How many balloons would it take to lift a house?

November 4th, 2009

51A2wJmFTKL._SL160_.jpg

Disney Pixar’s Up is coming out on video on November 10. I saw this with my wife, kids and their grandma and everyone had a great time. Up! is another winner in classic Pixar fashion, with incredible graphics, a fair amount of sentimentality (the first part is a little too maudlin for me) and a lot of good humor. No, it’s not a post-modern wink at popular culture like Dreamworks films like Shrek, but there are some very very funny parts in here that will keep everyone entertained and repeating key lines for weeks afterwards.

main_182328_1_u300a_11f_pub16_17_R1[1].jpg If you’ve seen any of the ads, you’ll know this is a key shot from the movie. And it certainly stimulates the imagination. Here are a few fun facts from their publicity agency that might come in handy when your kids quiz you on why they don’t fly away when they get a balloon on their birthday, or how many balloons it would take to lift a small child.

Balloon science:

Have you ever wondered how many helium balloons it would take to lift different objects Up into the air?

It’s a tricky question and an even trickier answer because there are so many variables to consider. For instance:

• How big are the balloons?
• How heavy is the object?
• How quickly to do you want the object to rise Up?

We have come Up with a general formula you can use to figure out how many balloons it would take to lift… well, just about anything!

• Helium has a lifting force of about 1 gram per liter.
• An average size party balloon is approximately 30cm (one foot) in diameter.
• It can hold approximately 14 liters.
• That’s 14 grams of lift power per balloon.
• Estimate and subtract the weight of the string and the latex balloon.
• Formula: 1 balloon = 10 grams of lift power.
How Many Balloons Would It Take To Lift:

Your Neighbor’s Dog?
 A happy Labrador Retriever dog weighs in at about 32 kg (70 lbs). It would take approximately 3200 balloons to lift this furry friend off the ground.

A Bicycle?
 The average bicycle weighs approximately 19 kilograms (or 42 lbs). You will need approximately 1,900 balloons
to turn a 2-wheeler into an air-bike.

A Sumo Wrestler?
 The average weight of a Sumo wrestler is approximately 148 kg (or 326 lbs). That means it would take about 148,000 balloons to send this guy Up.

A Small House?
This figure can vary in terms of quantity of balloons given the size and scale of the house. Let’s say the house in Disney/Pixar ’s movie Up weighed about 46,000 kg (that’s 101,413 lbs). That means it takes approximately 4,600,000 balloons to send Carl’s home Up and away!


Posted in Movies and DVDs, Videos for kids | No Comments »

Children’s Defense Fund asking for help to insure kids

November 4th, 2009

Having lived in France and seeing how a nationalized insurance plan works, I’m a big advocate of universal coverage for all Americans, rich, poor, illegal immigrant or whatever. You may not agree for whatever reason and I can respect that since it’s a complicated issue. But I would think one thing all Americans could agree on is the need for universal coverage of children who, through no fault of their own, might not have coverage. While the country has real financial woes today, I can’t imagine how, as wealthy as we are, we can actually let American kids die for lack of insurance. Emergency rooms are not the answer. They need real care for chronic and serious ongoing ailments, not just for emergencies.

The Children’s Defense Fund, a non-profit child advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly since 1973 to ensure a level playing field for children, has launched an urgent digital campaign to mobilize thousands of supporters nationwide in Champions for Children’s Health Stroller Brigades to tell Congress that health care reform must provide all children with the care they need no matter where they live.

I want to help spread awareness about the inequity in the proposed health reform legislation and show supporters how to communicate directly with their Members of Congress. If you want to get involved, visit their site here: http://www.childrensdefense.org/strollerbrigade/

An astonishing 8.1 million uninsured – and millions more underinsured – children could be left worse off after health care reform – a fact that has received little attention in the mainstream media.

We need to take action and to let our Senators and Representatives know that we demand that children not be left behind in health care reform now.

Thanks for considering joining this effort.

Posted in Health, Safety, and Medical, In the News | No Comments »

Hilary Swank naked

November 3rd, 2009

At least that’s what she’s fessing up to in a recent Marie Claire interview. She sleeps in the buff and walks around naked in front of her stepson, aged 6. And therein starts the age-old debate over when it’s appropriate to start dressing when in front of kids. On one side, those who say you should cover up immediately in the delivery room and on the other, those living in nudist colonies feeling free as birds, monkeys and other naked creatures.

Reasonable experts I talk to say you should cover up when you start to feel uncomfortable.

Another issue here is that she is not the child’s mom, so self-selected experts are dying to opine on that difference, and also whether the reaction would be different if it were a 6 year old girl and a stepdad. Again, it’s probably what her family feels comfortable with and really none of my business except for opening up a discussion of what makes sense for me and GreatDad readers. in my most humble opinion, in our house, six would be about the limit, stepmom, stepdad, or whatever. We try to desensationalize all this in our house, preferring to just suggest closing the door. Nudity is no big thing, but we also reach a point where we need to talk about what privacy means as well.

When kids see their parents (or their dad’s girlfriend) naked…

Hilary Swank walks around her house in the buff, even when her boyfriend’s 6-year-old son is around. Isn’t this healthy and natural?

[From The Mommy Files : When kids see their parents (or their dad's girlfriend) naked...]

Posted in Celebrities, In the News | No Comments »

Baby, meet dog. Dog, meet baby. It’s hard not to smile at this baby video.

November 3rd, 2009

Okay, I was a sucker for the Bonnie Hunt Show. It was pretty funny, but also had a lot of heartwarming stuff that felt kind of true three or four years ago when we were parents of very little kids. This video, as she says in the intro, doesn’t contain anything bizarre or amazing, but if you’ve had a baby or even if you just are human, it’s hard not to smile when you see it.

Posted in Funny, Television | No Comments »

100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1) from NYTimes.com

November 3rd, 2009

Okay, completely off-topic, but the curmudgeon in me, used to too many dinners out with the kids in restaurants where waiters throw the cutlery at you so they can dash to the next table (if there are waiters at all), loved this list. I’m sure wait staff will hate it, but dining would be a better experience if a lot of these rules were followed. My personal favorite not yet included in this list: “Never say, ‘Can I take your plate or are you still working on that?’ as if eating this food is a particular chore.”

100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1)
By BRUCE BUSCHEL

Herewith is a modest list of dos and don’ts for servers at the seafood restaurant I am building. Veteran waiters, moonlighting actresses, libertarians and baristas will no doubt protest some or most of what follows. They will claim it homogenizes them or stifles their true nature. And yet, if 100 different actors play Hamlet, hitting all the same marks, reciting all the same lines, cannot each one bring something unique to that role?

1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting.

2. Do not make a singleton feel bad. Do not say, “Are you waiting for someone?” Ask for a reservation. Ask if he or she would like to sit at the bar.

3. Never refuse to seat three guests because a fourth has not yet arrived.

4. If a table is not ready within a reasonable length of time, offer a free drink and/or amuse-bouche. The guests may be tired and hungry and thirsty, and they did everything right.

5. Tables should be level without anyone asking. Fix it before guests are seated.

[45 more at 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1) - You’re the Boss Blog - NYTimes.com]

Tags:
Posted in Food | No Comments »

Join the crusade to turn off the TV for kids 2-5

November 2nd, 2009

Nielsen reported last week that children ages 2 to 5 spent nearly 25 hours a week watching television, the highest figure on record. They spent an additional seven weekly hours watching DVDs, playing video games, and watching TiVo-style time-shifted television.

[From Drilling Down - Children Ages 2 to 5 Watch More TV Than Ever - NYTimes.com]

We all know TV can’t be good for little kids. We all read the same reports and know if makes a bad baby sitter. We also depend on it periodically to keep the kids busy for a few minutes while we do a few emails or finish making dinner.

But we know it doesn’t have to be on all the time. Let’s all resolve to leave it off except when we really need it. We can wean the kids off it, pointing them to their pile of unused toys, and maybe getting down on the floor with them to reaquaint them with Legos, Barbies, and train tracks.

Posted in In the News, Opinion and experience, Television | No Comments »

On my desk this week – Stepmonster and Rules for my Unborn Son

November 2nd, 2009

Two books arrived on my doorstep this week.

51sfnZX20kL._SL160_.jpg

1. Rules for My Unborn Son is a very light read featuring 100 or so quick one-liners (”Don’t Swing at the first pitch.”) as advice to give to kids. There are some pieces of wisdom here that will mostly make adults nod in agreement. This is likely not a book you’d give as a graduation present – it’s more of a gift for a new dad. It might be a good way to start your own project of writing down your own “rules” to set aside for someday when your kids are interested in what tidbits of knowledge you’ve picked up along the way.

2. Stepmonster is a thorough examination of the thoughts and motivations of stepmoms. We don’t usually cover books written by women, but this seems like such an important topic. The publisher says that half the women in the United States will either live with or marry a man with children not her own. That’s a big number. Stepmoms seem to be in a losing position all around – not eligible in most cases for the true mommy love of the kids, yet having to sacrifice for their upbringing and in the attentions of the dad in their lives. Yes, there are plenty of cruel stepmothers out there, but I’ve also heard a lot of heroic tales of stepmoms who go beyond the call to prove they can step up to the role. This looks like a good book if you’re trying to understand how the other half sees things.

Ads by AdGenta.com

Posted in Books for parents, Divorced Dads | No Comments »

Why parenting magazines ignore us dads

October 21st, 2009

It’s true most parenting magazines have mom-free names and try to insert a page or two “just for dad,” but the reason the overwhelming amount of content is geared toward the female persuasion has a lot less to do with the editors than it does the people who are paying to get the magazine out the door: the advertisers.

Sorry Dad – but they don’t care if you want five friendly recipes for adding veggies to your kid’s diet. They want to sell your wife/girlfriend a package of organic waffles with broccoli ground up inside. Because the studies show she’s the one more likely to buy them. Women are widely touted as the controllers of the family purse strings – even in families where there are shared checking accounts. The common number you hear? About eighty percent of family spending is done by the female head of household.

From Why Parenting Mags Ignore Dad | Strollerderby]

Bad news for those of us trying at least to cover the cost of the Pampers by writing about our dad experiences. Until we become a real economic force, dads are an add-on. But why is that when dads are involved, or usually lead, the very big ticket items, like the choice of the mini van or the new long-term life insurance plan.

As I mentioned a few posts back, this year at the ABC Kids show in Vegas, “dad” was integrated into all the marketing materials. Maybe dad isn’t doing the weekly shopping but he is weighing in heavily on which stroller he is willing to push down the street, or which car seat he’s going to move in and out of the car. Dads do think differently than moms, and the sexes will likely continue to have their own sweet spots and obsessions, but count on more and more dads to be making the choice of the family toothpaste and even the diapers as we take a more active role in “home” and even stay there to be with the kids.

Posted in Internet | No Comments »

Reality show ‘not healthy for my kids’ – compared to this guy, I am a Great Dad!

October 21st, 2009

And it took months of humiliation to figure this out? Gosselin says he now understands this, appearing on the Larry King Live show.

“This has been a media explosion. I’ve been on the cover of magazines since January,” Gosselin told King. “It’s just crazy, I want the fodder to stop . . . I don’t want to be filmed anymore and I don’t want the kids involved.”

I haven’t watched any of this, but it’s hard not to soak it up by osmosis unless you live in a cave or high up on a mountain. I guess people like this guy, and the Heene character exist to make us all feel comparatively like really really great dads.

Reality show ‘not healthy for my kids,’ Gosselin dad now decides

[From Reality show 'not healthy for my kids,' Gosselin dad now decides]

Posted in In the News | No Comments »

Five new ways to cut family budget and expenses

October 21st, 2009

Here are five more things to consider when paring back expenses this year.

1. Be cooperative. Coops of all sorts are a great way to cut spending Kids clothes and toys are a very popular trade and use category. And babysitting is a natural since it’s almost always easier to take care of your own kids when they have someone to play with. Take the lead and organize these activities at your church or school where you have a lot of like-minded parents. But don’t neglect also the help of seniors who may babysit in exchange for other help (computer aid, CPA advice, etc.)

2. Kill extra credit card charges. Everyone always makes this suggestion because it’s true. Paying credit card interest fees is stupid, since you can get cheaper money almost anywhere.

  • If 20% annually seems reasonable, at least pay it to a relative who wouldn’t be able to earn 20% anywhere else in this market.
  • At the very least, look for cards that charge lower interest and monitor the rates. CardTrak.com publishes a monthly list of credit card rates and Bankrate.com keeps a updated list of the best credit card deals, divided into categories: no-fee cards, low-interest cards, and mileage cards.Burning taxpayer & shareholder money -- "No Hassle"
  • If your card wants an annual fee, call them and negotiate it lower or eliminate completely. It’s always good to ask. Set your automated bank payments to send a small amount every month to your credit card issuer. Even if you pay extra interest, now you’ll never have to pay a late charge on top of it.

3. Cut back on the restaurant habit or find ways to cut back on costs. Entertainment books are a great way to save money if you eat at those restaurants anyway. Restaurants.com also has money-saving coupons for good restaurants that make sense if you do a little planning. Set your restaurant budget and then cut it by 20% so that you actually use the coupons.

4. Increase insurance deductibles for auto and home coverage. You’re the best judge as to how much risk you can handle, but it’s better to have $1000 deductible on your insurance rather than $500 if you’re a pretty safe driver and if the one-time hit in case of an accident wouldn’t wipe you out.

5. Cancel the gym and get a Wii Fit. You have to find the best routine that works for you and motivates you to put in at least 30 minutes per day of physical activity. A gym membership is a beautiful thing if you use it, but if you’re paying for it month after month without spending any time there, you’re not really burning any calories are you. We got a Wii Fit and I find it easier to fit in a workout at home. Plus I don’t waste time and gas getting to the gym.

Ads by AdGenta.com

Posted in Budget, Money | No Comments »

« Older Entries