Enough with bats and rabies! Here is some light Friday reading. In honor of Father’s Dayhere are two interviews with some whimsical, musical dads.

I remember the first time I heard “They Might Be Giants” in the 80’s. I was watching 120 Minutes on MTV (remember that show or am I really dating myself?) and there was their video for “Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head.” I recall thinking - well, that’s a wierd kid’s song. For the next 20 + years they’ve been putting out playful music that appeals to kids and grownups.  Here is an interview with one of the John’s of TMBG from Parenting.com

The Barenaked Ladies, also known for their silly songs, have come out with a kids CD  “Snacktime” too. Here is an interview with them.

Don’t forget - there’s still time to upload your favorite daddy pix - or video.  The gallery is getting bigger! Check it out and thanks to those who’ve already shared! Father’s Day gallery.

What was I thinking? I had seen an ad for Thomas the Tank coming to town. Oh boy - I knew Ben would absolutely flip out at the thought of seeing Thomas in person! So why did I mention it? Why did I ask him, “Do you want to go see Thomas when he comes to town and take a ride on the train?” 

Duh.

Of course he does. Now that’s all he can talk about. It’s not until August. I have to change the subject, come up with other distractions and manage his expectations. 

But, there are lots of things going on this summer to keep his one track mind off of the Thomas visit.

Super looking forward to visiting the grizzly bears and the sea otters at the Minnesota Zoo! (”Otter” just happens to be this weeks nickname for baby Vivian.  When she’s on her back she does this motion arm motion like she’s an otter cracking urchins on her tummy). See today’s Strib article on the new exhibit here and video here. (swimming bear alert!)

I also want to take them to the butterfly exhibit at the Como Conservatory.  See video here. Great photo opportunities there, now we just need a sunny day. Sigh.

Ben’s not into dinosaurs yet, but for those who are the Walking with Dinosaurs Live show at Xcel  is coming soon.  I don’t know.  It looks either incredibly cool or has the potential to  scare the daylights off the little ones. Not sure which. Has anyone seen the show in another town? Anyone planning bringing their little dino-phile? You can preview a video of the show here. 

Anyone else have other fun events to bring the kidlets to this summer? Do share.

Cribsheeter Amy sent us a link to an interesting article from the Washington Post.

It poses the question, how much do you tell your teenager about your “past transgressions?”  Should you tell all so they learn from your mistakes? Let them learn from their own mistakes? 

Most of us are many years out from having these conversations - but it gives us plenty of time to think it through.

You can read the article here.

How about some of you seasoned parents out there. How did you handle these conversations? Or you newbies - what do you think you’ll tell (or not tell) your teens?

WCCO TV’s Frank Vascellaro guest blogs for Cribsheet on ideas for getting rid of the pacifier…

Bribes, threats, pleas, even a scheme involving our pediatrician.

We  tried about everything to get our son Joe to give up his pacifier, the nuk ; or as he called it,  the  “bah-bah”. Finally, when Joe was nearly four, and his teeth were actually starting to protrude like a baby chipmunk, we pulled the plug. 

It wasn’t pretty, for Joe or us. However, I am here today to save you the pain, emotional turmoil, and sleepless nights we endured at the Vascellaro home.

I’m a TV reporter and anchor at WCCO. My names is Frank Vascellaro. I  work with wife, Amelia Santaniello. We’re the first married couple in Minnesota to co-anchor a daily news program. More importantly, we are the parents of 5 year old twins and an 8 year old boy.

And as you gathered from our experience with Joe, we’re interested in offering up solutions to parenting problems. We do regular segments on all kinds of real life issues ranging from taking away the pacifier, to paying for college.

Thursday night at 10 on channel 4 we’ll air a story showing tips and strategies for taking away the nuk.The issue gets a little complicated. The American Academy of Pediatrics says you should give your newborn a pacifier to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. However, the academy of pediatrics doesn’t say how, or when, to take it away.

So, we spoke with a pediatric dentist about how long is too long and the dangers of using a nuk for an extended period of time. I’ll tell you now, there are no hard and fast rules, but there are some decent guidelines. (more…)

With Earth Day last week and the Living Green Expo coming up this weekend, I’ve seen so many overused headlines and phrases spinning off of “It’s Not Easy Being Green” - “No really, it’s easy to be green”, “Bein Green is Easy”  “Kermit was Mistaken. It is indeed Easy to be Green”.  Leave the frog alone, there’s gotta be another way to say it.

Rant aside:  Strib music writer and new dad, Chris Riemenschneider, shares how their” footprint” became smaller even before he and his wife heard the pitter patter of little feet. Read his story here.

His article was featured in Sunday’s Living Green special section. Check out the nifty interactive feature online here.

As long as we’re talking green - if you’re heading out to the Living Green Expo this weekend - here are some fun activities for the kids.