I would like to wish all the Moms a very Happy Mother's Day!  I hope your day is filled with hugs, kisses, and wonderful surprises.  May you find your car clean and your laundry pile miraculously washed, folded, and put away.

Picture: This adorable plate was a gift from my oldest daughter. She made it with a little help from her amazing preschool teachers.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommies, Grandmas, and Mother figures out there. May your day be filled with laughter, fun, and lots and lots of homemade cards and goodies.

 

 

Today we honor Dad!

Thanks for:

• Fixing the broken things


• Taking out the stinky stuff


• Killing the scary things


• Teaching the hard stuff


• Getting rid of the dead things


• Grilling the good stuff


• Playing the games


• Singing the Songs


• Working so long


• Giving the best presents (namely your time, hugs, and advice)


• And for just being an all-around awesome Dad.

Happy Father's Day everyone!

I would like to wish all the Moms a very Happy Mother's Day!  I hope your day is filled with hugs, kisses, and wonderful surprises.  May you find your car clean and your laundry pile miraculously washed, folded, and put away.

Picture: This adorable plate was a gift from my oldest daughter. She made it with a little help from her amazing preschool teachers.

An Egyptian couple, tired of being stuck at the in the airport because of a visa issue, stuffed their 5-month old baby in a carry-on bag and sent him through the x-ray machine. They were hoping  the United Arab Emirates security wouldn't notice. Guess what? They did notice. The couple is now charged with child endangerment and attempted smuggling. This one has to fall under "WTF" were the parents thinking. Watch the video above for the full story.

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Oh, how everyone loves to see little girls dressed up in tutus and performing at their first dance recital. Wait! That can be part of the performance.

Check out the super adorable video of Freya's First Recital. The unchoreographed fight between two sassy toddlers stole the show. Don't worry the fight was broken up just in time. They even completed the performance. After all, the show must go on.

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What do Mommy's talk about at Mother's Day celebrations while they are waiting for their preschoolers to perform their little song? Their kids? Nah. This year it was all about the book "Fifty Shades Of Grey." Oh, and of course the spoof that Saturday Night Live did. Check out the video above. Warning: This video is naughty. Hilarious, but naughty.

 

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The world lost a wonderful children's author today. Maurice Sendak has passed away at the age of  83. Maurice Sendak may be best know for penning "Where the Wild Things Are," but many of us also love his other works. Check out the YouTube video featuring Carole King singing Pierre. The book is a cautionary tale. Hopefully, you care.

 

How did you share the good news that you were pregnant? I'm guessing you didn't put an add in the Missed Connections section of Craigslist. Or maybe you did. Anyway, this post was titled, "Did we hook up at the Megadeth/Motorhead concert? -w4m-28 (Aragon Ballroom).

Me: Blue hair, silver tube top, fishnets, Knee high black biker boots.
You: Red mohawk, black pentagram gauges, viper piercings...

Anyway I'm pregnant. It's yours. contact me if you want to be part of your child's life.

If you want to read the full touching text be sure to go to the link. I really hope she saved a copy for the baby book.

Photo: Bad Ass Pacifier

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Decipher The Doodle Contest #7 Winners!

The Answer: According to the pint sized artist this is a picture of a little girl walking through the woods with a picnic basket. Along comes a monster who tries to scare her and steal one of her very favorite chocolate chip cookies. The little girl is brave and tells the monster to be nice. This takes the monster by surprise. The Monster is sorry. The little girl gives the monster a cookie. This makes the monster happy. The little girl and monster are now friends. The little girl snacks on a cookie as she heads home.

The Most Correct Answer: The girl in the dress encountered upon an eyeball monster harassing/mugging the girl in the shirt, trying to steal her cookie.

In a moment of quick-thinking, the girl in the dress reveals an eyeball monster friend from within the depths of her purse (to distract the would-be mugger), along with a second cookie for herself.Congratulations! You really got in the head of this pint sized artist. You win a Hip Hip Array t-shirt.

The Funniest Answer:

While at first glance it may appear that Little Miss Blondie is on a shopping trip (note the purse in the left hand), upon further examination, it is clear we are being told a cautionary tale about encounters with germs and the importance of hand washing. A bucket (source of water for hand washing- much too hard to draw a sink!) is seen in every picture. When the girl encounters the germ (pink cyclops) she is taken off guard! But then she remembers her handy-dandy hand washing bucket, washes the germs off her hands. The germ gives a look of defeat and the girl goes off into the sunset *not pictured* with her hand washing bucket) to live happily ever after.

Congratulations!You win a Mmm…. pi t-shirt.

Thank you to everyone who participated.  We hope you had as much fun as we did.  If you didn’t win don’t worry!  We will be back with another Decipher The Doodle Contest in a few weeks.

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Happy April Fools' Day everyone. Do you have big dreams of plotting pranks against your kids and other family members, but don't know where to start? You should check out Heather Kempski's article on 10 Best April Fools' jokes for kids.   This is one of my favorite suggestions:

Mess with breakfast (or lunch or dinner). Put gummy worms in their scrambled eggs, green food coloring in their milk or switch out cereal boxes. Franklin mom Kellie Carrara told her daughter they were having fish for dinner. “She HATES fish. I served her a plate of multi-colored big and little SWEEDISH Fish and told her she had to clean her entire plate!”

Her suggestions are funny, not mean, family friendly practical jokes.

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Photo: Lil Devil's Trick of the Day

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Alicia Silverstone is getting all kinds of flak for her unique method of feeding her baby. Let's call it Mama bird style. Yes folks, she chews the food and spits it into her baby's mouth. Are you ready to follow in the footsteps of this celebribaby trend?

Hello Neatoramanauts and welcome to our seventh Decipher The Doodle Contest.  This doodle was created by my 5-year-old daughter.  I dare you to delve into the mind of this pint-sized artist and tell me what her doodle means.

We will award 2 prizes.  One to the first person to come up with the most correct answer.  The second for the funniest but ultimately wrong answer.  The winners will win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop and be featured in next weeks post.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess (suggestion: Science T-shirts / Funny & One Liners).  If you don’t include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay?

Happy commenting!

Update (4/06/2012): The contest is now over. The winners will be announced shortly.

There are lots of reasons not to leave your keys in your car, but I bet you never really thought about the dangers of joyriding toddlers. Toddlers are a wiley group, especially when they are on a mission to visit their dear old Dad. Here's a story about a little Wisconsin boy who decided to take a car for a trip to see his Dad.

The boy's mother said she was taking care of her other child when the 3-year-old left the trailer and walked across the street.She said she saw the car moving and quickly went over and removed her son from the Dodge Intrepid, where it came to rest after striking the trailer.

(image: Road Signs - Wall Decal)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MSNBC Video Link

Call it a sign of these tough economic times. Round-the-clock childcare is not only a necessity for many working parents, it is quickly becoming a reality.  Daycare facilities like ABC & Me Childcare are now are operating 24-hours a day and open weekends.

If you have never heard of a 24-hour daycare facility before you should really check out this fascinating video featuring ABC & Me Childcare.