meta-dad

Happy Thanksgiving from Meta-DAD

I was actually looking for a good toast or nonsequitur for Thanksgiving dinner but I stumbled across this interesting article from Smithsonian Magazine, Pilgrims Progress and the first Thanksgiving Feast. I guess I’ll have to fall back on history tidbits to fill in those quieter moments when conversations naturally wind down (such a dad thing to do, right). Just playing my role…

Be safe this holiday weekend.

Dads Can Learn Something From This Little Kit

Sure deep down we like to think we Dads have MacGyver potential but honestly, we fall flat most of the time. Think about it, to really pull it off you would have to have a sundry of supplies tucked away in every nook and cranny of your person.

Some Dads may already be on top of this, occasionally I have a moment of brilliance but most of the time it is pure luck. What is he talking about? I’m talking about having stuff on hand to entertain the kids on the drop of a dime.

Say, you grab one of the tikes to tag along with you while you make that visit to the post office only to find there’s only one window open and the line that bending around the corner conjures images of everlasting purgatory and your kid looks up at you and says with tender innocence, “Dad, this is going to take a long long time. Do we really have to mail these?” And most of the time (unfortunately), the answer is yes.

Well, the folks at Wire + Twine have a little sack of fun that may ease the pain for the little ones. What’s in it?

• Instructions for 20 activities
• Balloon
• Bandage
• Binder clip
• Birthday candle
• Carabiner
• Cotton swabs
• Dice
• Emery boards
• Flashlight
• Glue stick
• Googly eyes
• Latex gloves
• Measuring Tape
• Mirror
• Needle and thread
• Paper clips
• Permanent marker
• Plastic zipper bags
• Safety pins
• Sanitizing wipe
• Scissors
• Rubber bands
• Whistle (I save this for last because if the kid makes it this far, either you’ve fallen asleep in line or you need to make a ruckus and get the blood flowing in that line)

If you are cheap or just inspired, you could easily fashion you own kit. Regardless, consider getting one for the wife or perhaps a friend or family member, a portion of the proceeds go to Heifer International.

$25 [+shipping] at Wire + Twine

Stylin’ Kid-Sized Bean Bag Seats

For all the time I spend on my kids floors racing cars with them or reading them stories, we are finally warming up to the idea of getting some seating options (albeit kid-sized) for their rooms. What can be better than a little monkey in the room? A sit on me Zid Zid Mini Monkey Poof !

• 100% brushed flannel cotton.
• Washable.
• Foam filling.
• Zipper at the bottom.
• 11″ d x 12″ h

Around $79 (+ shipping) at ModernMini.Com

Simple Ways to Have a Eco-Friendly Holiday Season

Between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, Americans take an additional 25% of waste to the curb. That amounts to over 25 million tons of trash for the holiday season.

If every family reused just 2 ft. of ribbon from holidays past, that would save 38,000 miles of ribbon—enough to literally tie a big bow around the entire planet.

2.7 million Holiday cards are sent across the country each year—that’s enough to fill an entire football field 10 stories high!

So, what to do?

Fill your recycling cart with:

• Corrugated cardboard boxes (flatten it out to fit more!)
• Gift boxes
• Gift catalogs
• Newspapers filled and all of those advertising inserts
• Wrapping paper (non-metallic only)
• Non-metallic greeting cards

How to Trim Your Waste-Line This Holiday Season;

• BYOB-Bring Your Own (shopping) Bag for every shopping excursion—make this a habit all year long.
• Send e-cards instead of paper cards (or at least make sure your paper cards are made from recycled content).
• Avoid gift wrap that is not recyclable (metallic) or not made from recycled content—or, be inventive and crafty - just decorate the box. The comics’ pages makes great wrap for kids and last years cards can become collage wrap for any box. We like to save all those paintings and craft projects that the kids do throughout the years and re-use them as wrapping paper!
• Shipping a gift? Use Pop Corn (the real kind, popped and no butter) to protect fragile items, and then have your gift recipient feed the birds.
• If you get a gift with those dreaded Styrofoam peanuts that will live longer than cockroaches, donate them to your local UPS or packaging store
• Lots of gifts have bells and whistles! Include rechargeable batteries and a charger to get your loved one off to a greener start.
• Trees, wreathes, all can be composted—and will end up as community mulch when taken care of properly. But better that that, buy your tree ‘roots and all’. Transplant that beauty after the last slice of fruit cake leaves the house.
• Don’t know what to get someone? Plant a tree in their honor!
• Consider gifts that aren’t material-like a massage, sporting event, babysitting, dog walking or tickets to the museum, this is also a clever (and personal) way to save money this year!
• Think about the packaging! If you can’t recycle it, buy something else instead! That will send a clear message to manufacturers all over.
• Holiday lights all a tangle? HolidayLEDs.com will accept your old incandescent Christmas lights, which will then be recycled. Be sure to ask neighbors and friends if they want to recycle their lights as well. You can reduce waste and shipping costs by sending all lights in one package.
• Did you get some great new things? Appliances, clothes, gadgets, cookware? Well, chances are great that you have some ‘less new things’ that would make a lot of people pretty happy. Donate them to your favorite charity or non-profit. You know -pay it forward!

Beyond the Holidays;

• Decide what catalogs you want and what catalogs you don’t with CatalogChoice.Org
• Or, write to the Direct Marketing Association at P.O. Box 9008 , Farmingdale , N.Y. 11735-9008 to have your name removed from ALL third-class mailing lists.
• Credit card offers filling your box? Opt out by calling 1-888-5OptOut (1-888-567-8688) or visiting OptOutPrescreen.Com.

Via RecycleBank.Com

Related Links:
Stop The Junk Mail Cycle…
Plastic Shopping Bag Alternatives
Safe And Green Holiday Season
Pay It Forward Parents

And Now For Your Moment of Zen…

Photographer Joshua Hoffline has breathed life into all of the classic childrens’ nightmares in our culture. His work licks sweet like candy and has all the production value of Disneyland, enjoy.

Via Joshua Hoffine

Cool Modern Dollhouse for the Tikes

The unique curved roofing features in this dollhouse, complete with skylight, are innovative both in terms of design and production. This futuristic dollhouse has two open levels allowing for free access to the interior which comes with transparent paneling that can slide from side to side and its own staircase which can be moved to any part of the house.

And yes, they have equally cool furnishings for this house!

$120 [+shipping] @ ModernTots.Com