Fisher-Price Recalls

Thu, Sep 30, 2010 (BabyCenter News) – Fisher-Price has recalled about 2.9 million (about 2.8 million in the U.S. and about 125,000 in Canada) infant playzones, playgrounds, and other toys with hazardous inflatable balls attached to them in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Read more »

City Mouse vs. Country Mouse

Almost everyday I go for a jog, pushing my daughter in her jogging stroller. We head toward the national forest about a half-mile down the road and usually take the low road along the river. It’s a bumpy ride and I brings snack and water for her to keep her content. We have created a routine of stopping at the turn-around point, to throw rocks in the river. She is usually dressed like a fairy since that is her normal garb around the house. So, I sit, rest for a moment, and watch my little fairy catapulting stones and listening for the sounds they make.

I consider what I am missing out on by living so rurally. Read more »

Dora the Explora Makes Me Want to Shoot Myself

I try to avoid movies or t.v. shows that are heavy with marketing and merchandising. My daughter likes to watch Winnie the Pooh, Yo Gabba Gabba and Bambi. Of course, these come with their own set of stuffed animals and clothing, but nothing comes close to the marketing of Disney’s Princesses and Nick’s Dora the Explorer.

My daughter’s friend, a boy, is really into Dora. I mention that he is a boy because Nickelodeon, for some reason, felt it necessary to have a boy, Diego, and girl, Dora, version of the same Latino adventurer character as if one gender could not empathize with another. Anyway, my daughter showed interest, so I went as far as to borrow a DVD of Dora from the library. Do I regret it! Read more »