National Account Balance estimates from the CIA World Fact Book (published 12th February 2008)

• 1st: China $363,300,000,000
• 5th: Russia $74,000,000,000
• 14th: Canada $28,460,000,000
• 161st: United Kingdom $-111,000,000,000
• 163rd (last place): United States $-747,100,000,000

Not on this list but notable is Iraq ($7.802 billion - 2007 est.), Iran ($19 billion - 2007 est.) and Cuba (-$750 million - 2007 est.).

   

This is a voluntary recall coming from furniture maker, Munire Furniture, based out of New Jersey (cribs manufactured in Indonesia). It is relatively minor since it is not a full product recall and allows for a free replacement part to be sent out. But as dads know, meaning the family fix-it guy, you will have to take your kids crib apart (half-way at least) to install the new shorter spring bracket. So there’s more of an inconvenience factor to this recall. Regardless, check your crib and model number and go to the company website listed below.

For those of us without Munire Cribs, the thing to learn here is that at its lowest setting the crib spring should allow you to lower the crib bed surface to a full 26 inches. For fully annotated dimensions, safety stands and requirements of full sized cribs, please download the CPSC Requirements for Full Size Baby Cribs so you can spot check your kid’s crib. It certainly doesn’t hurt to check.

The hazard is the cribs fail to meet the federal safety standards because the four support brackets on the mattress support spring are too long in its lowest position thus allowing babies to potentially crawl over the railing, posing a fall hazard. The wooden Munire models affected in this recalls are:

• Majestic Curved Top,
  
• Flat Top Cribs,
  
• Essex Cribs,
  
• Brighton/Sussex Cribs
  
• Captiva Cribs

Sited Links:
Munire Furniture | Recall Page
CPSC | Recall Press Release
CPSC | Safety Requirements for Full Size Baby Cribs

   

We moved from New York City a few short years ago because we could not face the price tag associated with raising kids in the city. Yes, we were part of that time-honored migration from the Big Apple once we got married. But we didn’t move to the suburbs - we went transcontinental and packed up for Los Angeles. But we have quickly found out that living in West LA is quite a challenge for those of us with school-aged kids. The waiting lists. The letters with attached pictures of your kids. The application fees. The secret handshakes.

Once you get beyond the velvet rope the real work begins. You must be stealth in both judgment and approach when taking tours of potential schools for your little angels. Then you’ve got to have a list and check it twice. Here is a worthy checklist (peppered with my thoughts and wise-cracks) vis a vis the National Association for the Education of Young Children. They’re the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 100,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional affiliates. Whether you actually write out a list or you just keep a running tally in your head maybe one or two of these will help you and your search.

1. Children are playing and working with materials or other children and the space feels inspired and the personnel are actively engaged with the children. They are not aimlessly wandering or forced to sit quietly for long periods of time.
2. Children have access to various activities throughout the day, such as block building, pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials, and table toys such as legos, pegboards, and puzzles. Children are not all doing the same things at the same time.
3. Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day and the ration of teacher-to-student is low. They do not spend time only with the entire group.
4. The classroom is decorated with children’s original artwork, their own writing with invented spelling, and dictated stories. The space is designed and or arranged to accommodate the children (chairs, tables, sinks and bathrooms are all easily accessible and safe to use for small children).
5. Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. Exploring the natural world of plants and animals, cooking, taking attendance, and serving snack are all meaningful activities to children. In general, there day is varied with an array of meaningful activities and experiences that they can learn and grow from.
6. Children work on projects and have long periods of time (at least one hour) to play, explore and and interact. Filling out worksheets should not be their primary activity.
7. Children have an opportunity to play outside every day that weather permits. This play is never sacrificed for more instructional time even if the weather is not desirable.
8. Teachers read books to children throughout the day, not just at group story time.
9. Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Because children differ in experiences and background, they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way.
10. Children and their parents look forward to school. And of course, parents feel safe sending their child to a given kindergarten.

Sited Links:
Education.Com
National Association for the Education of Young Children

   

Embedded in the outside of the bags are three lightweight, tough, waterproof solar panels which generate up to 4 watts of power. This means quicker charge times! The solar panels are waterproof, scratch resistant, and UV resistant. They use a high efficiency monocrystalline cell. The three panels operate independently to generate up to 4 watts of power. This is double the power of typical solar chargers and enough to charge most portable consumer electronics (other than laptop computers). The substrate is an aluminum / plastic composite, specifically designed to be strong and lightweight. They can easily stand up to typical outdoor use including being dropped and leaned on.

The Voltaic solar backpacks are mobile power generators, designed to charge your devices without tying you to a power outlet, which makes them ideal for traveling. Just plug a standard car charger into the bag using the included CLA (car lighter adaptor) and recharge most small electronic devices including: cell phones, cameras, two way radios, PDA’s, and MP3s. Note: it is not designed to charge laptops. If you don’t have a car charger, the bags come with a set of 11 standard adaptors for common cell phones and other devices.

(Via EarthTechProducts.Com)

   

I know the title sounds like dialog ripped from a Woody Allen film but really I’m waiting for the day my kid’s become privy to my blogging efforts. But after re-reading David Hochman’s ever-pertinent (2005) Article, “Mommy (and Me),“ from the New York Times, it has me thinking about why I still do this and more importantly why I started in the first place.

I started blogging as a way to learn more about the things that concern me about my kids’ health; not really a personal journal because (to me) that would be boring. Rather, it would be a heavily referenced and indexed pile of notes that I (and of course everyone else) could take advantage of. I chose to take the somewhat academic route not because of some strange lust for expository writing but because I have a hard time believing the sources I come across. What I have discovered along the way is the most important thing to me about my own writing is to share with you my references and be sure the sites and articles I references are fully transparent to you. There is a lot of dubious information out there that is conjecture and misguided or incomplete at best.

Hochman’s article is interesting because even though it was written over three years ago it still rings true with regards to the landscape of parent blogging - for better or worse. I don’t have the money to quote the article directly but the gist of it is summed up quite succinctly by a LA psychiatrist sited in the article who basically says it is (our) drive to rise above the invisibility and the banality of parenting and be seen and heard by the rest of world.

Parts of the article tend to feel a bit acrid but upon closer examination he is merely raising a mirror to some and if his words make us cringe a little (or perhaps laugh nervously), then that’s your dish to deal with. David is a neighbor and I happen to know he is a dad, himself. He seems like a nice guy and a good dad. Upon writing this simple observation about the guy adds another dimension to the said article, there is probably a self-reflexive aspect to his article and that is in my mind what makes the article most poignant.

Sited Links:
New York Times | Mommy (and Me)

Related Links:
Details Magazine | Are You Raising A Douchebag?

   

The folks at SpottedGoose.Com have a digital watch in every flavor. And for $10 bucks a pop, you might consider more than one flavor. They come in both adult and kid sizes (they can cut the wristband to fit any sized wrist).

(Via SpottedGoose.Com)

   

My oldest son is three and a half. He doesn’t particularly like the swings. He is wary of ladders. He’s flat footed. He’s cautious and we love him for it, nonetheless. It was suggested to us to have him try gymnastics and we did reluctantly. Boy have we been surprised at how much he fully enjoys his classes at the Josephson Academy of Gymnastics (J.A.G.). The instructor-kid ratio is nice and low. They seem to keep the kids constantly engaged with good pacing and direction. Our son loves it. It’s located in the Hayden Tract of Culver City between Jefferson Boulevard and National, off Higuera.

The gym itself is an expansive space (over 24,000 square feet) with classes ranging from babies (Bears and Cubs, Frogs and Tadpoles) to toddlers (Camels, Elephants, Kangaroosand Joeys) through school-aged dance and gymnastics classes. For the younger kids they have parent/kid classes as well as classes with no-parent involvement. Of course they have a cafe style waiting area for the parents the tikes tumble around on the floor.

Parent Tip: If you do sign your kid up for a class and you stick around to watch, go upstairs to get a great bird’s eye view of the gym floor. Downstairs experiences heavy traffic and it gets kinda crazy.

Related Sites:
The Josephson Academy of Gymnastics
Meta-DAD Review @ Parentography

   

Not that the “geek” title is something that we all strive for but if it is a badge, it should be worn with honor. The folks at JustSayHi.Com have a number of playful quizzes to take - the Geek Quiz is one of them. As seen by the badge below, I am pretty geeky, please don’t tell my wife, I don’t want to burst her bubble.

This is probably the most harmless quiz in the batch.  Some of the others answer the question - The Booze Test, Name That Alcohol , How Many Germs Live On Your Keyboard?, and What Are Your Chances Of Surviving A Zombie Apocalypse?

   

If you have a little boy (or girl, actually), here’s an awesome little gift to consider. I mean really what kid wouldn’t love one of these AntWorks Ant Farm filled with mysterious iridescent blue goo that the ants eat and turn into a maze of tunnels. The container has a LED light on the bottom so when you turn it on their whole blue goo world glows with light. It’s pretty clever. An ant farm night light.

Evidently the mysterious goo has everything the ants need to live. The AntWorks gel arrives as a solid. Once you add ants to the gel, then the true fun begins. Watch them dig an endless maze of tunnels. Using the included magnifying glass and extreme zoom lens, you can observe their behavior.

(Via Vat19.Com)

   

With its easy fold mechanism, lightweight alloy construction and infinityâ„¢ lie-flat seat that converts from newborn bassinette to seating position, soho bloom redefines ease of use and baby comfort.

Dual rear wheel-and-frame suspension combine with the patented armadilloâ„¢ canopy and full softgoods suite to deliver complete all-terrain and all-weather solutions. This thing is feather light weighing in at a mere 22lbs.

(Via BabyGeared.Com)