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• Top 5 Gifts for a Real Man on Fathers Day

  I mean, besides a blow job, a beer cozy and an autographed pre-20th anniversary edition of Steel Magnolias ... What? You expected a sports car too? Or a hall pass to Hooters? Please. This is the 21st Century. If you read any of your Sunday newspaper pullouts this weekend, you'd know the image of a real man has changed from those leather jacket days of that prototypical loner from Happy Days to someone more well-rounded, someone more accepting, someone who gently puts his fist to his chin, furrows his brow and thoughtfully declares, "Why yes, yes I would like a little somethin' somethin' but I'd also like some stemless wine glasses because they just look purty." So this year, screw the countless stereotypes that say dads only want ties, golf clubs and snazzy pleated Dockers. This list reflects the evolving societal perception of dads as knuckle-dragging grunters whose vocabulary centers around words formed with the letters B-E-E-R and takes into account a Big Media shift that has finally learned dads, too, are more nuanced individuals.   Read More... Posted Jun 09 2008, 09:01 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 29 comment(s) Filed under: consumerism, Fathers Day, top 5 gifts, boobs!, steel magnolias, real man

• Budget Baby: What Gear Do You Really Need?

  If you believe the hype, you could think you need to spend thousands of dollars and acquire oceans of crap to properly raise your baby – much of which you'll use once and discover your baby loathes it with all the fury a 10-lb. person can muster. One of the rituals of pre-parenthood is the requisite meltdown in Babies-R-Us when confronted with 30 different kinds of bottles and 50 different strollers, with no clue about what makes one better than the other. But here at Budget Baby we're all about helping you resist the tide of crap while enjoying outfitting your little pumpkin. To that end, I liked this blog entry on Green Baby Guide on "Baby Gear I Lived Without."   Read More... Posted Apr 29 2008, 08:03 AM by AmyinMotown with | with 19 comment(s) Filed under: babies, baby gear, consumerism, monitor, useless, budget baby, useful, Green Baby Guide

• Rock Out with Your Tots Out

  I have listened to so much children's music and heard so many cartoon earworms that when I whistle or hum, the theme-song to "Caillou" usually comes out before one of my favorite grown-up songs. After a while though, it just became background noise, the soundtrack for time when I'm with my son. Apparently some parents can't stand it though, so instead they're snapping up lullaby versions of their favorite Metallica, Pink Floyd, and the Clash albums from stores like Rockabye Baby and Punk Rock Baby. And if the music isn't enough to proclaim your superior musical tastes, you can dress your kids in smarmy Sex Pistols hoodies and "I Hate James Blunt" t-shirts. "In these days of shows like 'American Idol,' the fear of having your children growing up listening to Britney [Spears] or Justin [Timberlake] makes it important to preserve the parents' taste within the offspring," crowed Ian Walker, founder of Punk Rock Baby. Read More... Posted Nov 17 2007, 03:15 PM by Matt Wood with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: music, consumerism

• More Stuff for Father's Day ... Just Not for You

  I mocked a dad for not wanting things for Father's Day. How could he not want a coffee mug? Or a tie? Or even crappy, home-made crayon art work? But now I'm guessing there's quite a few dads out there -- somewhere -- who value family, happiness and social awareness over more important things. And that's where Changing the Present comes in. It's web site that lets you donate to important causes, instead of simply shelling out dough for bric-a-brac and lingerie this Father's Day. For instance, for $50 you can de-mine a sports field. For $20, you can buy 8,000 pounds of carbon to offset something to do with the ice caps. For $75, you can provide healthcare to a needy person for a month. The list of ultra-cool greeny gifts goes on and on -- and I'm beginning to think I might finally have found something better than stuff. (Note that I haven't vetted this site -- so do your homework before donating. But the idea was too good to pass up.)   Posted Jun 06 2007, 07:31 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: father, fatherhood, consumerism, dad, father's day, father's day gift guide, father's day gifts

• Why Sustainable Living Feels So Expensive

  Green living is often associated with wealth, but driving a Prius and shopping at Whole Foods aren't the only means by which families can reduce their impact on the planet.  As this thoughtful and well-written article points out, many families can not afford to eat organic foods or buy fair trade products, but they shop sustainably (thrift stores, consignment shops), use public transportation, and simply buy - and use - less.  Because they have to.  And there's a lesson in that. It's so easy to get caught up in the latest trends in clothing, cars, electronics, that we often forget that "the real question is not how expensive sustainable products are, but how our purchasing habits affect the global population and environment."  In fact, in many ways, living a greener, more sustainable life is about living the way a less affluent family might - conserving resources like fuel, water, and electricity, riding a bike whenever possible, and growing eating home-grown fruits, veggies and herbs. There's no denying that buying green costs more - from cleaning products, to food, to furniture and clothing - but as Tom Kemper of Dolphin Blue explains, when looking at a super store price tag, we are not seeing the true impact of our purchases reflected in the price.  "Please also consider the cost of the loss of resources like habitat; loss of air quality because we use more energy and create more tons of emissions to make virgin-material products; loss of clean water because of unnecessary and excessive bleaching of paper; excessive reliance on oil because every time we don’t recycle and remanufacture a toner cartridge we use another pint of oil; and then, the associated costs to all of us through increased disease caused by pollution, and the transference of cost to each of us through healthcare premiums and medical care. If we now measure all these costs, which are only a portion of the true costs of 'business as usual,' then what are the costs of that cheap paper, or that non-recycled and non-remanufactured toner cartridge?"  Bottom line: buy less, and you can afford to buy better.  Get it? Posted Jun 02 2007, 10:01 AM by Alisyn with | with no comments Filed under: shopping with children, green living, consumerism, sustainable living, dolphin blue

• Single Parents Do It...Better?

  As a single mom, I worry from time to time about the detrimental effect my singletudinous is having on my kids. After all, it was my decision to "rip apart" their family in the pursuit of my own selfish happiness, thus ensuring me a continuous supply of guilt for the next 20 years or so, so shouldn't I just have continued to suck it up and deal for another, what, 13 years until the littlest turns 18? Yeah. Well. In another life, maybe. But like all parents, I still worry from time to time if I'm doing my best. It turns out I could have simply done a little reading and felt much much better, because here's justification for the theory that there are some things that single parents have an easier time with: Read More... Posted May 08 2007, 11:03 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: kids, money, single parenting, consumerism

• My Very First Avatar

  I guess there's this new thing called online communities that all the kids are into. Apparently they even have virtual worlds where you can adopt a persona called an avatar and do everything from slay demons with a broadsword to buy art using virtual money. What will they think of next? Some very smart people realized that there's a market in creating virtual worlds for preschoolers. If you haven't heard, Webkinz are stuffed animals that come with a registration code, so you can log into the site and play with your stuffed animal in cyberspace. You earn virtual dollars by playing online games, which you can then use to buy things for your Webkinz doll. Think Sims for kindergarteners, with less of the frustration. You know, the kind you felt when your Sim was completely unable to score with any potential mates (I'm still bitter). I am fairly anti-marketing for children, to the point where my child has seen maybe three commercials in her life and I think she believes her eyeballs will melt if she watches one all the way through. However, I'm not that freaked about this new development in kid consumerism. Because I recognize that toys are generally marketed to, well, kids, and my child is growing up in an age where virtual reality will be part of her life. We always try and practice critical thinking with advertising, pointing out marketing ploys, asking "Do you think the toy will do all that?" and having conversations about it. If Ganz is going to try and build brand loyalty, we'll discuss that, but with the current fickle climate at our house, I wish them luck in that endeavor. And I'm not particularly bothered by the fact that my child can play with her animal online, as long as we do it the way we do television and cake: in moderation. In fact, when my sister brought home a Webkinz animal, she and my child spent a nice hour poking around the site. Then my kid got bored and wanted to draw instead, while my sister spent the next three hours playing preschool games to earn enough money to buy a swimming pool. (Note to self: daughter is fine, but do not allow sister to play World of War-crack.) Just so you know, I'm the permissive parent in the house, and if you think the Webkinz site is the devil's playground, feel free to share.   Posted May 07 2007, 11:23 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: toys, webkinz, children's games, consumerism, virtual reality

• Slings for Rich Suckers

  OK, people, I don't care how much your credit card limit has been extended this year or how faithfully you read Lucky magazine. Upping the price tag of baby gear every time a celeb shows up at Starbucks with a couture version is just not cool for the rest of us parents who shove coupons in our pockets every time we need diapers and sippy cups. First, it was cheeky onesies and toddler tees. Then bedding. Now, slings have gone the way of the stroller, with brands popping up all over the place with ridiculously high prices. I get the allure. Slings are cool. They were the secret to maintaining the shred of new mama sanity I had and I still rely on my slings to get myself, three suitcases, a car seat, a Pack & Play, two carry-ons, a purse, a husband and my kid through the airport. Slings helped me get my post-partum ass out of the house and sometimes, even get up off the couch for a sandwich and a glass of water while the ever-breastfeeding boy was latched on.Slings are a lot more ergonomic than lugging around an infant in an infant car seat. Slings are made up of gorgeous fabrics that cover up conveniently match the maternity jeans you'll be wearing for 6-8 post-partum months and are a handy conversation-starter with strangers at Target who feel comfortable asking questions like, "Your baby doesn't fall out of there?!" But just because slings are all that doesn't mean that they need to be priced in the hundreds of dollars. Remember! There are women in other countries who carry their kids for years with a simple strip of fabric. They probably think my $50 pouch was a big old  crazy "investment." But what about for weddings, proms and other special occasions?, you ask. Sure, you want to snazzy up your baby-toting crunchy-granolaness. But do you really want to shell out three-hundy for a sling that you know you're going to spill a giant glass of shiraz all over when the baby startles when the Electric Slide song comes on? Or that the wee one is sure to spit up all over once you get really into the Electric Slide? Factor in a thirty-dollar-a-pop dry-cleaning bill and the price seems even more silly. There are lots and lots of mamas out there earning a living by making gorgeous slings. And there are lots and lots of funky, kooky and fabulous styles. Hop on over here or here to find one that suits your style and your budget just fine. Take the extra bills and get yourself something you really need for carrying your kid around: a very quiet, very long professional massage. Posted Apr 26 2007, 09:04 AM by Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: slings, baby carrier, consumerism

• Does Pooping While Playing Count as Multi-Tasking for Kids?

  When it comes to focus, I admit, I am not the best mama role model. I can't get through an episode of American Idol without IMing and I even (gasp) get up every few minutes from Play-Do to refresh the old in-box. I need the radio on while I drive and motherhood has made a master at putting on make-up while wiping a tush and talking on the phone to my single friends who actually wait for their mascara to dry in between coats. We all know that if we did one thing at a time, our kids would never get to school, we'd never answer work emails and we would really never see the outside world. So is all this multi-tasking modeling the reason our tots are engaging in several activities at once, causing marketers to the mini-set to pump their fists and awkardly slap high-fives across cubicles? Are our kids natural over-stimulators or is multi-tasking a new skill set for the toddlers on up? A report to media folk reveals that kids two to ten spend 25% of their time engaged in two or more activities at one time, justifying massive cross-platform marketing to kids into their tweens. Whether it will make your kid the greatest Dora consumer of all time or a highly successful VP of some type-A corporation, your precious child's ability to build and knock down a massive Lego tower while simultaneously filling his diaper without flinching shows mad skills. And maybe, you can pat yourself on the back for that. Posted Apr 20 2007, 01:04 PM by Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: play, consumerism, multi-tasking, marketing to kids