Posted on 09 10, 2009 under Press by
reviewdad |
You read that right…in Russia, families that have more than one child are eligible to receive cash vouchers of $10,000 and subsidies for education and home improvements. Seems the Ruskies are battling population decline as a result of lower birth rates since
the USSR collapsed back in '91, low life expectancies, and immigration.
The program, around since 2005, seems to be working…there was a 46% increase in births that year over 2004.
As further evidence of just how committed to incentivizing conception the Russians are, they have a contest in Ulyanovsk (a town about 500 miles east of Moscow) that challenges couples to conceive and give birth on June 12th which is Russia's National Day. Babies born on National Day earn their parents cash, cars, appliances and other prizes.
Wait – there's more! The leaders of Ulyanovsk created a holiday (Sept. 12) for couples to take time off from work to have sex…ok, to conceive…but quite a concept regardless!
You can read more about this here. You can petition your representatives in Washington for similar treatment by finding them here.
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Posted on 09 03, 2009 under Stuff by
reviewdad |
Part of an ongoing series aimed at helping Noodads discern fact from fiction when it comes to the promises and claims made by various baby products…
How cold is your freakin’ house? Maybe if you live in an igloo, this is a useful product because who wouldn’t be concerned about a wet wipe freezing to their kid’s ass?
Ok, open mockery aside, this seems to be one of the product ploys that new parents most often fall for.
In theory, a warm wipe seems like it would be much better received at 2 am but in all reality, if your infant is screaming during a diaper change, it’s not because the wipe is cold but rather because a) he’s getting his diaper changed, b) you likely have his feet held together in one hand up in the air, c) you’re wiping his ass and d) he’s a baby.
That issue addressed and with a dose of reality injected, wipes warmers have some serious practical flaws…space, waste and sanitation being chief among them.
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Posted on 07 23, 2009 under Gaming, Stuff by
reviewdad |
I’ve been told I’m the luckiest guy alive. I’ve been told I’ve experienced the greatest moment ever. And neither of these platitudes have anything to do with the birth of my son, meeting a celebrity or finding a $100 bill on the street.
A couple of weekends ago, as Mrs. ReviewDad and I were running errands with ReviewDad Jr. asleep in the backseat, trunk full of über-sized loot from Costco, she said coolly and without looking at me (as if reflecting on an idea long considered) “should we get a Wii?”Take a moment to read that line again and let it sink in. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Yes. Those are the precise words that came out of my wife’s mouth. I shit you not.
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Posted on 07 07, 2009 under Stuff by
reviewdad |
We’re guys. For most of us, germs aren’t something we worry that much about…especially when it comes to food. We relish “unusual” dining experiences – the “street meat” after the ballgame, a big burrito from the authentic Mexican place where nobody speaks English, Dim Sum from that place in Chinatown where the fish tanks give you the impression that it hasn’t been visited by the Health Inspector…well, ever. We dine in this way and with little care because we believe devoutly in the power of the human immune system. That and Imodium.
But germs became something to think (and to worry about) when our kids arrived and now you’re eyeing that high-chair at Denny’s with abject suspicion. That’s why we pack Purell in our diaper bags, own a Clean Shopper and give willing consideration to just about any product that plays to our germ-phobias and promises to keep our little ones clean and thereby healthier.
That was the case when Mrs. ReviewDad and I came across Table Toppers from Neat Solutions on a recent trip to Babies-r-us.
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Posted on 06 23, 2009 under Stuff, The Manual by
reviewdad |
…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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Posted on 06 20, 2009 under Stuff by
reviewdad |
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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Posted on 03 21, 2009 under Stuff by
reviewdad |
WIN a Warm As A Lamb Stroller Coat for yourself! See details after the jump.
If your kid looks like the Michelin Man whenever you leave the house, you must live north of the 38th parallel. Actually, this winter, you could live in Texas. Thanks to El Niño (or is it La Niña?), it doesn’t seem to matter. Baby, it’s friggin’ cold outside!
For most of us, winter is cold. For some of us, it’s the kind of winter that saps your soul and drags on forever…but we expect that. The real rub is that we can’t spend four months on the couch playing PlayStation all toasty warm…especially when you’re a dad. Eventually, you need to leave your house. So you cowboy up and deal with it because despite mankind’s thousands of years of invention in the effort to combat the cold, no matter how much Polar Fleece, down, GoreTex or Thinsulate you wrap your ass in, when you’re outside, you’re still OUTSIDE!
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Posted on 01 23, 2009 under Newsflashes by
reviewdad |
By now you’ve probably heard about the peanut butter recall due to a salmonella outbreak. Initially believed to be confined to a single product
and affecting only a few states, now, like Skippy creamy on a piece of warm toast, it’s been spreading easily. According to WebMD, affected products include but are not limited to:
- General Mills: Lara Bar Peanut Butter Cookie flavor snack bars and Jam Frakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp flavor snack bars
- Clif Bar & Company: Clif Bar Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch, Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter, Clif Bar Peanut Toffee Buzz, ZBaR Peanut Butter, Clif Builders Peanut Butter, Luna Nutz over Chocolate, Luna Peanut Butter Cookie, and all Clif Mojo Bars
- Kroger: Private Selection Peanut Butter Passion Ice Cream sold at City Market, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, and Smith’s stores.
- Kellogg Company: Certain Austin and Keebler brand peanut butter sandwich crackers, select snack-size packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies, and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies
All companies got their peanut butter from Peanut Corporation of America. Now that’s just not very patriotic PCA! Come on…it’s a new eara of National unity…or have you not hear?! Anyhow, for a full/latest list, visit the FDA site. Unfortunately, the list is being updated regularly. BAD PEANUT!
Posted on 01 04, 2009 under Stuff, Technology, The Manual by
reviewdad |
If you haven’t had that freak-out yet, at some point you will. Trust me. And it sucks!
Here’s how the scenario played out for me:
Day: Son’s 2nd birthday.
Subject: Awesome birthday party Mrs. ReviewDad spent months planning and weeks working on.
Highlights: ChooChoo Train theme. Handmade decorations. Train cake made (and decorated) totally from scratch. 30 friends, family and kids.
Extenuating Circumstances: ONLY person taking pictures that day = ME!!!
Trauma: 11:15 pm, put memory card into computer, ZERO pictures.
WTF: 2GB card is Full! So where the @#%$ are the digital pictures?
The answer is that your missing digital photos are probably there…you just need to know how to get to them when the regular means fail you. And you don’t need Geek Squad or some other professional to get them back. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 12 23, 2008 under The Manual, Uncategorized by
reviewdad |
Mom knows a lot. And she knows you. The combination of those two things makes her THE go to resource in you life for all of the info you don’t know or your partner is unsure about — how to choose a good pineapple (Answer: smell it), whether you can refreeze chicken (Answer: No), whether you were ever vaccinated against Rubella (Answer: probably)…
Yeah, she’s pretty smart but Mom doesn’t know EVERYTHING and she’s propagated some long-standing myths who’s time has come to be debunked.
Noodad.com is busting some of your mom’s warnings – we call ‘em “Mom’isms.” But because we’re in the business of providing useful info applicable to your role as sage molder of young minds, we’re also telling you what you should be telling your kids…
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