johnporcaro: mktg@large

Emily and the PhartEphant

Maybe it’s just that I’m such a “guy,” or maybe it’s that these toys are so dang cute…  But when I heard about Fierce Fun Toys, and their line of stuffed animals that have a “sense of humor,” I had to find out more.

Angela Larson, Chief Story Teller at Fierce Fun Toys, sent Norman PhartEphant along with two new plush toys that just began shipping, Harry Hiccers and Ben KaChoo, for my kids to check out. 

Norman is the original “PhartEphant” that makes eight different ‘phart’ sounds, along with an “oops” and “sorry!”, when you squeeze his tail.  I always chuckle when I hear it, and my kids all thinks it hysterical! 

There’s a book (sold separately) that tells the story of Norman, who was adopted by a zoo, and because of a change of diet, he has a bit of a problem.  From the back cover:

Norman PhartEphant is a young African elephant adopted by a U.S. zoo and the change of diet does not sit well.  He becomes a very gassy pachyderm.  Although gassy, Norman explores his new home: intrigue and suspense build as he meets his neighbor, making a new friend, learning a bit of geography along the way. 

All four of my kids, including the “too old for stuffies” middle schoolers and high schooler, thought they were awesome—especially Norman and his unique sounds. But I wanted to give the toys and read the books to my eight year old, because she hasn’t lost her love for cuddly toys and picture books.

Emily loves all three, but I think she probably likes Harry Hiccers the best: He has an adorable accent, and as his name implies, he has a bit of an issue with hiccups. And what eight year old girl could resist the happy face of a koala?  The toys are soft and cuddly, and just the right size to carry around.

The stories teach about the animals, their geography, and they all end making new friends—a valuable lesson for a youngster who might feel shy about themselves.

  

All three animals are shipping now, and the books should be shipping soon (Norman PhartEphant is out, the other two should be out November 10).  The toys are sold at specialty retailers, so you won’t find them at the big box stores—which means your kids will have a toy that’s unique, educational, and sure to be a hit.  You can also buy them online at www.fiercefuntoys.com. 

    

  

Disclosure: I was given the toys, and galley copies of the upcoming books for this review.  All opinions are my own. I wasn’t compensated in any other way.

Reason 11 to Love Halloween

How could I have forgotten Booberry, Frankenberry, and Count Chocula? 

  
 

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved Looking Better and Better

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved for the Xbox 360 Kinect is one of the products I'm looking forward to the most this fall.   It's the perfect mix of three of my favorite things: Working Out, Playing Videogames, and Men's FItness Magazine.  And knowing that it comes from Ubisoft gives me some confidence that it's going to be solid.  

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I got to try it out at BlogHer, and I was really impressed.  And today I saw some new screen shots Ubisoft published, to announce the partnership with Men's Fitness and Women's Fitness.   

Ubisoft released details of the game, that include keeping track of your stats, like calories and scores. And for the non-timid, all of your stats are uploaded seamlessly online and can be shared with friends and family. I love that you can create challenges among friends and help each other reach fitness goals.

The game comes with hundreds of exercises, and there will be regular downloadable content releases from Xbox LIVE. I can't wait to challenge my friends using Xbox LIVE Multiplayer.  Getting in shape will never be the same!  I can't wait to play it with my kids, but this time, by myself...   

From the Press Release:

The programs from Men’s Health include “The Sleeve-Busting Arms Workout,” and “The Ultimate Men’s Health Fat Loss Workout.” The workout programs from Women’s Health include “The Perfect Legs and Butt Workout,” “The Toned Arms and Shoulders Workout,” and “The Skinny Jeans Workout”. All workouts are designed so that users can integrate free weights into the programs.  Read more...

This post is my own opinion, and I have not received any compensation or products from Ubisoft, nor are they a client of my firm.  

Power of Dads Twitter Meetup

Today, a few of us here at Dad Central Consulting (and Mom Central) held the inaugural “Power of Dads” Tweetup.  We had over 850 Tweets in an hour, and got some good insight into a few questions we’ve been doing some research around.

We had six winners of $50 American Express Gift Cards: @kiltedshaver, @DadaRocKs, @cnaes, @simplyandreah, @dealdaddy, and @portlanddad.  Congrats!

You can catch the whole transcript here, on www.wthashtag.com (thanks, @DaddysToolbox!)

One way we hold these is to answer a series of questions, and get feedback from everyone.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Q1: How has being a Dad influenced and changed your life?

ivannawin: Q1 speaking from my perspective of hubs... he's calmer and no longer skydives..

kiltedshaver: Definitely changed the tway I think about my family, added a big perspective in responsibility.

timeoutdad: Fatherhood is an AWESOME responsibility!

bigdisneyfan: My husband now has our son to play video games with, they really bond over Lego Star Wars.

CarlThress: A1: Much less self-focused. Decisions and choices are all filtered through "how will this affect my kids?

simplydab: RT @johnporcaro: How has being a Dad NOT changed my life? Most pleasure, most pain, most joy, most grief. Wouldn't change i

artisticbaker: Theres less money to spend on cars/tvs/gadgets - thats one change

Doodle741: Yea, my husband's "leisure time" is mowing the yard or taking care of house stuff. He does enjoy playing Halo

smlcfh: Now that hubby is in the military, any spare time he does get, he writes letters to them. It's the sweetest thing

squirrelburrito: @johnporcaro Our daughter got plenty of p0wnage in utero, but she's more interested in rock band and racing games!

 

Q2: Who or what influenced your purchasing habits before being a Dad?

dealdaddys: for me it was mostly just what I wanted, better neater stuff mostly technology

thesavingqueen: Q2 His friends and desires influenced his purchase habits. Now fellow dad and his kids influence them

glme: myself

dragonfly777: Before becoming a Dad....wife, friends and co-workers influenced me

DadCentric: Ricardo Montalban. Dude could sell the s*** out of a Chrysler Cordoba

squirrelburrito: @johnporcaro mmm...gadgets...we still get plenty of those, just installed some high wall shelves!

JanetandMaya: Q2: Purchasing habits were "selfish" now more careful esp about product safest

Q3: Who or what influences your purchasing habits now that you’re a Dad?

timeoutdad: Family comes first... always...

TechyDad: My wife and my kids. (Their needs more than "I want this!!!")

tshaka_zulu: A3: The children's needs, sometimes their wants and a lot of prayer. Have to be wise.

portlanddad: Q3 With kids it is now a family thing, we make purchasing decisions together but also have discretionary funds for each of u

squirrelburrito: @artisticbaker No minivans! We're clinging to our awesome little hatchback!

DaddysToolbox:  A3 - we think "do we REALLY need new sheets" or should we put the kids in soccer or karate

judgebrix: my lovely wife and my kids ... and then new cool toys :-)

timeoutdad: Q3: My Bank Account... Can't spend more than I have.

thesavingqueen: Q3 Now fellow football dads and my kids influence my purchases.

_mongoose: We've gone to 5 phone lines with unlimited texting and my two oldest will be driving soon scar

ivannawin: hubs buys games he can play with kids and also buys matching jerseys

elivya:    @johnporcaro Sometimes just seeing a kid happy is enough to make you forget what you sacrificed.

CarlThress: we went from spoiling ourselves to spoiling our kids :)

tidbitmom: RT @timeoutdad: Anyone else have Suze Orman's voice in their head every time they use a Credit Card? LOL < DENIED! ;-)

dark54555: One thing that has not changed: NO MINIVANS. Of course, with one kid, seating isn't much of an issue regardless.

jaybugsmommy: I think as moms and dads we try to give our kids things we didn't have as children ?

jaybugsmommy:  this makes me want to give hubby and dad a Gift all this Dad talk .. or at least tell them I appreciate them!

timeoutdad:    @MomCentral Becoming a dad has definitely forced me to become more sociable. That's good.

Q4: Where do you go for advice or information for family purchasing decisions?

kingkontra:  Q4 My wife and i decide together for most big purchases

JanetandMaya: Q4 It's fun to see hubby talk with other dads about things like baby monitors, hehehe.

theladya: Word of mouth is best. If our friends and their kids like something, we probably will too

sethandshannon1:  our parents and consumer reports

kiltedshaver:  My wife and I talk over big purchases; we research, ask our parents and other mentors we have.

squirrelburrito: A4: We don't have outside resources for talking about spending, but we make sure each purchase is a family decision

simplydab:  internet, friends/family, esp if it's big $. Needs anal. is critical - do we really need to spend the $ for this?

DaddysToolbox: i'm a GOOD src of info when it comes to techie purchases, food, wine, etc. lots of friends hv older kids & we ask them

DadStreet: A4: I do all the research for our family when it comes to buying things. I also call upon my support at #DadsTalking

dark54555: Q4: INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET! You can research everything to death if you so choose. And I usually so choose.

TechyDad: I do research online like looking for product reviews on Amazon.com (even if we're not buying from them).

ivannawin:  I sometimes do impulse buys on gadety items and hubs always returns them for a better item

mongoose: My three teens are smarter than I am about electronics so I go to them

thesavingqueen: Q4 My husband relies on me to check the reviews, because of the lack of daddy blogs!

MomCentralChat: My husband is a better wife and Mom than me in so many ways. His family raised foster babies and he is AMAZING!

elivya: @mstyle10 So many people on twitter... someone here is bound to have tried a product, can give opinion!

TechyDad: Review sites mostly, but also sometimes Twitter.

kiltedshaver:  internet: Amazon, review sites, Consumer Reports, Twitter, Facebook, retailer websites, etc.

Cinderellamom: Totally getting dizzy trying to keep up w/ #powerofdads twitter party! Yikes!

CK_Lunchbox: I go to FAIL Blog for advice.... on scary things not to buy

Q5: How do you connect with other Dads? (Online, at work, at kids sports games)?

sleatham1: Everywhere! Facebook, twitter, ballgames, inperson, phone, work

lolamichele: hubby is a member of several online communities revolving around hobbies.

sweetone624: Q5 he plays video games with them on xbox live

squirrelburrito: We don't have a parent's circle yet, and we're the first in our group to have kids. meet dads at parks and other outings.

CarlThress: A5: at work, at social functions, starting to try to connect more online, too, in forums like this.

Kelliebug:  Q5. He sees them at work and has buddies that are dads as well. I should get him involved in dad community online!

mandyOregon:  Q5 my hubby gets together with the guys for basketball games a few times a month

portlanddad: Q5 I connect with other dads on Twitter, through blogs, locally at the pub, and even the occasional playdate

kiltedshaver: Q5:Mostly through internet based communications, Twitter, Facebook; church, and community activities.

_mongoose: DH still plays in bands. The kids are old enough that he can go do it without them caring lol

kingkontra: Q5 I also connect with dads on my daughters soccer team during soccer season

doodadblog: Q5: 1. Church 2. Online 3. Family 4. Sports (adult)

elivya: From these answers I'm imagining dads... "Gonna go hang with the guys, hon." "Sure! Will you be on twitter or fb?

CK_Lunchbox: A5 There should be a Fantasy Dad Blog League were we make up fictional blog names & chest bump our monitors

johnporcaro: I talk to Dads the most when I'm at soccer games with my son, or when I'm at the park with my kids and their friends

portlanddad: Sadly Dads don't see the value in connecting with other dads the same way Moms do. That is changing but slowly

DaddysToolbox: I connect with other Dads via #DadsTalking (Dads TALKING :) ) and all on Twitter

onescrappyblog: My husband does PTA stuff at the school with other dads. Networking that way is nice

lanieekat: Q5 my husband also spends time playing of Xbox live and I'm sure he connects w/other dads there

johnporcaro: My four brothers are amazing Dads, and all have good ideas. Except one of them. He knows who he is... ;)

SpinyNorman: Q5- Through Disc GOlfing, Geocaching, Social Media, Blogging, X-Box, Sporting Events..

jaybugsmommy:l this makes me want to give hubby and dad a Gift all this Dad talk .. or at least tell them I appreciate them!

Q6: What was the last purchase you made after consulting with another parent?

kamewh: A playset for our backyard

My3Sons33:  Q6 the last purchase after consulting w/another parent was a baseball bat for our son.

kingkontra:  A new xbox after my last 1 died

onescrappyblog:  Definetly a car seat! A dad's advise on them is GREAT!

portlanddad: Q6 Phil & Teds double stroller, talked to a guy in the bookstore about it for 20 minutes, researched, then pulled the trigger

DynamoMike:  Q6: we bought a Wii for game night with the kids

squirrelburrito: A6: Picked up a sweet Pow-Pow-Power Wheels after talking with my neighbor!

raggammuffin:  Q6: i conulsted with my hubs on what brand razorblades he needed

1awesomekid: sheetrock for our bathroom redo!

thesavingqueen: My hubby purchased a mountain bike for my son after reading reviews to choose the best one.

dragonfly777: My last purchase was a keyboard for our PC...a friend had one he recommended. Great purchase

lilmiss37: The other big purchase was a nice 35mm camera

CarlThress: A6: bananagrams. great game. we (my wife, my older son, and I) love playing it.

Cinderellamom: Q6: Husband bought a table saw- an expensive un-needed table saw! after talking to friend

DaddysToolbox: A6 beer. honestly it was.

mochadad: Able to change a diaper with a single hand

DaddysToolbox: .@1awesomekid yes, getting good advice on which sheetrock is good for bathrooms!! hoepfully mold resistant

TechyDad: I do research online like looking for product reviews on Amazon.com (even if we're not buying from them).

A couple of notes we threw out during the discussion:

• Join the @DadCentral Facebook page to stay up to date on all campaigns and going-on! http://bit.ly/rKox3

• Are you a Dad Blogger? Join the @DadCentral Blog Roll by filling out this quick sign up form: http://bit.ly/cHJIwv

• Testing Panel answers surveys/ gets inside information on cool brands – Join here: http://bit.ly/ak5Eoe

Thanks, everyone!   We had a blast!

Jif Peanut Butter Tasting Party

There are only a couple of things my family can't go without: Milk, TP, apples, bananas, and, of course Peanut Butter.  We all enjoy a good PBJ with cold milk, and who hasn't made good old-fashioned Ants on a Log?

I got to participate in an online tasting party, sponsored by Jif (a Mom Central client).  To prepare, they sent a nice box of goodies to a couple of us here, and to a dozen or so Mom Bloggers we work with.  The bag they sent included several flavors of Jif Peanut Butter, along with some things to try a few new ways to enjoy it. They also gave us a $25 gift card for Walmart, so we could buy fresh fruit and veggies.

Not sure what an Online Panel looks like?  By using UStream.tv, Jif was able to broadcast directly from their test kitchen, while we participated right along by trying out the things they showed us, and asking questions and getting responses in real-time.  Kind of a personalized Cooking Channel, just for the few of us participating.  Everyone had a blast, had a few surprises, and got to know each other, along with the folks at Jif. We all especially enjoyed meeting Sara Donavan, and our MC Cody.

And for the record, I had my eyes opened to the awesome possibilities of the crunchy combination of Jif and bacon.

For my part, I had a few PB and somethings yesterday.  For lunch, I debated how to keep the carbs low, while still eating a sandwich.  Patrick introduced me to the idea of carving out most of the bread from a bagel, and filling it.  In my case, I stuffed the chewy shell with Crunchy Jif, and sliced up a kiwi to sweeten it.  Yum.

During the tasting, I tried carrots, brocolli (really good!), animal crackers, pita chips, pretzels, teddy grahams, grapes, and for fun, cottage cheese.  Before working out, I mixed up a chocolate Muscle Milk shake, adding in a couple of tablespoons of Jif.  Talk about a dose of protein, with a creamy, chocolaty, peanut buttery taste.  Mmmmmm.

My daughter Emily especially likes Peanut Butter.  She'll take a big spoon, dip it in, and eat it like a lollypop.  And Alyssa likes spreading it on warm toast with a little honey.  She told me that just the other day, she ordered a PBJ shake at Emerald City Smoothy, where they added peanut butter and grape jelly to a protein shake.  Sounds pretty good to me.

A few things that I didn't know were talked about during the webcast:

• More creamy peanut butter is sold nationwide by Jif than crunchy: 80% to 20%.  Wow.  I'm such a huge fan of crunchy, that was hard to believe.
• It takes 1,218 peanuts to make a 28 oz jar of Jif.
• Jif has an unrefrigerated shelf life of 3 months.  Unopened, it will last up to two years.  Though most of the moms and dads participating never have a jar last that long.
• Jif's new Omega 3 has some interesting ingredients, but tastes really good.  I was pleasently surprised, and will probably make this my favorite brand to keep on the shelf.  Though I might have to mix it with crunchy every now and then.
• Jif's Peanut Butter with Honey ROCKS.

Jif has posted lots of recipes on their website, with sandwiches, sauces, desserts, main dish ideas, and more.   And a lot of them included bacon.  I've always wondered how to make a good thai peanut sauce.  They showed us how, so I'm going to try that this weekend.  A great way to get a little more protein along with chicken (or bacon).

My favorite idea was mixing in a ziplock baggie a a spoonful of Jif with a spoonful of vanilla frosting, adding a little cinnamon.  Take some scissors, snip the end of the bag, and use it to squeeze the frosting onto cookies or crackers.  My kids loved that idea.

Finally, they announced the Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest for kids 6-12, to submit their recipes to Jif.  The winner gets a $25,000 scholarship, and all finalists get a trip to NYC, and a $2500 scholarship.  So get out your jars of peanut butter, and get a little creative!  And while supplies last, if you enter by Sept 10, you'll get a Jif to Go Back to School Pack.  So get your entries in!

 

 

Beat the Heat: How Do You Keep Your Kids Safe When It's Hot Outside?

Leslie Bonci, Director of Sports Nutrition at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine and a nutrition consultant joined us today on Twitter to discuss how you can help your kids beat the heat. And today, Gatorade (client) will donate $1 to charities for every download of the Heat Safety Kit.

Making sure kids stay hydrated, especially during outdoor sports where it's warm, and dry, can cause serious problems.

Last summer, my son complained about feeling dizzy and even started slurring his speech during a soccer tournament during a rare, very hot day in Seattle.  He had on a full-length goalie jersey and goalie pants, plus goalie gloves.  We tried to make sure he was hydrated, but we probably didn't do enough to prepare.

Some great suggestions from the Twitter meetup:

• Get plenty of rest the night before @grantquonce
• Hydrate, with protein too, before the activity.  Don't forget to stretch. @mom4everandever
• Make sure uniforms aren't too tight fitting, and light colors help. @WildOrchids09
• Bring cold fruit, orange slices, grapes.  @CleverGayle @sethandshannon1
• Of course, bring the Gatorade! @simplydab
• Make some ice cubes made of Gatorade.  (Love that!) @BillieGH
• Keep an eye on the young ones.   Ask if they're okay.  @simo_8
• Stay in the shade if possible (I know I keep my umbrella handy for rain and sun!) @shannon717717
• Educate your kids so they're aware (good suggestion!) @simplydab
• Have them take "hydration breaks" @iamfor48nascar
• If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated.  Drink before you're thirsty.  @scm74
• Make sure kids drink, at least as often as you apply sunscreen (or vice versa!) @glassfishie
• Make sure your kids like the sport they're in, they'll do better and excel @PlumSage
• Don’t forget about your internal equipment – breakfast, lunch and fueling before practice. @momcentral
• Make sure your kids know each teammember is important and valuable @cstironkat
• Grocery shop with your kids so you can set a good example @artisticbaker
• Watch for warning signs of heat-related illnesses: confusion, nausia, headache nausea, vomiting, light headedness, weakness, fainting, flushed skin, poor concentration @JoeyfromSC @cnaes

More information:
Beat the Heat! Campaign
Preventing Heat-Related Illnesses (PDF)
Heat Safety (PDF) | Hydration Tips (PDF)

P90X Round 2.5

Now that I have an apartment, I can get back to my regular routine of working out.

It's been about a month since I started work here at Dad Central Consulting, and moved from Seattle to Boston.  In the middle of it all, I was traveling a lot, working crazy hours, and didn't plan well enough to carry everything I needed to do P90X the way it should be done.   I finished P90X in April, then started Insanity.  About halfway through Insanity, I started P90X Plus.  I was about halfway through P90X Plus, and ended up missing the last month or so.

This time, rather than start P90X Plus back up, I would go back to P90X Classic, and start again at the beginning.

I kept a pretty accurate journal on another site that I HIGHLY recommend, MyFitnessPal.com.  If you're regularly working out, or watching what you eat, this free site is really great.  Before starting P90X last January, I had never counted calories nor tracked what I ate.  It really opened my eyes to what I should be eating, how short I was in one area (usually Protein), or when I should be eating more to keep my energy up.

You might have seen the infomercials for P90X on TV.  I'm not usually attracted to that kind of thing, but the results they showed, and the low price of about $100 made me think it would be worth a try.  After checking around for reviews, I found almost NO negative reviews online, but I did find lots of positive reviews from enthusiastic people.

I really liked the format, different workouts everyday, a good challenge everyday, and almost immediate results.  I went from a size 40 pant to a 34 (that's what I wore in high school), and actually got the beginnings of a six pack in just 90 days.  I even impressed my brother enough that he gave it a try, and had similar results.

There's no secret sauce, other than consistently spending 60-90 minutes a day doing the workouts for 90 days, and following the eating plan.  So starting today, I'm back to high protein/low carbs (for the first 30 days).  Cottage cheese, chicken, greek yogurt, egg whites, and muscle milk--lots of it...

Thinking you might want to give it a try?  There is a 30-day money back guarantee...   :)

What have you done to work out?  What works best for you to stay in shape, with your busy lives?

Disclosure: I paid for my copy of P90X, and all supplements, etc.  I really enjoy BeachBody's products, and signed up to be a coach.  If you order through my coach site, I do get a small portion of the price.  But if you can find the product somewhere else, it won't hurt my feelings.

A Dad Blogger at BlogHer

Now that I’ve had a few days to recover, it’s time to wrap up my thoughts about BlogHer 10.  The conference was great. There were several thousand attendees, and I had the pleasure of meeting several bloggers, brand representatives, and folks from PR and marketing agencies. 

I think I talked to just about every guy I could find, but the numbers of men not working on the show floor were admittedly small.  I sat through a couple of sessions on the first day, but I had the best time talking to the folks on the trade show floor, explaining to them what Dad Central is all about, and how working with bloggers can be so rewarding for everyone involved.

I got to spend some time with a few great Dad bloggers, Dada Rocks, TechyDad, and Father Muskrat, both at the Ralph Lauren party, and occasionally running into them on the show floor.  You guys are doing a great job representing Dads, and it was great to meet you.  In fact, Dada Rocks did a quick overview of the show on CC Chapman’s Digital Dads TV show, about 42 minutes in.  Check it out. 

There were a few things I consider my favorites, so I’ll make an attempt at listing them:

 

The things I enjoyed most about BlogHer 2010:

1) The ride down to New York.  Even though we had to “think” along the way.  We had a great brainstorming session, and a rousing round of “Ghost”.  I’m not sure why the game kept stopping in the back seat, but for some reason, it did.  I loved stopping along the way at Rein’s New York Style Deli.  The food was awesome, especially those semi-sour pickles.

 

2) Staying at The Jane Hotel.  The Jane Hotel is full of old-world charm.  Close quarters reminiscent of an ocean liner.  Communal bathrooms.  An elevator with an attendant that shuts the gated door and turns the crank to go up and down.  More on that in another post.

   

3) The party at the Ralph Lauren reading room.  Gathering at the world headquarters of Ralph Lauren, meeting David Lauren, working with Megan and Matt S. stuffing bags and getting things set to go.  And listening to David tell his story about growing up in the Ralph Lauren family, and introducing the RL Gang.  The guy has great presence, and has some amazingly amazing ideas about interactive marketing.  Everything about the night was perfect, including the meal we had with the folks from Ralph Lauren who helped organize the event after it was all over.  What a memorable night. 

  

4) The giveaways.  My favorite: The Got Milk? cereal/milk/bowl/spoon thing.  It’s a cooler.  And a bowl.  And a spoon.  All in one.  Close second: Weebles that wobble, but don’t fall down.  Runners up include full-size Mr. Potato Heads, “Don’t Text and Drive” keychains, and of course the samples of PUR packets that P&G is sending to countries where they don’t have safe drinking water.  I can’t wait to do the demonstration for my kids’ classes once they’re back in school.

   

 

5) Meeting the Canadians—their party rocked, from the step-and-repeat to the Canadian Mountie who welcomed the Canadian bloggers who work with Mom Central Canada.  Way to go, eh.

6) Walking the floor with Stacy, and meeting all of her amazing friends.  Everywhere she went, she was hugging someone—it felt like she was the prom queen, and the few times I got to hang around with her, I felt somewhere between a groupee and the prom king myself.  Everyone there knew her, and it made my ability to introduce myself so much easier. 

 

7) Being known so instantly being part of Mom Central, and the enthusiastic reaction I got when I told people about Dad Central.  The company I work for has a great reputation of putting relationships first, whether with the bloggers we work with, the brand and agencies we partner with, or with each other. 

 

    8) Stacey Smith, our webmaster/designer/social engineer, and her quick turnaround of Dad Central Consulting site.  She has endless energy, awesome ideas, and I enjoy working with her.  Maybe with the exception of the last assignment she got from our CEO, who assigned her to be my “cultural mentor.”  She only had to kick me under the table a few times, but I learn fast.

 

9) The SWAG exchange room.  What a great idea from one of the mom bloggers last year.  They kept a room open where you could leave what you didn’t want, and take what you wanted more of.  I was able to send a box home to my kids that I think they’re going to love.

10) Hanging out in the GM Chill Space.  Another great idea.  A large, comfortable space with lots of plugs, and dongles for iPhones and Blackberries and cell phones and everything else.  They had snacks and cold water and the place was perfect to relax and log in and do some blogging. 

11) Getting my picture with Rayman, and getting to play Xbox 360 Kinect Your Shape by Ubisoft.  It’s no secret to my Xbox friends that the Frag Dolls are awesome, but getting a chance to actually see how far along the Xbox 360 Kinect has come made me proud of my former company.  It was fun to see mom bloggers try it out, and to see how flawlessly the technology performed. 

12) Jimmy Dean’s Breakfast Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick.  OMG.  Yum.

  13) Taking the “Limoliner” bus/train back to Boston from NYC.  Cool way to travel—a luxury bus with wifi and power ports and leather seats and a direct route from the hotel where the convention was to downtown Boston.  It wasn’t fun leaving my iPhone on the bus, but the company was great and was able to get it back to me quickly. 

  14) BlogHim.  Even though I didn’t actually ever see any physical function, it was fun to take part in the Tweet-osphere.  Mocha Dad, you rock.  You made it fun to check into Twitter.  And hopefully you guys actually got to meet up, even though i had to leave early.  I hope the “brotherhood” is just as strong when we meet for real at M3. 

15) The Mom Central party at Circo, the monkeys, and meeting Mommy Goggles and her husband.  And the Jimmy Fallon bartender.  And the dating couple with six kids each, Spuds and Lenore. You guys crack me up. 

16) Remembering the times I spent with my kids in NYC in the past.  I couldn’t walk outside without thinking of each one of them, and waiting for the time I can take our youngest who still hasn’t traveled on a business trip with Dad.

17) Our “pre-meeting” briefing at Asia de Cuba with our CEO, Stacy, and her heartfelt, individual toasts she made to each one of us around the table.  There were more than a few wet eyes, and I got to know my co-workers so much better.

18) Running into my blogging buddy Beth Goza, who inspired me years ago to “try” blogging.  I’m so glad I got to see her at BlogHer.  There’s such a personal connection between bloggers, people who are willing to share their lives, their ideas, their talents, and their network of friends, and I think Beth is the embodiment of that.  I’m glad to know that the Windows Phone has Beth heading up its social networking.  It’s going to be a better product because she’s involved. 

19) Meeting up briefly with Christine Cea, Kristin Smith, and David Witt from WOMMA.  Good to see strong representation from our group.  And I heard that the session on the FTC was great, good job, Kristin. 

20) The sneezing simulator in the P&G booth.  I gotta get me one of those.  Someone recommended filling it with something other than water, maybe using it at a party.  Could be fun.  But then, you’d have to be a guy to appreciate something that strange.  But that’s the beauty of a Dad attending a show like BlogHer.

Thanks again to everyone i met, and everyone who helped make the event a success for us all!  Can't wait until next year!

Ralph Lauren Mom Central Party

I'll write more about this later, but I wanted to post photos from last night's party at the Ralph Lauren Reading Room.  It was great to see TechyDad, DaDa Rocks, and Father Muskrat there, along with some great bloggers Mom Central works with.  Lots more full size photos are on Flickr, feel free to use them as you want.

 

 
 
  

What Are You Doing for the Fourth?

Interesting idea from Dad Blogger Ben Martin, from The Father Life.  He worked with Hersheys Summer Celebrations to document how he made Red, White, and Blue parfaits.  Sounds yummy.

Check out his whrrl story, and check out the Summer Celebrations site for more ideas. 

More check-ins at Wal Mart

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