Lists

introductions

eric — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:48:09 -0700

i didn't see a "welcome" or "introduce yourself" thread as i've seen on many other forums so i thought i might make one, seeing as this is a relatively new forum.
my name is eric, i've got two boys, one will be four in august, the other was born last december.
i'm considerably older then they are at 38 - took me some time to find someone to actually want to have kids with.
i found this place through a facebook ad. looks pretty cool, hopefully will be fun and informational. :-)

Road Trip: Entertaining the Kids

Philmundo — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:29:27 -0700

by Phil Stott

So you've done all the preparations, checked the maps, got the car serviced, and you're pretty much as prepared as you think you can be to spend a few days in the car with the kids. You could be forgiven, though, if you're seeing Griswold family-style mishaps every time you close your eyes, or are having flashbacks to long boring hours spent in the back of the car when you were a kid (it's not that long ago, right?). While the options for in-car entertainment have certainly stepped up a gear or two since I was a kid (let's just say the options on offer back then were such that a fight with a sibling was something to look forward to), I'm not sold on the whole concept of letting kids watch DVDs for the duration of a journey-if you even have it as an option. Sure, they're great for getting a little peace and quiet, but with the whole world passing by right outside your window, it would be a shame for your kids to miss it all for yet another rerun of Ratatouille.

To that end, the 10 suggestions I've listed here for "in-car entertainment" are mostly of the non-electronic variety, and most can be used just as effectively on a trip to the mall as they can to the other side of the country. I'm aware, however, that the list is far from exhaustive. Feel free to make your own suggestions in the comments box at the bottom.

1)      "Pe-diddle"

Everyone knows this one, right? The single best game to play at night, and it can go on for years; trying to be the first to find cars with one head- or tail-light out (and claim it by shouting "pe-diddle"). It might not score high on the list of non-stop action, but the advantage of this one is that you never know what's around the next corner. And it definitely rewards those with an interest in looking outside of the car.

2)      Road bingo

So this one's pretty simple. All you need is paper and a pen. Make up grids (three by three, or four by four are probably enough) and write a random state name in each box-remember to include nearby states that you've got more chance of seeing on plates as you're driving. You can also just give your kids a sheet each and encourage them to write down whichever states they see (highest after a set period of time wins). Completing the full list is probably unlikely, but it would be an interesting challenge/record of your trip. For older kids, you may also want to introduce a rule where only the person who sees a plate first gets to check it off.

An alternative-but one that requires a little more preparation-is to print off picture bingo cards of objects you're likely to encounter. You can find some, plus a ton of other great ideas, at momsminivan.com.

3)      License plate math

One that can be adjusted for all ages/math levels, this basically involves using numbers on license plates to arrive at target numbers, using all the numbers on the plate.

4)      21

Some of you might remember this from drinking games in college, but trust me when I tell you that I've adapted it for use both in classrooms and on road trips, and it works. Basically, it's a memory game where the object is to count to 21, but where numbers get substituted for other things-words, snatches of song, joke challenges, whatever you like. The game goes round the car so each person playing says one number (or its equivalent) in turn. Get it wrong, you're out, and the count starts over from 1 again. Make it to 21, and the person who said the number gets to choose what changes in the nest round. I heartily recommend starting with only one or two numbers substituted out, as a) it stretches the game out and b) it gets difficult fast!

5)      The "quiet" game

Yup, that's right. A game to find out which member of the car can stay silent the longest. Not so much a game as a method of keeping your sanity at times, but highly recommended.

6)      Car color spotting

Similar to license plate bingo, it may be worth having cards made up in advance (or just paper and pens) so the kids can tally what they see.

7)      Cards

One for older kids (and especially useful if you've got more than one, otherwise you'll likely be in the back with them), many a backseat hour can be whiled away with a deck of cards, and the variety of games is almost endless. Also useful for hotel rooms, restaurants, tents and, well, just about anywhere. Warning: be prepared to break up the inevitable disputes if your kids are playing with no adult supervision!

8)      Limerick competitions

You know the rules of limericks, right(LINK)? So why not see who can come up with the best one from the names of towns flashing by you on the signs. Who knows, maybe you'll come up with something as good as this.

9)      I-spy

No, really. I know it gets irritating, but it requires no preparation, no resources, and can last for, well, as long as you can!

10) DVDs.

I know what I said in the introduction, but I didn't say they were a bad thing per se. Chances are, if you've gone through the 9 options above, everyone in the car will be in need of a break. Plus, even the most interested, well-behaved kid needs something fun to look at if you're driving across Ohio!

15 Places Every Kid Should See

tony — Sat, 09 May 2009 19:51:18 -0700

Decent List, though I'd add Yellowstone, Millenium Park here in Chicago, and Mt. Rushmore.

Top 10 sites parents don't want their kids to see

tony — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:09:32 -0800

Here's the top 10 most frequently blocked sites, according to OpenDNS. The usual suspects, plus a few more.

Savvy List of Lists 12|31

tony — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:55:15 -0800

What a year it's been. Here's a list of the savviest lists: look-backs at 2008 and upcoming trends for 2009.

News and Pop Culture
NYT: year in ideas. Lots of inspiring (and some disturbing) ideas for inventions, trends, and ideas that could change the world we know it. Everything from harvesting energy from our everyday movements to a vending machine for crows to turning school buses into mobile classrooms.

CNN: Top political stories of theyear I just shuddered a little bit. All I can say is that I'm so glad that this election is over.

Reuters: Year in Review Lots of great slidehows of best pictures on news, entertainment, weird, and eye-witness categories. The most popular "oddly enough" articles of '08 include Buffett's time bomb, penis theft, and Fleetmood Mac?

SI: Greatest sport photos of the year And sometimes the best things in sports are the weirdest - check out this list of weird sports happenings this past year FoxSports: weird year in sports, huh? (and yes, my Virginia Tech Hokies are in a bowl game, even with 4 losses)

TIME: People who mattered in 2008

NPR Word of the Year: Lots of important dictionaries went with words like: hypermiling, oversharing, bailout, post-racial. But this NPR linguist thinks the word of the year is: Joe. Listen to this segment to hear a history of the word. Let's also not forget NYT: The year in buzzwords

Lycos: 50 most searched terms in 2008 16 are women. And Barack Obama got beat out by the likes of Carmen Electra and Dragon Ball. But who uses Lycos anyway?

LA Times: 10 Most Popular Stories of 2008: Some obvious ones (Palin) and some just odd (Tupac Shakur)

BusinessPundit: top layoff sites: Okay, this is a little depressing, but there's actually a list of websites that track layoffs and companies that are going out of business.

EW: top 10 best TV shows and TimeOut: Best (and worst) 10 TV Shows

Amazon: best DVDs of the year: Surprise! The people have spoken: 1. Dark Knight 2. Sex and the City. 3. John Adams (HBO miniseries)

Top brands I'm surprised that Google has only risen to #10. The new kid on the block: H&M (silly me, I always equated HM to "high maintenance")

Epicurious: Top 10 food trends

Technology, science, and web savvy
CNN's Tech And Science Review: lots of stuff to make us faster: swimsuits, netbooks, twitter

Time: Top 10 iPhone apps: Some very useful ones like AroundMe. Or if you prefer ones for pure entertainment: turn you iPhone into a musical instrument (just blow in the mic).

Computer Shopper: Top 100 tech products: Most of these will be old news to the tech-savvy, but there are still a few hidden gems in here, like YouSendIt or FactCheckEd

Discover Magazine: Top 100 Science Stories This is all those who love to read about black holes, smart robots, gene therapy, energy storage. Scary thing is that cells phones are to our generation as this stuff will be to our kids.

MaximumPC: Top 50 geek skills: I guess I'm not a geek - I've only done 4 of these.

Kiplinger: Best Financial websites. My personal favorite new discovery: retailmenot.com

Mashable: Most underrated websites. Underrated indeed, never heard of any of them. The best the web can get is giving you "insider" info: JobBite and Where the Locals Eat

The Family
Best Toys of the Year by Parents Magazine and also by by ToyPortfolio. Yes, there are a lot more electronic-looking things, but also some good old classic remakes, too. Don't miss: Washington Post's list of best kid books.

NPR: 2008 saw a measles epidemic due to the backlash against vaccinations. 135 cases of the measles in the U.S. last year, the most in a decade

Babble: the best and worst of 2008 in parenting. I don't know what to think of this odd pairing of sacred and obscene, serious (child obesity) and silly (Brangelina). Tell me what you think.

PetFinder: Top pet names of 2008. Buddy for dogs. Lucy for cats.

Grandparents: Top 11 grandparents. For the first time in a long while, our nation will get a "First Granny."

2009 predictions sure to go wrong

Yahoo Finance: two more financial crises on the horizon: And I thought we were done with meltdowns. Two more biggies waiting in the wings: municipals and social security.

BusinessWeek: Tech trends to watch in 2009: On the way up: SmartPhone apps, netbooks, and big screen TVs

TheStreet: 10 Business Predictions in 2009. I've also heard from my friends that 75% of start-ups in Silicon Valley will die off next year. Many of those will be web 2.0 companies. Speaking of which: Fast Company: How will web 2.0 change in 2009? The answer: a lot.

Personally, I think 2009 will be the year of the Social Business.

Stay warm out there. For your kids' sake, remember that happiness is contagious. Happy new year!

Lessons from the first year

Philmundo — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:04:44 -0800

By Phil Stott

My daughter Maeve turns one this week, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to sum up some of the best tips, advice and things I've learned about parenting in general since my life ceased to revolve around me.

1) Breast feeding is nature's gift to fathers. Really. Take two modern-day dads and put them side by side, and I'll pick the one with the bottle-fed child immediately. He's the one with bags under his eyes from the through-the-night feedings. The other one, well, the most he's had to do is bring baby to the owner of the hardware before drifting back into sweet oblivion. For the same reason, breast pumps are evil (just kidding!).

2) Always keep a selection of toys and books close at hand at diaper-changing time. Anything, in short, that will encourage your child to lie flat on their back and not attempt to crawl off the edge of the pad before you've had a chance to clean up the aftermath of the jar of prunes you fed them because they seemed "backed-up."

3) Leave them alone. Not literally, obviously, but if your child's content playing by him or herself, leave them to it. Last weekend, I lay on the couch and watched Maeve pull her socks off and play with them for 45 minutes ... well it seemed like 45 minutes anyway. Maybe it was five, but it was at least five where I did nothing but observe.

4) Making baby food is not difficult: there are lots of recipes that can be made in a single pot and then pureed in a food processor. It's cheap and you get the added peace of mind of knowing exactly what's in their food.

5) Most convenience stores sell nothing a baby can eat. Except, if you're lucky, overripe bananas.

6) Strangers in grocery stores will offer parenting advice on a regular basis. While exceptionally rude, being rude back fixes nothing. Apart from your sense of satisfaction.

7) There is nowhere to change a diaper in New York City. The Midwest, yes. Europe, everywhere. But when in the Big Apple - try your luck in a five star hotel. Some of those posh bathrooms have couches that can double as changing tables. Plus, no-one will tell you they're for customers only, and there's a much higher chance they'll be clean.

8) 7:30 is a lie-in. No, really.

9) An instruction booklet is nowhere near as helpful as a neighbor with three kids when it comes to installing a car seat for the first time.

10) There's too much advice out there to pay attention to all of it. Doctors in the U.S. tell you not to introduce X,Y and Z foods until your child is a year, while in Europe the same foods are part of a child's diet from 6 months on. Do your best to stay informed, but trust your instincts (and for at least the first year stay away from honey [botulism - who knew?], sushi and, uh, Chinese formula).

11) As parents, we are doomed to a life of continually finding out why the things our parents did made sense, and what a great job they actually did in raising us.

12) Just when you think you've got it down, everything changes. Kid sleeping through the night? Give it a week or two and you'll be getting up at 4 a.m. Eating solids? Expect them to start spitting them out any day now. The good news is that it works both ways. Kid waking up at 4? Give it a week or two.

13) Children are not nearly as expensive as they‘re cracked up to be. No-one needs even half the stuff on display in those big box retailers, and the difference between the top of the line items and the less expensive ones often comes down to a label. The same goes when registering; baby registries are just like wedding registries -- designed to get money into the store rather than stuff you need (or even like) into your own home. My rule of thumb here is "if it had been available, would my parents have used it?" The vast majority of the time, the answer comes back "no".

14) Nothing is too extreme for getting a crying baby to sleep. Maeve used to need to be swung in her car seat, while I've heard of other parents driving their kids around until they drop off. Others, meanwhile, seek out cobblestones for the roughest stroller ride imaginable. In short, if it works, do it (as long as it's safe, obviously).

15) No matter what fatherhood (or life) throws at you, good or bad, "all things must come to an end, and this too shall pass."

Savvy Links 12|04

tony — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:21:26 -0800

by Tony Chen

Tech trends for kids, cheating, snazzy economic data graphs, genetic testing for kids, and great timing - here's some savvy links for savvy dads.

Trends
Disney did a survey on tech trends for kids, basically tells us again that our kids are going to outgeek us faster than ever. Get this: 48% on young parents said their kids starting using cell phones at age 5 or younger. If we're struggling to keep up now, just wait a few years. At least, here's some new advice to keep kids safe online. What happens when your kid googles you? Not that you need this (just your friends, right?), but here's some tips on deleting your digital past - it's not as easy as you think, so be careful out there.

There seems to be more and more cheating among teens. Hey, everyone's doing it, right? Actually about 2 out of every 3. Also, 1 in 5 young adults have personality disorder. While this is surely overdiagnosed, where is this all headed?

Gun sales have been soaring since the election. Here's why one parent keeps a gun in her house.

Twitter is becoming part of the breaking news landscape and online community. Here's a recent "top 25 twitter dads" list (yes, I'm partial to this list).

1 in 3 toys are toxic. Results are here. I just don't know anymore.

I'm a sucker for stats and graphs/charts - here's the best data-driven perspective on the economy I've seen to date - the infamous Sequoia Capital powerpoint deck to their company CEOs. Check out the home prices data on slide 14.

Controversies
Genetic testing for kids - Is this the new parenting controversy frontier? A new $149 test is out that determines which sport best suites your kid's genetic profile. Believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

How kindergartners celebrate thanksgiving is becoming a point of contention in some American towns.

Ms. Controversy herself is Michelle Rhee, the head of the D.C. school district. One way or another, education reform is on the way - test scores are up, but so are tempers. In NYC, some kids are getting paid for good grades.

Perspectives
Malcolm Gladwell's new book is out. I'm a closet fan even if others think he's a little kooky. Yes, it's another "behavioral economics" book, but this one has quite a few parenting implications. And by the way, why Asians are better at math apparently has more to do with language than math.

Timing is everything, right? With the economy the way it's going, maybe there's some opportunities for the savvy among us. Maybe now is the time to get a great deal on stocks or that house remodeling project. Speaking of great timing, here's 12 photos that have it.

Uselessly savvy
Just thought these were cool: bullet-proof tires, chainless bikes
How does a little boy survive keys being lodged in his brain?

Coolest coffee table book and etc.

wonkitime — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:45:50 -0700

Posted by wonkitime

Running the gamut of the coolest coffee table book to funny videos to sports, here are some savvydaddy links to help you get ready for the weekend.

Here's a video of a very awesome alphabet pop-up book. The design is sweet and it would pretty much make you the owner of the coolest coffee table book ever. I probably would advise dads from letting their toddler use this as their alphabet learning book. Not only are these pop-ups choking hazards, but you just wouldn't want your kid drooling all over this book.

I'm sure most of you are tired of the Saturday Night Live political skits, but in light of SNL's funny-woman, Amy Poehler, recently having a baby, I thought it would be nice to bring one back. In case you missed the rap performance given by a very pregnant Poehler, here you go. Word of advice: don't base your vote on the fact that Palin can actually sway in rhythm.

These are old classic youtube videos that could fall under the categories of dancing. One being of the hilarity kind and the other is what you call feel-good. You've seen both of them before I'm sure, but nothing wrong with bringing back the archives. As they say on radio, "It's an oldie but a goodie."

In regards to great father and daughter stories, well, this is not one of them.

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies on winning the World Series.

In light of Halloween, Mahalo.com does a good job of presenting a "how to" on having an awesome Halloween costume. I get that most of you think you're too old for this, but it might be nice to dress up with your kid as you go trick or treating. Seriously, going as a pirate is so much better than going as an indifferent, bored dad.

With basketball season upon us and the Celtics returning as defending champions, there's a lot of interviews going on involving some of the players. Kevin Garnett recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated, and he says some cool stuff, but none more interesting than his perspective on being a new dad. Here's an excerpt:

Sports Illustrated: My dad once said that I'll never truly know how much he loves me until I have a child of my own. Has that been true for you? Does your life have a different meaning since you became a father in April?

Kevin Garnett: I don't usually speak about family because I like to keep that stuff private, but I can say from my experiences that your dad is so right. You don't want anything to happen to them and you want to be their security blanket. If you can protect them from everything, you will. Your father telling you that is probably one of the best things you'll ever hear because you're going to know the day, the minute, the second when you have a kid of your own what he's talking about.

Well said.

40 Websites to Bookmark

tony — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:46:36 -0700

This list of sites are especially good to make the most out of your webtime and mobiletime. One of my favs - the site that lets you listen to movies.

2 Years in, the Sentences Begin

tony — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:41:46 -0700

by Tony Chen

Although Meme has been particularly fun and cute and crazy recently, it's been a weird transition period for me. I had this moment about two weeks ago when I looked at him and it just hit me like a brick. This little alien creature that used to fit on the length of my arm is now a babbling, strutting, jumping 2-year-old boy. Where did the time go? At least I have 3,152 pictures to look back to.

Anyway, I've been cross-training him with bats, tennis rackets, homemade velcro balls, and the like, and he's totally loving it. We were in the family room earlier this month and all of the sudden I heard 2 words from him that will ring in my head for the rest of my life.

"Baba go"

Yes, indeed, this two-word exclamation was Meme's first complete sentence. We had been kicking the soccer ball back and forth and apparently, I had drifted a little too close for his taste, as if I was underestimating the power of that little leg of his. After all, he can launch that ball a good 20 feet these days. Even though he was getting frustrated at me, I just had to give the little guy a big hug. Now the real adventure begins as the words magically string together.

For kicks, I decided to write down every word in Meme's spoken vocabulary (in approximate order of when he picked it up). This is a milestone, right? From here on out, the word combos are limitless. Yes, I know, I'm a sentimentalist dork who likes to keep records of this kind of stuff. Nonetheless, won't it be cool to look back at this list someday? The list:

flower (don't ask me why this is his first word)
hua (flower in Chinese)
airplane
Fa Ge (airplane in Chinese) - though he used to say "ge ge" which is... um... actually the Chinese word for... a key part of the male anatomy
ball
Elmo
fan
Mama
Baba
Juice (though once we thought he was yelling "Jews!" when we were driving by a synagogue service that had just let out)
eat
nai nai (milk)
please
spoon
fork
thank you
peas
apple
Noodles
more
Meme
vacuum
corn
dog
roar (lion)
baaa (sheep)
horse (nae nae)
cookie
chips
up
eyes
ears
hand (as in, "hold my hand, so that I can go to sleep. yeah... I know...we're working on that)
nose
mouth
lips
knees
bathtime
water
fountain
book
Grover
shhh
aligator
computer
outside
rock
tomato
shoes
cake
beans
cook
bubbles
farmer
egg
cheese
mac and cheese
Ah-yi (Auntie in Chinese)
Gu-gu (Auntie from father's side in Chinese)
Ah-gong (Grand-dad in Chinese)
Ah-Po (grandma)
Ah-ma (grandma on my side)
Tom (comes out as "Bomb")
O (for Olivia)
a o line (for Caroline)
Nathan
Maggie
Vicki
Carol
Hannah
Sasa
Yun
Mike
Jane
Jeff (comes out "Ralph")
Donald
Target
talk (we always "talk through" each day before we go to bed)
ice cream
no
Shower
yes, yeah, ya
all done
okay ("o-te")
Mommy
Babby
Daddy
Maba or Bama (i.e. either parent will do, thanks)
Elephant
pig
Alison
paper
play-doh
chair
chopsticks
toot (our word for fart)
ouchie
tang-tang (sweets)
snack
cracker
treat
off
hot
on
diaper
shirt
pants
spicy
lights
almost
work
babies
home
Grover
shhhh
TV
turtle (the animal as well as a Baby Einstein DVD featuring that cute turtle)
choo-choo
car
truck
Bert
Ernie
potato

Well, 123 down, 59,877 to go.