The Fitness Blog Week in Review for April 9- April 13

Is it already the weekend? It really feels like this week escaped without barely a gasp or a whimper. In fact, as I sit here and think about it – I can’t seem to remember what I was doing on Wednesday, at least not with any great clarity. Thursday, I can detail Thursday, because I spent the day with more than 20 first graders. It was a light week here in the fitness blog. Next week, however, we’re going to be busy every day, so get ready! For now, let’s take a quick look at our week in review: The … Continue reading

Blogging Your Baby

In 2005, I received a beautiful journal, complete with leather covering, as a Christmas present from my wife. She bought it for me because I mentioned that I wanted to write a bit about my experiences as a father and have a conversation with my daughter. I did not begin to make entries until May of 2006, and they were sporadic at best. Then within a month or two I had stopped completely. I stared at it every day on my dresser, but the guilt was not enough to pick it up and write. How lazy can I possibly be? … Continue reading

Best Online Toddler Games

Today, we see children as young as three getting online. Although supervised by parents, the internet has become a hot market for children of all ages. As I was researching various children’s games, I was awestruck by the number of websites that are developed specifically for toddler games. I reviewed these various sites and wanted to provide my top choices that are safe, fun, and educational wrapped into one. Fisher Price – Of course, you can never go wrong with Fisher Price, a longstanding company that focuses on quality games, books, music, and other things for children. The Fisher Price … Continue reading

10 Best Fitness Choices for 2006

It’s the time of year for making those top ten lists and as I wind up my workweek and look forward to this weekend, I thought what a better way to summarize the year and the work we’ve done here at Families.com and get in a little fun at the same time. Towards that effort, I have thought about some of the fitness choices we’ve discussed here in the Fitness Blog and I’ve thought about the New Year’s Resolutions we are all considering for next year and those that we planned for this year. In that light, here are my … Continue reading

2006 Best Games

This year two games shared the title of 2006 Game of the Year in the Toy Industry Association toy awards Hullabaloo and Apples to Apples. Read on for description of the winning games plus three other games that were nominated for the award. Apples to Apples Cost: $20-25 Manufacturer: Cranium I love this game. It is a simple word association game. The cards have different words and each player tries to match a word on their card to a chosen word. One player acts as judge and chooses the winning word. The game gets loud as players try to convince … Continue reading

2006 Best Educational Toys

The top educational toy for the year according to the Toy Industry Association goes to the Fly Pentop Computer from none else than Leap Frog. Leapfrog and VTech had the other nominees for best educational toy, which only included electronic learning toys instead of other conventional educational toys. Read on for reviews of the products. Fly Pentop Computer Cost: $100 Manufacturer: Leap Frog This mini computer in a pen sounds amazing. The computer allows the child to interact with what they write using the pen. You can use it solve math problems that are written in by the child. You … Continue reading

2006 Best Boy Toys

The winner of the Toy Industry Association’s ward for the Best Boy Toy went to an R/C toy called the Shell Shocker. Read on for a description of the toy and the other best boy toy nominees. Shell Shocker Cost: $80-100 Manufacturer: Tyco This is a unique R/C toy that is a monster that morphs from a ball to a beast. It is pretty large so it needs a lot of space to maneuver in. Also watch out for the tail since it can pack quite a wallop. It requires a special battery, which costs an additional $30. Be sure … Continue reading

2006 Best Girl Toys

If you’ve got a little girl you are probably wondering what you get her this year. Here are this year’s top girl toys according to the Toy Industry Association. Dora’s Talking Kitchen Cost: $75-90 Manufacturer: Fisher Price Dora is the hottest name brand this year and also took home the hottest toy award in the girl’s toy division. The top award winner was a pretend play kitchen. Most little girls love to cook and with this kitchen set they can cook along with Dora. The little kitchen features recipe cards, and a 28-piece accessory set. The kitchen is interactive and … Continue reading

2006 Best Infant and Preschool Toys

Buying Christmas presents can be a challenge. So why not start with the top toys chosen by leading toy experts of the Toy Industry Association. Here are this year’s winner and nominees in the infant and preschool toy division. Weebles Weebly Wobbly Treehouse Cost: $40-45 Manufacturer: Playskool This year’s winner was the Weebles Weebly Wobbly Treehouse. It is a tree house that comes with its own weebles. Providing them an amazing place to play. The weebles can slide down the slide, visit the crow’s nest, or take a ride in the water wheel. As the wheel turns faster the music … Continue reading

Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: The BoardWalk

It’s been awhile since I’ve written one of these, so I thought I’d introduce the column again. In this recurring feature, I like to put a spotlight on activities at one or more of the Disney parks that are perfect for adults adventuring at Disney sans kids. I realize that my pick for this month’s column on fun for grown-ups at Disney might seem a little strange. When I was younger my family went to the beach nearly every year, sometimes on our own and sometimes as a part of a group trip. A tour around the boardwalk was always … Continue reading