Father’s Day ideas from radio’s Ernie D

Usually, I don’t like to copy/paste reasons for doing anything from a manufacturer. However, these reasons just...

It’s almost always a good idea to shop used, especially for kid stuff, since they grow out of it so quickly. However,...

Don’t Cry or Pout. Last Minute Shopping Doesn’t Have to Stress You Out The holidays can be a wonderful time or togetherness and celebration and it can also be a time of stress and anxiety. Don’t let the rush and excitement of the season allow you to overspend or be careless with your money and purchases. Here are a few last minute shopping tips to help you keep your sanity. Stocking Stuffers Don’t forget stocking stuffers – when creating your holiday budget, stocking stuffers are usually not in the budget. To avoid blowing your bank account at the last minute, look at the dollar store for trinkets. Another great place to look are the dollar shelves at your local retailer. Gift Cards When...

If your child is anything like my little girl, they’re clamoring to find where their lines are drawn and how much control over anything they have. This often manifests itself in rather loud ways and bitter arguments between you and your child. (If your child isn’t like mine, they probably will be soon.) Lately, our girl has begun making very spur-of-the moment decisions about what she is and isn’t going to with respect to things like going out to dinner or going to the store with us. As my wife and I are getting ready to leave, she will just say, “Daddy, I’m not going. I’m going to stay here by myself.” Initially, we’d respond by telling her she was going to go with us, she’d...

I’m surprised this appears to be a national trend, but it sure is true at our house. My wife works at a traditional job downtown (with no parking). I work at home and supposedly have lots of time to take breaks and drive kids all over town to the doctor, soccer, and assorted playdates. I have to say it’s a part of parenting that is the least ennobling to me. I know some moms and dads say it’s a special time where they actually get to talk to their kids, and maybe I’ll feel that way when they are teens and I’m glad for any time I have to plug into what they are doing. But right now, it feels like underpaid taxi work An online survey conducted by Harris Interactive®...

Just a few short weeks since I told my son emphatically that there could never be a planet with 2 suns, NASA comes along and discovers one. The simulation in the video below is fascinating in that the reporters talk about a planet that “revolves around two stars,” which seems clearly impossible without defying all law of physics. However, there is a center of gravity around which both suns revolve. The planet revolves around both the two suns and this center of gravity – amazing. If you lived on the planet (of gas and hard rock with temperatures from -100 to -150 F) you’d have to get over how impossible that all seems and content yourself with enjoying light of two suns...

The first thing I noticed when unpacking the Cybex Aton is how impossibly light the carrier and base are. At only 8.8 pounds, the Cybex Aton is one the lightest carriers on the market. I’ve really come to appreciate this after making numerous trips up and down the two flights of stairs to our house. For me the base is one of the most remarkable features. The base was super easy to install in both our small sedan and minivan. One of the things I really like about it is the proprietary belt tensioning mechanism that works when installing using the latch connectors or seat belt. You simply press down and the lever clicks into place resulting in a snug and secure installation every time. For...

While we wish there was an easy way to go about potty training our toddlers, there just isn’t, and there isn’t even an easy way to know when to go about trying. It is commonly understood that the process will be much more difficult than necessary if we try to force training on children before they’re ready or go about it in a way that puts too much pressure on them. For us, we decided to let our daughter tell us when she was ready. Expectedly, she was apprehensive at first, so we eased her into the idea by just sitting on the toilet and chatting with her, so she understood this wasn’t a bad place to be. We’d also flush it so she wasn’t afraid of the noise it...

The other night, our little girl had what my wife and I call a nuclear melt-down of a tantrum while we were in a store. It was one for the history books. It was our fault in that we went to the store with her after her bedtime, so the littlest thing was guaranteed to snowball into a melt-down of at least some proportion. This one, however, was a monster. Because I won’t tolerate a tantrum in a store or similar public place, I left my wife doing the shopping and took our girl outside. Normally, this separation from the venue and a firm talking to will start her calming down. This time, calming down wasn’t in the cards. After a short time, when it became clear to me she wasn’t going to calm...

My first Father’s Day…its always special because in most cases you still have a “baby.” There was no real extravagant gift that I got that day, but just the fact of knowing that it was my first real father’s day made it special for me. Whether it’s his “first” father’s day, or his 20th, here are father’s day ideas all dads can enjoy. Last year, I had been talking all spring and summer about going to the beach. So my wife, on a small budget went out and got a beach pack for me for Father’s Day. The kids and wife had spent all morning making a quiche, which is one of my favorite breakfasts, and we packed up the car with food, my gift and headed off...

Planning your wife’s very first Mother’s Day may seem like a huge task, because you may not be used to planning something like this and it is definitely NOT like getting something for your own mother. Sometimes it is just simple things that will make her the happiest.     Make a DVD of pictures or videos and use some of her favorite music or meaningful songs in the background. Use pictures from the time she was pregnant, to the hospital, baby’s firsts and everything special in between. A gift like this is priceless and always works! Obviously, you pamper your wife. Plan a special breakfast, include her favorite flowers and take care of the clean up. Then make sure...

Kids love complaining and while parents usually pay attention to what their kids complain about, they don’t often give much thought to the quantity of their complaints. However, a recent study from the University of Missouri suggests we ought to pay more attention to how much our kids complain. The study found that engaging in too much ‘complaint-talk’ had a negative impact on tween and teen girls’ mental health. Tween and teen girls are big talkers to begin with and today, girls have more options than ever to communicate with their friends. The average tween and teen often begins texting, tweeting, IMing, posting and calling their friends before they even show their face at the breakfast...