2-year-old loves the “toddler” play area with its water table and my 5-year-old loves everything else. We also like using our season pass to Carowinds. During the week we don’t have to deal with the big crowds and its fun to just go for a couple of hours and get back home in time for lunch and naps. 6. Favorite place to eat dinner out with the kids?
We love going to Nothing But Noodles at Stonecrest Shopping Center. The service there has always been great. They always get the table ready for us with high chairs, silverware, drinks, etc. My kids love the Mac & Cheese, but the nice thing is you can add whatever you want to it. We usually add broccoli and both my sons love it. 7. Favorite parks in Charlotte?
Our favorite park is the Colonel Francis Beatty Park (near Weddington Rd. & McKee Rd). It has great nature trails that are both paved and unpaved. The playground is covered by “tarps” so that there is actually some shade during the hot summer months & lots of other activities like paddle boats and bike trails. 8. Best kept secret in Charlotte?
I don’t know if it’s really a secret anymore but I love Learning Express at Stonecrest Shopping Center. It is the perfect place to run in and grab a last minute present. Their customer service is great and gift wrapping is quick and free! 9. Best Birthday Party you have attended?
We recently had our sons 5th birthday part at Space Cadets (off Hwy. 51 near Hwy. 74). It was probably the most organized birthday party venue I have been to. They only do one party at a time so there is no massive mix-up of kids from different parties. Everything is taken care of from the decorations to the cake (if you want). And the nice thing is that the owner is actually there making sure everything is perfect. 10. I could not live without my…
Honda Odyssey Mini-Van! (I never thought I would say that in a million years!)
11. I wish someone had told me sooner about…
Noggin. For those emergency times when you really need to get some work done. Although I am not a proponent of letting small children watch TV, it is very toddler-friendly and it doesn’t have any commercials.
12. My must-have item for a 2-year old is….
Beyond always having snacks and a change of clothes it would probably be the Canvas Diaper Pouch by Skip*Hop. It holds everything I need to change diapers and unfolds into a “diaper changing station”. Plus I can put it anywhere: backpack, stroller, car glove compartment. That way I don’t have to carry around a diaper bag.
Thanks, Himanshu! We love stay-at-home dads and we seem to meet more and more every year. What an impressive trend!
What do you think about stay-at-home dads? We think they are WAY COOL! Share your comments!
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