Wax On. Wax Off. Assume an Enlightened Identity Defense Posture

Being a dad means an increasingly complex web of finances - multiple bank accounts, life insurance, IRAs, 529 accounts, credit cards in the hands of kids, and with all of that comes all of the financial paperwork and transactions to support it. Cause and effect being at play here, that means you’re also increasingly vulnerable to account abuse and identity theft. Being Noodads, you of course are smart enough to know you don’t write down internet passwords and you shred your sensitive mail…but does that go far enough? Security experts would say no.

I know that so I was doing some research online about credit checks and credit monitoring services…specifically interested in Life Lock. Life Lock is the company founded by that guy who plasters his Social Security Number on TV and buses. Turns out that his life wasn’t “locked” - some dude in TX was able to open a bank account using his SSN. Little piece of advice…don’t dare cheats - they have the time and the wherewithal to %^$# you. Life Lock is also being sued by several states. You can read all about it in this New York Times article.

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Blast from Your Past: They Still Make Balsa Wood Flyers

Remember balsa wood airplanes?  They were flimsy but tons of fun if you could get them built without breaking them!  My brother and I used to buy these at a penny candy store at the beach where we spent our Summers and fly them on the beach (softer landing zone!) in the early evening.  They were like a $1.99 back then and they’re not much more now.  The ones I grew up flying - made by Gillow’s are still made in Wakefield, Mass and are exactly the same as the ones you played with.  I found the one pictured here at a local toy store by the register.

With Summer just around the corner and the promise of more daylight playtime in the backyard before and after dinner, consider picking up a few…dozen.  That way, you don’t need to share with the kiddies (they’re hard to put down)!

Teaching Your Kid the Real Relevance of Math (and All Hail Manny)

I hated math growing up. It was, hands down my least favorite subject. Why, because despite attending well regarded schools, no-one ever made math fun by making it relevant to what interested me - like sports.

It was always memorization of tables…and complex operations such as algebra, stats and trig were self-serving exercises. The closest I ever came to actually enjoying math was in geometry but that was probably more a function of the fact that you could draw and play games on a TI-81 graphing calculator. That and this girl I had a huge crush on sat next to me.

I wish that someone had made math interesting because I sure as as shit needed math once I got out into the workforce and I wish I’d retained more growing up.

It seems to me (and I wish it had dawned on my folks 20 years ago) that an easy way to make math interesting is by connecting it to sports.

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Dispatch from the Family Vacation Frontline

The ReviewDad clan was on the move today… We headed down to the in-law’s place in Southwest Florida. We’re here and we’re happy. It’s 9pm. We have all of our luggage. My son is in bed and I’ve got a glass of wine in hand. I’m in a good place and I’m ripe for reflection on the day and this stage of my life.

Reflection #1 - JetBlue rocks, everyone else pales in comparison. Three reasons:

1. Extra Leg Room - if you’ve ever tried to strap a Britax Marathon into an airplane seat, you know how valuable additional inches of space are. JetBlue has the most.
2. TV - Free Nick at 30,000 feet = Nirvana for parents + kids. Figuring out how to change the channels on the armrest is 15 min of entertainment during pre-flight that’s a god-send.
3. Service - the flight attendants DON’T SUCK. They’re not wretched, miserable trolls taking out their Read the rest of this entry »

Crocs Can Bite! Do they Pose a Serious Safety Risk?

As far as I can tell only two kinds of people wear Crocs sandals - rotund, boisterous celebrity chefs represented by Mario Batali and kids.

Why Mario wears Crocs is beyond me but then again, I guess open toe footwear is in line with a certain je ne sais quio mentality from a guy who wears shorts in a professional kitchen. Kids wear Crocs because they make sense for a lot of reasons - they’re grippy on wet surfaces, are light weight and anti-microbial not to mention totally intriguing to kids in the same way Heinz Green Catsup is.

And parents seem to have no problem buying Crocs for kids despite their…um…unique…styling. It’s amazing how “honey I shrunk the kids” sizing can make even something fugly exceedingly cute. I count myself among that group of parents. And so far so good…but a Noodad reader aleted me to an article in yesterday’s Hartford Courant that had us contemplating pulling the footwear from rotation.

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An Open Letter to the A-hole Dad at the Playspace

Dear A-hole Dad,

You’re probably one of those guys who says tells your buddies you can’t go out tomorrow night because you have to “babysit.” For you, spending time with your kids is time spent “watching” your kids. That’s why you’re the douchbag at the indoor playspace sitting at the perimeter emailing on your Blackberry or having an hour-long conversation rather than spending time playing with your kid.

If you looked up from your “crackberry” (or even worse, your laptop!), you’d notice (maybe) that your kid is roaming the room looking for a surrogate dad to interact with him. My son and I are glad to let him play with us at the Thomas the Tank table but after 15 minutes of no parental involvement, I’m searching the room for someone - you - who looks like our new “friend.” And if I could identify you, we’d have words. I would sure as hell want to know who my child was interacting with…even within the relative safety of our little parent co-op. Read the rest of this entry »

Home Depot (or Lowe’s) Fun and Games

Pre-kids, Home Depot (or Lowe’s) was likely a store that if you couldn’t happily lose yourself in it for a whole afternoon, it was at least good for an hour of mild entertainment easy. Chances are that when you do go there these days, your trips are decidedly more abbreviated and surgical. For me, it’s painful. The thought of not being able to browse sucks…but there are things to be done and kids at home to attend to.

One Saturday a few months back, I woke up with the notion of trying an experiment. My wife was going to be heading out for her Saturday morning yoga class, I’d be home with my son and I needed a few things for a project I’d started the weekend prior but never finished. So my son and I would go to The Depot together. I know! Earth-shattering concept.

I thought, he’s my kid after all - perhaps he’d find that environment as interesting as me. And I was confident that with a little forethought and some improvisation (AND a cup of coffee picked up on the way), despite the early hour, I could make it a fun experience for both of us.

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Secrets of Sexual Prowess? Ask a Dad.

Finally, national recognition (and reality revealed) for what us dads come to realize very quickly when we become dads - that the burden of keeping the physical romance alive when you have a family falls to us guys and that we’re pretty great for figuring out how to do it!

Where is this recognition coming from? NPR of all places. That’s right - National Public Radio.

Commentator Patrica Dunnigan’s revelation of the “romantic prowess” of “suburban dads” and assertion that “it is time to extend some long-overdue credit” should cause us all to puff up our chests and her words (which you can listen to or read here) should make us all smile. It did for me.

A little Valentine’s Day gift from NPR.

Mega Bloks Kick Lego’s Ass*

That’s right, I said “Mega Bloks kick Lego’s ass*.” But note the asterisk.

I realize that to some, this statement may represent toy chest blasphemy. If you’re offended or think I’m nuts, you a) don’t have kids, b) you have a baby that’s too young to play with building blocks or c) your kids are older than five. See, Mega Bloks’ superiority is tied to timing.

I grew up on Lego. And clearly, for dexterous, imaginative minds, there’s nothing better. But for little hands just discovering the utility of opposable thumbs, learning how to apply pressure and with imprecise eye/hand coordination, even Lego’s most juvenile offering - Lego Quatro can prove to be frustrating. Mega Bloks on the other hand are all about “margins of error.”

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Will Your Valentine’s Day Be Naughty or Nice?

NSA (Noodad Service Announcement): Valentine’s Day is less than 3 weeks away. Don’t let it sneak up on you…do your shopping now.

And if your a busy guy who’d prefer to let your fingers do the shopping (I’m not talking about the 5 finger discount!), Red Envelope can help.

A ReviewDad favorite for many years now for its vast selection of “I’d NEVER have thought of that” gifts, stellar web site, great customer service (with honest-to-god helpful live chat) and somewhat reasonable prices, not only can Red Envelope help but it stands to become the chief weapon in your gift-giving arsenal from this day forward.

V-day is tough…I mean, do you want to be THAT guy who does the dozen roses thing EVERY year? You don’t and she doesn’t want you to be either. Other options include what? Undies and chocolate. BORING. Let’s face it, she doesn’t want to wear it and the chocolate isn’t much of an incentive! And none of these represent much in the way of upside for you.
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