Strollerderby : blog

Best of FameCrawler - Week of April 10th

Whit Honea — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Uncle Jimmy Fallon Uses Twitter to Fight Slight

Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Was Jon Given A Sports Car For Another Season?

Tennis Pro Lindsay Davenport Hoping for a Tomboy

Gwyneth Paltrow: Shampoo Is Harming Our Kids

Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady and 'Their Son' On the Beach

Pete Wentz Plays With Strippers, Sends Ashlee Home With Bronx

Spike Jonze Has Potty Training On The Brain: Everyone Poops Video

Sarah Michelle Gellar is Pregnant

Update: Jon & Kate Gosselin Talk About Their Marriage Rumors!

Controversy City Continues: Levi Johnston Dishes More About Palins

Octomom - I'll Never Take Government Assistance, Oops I Lied!

Nicole and Joel's Spur of the Moment Wedding Ruined by Zac Efron's Family - Video!

Babble Podcast for January 26, 2009 (now with a working player)

Brett Singer — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:41:00 GMT

Here is the ninth Babble Podcast.

You can either listen right here

or download the MP3 file by clicking here.

On today's episode:

1.    Quick news update:
- Obama goes after Limbaugh, kind of.
- Rod Blagojevich (who I've decided to start calling B-Rod) is just a bundle of fun
- The Dark Knight did not get nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Some guy in his mother's basement is weeping.
2.    The Week in Blog
- Linda Ellerbee, mini cameras (not Mini-Me), and Jason Wu.
3.    Comment of the Week
- Sarcasm? Or something else?

Notes on this podcast:

Songs parodied:

- Los del Río, Macarena

Posts mentioned:

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Parents Who Waited Decade to Report Son Missing Now Murder Suspects

A Camera for the Mini Photog

Star Baby: Who is This Caped Crusader?

What Should Malia & Sasha Wear to the Inauguration?

Sasha Gives Barack Obama a 'Thumbs Up'

Video: Obamas' Inaugural Ball First Dance & Michelle Wears Jason Wu

Explicitly Nude: Madonna's Photo Up For Grabs

Sarah Palin Says Leave My Kids Alone

Morning News - Obama, Limbaugh, Cheese

Third Printing For Obama/Spider-man Comic Book

VIDEO: O'Reilly Upset About Two Year Old Bashing Bush

Is The Peanut Allergy Scare Overblown?

Past Podcasts

Babble Podcast for January 12, 2009

Brett Singer — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:24:00 GMT

Here is the eighth Babble Podcast.

You can either listen right here

or download the MP3 file by clicking here.

On today's episode:

1. Quick news update:
- Barack Obama is a celebrity? How about Bristol Palin?
- Al Franken won – maybe.
- The Jets didn’t make the playoffs, which is worse than the Giants losing to the Eagles. Not much worse. But worse.
2. The Week in Blog
- A six-year-old driving to school alone, extra nipples, and Jett Travolta.
3. Comment of the Week
- Nobody ever claps for parents. Today, we fix that.
4. The Last Word
- The Wii Fit lets me work out in my living room, away from the freaks at the gym.

Notes on this podcast:

Songs parodied:
- The Knack, My Sharona

Songs mangled:
- Led Zeppelin, Immigrant Song

Posts mentioned:

Parents Wait a Decade to Report Missing Child

Six-Year-Old Drives Himself to School After Missing Bus

Mom-to-Be Has Two Vaginas, Two Uteruses

Tripp Palin's Name Explained

Extra Nipples, Anyone?

Yup, This is a Fairy Door

Sasha Obama Brought Something Ugly To School

Update: John Travolta Son's Death Details & Statements

John Travolta's Son Dies

Funeral For Jett Travolta In Ocala

Stuff You Never Thought You'd Say -- Winter Edition

UPDATE: Kid Kissing A Pig - The Musical

Should Homeschooling Parents Be Certified?

Mom Saves Kids From Sinking SUV

More News About Missing Child Adam Herrman

Past Podcasts:

Babble Podcast for December 15, 2008

Babble Podcast for December 8, 2008

Babble Podcast for November 24, 2008

Babble Podcast for November 17, 2008

Airing the Parental Dirty Laundry

Brett Singer — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

If you blog, you presumably want readers. And one way to do that is with a snappy headline. One could borrow from supermarket tabloids and go with something sensational and completely fake -- "Sarah Palin Gives Birth To Three Headed Alien" – that would do it. But if you blog about family matters, the truth can work just as well.

For example: this post on Yahoo! Shine.

My son is home!!! And I am really mad at his father.

The title got me to click and see what the heck was going on.

The first sentence was a grabber:

I recently wrote a blog about how I hate it when my son goes to his father's for Christmas.

Then it got better:

So many of you left very nice comments about my tough time while he is gone. There were a few that said I was being petty. Let me Go deeper into this........

I started to feel like a voyeur. This was pretty personal stuff. But it's not like I'm looking in the author's window. I'm reading something she posted on the Internet.

I'm not sure what the initial post was about, but this one tells the tale of a father who brought his son home after Christmas with an injured thumb. The mother was mad because the kid should have gone to the emergency room, and thinks that pop was too cheap to pay the seventy-five dollar co-pay. The injury is described in "ER"-level detail: "When I picked him up, it was black and purple and he could not bend it. We went immediately to the ER. After 2 shots of pain killer, they drilled 2 holes in the nail to relieve the pressure." Presumably the couple is divorced and the boy was spending the holidays with his father, although the post doesn't say that explicitly.

So here's my question. Is this fair to the kid, the father, and everyone else involved? Most of us who blog, whether for pay or play, reveal certain details. But it's one thing to talk about a goofy thing your three year old told you. It's another thing to reveal personal details like the ones on this particular Shine post.

It could be a generational thing. I'm selective about what I share with the world, and I think most folks are. Other people don't mind putting it all out there. (That's why Facebook is so successful.) In this case, I imagine that posting these personal details is therapeutic for the author. It is also interesting to other people; the post has over 100 comments. But if I'm the father, I'd be irritated.

Of course, if I'm the father and I really didn't take my son to the emergency room because I didn't want to spend seventy-five dollars, I'm also a major league jerk. Part of the problem, of course, is that we don't know what the father did or didn't do. It's possible that he weighed in with a comment; I haven't read them all. Still, judgments will be made – by me, the commenters on Shine, and commenters here. That's the nature of blogs. Once it's out there, it's out there. But is there a line that we shouldn't cross when kids and/or our significant others are involved? Can there be such a thing as too much sharing online?

Source: Yahoo Shine

Image (which is completely unrelated to this topic): sas.org.uk

Is Miley Cyrus' First Photo Shoot Creepy?

Baby Bikini and Pregnant Man Top 2008 Weird News List

Babble Talk: Did Mommy Get New Boobies?

A Quiverfull Of Kids

Working Parents Smackdown Part 2 – Dads With Jobs vs Moms With Jobs

Working Parents Smackdown Part 1 - SAHD vs SAHM

Babble Podcast for December 15, 2008

Brett Singer — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:12:00 GMT

Here is the seventh Babble Podcast.

You can either listen right here

or download the MP3 file by clicking here.

On today's episode:

1.    Quick news update:
       - Shoes thrown at the President. It's not funny. Well, it was a little funny. And strange.
       - Big time fraud report: Bernard L. Madoff, Marc S. Dreier, and Rod Blagojevich.
         Rod isn't really a fraud case, I guess. But it fits.

2. The Week in Blog
- Kid hangs with an orangutan, a medic alert bracelet that's fashionable, Kerri Russel stripping.Well, not stripping exactly. Strips down. Whatever, just listen.

3. Comment of the Week
- Can we tie Rod Blagojevich to Obama? No? Can we try?

4. The Last Word
- Memo to McCain supporters: he lost. Obama won. Election's over. Deal with it.

Notes on this podcast:

Songs parodied:

- Hey There Delilah, Plain White T's

Just the one this week, but it is an epic tale of true love between a New York Yankee third baseman and one of the most popular pop stars of all time. Both of whom have young kids and should probably stop being so irritating in the public eye. All the time.

Posts mentioned:

Toddler Befriends an Orphaned Baby Orangutan

Bronx, Zuma Don't Make Top 2008 Baby Names List

A Guy’s Take on Stay at Home Moms and Dads (Part 1: The Cons)

Babysitter Made Pornographic Film With 2 Year Old

Students Watch Autopsy of Teen From School

Sweet Angel Child's Bracelet

Stuffed Alphabet Set

Stylish Medical Alert Bracelet

Details: Keri Russell Strips Down

Confirmed: She's Pregnant!

Kate Winslet Keeps Nude Scenes Real

Morning news: What's the Matter with Illinois?

Half Price Toys at Target

Movie Review – "Delgo"

Announce Your New Addition With Panties: Male Perspective

New Zealand Girl Treated Successfully With Cord Blood

Rite Aid Says They Will Stop Selling Expired Baby Products

Past Podcasts:

Babble Podcast for December 8, 2008

Babble Podcast for November 24, 2008

Babble Podcast for November 17, 2008

Would You Ditch a Pro-Gay Blog Mama?

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:01:00 GMT

A friend of mine wrote a heartfelt, personal rebuke of a proposition in California that would ban gay marriage, and what does she get for merely voicing her opinion?

Readers began unsubscribing themselves from her blog.

I get that people disagree on this issue -- but have we reached such a cultural schism that we no longer tolerate even talking about tolerance? I'm hopeful for tonight's election, but man, I am so ready for it to be over.

Parenting: What's In It For Me?

Kelly Mills — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:07:00 GMT

You know, when you decide to make the plunge into parenthood, there's likely some hidden expectation about what having kids was going to do for you. I think I had some weird romantic notion about becoming a gentle earth mother serenely rocking my sleeping infant as I finally understood all the mysteries of the universe. Of course, I now look back on my child's infancy and can count the serene moments on zero fingers. I mean, really. Colic. Sigh. The only mystery I wrestled with was how any one child could make such a horrific noise for so damn long.

Anyhow, I thought of this when I read this excellent post on the Alpha Mummy blog, which I clearly liked alot. She lists some great benefits of parenting, like realizing that everything in the whole world is a phase (we'll even be able to say goodbye to Crocs one day!), and developing a work ethic that would make the driven pre-kid you look like a total slouch. So anyhow, what did you get out of becoming a parent?

Working women wisdom

Ten Childish (and Childless Things)

Best of FameCrawler: Week of April 4

Whit Honea — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Kate Hudson Is a Strict Mom

Video of Celebrity Babies with Secret Super Nanny: The FameCrawler April Fools

Robin Williams and His New "Nanny"

Katie Holmes' New Haircut: Fug, Or Just Sorta Fug?

Courteney Cox Wants Another Child

Jamie Lynn Spears in Hustler!

Future Mother Of George Clooney's Children Skanks It Up

Piping Hot: Giada De Laurentiis Has a Baby Girl

Suri Sighting! Suri Sighting!

The Bonham-Carter-Burtons Talk a Walk With Baby

Strollerderby Playdate: Because 8 Wasn't Enough

Madeline Holler — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:15:00 GMT

What is wrong with these people? One woman, along with her husband and five kids (yes, five), invited her sister, brother-in-law and their 2.5 kids (baby to hatch soon) to come and live with them, together, under one roof. "Temporarily." (I know.)

This "temporary" arrangement has been going along for at least a year now and I don't see any posts of scratched-out eyes or lawyers or anything. Just lots and lots of names of kids which I'm pretty sure even the grown-ups don't actually remember. The bloggers provide a nice cheat-sheet of the cast for the rest of us.

Besides being the premise of a great reality show, for those of us who don't relate to the women of Orange County, there's some real drama, here. Amy, for one, is a bit jealous of her sister Keri at the moment. Also, one of the boys is autistic (and spending six months in a hospital away from home.) How do you get through those kinds of challenges without feeling exposed, even if it is your sister? Also, who's actually the boss -- there's always a boss, right?

The two acknowledge that it's not always great. Here's how they seem to make it work. (1) the house has eight bedrooms. (God, where is this? A plantation in the antebellum South?) (2) the sisters seem really nice. (3) the sisters are ignoring their mother's advice to them as children and not expressing every damn problem they have with each other. They're really sucking it up. (4) they recognize the fact that they have FREE BABYSITTING. (Actually, maybe that was ME who recognized it. Wonder if my sister wants to move in ...)

So Amy and Keri of Who Else Wants to Live In My House are today's playdate. If they have room. And enough snacks to share.

Oh, oh, one more playdate surprise: that sister Amy? She's totally Strollerderby's Amy Lutz! No secrets now (like she had any living with 11 other people?)!

Strollerderby Playdate: The Awful Blog I Can't Stop Reading

Madeline Holler — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:32:00 GMT

How can it be that I am a regular reader of this blog? I mean, you could hardly call it a blog -- she posts only once or twice a month, it's not terribly interesting, it's surrounded by ads for gentle yet overpriced baby laundry detergent that you don't even need.

And it's her! Her! I don't even like her! I am not interested in her! I do nothing but criticize and disagree with her. I didn't watch her on TV before and, now that she's back, I still don't. I won't! Yet, I read her blog. I check it for updates, feel let down when there are none. I find myself identifying with her truly mundane stories and smiling at -- and I mean this in the rudest ways -- the very unfunny funny things she strains to write. Please, what is wrong with me?

Somehow, I have let Elisabeth Hasselbeck get under my skin and into the heart of my web browser. Bafflingly, I don't consider the three minutes I put in each month checking out her posts -- she doesn't even have links or games or a photo album to look through! -- wasted time. How could I? I love reading it! But shouldn't I hate myself a little more for loving it? Shouldn't I want to soak in a tub of scalding hot water and gentle Dreft soap bubbles?

It's like the playgroup I go to again and again. The membership is dwindling, the only mom who shows up is the one you have nothing in common with. Nothing! But I keep going -- once or twice a month -- to not connect, to not agree, to not enjoy. Why go? Why not.

Strollerderby Playdate: BlogHer hangover

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:01:00 GMT

It's supposed to be about networking and empowerment and business and everything else, but all I heard leading up to the great ~~hot mom orgy~~ Chicago blog conference known as BlogHer was the cocktails.

Sad to say, it's come to an end. From the looks of things, Elizabeth Edwards brought it. Big time. While others shamelessly marketed themselves like street corner ~~hookers~~ sandwich board bloggers.

Thankfully what happens in Chicago, stays, er ... follows you around the blogosphere like that horrible high school nickname that just never went away. (Who knew "two-minute man" wasn't an homage to the great blues song? Huh.)

So let us know -- what was the best part this year? Was it worth the trip? Are you out of bed yet? Are you even home yet?

Amanda at GoodyBlog helped host a cocktail party. I love her already.

Alex at Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting had a great time -- especially at the children's museum mixer. (You leave the kids and go to a kids' place?)

Apparently some people focused on business.

Others forgot things.

And some skipped it altogether, though they stay tuned via video.

Strollerderby Finishline: Y Chromosomes Unite!

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:31:00 GMT

Finally! Another co, er, rooster in the hen house. Please welcome Chag of Cynical Dad to the SD this week. He's fitting in quite nicely, what with references to bongs and vodka. Well done, my friend. Well done.

And thank god he's here. It's been a busy, exciting week -- now that the greatest parenting invention in the world has gone on sale. That's right, I'm talking about the MIOpup. It's finally here! And there was also something about an iPhone or whatever. Who can keep up?

Of course, we'll try.

This one was way, way too easy, because I think we all know Rachael likes to put her top down ...

Alisyn speaks the international language of peepee.

Congratulations to Kelly, who has survived another year. And thrown some wicked cool parties along the way. Happy Birthday Kiddo!

I may be the only one in the world to see a dark side of the iPhone. But you have to admit, that's one cute kid! Probably gets it from her mother. (God I love that photo, hence the reposting. Sorry. I'll stop.)

Pierre unearthed a video that made me think twice about having a teenager.

This is just one of the many, many reasons why Patti is unbelievably cool.

Sarah's pushing to get out the toddler vote. Hey, works in Chicago.

Jessica's take on board games is right on. Those things kill me, slowly. Thankfully there's alternatives.

Melissa is anti-American. Who can hate rhinestones? They worked so well for Sylvester Stallone. (Every young girl's role model.)

Gwynne joins the ranks and urges parents to conspire.

Neither Stefania nor Karen wrote anything of importance this week. (That's what you guys get for taunting me all week about your vacations and yummy food. Suck it, sistas!)

Strollerderby Playdate: Blogs By the Man

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:02:00 GMT

Most of the time I go to newspaper web sites to read about the events of the day or to find out whether Dick Cheney has officially taken over yet. But there a few newspapers I go to largely for the blogs -- the parenting blogs.

Sure, they're brought to you by The Man -- corporate honchos who just wanted to show they, too, can find their way around the intertubes. But, thankfully, the blogs themselves are written by dedicated, whip smart reporter parents who tackle everything from work-home balances to nostalgia for their own childhood.

Here are the best of the web:

Of course, I have to lead with the San Francisco Chronicle's The Poop -- not because I'm biased in any way, but because Peter Hartlaub really knows what he's doing.

The Wall Street Journal's The Juggle is never afraid from tackling tough issues.

And neither is the Washington Post's On Balance, where Rebel Dad also chimes in every week.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer's "Working Dad" covers everything from fun contests to parenting crises.

Any more?

Strollerderby Playdate: San Francisco Dads

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:01:00 GMT

One of my favorite dad bloggers, Doodaddy, just came out of the closet. He hid his secret life so well, but you can only ignore nature for so long. So, he did what he had to do. He told his wife.

"Honey, I'm a blogger."

Good for you, Doodaddy!

If you haven't been reading him, check him out right. now. Doodaddy shares his life as a stay-at-home dad in San Francisco with honesty and humor and plenty of late nights. Thankfully, he's not alone.

There are plenty of great dad bloggers in Baghdad by the Bay, even if the best of us struck out for warmer climes not too long ago.

Henri's Corndog and Rootbeer details what it's like to spend all your takeout money on childcare. And he's got fabulous, fabulous photos and captions.

It's not a blog, per se, but Great Dad still has wonderful resources for SF dads and those in other areas, too.

Daddy Dialectic is a great dad co-op featuring the best in current events and parenting insight.

Wired's Geekdad offers the best in ultra-cool gadgets. And snark. I love it.

I know I'm missing many, many others. So if you know any great dad bloggers in San Francisco or the Bay Area, please list them in the comments. I promise to buy them a drink. So long as they buy the next 32.

Strollerderby Finishline: Broken Dad Edition

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 16:01:00 GMT

I broke my nose at the playground today. I also gave myself a concussion. The hardest thing to take, sitting there atop the annoyingly cheerful red and yellow play structure that did me in, was the image of my daughter -- laughing. She then clapped for "more." Lesson learned: Bloody daddy is funny daddy.

(Seriously, should I be worried that it took me a half hour to write the above two sentences? Three sentences. No, four. Shit. Five. Holy crap, I cannot count at all. I think I need to go to the doctor.)

Five hours later ...

OK, so I'm back from the ER, where my wife forced me to go because of my unsightly whining and complaining and carrying on. "Jesus Christ, man -- Emmeline gets over injuries faster than you do," she said. "Why don't you go to the ER ... or somewhere."

The doctor told me to rest -- the perfect opportunity to peruse the Derby and, thanks to our fine collection of writers, give my brain a much needed break. (Ouch. When my cohorts call me on that one, and I know they will, I'm totally blaming the medication.)

So here we go -- the week in Stroller Derby as medication, the best medication ever because it's always like a spoonful of sugar. (Oh dear god. That's bad. Again, it's the meds.)

As always, Kelly offers the best advice -- telling Katie Holmes it's OK to be bitter, so long as there's a bottle of JD involved.

Rachael delves into a new and very odd trend -- persecution of red heads. Seriously, this family moved three times because of it. WTF?

Patti eats like a Sicilian family of four, but craves the sweet, sweet nectar of Mexican Coke. Who doesn't?

And speaking of powder, Alisyn discovers the secret to parenting: powdered booze. (In reality, she says teenagers will be the real beneficiaries, but I say why waste it on them?)

And again, speaking of alcohol, because that's how we parent, Sarah is my new best friend. Beer for Father's Day? Genius.

Karen takes relief in knowing her kids aren't the only ones without friends. It's a thing.

Jessica hasn't had to kill a friendship over differing parenting styles just yet, but her best friend hasn't decided to co-sleep yet.

Pierre finally admits he's a fuddy old geezer -- just because he doesn't like the idea of kids going to camp. On private jets. OK, so maybe he's not so fuddy after all.

Melissa gives in to childhood obesity, because really, you can only craft for so long over the summer.

I'd really like to link to something from Stefania -- but she totally phoned it in this week, only bringing two entirely new blogs to Babble. Slacker.

And finally, I'm still fed up with the push prize for new dads. Formula? Hospitals can't send you off with a new kid and an HDTV or something? I was just there. There were tons of them. TVs, I mean.

Strollerderby Playdate: From Huggies to Depends; Who Needs Potty Training Anyway?

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:03:00 GMT

I've been thinking more and more about potty training recently, and it's starting to freak me out. Emmeline turns 14 months in a few days, and I remember another dad telling me there's a certain window on the near horizon -- a golden window, if you will -- that allows you to potty train earlier than most.

"Miss it," he told me, "And who knows how long you'll have to wait. Forever maybe. Some kids just don't get it. Ever."

Though this was his first child and though he admitted he couldn't change a diaper, I took his words to heart -- my mind filled with images of walking my daughter down the aisle and seeing the bulge of Depends through her white dress. I began to worry.

Dana takes a more nonchalant approach to these things, but she won't be the one on the floor with a bottle of Formula 409 and a roll of Bounty -- or whatever the hell you use to clean poop off the carpet. See? I'm woefully unprepared.

Thankfully, there's a few brave bloggers leading the way, giving us an inside glimpse into the process and making me wonder whether Huggies on a beaming bride is really such a bad thing after all.

Munchkin Pie has more evidence of potty training than you'll ever want to see. Seriously. It's hilarious, but only if you have a poop fetish. Be warned.

Booby Juice over at The Parenting Post is breaking out the supplies, getting ready, and holding her breath.

Whine and Roses is at least getting her little one on the potty, when she's not getting handed poop-filled presents. Oh joy.

Forbidden Pluto takes the prize for not only pooping in the shower, a favorite around these parts, but also for naming his daughter Lorelai. I will love him forever.

Even Dad Says Mom Bloggers Rock More

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Tue, 29 May 2007 15:32:00 GMT

On the surface, this is a story about shoes. Man shoes. Really, really bad man shoes -- and how if a man doesn't have the right shoes, he's really not a man at all. Or something like that. Oh, The Joys always says it better.

In this story, she also says something that's been sticking around in my wee little brain -- which, believe me, is a feat. For the most part, I tend to shy away from male bloggers, she says. And it strikes me that so do I.

Sure, there are definitely a few daddy bloggers I check out on a regular basis, but I find myself much more interested in the mom bloggers -- and I can't figure out why. Is it because, as an at-home dad, I feel I have more in common with at-home moms than regular ol' dads? Is it because dads are often whiny? Is it because moms talk about vaginas more? I dunno.

But I'm curious -- who's winning your parenting bloggy attention? Moms or dads?

Strollerderby Playdate: Sippy Cups Are from Hell Edition

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:05:00 GMT

Emmeline will not use a sippy cup. She'll play around with it for a bit -- maybe, if I'm lucky, she'll pretend to put it to her lips and then in an instant fling it to the floor. In the very beginning of trying to get her off the bottle, I didn't worry too much about it. But now I'm harboring fears of packing her off to college with a box of books, a fresh pair of pants and a bottle warmer.

So I did what any other parent would do in these times of crisis: head to the blogosphere, hoping I'm not the only one going through this. I'm not. Sippy cups are a scourge on humanity -- whether they're simply ignored or hurled across the room.

Daddy Diary knows a thing or two about sippy cup fastballs.

As My World Turns thankfully has someone to clean up after spilling a sippy cup.

Life's Crazy Sometimes reminds us that mastering the sippy cup is not permanent.

A Mother's Monologue says bottles and sippy cups are enough to create multi-generational feuds. Kind of.

Nap time is almost over now. Time to refill the sippy cup and prepare myself for battle.

Liveblogging: St. Patrick Who? Irish, You Say?

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 02:13:00 GMT

Dana and I were out at a farmers market this morning when a woman nearby answered her cell phone and said, "Happy Drinkers Day!" Two years ago, that was us.

Before the pregnancy, before the baby, before the rigid scheduling brought on by nap times and bed times and before that sad fact that we simply can't find a babysitter who doesn't charge $98 an hour and insists on medicine cabinet priviledges, this used to be our holiday. We'd eat corned beef and cabbage. I'd suck down Guinness while Dana pretended to enjoy herself. A great time was had by all.

Now, however, it's a different story. Emmeline is sleeping in her room. Dana is finishing some work, and I am dreaming of a cool pint of Guiness. So if, like us, you're lame enough to be home. this. instant. instead of out drowning your uvula (no, silly, higher) in Guinness, please enjoy this inaugural rendition of the St. Patrick Days blues -- in which I drive the fun out of Ireland.

5pm: Emmeline wakes up. Dana wakes up from nap. Change Emme. Feed Emme. Start dinner.

6pm: Finish Guiness beef stew. Put in oven. Finish Guinness used for said stew.

6:30pm: Bed time routine. Make bottle. Open more Guinness.

7pm: Emme goes to bed. Neighbor in the flat above us begins screaming, "Yeahhhh Boy!!!" (Our landlord lives above us; otherwise we'd beat the crap out of the ceiling.)

7:10pm: Dana sits on couch to finish work. I sit at computer -- writing this and thinking of Guinness. The distant sound of revelry from North Beach bars can be heard. Upstairs landlord neighbor shouts, again, "Yeahhh something!"

7:27pm: Me: "Is the stew ready?" Dana: "No baby. It'll be another hour." Me: "An hour?! Ohhhh." Dana goes back to work.

7:37pm: We hear a noise. "Oh, no - she's coughing," Dana says. I go in to check. Emme has her lovey bear, and I linger a moment at the crib, watching as her chest rises and falls in the soft light. I touch her cheek and exit softly, trying to remember I'm supposed to be annoyed at missing the festivities but smiling quietly to myself instead.

7:53pm: Just received batch of photos from a friend, who came over on New Year's Eve. The New Year's Eve party caption says: "Out until 7 pm!" Us parents; our holidays have taken a decided turn for the worse.

8:10pm: Put water on stove to boil for potatoes. Watch pot. It boils! Potatoes in, and then read this story from Drudgereport. Ew.

8:30pm: Turn on TV. Nothing. Play Internet poker. Lose. Dana still working. Stew smells freaking good. Neighbor is stomping around.

8:55pm: Stew is ready! But a few Guinnesses on an empty stomach has left me feeling, well ...

9:50pm: Oh. dear. god. A full bowl of rich stew on an empty stomach is not a good idea. The Guinness don't help. We try to watch a movie, but I slump on the couch, begging for Dana to rub my head. "I don't feel so good," I tell her. "Some holiday," she says. But I just sit there, feeling her hands on my head and feeling her warmth beside me, and I begin to realize she's onto something. Some holiday indeed. I'm going to bed.

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?

Linklove: The Good Ol' Days, Well, They Kinda Sucked

JasonAvant — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 03:24:00 GMT

I hate "Forwards". You know what I'm talking about - those obnoxious forwarded messages that encourage you to be kind to a stranger, tell you that "You Know You Went To High School In The 80's If...", or explain why everything's Bill Clinton's fault. No good can ever come of these pieces of tripe; in fact, I've discovered their source, the Necronomicon of Tacky Emails.

New York blogger Panthergirl clearly has no use for this dreck. She does a nifty dissection of one particular forward that's been in circulation for a few years, and makes the point that the Good Ol' Days were clearly the product of deluded minds. According to the Good Ol' Days forward, everything back then was swell, Pleasantville was a real place, and life was a conservative's wet dream. Not so much, says Panthergirl; go read her pointed and pretty funny reality check.

"Alternadad" Leads Daddy Book Deluge

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 21:00:00 GMT

I'm a new dad. I can type. I used to be cool (if you count watching Lorelai totally tear Emily a new one, that is). I'm trying to figure it all out. I want a book deal! According to the Boston Herald, daddy books are the new black. Or at least the new mommy books. Neal Pollack's new and so-far excellent "Alternadad" is at the top of the diaper heap.

But these aren't your father's daddy books -- the Bill Cosby and Paul Reiser tomes of so long, long ago ('80s, '90s, gasp). The new wave includes Babble's very own Steve Almond, and books like “Mack Daddy: Mastering Fatherhood Without Losing Your Style, Your Cool, or Your Mind,” “Pop Culture: The Sane Man’s Guide to the Insane World of New Fatherhood” and “Daddy Needs a Drink: An Irreverent Look at Parenting From a Dad Who Truly Loves His Kids - Even When They’re Driving Him Nuts.” (What's with all those freaking subtitles, anyway? Dads can't be brief?)

While the article takes a wait-and-see attitude about whether the daddy deluge will succeed, and while some publishing watchers seem skeptical, Pollack puts his finger on the pulse of the new trend: “I think the literature is reflecting more dads out there who care about being present,” he said. “And we’re coming to terms with permanent adulthood." Indeed, a generation that has famously grappled with the quarter-life "crisis" is finally reaching adulthood ... with the help of a baby. I'd read that.

Splash of Gin. Drop of Kid. Stir. Mmmm Debate

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 12:30:00 GMT

I've already fed my infant daughter a pint of Guinness and a shot of vodka. It's good for her.

I will never, ever let my daughter near alcohol. It's bad for her.

In a great explore-both-sides post that is already generating debate, Paula Light's Ultrablog offers a conundrum: How do you mix alcohol and kids? (In a big glass?)

Side one, in short: "Parents who drink alcohol should model responsible drinking behavior in front of their children. It's good for kids to see adults have a drink or two, in moderation, and even be offered a sip on a special occasion."

Flip side, in short: "Parents must keep alcohol away from kids. They are not mini-adults, and it affects them differently."

In truth, I have no idea what I'll do when my daughter grows up and asks why mommy and daddy are passed out behind the wheel. of a school bus. carrying nuns. and orphans. But with a long history of alcoholism in my family, I'm pretty sure she'll have to wait a long, long time before her first drink. Besides, the idea that special occasions need to be commemorated with alcohol has always struck me as problematic. Then again, Thursday is pretty neat.

The alcohol and kids debate has popped up a lot recently. And it should be noted that one state has weighed in -- when it comes to driving at least. A new California law took effect Monday, making it a criminal offense for anyone under 21 to have a blood alcohol level of 0.01 while driving. So much for the "It's Nyquil, I swear," defense. Sorry, kids!

For a good debate on the subject, check out Ultrablog and weigh in.

Linklove: Mr. Progress, Your Party of 18 is Waiting...

thezeroboss — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 21:11:00 GMT

Ever hosted a birthday party for 18 kids? Dad in Progress just did - and somehow, he survived to tell the tale. Go read how DiP endured this onslaught of farting and nose-picking.