Fork, you're a father now. Maybe you didn't plan on it, but you are and that entails certain responsibilities. Man up. Or fork up. Whatever.

-via Nag on the Lake | Photo: unknown

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I guess that's not saying much. Jamie is still in diapers, but he's already playing well. I'll arm wrestle the tyke to prop up my ego.

-via Blame It on the Voices

A Facebook friend of mine who recently became a father wrote "Oh, so that's what a poop explosion is." He didn't have to go into any detail. All parents know exactly what he experienced. Part of parenthood is caring for a creature that can excrete twice its own body weight daily, sometimes all at once.

Poop explosions can get ugly -- and smelly. And apparently bad enough to take down a jetliner in Australia:

Qantas Flight 825 was forced to land at Mount Isa on Sunday after passengers and crew complained of a "strange smell" wafting from the front of the cabin.
But a commenter on the Aviation Herald website, calling himself "Frank Smith," revealed the culprit.

"Unfortunately the fumes turned out to be a very smelly nappy [diaper] dumped in the forward toilet," he said.

"Procedures dictate to land as soon as possible. [It's] very embarrassing for us all at [Qantas], but, better safe than sorry."

Link -via Dave Barry | Photo: Flickr user ewen and donabel

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The band OK Go is known more for its clever music videos than its music. The group is especially fond of stop-motion animation. In this video made exclusively for Sesame Street, the band members are globs of human paint explaining the concept of primary colors.

-via Geekosystem

These lamps by the design house CrousCalogero will be the balloons on your child's ceiling that never deflate. They come in wall and ceiling models and fit into standard electrical outlets.

Link | Studio Website

The Make-A-Wish Foundation well all-out for its one thousandth wish, granted to 12-year old David Morasco of Epping, New Hampshire. David wanted a castle, so the Foundation built a stone and wooden fantasy castle measuring 24 feet by 24 feet. Watch a video at the link of David exploring it with his friends and classmates.

Link -via GeekDad | Image: WMUR

At eighteen months old, this boy is more badass than you and I ever will be:

Israel’s Ynet news reports that the 18-month-old’s mother from Shfaram in Northern Israel came into her son's room and found him chewing on the dead Asian Racer. (Hemorrhois Nummifer / coinmarked snake)

Ynet interviewed the family and neighbours. When the mother found the child she screamed. A neighbour came to her assistance and pulled the snake out of the boy’s mouth. The neighbour said that she couldn’t believe what she saw.

The thirty-five inch snake wasn't venomous -- not that being otherwise would have deterred the lad.

Link -via Dave Barry | Photo: European Field Herping

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The parents hit a bump while dragging their toddler's sled through the snow. The kid fell off, but the parents didn't notice. Thankfully, the amazingly nonchalant driver did.

-via Blame It on the Voices

To earlier generations of Americans, embroidery samplers were demonstrations of unmarried women's sewing skills to prospective suitors. This one, created in 1807 by a young girl in New Jersey named Mary Antrim, recently sold at auction for a whopping $1.07 million.

News Story and Auction House Listing -via The Mary Sue | Photo: Sotheby's

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Until I saw this video, I was about 90% certain that my own youngling is completely human and not a participant in the robot conspiracy to overthrow and enslave the human race. But Hollywood effects artist kitanimboy shows how deceptive the metal ones can be.

-via Gizmodo

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They drive you insane, but you can't get enough of them. Kid, wait until you discover girls. You're going to experience this feeling on a grander scale.

-via That's Nerdalicious!

The great thing about this cooking project is that it's so simple that children can do it. Melissa of Many Makings wrapped Pillsbury breadstick dough around hot dogs and then dotted on mustard for eyes. That's it! Now your kids have done all of the cooking for their Halloween party.

http://www.manymakings.com/2011/10/hot-dog-mummies.html -via That's Nerdalicious!

Last week, my preschooler started playing superhero with a pretend cape. So I've decided to make a real cape this weekend to aid her heroic efforts. But, as I haven't sewn much since I was ten years old, I doubt that my work will be as good as that of Amanda Wilson. She's crocheted a Wolverine costume to fit todder-sized superheroes. Her pattern is on sale at the link.

Link -via Fashionably Geek

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It's reassuring to learn that rhinoceros iguanas are primarily vegetarians. Primarily. Still, I would be jumpy and nervous if I lived with this critter in my home.

-via That's Nerdalicious!

Hair loss is among the effects of treatments that young cancer patients face. So a group of Facebook users is promoting a novel response to this problem: the production of a bald Barbie doll. The idea is that interacting with a childhood glamour icon experiencing cancer will help the children cope more effectively:

Jane Bingham, Sypin’s friend and co-founder of the Facebook page, lost her hair while undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

“My daughter had some difficulty accepting me going from a long-haired blonde to a bald woman,” she wrote in a blog. A bald Barbie, she added, could be a great way for young girls to cope with hair loss that happens to them or to a loved one.

Nearly 60,000 people are fans of the page, created just three weeks ago, and that number is still climbing. Many commenters shared their support for the bald Barbie.

“I can only imagine what young children feel when they lose their hair,” wrote a cancer patient. “Let’s make this happen and teach them young that hair doesn’t make someone beautiful, it’s whats inside that truly matters!”

Mattel has yet to respond beyond a form letter. But the group has vowed to get the company's attention and persuade it to produce this Barbie doll.

News Story and Facebook Group -- Thanks, Lynn! | Image: Bald and Beautiful Barbie