Strollerderby : daddy blogs

Scholastic: Honoring the Mommy Bloggers

JeanneSager — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:29:00 GMT

We - and I do mean we - have become one of those easily mocked groups on the 'net. The mommy bloggers. Hehe.

But blogging about our daily trials and tribulations and our favorite products, throwing out tips and writing out rants, is what makes mom blogs so eminently readable to so many others who are riding the same storms.

Now Scholastic Parent & Child magazine has stood up to take notice. The printed parenting mag has launched its first tribute to its online counterparts with the first Best Mommy Bloggers award.

"There's been an explosion in the number of mommy blogs recently, and we want to increase awareness among our readers about the trend," says Scholastic's editor-in-chief Nick Friedman. "We believe that what mommy bloggers have to say is so relevant to our readers that it's only natural to make a stronger connection."

So what makes them relevant? We talk about what you're thinking about - and we give you a place to have your say on the matter. We wax poetic - at times - about nonsense. But we make up for it with good giveaways (warning, warning, self-promotion alert: check out Mike's rockin' owl or a the kick-butt kool-kid-legs up on my blog), even better recipes (Bakerella, you're the reason my hind end is the size it is), and thoughtful commentary on whatever is bothering us today - and one day might be bothering you.

We are you.

We are parents, living the same situations and the same frustrations, and through the beauty of today's technology, we don't have to do it alone. Sure, there are things that might better be left untyped and photos best left unposted, but real life doesn't have a delete button - and maybe it's appropriate that these things get through to the Internet too.

The mommy blogs and - as Mike and countless others have proven - the daddy blogs have as much of a right to be here and are as deserving as recognition as a HuffPo or an I Can Has Cheezburger.

"Anytime we can help our readers engage with other moms - in this case, moms who experience the universal joys and tribulations of child rearing and live to write about them - we've done a great community service," says Friedman. "We want to draw attention to some mommy blogs that our readers may not be aware of by asking them to nominate their favorites and to vote on the ones like they like best. That's empowering."

So get over to Scholastic Parent & Child. Nominate - by February 13 - your top three, and head back later in the month to vote on the finalists for inclusion in a future issue of the magazine. Need some ideas? Browse around the Web (or check out your favorite SD bloggers home sites - they're listed in our bios at the bottom right) and get nominating.

Because, as Friedman so kindly points out, "Mommy blogs are just plain fun to read."

Strollerderby Playdate: Why Aren't You Outside!? Edition

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Mon, 28 May 2007 11:02:00 GMT

It's a holiday! What are you doing reading this? You should be outside grillin' and getting your High Life on!

But, awww. We really appreciate that you are checking in with us. Just in case you are gearing up for your day with coffee and/or you have to work today (my condolences), let's start your day off correct.

Eden Kennedy's father passed recently, and her posts about him have been so brilliant and so poignant, Fussy is a fitting place to start this Memorial Day. You can just look at the photos of her recent posts to get a sense of her dad. It's an amazing tribute by a daughter to her father.

Creative Type Dad gives us some juicy tidbits to tide us over while he's on vacation. Bon voyage, CTD!

Rita Arens of Surrender, Dorothy asks if working parents are "assholes" over at BlogHer.

Goofy Girl starts a "family fun jar" even though "three-year-olds have no idea about money."

MUBAR gets Facebooked. The horror.

Enjoy your Monday everyone!

Strollerderby Playdate: Curing the "Case of the Mondays" Edition

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Mon, 14 May 2007 11:03:00 GMT

It's Monday and as a parent, especially if you stay at home, you know that this day is the start to a long week. If you're a single parent or parents that work opposite shifts, perhaps it's a day like any other, since you rock stars rarely get the breaks you so desperately need.

But, never fear, some much needed cheer is here. If you're like me and just need to get through the day today, hopefully these bloggers will help you ease into the day with a smile on your face even if you aren't always smiling inside.

Grace Davis "Badass and Botox-free at 50" copied Tori Spelling and bought her dog a stroller.
Creative-Type Dad makes the best of a busted Mother's Day. Blame Canada and his wife's jerktastic boss.
Kimchi Mama Glennia Campbell shares two stories about her mom that will have you clutching your sides with laughter.
Equally funny Lindsay of Suburban Turmoil recounts a blogmom smackdown that alllllmost makes you think its real.
Rustbelt Ramblings is busy with playoff beards and humping buffalos.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Strollerderby Playdate: Random Acts of Randomness

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Tue, 01 May 2007 11:02:00 GMT

Good morning sunshines! I'm back again with today's blog round-up. Ailing 'Derby-er Jessica Ashley (usually in charge of Tuesday's playdate) is too sick to play with us. (Feel better, grrrrl.)

I'm also right in the middle of watching The Bachelor (ducks) so while I wait on the rose ceremony, you know, to find out who else is continuing on this "journey," I'm scanning my Bloglines to see what's going on in the parenting blog world.

Creative-Type Dad is pissed that his beloved KFC is going all healthy.
Ebony Mommy ponders whether she should come out of the blog closet.
This Full House gives birth...to her son's science project.
It's fun with chopsticks at the Other Mother.
Mom and daughter are hanging art over at Wendy Boucher's.

And there you have it. Go visit these fine folks. Oh, and my money's on Tessa.

Strollerderby Playdate: Parents Who Cook Edition

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:03:00 GMT

Happy Monday! It's the start to another week, a week in which you may or may not be turning off the TV or eating local. Whatever you've got going on this week, you've gotta eat, right? And the kids. The kids do, too.

Stroll with me as we check out what yumminess parents around the interwebs are cooking up.

Foodmomiac is a Chicago mama who has been testing our her local CSA delivery. I don't know about you, but I'd eat that.
New Jersey-based Izzy's Mama has been making cupcakes and Izzy's been reviewing them.
My friend Darlene has been dreaming about hummus in Portland.
Picky Fingers in San Francisco has me wishing our Hawaii trip were tomorrow instead of a month away. Aloha pork, indeed.

Strollerderby Playdate: Daddybloggers

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:03:00 GMT

Any of you that follow my personal blog know that I love me some Daddybloggers. (You also may know that I don't often use the phrase "I love me some" but it seemed to work here) There aren't as many of them as there are of the Mommybloggers (I apologize to those of you who are offended by this term. It doesn't bother me.) but there are a lot of them out there, and there are a lot of really great Daddy Blogs out there. Let's see what my interweb boyfriends are up to this week:

Cynical Dad thinks he is raising a kindergarten aged sociopath.

Rude Cactus had a very strange day. (This involves an illustration of a public restroom. You should really go look.)

The AARP is trying to recruit Dad2Twins even though he is not yet "of age".

Somebody lost Kemp's airplane.

Matthew's kids keep talking about their butts.

There are more out there, I assure you. Don't be sad. I'll be back next week with some more Dad Blogs to keep you busy.

Strollerderby Playdate: Blogs You Should Be Reading

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:01:00 GMT

"Happy" Monday. I know, so grab a cup of coffee and tell the kids you need some "time to wake up." We're about to introduce you to five bloggers you should be reading, and if the next time you look up at the clock it's lunch time...oh well!

Baby Daddy is writing a blog for and about his yet-to-be-born babe. And his wife doesn't know it.
If you love mod design, mod products, and mod gear, you need to read Mod*Mom. She has an eye like no other.
So honest. So raw. So full of love for his family. If only all dads could be African American Dad.
One of the most beautiful souls in the blogosphere has to be Mom on a Wire. Go read her now. "Naked" blogging at its finest.
For the inner cowpoke in all of us (okay, not me, but I love this blog anyway) you must read the highly addictive Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. Her man is hawt, her photos are amazing, and her cooking will make you drool all over yourself. This is the first blog I read everyday.

Strollerderby Playdate: Easter Around the Blogosphere

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:01:00 GMT

Strollerderby Playdate is a new daily feature which covers the latest happenings in the parent blog world. Got a mom or dad blog you'd like us to know about? Holla at us in the comments.

As I sit on the couch with my laptop in food coma caused by eating too many pig-related products in one sitting (followed by pink cake), I thought I'd check in to see how parents around the blogosphere spent their Easter Sunday.

In the Easter Egg Hunt category we have cute photos from Quick Serve Kids, Here and There, and (from Hawaii) Wireless Lanai.
Freitas Family shares her family's egg-coloring adventures.
Tanyetta, whose husband just returned from Iraq, shares a touching Easter sentiment.
Bad Bad Ivy shares tips to slow the sugar rush. (I don't know about you but there's way too much candy up in this piece.)
Chris from Notes From the Trenches realizes too late that the "Easter Bunny" effed up the Easter baskets this year. At least as far as her three-year-old is concerned.

Sounds like a wonderful (and typical) Easter was had by all. And I'd just like to add that potato gratin and savory bread pudding have no business being in the same meal...but, man, it was worth every bite.

Colbert Report Uncovers Growing Menace: SAHDS

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 02:19:00 GMT

There's a problem in America -- a "horrible, unsolvable problem," according to the Colbert Report. I have to admit when I saw the news story, I was shocked, shocked! to see this is happening in modern-day America. It says something about our country, about who we are as a people. And it's not good.

According to the show, it seems dads are, gasp, staying home to raise their children! While their wives return to work! I have never been more repulsed in all my life. I share your outrage, Stephen Colbert -- this is "part of a dangerous movement that is threatening the American way of life." And it's about time we do something about it.

Find out more about the horrible outrage at the At Home Dad Newsletter -- where a video of Colbert's investigative report is online for all to see. There's also an interview with Eamon Stookesberry, the at-home dad who very bravely stood up for all to see just how big this problem is, this "spectre of SAHDS."

Please join me in writing to the Colbert Report to express your outrage and adamant desire that one day we'll be able to stamp out this insidious trend.

The Key to a Successful Parenting Blog: Don't Take Yourself too Seriously

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 14:34:00 GMT

The Birmingham News says that the best mom and dad blogs don't take themselves too seriously. I concur. Most of the parenting blogs that I read regularly lean toward the self-deprecating and sarcastic. This article named a couple of blogs that I'm sure everyone is familiar with (Dad Gone Mad, Breed 'em and Weep, Suburban Turmoil) and points out that you can tell just from the name that these people aren't afraid to laugh at themselves.

In my humble opinion (see, there is that sarcasm again) parenting is a tough job. It is a great job, but it is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and let's face it - kids can be frustrating. If we weren't laughing at ourselves, we would probably be crying. Plus, no two children are the same (even twins) and those parents who are convinced that their way is the only way bug the shit out of us. Nobody likes a know-it-all. And so far nothing has convinced me that In don't really know anything as much as my daughter has. And she is not even three years old yet. I can't wait until she is a teenager.

Dads Are Bloggers, Too

JasonAvant — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:39:00 GMT

When I first started blogging, shortly after the birth of my son, I was sure I’d find a legion of fellow dads, sharing their experiences with the rest of the Internet. My reasoning seemed logical; since the print publishing world pretty much ignores the other half of the parenting equation, there must be some other source of great writing on fatherhood. Well, I didn’t find anything close to the sheer volume of mommybloggers – in fact, for a while there were only a handful of blogging dads out there, the few, the proud. These days, I’m happy to say that there are quite a few of us, and many of them are producing some excellent writing. Many of them are also very well known, and while I was mulling over who I should include in this list, it seemed to me that this would be a good opportunity to put the spotlight on some of my favorite bloggers who are flying under the radar. A dad’s world is just as compelling as a mom’s; perhaps more so, as one is not likely to find our stories on the bookshelves or the magazine racks. So I give you four of my favorite sites, in no particular order. Each brings a unique take on fatherhood to the virtual table, and each is definitely worth your time.

Flailing My Arms: Jonathon Morgan is a twentysomething Austin dad; he deserves a medal for raising a toddler without a dishwasher. His posts are what you'd expect from an Austinite: down to earth, cool, with a heart as big as Texas itself. And you know you’re in good hands when Cleveland seems like a magical place.

Velcrometer: You may know him as M. Giant; in real life Televison Without Pity's master recapper is known as Jeff Alexander. He brings the same razor-sharp wit to his tales of fatherhood, and provides the occasion bit of good advice. For instance, here's his take on why you should not go see the movie Take The Lead: "Take every ballroom dancing movie and every teacher-makes-a-difference-in-the-lives-of-inner-city-kids-who-in-real-life-would-have-knifed-him-in-the-first-reel movie, scan them all into Final Draft, print it out, throw the whole thing off a freeway overpass and pay homeless guys a buck each to recover as many pages as they can, cast Antonio Banderas, and there you go."

The Blue Sloth: This one sneaks up on you, with quiet, subtle prose that pulls you in. No surprise that the author is a soccer player; the payoff here is not necessarily the goal, but the passing, the footwork, the movement off the ball. The anonymous author shows us the difference between mere blogging and honest-to-God writing.

Mother-Woman: Wait a sec, you say. That doesn't sound like a daddy blog. Ah, but it is. Mo-Wo and her husband P-Man are the co-parents; they divvy up the blogging chores. I'd say it's high time for some parity in the title - this is 2007, after all, and dads are more involved in raising their kids then ever before - but that doesn't keep me from making this very smart and very quirky site a regular stop.

So there's my Four To Watch in '07. What daddyblogs are you reading?

CNN and Parenting.com Offer Daddy-Baby Bonding Tips

JasonAvant — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:20:00 GMT

As a blogging dad, I'm always happy when I come across articles geared towards fathers. It's a major complaint among dads - there's just not a lot of helpful info out there for us. As we know from countless parenting publications and websites, today's dads apparently do little more than work, watch TV, and stand around in the front yard drinking beer and saying "yup" to each other. Yes, we're complete idiots, and if raising the kids were left to us, the world would face a future that makes the movie Children of Men look like Family Affair. Why, just last week, my wife had to tell my that "Toss The Plugged-In Toaster Into The Tub" was not an appropriate game for the kid and I to play during bathtime. Who knew?

So I'm pleased as punch to highlight the following CNN/Parenting.com article, which gives some helpful hints for dads on how they can bond with their kids. Actually, it gives some helpful hints to moms on how they can get dads to bond with their kids, because it's axiomatic that dads wouldn't read a parenting article unless it featured pictures of Angelina Jolie breastfeeding. The piece offers up some great advice for moms. Go buy a baby sling together, so that Dad can wear the kid around, presumably when he's out playing touch football with the guys while you're slaving over a hot stove! Let Dad take the kid on a car ride - Dad and the guys can toss the kid in the minivan when they go to the tittie bar while you're slaving over a hot stove! And - this next bit is sure to generate controversy, and frankly I don't know if we as a society are ready for it - have Dad change the occasional diaper! (Note: moms, you'll need to step away from the hot stove and talk your man through this, as numerous studies prove that dads simply lack the mental capacity to swap out a soiled Pamper.)

This is the first in a series of articles geared towards helping today's fathers navigate their way through the labyrinth of parenthood. Next week: "Teaching Dad To Chew Gum and Walk At The Same Time".

USA Today Showcases Hipster Dads

JasonAvant — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:18:00 GMT

Some backstory: I was stoked to join the Babble collective, not because the writers were "hip" and urbane (it can be argued that I am neither - the last accessory I bought for myself was one of these, because it's the same bag used by Agent Bauer, and now I have a JackSack! Cool!), but because the site devotes an (almost) equal amount of bandwidth to dads. This is a rare thing in the world of parental publications.

Today's edition of USA Today offers up a brief take on the "hipster dad phenomenon". With Neal Pollack's Alternadad hitting the shelves, there's been a bit of murmuring in traditional print media about the nature of modern fatherhood. Olivia Barker's piece, unlike some of the borderline snide "reporting" on "hipster dads" that we've seen of late (I'm talking to you, New York magazine), presents a pretty positive take on this segment of the dad population.

One of my biggest beefs, as a father and as a writer, is the almost complete lack of media attention paid to dads; even so-called "parenting" magazines skew heavily toward mothers, and as Rebel Dad Brian Reid points out, it's hard out here for a daddy writer. Whether or not you buy into the concept of the hipster dad (I kinda don't), it's good to see that there's (fingers crossed) a growing interest in the other half of the parenting equation.

Big City Parents Representin' in the Blogosphere

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 19:04:00 GMT

Strollerderby has been billed as a news and information blog with a hip, urban vibe, which, if you know what that means, please explain it to me. (I'll be at Target buying designer knock-offs, but I'll check the comments as soon as I get back.) Actually, our editors have done a fine job of explaining that to me, and I hope that whether you are in a city or in the 'burbs, hip or unhip and pop music-addicted like me, you find something that appeals to you here.

Urban parents (of which I am one) definitely have to deal with stuff that suburban parents don't. For example, we have two kids and no parking (no garage, no parking space) so getting to and from the car is sometimes a challenge, especially when I don't remember where I've parked. Our kids play on asphalt. We have no drive-thru anything and that is probably the number one thing that pisses me off about living in a city. I've frequented parks that, at night, double as ground zero for Norteños vs. Sureños turf wars, and steered my kids away from play structures adorned with used condoms and spent hypodermic needles.

Livin' just enough for the city, indeed.

If you live in a 600 square foot apartment with two kids, or you've considered having a kidney harvested to pay for your child's private school education since public schools in your city suck ass, you might also be interested in reading some fine blogs by urbanite parents like you. (Or maybe-not-so-much-like-you-but-you-can-relate.)

New York City: DaddyTypes, (our own) MetroDad, and Mom-101

Los Angeles: Creative Type Dad, (our own) Dad Gone Mad and Girls' Gone Child, L.A. Daddy, and Tiny Coconut.

Boston: Boston Mommy

Chicago: Foodmomiac, Sassafrass

Detroit: Sweet Juniper

Nashville: Suburban Turmoil, Bad Bad Ivy

San Francisco: Post Hip Chick and yours truly.

Toronto: Her Bad Mother

Enjoy, and feel free to add your big city faves in the comments!