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Easy essential baby gift ideas from a dad that knows

Whether you are an uncle or nephew, grandpa or dad there is always one lingering person on your shopping list that may haunt you. If it is that baby nephew or granddaughter that your stuck on, here are a couple ideas.

Go for essentials- onsies, bibs, socks, etc. You get the idea, don’t get the run of the mill stuff- you want to get something memorable (also not too expensive, from my experience with three babies- expensive does not necessarily mean ‘quality’). Get More »

Tags: 0-1 year, baby fashion, design, holidays, mod

Play it safe this 4th of July

The latest report from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) indicates that there were reports of seven fireworks-related deaths and an estimated 7,000 hospital emergency room treated injuries in 2008. In 2007, CPSC had reports of eleven deaths and an estimated 9,800 injuries. Injuries have More »

Tags: holidays, kids health, safety

Unique Father’s Day gift ideas from a Dad

Strangely, I see Father’s Day as a distinctly ‘grown up’ holiday. Sure, it is a great photo ‘op for the kids to pile on the bed and watch him drink that bad coffee they made and eat the best darn burnt toast he’s ever experienced, but for adults -especially those who are parents themselves- it is a chance to meditate on the dads in their life, and by dad, I mean the guy who was there for them, the guy who helped shape who they are today. Family tends to be complicated so I realize More »

Tags: dad, design, holidays, mod

Gorgeous Valentine’s for the wife

There are classic gift ideas like; jewelry, a box of sweets, flowers or maybe a sexy lil’ number. The challenge (for me anyway) is how to make these classics spin into something deeply personal, something that really hits the right chord. Ahh, such is the dance we call “love”, right?

Last year, I got my wife a engraved pendant necklace (*above center) that is a simple chain with small handcrafted gold bars inscribed with each of our sons’ names and on the other side of each is a word like “cherish” or “adore.” She treasures it.

I ordered the necklace from the San Fransisco based boutique, Penelope Poet. They carry a beautiful array personal pieces handcrafted by indie jewelrymakers and artisans throughout the country. Pictured above [left lto right] is the classic 14k Gold Love Knot Earrings, the Nashelle Cherished Engraved Bars Necklace and the Amour Circle Filigree Necklace. Pieces from Penelope Poet have been featured in Oprah magazine, Life & Style Weekly and others.

What better way to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, than by supporting moms and wives who craft beautiful handcrafted pieces.

Tags: gift idea, holidays, valentines day, wife

2009 Rose Parade Float Showcase

We were greeted at the Rose Bowl parking lot by a small army of Rose Parade workers (known simply as “White Suitors” because of their pristine white suits and white straw hats which are a throwback to the Parade’s 100 history), that directed us with mechanical precision to an open field that quickly swelled into a tightly packed lot full of SUV’s and Minivans.

We arrived kinda early, so they lines moved faster than we could scoot our kids along and we were on our way to one of the many chartered school buses taking us across town to the floats. Knowing that three Park N’Ride locations were feeding bus-loads of us to the same neighborhood, things got pretty congested. The three parking locations are the Rose Bowl, Pasadena City College, and the Community Education Center in Pasadena.

If you are planning on going here are some parent tips to make the trip a little easier;

• Go Early! - The streets fill up late morning, if you can afford to get there when they open to the general public (9am), you will have a much easier experience. We got there around 10-10:30am and it was filling up quickly! When we were leaving (early afternoon), the ticket line was twice the length as it was for us!
• Bring your most nimble and lightest stroller – We have three kids and opted not for the double stroller and that was a wise decision.
• Pack drinks and snacks - They do have delicious kettle corn, funnel cake and other county fair favorites at a price. For families visiting on a budget, pack a bag of sandwiches and drinks (non-alcoholic).
• Wear comfortable shoes - It will be crowded and you will be moving at a leisurely pace. Skateboards, roller skates, bicycles, tricycles, Segways and wagons are not permitted.
• Bring cash - $7 for anyone over the age of 5 yrs. and $3 bucks for parking, but the ticket booth takes plastic, not to worry. Be warned though, if you’re yearning for some of that tasty funnel cake you best be packing some cash in your wallet. There are only two ATMs at the venue, sponsored by the Pasadena Federal Credit Union. ATMs are located near the West (Red) Gate and at the corner of Washington and Sierra Madre Boulevards.
• Download the free Audio Tour - The Tournament of Roses is currently offering a free audio tour of the floats featured in the 120th Rose Parade.  The audio tour can be downloaded from the “podcast” area on iTunes. We did. Since we have small children, we listened to most of it on the car ride there, so it was a good primer for what we were about to see.

If you want to sit down and take a break, check out the 15 minute documentary about the making of a float for the Rose Parade at the 1600 theater at Pasadena High School. It puts some perspective on the massive effort put forth every year. I guarantee you won’t watch the parade the same way.

Some of the highlights of the showcase for me was being able to look into the underbelly of these homemade monstrosities. Many of the ones with heavy animatronics rigs looked like they had full server racks next to the driver’s seats! Sure that is probably on of the geeker fun facts, but it really is interesting to get up close to these works of art after seeing them on TV.

Tags: family fun, fun, holidays

Lethal Snow Globes, Faulty Ski Bindings and Other Holiday Recalls

Now that the gift wrap has been thrown away and hopefully those sugar “highs” have passed, you think you have a moment to kick back on the couch and watch the kids fight over play with their new toys – wrong. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a six pack of recalls on items that may have sitting under your tree or in your kid’s room, so please read on.

Regarding Christmas decorations, there are two recalls – one with an obvious design flaw and the other one maybe not so obvious. We should all know this from 9th grade Science class, if you have a big enough snow globe in the sun for too long it will magnify the sun’s rays and potentially ignite a fire. Hallmark’s Jumbo Snowman Snow Globe (Stock #1XAG5093, measuring 11 by 12 by 17 inches) for a suggested retail price of $99.95, has been recalled due to a potential risk of fire.

Gardner’s Supply Company has voluntarily recalled their Candle Powered Christmas Pyramid (*pictured above). The candle carousels generate heat which rotate the fan blade and can cause the center platform to spin. The candle holder placement on the base of the carousels is too close to the structure, allowing the candle flame to come in contact and ignite different parts of the carousel, including the fans, trees and deer, posing a fire hazard.

Munire Furniture Company is in trouble again this year, they had a sizable recall a few months ago for there Majestic, Flat Top, Essex, Brighton/Sussex, and Captiva Cribs. Now it is there 4-in-1 Newport Rubbed Black Convertible Crib and matching furniture. The red paint beneath the black rubbed paint has been found to have excessive amounts of lead in it. There has been one report of a child ingesting the paint and being diagnosed with lead poisoning. The combined number of units involved in the two sets of Munire recalls is 34,000 so if you have anything with the Munire name on it in you nursery or kid’s room, please read this twice.

In the sports arena there are two additional recalls. Foursquare Outerwear, of Irvine, CA, made a classic fashion faux pas by More »

Tags: classic toys, furnishing, health alert, holidays, kids health, kids room, recall, toys