peanutter - I haven't read all the replies but I'm a big believer in the busier a person is, the more they get done. It is REALLY hard to be/stay motivated when you're at home a lot and looking after a little one.

I know you know this.

You said he was thinking about writing.

Channel that. He needs to figure out something that he's passionate about and get on with it. He could write a column in one of the parenting mags about being a stay at home dad. I just did a course in Sydney about feature writing, I can send you a link if you think he'd be interested. Having a different focus means that housework and looking after kids just become the things that you do rather than the things that you ARE and it becomes much more manageable to do the daily grind so that you can get on with the stuff that really interests you.

It's very easy to get into a rut and get demotivated - he needs help (re)finding his mojo.