Here are two more things to keep out of the mouth of babes; It’s My Binky novelty pacifiers basically fall apart, and Bright Starts Ring Rattles antennae detach - both (obviously) pose choke hazards. We are victim to the pacifier recall, just a sucker for personalized products, I guess (pun intended, chalk it up to dad humor).

Specifically, the Bright Starts soft toy rattle is a bee with a yellow head, ring-shaped green body, blue/green wings and purple/red antennas. Model number 8534 and date code PA8 are printed on a sewn-in label on the bee’s head.

It’s My Binky pacifiers are personalize pacifiers and have “Japlo” imprinted on the front of the pacifier shield at the bottom, center. The pacifiers were sold in blue, white and pink with various words or designs printed on the button of the pacifier. Contact It’s My Binky toll-free at (888) 689-9444 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday PT or visit ItsMyBinky.Com or e-mail Danielle Riiber at Danielle@itsmybinky.com

For additional information, contact Kids II toll-free at (877) 325-7056 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit KidsII.Com.

So check the floor of your minivan, or rummage through your diaper bag for any of these baby items and send them back to their respective companies for a free replacement.

Sited Links:
Kids II Recalls Infant Rattles Due to Choking Hazard
It’s MY Binky Recalls Personalized Pacifiers Due to Choking Hazard

   

Move over kids, Dad’s gonna be on the floor playing cars if one of these beauties is part of the mix. I’m really not even a “car” guy but his car is truly a thing of beauty. Looking at the level of detail and finish put into these automobiles is unprecedented.

So I will consider the next best thing, a 1:18 or 1:43 scale die-cast model version of their full line of cars (between $42-$50 U.S. dollars). It’s guaranteed to bring smiles to the lil’ James Bond in your life.

You may want to curb them from playing “smash’um” with this one though.

(Via AstonMartin.Com)

   

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 19th annual 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book, released on June, is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America’s children that ranks states on 10 key measures and provides data on the economic, health, education, and social conditions of America’s children and families. Where does your state stack up among the nation? Does it have the best educated kids? Or the healthiest?

At a glance it is clear that the best ranking states for education, health and economic measures are New Hampshire, Minnesota and Massachusetts. Some of the lowest scoring states, across the board are Mississippi (poverty, reading), Louisiana (overall) and New Mexico (overall).

Highlighted is a small selection of the data sets available (to see additional data follow the link below), focusing on the measures for 8th graders state-by-state since that is mid-stream for school-aged children.

EDUCATION | 8th Graders Who Scored at or Above Proficient Math Level;

• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• North Dakota & Vermont (tied)
• Kansas
• South Dakota
• Montana, New Hampshire, & Pennsylvania (tied)
• Colorado, Maryland, Virginia & Wisconsin (tied for 11th place)

EDUCATION | 8th Graders Who Scored at or Above Proficient Reading Level;

• Massachusetts
• Vermont
• New Jersey & Montana (tied)
• Maine, Minnesota & New Hampshire (tied)
• Ohio, Pennsylvania & Iowa (tied)

EDUCATION | 8th Graders Who Scored at or Above Proficient Science Level;

• North Dakota
• Montana
• New Hampshire, South Dakota & Vermont (tied)
• Minnesota & Wisconsin (tied)
• Wyoming
• Idaho
• Ohio, Michigan, Virginia & Colorado (tied for 11th place)

EDUCATION | 8th Graders Who Scored at or Above Proficient Writing Level;

• New Jersey
• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• Vermont
• New Hampshire
• Colorado & Maine (tied)
• Illinois
• Florida & Pennsylvania (tied)

(more…)

   

The powder in the Animal Tracking Explorer Kit from Mindware, marked “plaster of paris” is actually calcium hydroxide, (commonly named slack lime, pickling lime or hydrated lime) which poses a risk of skin and eye irritation to children using the product. Calcium hydroxide is a common ingredient in grout but also comes in many forms and is used for a great variety of things;

• A flocculant, in water and sewage treatment and improvement of acid soils
• An ingredient in whitewash, mortar, and plaster
• An alkali used as a lye substitute in no-lye hair relaxers
• A chemical depilatory agent found in Nair
• An ingredient in baby formula milk

Of course I will point out that I am not a scientist and have no authority on the subject, so as a concerned parent I have only questions and no real answers. I assume the form of calcium hydroxide they’re talking about is the commonly found in a number of masonry mixes which I can tell you from experience, will over a time give you a noticeable lime burn. It is also very bad to inhale the dust.

The bottom line is heed this recall and either throw the product away or follow the link for the recall and get your money back.

And yes if you were wondering, the kit is manufactured in China.

Sited Links:
Children’s Animal Tracking Explorer Kit Recalled
US Department of Health | Household Products Database
Wikipedia | Calcium Hydroxide

   

This is a cool way to furnish that shady corner of the kids’ room and to have a fun way to show off their best artwork, too boot. Slip a drawing or photos between the double shades to create a one-of-a-kind lamp you can change on a whim.

(Via TheSpottedGoose.Com)

   

My Beautiful Mommy is a new self-published kids book about plastic surgery. It was written by Michael Salzhauer, a plastic surgeon in Bal Harbour, Florida. Mr. Salzhauer says he cooked the idea up to help parents explain cosmetic procedures to their children.

“My Beautiful Mommy” is aimed at kids ages four to seven and features a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael (a musclebound superhero type) and a girl whose mother gets a tummy tuck, a nose job and breast implants. Before her surgery the mom explains that she is getting a smaller tummy: “You see, as I got older, my body stretched and I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore. Dr. Michael is going to help fix that and make me feel better.” Mom comes home looking like a slightly bruised Barbie doll with demure bandages on her nose and around her waist. ~Newsweek Article

   

The more I talk to dads in my area the more I find a common trend - dad drives the old clunker to work (sans kids) and mom has the new (kid) car, whether it be the wagon, the SUV or the minivan. I bought mine as a pre-certified used car from a dealership with a warranty on it and even though the warranty has lapsed with little to no use from it I still feel I did a good thing by having it.

The issue now is should I go out and get some type of extended auto warranty or not? This is a question I would love to get feedback on. As a dad, I am all about having warranties and insurance policies, but do most people cover their clunkers or do they bite the bullet and just deal with the consequences?

Depending on what you are paying per year for maintenance and repairs, an extended warranty may be the way to go, especially if there is no room for an upgrading dad’s car in the near future. So as long the policy comes from an A+ rated insurance company and aren’t backed by a Risk Retention Group and it doesn’t eclipse your current maintenance cost (figuring in the offset of the policy itself), it may ease the burden of hanging onto to that dear old clunker of yours another year or so.

   

Recently, I have been included in a Beta-testing group of SocialSpark (SS) which is the new child of IZEA who seem to be in the process of letting go of PayPerPost (PPP), which is their first child. SocialSpark is a different format then PPP system. Sure you can get paid for posting articles about different products or services, but SocialSpark promotes healthy blogger networking and an intriguing cross-pollination between advertisers and bloggers. There are many “carrots” to be won on both sides of the fence.

Carrots meaning, props, positive or constructive comments and of course the ability to build endless “friends” (think MySpace or MyBlogLog). Like eBay and Amazon, it promotes a positive feedback system from the rest of the SocialSpark community to maintain a sense of equilibrium and integrity amongst its members. Sure there will some “bad seeds” but they will probably rise to the top of the pile and get plucked (banned/benched), but I sense this system will work. It’s clear this is their focus, based on their Code of Ethics;

• 100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
• 100% Transparency
• 100% Real Opinions
• 100% Search Engine Friendly

And like all massive social networking sites everybody is in it for different reasons. If I can do that and earn a few pennies at the end of the day, I will put them in a piggy bank to help my boys when it’s time for them to go to college. Case in point, this post is earning me five and half bucks, just enough for my son to buy himself a Coke when he’s in college (which will be around 2021). And, if I’m still around to see him drink it, I will consider myself blessed. And if I make a few friends along the way, two thumbs up.