Babble

I can pretty much sum this up in a few words, as did the three-year-old girl seen here (after the jump): "Don't talk back to Darth Vader." There's also some stuff about the "shiny guy" and stuff "we blowed up". Oh, and Obi Kenobi disappears sometimes. But don't you wish you could peer inside your kid's ...

What makes kids happy? For most parents, this is an all-consuming question as we fight to create a good life for our kids and make sure they have the tools they need for a good life. We know that "stuff" doesn't make them happy, inasmuch as the sellers of "stuff" would like us to think it does. So what does? Knowing the ...

Baby Nikes. Cute, but unnecessary. Classic (ugly-as-hell) white orthopedic-looking baby shoes? Also don't really do a damn thing. Nope, if it wasn't for the cold and the rocks and sticks and dirt and stuff outside, babies wouldn't need shoes at all. Wanna know what we've been wrong about when it comes to babies and shoes? Baby ...

I don't have much time, and neither do you! Uh, you do want to look and feel your very best when you turn on the TV tomorrow to vicariously suck in your stomach and march down that red carpet, right? I mean, millions of people will be watching you maybe one or two random kids may pay you attention beyond "I'm hungry" or ...

Why yes, the antibiotics have taken hold and I'm feeling much better, thanks! It seems, though, that one of us here at Strollerderby stole the damned tiki and until it gets hurled back into the volcano we're still gonna be dropping like flies. Still, those who weren't throwing up or recovering from various other mysterious maladies or ...

My daughter claims she's a ninja, and I believe her. She also has an older brother deep into some semi-imagined ninja culture. Coincidence? Hardly. Today, though, she put her ninja mask aside and is dressed provocatively as Padme Amidala in her homemade version of the outfit at right. At 8, does she know it's sexually provocative? I hope ...

If kids could skip an entire year and go from one to three, that would be just fine with me. My younger son is in the throes of the Two's about now (even though he's four, just doing things on his own timetable), and it is like living with the Toddler From Hell.  At that point they are all action and will, but little direction. So ...

That is, if love equates to "quality time." New study blah blah blah says that first-born kids get more of mom and dad's time than the rest of the brood. Um, like this is news? Any parent-of-one upgrading to parent-of-more-than-one knows it's an exponential leap in the time and energy required, not to mention, weirdly, the number ...

I admit it, kaleidoscopes are one of my all-time favorite toys. You can waste a LOT of time looking into one and admiring the ever-changing effects by simply rotating a few colorful pieces of plastic. And kids can be persuaded it's a fun time-user as well. So don't you want to impress your kids me by making your own? All you need is a pill ...

I just made a hot meal involving fresh veggies and brown rice in ten minutes. Ten minutes, people! And it didn't involve a microwave or anything frozen. I'm still a little breathless from the experience, actually. First times are like that. And I would do it again any time. You just need to have a few basic things on hand, most of which ...