Posts from — October 2005

ConsumerReports.org - Childproofing devices 11/05

If you subscribe to consumer reports then you have probably seen this article. If you don’t, then run to the newstand and pick up the November issue. Anyone that has a newborn and starting to think about baby proofing their house, then this is a must read. We had the benefit of having a baby proofing specialty store around when we had our first child, and their suggestions helped us tremendously. I would highly recommend that you consider the products they suggest and stay away from the ones they rated as “Not Acceptable.” You can click on the link above to read a summary but you will need to subscribe to get the details, but again, it’s worth the subscription.
[Read more →]

Amazon.com: TurboBooster Youth Booster Seat: Victory Print: Baby

This year my son finally became large enough to upgrade from a car seat to a booster seat. Before I began my research on the best one to buy, I have always noticed how cool the Graco Turbo Booster in the super stores (Wal-mart/Target/Sam’s etc.) looked. I immediately dismissed the Graco because something that cool couldn’t possibly be safe. It has cup holders on both sides and an adjustable headrest. My son feels like he is a race car driver when he’s in it.

The Organized Parent I Never Forget a Face Memory Game

This memory game, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell, is a fun matching game and recipient of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Beautiful and challenging, match faces from around the world. A great memory builder. Ages 3 and up.

eBay: Kids First Remote Control Racer Car Best Toy Award (item 6006375369 end time Nov-15-05 08:50:36 PST)

This Remote Control Car has a Powerful chip that sends radio signals across the room.

A toddler’s first remote control
Simple one-button operation
Turns itself around when it hits an obstacle
Transparent hood shows engine working
Flashing lights and sounds

Click on the link above to see the product or visit Bauers Toys for All Ages eBay Store

Like most parents, I like to save money whenever I can. I do a lot of clothing shopping for my son, but I have a system that works well. I buy a majority of his clothing second-hand. In our area, we have a couple of second-hand children’s clothing stores and I would bet that there is one near you if you just look for them. Since my toddler needs new clothes each season, I am constantly shopping for clothes every three months. It doesn’t make sense to spend $25 for one pair of department store jeans, when I can get five pair for that same amount. You would be amazed at how many designer brands that have been barely worn for a fraction of the new retail price. By purchasing a large amount of my son’s clothing in this manner, it allows me to reserve my new item spending for a few choice pieces I just can’t live without.
[Read more →]

A friend of mine forwarded a link to this website and I found it astounding. You can click on the “find offender” button and put in your address or any address you are interested in and find what sexual offenders live or work in the area. Once you are looking at the map, you can click on one of the boxes and see their pictures. This is a must for any parent……

www.familywatchdog.com

To look up offenders is free, but they do offer other paid services that can notify you any time a sexual offender moves in your area.

I went to the Texas state fair the other day with my family and took my digital camera to take pictures that will hopefully make family memories. For the past month, my wife and I have been experimenting with taking pictures of our son and emailing them back and forth on our cell phones. I never dreamed this exercise could potentially help our child.
[Read more →]

Christmas before last I was bombarded with installing batteries for all of my son’s electronic toys. Many required a tiny screwdriver that was not only hard to see, but almost impossible to turn. I ran across an advertisement for this powered mini screw driver and it changed my life. I could now change batteries easily and didn’t have to hunt around in my garage to find the appropriate screwdriver.

I bought a total of three for various parts of my house and started to give them away as gifts to other parents with small children. The product has many more uses, but I am pleasantly pleased with how I use them. The product can be found in many drugstores and can be found on the BacchusLand Family Products ebay store found within the links section of this blog. I pulled this from the manufacturer’s website:

[Read more →]

A buddy of mine at work and I came up with this list of things to do last spring during bad weather. He has 3 and I only have 2, but it has helped a number of times for us. Most are local Dallas, TX activities, but I am positive that you can find something similar in your own area.

1. Children’s Museum (Most major cities have one dedicated to children)
2. Kids Wing of the major Art Museum
3. Aquarium
4. Movies (A no brainer, but we can get more creative than this)
5. Science Museum (Great adventure for kids)
6. Toys R US Jungle Gym (In the TX summer heat this is a must)
7. Merry Go Round at local mall (We have a couple of malls who have installed these)
8. Roller Skating
9. Bowling
10 Build A Bear (A chain found in malls, you can take all afternoon deciding on the many choices)
11. Paint N Party (Arts store where you can pick your piece, paint it and they fire it)
12. Chuckie Cheese
13. Main Event (Similiar to Chuckie Cheese or Dave & Busters)
14. Dave & Busters
15. Bookstore (Barnes & Noble or a half-priced one)
16. Library
17. Ice Cream

The key to this list is to have it handy because you never know when you are going to need it. If you have something to add, please comment.

Most who know me know that I use a palm pilot PDA religiously to organize my life. I started using them several years ago when I was using public transportation to get to work. Like most people at the time, I kept a work calendar at the office and a personal calendar at home. But when I started taking the bus to work, I needed to know what I had on my calendar at work so I could determine if this was a day I needed to drive or dress in a certain manner.

[Read more →]