Rattle 'n Roll

Get a baby announcement printed up like a Rock 'n Roll flyer? Sweet. Only the Dragon could dig this one up. Maybe the utter genius of his blog will inspire me to post more this year, or maybe it will just make me a bit more humble to bask in shadows as great as his.

Sustainable Sex Toys - A Revolution Between the Sheets

Now this is what I'm talkin' about. Living in Olympia, I know a lot of girls who have gone glass... but they usually espoused local economy or support-your-local-glass-blower reasoning, not enviro/health/what the hell am I putting in my cooter? logic. There are a ton of links on these various articles too for the blossoming green-kink in all of us. Solar vibrators? Sweet. Thanks to Treehugger, we now have a few alternatives to choose from:

How to Buy a Green Sex Toy - So you eat organic veggies, drive a hybrid, and use eco-friendly detergent? What about sex toys? Make sure you are sitting comfortably to learn about what chemicals you may be taking to bed with you. Do you dare to go green between your organic sheets? TreeHuggerTV gets the sweet lowdown with a report inspired by writer Emily Gertz. The phthalates found in traditional sex toys can cause cancer, damage our reproductive systems, impair sperm, and damage the planet. Watch the vox pops in the streets as people realise that the objects they’ve been using to pleasure themselves and their partners might have longer terms effects on their bodies than they wanted. Carolyn Riccardi, Education Coordinator at Babeland, gives us a tour of PVC-free green sex toys that keep us sexy and healthy. Love the earth while you make love!

Sustainable Sex Toys - For treehuggers, it can be hard to get through the day without guilty, pre-occupied micro-decisions. You might regretfully take a cab rather than the bus, or grab Styrofoam take-away instead of just sitting down and eating from a plate. In the bedroom, it can be an accomplishment to wade through all of the cultural pollutants and just enjoy ambivalence-free pleasures. So, once you’ve happily integrated one into your life, who wants to worry about a carcinogenic dildo? Or non-biodegradable paddles whose ultimate punishment will mean an eternity of landfill stink? Not sexy. We have assembled an array of toys and info for you and your partner(s) in crime! Be sure and let us know what we’ve missed.


How to Green Your Sex Life - Whether you’re single and playing the field, settled down with that special someone, or someplace in between, most of us consider good, satisfying, sexy sex an important part of this complete breakfast. It might not be the first thing we think of while working towards a sustainable and graceful life on this fragile planet, but there’s a lot we can do to make our sex lives greener. In the process of greening the ecological footprint of our love making, we might also open up some new doors to deeper pleasure, satisfaction, and romantic connection.

Naughty by Nature: Ever thought about the toxins in your sex toys? - Many popular erotic toys are made of polyvinyl chlorides (PVC) -- plastics long decried by eco-activists for the toxins released during their manufacture and disposal -- and softened with phthalates, a controversial family of chemicals. These include invitingly soft "jelly" or "cyberskin" items, which have grown popular in the last decade or so, says Carol Queen, Ph.D., "staff sexologist" for the San Francisco-based adult toy boutique Good Vibrations. "It's actually difficult for a store today to carry plenty of items and yet avoid PVC," Queen says. "Its use has gotten pretty ubiquitous among the large purveyors, because it's cheap and easy to work with."

Babble: A Magazine and Community for the New Urban Parent

Okay, so I found this via my vicarious friend Sarah of Sarah and the Goon Squad and it is hands down the coolest site I've come across in the last while. So here, have some highlights:

Strollerderby- the blog at Babble for which Sarah writes.

Is Wall-Mart Too Evil for Parents?

Parent Blogosphere Focus: Meet the GLBT Parents

Angsty is the New Happy: Parents Eschew Therapy for Blogging

Junk Food Ads Contribute to Childhood Obesity. In Other News, Pope is Catholic.

The Little Yogi kit gives kids an early start at calming down

Thanks Baby Gadget! Even though this is mostly made from petroleum products, the intention is pure.

One of the biggest challenges with children can be trying to teach them to calm down. Sometimes Luke and Ivy can get so excited about something they just flip out and lose control. Yoga is good for this sort of thing, but how does one get the little ones interested in something that may at first seem boring? I was excited to see someone actually has a product for this: the Little Yogis Kit gives them a sense of ownership over their yoga experience, and everything is easily understood and attractive to children.

The kit comes with stickers, a mat, a poster, a video, and also a tote bag so the kids can carry the whole thing with them. I like the idea of getting them interested in yoga at a young age, and this package is well-rounded and includes a lot of stuff to get the kids jazzed about their new activity. This is a hobby that could last for the rest of their lives, and it's also something you can do together.

Just some old laundry I found lying around...

Baby Gadget

scarleht crying and wanting mama to come back to papa’s home

“becca and papa, owie” – lyl

a day of easy lines elliciting hard thoughts

“goodnight fire in the book” – s, referring to the fireplace in Goodnight Moon

they care more about their pillows than they do which side of the bed they’re on

“papa hurt inside”

“papa no read books” - goddamn, this one made me run in the laundry room and cry while pretending to turn the dryer on.

there’s nobody that wouldn’t hurt you if it helped them

funny how yer smile opens the parentheses

the tuba is the only instrument which can approximate a distress call

“As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don't hate nothing at all
Except hatred.

Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Made everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much
Is really sacred.” – Bobby D.

Links and Crap

Neal Pollack's Alternadad

Modern Tots - Cool, but ridiculously overpriced. I spit on anyone who spends this much money on this kind of junk. Get a hammer and grow some balls.

Diversity, Culture & Parenting - a study by the University of California's Cooperative Extension

My Little Cthulhu vinyl doll

Spain Dad's Blog

Daddy Zine

Wooden Toys from the UK

Babies go green: Parents thinking organic when it comes to infant food, clothes

Sustainable & Organic Kids Toys

Why buy a bunch of plastic crap that makes dangerously loud noises for yer kids or yer friend's kids when there are amazing alternatives out there? Though sometimes a bit more expensive, when natural capitalism's ripple effect is factored into the mix the benefits greatly outweigh the slightly increased price tag. This fold-down wooden horse from Hazelnut Kids carries a $69.90 price tag.

Check out Ecomall's list of kick-ass Organic & Sustainable kids toy providers for a ton of cool gift ideas!

And scope Elodie Details for pirate, punk and camo kid gear.

This is fucking ridiculous

From GizModo.

Just when you thought you'd seen every iPod accessory in the known universe, scientists discover a new one. This is the iPod baby stroller. I mean, I guess it could be nice to listen to music when walking your baby, but doesn't that kind of nix the whole baby bonding thing? Kolcraft has no care for this kind of emotional baggage, because its iBaby stroller (enough with the "i" prefix already people!) comes with a built-in iPod (no mention of which one), iPod mini adapter, holder and speakers. So get that Metallica on your playlist and crank it up for junior next time you're heading to the playground. I'm sure the other parents will totally appreciate it.