Do you follow the King? I sure do I’ve been following his cross country adventure ever since leaving NYC (which is when I started seeing his tumbr page and tweets flying about giving away 2 kinects per stop… All the time there’s this major promotion going on over at www.bkkinect.com you buy a whopper you get codes and every 15 minutes someone wins an xbox 360 and Kinect (if you hear the sound of drool its not only over the burger and fries its really the kinect). I great little hint is that there is a little link after you create your account to email yourself codes for free (its all part of that legal entry thingy).
So I have some super cool 1 day giveaways…. (you can only win 1) but I’ve got a few Crown cards (BK giftcards) to giveaway… I’ll randomly today on my facebook and twitter accounts ask a question first one with the answer wins a $10 crown card. One might ask how will I know its a contest question!? I’ll have the #BK360 attached to the end. Since I’m excited about this one day event the first 10 people to comment on this post will each get 1 $10 crown card too 🙂
12/3/10 Update: And to that point was not compensated by anyone (i didnt even get a crown card) as I was happy to promote this contest and the @theburgerking twitter road account. I tried to guide a number of followers to locations and stops. To my surprise I was gifted with an xbox360 after a recent medical scare.
Have you heard of Tegu? Most of you are now shaking your head saying Huh?! Te-what? and to be honest thats how I felt until I saw these toys at the ABC kids expo a few weeks ago in vegas. These are really simple shapes of wood that have magnets buried inside of them.
So they click together with the magnetic bonds and the ability to play and build stuff has been great. My 2 year old hasnt stopped playing with them. Tegu recently kicked off this Live webshow of a master builder taking requests to build almost anything! I got two built out… I asked for a NYC Landmark and they did the empire state building (and of course along came king kong to knock it down) See that here: http://bit.ly/cSnbqM and my original request was for a train and they did a great job: http://bit.ly/cERoyC
There are many things I really like about this campaign – 1) is it shows you how to build these items yourself so you can become a building master and impress your kids 2) it really shows off a great use of social media for a product that isnt necessarily a toy that would be on social media.
Tegu blocks are wood so they are not just going to crack open and a really durable, the block sizes makes it hard for a child to choke on them… they’ve become a perfect toddler building gift in my mind. Here’s the one thing they’re a little pricey starting at $40. The newest line is of these color blocks which are totally super cool.
Check out http://tegu.com and if you really want to see what this living building is all about enjoy the following live stream!
Now its time for the giveaway!
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. November 18, 2010.
You must comment telling us if these could be made out of any wood, which wood would you want to have them in?, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
You get 1 extra entry for following Tegu on twitter – twitter.com/tegu
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information:
@tegu @dadarocks – http://bit.ly/c94ivx and you must also comment with the link to your twitter message.
Example: I want to win the awesome #TeguBlocks from @tegu Thanks to @dadarocks – http://bit.ly/c94ivx
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on facebook – facebook.com/dadarocks you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall)
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on of Tegu on facebook – facebook.com/TeguToys you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall that DaDaRocks.com sent you)
You get 1 extra entry for subscribing to our Feedburner digest mailing (right side subscribe by email) – you must also comment that you’ve subscribed
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a friend on Google Connect (right side below facebook box) – you must also comment that you’ve become a friend
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Thanks to Tegu for the prize for this raffle.
It’s not every husband who can sit there and talk about how proud he is of their wife! I was totally that guy this weekend – Suzanne for her second time completed a marathon but this time it was the New York Marathon!
Suzanne’s marathon history started with the San Diego Marathon which was also how I proposed (it was romantic, until the flight was canceled…lol) 3+ years ago. For us it was a different time and a different place in life – no kids limited responsibilities which is why this marathon was so much different. We have a toddler, who greatly limits our good night sleep and we have roles, responsibilities, but that was just small challenges that were easily overcome by my wife!
She had long discussed after San Diego wanting to make a go at the NYC marathon but timing, kids, it never fit and it wasnt until this past spring when she had made up her mind about really wanting to do it! She has been training for months, which is no easy task, as she has changed her eating habits to carb-o-load which isnt our typical meal. She changed sleep schedules to be able to make it to trainings and early morning gym sessions.
The time and energy one puts into training for the marathon is a thousand times harder then actually running the marathon (well I’m not really sure if thats soooo true as I’ve never ran a marathon but from my perspective it is :P) She ran an incredible race – it was really not easy to spot her but I used the subways and some good old fashion running to get to 5 different points to see Suzanne. Of course in a crowd of 100s running past you every minute it wasnt always the easiest to pick her out of the crowd but I was able to clearly see her 3 out of the 5 times. I covered about 18 miles worth of the over all race, she ran the entire 26.2 miles.
I am so proud of my wife, I really cant express it! She has done something that less then 1% of the human population will ever try or succeed in doing and to me thats pretty amazing!
For a while now my wife and I have been talking about the sacrifices we’ve been making as parents. I’m sure you’ve made yours we all have is my take on it. Then it occurs to me that we’re a much more selfish generation (maybe one of the worst in history). I was once talking about how we’re so selfish as parents when another blogger chimed in and said that all kids are more selfish then their parents because our parents want them to be better then how they had and in turn work hard to provide more. I’ve been thinking isn’t that circle making it much worst for the future generations?
In having a similar discussion of the new graduates of college working in the PR industry one senior PR person joked these kids dont even want to get coffee or do real work; they all just want to sit around and try to become celebrities… I get it, clearly look at the cast of jersey shore – right?!
I worry about the future for many reasons – living in NYC I need to deal with education prior to Kindergarten, so we’re juggling the whole 2 income with school or nanny/child care or 1 income and barely making but with a stay at home parent. I know my wife and I are really feeling the sacrifice these days mainly because we just had our second time alone from our child for more then 3 days. It was great other then the fact they were some of the busiest days we’ve had in over 2 years.
My mom hung out for a while with my wife tonight and she even made a comment about how life’s a sacrifice and she’s proud that hers gave true to the fruits that are now me… and (here comes the mom jab) that I need to step it up and do more with my son…. (if you heard a car crash sound it was just me driving off a bridge)… I’m pushing myself to limits here to build a better life for my son. Talking with my wife day in and day out about how we can do more with less or get more to do more… while others say money doesn’t buy happiness (I completely agree) it does afford you better aspirin! No really I get it – in NYC to live a good life you need some moderate amount of money…
I guess the long and the short of it is – are we always sacrificing for a better life for our kids? or are we sacrificing for our future? or is there a good balance of not just living in the now but not missing out on our kids?
If you’ve been reading my blog you know I have a son who is in love with Yo Gabba Gabba, (LOVE!) like knows the songs, has the DVDs, Toys, Bedding, Shirts, ect… Watches it multiple times a day! ps. stop judging me that he’s watching to much TV. When I was offered the ability to have an interview with Christian Jacobs the co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba and the lead singer for the Aquabats. Naturally I said YES….
I had some questions for the man that created the show that my son is obsessed with… which also means I’m obsessed with, because one of my goals in life is to make my son happy…. Christian took this interview/call while home with his family and washing the dishes, which is pretty awesome for a Dad of four.
I started the interview by asking Christian about why did he make the show…
When Scott and Christian started making this show – they were just starting having kids and the shows on tv were driving them crazy. Yo Gabba Gabba was a product out of a need for better tv they could enjoy as well.
Of course I asked about the character design and how did they develop…
Christian is a major Japanese toy collector and that was some of the inspiration for Aquabats which is where Muno grew out of… Christian is legally blind in his left eye and that was his signature character always felt drawn to the cyclops. The aquabats used to fight a muno like character at the time there were horns and its name wasn’t muno. The bumps where added by some science which was to have some tactical response as well as the shapes. Brobee was also in the Aquabats universe as a monster they would fight on stage.
How about the story lines, they’re great and I know they’re not the typical sunshine and rainbows…
Scott and Christian’s kids wear glasses which is why they showed life lessons with its OK to be different and showing that its cool to wear glasses. While traditional values arent featured on many shows because its not popular, they wanted to tackle those issues and be responsible Dads it getting those lessons that would be hard for a 3 year old to wrap their head around.
I started picking on which season we’re up to on air… which is season 3 and there are still some episodes to air and a handful of season 2 that werent aired. I asked about the character development because we’ve seen Brobee celebrate birthdays hows the show long term goals working with development story lines.
Of course the idea of the show it be a long running show and issues like birthdays or haircuts are real life – Christian took his kid for his first hair cut and he was a wild man. Of course there is development because they want to show real life issues to kids. They don’t want to grow the characters up to much because its still based for younger demographics but clearly it connects with older kids, the bands, the animations, over all feel hits a wide age range. Its been the best job to create an alternative magic world that helps children learn in the milestone education years of 2-4.
When asked about the rumors of whats happening as we’re finishing up season 3 whats going on with season 4….
Here’s the breaking news part – a 4th season of 13 episodes is under way. The sky is the limit – Yo Gabba Gabba got picked up in France and a few other foreign countries and the live show is doing amazing, there is a movie script in the work. New line of Van shoes are rolling out, its a tricky state of things and there have been some missteps but learning from their mistakes.
I asked about video games because I’ve been on a tear of preschool video games and Christian voiced his concern as typically they’ve never sold well, but since Yo Gabba Gabba isnt the typical preschool show and they’re working on it, but its been a challenge.
After this point we started talking to Christian about Aquabats and that’ll be a post for another day….
I really want to say thank you to all the wonderful people who made this interview happen (it took a small team!) and thanks to Chistian for really taking the time to answer all the questions!
I used to love going to the carnivals growing up and well times have changed long has come and gone the rigged games for a stuffed animal (that you really don’t need or want) or rides that are safe. Most carnivals these days are pretty shady, the rides one step away from dangerous and the games well if you wanna win that big dog… you might as well hand over you’re wallet.
When I heard about the New Carnival Games for Wii I was totally impressed that someone turned all those little one of games and turned it virtual. I cant say I was shocked but excited to see how the translation from in person to online would go. Wii games have dozens of smaller titles that combo up a number of smaller games and this title is no different but the real point is that they have the motion and the skills down!
If you pop some corn and grab some candy you could make a great family night just playing the carnival games for a bit. This is a refresh of the title Carnival Games and has added all new games and every game has multiplayer. If you liked the first one this is a must buy! if you never heard of the first one (I’ll admit it I was in that boat…) I’m glad I found out about this one!
You get 1 extra entry for following 2kPlay on twitter – twitter.com/2kPlay
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information:
#newcarnivalgames @2kPlay @dadarocks – http://bit.ly/bUyHFm and you must also comment with the link to your twitter message.
Example: I want to win the #newcarnivalgames from @2kPlay Thanks to @dadarocks – http://bit.ly/bUyHFm
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on facebook – facebook.com/dadarocks you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall)
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on of NewCarnivalGames on facebook – facebook.com/NewCarnivalGames you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall that DaDRocks.com sent you)
You get 1 extra entry for subscribing to our Feedburner digest mailing (right side subscribe by email) – you must also comment that you’ve subscribed
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a friend on Google Connect (right side below facebook box) – you must also comment that you’ve become a friend
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Thanks to 2K Play for the prizes for this raffle.
One thing that has really changed in the last few years is the direction of gaming for toddlers and babies. If you would have asked anyone in the industry 10 years ago whats the youngest a game for a kid should be made it was 6… today games are being designed and thought about for kids as young as 2!
Whats great is that I have a 2 year old, when I was invited out to see the not yet finished Sesame Street Wii games I jumped at the chance – first we had just gotten back from Sesame Place and my son had an amazing time! When I first saw these games I was like wow! no really these games are good graphics with a very large educational content component… my son already knows the iPad inside&out and is really ready for the next thing (as I’m also starting to think about focusing on hand/eye movement more and more).
In Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure, kids head to the Zoo with Elmo, Zoe and their animal friends, as they explore fun games including letter identification, rhyming, letter sounds and color and shape identification. Kids can also explore fun Zoo habitats including the Aquarium, Savanna, Jungle, Wetlands and the Arctic.
In Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival, kids join Cookie Monster and Big Bird at a fun-filled carnival, through gameplay steeped in math skills that include number identification, counting, shapes and pattern recognition. Kids journey through the game in the many areas of the carnival such as The Grandstand, Midway, Petting Zoo, Food Court and the Arcade.
Seriously these games were designed for a 2 year old and up… they’ve thought about everything from the idea that the Wii remote doesn’t require line of sight IR (that whole bar in front of the TV) to the a control cover that is of the character of each game!
These are also on the PC but more importantly the DS and come with an extra large Pen for your little one’s hands. Here are some quick run down of some great features of both games.
Gameplay Helpers for Smaller Hands: Available for Wii and Nintendo DS systems, special gameplay helpers simplify gameplay controls and make them more accessible for preschoolers with small hands and developing skills. They will come packaged with the game at no additional cost.
The Wii gameplay helper is a soft and fuzzy character cover with special grips that slips over the Wii Remote, minimizing unnecessary buttons and making it easier and more fun to hold.
The Nintendo DS gameplay helper is a jumbo click stylus designed for smaller hands, simplifying interaction with the touch screen. It features a retractable tip and wrist strap for safety and its soft grip provides for a comfortable grasp.
Parents’ Area: Parents may review games their child has played along with relevant curriculum for each. Parents can also customize up to four profiles and set game limits.
Parent Can Play With Their Kids: TheParental Assist Mode feature allows use of the second Wii-Remote to assist the child through the game, without taking away the child’s remote.
Broad Range of Games: The game features an array of distinct learning games based on a variety of activities, including counting and enumeration, number identification, plus pattern, shape and color identification.
Audio Direction: Game instructions are provided by audio rather than text direction for children with developing reading skills.
Easy to Play: The games are entertaining and intuitive enabling preschoolers to play by themselves. They require minimal button usage. For the Nintendo DS, there’s no required button pushing – only screen tapping or using the microphone.
Player Adaptability: The game difficulty adapts to child’s level.
Active Gameplay: With Wii, game movements are Jump, Tilt, Pump, Scoop, Shake and Toss. All are performed with two hands with a “‘handlebar” grip.
For more information on these games check out http://www.sesamestreetvideogames.com
If you want to order these games here are the Amazon.com links Cookie Monster [Wii | DS] & Elmo [Wii | DS]
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. November 2, 2010.
You must comment telling us who your favorite Sesame Street character is, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
The Scholastic Store is hosting a Stars Wars event on Saturday, October 23 from 1-5pm. Kids of all ages (and their parents) can hang out with Star Wars Storm Troopers and maybe even a member of the Droid Detachment! There will be classes for young paduwans and a chance to win a copy of the new book, Millennium Falcon.
Scholastic Store has some pretty awesome events coming up and usually they’re free, check the calendar here. While not everyone can make it to the store Saturday for this awesome party – Scholastic is blasting off with a rad giveaway for anyone in the US to win.
I’ve been reading these books (well not Millennium Falcon I’ve put that away since its pretty awesome and sooo not a toddler book, and I really like it myself.) to my kiddo. Its great to connect to something so Daddy – I grew up on Star Wars having an alphabet book that could use the word Droid is pretty cool!
Star Wars: ABC
Star Wars: ABC is an alphabetical adventure through the imaginative and intergalactic world of Star Wars featuring the names and images of the most popular characters, droids, spaceships, and creatures in this galaxy far, far away. Ages 0+, $12.99.
STAR WARS SPACESHIPS
A perfect introduction to the Star Wars universe, this board book features the names and images of the most iconic spaceships coupled with simple text, as the Millennium Falcon, TIE Fighters, and X-Wings blast across outer space. Designed for the young Jedi-in-training, Star Wars: Spaceships will take children to a galaxy far, far away…into an epic story that was a defining moment for many of today’s parents. The Force is strong with this book. Ages 4+, $7.99.
STAR WARS Millennium Falcon
For older STAR WARS fans, this novelty format dissects the most famous ship in the galaxy section-by-section, revealing the ship’s secrets and special modifications. Includes technical notes from Han Solo as well as a detailed overview of each of the ship’s main functions. All ages. For the older Jedi, $21.99.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. October 28, 2010.
You must comment telling us who your favorite Star Wars character is, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
I’ve been doing this Kids Club 13 things for a while – the events have been great! super cool, fun and very different places that you can take the family to… if you’re not great at making your own plans then JOIN NOW! they have great events once a month all over the NYC area (and outside northern NJ and Westchester too). This trip around we’re going large we’re going to the Intrepid (can you hear the man grrrr in the back round!) this is totally a trip for Dads to really get involved with!
“Calling All Explorers!” at the Intrepid Museum October 24, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Link:http://kids.thirteen.org/2010/03/02/calling-all-explorers-at-the-intrepid-museum/ Discover and learn about Sea, Air and Space as you explore the Intrepid Museum! Admission is free for Kids Club Thirteen members, and Cyberchase‘s favorite cyber-bird Digit will meet-and-greet fans and hand out free Cyber-goodies in the Kids Club Member Zone!
Join Kids Club Thirteen at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Sunday, October 24th!Explore the newly restored areas of the ship, plus aircraft and interactive exhibits that investigate space, flight, water, and life at sea aboard Intrepid. And there’s hands-on fun in the EXPLOREUM! – the museum’s new interactive learning zone.
Cyberchase’s favorite cyber-bird Digit will meet-and-greet fans in the Kids Club Member Zone! Arrive early for great giveaways (while supplies lasts)!
Kids Club Thirteen members receive free admission (don’t forget to bring your temporary card), and enjoy a members-only experience, episode screenings of Cyberchase and special crafts & activities.
Event Schedule
10 a.m – 1 p.m. Member Zone open to Kids Club members –
On-going hands-on crafts & activities, including Cyberchase episode screenings and Digit meet & greet. 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. ‘Four Forces of Flight’ demonstration led by Intrepid staff 11:30 a.m. – noon Explore Challenge guided tour Group A noon – 12:30 p.m ‘Four Forces of Flight’ demonstration led by Intrepid staff 12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. Explore Challenge guided tour Group B
Suggested member activities
Weekend Demonstrations 2:00 – 4:00 Families are invited to drop by the Discovery Deck in the Exploreum for a hands-on project that explores the themes of the temporary 27 Seconds exhibit- safety and heroism.
Discovery Cart 2:00 – 4:00 Stop by the Discovery Cart in the Hangar Deck to explore artifacts from the Intrepid during World War II with a Museum Educator.
The title might have you thinking that this post might be about something else but its really about the testament about being away from home at seven days. To some that seems like just a moment for me it was like pulling away my oxygen. My wife is my counter balance and my son is my world being away for such a long period was sooo incredibility hard.
Of course I stayed in touch over phone, text, email, and one time was able to get facetime up and running over a Sprint MiFi *dear at&t please let facetime over 3g!* but it was not being there watching my son change that kills me. I know many don’t believe how much a 25 month old can change in the course of the week but change has come. My son has new words, new phrases, is a much better dancer (lol).
I arriaved home after he was asleep so I really didnt get to see him till the following morning when I was awaken by “Da Da?! DA DA!!!!!” ohhhh it was sooo great – followed by a little baby hug. It made my day, then having to go to work and leave him again was tough and being at work was slightly more then distracting. Some of it because I might have had 3-4 hours of sleep, some of it because I was thinking of hanging out with my son again.
Why I was gone seven long days is all work, its social media where I spent 4 days at BlogWorld Expo and another 3 days before that at the ABCKids Expo. Both events were great and you’ll see the effects of attending both events in the near future. The key to the success of this time away, was my mother in law… because without her coming to NYC I’m pretty sure there wouldnt be another dadarocks post as my wife would had killed me.
Of course I can highlight all the amazing people I met – or all the session I attended – or the old friends that I got a chance to catch up with… its times like those that I really appreciate my wife for going above the call of duty and let me do something like that.
I look forward to catching up some sleep and getting some more time with my son over the next few days.
Whats the longest you’ve been away from home? What did you miss?
