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• The Real (Nekkid) Housewife of New York City

  I have no shame when it comes to reality TV. The ones that draw me in I will fiercely defend against all cultural snobs who rail on about how they degrade society. For what it's worth, I think said snobs are a bigger drain than any amount of reality TV -- but that's another fight.       Read More... Posted Apr 21 2008, 05:30 PM by Adrienne Martini with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: culture, reality TV, naked, socialites, pretension, real housewives

• My Folks Went To Vegas and All I Got Was Raw Fish

  Get the jump on your summer trip planning. What do you want your vacation to accomplish? Do you want to hang out on the beach with the children? Do you want to tromp through Colonial Williamsburg to learn about early settlers? Or did you have something a little more saucy in mind?         Read More... Posted Apr 10 2008, 05:00 PM by Adrienne Martini with | with no comments Filed under: vacation, culture, Vegas, sushi, gambling

• Date Night Is for Losers

  During a date night dinner last fall, Dana pushed aside a candle, leaned over the clean, white table cloth and confessed that, earlier in the day, she had thought of three things to talk to about. "Just so, you know ..." And I did. I did know. "I thought of a few things, too," I whispered back. And we laughed, shared a toast of wine and conversed about the things we had practiced conversing about until, inevitably, we slipped back into what has become a familiar pattern: talking about our daughter. Read More... Posted Jul 16 2007, 08:29 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: culture, date night, essays, dates

• Will Babies Make Great Lovers?

  Babies that turn to their parents for comfort have better relationships down the road, while babies who show off that head-strong "independent" streak might be in for some relationship woes. This comes from a two-decade study of babies and their relationships with their parents. "If you are more insecure when you are 1, you are more likely to experience more negative emotions in your relationship with your current partner when you are 21," said psychologist Jeffry Simpson. Read More... Posted Feb 13 2007, 08:04 PM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, babies, behavior, parenting philosophies, culture, worried parents, fathers and daughters, study

• Lock Away the Kids and Try the "Wall Kiss" ... If You Dare

  By now you've blackmailed an unsuspecting teenager into babysitting. You've made dinner reservations. Maybe you've bought some jewelry, some roses, a bottle of wine. You're ready to spend some quality time with your spouse while your kids get high on sugar and late-night TV. You're ready for Valentine's Day ... at least you thought so. Mom blogger Susie J. recounts the so many ways I don't know how to say I love you. "Behind the Veil" -- a kiss that involves a sandbox. The wall kiss, movie star kiss, the hot breath kiss, cherry kiss, mafia kiss. I need to start renting better porn or go back to middle school, because none of these are ringing any bells. Read More... Posted Feb 12 2007, 02:57 PM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, Sex, creative, culture, Valentine's Day, babysitters, parenting tips

• A-Rod to Children: Read My Book!

  First there was Terrell Owens' tome about proper Sharpie use. Then came Barry Bonds' how-to guide on syringes. Now, A-Rod is getting into children's books, too. His story, "Out of the Park," is about a boy who does great things throughout the regular season but ultimately chokes in the playoffs. Wonder where he got that idea? OK, OK, so it's not about that. But the story does mirror his life in some ways. The 32-page hardcover book focuses on a young baseball loving boy named Alex and his underdog upbringing. Read More... Posted Feb 07 2007, 04:36 PM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: boy, entertainment, children's books, books, culture, Baseball, Alex Rodriguez

• Chicago Woman Undergoes Labor of Love for Da Bears

  Wow, do I feel sorry for this kid. A Chicago school teacher told doctors to induce labor a few days before her due date -- which was today. Why? So her husband could attend the Chicago Bears playoff game on Sunday. I can only imagine the conversations the poor chap will encounter in years to come. "Hmmm, sorry Mark -- I'd like to attend your first whatever, but the Bears are on, so, well, you know." I told my wife, Dana, about the story. "Isn't that just horrible?" But she called me a hypocrite. "Are you telling me if the (San Francisco) Giants were in Game 7 of the World Series that you'd be there for the birth of our second child? That's rich." OK, so she's right. I'd probably not only miss the birth but possibly sell the baby if I couldn't get tickets. Read More... Posted Jan 22 2007, 01:33 PM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, babies, behavior, sports, preterm labor, culture, family, moms

• Do Playgrounds Need "Play Workers" to Guide Imagination?

  When I was young, the local playground was ruled by the Lava Monster. The monster lurked in the sand, eager to gobble up little boys who fell off the metal-studded wooden structures. When I grew tired of the monster, I stored him away in my imagination, locked him tight in a make-believe world that also included endless supplies of Charleston Chews and large-breasted women. My friends and I didn't need adults to guide us, to "show" us how to pretend -- we just did. Today's kids might not be so lucky. Dad in Progress offers a great breakdown on what could be a scary, helicopter parent-esque emerging trend -- playgrounds guided by adult "play workers" whose job it is to be the freaky guys in yellow caps who stalk your child at the playground. Er, I mean open up new avenues for imaginative play. Read More... Posted Jan 17 2007, 11:51 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: children, kids, games, culture, Playgrounds, Imagination, playtime, play

• Tips For Successful Parentblogging

  In my time wasting serious Internet research of blogs, parent-blogs specifically, I've noticed that the best of them seem to have some things in common: 1.  Long posts, with dialog. 2.  Use of caps. 3.  Use of that word that rhymes with "duck".  4.  Poop.  Case in point:  This post of Mr. Nice Guy's (can you go wrong with a title like "daddypoopy"?  Instantly, you know where you are with this one).  Here's a small snack from the post:  mr and mrs nice guy are asleep, dead to the world in their connubial chamber. it is, unfailingly, somewhere between 6 and 6:30. out of nowhere a child starts yelling.  "MOMMY? moooooooooooommy! poopy! DADDY POOPY mommypoopymommypoopy! poopydaddy!"  then whoever's turn it is to take the morning shift drags his/her sorry ass out of bed and goes into the baby's room. let's say it's me. i walk into her room and the child lights up with glee: "DADDY! IT'S A POOPY!" Daddybloggers, take note!   We mommybloggers have it somewhat easier, as all we have to do is talk about how big our asses are getting, what footwear our spouses have on, the new eyerolling capabilities of our tweens, or what we drank at playgroup yesterday, and we have a post!  Daddybloggers, on the other hand, seem to need to balance humor with sensitivity without actually being Sensitive.  A much harder job, if you ask me.      Posted Jan 14 2007, 08:01 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: culture, poop, blogging, daddyblogging, mommyblogging

• Help Me, I Think I've Become a Grup. Is That Bad?

  I think I only heard this term yesterday:  Grup.  It refers to an old Star Trek episode (which I remember seeing) in which Captain Kirk and pals land on a strange world (didn't they do that in every episode?) where some awful virus knocked out all the grown-ups and the world was ruled by children.  Now, though, according to this excellent in-depth article in last April's New York Magazine, it refers to a new group of parents who still act like children, at least when compared to the parents of yore. Ouch. But look, I have lots of the signs: count with me!  I have an iPod. And I'm plugged in, in public. While listening to Death Cab For Cutie. And I play Sufjan Stevens for my kids (how does New York Magazine know what's on my iPod?  This is eerie!). I have worn nothing but jeans for 10 years. With holes in the knees. zThe sneakers. I haven't worked in an office since 1995, don't shave much anymore (sorry; is that TMI?) - and I just stated so publicly. So....what's wrong with this, I ask you?  Happily, the article ends with this:  "Being a Grup [is]...about re-imagining adulthood as a period defined by promise, rather than compromise." Gee, when you put it that way, it sounds like being a Grup is good (except for the label thing: alternatives, though, all seem to involve a variant of the word yuppie, and we won't even go there).  Is it? So, what about you?  What defines you and the way you parent?  Do you see yourself being similar to your own parents?  Or do you think you're forging a new model of parenthood?  What is the face of parenthood these days?  From Momtinis to The Wiggles, where do you fall? Posted Jan 12 2007, 05:02 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, music, grups, momtinis, culture, clothes