Pediped – Comfort For Kids
One of the great hassles of parenting is shoe shopping. It’s a nightmare, and we have to do it seems every other month at the rate these kids are growing. It’s a constant battle of sizes not being in stock, the little ones wanting the cheap ones with cartoons on them, and finding shoes that fit the season. When we went looking for some quality made yet affordable shoes for our toddler we hit all of the stops around town and stuck out. Another day was wasted and her toes were still crammed into the ends of her dirty sneakers that stopped fitting weeks ago. That is when we pulled up Pediped online after doing some research on the best shoes for kids. Mercy, this site had everything we wanted in shoe shopping. A vast selection, handy sizing guides, and shoes for every season, style and age. Not to mention we could do it all online which saved us another afternoon in box store hell. So whether it is back to school shopping, or just the need for new summer kicks for the kids check out Pediped. As they say, they are the next best thing to bare feet!
Hydro Spring Hoops
Hey, fam. (waving hand emoji) Good morning, look outside. Ah yes, the dew is slowly drying in the grass as the sun peeks through the trees in the backyard. Coffee drips and children stir. It’s Saturday morning and today is going to be hot, you can feel it already. That blanket of humidity that turns to sweat on your forehead as soon as you step onto the porch is lurking. So, drink that coffee and fill up that pool you bought on Prime Day. Oh, you already have a pool? Look – at – you fancy man! Congrats on that I guess.
Now, step your pool game up a notch with Hydro Spring Hoops and make your pool a basketball court. This pool hoop is easy to set up and twist and fold down for storage and quick play. This is a great product, the base is heavy meaning it won’t tip over in the pool when the pace of play gets heated! The included ball is easy to grip and rip when pool time turns into NBA Jam 2k17. Have fun dunking on your kids and wife dad, this hoop is really really, fun.
PaddleZlam Is Intense Fun
Aren’t you getting tired of playing the same old bean bag toss game during your summer outings guys? Next time you get the crew together this summer break out the hot new game from Coop Sports, PaddleZlam. PaddleZlam is the ultimate anywhere game, it is super portable so you can use it during your next tailgate of break it out in the backyard before mom calls you all in for dinner. This game can get intense and you will definitely work up a good sweat, which after that summer bbq might be a good thing #dadbod. The skill and pace of gameplay will all depend on who is playing, meaning this game is great for your adult friends or a slower more fun session with the kids. PaddleZlam will give you a heart-pounding good time with family and friends. Check it out and smash that BUY button below or check out your local Target store today.
Family Frisbee Fun From – Coop Sports
It’s hard to build a clever little alliteration around the word frisbee but darn it we try. What isn’t hard is actually playing frisbee with your kids. It’s a time-honored backyard, park field, hot beach tradition, throwing the old disc around. Coop Sports has a great line of frisbees this summer that will provide your next family outing with some old fashioned fun. “Wheather backhand, forehand or hammer throw, Coop Discs make throwing and catching a breeze!” We have been having daily disc tosses in the parking lot after work with the Chill Wave 110 G disc that is perfect for all ages and skill levels. We also love the Reactorz Disc for late night summer fun with the kids. This disc lights up as it’s thrown to provide parents with a handy tool to get the last bit of energy out of their kids before bed. Talk about a dad hack right? The best part of Coop Sports disc’s is that they start at the family-friendly price of $4.99.
eero Just Got Even Better With The eero Beacon
If you follow us you know how much we love the eero home wifi system so we are super stoked that it is about to get even better. The fine folks at eero have just launched the eero Beacon a simple plug and go wifi extender that meshes into your existing eero wifi system seamlessly. What the eero Beacon means it that your system can cover even more hard to reach range inside and outside of your home. Take your family movie night outside without fear of buffering or signal loss. Better yet, Netflix and chill* on that patio set you paid for but never use. “No more dead spots, slow spots, drop-offs, or buffering — right out of the box.” Also, and the Beacon had a downward facing night light, did a parent invent this or what?
* “chill”
“Help me! I don’t want to be here!”
We don’t often step into the fray of politics here at Relevant Dad, it’s not really our place. We do however from time to time feel the need to reflect on current events and speak up on behalf of our children and our future. There is a whole lot to unpackage about the shooting at Alexandria VA directed at House Republicans, their staffers, and colleagues. Motives, responses, plans going forward etc, but we cannot help but look back at the last decade or more of shootings here in America and just grow sicker and sicker. Day after day, week after week these events keep happening. The collective damage these shootings have on us and our kids are unknown in full but we know it cannot be healthy. The incremental tapping on our psyches will one day punch through into something horrifying that we will not come back from without the help of each other. Below is a video that was taken at the scene of the shooting, watching it is truly terrifying. A little over 25 shots are heard coming from the deranged man’s SKS assault rifle. Now, if you can pretend that you are cowering in your first or second or
Day after day, week after week these events keep happening. The collective damage these shootings have on us and our kids are unknown in full but we know it cannot be healthy. The incremental tapping on our psyches will one day punch through into something horrifying that we will not come back from without the help of each other. Below is a video that was taken at the scene of the shooting, watching it is truly terrifying. A little over 25 shots are heard coming from the deranged man’s SKS assault rifle. Now, if you can… pretend that you are cowering in your first or second or
Now, if you can… pretend that you are cowering in your first or second or third-grade classroom and you endure hearing that sound 154 times in the span of 4-5 minutes but indoors, surrounded by your friend’s screams and cries. Then the terrifying silence that follows. Imagine that for a second and then tell us that nothing should be done to get stronger background checks in a place. Tell us after imagining that horror those six-year-olds ensured that you don’t think stricter laws are needed in this country where gun violence is now met with a shrug of the shoulders by the very leaders we elect to protect us.
Harrowing video captures moment of shooting during this morning's GOP baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia. https://t.co/1Rg7ZQBvZ7 pic.twitter.com/LuVG3mC9o0
— ABC News (@ABC) June 14, 2017
Huddled in the back corner of the classroom bathroom a first-grade girl heard a classmate who was surrounded by his dead friends proclaim “Help me! I don’t want to be here!” to which the man with mental issues and a M4 Bushmaster responded, “Well, you’re here.” Then the gunshots started up again.
We don’t have to be here anymore. Please visit https://everytown.org/.
Live Large This Summer – Projector 101
“…a projector isn’t a need; it’s a want. If you’re like me, and you had childhood fantasies of turning the garage door into a screen for Mario Kart and Monday Night Football, a projector might be for you — no mansion or screening room required.” The Verge
The Camp Kit
Not every dad was an Eagle Scout so you can imagine the trepidation when their kids say they want to go camping. Where do you even begin? You have a couple sleeping bags and a water bottle but that won’t get you very far. What if we told you that you could rent camping and backpacking equipment in a handy kit for your first foray into the camping lifestyle? The Camp Kit is an amazing service for a newbie or even seasoned trekker. Not only will you have everything that you need to have a successful camping trip, you will look cool doing it. Click buy below for more info.
What To Buy Dad
Look, we’ve already got everything we need. And if you’ve got a healthy family you do, too. But there’s still stuff that we wouldn’t mind being gifted with this Father’s Day so we rounded up 50 items and put together this handy gift guide for all the people who say we’re too hard to buy for. Check it out.
Bottle Drying On The Fly
Summer is here and as we all climb out of our winter cocoon and shake off the Netflix binging to explore the warm weather some additional tools are needed. On a recent road trip that included an overnight at a hotel with the whole family we had the need to wash and dry some bottles for both baby and big sister. Ultimately we had to lay them out on a couple of those standard scratchy white hotel towels but who really knows how sanitary that was. That night I found the perfect solution to our on the go bottle drying woes, the b.box baby travel drying rack. Ingenious right? This 6 bottle rack folds almost flat so no need for extra space in the trunk. It is so portable that you can bring it along to the inlaws for the weekend, or for a long afternoon at the buddies house and have a safe place to store your drying bottles until your little one needs them again.
You Need A Diaper Wallet
b.box baby’s awesome diaper wallet was born as all great parenting tools are, while under stress trying to wrangle a newborn in a foreign spot. This time is was on a flight to New Zeland when the need to a simple portable all in one diaper/wipe storage device was desperately needed. As parents, we all can attest that yes, that would make life easier while on the go. “All in one” is such a beautiful phrase isn’t it? b.box is short for baby box and this diaper wallet holds the most important items for baby when you are out and about. A handful of spare diapers a changing mat and wipes cleverly separated but all in one hand spot. If you want out relevant dad pro tip, grab two of these for your backpack, diaper bag, car, wherever and in the second store a change of clothing. You will always be prepared with the b.box baby diaper wallet.
How To Get Your Baby To Sleep Longer
I am in week 4 of being a new dad again and I can safely tell you that sleep deprivation is no joke. It’s in the early morning sleepless hours that mistakes happen. Like putting the orange juice back in the dishwasher or dropping your older kid off at school on a Saturday. Getting your infant to sleep more than 2-3 hours clips is key to everyone’s sanity and happiness in those first few months of life and that it why we love, love, love Ergo Pouch. This award winning Australian company offers a large line of sleepwear for your babies at all stages of need. They even have a super helpful buying guide that lets you pinpoint the best Ergo Pouch products for your baby. We have been using the ErgoCocoon Summer Swaddle for our nearly month old and have seen a few five hour sleep nights which have been AMAZING. It’s pretty great that when we are ready to pop our little girl’s arms out of the cocoon later in the summer we don’t have to buy a whole new system. It’s the little things that help parents that are the most ingenious right? Check out Ergo Pouch and get your sleep system or one for your pregnant friends today. (Yes, these make the perfect gift for the parent to be.) How to get your baby to sleep longer…get an Ergo Pouch by smashing that BUY button below or clicking here.
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Have You Read the 2017 Newbery Medal Book?
The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill is 2017’s winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal for children’s literature. If you have not read it please buy it for your whole family, it is really a stunning work of literature and art.
“Moonlight is magic. Ask anyone you like.” Barnhill’s story is also pure magic, distinguished by careful development of a complex plot and indelible evocation of unique characters. Love, heartbreak, hope, sorrow, and wonder all shine in exquisite, lyrical prose.“This compassionate, hopeful novel invites children everywhere to harness their power, and ask important questions about what keeps us apart and what brings us together” Newbery Medal Committee Chair Thom Barthelmess.
May The 4th Star Wars Playlist
Jam out with your family today. Here is a Spotify playlist of all the Star Wars hits. So break out the Christmas paper tubes and battle for the future of the galaxy. Also, to the wives out there reading this, the whole Leia bikini (nsfw-ish?) thing tonight would be kinda hot…cough hint-hint cough.
5 Minute No Bake PB Granola Slice
Listen, guys, this treat is the bomb. It’s so good. We found Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter awhile back and have been making yummy after school snacks with it ever since. Just peruse their Instagram account and try not to crawl through the screen and eat it all.
5 Minute No Bake PB Granola Slice
(V) (VG) (DF) Serves 12-14
An easy and really good quick slice for when you need a little pick me up and best of all its good for you!
Directions
Dry Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup puffed brown rice
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup ground flaxseed
Wet Ingredients
½ cup honey or maple syrup
½ cup Pic’s Smooth Peanut Butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
In a large pan blend the wet ingredients and warm on a low heat just to make everything a bit softer.
Mix very well to bring it all together (It will look curdled but don’t panic, keep mixing)
Remove from the heat and add the dry ingredients
Mix thoroughly to combine well and make sure all the seeds are well distributed
Pour the mixture into a shallow lined baking tray and press down firmly (I like to use a wide-bottomed glass)
Pop into the fridge to firm up for at least an hour then cut into slices.
Store in the fridge.
Sling-Slang DIY YOYO
Remember the great yoyo boom of the mid-late 90s? Walking the halls of any high school in America was taking your life and limbs into your own hands as most boys were playing with their new yoyos. Tait has a great new handmade yoyo that you put together out of the box yourself. You and your kids will have a blast learning new string tricks on this beautiful heirloom toy.
“Made by hand in Michigan one by one, a portion of this assembly provides work to veterans and the disabled.”
Give ‘Mom Memories’ To Keep Forever
If you are stuck on what to get the mom in your life for Mother’s Day (which you should not be, cough) we suggest you get her a fun picture session from a local photographer. If you live in the lower New England area we have a good deal for you. Our friend KFP Photography has put together a few perfect gift sets for mom that she will love. Each set comes with a few items that she can instantly pamper herself with and a family photo session that will produce memories for her to keep forever. We know you try hard with your iPhone to capture the fun and insanity of being a parent, but sometimes it’s best to let a pro get those few perfect framable shots that will hang proudly above your couch for years to come. Nothing will make mom happier. Contact KFP today to set up your gift box!
Fort Building 2.0 With Stick-lets
Stick-lets tagline is “Because Mother Nature Misses Us” and we say let’s fix that this summer! It’s time to take the backyard back and bring fort building into the modern age. Stick-lets is a unique new product that we found at Toy Fair and fell in love with. The number of uses for Stick-lets is up to your imagination. Want a cabin made out of sticks? How about a tower for your green beans to grow up? Or maybe you want a cool garden sculpture? Stick-lets will hold your child imagination all day as they frolic in nature building forts, and swords, traps for monsters and homes for fairies. Let’s make this summer amazing and reintroduce our kids to Mother Nature’s best toy, the stick.
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas – 2017
Tulum Weekender by Vaalbara ($232) – It’s a step up from her diaper bag and a step closer to her feeling as fabulous as you see her.
Manual Coffee Maker ($99) – Coffee is a gift in and of itself. Just make it for her.
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon ($14) For a little inspiration. #resist
Splendies Subscription ($13+) Send her new underwear every month without feeling like a horny husband. read more…
Weekend Read – re: the wasps
This book might hit too close to home if you are cube monkey or as the author put it a “parasitic employee” of a faceless corporation grinding out a work day, after day after day. This collection of interconnected short stories is a great weekend read, you can finish it with just before you are sucked back into your office full of other parasitic employees as the nest closes in around you. Buy it below on Kindle.
Read the piece that Jack did on David Letterman for us here.
