Posts

NBC’s Guys With Kids: Swing And A Miss

/12 Comments/in , , /by

I tried to like it, I really did. I stayed up late. I made my wife miss our nightly Young & The Restless tradition. I even taped it so I could watch it again just in case the kids woke up in between.

Unfortunately for me, NBC’s new show, “Guys With Kids”, was completely and utterly disappointing. I have to admit that I had a preconceived notion about what this show was going to be. My worry was that the Dads in show were going to continue the tradition of portraying fathers as bumbling doofuses who can’t do anything right.

THE ASSESSMENT

As it turns out, I was only half accurate in my premature assessment. I really wanted to laugh at this show and had even convinced myself that I could overlook a little bit of the “dumb dad” stigma in exchange for the serious amount of funny I figured Executive Producer Jimmy Fallon was going to bring to the table.

The only problem with that: It wasn’t funny! Not even a little bit.

I waited and waited for the big time jokes but all I got were recycled clichés and mediocre moments of funny, which were immediately ruined by the over the top laugh track. Seriously, I don’t like laugh tracks in general but this one was completely ridiculous, chiming in at awkward moments with uproarious laughter.

The other problem I had is that my earlier worry about the Dad’s being portrayed as imbeciles turned out to be completely true. The show opens with the three Dads hanging out in a bar with their babies strapped to the chests…This is not what Dads do and in fact, I’d be surprised if this has ever happened outside of the taping of this show.

    THE CHARACTERS

Chris (Jesse Bradford) – Chris is the divorced Dad, who seems normal enough until you find out that he is completely whipped by his ex-wife and mother of their child. He states that he loses every argument about the child to his ex because she ends them all with the line, “He Grew Inside Me”, as she rubs her belly. Not only is this unfunny and clichés but it once again paints the Dad in a weak light.

Gary (Anthony Anderson) – I thought for sure the Stay at Home Dad offered the show a chance at some great Dad moments, but they were lost in the fact that all he does is complain about how awful and time consuming it is to have 4 boys. To be fair in this assessment, his wife, played by Tempestt Bledsoe, seems to have the same attitude towards the children.

Nick (Zach Cregger) – I really have no idea what this character is all about and that is part of the problem. All I could gather is that he’s kind of dumb and will most likely be the “crazy do whatever you want with no regard for wives or kids” guy. Third Strike in the “Guys” Department.

The Kids – Almost non-existent. That’s how I would describe the role of the children in this show. This show could have simply been called, Guys, and it would have been able to keep the same premise. If the show continues, I hope there is a little more interaction between the fathers and the children.

The Wives – As mentioned earlier, Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa Huxtable) plays a mother of 4 kids and has some funny moments. Jamie-Lynn Sigler plays Nick’s wife and didn’t really play a major factor in the episode but there is room for funny between her and clueless Nick. Finally we have Erinn Hayes, who plays Chris’ ex-wife. I don’t know if it’s the writing, the acting or the fact that she is humiliating Bradford’s character the whole episode, but she is my least favourite character by far.

Finally, I will second the motion put forward by one of my Dad Blogging buddies in The Rock Father, when he described the random appearance of NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, saying “his appearance would’ve been far more relevant if it was 1980 and AIRPLANE! had just come out”. I agree sir, and I’ll add that having him fake “Dunking The Baby” was equally as tired.

CLOSING ARGUMENTS

I just read this whole thing back before signing off and while it may seem unreasonably harsh, I really did have high hopes for Guys With Kids and was left completely baffled and disappointed with how unsatisfying it was. I also understand the people who say, “Calm down Dad and learn how to take a joke”, I really do, but that would imply the jokes actually making me laugh, which they did not. When you add that to the fact that the Dads are also portrayed in the same bumbling way we always are, it raises my Dad-O-Meter to a high level of alert.

I really like Jimmy Fallon and think he is a comedic genius, which is the main reason why I was so upset with the finished product. It just missed the mark on too many levels for me, so I think it’s time to go back to the drawing board with this one. On second thought, let’s just sweep it under the mat instead and pretend it never happened… Sorry Jimmy, still friends?

Cheers!

**Photo is from Blogo Wogo**

Munchkin Canada Tackles Smell With Arm & Hammer {Review/Giveaway}

/17 Comments/in , , , /by

 

 

 

 

Hello there, my name is Chris and you might remember me from such posts as last month’s Munchkin Canada Grows With Your Baby review and giveaway! Well it’s a new month and my friends at Munchkin Canada have sent me some new items to take a look at. They’ve also approved a giveaway that you’re not going to want to miss out on!

As a Father and also a Daycare Daddy, one of the biggest problems I have with my house full of little Munchkins is the smell! I get that it’s not their fault. Part of the catch to the kids eating their fruits and veggies is that they produce some less than ideal smells. As one of the PTPA’s ambassadors for Munchkin Canada, I was lucky enough to receive a wonderful package of Arm & Hammer products that were supposed to help eliminate odour. Did they work, you ask?

100%!! Those diaper filling Munchkins tried their best to destroy it but the Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail was up to the task and my house has never smelled better! Here’s a little more info on the Diaper Pail (which you’ll see again before the end of the post, wink!):

 

 

   Product Features:

* Powered by odour-eliminating baking soda
* Patented self-sealing system seals the bag as the lid closes
* Easy from start to finish – one handed use
* Just Snap, Seal and Toss bags to dispose
* Comes fully assembled and with 3 bag refills

 

 

 

Check out this Diaper Pail Demo for more information.

The best part about Munchkin Canada‘s line of Arm & Hammer products is that it’s not just about eliminating odour. They have designed a number of products to aim to make life easier for parents. After trying everything out, I wanted to share a couple of my favourites!

Arm & Hammer 3-in-1 Potty Seat:

 

Product Features:

* 3-in-1 Potty Seat grows with child – Potty Chair, Trainer Ring, Sturdy Stepstool
* Convenient toddler flushable wipes
* Replaceable freshener insert for odor control
* Removable trainer seat for use on adult potty
* Removable bowl for easy cleaning
* Includes one 36pk of 4”x7” Arm & Hammer™ Flushable Potty Wipes. Refills sold separately.

 

 

Arm & Hammer Nursery Wipes – 24pk:

Product Features:

* Safely cleans cribs, high chairs, changing stations, shopping carts, and other surfaces
* Natural cleaning with baking soda
* Kills germs on contact
* 8” x 6” wipes
* Perfect for on-the-go
* Also available in a 12ct Tray

 

There were so many other amazing products this month but I just wanted to highlight a few of our favourites. From Nursery Freshener Disks to Hand and Face Wipes, Munchkin Canada and Arm & Hammer have you covered! Now, about that giveaway I was talking about. I’m so excited to be able to give you the chance at not one, but 2 of Arm & Hammer’s best products!

Use the Rafflecopter form below and you can win BOTH the Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail and the 3 in 1 Potty Seat! I know, you can thank me with nice emails or cash!

For more information on Munchkin Canada and their great line of products, you can visit their Website Here! They’d also love to hear from you on their Facebook and Twitter Pages! Also, be sure to watch out for a $10 Mail In Rebate Coupon on Munchkin’s Facebook page soon!

Contest is open to residents of Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am participating as one of Munchkin Canada’s Ambassadors and I received a package of Munchkin products in exchange for my participation in this campaign. Opinions expressed belong to me and are NOT influenced in any way.

PlasmaCar Review & Giveaway from @PlaSmart (US/CAN)

/115 Comments/in , , , /by

One of the things the amazing people at PlaSmart said when they agreed to let me do a review and giveaway of one of their PlasmaCars, was that I should only use photos or videos that I took myself.

As you can see from the image above, it looks as though I didn’t follow their instructions very closely….

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I can assure you that those 4 PlasmaCars all belong to me! You see, my wife runs a daycare in her spare time (LOL, kidding honey!) and we have 6 kids in the house at any given time.

Even with the 4 PlasmaCars, we still have fights over who gets to use them! The point is, these are probably the greatest toys ever made! Seriously, the kids (and Daddy) love them and use them literally everyday. On top of that, they are perfect for all ages!

My son even took his out in the snow this year because he was tired of waiting for winter to end. True story!

I’m so proud to be able to bring you this amazing giveaway, where PlaSmart will send the winner a PlasmaCar of their very own! All you have to do is use the RaffleCopter form below and I’ll notify the winner by email. Please read the Terms & Conditions before entering so we don’t have to do the awkward rules dance later!

With that, I leave you with this short video of my 1 year old daughter enjoying her PlasmaCar! Proof that they are suitable for all ages, lol. Good Luck!!

Read more

Super Mario For A Day Courtesy Of Costume Discounters

/33 Comments/in , , , /by

I was thrilled to be contacted by the fine people from CostumeDiscounters.com to see if I’d like to review one of their products.

Clearly, as a Dad blogger and the owner of adorably cute children, they knew that my kids would look great in any of their costumes.

Unfortunately, they didn’t know that I am also a lover of wearing costumes, so I threw them a curve ball and ordered one for myself! Here’s the proof:

I have to say, the costume showed up in record time and all in one piece. My dealings with the fine folks at Costume Discounters were nothing but spectacular and I absolutely recommend them for all your costume needs!

Back to me for a minute though….I wanted to really test out the costume so that my review reflected the product and wasn’t just lip service to a client. I decided to test it out to see how it worked in real life situations.

You know, things like pretending to drive while playing MarioKart on the Nintendo Wii:

I also put it to the ultimate test by making dinner for my family. Spaghetti, a Mario specialty! From scratch too!

The costume passed all other tests it was given and is still in tip top shape and ready for my son’s Mario party next weekend. Seriously, I’m using it to entertain all the children at my son’s birthday party. Don’t worry, I’ll post videos!

In all seriousness, everything at CostumeDiscounters.com is of the highest quality and I dare you to find a place to get your costumes for a cheaper price (making your own doesn’t count!). For real, if you find an identical costume for less on the net, they will match the price AND give you an additional 20% off!!

Make sure to check out their Facebook Page for more great deals and information.

Thanks to the staff at CostumeDiscounters.com for providing me with the costume in order to facilitate this review.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I have a long day of plumbing ahead of me and I’m out of here! (I think that’s still Mario’s profession…)

Cheers!!

Review: FunHaven in Ottawa

/18 Comments/in , /by

I took my son to this new kids place in Ottawa called FunHaven. Anyone who knows me is aware that I like going to these types of places about as much as the kids do, so my excitement level was pretty high.

Before we left the house, my son gave me some more material for my “Sh*t My Kids Say” section. Strange kid for sure, lol.

On to the show, we arrived at our destination and we were both giddy with anticipation at what lay ahead.

We got to the counter and paid for the package that included jungle gym time + the mini bowling experience. It was about $24 after taxes, which seemed reasonable, plus I didn’t have to pay to supervise my son, which is a plus for me.

I was excited to play the bumper cars but they were all broken so it was a No-Go. Disappointed to say the least.

Ah well, at least we had the mini bowling to look forward to. Or at least we thought we did.

There were 4 lanes for mini bowling, however 3 of them were broken and the line of people waiting for the single open lane was staggering. We opted for the jungle area with ball pit.

The first thing I noticed about the jungle area is that they had employees standing at the gates but they didn’t seem to be doing anything. My son and I walked right in and then right out again with no questions. I’m not really sure what their role was but I’m hoping it wasn’t to make sure kids didn’t leave unattended because they were not paying attention at all.

The Jungle/Ball Pit is neat. It has these cool cannons that fire harmless foam balls around the open area in the middle of it all. We went to try it but once again a couple of them were broken, leaving only a couple other cannons for like 40 kids. My son is only three and I’m not a parent that can approach other people’s kids to tell them to share. It just doesn’t feel right.

The other issue I had with the jungle area was that there was no one enforcing any sort of order in there. There were kids climbing up the slides and others throwing balls at kids coming down the slides (including my son). I agree that it is the parents responsibility to discipline their kids but from looking around, I could tell that most of the parent’s there had no interest in discipline and were there for the rest on the couches.

Once we left the jungle area, we decided to try out the bowling again. It looked like one of the broken lanes was fixed but upon closer inspection, it was zapping in and out of consciousness. I asked an employee about it but he just shrugged and walked away with no explanation. We threw a couple balls while it worked but my son was getting frustrated at the fact that it kept breaking dow so we moved on.

The gaming area was alright, we played some spin the wheel game and sat in the racing car game seats. My son thought he was driving the car, which was probably the highlight for me, lol. “I won, I won” he exclaimed at one point.

We got a swipe card when we got in (standard procedure at these types of places now) and when I decided it was time to go, we went to see how many points he had on it. 59 points was the total and the girl at the counter was very nice and bumped us up to 60 so my son could get what he wanted.

Overall, I was disappointed with our trip to FunHaven and thought it was going to be a lot more fun than it turned out to be. A lot of stuff was broken, Mini bowling, bumper cars, 2 cannons and a couple of the toddler games. There were some pluses such as price and prizes but it definitely wasn’t an experience to write home about.

I was also disappointed at the lack of stuff for anyone under 3-4 years old to do. They have one play structure but that’s about it. For people with young families, this is not somewhere to bring your very young kids.

I think from now on we’ll stick to Cosmic Adventures. They are a little more expensive but you get way more for your money in my opinion. I hate doing negative reviews but I can only call it the way we saw it. Too much broken equipment for such a new place.

Have you been to FunHaven? Let me know what you thought, who knows, you might even change my mind about it!

Cheers!

PlaSmart Perplexus Review and Giveaway

/12 Comments/in , , , /by

Remember the game Labryinth? Yeah, me neither. At least not since I played the amazing 3D maze that is the Perplexus Original.

The fine folks at PlaSmart Inc were kind enough to help out a new blogger by providing me with one of their most popular toys, a Perplexus Original, to do a review and giveaway.

The first thing that happened when I first took the Perplexus out of the box, was that my 1 year old daughter grabbed it and wouldn’t let anyone touch it for the rest of the night. To avoid a tantrum, we obliged.

So the first night didn’t go as planned. On to Day 2!

My son is 3 years old and with the recommended age being 6+, I figured the best person to review this toy would be me and my work friends. I did let my son try it out and he did surprisingly well, getting all the way to 23 by himself before dropping the ball.

The point of the Perplexus is to get the little ball from levels 1 to 100 while navigating through the incredibly challenging 3D maze. To say this game has it all, would be an understatement.

I brought it to work to try it out and I rarely got to touch it. I placed it on my desk and before I knew it, people I rarely see, were popping in to say hi and to try out the new gadget propped up on my desk. It was actually nice because I got to see first hand, what this game can do.

I saw joy, excitement, sadness, anger, greed, anticipation, concentration and finally, I saw pure child like elation as the first person managed to finish all the levels.

Who was that person you ask?

Why it was me, of course! Who else could possibly tame this beast on the first day but the self proclaimed “Puzzle Master”?

On of my favorite features about this game is that it is broken down into levels, sort of like the show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. Once you get past level 26, you get to start at the second starting point for each subsequent crack at it. The same goes for level 59, where you then get to start at the third position. From 59 to 100 though, it’s all you.

I thought after finishing all the levels, that I would lose interest in the game but that could not have been further from what happened. We actually began running time trials to see who could beat it the fastest and the game took on a new life.

The best news of the day came while I was browsing the Perplexus website and I noticed that there were two other versions of this game, The Perplexus Rookie (75 levels) and the Perplexus Epic (125 levels). Needless to say, we were playing the Perplexus Epic at work the next day….

This game is perfect for kids and adults alike, whether you are a puzzle nerd or not, the Perplexus will have you coming back for more. It’s an excellent centerpiece for a coffee table and guarantees to have your company talking about it and laughing with each other as you battle to be the first to the finish line.

PlaSmart does not sell direct from their website but they do provide a handy “Where 2 Buy” section on their website.

Please feel free to Like PlaSmart Perplexus on Facebook and don’t forget to Follow them on Twitter.

I wanted to leave you with one final glimpse inside the Perplexus world by providing you with a short video entitled the “Faces Of Perplexus”. It is on my “YouTube channel” and I hope it shines a light on exactly how badly you need to get one or all of these toys. I mean like now! Go Get One!

Thanks to the fine people at PlaSmart for taking a chance on a new blogger, it was very much appreciated!

Now on to the good stuff!! If you would like a Perplexus Original of your very own, all you have to do is enter the contest below and PlaSmart will send one to our lucky winner!!

Cheers!


a Rafflecopter giveaway