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• Fathers Day Gifts: Last Chance To Blow It

  Peter Hartlaub came up with a great list of what not to get the dad you love for Fathers Day. While I'm not entirely convinced we moms have the sweet deal (how many macaroni necklaces does one woman need?) it's important you don't screw up royally and get the old man something you'll see payback for later. A few people have unintentionally come up with these lists as well, but this is the first and funniest to hit all the key "oh, dad doesn't really care what we get him" presents. I'd also like to add you should avoid anything that is or goes on a keychain unless it's the keys to a new car or something that plays porn. (Nope, I don't really know what that last one means either, but if somebody invents it, I'm totally buying one.) But wait, here's one more really awful gift! Sends a stronger message of resentment and dissatisfaction than even fitness equipment: the Gold Man toilet attachment urinal-thingie. For the guy whose spray is so random, he couldn't hit the toilet if it was swallowing him alive; and now, thanks to the Gold Man, it practically is! Note how the modern lines of the Gold Man make it seem like it's almost moving, a gaping mouth perfect for those with castration fears (a reasonable fear, if you ask me.) Oh, and you can barf in it too. Lovely. This darling contraption can be removed and placed next to the toilet, where I'm sure it will be completely un-funky and never mistaken for a pee-showered trash can. Hey, is "Gold Man" a pee reference? Eeeeeew. Photo credit: Chronicle photo by James Merithew Posted Jun 16 2007, 01:01 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: dads, toilet training, father's day gift guide, Gold Man

• Fedoras, Kayaks, and Other Father's Day Gifts

  Oh yes, it's coming up right quick: Father's Day is looming, and you'd better figure out a gift soon. Luckily, Robyn Moreno, consumer editor for Woman's Day magazine, has come up with the perfect gift list--if you are married to Anderson Cooper. (And by the way, while I think he's pretty smoking, if you are married to him I think there's something you should know...) On Moreno's list are items such as a lovely $380 Stetson fedora from Bloomies, a rotisserie grill, and a friggin' kayak. Or you can get him hiking sandals, great for "a sporty dad, or one you'd like to be more active". Oh, those "I wish you were in better shape you big sluggy loser more active" gifts go over soooo well. I mean, who doesn't love a gift that is also a big fat hint? But perhaps pops secretly aspires to be Hefner- get him the recommended plush terry robe (monogrammed, naturally). Maybe pair it with the $299 margarita maker, because "Dad can easily whip up pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris as well. Let's party!" Oh yes, let's party with our fruity drinks. Sipping a strawberry daiquiri in his monogrammed robe and hiking sandals while roasting ribs with the rotisserie grill, dad will be livin' large. Maybe he can chill in the suggested beach chair, which they try and sell us on by saying, and I quote: "Surf's up, dudes!" Uh oh, I think I just barfed on the rotisserie grill. Must be all the pina coladas. I suppose this is just what you get when you ask Woman's Day for Father's Day gifts. Posted Jun 11 2007, 09:29 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: hugh hefner, father's day gift guide, woman's day, anderson cooper, bbq

• 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

• One-Stop-Shopping for Cool Music and Media at Pokey Pup

  The Pokey Pup is a sweet online resource for parents looking to expand their kid-friendly music and media collection.  Don't roll your eyes - you won't find any heinous "Music Together" or Barney sing-alongs here.   What you will find is cool for all ages, and maybe even something for the hard-to-buy-for dude in your life for Father's Day: classics like The Electric Company Greatest Hits and Bits, and thoughtfully selected discs like The B-52's Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation,  Bruce Springsteen's The Seeger Sessions, and Shonen Knife's Let's Knife - music that is not made with kids in mind, but that kids can appreciate, enjoy, and even learn from. The media section boasts oldie-but-goodie books on CD like Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Dr. Seuss Presents: Greatest Hits, and Casey at the Bat, as well as DVDs like They Might Be Giants Here Come the ABC's and several Pancake Mountain selections, which rock so hard, I watch them without my kids.  There area also some really intriguing "world music" selections that don't include Enya - stuff like New Orleans Playground, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Los Lobos.  You can search the site by age or category, and everything that pops up is virtually guaranteed not to make your ears bleed.  Pretty cool, right? I had no earthly idea that Johnny Cash made a children's album but, thanks to Pokey Pup, it's what my girls are getting their dad for Father's Day!  Check their selection out, and tell me what you were happy to find.  Posted Jun 04 2007, 09:09 AM by Alisyn with | with no comments Filed under: music, media, kids music, DVDs, father's day gift guide, books on cd, pokey pup

• Gizmos For the Daddies

  What do dads and grads have in common, other than, er, rhyming? High-tech toys, of course! That's why the annual Father's Day and Graduation Buyers Guide was launched, with tons of techie stuff dad can play with while he hangs out with the little ones at the park. Many of these gifts are designed to introduce convenience through technology to everyday tasks, thereby necessitating an additional twenty minutes to come up with a shopping list, while papa fiddles with the stylus and pushes forty different buttons. Many of these little devices are pretty cool (make your iPod into a recording studio! Soon our iPods will be calling us "Dave"...) but the guide is a short on the kind of information many dads would need. Like, "Does this thing malfunction if half a cup of baby drool gets into it when my infant uses it for a teether?" Or, "Can it survive a fall from a play structure?" And especially, "Will my partner kill me for playing with this for three hours when I could be cleaning/cooking/taking care of the kids/bringing home a paycheck?" And I have to say, some of it just misses the psychology of the gift-giver. For example, the Ferrari 1000 notebook computer, while it may serve as a nice stand-in penis for those too geeky for a sports car, is a little too pricey for a Hallmark holiday. The gift guide counters that with "if you're looking for a distinctive small and light notebook that will definitely impress your dad or grad, you have to consider this great Acer product." Um, impress? We don't worry about impressing dads. Once they've heard the animal noises you make in labor or just spent some time with you after five weeks of sleep deprivation, that ship has sailed. Posted May 26 2007, 08:00 AM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: dads, technology, father's day gift guide, geek toys

• Father's Day Gift Guide: For The Dad Who Cooks

  The carnage of Mother's Day is barely cleaned up, and it's already time to think about Father's Day. Cooking.com's got a selection of gift ideas for dads, complete with free shipping code. It's kind of an unsurprising list, heavy on grilling accessories and barware. Add a nice omelet pan to the list and it's pretty much tailor-made for the kind of kitchen activities my husband gets up to, so I guess there's a reason for the stereotype.  There are also several knives on the list, for which I assume we can thank Alton Brown and his magical way of making men, at least my man, think it might be fun to chop some shit up. What would I add to this list? Well, one of the best cooking-related gifts anyone ever gave my husband was a set of leather gloves for grilling, which he uses several times a week and which have also come in handy for stoking the logs in our little outdoor fireplace thing. But I'd hate to give my husband the impression that I just want him to cook for me more often. I'm thinking about getting him a nice grill pan or finally giving him the gift of a Kitchenaid mixer, two things that would ensure him a long life of having things grilled for him for a change, and having tasty things baked on his behalf. I'm thoughtful like that. Posted May 16 2007, 01:39 PM by Patti with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: products, shopping, gift ideas, cooking for kids, online shopping, father's day, father's day gift guide