Archives for the month of: February, 2012
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California Baby – Super Sensitive No Fragrance Bubble Bath

February 9, 2012 //
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California Baby Super Sensitive No Fragrance Bubble Bath. Say that 3 times fast!

Wow, what a name!

I’m a man.  Steph’s a woman.  Gavin’s a worm.  Since Steph and I are responsible for bathing Gavin, he gets no choice in the matter.  Being a guy, I don’t really want my son to smell like a vanilla cupcake after he gets a bath.  (I really don’t know why women think a vanilla scent is attractive.  Smelling like a steak or a meatball sandwich is attractive.)  I want Gavin to smell like himself…99% sweet and 1% spicy.  So, I’m very keen on this California Baby Super Sensitive No Fragrance Bubble Bath.  (Whew!)  It smells almost like nothing, which means my boy will be bombarded by one less scented baby product in his life.  (Not every baby product needs to smell like something.  Take it from this guy, it is ok for baby products to have no scent at all.)

The great thing about the CBSSNFBB is, well, there are many things great about this product.  It’s part of a line of products that were created by a mom looking to provide safe bathing products for her own children.  The ingredients are not harsh detergents that you may find in some adult products.  You can use this CBSSNFBB on newborns as well as other people with sensitive skin.    It’s non-toxic (but you may not want to feed it to your baby) and it is a no tears formula.  There’s no nut oils, gluten, soy, oat or dairy in the bubble bath.  The fact that it contains organic and sustainably grown ingredients is also a plus for me.

We have a few different baby bath products in the house and I always find myself reaching for this one.  It doesn’t dry out the Worm’s skin and he feels clean without any residue after a wash.  It gets a little sudsy with some effort, but I know that suds don’t always equal clean.  So, that’s not a big deal for me.  It even comes with a bubble wand if you want to blow bubbles for your little one at bath time!  Now, that’s a big deal for me!

Gavin doesn’t get very filthy just yet, as he is new to the crawling stage.  So, I cannot attest to the cleaning power of the CBSSNFBB in very dirty conditions, but I will probably give it a try before anything else.

On a somewhat related note, Gavin’s skin has had little problem with diaper rash, eczema, etc., so we consider ourselves lucky.  There’s a possibility it is because we use products that are good for his skin.  I feel that this is one of those products.

———-

Overall Rating:  10 Worms   

Ease of Use:  10 Worms  

Performance:  10 Worms 

Features:  10 Worms 

Durability:  10 Worms 

Manliness:  10 Worms (Something that doesn’t smell like baby powder or flowers or vanilla?  Very manly!)

Retail Price:  $13.99

———-

Pros:

Doesn’t smell like sissy.  Non-toxic ingredients.

Cons:

None.

Things I would modify:

None.

Where to find:

http://www.californiababy.com

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Categories Product Reviews

I Only Spank You Because I Care

February 9, 2012 //
1

I come from a family where spanking was the icing on the punishment cake.  Luckily, I didn’t get spanked that often. My brother got the hot seat more than I.  Thanks bro!  My wife comes from a family where spanking wasn’t used as a disciplinary tactic.

How will we discipline the Worm?

Personally, I hope to break the spanking tradition with him.  I don’t plan on serving physical punishment to the Worm for his wrongdoings.  (I take out my anger on my dogs.)  But, I will try my best to figure out why he did what he did.  Kids do stuff mindlessly.  I used to be a kid (although some people still think I am a kid).  I’ve partaken in my fair share of destruction.  (I’m just glad no person got hurt, just the animals in the forest and the frogs in the pond, and the turtles, and the…I digress.)  I know full well that some children don’t understand the ramifications of their acts, nor do they understand the ripple effect those actions have on people around them.  (I’m sure that many adults don’t even have this awareness.)  But, I’m still going to try to learn/teach from Gavin’s misdeeds instead of just punishing him for them.  I’m going to search for an answer each opportunity presented, even if I only receive a blank stare in return from him.  Why?  Because I’d like him to recognize his part in the event and accept some responsibility for his actions in life.  And possibly think about what he did, if only briefly.

After being on the other side of the belt, I don’t think that spanking is a necessary component for a parent teaching a lesson.  It won’t build trust between Worm and I and it won’t strengthen our relationship.  Spanking builds fear (and callouses).

If you wish, you can read the article about the effect of spanking on children here.  The article says that spanking leads to aggression and lowers IQ.  (So, does that mean if I spank Gavin enough that he could morph into a professional MMA fighter in a few years?  How is this a bad thing again?)

If you don’t agree with me, please let me give you a few spanking tips:

  • Make sure child is wearing thin, tight clothing for maximum spanking effect.  Fluffy clothing dissipates too much energy.
  • Spank child in one location on buttocks.  By concentrating your spanking technique to a particular area, you can cause more pain sensation.
  • Learn to spank with both arms.  This will keep you from getting repetitive stress syndrome and reduce your chance of injury.
  • When using a belt for spanking, a 2 to 3″ wide leather one works well.  To add more spice to the swing, make contact using the buckle end.
  • Set goals when spanking your child.  Try to increase the repetitions every time.  Spanking builds strength in your rotator cuff muscles.  It makes a great exercise for the shoulder girdle.
  • The best time to spank a child is while they’re sleeping.  They never see it coming and can’t run away.

Fist of Fury

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Categories Education

The Baby Blob

February 9, 2012 //
0

Yep, he’s got no strength to hold himself up.  So Steph is using the natural two-finger head pinch to hold up Gavin.  (About 4 days old here!)

He’s cute as a button even if we may have picked up a little Tibetan baby from the hospital instead of our own.

I'm so tired...

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Categories GPOD

15-Year Old Kid Wins Chicago Drawing Contest, But…

February 9, 2012 //
5

It contained hidden messages and gang signs!  (Of course the intelligentsia of Chicago along with city clerk Susana Mendoza, spotted the snafu before thousands of this image was put onto stickers.)  So, his art was replaced by a runner-up.

What’s this world coming to?  Kids with evil intentions trying to promote gang propaganda!!!  Thank Tebow it was stopped by the smarter, more chaste and altruistic adults of this good country.

You have to read the article, or watch the video.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/chicagocbs2-15750637/boy-s-sticker-design-nixed-replaced-by-runner-up-28238572.html

http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/chicago-art-contest-gets-sticky/article_1094993c-8569-55f2-9b38-2edf83069bec.html

Personally, I think most people in Chicago are gang members.  Chicago was the criminal hotspot for the likes of Al Capone and his cronies in the 20’s.  I believe that most of the people living in Chicago now are descendants of Al Capone and likely have gangster blood in them.

I can't believe the gang references!

Being colored, I’m a natural gang expert.  So let me break the picture down for you.  When I look, I see more than gang signs.  I see the devil.

  • The use of the color red around the border of the entire image.  Red is the color of the Bloods gang, based in L.A.  This is obviously a shout out to those gang members on the west coast.  The symbolization here is that the Bloods are surrounding (or controlling) the city of Chicago.  A sly nod to the future expansion of the Blood organization.
  • Another reference to the Bloods and Crips is the color blue in the policeman hat and the red in the fireman hat.  This was NO coincidence.  The hats are facing off at one other, just like the B & C’s.  (This could mean the Crips will also be widening their territory here.)
  • The 2 blue and 1 white stripe in the heart image is the Argentinian flag colors.  This is a shout out to the barra bravas, the dangerous gangs that control the sport of football in Argentina.  Another gang that is probably planting seeds in the fine city of Chicago.
  • The 6 pointed star in the image is the star used by the Folk Nation, a hard Chicago gang.  The fact that the star is red in color also indicates bloodshed.  The 4 stars indicate the 4 leaders of the Folk Nation that control Chicago’s mean streets.
  • The color yellow, which is heavily used in the entire picture, is the same color used by the Latin Kings, another notorious Chicago gang.  Do you see where I’m going here?
  • The words “Chicago’s Heroes” is an anagram for “Hogies Croches”.  It is well-known that Chicago has great hogies sandwiches.  There are also many croches in Chicago.  The term Hogies Croches lends itself to a phallic reference of the majority of gang members being male.
  • Lastly, the different colored hands means that gangs are now accepting applications for new members of different ethnicities.  Hence the gang signs in the hand gestures.

It’s a shame what kids come up with these days.  It’s a good thing the gang experts of Chicago’s finest have caught the error of this young 15-year old’s ways.  It’s a good thing that so much manpower is put towards protecting the innocent.  We need it.

To learn more about what you can do to protect yourself from gangs, read the info below.  As a word of advice, don’t wear or use gang colors…such as green, yellow, red, or blue.  Cheers!

Barra Bravas

Latin_Kings

Bloods

Crips

Folk Nation

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Categories News

A Tribute to You, From My Heart

February 8, 2012 //
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(In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I’ve poured out my heart to someone special in my life.  Words are a mere trifle of all I truly feel in my heart.)

To my dearest:

I love you so much that I can’t wait to see you after a long, weary day.

You help me to block out all the noise and chatter of my mind.

You envelop me in your warmth and my skin tingles under your moist kisses.

You never question my motives and always listen to me without judging.

I feel as if I can tell you anything.

My voice becomes as sweet as a songbird in your stead.

I’ve shown you every side of myself, even the darkest places.

You never turn away.

I could spend every waking hour with you.

You are a respite for my mind and body.

You are my sanctuary, my meditation.

And when we part ways after our brief union, I am left standing in a dreamy fog.

Speechless.

Dear shower head, you bring me peace and calm.

I never appreciated you so much before the baby came into our life.  Please never leave me.

I love you…especially in pulsating massage mode.

Love is in the air!

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Categories Random Thoughts

Middle Finger Salute

February 7, 2012 //
2

Should I teach Gavin about the middle finger?  Before his friends teach him?  On Sunday, I watched the Super Bowl along with the halftime show featuring Madonna.  I enjoyed it as much as anyone without HD TV can.  (We used to have HD Cable, but I couldn’t justify $120 for 3 hours of TV a month.  So, we now have basic cable…18 channels.  I think.)

Madonna sang some of her classic songs and her contortionists wriggled and twisted themselves around her.  LMFAO made their appearance.  Then there was M.I.A. (who sang the catchy “Paper Planes” song…) onscreen doing her thing and suddenly flicks everyone off!  (I thought she was looking directly at me when she threw up the middle finger and let’s just say she and I “had a moment”.  For a second, I thought it was a proposition.)  The thing is that it never registered in my brain as offensive or disrespectful.  In fact, it wasn’t until I read about her now infamous left hand salute that I realized that it was a big deal.  But, to who?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but a middle finger is just like the other fingers, only a little longer.  If given the choice to be offended by either a Janet Jackson areola or M.I.A. finger during Superbowl, I’ll pick Janet anytime…which reminds me that I should start taping these saucy halftime shows.

Gavin’s not old enough to understand what offensive gestures are.  (An example would be picking someone else’s nose, which is why his fingers are constantly scavenging my nostrils.  If it was anyone else, I’d fly off the handle.  Maybe not for Lindsay Lohan, though.  I digress.)  In this instance, I got off explanation free.  But, it got me wondering how to approach this 4 years from now, when Gavin sees something like this, the media is up in arms (and bans middle fingers in the U.S.A. to “protect our ignorance innocence children”) and he wonders why.

I’m in the boat where I’d rather the Worm learn these gestures from me (I’ve got a bag full of them.) rather than from someone else.  Will I teach him the middle finger?  Yes.  Why?  Because I want him to know how to use it correctly…like when someone cuts you off on the freeway, or when some kid tells him a momma joke, or when his boss tells him he’s gotta work on the weekend.  Correct usage is important.  Flipping the bird is an art.  Waving the one finger salute used to be meaningful.  It’s gone to s#!t due to abuse and overuse.  I’m going to make it rise to superpower status again, just like our country.

A middle finger means nothing unless the attached brain and body have some reason to throw it up.  Secondly, it has to be directed at someone or something.  M.I.A’s wagging finger meant nothing to me.  We’ve got no beef, (unless she hates my blog).  Maybe it was meant for someone in particular, but only she knows this.  And the people who are crying that their 5-year-old is now screwed up after seeing this during a “family show” is looking for someone to blame.  Your 5-year-old is screwed up because you smoke crack and burn cigarettes on your kid’s arms.

A wise man once told me, “Don’t fear the finger (unless there’s a booger on it).”  Ok I said that, but let’s pretend I’m wise.

Where was I going with this blog post?  Oh yeah, right here:

In my country, this is how we say 'Hi'

 

If you want to know some cool history about the middle finger, see link below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16916263

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Categories News

Home From the Hospital

February 7, 2012 //
0
Meditating like the Buddha…

 

We finally get Gavin home from the hospital, 1.5 days after our special delivery.  I’m excited.  But, it wasn’t without much fighting with the hospital staff.  They’re telling Steph to relax and try and rest in the hospital, yet they are coming in every 2 hours to take her vitals or give her food or clean the room, etc.

I took this ridiculousness as more CYA than care, especially for a natural birth without meds.  (It’s incredible what the body is capable of doing when unmedicated.  In other countries, women give birth and then go home from the hospital in the same day.)  I can see why epidurals keep women at the hospital…it’s because it numbs their entire lower half!

So, I pushed the issue.  Over and over again until the hospital staff heard me.  (We also have the luxury of being only 10 minutes from that hospital and 2 minutes from another, so that was also a factor…it’s not like we were 4 days camel ride away.)

I just wanted to get home so that I could take care of my wife and baby…in our warm, cozy home.

And as you can see, the Worm (not nicknamed yet…) is having his meditation time.  Peaceful and serene, isn’t he?

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Categories GPOD
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