Noodad Product Review: Digital Reader Book from Sony

Review of the Digital Reader Book from Sony

You Aren’t As Good As Mommy

Sorry to say it noodads, but sometimes, you just aren"t as good as mommy. In some situations, mommy is the only thing that will do. You might be inclined to think your wife has an edge over you because they have boobs. Or it might be the fact that mom"s tend to have a more nurturing effect. It usually is neither. Don"t fret! Normally, favoritism towards mommy is just an arbitrary decision to diss you because your number came up that day. You can"t fight it or try to teach against it. You must simply wait it out until your wife is on the chopping block, not you.

Sometimes your kids will diss you in favor of mommy for small things. Sometimes they are more significant. Last week, my daughter threw a monster fit for almost 10 minutes because I was putting her to bed, not mommy. Later she says to me, "You aren"t as good as mommy." Read the rest of this entry »

Crossing Over To The Minivan Side

Noodads, I did something I swore to myself I never would. This weekend I went into the largest selling Honda dealership in the world in my trusty Honda Civic and walked out with a brand new 2006 Honda Odyssey. This was more than just an exchange of car keys, this was a step into a world of soccer practices and sleep-overs.

A co-worker recently mentioned to me that she and her friends refer to this action as "crossing over" and I can"t think of a more perfect phrase. To me, this decision makes me feel like, right or wrong, that I am on a different side of the fence. It is not that any side is wrong or better, but there is an invisible line between the minivan family and the family sans minivan. The funny thing about the line is you don"t know  it is there until you crossed it. Read the rest of this entry »

Pottery Barn and L.L. Bean Put Kids at Risk

…and so do the innocent parents who buy some of what they are selling.

I’m calling out Pottery Barn (and L.L. Bean and Lands End too) for putting kids at risk. They’re putting profit to the tune of an additional $6 per order (and incremental sales) ahead of corporate responsibility. Why am I all over PB and these others? Because backpacks and duffel bags monogrammed with children’s names are dangerous and a foolish risk to take with a child’s life and yet, monogramming is not only offered but products with it are the central focus of their back-to-school marketing.

Monogramming on bags kids carry to school, sports or other activities (anywhere where mom and dad aren’t right by their side the whole time) is a bad idea – most modern parents know this, child safety advocates speak-out about it and many communities and police departments have gone so far to issue warnings against it. Yet on the cover of the Pottery Barn Kids catalog that just landed in our mailbox, there’s a cute little girl – apparently named Anna – with her name emblazoned in 70 point type across the top of her backpack. Anna is all of 6 years old and she’s at soccer practice…and she’s the perfect target for some demented perv.

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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Et Tu Thomas? Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Toys Recalled

Noodads, be advised – the Consumer Product Safety Commission and RC2 Corporation have issued a general recall of wooden Thomas & Friends toys due to the potential toxicity of surface paints that contain lead. The recall affects an estimated 1.5 million wooden vehicles, buildings and other railway set components sold in the US over the past 2 years so it’s likely to be the ones in your playroom. For a complete list of the specific models recalled, visit the CPSC web site.

SO…what do you do?  

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Happy Father’s Day Noodads

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Quickly Children!

Sky Guy Teaches Kids About Astronomy

I discovered the beginnings of a great website for kids. The guy calls himself Sky Guy and he talks to kids about astronomy. I met Tom the “Sky Guy” through Seesmic and he is a very knowledgeable and friendly guy. He currently only has 2 videos so far, but by the looks of the following video, he has a good start to a great show for your kids.

Check out Sky Guy here.

Your Toys Were Deadly And You Didnt Know It

When your dad was a kid he and his buddies used to run around the yard shooting each other with slingshots and pellet guns. They would happily plunk each other in the ass or neck or eye with BBs, rocks and marbles. Of course YOU were never allowed to do the same. Your dear old folks would never allow it. My dad used to talk about how his friend blew his thumb off with a cherry bomb. I bet that he and his friends were allowed and encouraged to play with explosives.  In contrast to them, we were stuck running around the yard "shooting" each other with toy replica AK47s and stabbing away with our plastic bowie knives. Of course you cannot do that today.  Now all of the guns are pink and orange and fire water, while all edges have been converted from Bert to Ernie.

And now noodad, ask yourself: Would I let my kids play with the toys I had as a kid?

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Mickey Mouse Vs Chuck E Cheese

And now for the introductions… 

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