I saw Spider-Man last year and I must say I loved it! I couldn’t wait to bring my son to see the show but at 3 years old when I saw – I didn’t think he was ready for it but now he’s turning 5 and loving all things Super Heroes and has been to 3 Broadway shows and loved them… So this Father’s Day we’re going to see Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark!
For me this was an AMAZING Spider-Man meets rock concert on broadway. Its truly an amazing show that will leave you opened mouthed at times saying Wow. I highly recommend this show… not just for us adults but I think you’ll have the kids saying “How’d they do that?” and “that was AWESOME!”
On June 16, for one performance only, swing by SPIDER-MAN with your dad and he’ll get in for free with the purchase of one full price orchestra or flying circle ticket for yourself.
*All prices include a $2.50 facility fee. Limit 8 tickets per order. Blackout dates may apply and offer may be revoked at any time. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. Offer subject to availability and prior sale. ALL SALES FINAL. No refunds or exchanges. Telephone and internet orders are subject to standard service fees. Offer valid through 6/16/13.
I think giving away a pair of tickets for the Father’s Day performance is a perfect way to spend your father’s day – so ending tomorrow (6/12/13) at midnight – one lucky dad will win a pair of tickets but we’ll let you all know so you have time to take advantage of the special Father’s Day offer.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. June 12th, 2013.
Leave a comment why you want to win this prize and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @SpideyOnBway @dadarocks – http://dad.am/19ZI79t #Giveaway and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.
Example: I want to win #FathersDay tickets to @SpideyOnBway from @dadarocks what a great #FathersDay gift – http://dad.am/19ZI79t #giveaway
You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter – www.twitter.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
You get 1 extra entry for liking this page on facebook (like button at the top of the post NOTE: you must be signed intofacebook for it to work!) You must comment that you’ve liked it.
You get 1 extra entry for G+ this page on plus.google.com (click on the little G+ icon below) You must comment that you’ve G+ it.
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner! Disclaimer: Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark supplied the prize for this contest and it is limited to the USA (or anyone who will be in NYC on Sunday to attend the show).
Close to 2 months ago – March 29th – if dates matter to you my wife once again gave me the best present one could ask for a wonderful baby girl. We named her Harper Elle.
BAM – in that one moment the life that we had known as 3 became a life as 4… the concept of superhero only rooms and a lot of blue and green clothing became PINK – it really appeared like 4 minutes after she was born.
There are few words that can really express the birth of a child – its just a feeling… an overall calm just washes over you as you hold your child for the first time. In that moment that I held my baby girl for the first time I saw a flash of little princess dresses – little tea ceremonies – countless dress up playdates – little ballerina tutus and dance classes… it is my future without a doubt.
It’s been a solid 4 years since we’ve had to hold a newborn – well at least one of our own. Which is kind of like riding a bike I guess – you totally know you need to support the head and that cradling arm position but it’s a little awkward at first… It takes some time before you really get back into the swing of it.
Fast forward countless sleepless nights and here we are – 4 doctor checkup and first round of vaccines later – a few interesting rounds of trying to make sure her older brother doesnt try to squeeze her like a doll.. It is our new normal.
My wife and I are playing man to man defense with the kids – usually she’ll take Harper and I’ll run with Marc (and usually Marc and I always end up in some fun trouble)…. I take over the night time role once Marc is asleep and that’s my quality time with Harper.
I will say now that Harper is into the 3 months clothes now – We’re breaking into a lot more of the dresses and cutie girl clothes – WOW I totally need a crash course of cute kids fashion – thankfully Suzanne has an amazing eye (she’s a great photographer) for the trendy edge of fashion or as I like to call her a super stylist (remind me again why she doesn’t dress me?!).
Thankfully our new apartment has an in unit washer and dryer and to most that must leave you scratching your head like huh?! Its a major perk in NYC small apartments to have a washer and dryer in the unit – most have them in the basement as community machines eating $2-4 worth of quarters per load. We’ve done tons of laundry – wow for such little clothes we go through them sooo fast – I guess my clothes are not helping with the number of loads the spit up either.
I’m sure we’ll see Harper in a princess dress soon enough… but for now I’ll leave you with this image of Marc being a great big brother.
This post is part of my #dadsway series sponsored by Tide and Downy.
One thing that sucks is having a new baby and having to go into work everyday… such is the life for sooo many (and it was for a couple of weeks of Harper’s life). One simple solution cause you cant really put a new born on the phone to check in is this amazing Samsung SmartCam [Amazon]. Its a WiFi connected Video Monitor – I leave out the baby part cause it could be used for almost anything you want to keep an eye on or an ear on since it transmit sound too.
It took all of 5 minutes to get working (yes it really that simple) but for a regular folk (non techie) maybe it’ll take you 10minutes. It uses Samsung’s hosted solution to communicate to the video device.
This does require an internet connection in the setup mode I have it running in (I dont even know if it would work if you didnt have an internet connect – like if you only wanted to run it locally). There is a free app you download for your iPhone or iPad. The image looks great with settings to reduce bandwidth.
I set this up on my old iPhone 4 (using wifi only) and it worked great in my apartment. The video looked great streaming over AT&T Wireless network on my iPhone 5.
If I have any issue is that even though it has the remember the password boxes in the app – it still requires usernames/passwords/camera password (so you can run multiple cameras) with no centralized login ability (would love to sync it to my facebook or twitter account so I dont need to remember another username/password).
Samsung SNH-1010N SmartCam WiFi Video Baby Monitor
One Push Setup in 30 seconds
Built-in Mic and Speaker for Two way talk
Built-in IR LED Lamps for Night vision
Monitor on PC, MAC, and smartphones
Audio and Motion detection and notification
Free and easy recording on YouTube
Quick Setup and Monitor from Anywhere/Anytime
The SNH-1010N ties convenience and security together to bring you an innovative concept for monitoring your baby’s safety. Instead of limiting you to the range of the parent unit, the SNH-1010N connects to your route with a push of a button. This give you the freedom to monitor your child using your smartphone, tablet, laptop, and/or pc. With extremely quick and easy set-up, a wide variety of choices you can use to monitor, and the freedom to monitor from anywhere and at anytime,
Store and Share Made So Easy
With the SNH-1010N, sharing videos of your baby is made simple. Video clips are stored privately on a personal YouTube account. Share it with your friends and family or make it publc to share it with everyone.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. June 14th, 2013.
Leave a comment why you want to win this prize and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: #BabyMonitor @dadarocks – http://dad.am/14DQEZT #Giveaway and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.
Example: I want to win a Samsung Wifi Video #BabyMonitor from @dadarocks what a great #FathersDay gift – http://dad.am/14DQEZT #giveaway
You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter – www.twitter.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
You get 1 extra entry for liking this page on facebook (like button at the top of the post NOTE: you must be signed into facebook for it to work!) You must comment that you’ve liked it.
You get 1 extra entry for G+ this page on plus.google.com (click on the little G+ icon below) You must comment that you’ve G+ it.
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Samsung supplied the prize for this contest and it is limited to the USA.
On Saturday, June 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET, “The Aquabats! Super Show!” returns with an all-new episode called “The Return of the Aquabats!” When The Aquabats return from outer space, they are received as heroes who saved the world, but are quickly overwhelmed by all of the people needing their help, as well as by a super-powered enemy. Special appearance by professional skateboarder Tony Hawk.
“The Aquabats! Super Show!” (Hub Network Original Series – Live Action)
From Christian Jacobs (“Yo Gabba Gabba!”) comes “The Aquabats! Super Show!,” which was just nominated for a Daytime Emmy® Award for Outstanding Children’s Series. The Aquabats return to take on their new roles as saviors of the earth! The greatest crime-fighting, kids rock band ever assembled is back with all-new episodes and even more dastardly villains, as The Aquabats continue their never-ending quest to right wrongs, destroy boredom and seek justice for all! “The Aquabats! Super Show!” is produced by Awesome Forces Productions and executive produced by Christian Jacobs, Jason deVilliers, Donna Ebbs, and Nate Rogers. Airs: Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. ET
Now with Season 2 kicking off Season 1 is just out on DVD. My 4 year old loved season 1 and we cant wait to watch season 2.
Check out this clip from season 1
Shout! Factory, in collaboration with FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment, will release The Aquabats! Super Show! Season One!on DVD on May 21 for a suggested retail price of $19.93. All 13 Season One episodes of wacky crime-fighting, music videos and outlandish villains are included in the 2-Disc deluxe collection, along with a ton of bonus features. Special guests on the show include “Weird Al” Yankovic, Lou Diamond Phillips (Southland), Samm Levine (Freaks & Geeks), Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and more.
Disc 1
ManAnt!
Mysterious Egg!
EagleClaw!
Laundry Day!
Ladyfingers!
Haunted Battletram!
Cowboy Android!
Disc 2
Uberchaun!
Pilgrim Boy!
Floating Eye Of Death!
Night Of The Cactus!
Cobraman!
Showtime!
For those fans of Season 1 we have some great news that we will be seeing the return of a new of our season 1 bad guys. Season 2 is currently has 5 episodes ready to roll with the goal to roll out and shoot another 7 episodes later on this summer.
The big news this season is that the little cartoons will be changing up… it‘ll be more of the Lil Bat animation sequences, and done in five different animation styles that will finally reveal the true origin of the ‘bats!
Being a blogger you get pitched a lot… and I mean a lot I think I have close to over 70,000 unread emails but everyonce once in a while I dig into those emails and find really really cool things – like this awesome keyprop by Integral Design.
it goes right onto your keychain and it works with a ton of devices. it makes it so you can stand your phone or any number of mobile devices up and sometimes without having to remove the case (win!)
so this project is in its last days on kickstarter – so theres some real bonuses to be one of the first to order a keyprop.
The big bonus is the designer of this also made aniOSapp that takes time delayed photos, which turns out really good if you standup your iPhone using the keyprop. The best part of the app is a CLAP to SNAP feature – so you clap and your iPhone will take a picture – which is a really cool idea – I wondering if it’ll turn into our generations Clapper.
Keyprop is a patent pending tripod stand for your smartphone, paired with a unique self-timer app for a whole new camera phone experience.
There are many smartphone stands out there in the market, but you never have one on you when you need it. Keyprop fits on your keychain so it is always on you. Keyprop fits virtually every smartphone and leverages the feature they all have in common – the headphone jack – to prop up the phone. The clever design also allows you to adjust the angle of the phone by propping the stand on your keys.
Bonus: KeyCam, a self-timer camera app with the innovative Clap-to-Snap feature. The Keystand plus KeyCam combo completes the photo experience so that no one is ever left out of a group photo or struggling to get the right angle for a self photo. Please see video demo of Clap-to-Snap feature which allows users to start the self-timer from far away: http://vimeo.com/65034947.
With Father’s day coming directly at us I know I’ve been asked more then once what can I get my husband thats practical? How about upgrading that outdated copy of Microsoft Office – sure that 2003 edition is still working why do you need anything different? well one major issue is that schools and office environments upgrade to the latest and greatest editions – and learning and practicing at home is key to success in the office or school.
For less then $100 you can upgrade for the new Office 365 which will give you 5 copies of the latest Office during your subscription.
Thats the key to this gifts – its a subscription – you can go buy a license and thats it you’re locked into this version of office but with the annual subscription you’ll keep getting updates another different is with the subscription you get 5 copies between PCs or Macs or even select mobile devices.
Plus as a bonus an hour of Skype phone calls each month which is pretty solid for that want to keep in touch with those friends that live overseas and if thats not enough how about 20GB of SkyDrive (Microsoft online storage space).
And we’ve got a download code for ONE winner to have ONE YEAR OFFICE 365 subscription in this giveaway!
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. June 8th, 2013.
Leave a comment why you want to win this prize and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @office @dadarocks – http://dad.am/18vJ7De and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.
Example: I want to win a subscription to @office 365 from @dadarocks what a great #FathersDay gift idea – http://dad.am/18vJ7De #giveaway
You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter – www.twitter.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
You get 1 extra entry for liking this page on facebook (like button at the top of the post NOTE: you must be signed into facebook for it to work!) You must comment that you’ve liked it.
You get 1 extra entry for G+ this page on plus.google.com (click on the little G+ icon below) You must comment that you’ve G+ it.
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Microsoft Office supplied the prize for this contest and it is limited to the USA.
Got a couple of hours to kill in a plane or a car or train this holiday weekend? you might want to check out the Disney Creativity Studio.
Turn your iPad into an artist’s studio with Disney Creativity Studio. Let real Disney artists teach you how to draw your favorite Disney characters. An easy to use and intuitive instructional guide will help you perfect your skills to create amazing artwork that you’ll love to show off to your friends and family. Engaging activities like Tracing, Connect the Dots, Coloring and more provide hours of fun.
Interact with such favorite Disney characters as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto
More than 45 unique “pages” of fun activities including coloring, tracing and connect the dots.
Real Disney artists provide step-by-step instructions for drawing Disney characters
An extensive palette of more than 30 colors available at your fingertips
Save and share creations with friends and family
Now there is just an APP but what I’m talking about is going to a store and buying this cool kit called the Disney Creativity Studio with Smart Stylus (you then get the app for free too).
This is a great little add on that will help your child interact with the app much like they do with pen and paper.
It’s a little pricey from Apple but keep your eye on some other places like QVC. I will say its also important to make sure you’re running the latest and greatiOSversion you need iOS5 and higher (which shouldnt be a big deal for any iPad).
Epic the Movie is out as of Today (May 24th 2013)… I really enjoyed the movie its a classic good verse evil battle – there is a great subplot line about going green and protecting the forest. The larger plot is about a young teen (maybe a tween) not understanding her father and thru this adventure finding that connection. The heroes learn what responsibility is – which is a great moral of the story that I think my 4 year old walked away with…
So should you take your kid to this movie – I took Marc whos 4.5 years old. He’s really into superheroes right now – I’d put this movie on par with Brave or the Guardians if you want to compare it to other animated movies that have come out in recent months.
Here’s the official plot… after which I’ll share some great interviews with the cast and the trailer.
EPIC has it all – Samurai-like action and warriors, incredible aerial battles, laugh out loud humor and an adventure that will transport you to a hidden, rich and beautiful world, unlike any you’ve seen before.
The 3D CG adventure comedy hits theaters on May 24! From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO,EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours.
EPIC features an incredible cast including: BEYONCÉ KNOWLES, COLIN FARRELL AMANDA SEYFRIED, AZIZ ANSARI, PITBULL, STEVEN TYLER, JOSH HUTCHERSON, CHRIS O’DOWD, CHRISTOPH WALTZ and JASON SUDEIKIS.
I was lucky enough to sit down and interview a couple of the stars of the movie – here is how some of that went down.
Question to Colin Farrell >
Blogger: So, this is the first family oriented movie that you’ve done.
Mr. Colin Farrell: Yes.
Blogger: So, what made you take a leap into this and animation?
Mr. Colin Farrell: Opportunity, really, to be honest with you. Unless you’re writing your own material and producing your own work, which I’m not yet, but you go off, as a working actor, an actor looking for work, what you’re presented with. And so, there was one animated film a few years ago that I had an opportunity to work on and I just didn’t, I didn’t feel I could do anything with it or I didn’t connect to it at all. But then, when I saw what Chris and the team that Chris has worked with were creating and what their intention was, and as far as entertainment goes and what the story had to say and how beautiful the world that they were creating was, I just remember the first time I met them. It was a no brainer, you know?
Question to Amanda Seyfried >
Blogger: So, I guess my question is, as a dad of a child who’s kind of starting down a path of wanting to be an actor, what advice would you have?
Ms. Amanda Seyfried: Be present. It’s important to be around them because I feel like I would have felt lonely doing it and wanting it (if) my mom and dad weren’t constantly there.
I’m not going to say I personally tested a breast pump – I leave that up to my highly qualified wife. When Philips AVENT asked me to check out the newly launched Philips AVENT Comfort Breast Pump and Philips AVENT Natural Bottle.
What makes these the latest and greatest from Philips AVENT?
Philips AVENT Comfort Breast Pump:
Unique design allows moms to sit more comfortably with no need to lean forward
Gentle stimulation mode to get your milk flowing and a choice of three pumping settings to make milk flow most comfortable for moms
Soft massage cushion with warm feel for comfortable, gentle stimulation of mom’s milk flow
Includes Philips AVENT Natural bottle and nipple for natural latch on, making it easy for babies to combine breast and bottle feeding
Philips AVENT Natural Bottle:
Wide, breast-shaped nipple designed to help your baby latch on naturally
Special comfort ‘petals’ inside the nipple to increase softness and flexibility without collapse
Advanced anti-colic system with innovative twin valve allows air into the bottle – not baby’s tummy
Works with the Philips AVENT Comfort Breast Pump, making it easy for babies to combine breast and bottle feeding
Over all Harper took great to the natural bottle and had no issue jump between the bottle and direct breast feeding.
The Breast Pump did help allow me to get involved in the feeding time ritual, which is super import to help support a new mom. I think my wife found the breast pump to work great and it was small enough to even take overnight to a wedding. The bottles are very easy to put together you can even put them together in the pitch dark while holding a baby (dont try that at home – I’m a trained professional).
Giveaway…
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. May 29th, 2013.
Leave a comment with why you’d like to win a Philips AVENT gift pack (items included in the photo with blue background) and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @AVENT_US @dadarocks – http://dad.am/13KpFeL and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.
Example: I want to win the @AVENT_US #GiftPack from @dadarocks – http://dad.am/13KpFeL #giveaway
You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter – www.twitter.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
You get 1 extra entry for liking this page on facebook (like button at the top of the post NOTE: you must be signed into facebook for this to work!)
You get 2 extra entries for suggesting DaDa Rocks on facebook to your friends (and have them leave a note saying you sent them)
You get 2 extra entry for writing about this giveaway on your blog (with a link back to https://dadarocks.com) you must also comment with the link to your post.
You get 1 extra entry for G+ this page on plus.google.com (click on the little G+ icon below) You must comment that you’ve G+ it.
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Philips AVENT supplied the prize for this contest and it is limited to the USA.
Quinny had an exciting day on Sunday as the new Quinny Yezz conquered New York City. 400 lucky Big Apple Moms lined the streets of Manhattan to receive a free Yezz stroller. Some Quinny fans braved the rain to line up as early as 2:00 a.m. at locations including Giggle, Albee Baby, the New York Family Baby Show and more!
The Yezz is Quinny’s latest breakthrough concept in design, style and materials. A culmination of extreme urban design, the Yezz uses innovative IXEF high performance composite material to create a highly durable yet very lightweight frame. The stroller switches from pushing to carrying and back again within seconds.
The Quinny Yezz features six interchangeable seats so parents can change the fashion easily. It is available in the following fashions: Blue Loop, Yellow Move, Blue Track, Grey Road, Red Signal and Purple Rush. For children from 6 months to 40lbs.
Features Include:
Approximately 11 lbs
Ultra compact quick fold
Stands when folded, includes adjustable carry strap
Frame is made of IXEF® material, a high performance injection molded composite fiber — allows for the stroller to be light weight and extremely durable
Interchangeable seats to allow parents to change the fashion
Available Accessories: WeatherShield
SRP $279; additional seats for $69
Here are some pictures of the events…
Giveaway…
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. May 28th, 2013.
Leave a comment with which color stroller you’d pick and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @QuinnyUSA @dadarocks – http://dad.am/18e38LJ and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.
Example: I want to win the @QuinnyUSA YEZZ #Stroller from @dadarocks – http://dad.am/18e38LJ #giveaway
You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter – www.twitter.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/DaDaRocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
You get 1 extra entry for liking this page on facebook (like button at the top of the post NOTE: you must be signedintofacebook for it to work!)
You get 2 extra entries for suggesting DaDa Rocks on facebook to your friends (and have them leave a note saying you sent them)
You get 2 extra entry for writing about this giveaway on your blog (with a link back to https://dadarocks.com) you must also comment with the link to your post.
You get 1 extra entry for G+ this page on plus.google.com (click on the little G+ icon below) You must comment that you’ve G+ it.
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Quinny supplied the prize for this contest and it is limited to the USA.
