Toddler Time Management

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The Early Bird
For my family, rush hour begins at home. The morning, demonstrating a brazen disregard for privacy, crashes our slumber party disturbing the peace. As a parent with young children, you instinctively stumble out of bed struggling for some level of coherence before the kids awaken to the sounds of morning. You navigate through the darkness with the stealth like skill of a drunken blindfolded raccoon rummaging through trash cans. Inevitably you step on a squeaky misplaced toy or unleash a primal scream after stubbing your toe on the clothes dresser that clearly must have been relocated while you slept. Like a cosmic shock wave, the ripple effects of your auditory disturbance usher in a chain of events resulting in chaos. Another school day begins.

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Tour of the Universe in NYC

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robotuniverse_500
The American Museum of Natural History hosts The Known Universe: A Grand Tour on the First Tuesday of every month at the Hayden Planetarium. Guests are guided from planet earth to the edge of the known Universe courtesy of an astrophysicist. Think of the frequent flier miles!

This Tuesday, January 5th, at 6:30pm, you can join astrophysicist Brian Abbot for the tour. Brian oversees the Digital Universe Atlas, a 3D interactive atlas that is available for a free download. So if you or your kids have any compelling questions about the Universe, this may be the ideal opportunity for an educational adventure.

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Avatar (2009) – Movie Review

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avatar_500
This past week after enduring gift return lines and the inherent shenanigans at a well known toy store chain, I had the opportunity to screen James Cameron’s Avatar. Your viewing choices are abundant in the sense that you can see it in standard format, 3D, and 3D Imax. Due to scheduling conflicts, I watched it in 3D instead of 3D Imax. In retrospect, I am guessing I would have enjoyed the more immersive 3D Imax experience. Nonetheless, that’s just a personal preference. But I digress. What’s the verdict on this latest cutting edge Science Fiction spectacle? On to the review.

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2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Toys

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CuteMonster 2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Toys
The holiday season is in full effect which of course means gift buying decisions are weighing heavily on the minds of Moms and Dads across the land. Oh the pressure, right? Well, maybe not.

I’ve put a list together of relatively inexpensive toys which my children have used extensively. I’ve provided some details about the toys as well as any pertinent information(age appropriateness, etc.) to remove some of the guess work out of the decision making process. All items listed have been kid tested and CuteMonster™ Dad approved.

CuteMonster™ has partnered with Amazon.com® since they have historically provided some of the best prices available for these products.

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Kids Theater (B.Y.O. Riot Gear)

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Kids Theater
Introducing one’s child at a young age to the Arts can lay the foundation for a lifetime of artistic exploration and appreciation. Recently I was unexpectedly presented with the opportunity to take my 3 year old son to his first live theatre performance. The show was billed as an interactive concert filled with heartwarming whimsical tales about animal wisdom based on Aesop’s fables. I assumed that meant the show would be awash with music, vibrant colors and specially crafted costumes to spark the imagination of the formative years crowd. When I described the event to my son he picked out the key words “animal” and “show” and had visions of elephants, lions, and alligators performing on the stage. Understandably, he could hardly contain his excitement and I have to admit his enthusiasm was contagious. Sadly, the overwhelming exhilaration we shared would become unhinged one moment at a time like freight cars becoming uncoupled from a steam engine traveling up a mountain.

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Made in America

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Made in America

Made in America
Let me preface by acknowledging my baby girl is heaven sent. A perfect healthy little angel in every aspect. And yet, she has the capacity to bring grown men to tears through the awesome power of her malodorously prolific solid waste production. I realize I must be delusional, but I’d swear she expels her own body weight in crap every day. My son, a newly minted 3 year old, is a skilled practitioner in his own right but at least he’s now in the waste disposal business on his own(that means toilet trained folks). During a recent lull in my defecation duty I wondered if there could be some way to harness the power of her poo.

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