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It only makes sense that my daughter come here.

We’ve taken her to other Zoo’s, and trust me, she had an amazing time and they are really nice places with great staff. But there’s always been a certain level of magic to the Philadelphia Zoo. Maybe it’s cause of the history there, or simply the scale and design of the place. In certain ways it’s like taking a step back in time, or at least the sense of sharing and being a part of this space where thousands of people of spent time in, making memories of their own with their families.

Whatever it is, it’s certainly rubbed off on the little one. She absolutely loves the zoo, no matter what the weather is like, no matter the time of day, she’ll always be down for a trip to the zoo.

We stop in almost every exhibit, although she’s a bit frightened by the big cats. The Cheetah gives her a great smile lately but I think we’ll take our time introducing her to the Tigers.

The craziest part (it seems) is that no matter how many times we go, she’s always in a state of wonder. She has such a grand curiosity when it comes to these animals just like my wife and I did when we were kids. And it’s one of those things that provided a staple of our personalities: the love and protection of animals like these.

Sure, I have a certain level of hatred towards cats. I’m very heavily allergic, as is my whole family, and I once had a dream where a house cat bit off my hand…but I digress. I may curse them and make faces at them (and occasionally threaten their lives) but I would never wish ACTUAL physical harm on them. And when it comes to the types of animals at the zoo, we find ourselves especially sensitive.

A few hours after my daughter was born, I went for a walk. Cruising through the lobby I passed by the gift shop and a little something caught my eye. A stuffed giraffe. I bought it within a few minutes, the first gift I ever got for my daughter. I don’t know what it was but something felt so natural about connecting my child with such a beautiful creature.

The love of animals comes natural to us, and it’s clear in my daughters eyes as she gazes at the Rhino or the Polar Bear or even the Flamingo’s. The place itself feels as comfortable as our own back yard, and I can’t wait for the next trip.

-Ben

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Listen to “Ep 116: Random Noises with Sophia and Maddie” on Spreaker.

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We get to see her mingle with bugs, play in the dirt, fiddle with the sand, break sticks, throw rocks and occasionally chase after squirrels. We have front row tickets to the greatest show on Earth: a little one discovering what the Earth is all about. She’s experiencing the elements first hand and it’s wonderful. 

This is why we were all excited about our mystery package from Dove. Their new Elements series brings nature into their already awesome products, and the new Elements Treehouse in Tennessee designed by the one and only Pete Nelson. 

Our package came during a rainy week, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the outdoors. In fact…it helped! We were sent an awesome “design it yourself” fort to construct outside, making a little home away from home where the little one and I could enjoy the elements while still having a “base” to operate out of. 

We were in the kitchen prepping, and thats when it happend: she had a different idea than just a fort. 

“Daddy” she said, “It’s raining a lot!”

“I know baby cakes, so what should we do?”

“We need an umbrella!”

An before you know it, our creation was complete! 

An umbrella when we go for a hike, a convenient way for any parent to keep the kid covered while they are exploring 4ft below you, and a stand-up fort when you bring three extra attachable legs with you in the handy carrying case that already comes with the poles! My kid = genius. 

Not only did we get this gem for her, but Daddy also got a few things from the new Elements Series including: Minerals and Sage Body + Face Bar, Minerals and Sage Antiperspirant, and the Charcoal + Clay Body and Face wash (one of my favorites). The combination of their already awesome formulas with natural earthy scents is a fantastic thing. 

The best part though? A little something special we get to share with YOU! A chance to win a trip to the amazing Elements Treehouse. Just follow THIS LINK and get excited  

Cheers,

Ben

@PBDadcast 

As I got older and started thinking more logically. I realized that hanging out with these monsters might be a little dangerous. Frankenstein can go crazy at any minute and the Wolfman, might just eat something or someone that he should not and that would make the entire friendship awkward. While it seems that my thinking about these monsters changed, someone else was thinking the same thing, but this time it was the children of these celebrated monsters. Man, I should have copyrighted my idea when I was younger.

Unless you have been living in a hole in the mountains, I am sure that you have heard of Monster High by now. Monster High is a series of toys, movies and books that chronicle the lives of the children of famous horror, science fiction and Hollywood monsters. These characters get into many amusing adventures that always have a positive meaning in them. If you are as ecstatic about this show as my daughter is, then you will be excited to know that a new movie, Monster High: Electrified, comes out on Blu-ray on March 28.

Here is the official word about Monster High: Electrified.

When Clawdeen dreams of opening a salon made for monsters and normies, Frankie has the perfect place – an abandoned power station outside town. But the idea sparks negative voltage when Moanica plots to ruin the whole thing, and replace the celebration with something a little more…shocking! Luckily the ghouls have a secret weapon on their side…Twyla, the daughter of the Boogey Man, and the perfect ghoul to unearth any mystery. Along with her ghoulfriends, they must thwart Moanica’s plan, charge up their outfits, save the normie town from darkness…and open the most voltageous salon ever! So catch every twist, turn, zap and blast…because the Monster High ghouls are about to get ELECTRIC!
 

Would you like to win a copy of Monster High: Electrified? If your answer is yes, then get ready to do some work as we have teamed up with a few dadbloggers: Cutemonster, Daddy’s Grounded, Fandads, and ThirstyDad, to giveaway 10 copies of the newest Monster High movie to our readers. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter and take a moment and visit the other pages and share some love with them.

Good luck to all and thanks for reading.

iTunes: CLICK HERE

Our usual routine involves my wife picking up Emma from daycare after she gets done work. I do the dropping off in the morning but there are occasionally days when Wifey is working late and I’ll do the picking up. It’s a fairly simple process, I go to the room she’s in for the majority of the day, pack up her stuff, then go get her from the “evening room” where the last of all the kids go before they are picked up. Today was slightly different. 

I got there a bit earlier than all the other parents, so she was still in her usual room, which has a bathroom that includes a fully functional (but incredibly tiny) toilet for the toddlers. As I’m getting her stuff together she’s helping to clean up as she always does, until I feel a little tug on my pants. 

“Daddy I have to go potty.” 

“Ok hunny! Go ahead, I’ll be right there” I say, figuring if I don’t get there in time to help, there will at least be a teacher to do so. 

A few minutes passed while she was in there and I noticed that the teacher, being fully aware that she was using the potty, wasn’t going in. Ok, whatever, I’m here so I’ll do it. But instead, I found out how truely “growing up” affects me in a way. 

I peered into the bathroom from where the food is kept and I watched her be completely self-reliant. She had just gotten done peeing and wiped herself (a task that can be quite frustrating at home, as she rips of way more toilet paper than necessary), and pulled up her pants. Snapped the snap, went to the sink, rolled up her sleeves, and washed her hands with soap and hot water. After which she dried her hands thoroughly and very confidently left the bathroom to throw out the paper towel. 

Holy shit. She did it. We did it. 

I looked around expecting a fanfair but there was none. I was a bit freaked out like “Oh my God, my kid, she did a thing!” 

But this is what it’s about. We teach them and we show them the “ropes” of life and at some point, they learn it well enough to do it completely on their own. 

Fuck, this is crazy. Tying in with one of my recent posts, it’s pretty clear that I’m going through a tough phase dealing with the fact that she’s growing and becoming more independent, despite her toddler tendencies. One of these days I’ll get over it though, I’m sure. 

Right?
RIGHT????
-Ben

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Listen to “Ep 112: Nancy Mullen Part One” on Spreaker.

The other day your class at daycare had a Super Bowl party. I bought you a new Eagles tee-shirt, brought in your favorite cookies, and you guys made football-themed art projects.

Here’s the thing: one day you will learn exactly what the Super Bowl is, what the NFL is all about, and the fact that human fandom over such a thing is just us re-visiting our basic natural instincts as far as violence, competition, and tribalism is concerned. Until that day, I will teach you everything you need to know and how one enjoys such things.

We’ll start with the basic things:

There are 32 teams in the league, which is run by a commissioner who is not always correct in his ways. The layout of where each players line up according to position, and what each player’s job is may need to be written up on a whiteboard so you can visualize everything. All the rules and regulations that each team must abide by, we’ll save for while we’re actually watching games.

After that, the hard part comes. Not hard because I am lacking in knowledge, but hard in that some of them may be difficult to convey until you witness something similar. Teaching you about the traditions and revered individuals of the sport itself sometimes requires witnessing scenarios that are similar, so that you have context. But you’ll learn about people like Jim Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Johnny Unitas and even the hilariously unfolding career of “Clipboard Jesus”, Charlie Whitehurst. You’ll learn about “Miracle at The Meadowlands” and “The Catch” (there are a couple). You’ll learn about the terrible history of the Browns, the rough-and-tumble existence of the Rams/Raiders/Chargers, the debatable greatness of Tom Brady, and the misfortune of the Bengles during the playoffs.

Two things however, will reign supreme in your lessons about the greatest sport in the United States.

1.) Your Dad (and Grand Mother) are crazy Eagles fans. While my loyalty comes into question via Facebook, because of the appreciation I show for the Seattle Seahawks, it is all silliness. I like watching them play, and they will always be my “Number Two”, but no team will ever come nearly as close to my heart as The Eagles.

2.) You can root for whatever team you like as long as it’s not the Cowboys, Redskins, or Rams. I won’t let you sink that low. But whatever team you choose, you must always be dedicated during the playoffs. Even if they got there by way of Wild-Card match up, they still earned their spot to be there.

All in all, being an NFL fan is full of ups and downs. There will be players you hate, whole teams even, and you’ll even feel that pang of guilt for even supporting the sport in the first place. A bunch of super-athletic dudes in tight clothing beating the piss out of each other and putting their health at high risk for an UN-GODLY amount of money. But you’ll love it just the same. Despite the missed calls by the refs that lead to losses for your team, or the fact that a player who beats his spouse gets less time off-field than a guy who MAYBE deflated some balls. Your team could switch cities, trade away your favorite players, or charge extraordinary prices for tickets.

But you’ll love it. All of it. For all the times your team comes out with a win, championship or otherwise. When you draft you’re favorite prospect or bring in a free agent that fills a gap. The jerseys, they key-chains, the hats, sitting in the nosebleed section with your best friend, you’ll treat every Sunday (and occasional Thursday) as a Holy day.

Through all of it you can count on another thing: my love.

Whether you are a Green Bay fan wearing a huge head of cheese and an Aaron Rodgers jersey, or a fellow Eagles fan eagerly waiting for our first championship. I’ll be there, with love and support during the hardest times, and chiding mini-hatred while you gloat in my face (“You may have won, but your QB has a funny face”).

I will love you no matter what, no matter how crazy it gets. Because in the end this is all for the love of the game, and the love of you.

Love always and Fly Eagles Fly,

-Daddy

It’s been pretty stop and go at home over the past couple of months as we’ve attempted a multitude of potty training styles. But our savior has been the awesome teachers at her daycare and a ton of positive reinforcement. Oh and marshmallows, tons of that as well. I was never really sure how I’d feel about the whole “treats for using the potty” deal, but it made sense when I first heard of it and it makes sense now.

We ask if she needs to go, she says yes, and immediately declares “I’m going to get THREE marshmallows” while holding up three fingers. She makes her way upstairs, puts the stepstool in front of the potty, puts her little Ninja Turtle potty-seat in place, pulls down her pants, then sits down and does her business with a big smile on her face. It’s harder to get her to poo…but y’know….baby steps.

For a while I had been making the classic mistake of not so much doing the treat thing, more like doing the logic thing. Like “hey if you go potty like a big girl it’ll be so much better than going in your diaper” and that sort of nonsense. We even came up with a plan for a sticker chart since she loves stickers. But in the end, marshmallows prevailed.

It’s one of those things that takes you by surprise to a certain extent. On the one hand, she is doing the treat-for-action thing which seems more like a thing for babies, not toddlers. On the other hand, she’s taking it on like a total boss. Our kid is so crazy smart its ridiculous to even consider sometimes.

To really get a toddler to learn something, sometimes you have to start in the simplest of ways, then watch as they grasp it and master it faster than you can say….well….”marshmallow”.

-Ben