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And Now For a Moment of Zen…

Searching for a good baby costume this year?

Via Photographer, Mr. Philip Toledano

This Week in the World of Parenting

• Nancy Shute at U.S. News & World Report did an interesting blog posting on a few ways to ensure your breastfed baby is getting the (newly defined) proper vitamin D in their diet [*that would be the breast milk diet], including supplements for newborns as well as kids and teenagers, fortified milk, cod liver oil and she forgot to mention broccoli which is high in vitamin D.
• I stumbled across a wonderful post by Starr King Elementary School in the San Fransisco area describing “Five Easy Ways to Earn Money for Your School.” Great ideas that I am going to being sharing at the next P.T.A. meeting.
  
• The fine folks at the San Fransisco Gate posted an article this week aptly titled, “Hey Kids, Go Outside and Play” This article describes the pitfalls of kids spending too much time indoors. Good stuff.
• Also, over at Datamation, writer Mike Elgan posits some interesting thoughts on how social networking websites (using Facebook as the prime example) are endangering the commonly head concept of the nuclear family in his article, “How Facebook Is Destroying the ‘Nuclear Family’“. I will leave it up to you whether that is a good thing or bad.
• And with Halloween quickly approaching I have been sifting through the sands of the web for that prefect low maintenance solution. Over at Associated Content I found an interesting list of “Single Dad and Son Halloween Costumes Ideas.“ My favorite is definitely – The Man with the Yellow Hat and Curious George.

Sonic Boom Alarm Clock!

Been changing diapers all night? Working extra hours these days? Now there’s no excuse for not getting up with these Bad Boys! Complete with ground shaking super-charged bed shaker, and turbo-charged 113db extra loud alarm this model is appropriately named the Sonic Bomb SBB500ss AKA “The Bomb” (Sweetheart version for Her pictured above).

How loud is 113db, you ask. Well, here’s some point of reference; a normal conversation is about 60db, a normal alarm clock is about 70db, a football crowd is approximately 110db and your average gunshot is around 150db!

So yes, even if you just got up to change the baby’s diapers and hour and a half ago, you will get up! Good luck sleeping through that blast, Big Guy.

His and hers Sonic Boom Alarms for $42 bucks (+ shipping) 

Stinky Raw Toon for the Tikes

Evidently, there is a monster who lives in the swamp just outside of town, and his name is, Stinky. He is surrounded by his other swamp-bound friends like Wartbelly the toad, slimy slugs and a family of possums.

In a paired down and somewhat simplified graphic novel style, Writer and Artist, Eleanor Davis spins the clever tale of how Stinky the swamp monster haunts, pesters and eventually befriends a little boy. Initially, Stinky doesn’t like him because he’s different. Little boys like to eat things like candy and apples and more importantly they take baths, whereas Stinky likes to eat pickled onions and play in the mud. After a bunch of failed attempts to scare the little boy away, Stinky starts to realize he has a lot in common with his little nemesis.

Having grown up with comic books, and fully embraced the underground movement of the genre in the eighties (including RAW Magazine!), it is fascinating to watch my four year old eagerly try to follow along with the flow of panels and make sense of the dynamic style of story-telling. Sure, this is a far cry from the simple panel work Caldecott Winners like Mo Willem’s, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, or the open flow of Ian Falconer’s, Olivia, but it was obvious mid-way through the story that my son was up for the challenge. The chapter breaks are perfect for spent parents, like myself, who need a good break-point for story time (so far my efforts have been fruitless).

Stinky is one of many new stories are published by Raw Junior, under the tutelage of Art Spiegelman (acclaimed Pulitzer-prize winning graphic novel, Maus) and Francoise Mouly (of The New Yorker & RAW Book fame). Raw Junior seems is tapping into the rich soil of the comic book genre to reinvent and redefine the world of childrens books.

Even though this is a bit of a challenge for the younger Reader’s, I highly recommend this book. The adorable illustrations and clever story-telling draws our boys into the page and keeps their attention, as a parent, what more could you want? The only problem I see with this line of storybooks is that they won’t be able to make them fast enough for our voracious little Readers.

Sited Links;
Wikipedia | Caldecott Medal
Mo Willem’s | Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Ian Falconer | Olivia

Related Links;
Eleanor Davis | Stinky
Jay Lynch & Dean Haspiel | Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever
Jay Lynch & Frank Cammuso | Otto’s Orange Day

Dad Hack – PowerPocket

PowerPockets use the latest in “Thin-Film” solar energy technology to quickly and efficiently turn sunshine into electricity. Great for charging mobile phones, games, PDA’s and any other 12 Volt electronic device – and when you’re done, hide it away easily!

Keep a PowerPocket in your boat’s ditch bag for emergencies, or use it to trickle charge your motorbike or snowmobile battery. Take it on those long hikes or bike rides in case of emergency, or keep one in your home in case of a power outage due to natural disaster, put it on your vehicle dashboard, plug it into your dash and keep your electrical system fresh while your car or truck is parked for long periods.

You get the idea, it’s a solid “Plan B” when you need some juice and an electrical outlet is miles away.

Between $150 (6.5W kit) and $275 (12W kit) plus shipping at Reware.Com

Delta Recalls Prompt Crib Warning to Parents

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has urged parents and caregivers to closely inspect the hardware and stability of their cribs to ensure all parts are in place and secure. This press release is on the heels of two seperate recalls for Delta Cribs (Delta Enterprise, Inc.) today due to an infant death.

These two recalls involve a number of models and represent a total of 1.5 million cribs that were sold between 1995-2007. This is a sizable recall, to say the least. The CPSC believes the performance requirements can be strengthened to deal with the problems identified by their Early Warning System so they are scheduling to vote to issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed (ANPR) rulemaking to examine and assess potential design and durability issues and possible mandatory performance requirements to prevent future entrapments and strangulations to children. Essentially, they are going to make efforts to evaluate cribs before they hit the market so more infant deaths do not occur due to faulty design or manufacturing practices.

As issued by the CPSC, here are safety tips for reviewing you child’s crib;

• Parents should not use any crib with missing, broken or loose parts.
• Hardware should be inspected from time to time and tightened to keep the crib sturdy.
• When using a drop side crib parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly on its track.
• Always check all sides and corners of the crib for disengagement. Any disengagement can create a gap and entrap a child.
• Do not try to repair any side of the crib without manufacturer approved hardware or with tape, wire or rope.
• Putting a broken side up against the wall does not solve the problem and can often make it worse.
• Do not to use any crib with missing, broken, or loose parts.
• Make sure to tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy.
• When using a drop side crib parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly.
• Always check all sides and corners of the crib for disengagement. Any disengagement can create a gap and entrap a child.
• Do not try to repair any side of the crib, especially with tape, wire or rope.

Parents and Caregivers are advised to immediately stop using the Delta cribs that are missing a safety peg (described in the recall press release) on any leg of the crib and contact Delta to receive a free, easy-to-install repair kit.

The kit will include safety pegs in a bold color and warning labels to be affixed to the mattress board. Consumers with cribs that have all safety pegs installed may continue to use the cribs; however, it is recommended that these consumers contact Delta for the repair kit for future assembly purposes.

If you do not have a Delta crib, but have a drop side crib of another brand it may be prudent to check it for any compromises. Also, please spread the word of this recall and share it with you neighbors, daycare, and family members.

Call Delta toll-free at (1-800-816-5304) anytime after 5pm today or log on CribRecallCenter.Com to order the free replacement kit.

Sited Links;
CPSC Press Release | Infant Death Prompts Recall To Repair 600,000 Drop Side Cribs…
CPSC Press Release | Defects Identified by CPSC Early Warning System Prompt…
CPSC Press Release | Infant Death Prompts Recall to Repair 985,000 Delta
Delta Childrens Products | Crib Recall Center