Meet the world’s funniest dad

I skipped my WWW Wednesdays update yesterday because I’m still reading the same book. Actually, “not reading” would be more accurate. Hopefully, I’ll be done with it by next week and not to a new one.

Boy, do I have something fun to share with you today! I saw this photographer’s slideshow online a couple of months ago and I meant to share it with you then. I got sidetracked as it often happens and forgot all about it until I told a friend about it earlier this week. If you haven’t seen it and could use a good laugh, be ready to laugh so hard tears will flood out of your eyes. And if you don’t laugh, you need to get yourself a real sense of humor.  ;-)

I love how Dave Engledow, who happens to be both a photographer and a dad, somehow decided to poke fun at distracting dads by creating these hilarious scenes with his daughter. You can view Engledow’s full slideshow “World’s Best Father” photos and read more about how his project started here. I’ve selected the few that made me laugh the most, but there are many more where it came from. Let me know what you think, whether you’re a mom, or a dad! I think we’ve all felt like that at some point…

Wouldn’t you like to have a little helper around the house? It’s never too early to learn how to iron!

Teach your toddler to iron! Copyright Dave Engledow

Ever wondered if it was a good time to take that shower?

What happens when you try to take a shower – Copyright Dave Engledow

I saved you the best for last…

Reading Twilight at bedtime – Copyright Dave Engledow

Don’t forget to goview Engledow’s “World’s Best Father” photos here.

phil&teds USA recalls metoo clip-on chairs, finally

Stop using dangerous phil&teds metoo clip-on chairs

Well, it took three months for phil&teds USA to get on board with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and admit their product is unsafe, but they finally did it!

On May 15, 2011, the US CPSC urged phil&teds USA to recall their metoo clip-on chairs because of fall and amputation hazards, but the company refused to do so, only addressing the issue by making a “repair” kit available the US CPSC deemed unacceptable.  Yesterday phil&teds USA admitted the product is unsafe and consumers should be allowed to return it for a refund.

It had to take all 19 reports of the chairs falling from tables, including five reports with injuries, for the company to react. Two reports of injuries involved children’s fingers being severely pinched, lacerated, crushed or amputated. The three other reports involved bruising after a chair detached suddenly and a child struck the table or floor.

This really makes you wonder whose best interest phil&teds USA has in mind – their consumers or their corporate greed… A flagrant example of a company who makes baby and children’s products but doesn’t believe in safety first, even when they screw up. Knowing how they address safety issues, I wouldn’t recommend this brand of products to any parent, especially when you realize how expensive most of their products are. Shame on you, phil&teds USA.

Visit the US CPSC website for the complete announcement of the phil&teds USA recall and pass it along to your friends, for their children’s safety.

Why do mothers stop breastfeeding?

Last week I joined a group of moms and their little ones for a morning of social gathering and playing. I didn’t know any of the moms and it happens that most were first-time moms with babies under the age of one.

For a couple of hours I got to hear stories I once told others regarding my little babies, who now are little men. The feeding on demand, the short and sleepless nights, the first rollover, the first solid food, the first crawl… Some of my babies’ past is becoming blurry. Sometimes I confuse which baby did what. But I also remember some moments in great detail, including the little suckling noises they made as I nursed them in the stillness of the night, their super cute smiles and giggles, their unique ways to crawl, their reactions to first foods, their first steps… It seems it all happened so long ago and yet, it’s just been a few years. Time really flies when you’re having fun. And even when it’s not all fun sometimes.

One of the inevitable new-mom subjects is breastfeeding. Here in California, where people are more obsessed concerned with their health, it seems most moms give it a try. California laws support breastfeeding, allowing it in all public places and requiring employers to provide a private place to pump (restroom stalls not included). Many moms I’ve talked to (working and not-working) have managed to nurse their babies for a year or more, just as I did.

So I was surprised to hear the mom of a seven-month-old baby tell another mom she had breastfed her baby since birth, but she stopped at six months, even though she was still producing milk. The most interesting thing is when the other mom asked her why she’d stopped, she didn’t have an answer. She said she just stopped. This left me perplexed.

Everyone who’s ever tried to breastfeed will tell you the first few months are the hardest. Baby and mom need to become acquainted and often taught how to nurse. Mom is exhausted, nursing on demand, and doesn’t get much of a break. After a few months though, the feedings space out and baby becomes a suckling pro. If a mom nurses for the first six months, she’s gone through the hardest part of it all.

So why would a mom who embraces breastfeeding for the first six months of her baby’s life suddenly decide to stop? This mom stays at home and doesn’t experience any pressures from outside work, has no older siblings taking her attention and breasts away from the baby, and still produces plenty of milk. Why make the switch to expensive and non-natural formula, deal with making bottles, and not want to maintain this special bond for a few more months?

I just don’t get it. If all is going well, why stop it? I can’t think of any good reason why. And clearly, this mom couldn’t either but still did it. Would someone please enlighten me?

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A dose of motherly love

Motherly Love by Frederick Morgan

I know Father’s Day is only a couple of days away in the US but I thought all moms around the world could use a dose of motherly love on this Friday. Alright, I’m sure the dads will like this too. My husband first showed me this video on Facebook and I thought it was just too adorable not to share. Feel free to share it with moms who could use a little pick-me-up today (and really, who doesn’t?).

In this YouTube video, mother cat really shows us what moms, animal or human, are here for: comfort, reassurance, cuddling, and tender loving care. Looking at this video, I can’t help remembering what it was like to hold my kids when they were tiny sleeping babies. How sweet they smelled, how little and precious they felt, how peaceful they looked. Not a care or worry in the world, no pressure to perform or conform. Just eat, sleep, cuddle. Repeat very two hours. Even though I enjoy watching my kids grow up, I do miss those days sometimes.

Today I have one who still cuddles but only because he wants to marry me and the other who often is too busy playing to take a break and give me a hug. Sigh.

Happy Friday! Make sure you watch the whole video because it only gets better as it goes.

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