My Great Niece turned 1 this month so I traveled to the local toy store to pick out a toy “appropriate” for her age. I learned two things during my travels to the store. First, I am so thankful that I am not the parent of a 1 year old and second, the toy selection…. read more

August 2, 2011 by Susan Lane in Parenting

It’s almost time for the annual family camping trip where we head north to a lake just west of Yosemite California.  The 10 hour drive is well worth it.  The area is so remote that cell phone coverage is next to impossible – even the satellite radio cuts in and out.  We literally spend an…. read more

July 28, 2011 by Susan Lane in Parenting

When television first started showing original programming, all families were pretty much the same. The Cleavers, the Stones, the Nelsons and the Andersons were all happy, well-adjusted folks who supported each other, had great jobs and were well-educated. When the 60′s came around, people wanted something more real on television, so they were given less…. read more

July 7, 2011 by Paul Goebel in Other Stuff

Last week, I took my kids to see Mr. Popper’s Penguins (they liked it).  During the previews, we saw this trailer… My kids laughed and became excited for the new Chipmunks movie, but I had to wonder – did the studio really expect fans of the Chipmunks to be familiar with Titanic? It turns out…. read more

July 6, 2011 by Scott Copperman in Other Stuff, Parenting

If history has taught us anything, and I don’t think it has, it’s that Justin Bieber is a thing kids today are going to be embarrassed about later. Think N-Sync, New Kids on the Block, or for a littler international flavor, Menudo, which is actually a kind of soup. That’s just the way it is….. read more

July 5, 2011 by Jim Bruce in Other Stuff, Parenting

As an honors elementary school student in the 70s, I had the privilege of being allowed to use the school’s TRS-80 and Apple II computers. I moved the turtle around in Logo, played Zork, and was allowed to play the Lemonade Game. The Lemonade Game was a very, very early precursor to the Sim City-style…. read more

April 22, 2011 by Scott Copperman in Things to Check Out

When my first child was born, I like most parents, became reacquainted with television for children. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Sesame Street had a new character that shared a name with my oldest and at the same time, disappointed at not being able to find anything as entertaining as Electric Company….. read more

April 21, 2011 by Paul Goebel in Parenting

Having been born in 1970, I was exposed to some of the greatest fandoms of the last century in their hey day.  I was able to experience Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, John Cusack films, MST3K, Marvel and DC comics, Saturday Night Live, the Rolling Stones, the Police, not to mention a bevy of…. read more

April 15, 2011 by Scott Copperman in Parenting

The other night, I was at the movies with my girlfriend and she stopped to peruse a poster for the new Smurfs movie. She expressed concern that the Smurfs were drawn to look fuzzy, as if they were covered by  short blue fur. I said to her, “That’s what concerns you? Not the fact that…. read more

April 14, 2011 by Paul Goebel in Parenting

On any list of the top movie villans of all time, Darth Vader routinely places among the top 5. For example, Vader  is #3 in AFI’s top 50 villians, #1 in the Sunday Times’ top 50, and #2 at listverse.com. According to many sources, Darth Vader was conceived by George Lucas “as the epitomy of…. read more

April 1, 2011 by Scott Copperman in Parenting