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How to Find Sasquatch... and Win a Million Dollars
2008-06-07 23:50:00
Did you know that there is currently a $1 million prize being offered for proof of Sasquatch ? It's true! No, this isn't a Geek Parenting contest. It is actually Bushnell and Field & Stream magazine who have teamed up to offer a million bucks for a verifiable photo of Sasquatch. (I am, however, offering 1 million pesos for the head of a chupacabra. Details to follow.)Some say there is no way to prove the existence of a Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti with a photograph. Ha! Those people have clearly never heard of Mr. Charles B. Pierce, auteur and part-time cryptozoologist. Here is an example of Pierce's genius. You might want to take notes if you are going to participate in the photo contest. This is what you can expect if you do encounter Bigfoot:Of course, finding Bigfoot is much harder than taking a picture. False alarms are very commonplace: Might I suggest a few essentials for your journey? The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates This handy book might answer any qu...
More About: Find , Million , Dollars

A Lil' Geek Birthday
2008-06-05 22:46:00
Our good friend Callum, who has been featured here as a Lil' Geek of the Week, recently celebrated his birthday. His Modified Mummy jokingly writes, "I can't believe I've kept him alive for four whole years!" A true geek mommy, she also made him this lovely Pac-Man cake. This is awesome! Callum looks very pleased to kick it old school with the Pac-Man fever.Modified Mummy is very creative in the kitchen. Check out her Bento boxes here.
More About: Birthday

Lil' Geeks Of The Week
2008-06-02 21:30:00
Geek mommy Becky has sent in some amazing shots of her Wonder Twins. Two geeklings at once -- how does she handle it? By having fun, naturally. In fact, it looks like one of her babies is already playing World of Warcraft with her. Yep, just stick the baby in a Bumbo seat and pull the laptop closer!Of course, it isn't all fun and games. Twins are expensive and someone has to crunch the numbers:An finally, a comic book homage, which warms my heart. (Onomatopoeia!)Thanks for sharing your precious babies with us, Becky!Do you have a pic/video of your kid(s) geeking out? Send it to me at and we'll put him/her on the site!
More About: Geeks , Week

We Hit The Geek Toy Jackpot!
2008-06-01 03:30:00
Our local comic shop recently moved locations and decided to hold a huge action figure sale at their old place. It was awesome -- a big store just filled with thousands of discounted toys. We're talking new-in-box DC, Marvel and Star Wars action figures... some as low as $1.99! Here's a quick scan of our loot. The box is filled to the brim with more action figures. Seriously, we picked up some figures and vehicles for $1.99 that retailed for over $30 a pop. Overall, we spent about $200 for over $1,000 worth of toys! Collectors, get ready to shed a tear -- we are going to play with every one of these bad boys, so they will not be mint for long. Brian and I don't believe in keeping our figures in boxes or slabbing our comics. They were meant to be enjoyed! (Okay, if I had an Action Comics #1, I guess I would give CGC a ring.)Of course, after all the excitement of bringing home the toys, look what the kids ended up playing with:I guess they are too young to really enjoy action ...
More About: Pop Culture , Geek , Jackpot

MythBusters Jr.
2008-05-31 02:50:00
If you're familiar with the awesome Discovery Channel show MythBusters, then you will get a kick out of this. I give you, MythBusters Jr. I thought that was too funny! Speaking of MythBusters, be sure to check out the Official MythBusters Wiki, which is a lot of fun. Yes, I'm involved with it and no, I wasn't paid to plug it. You really should come over and check out the site!
More About: Pop Culture , Mythbusters

Playing Toy Detective...
2008-05-29 03:07:00
The charming toy you see above was released in 2006. Called the "GR8 TaT2 Maker," it was designed to simulate a real tattoo parlor. The toy tattoo gun even vibrated for a realistic effect. Personally, I think this ad really seals the deal with the backwards camouflage hat. Oh, and I also find it hilarious that the company purposely misspells the toy's name with TXT speak. Yep, shoot for the stars, kids. As I said, this toy came out in 2006 and sites like Boing Boing did a much better job at lampooning it than I can. I was considering a top 10 list entitled, "Would You Buy Your Kids This?" and I remembered this beauty of a children's product. So, I hunt down the old Boing Boing article and the toy has mysteriously disappeared off Amazon! Or has it?Pictured right is the "iTattoo Electronic Tattoo Pen." That's right! Those sneaky execs tried to rename and remarket the same toy after they were publicly humiliated all over the Web. It's now marketed as sort of an educational, craft...
More About: Detective

World's Most Clueless Godparent?
2008-05-27 15:28:00
My friend Katie just forwarded this to me and it's hilarious! So, which is more embarrassing? Not knowing the euphemism "camel toe" or the fact that he/she is writing into a newspaper column for advice? D'oh!Update: I guess this is from 2005, so some of you may have already seen it a million times. Sorry, I normally ignore email forwards and this one actually made me laugh! It looks like Snopes tried to find out if the letter was real or not. I like to think it is, though the advice columnist has since left this paper.
More About: Clueless

Lil' Geek Of The Week
2008-05-26 19:37:00
We have a brand new lil' geek to showcase this week! He's new to the site and the world, so give a big welcome to baby Jake. His proud daddy, Jon, has been very busy documenting Jake's first days of life. Here is the little hacker sitting on his couch like a big boy:Jake is a photogenic little guy and has already started posting his own YouTube videos. Genius! Snoopy dance!Do you have a pic/video of your kid(s) geeking out? Send it to me at and we'll put him/her on the site!
More About: Geek , Week

Biz's Beat of the Day
2008-05-24 01:42:00
I don't know if you watch Yo Gabba Gabba!, but I highly recommend the Nick Jr. show. It was co-created by The MC Bat Commander from The Aquabats, which is awesome in itself. This show is a trip and pop culture geeks will occasionally spot some familiar faces, such as Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh. My son's favorite Yo Gabba Gabba! segment, however, is "Biz's Beat of the Day." This is when rapper Biz Markie teaches children how to beatbox. You remember Biz Markie, right? He's the guy who sang "Just a Friend" back in '89. This is Jason's favorite Biz beat:So, we now have an almost three-year-old running around the house, trying to beatbox. He's our own little MC Pee Pants! Okay, he probably just sounds like he needs an inhaler, but it's a start. I filmed the kids tonight, right before bedtime. Lois does her own little rhyme about halfway through the video.
More About: Pop Culture

Toilet Buddies
2008-05-20 13:31:00
It occurs to me that I blog about toilets way too much. However, I just discovered Toilet Buddies and had to recommend the product. Apparently, these stickers are supposed to endear your children to the idea of using the toilet. I don't know about that, but I do think they are kind of a tacky conversation piece... which makes me love them. In case you don't know, I have a velvet Elvis painting proudly displayed above my fireplace mantle. Yeah, I'm that kind of decorator. On the left is "CaCa Cow." There are four Toilet Buddies in total, including Poo P. Bunny, Gotago Giraffe and Puddles Puppy. The puppy's tongue is wagging when the toilet lid is opened, by the way. Kinda' looks like he's thirsty. Ewww...Since I have the maturity level of someone a third my age, I'd say your kids will find these as hilarious as I do. So, even if you aren't toilet training, go check out the Toilet Buddies Website.

Best. Husband. Ever.
2008-05-11 12:47:00
Happy Mother's Day, geek moms! Here I thought my husband forgot all about the holiday. Look at what he bought me for our new house! Awww yeah. It's a professionally restored 1997 X-Files pinball machine! He is having it delivered to the new place next month. This is so much better than gas station flowers! We both made a wish list for our new house, which naturally contained the most impractical things. This pinball machine topped mine! I really didn't think I would get it for a while, though.  A little fact about Brian and I -- we are both the babies of our families and were spoiled rotten. Therefore, we tend to overdo it on little holidays. It becomes a contest, so I have to one-up him for his birthday in June. Any suggestions? Oh, and check out the X-Files pinball game in action below! This is gonna rule:
More About: Nostalgia , Husband

Use That D20 For Something Besides Killing Orcs
2008-05-10 04:32:00
I just found a great article over on Geek's Dream Girl, entitled "A Musician's Guide to Alternative Uses for Polyhedral Dice." This article explains how to use your dice to learn music. This is a very clever idea and it sounds like a fun opportunity for geek parents to combine their hobby with a little music education. Speaking of D20... have any of you stepped on one of those things in the middle of the night? Ugh, being the wife of a gamer can be painful. Oh, and for all you single geeks out there, do check out Geek's Dream Girl. The Webmistress is a geek matchmaker, which I think is a brilliant cause. Geek love is a good thing!
More About: Education , Killing

Winners of the Speed Racer DVD Giveaway
2008-05-09 02:38:00
Thank you to everyone who entered our latest giveaway! Using the handy technology over at Random.org, I was able to select two winners. Congratulations to:Katy (Comment #4: "Before all this anime craze, there was the original Speed Racer . I love the song, "Go speed racer, go speed racer. Go speed racer, GO!" I love their cute voices.")Daniel M. (Comment #28: "sign me up!")I have sent an email to both winners -- they will receive a DVD of "Speed Racer: The Next Generation - The Beginning" very shortly. Again, thank you for participating and I hope to host more awesome contests in the future!
More About: Winners

You Are Getting Very Sleepy...
2008-05-05 23:59:00
I have just obtained a few new products from Nickelodeon that I think you guys might be interested in... especially if you have a restless geekling at home!This blissful picture of baby Lois was taken last weekend while we were driving into the city. She is one of those rare babies who never sleep in the car, so this was a treat. We were actually listening to the new Nickelodeon CD called Sleepytime Lullabies. This awesome disc is a collection of hit songs written by The Beatles, The Mamas & The Papas and other artists. However, the songs are instrumental and rendered as sleep-inducing lullabies. As you can see, it works! And here is Jason from earlier this evening. He is just about to drop off as he watches the new Nick Jr. Sleepytime Stories DVD. It was released last week and contains dream-inspired episodes of Wonder Pets, Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, Yo Gabba Gabba and more! It is a massive compilation and runs 149 minutes -- I actually love it from beginning to end, but ...
More About: Education , Pop Culture

Free Comic Book Day at CAPE! 4 in Dallas
2008-05-04 04:25:00
I hope you all had an awesome Free Comic Book Day! We spent our Saturday afternoon at the 4th annual Comics and Pop-Culture Expo in Dallas . This yearly event is graciously sponsored by the good folks over at Zeus Comics. If you are ever in the Dallas area, I highly recommend you stop by Zeus Comics. It's a great shop with a ton of collectibles and -- get this -- every back issue is boarded and placed in a Mylite bag! Mylites, people, not the cheap stuff! There were a ton of guest appearances at the event, but I only took pics of those we met personally. We had a ton of comics from our collection to get signed, so we were pretty much all business. When you have two toddlers in tow, you have to mobilize quickly! First up is one of my favorite writers, Gail Simone. Gail is currently kicking butt with Wonder Woman (go pick 'em up!), but I only brought Birds of Prey books for her to sign this time. She is so generous to her fans and will sign anything you bring for her. I must have had...
More About: Pop Culture

Eek! I'm a Finalist -- Please Take Two Seconds to Vote For Me!
2008-05-03 04:39:00
Hey there, geek parents! I can't believe it, but I'm actually a finalist in that photo contest I entered. I think it would be a blast to tell Jason one day that this crazy picture won a contest! You can vote for my picture here. All it takes is one click -- no registration or anything! It will literally take you two seconds. So... pretty please?!Just scroll to the bottom of that page and choose "Geek Parenting." I'm thinking I will frame this picture for the kids' bathroom in our new house. Oh, did I tell you we're buying a new house? Well, we are and it wasn't cheap, so it would be gnarly to win this gift card. In fact, I vow to buy Jason and Lois an awesome playground if I win this contest - they've never had anything like that before and, well, Jason earned it by climbing into the toilet! So, it would technically be his prize. Voting ends on May 9. Thank you so much for your votes!!
More About: Vote , Seconds

Saturday Is Free Comic Book Day!
2008-05-02 19:28:00
This is just a friendly reminder that tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day! Comic book stores across North America participate with this event, so be sure to stop by your local shop with the kiddos.Many stores will limit it to one free book per person, so take the whole family and get as many as you can.We will be going to a local convention tomorrow and meeting some awesome writers and artists. So, stay tuned for pictures this weekend!Speaking of comic books... go see Iron Man this weekend, too! It's friggin' awesome!
More About: Holidays , Saturday

Happy May Day, You Wacky Pagans
2008-05-02 03:59:00
Happy May Day, geek parents! If you are like me, then every May 1st reminds you of dancing around maypoles, getting frisky in graveyards, and Christoper Lee in drag. I'm referring, of course, to the most amazing movie released in the 1970's -- Wicker Man! In tribute to this masterpiece, please enjoy the classic maypole dance from one of my favoritest movies ever:
More About: Holidays , Pop Culture , Happy

Motherhood
2008-05-01 16:38:00
A few of you may have already seen this photograph of my charming son. I am entering it in a Mother's Day photo contest over at 5 Minutes for Mom. They are asking that you submit an image that defines motherhood. For me, motherhood is about finding humor during the strangest or most stressful moments. Last year, I was tending to a sick, 10-month-old Lois when 2-year-old Jason snuck into the bathroom. I didn't realize where he had gone until I heard splashing. Followed by giggling. Alas, my fears were confirmed and my half-nude son was found not only playing with the toilet but actually inside the toilet! Oh, and he was also attempting to flush himself. Naturally, I pushed my OCD aside for a moment and grabbed the camera. People have asked me if I purposely placed my son in the toilet to take a funny picture. To that, I say... ick.
More About: Motherhood

Speed Racer: The Next Generation DVD Giveaway!
2008-04-29 02:29:00
Yes, we are holding another contest on Geek Parenting! Read on for details? In case you've been living under a rock, Speed Racer is back. Not only are The Wachowski Brothers about to release a live-action movie based on the classic show, Nicktoons has a new series on the horizon called Speed Racer: The Next Generation . I just had the pleasure of watching the animated film that kicks off the new cartoon series. Speed Racer: The Next Generation is a blast and should please both old school and new fans. It manages to update the appeal of the show while still paying homage to the original (starting with a punk rock cover of the famous theme song). This series is compelling to me because it's a continuation of the Speed Racer story, not a spin-off or remake. In true Speed Racer style, there are dramatic reveals and unfolding story arcs, so I don't want to give away too much information. I will say that it involves young students at an elite "Racing Academy." In fact, you quickly ...
More About: Pop Culture

Lil' Geek Of The Week
2008-04-28 12:18:00
Wow, we have a series of awesome pictures to share with you this week! Geek mommy Carolina writes, "I am attaching pictures of my son and his spaceship built out of the newest space-age metal alloy not found anywhere else in the galaxy other than the Samsung refrigerator box..."First up is our lil' geek, dressed in his space suit. His mother tells me that his alter ego is named Space Pro. Here is Space Pro and crew in front of the flying vessel, "Adolpho's Spaceship."Space Pro is ready to board his ship. Looks cozy in there - it has a window and everything!A closer look at Space Pro's control panel reveals that he may be flying through a dangerous asteroid field, but he is well prepared for both crashing and snacking. "This is Space Pro to Ground Control. The crew will commence snacking in T minus 10 minutes!"Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Adolpho's Spaceship." Mommy Carolina lends a hand with the space tape.Those pics were amazing! Thank you to Carolina and ...
More About: Week

I'm The Juggernaut!
2008-04-25 18:33:00
Maya, writer of Springtree Road, just sent me this awesome video she made with her daughter V. It's stop-motion animation, which tells me that both Maya and V have a lot more patience than anyone around my house! Check it out:  That's awesome! Maya and V get a Geek Parenting No-Prize. Be sure to check out Springtree Road and Maya's amazing photographs.

Mia Reading: The Bugaboo Bugs!
2008-04-24 13:38:00
I just had the pleasure of testing out a new edutainment software program for kids called Mia Reading : The Bugaboo Bugs ! Mia Reading is a series of educational games starring the cute mouse on the right. This is the first title I've had the chance to play, but I really enjoyed it. More importantly, I think kids will enjoy it and actually learn without realizing they're taking a reading lesson! This game offers high-end graphics and a full cast of fun characters. What I really enjoyed about it was the fact that you can set every activity to a certain skill level. As your child advances, you can advance the program! Here is the plot of the main storyline: The Bugaboo Bugs! is about some incredibly troublesome bugs! Mia lives in a charming Victorian house where her family has lived for generations. The house has recently been invaded by pests?the Bugaboos.  These disrespectful, noisy and uncivilized bugs are going to attract the attention of the humans, and if they are noticed...
More About: Education

Mommy's New Toy
2008-04-23 23:51:00
It is Wednesday, so I sent my dutiful husband out to the comic book store for our weeklies. To my surprise, he brought me home a gift! It's a 1:6 scale, DC Direct Deluxe Green Arrow figure. This is the geeky equivalent of a husband bringing his wife home a box of long-stemmed roses... probably costs about the same, too. (Yikes, honey, take the price tag off next time!)Not only am I happy with my husband (go Brian), I'm delighted to finally see a decent figure made of Green Arrow. They just produced a deluxe Black Canary, too, which I now need to track down. Until then, I better not find action figure Ollie carousing with any of my other lady action figures! (He says he's a changed man, but I dunno...)If you're thinking about buying this fig, I highly recommend it. The sculpt is great, though I must admit that he looks a tad creepy without the mask on. In fact, there is a striking similarity to Malfeitor, the big bad from that 1986 classic, Witchboard. See what I mean?Eek! I'll ...
More About: Pop Culture

The Funniest Ad I've Ever Seen
2008-04-18 12:26:00
I just spotted this banner ad while reading the news and, somehow, I thought it was appropriate for Geek Parenting. Does it make me want to purchase their life insurance? Not at all. I also loved those Geico cavemen commercials and never made the switch. Maybe the avenging child in the ad above will be given his own short-lived sitcom, too!

Best. Lois. Ever.
2008-04-17 17:14:00
Okay, so I went on a mission last year to acquire autographs from all the major actresses who played Lois Lane. These are being stored for my own little Lois, as I thought they would make a great keepsake. Most actresses responded quickly and I even met Noel Neill in person. Margot Kidder was definitely the Lois Lane I grew up with and she played the character perfectly, in my opinion. I wrote her last year and heard nothing, which isn't wholly uncommon when you collect autographs. Being the impatient person I am, I finally bought an autographed pic through a dealer I know and trust. Well... fast forward six months and look what I found in my mailbox this week! I received not one, but four autographed pictures, all made out to my little Lois. Margot even apologized for the delay in a handwritten letter. How amazing is that? (The lobby card is especially cool!) We're about to move into a new house and I'm going to have all of my Lois Lane autographs framed and placed on little Loi...

Lil' Geek Of The Week
2008-04-16 07:46:00
It's time to showcase another awesome kid! This week, we have Gavin -- future lady killer and space explorer. (Hey, just like Buck Rogers!) Here, Gavin is hanging out at his favorite place, NASA Space Center in Houston. Side bar: I grew up with Gavin's mom Kayla and she was the only kid I ever knew who actually went to Space Camp. I was soooo jealous! Looks like Gavin has all the makings of an astronaut. He even has season tickets to the Space Center. Gav says, "This is ground control to Major Tom..." Do you have a pic/video of your kid(s) geeking out? Send it to me at and we'll put him/her on the site!
More About: Geek , Week

"Mean" Mom Selling Son's Xbox 360
2008-04-15 08:09:00
If you want to help out a single mother for a good cause, go bid on her son's Xbox collection. Yes, she is doing this as punishment. What crime did the lil' gamer commit to suffer a fate worse than military school? For starters, he:Neglected his regular (and simple) chores, such as taking out the trash and tidying up his roomPurposely broke the vacuum so he wouldn't have to use itHas been checking out porn with the family computer (D'oh! Forgot to clear his browsing history!)Did I mention that the boy is only 13 years old? His mother has quickly taken action. In addition to putting his highly coveted Xbox 360 up for sale on eBay, she has password-protected the computer and (the coup de grâce) updated his MySpace profile with a picture of Snoopy! Well, he deserves all that if you ask me! Though, I would have deleted the MySpace page altogether. As an Internet professional, I am on the Web up to 10 hours a day and there is no way I would let my young children have free reign with ...
More About: Selling

She Did It!
2008-04-15 04:32:00
I've been quiet on the Geek Parenting front due to work commitments, but I just had to post a little video of Lois. She's finally starting to walk!
More About: Nostalgia

"Juice Box Heroes" CD Giveaway Contest Winners!
2008-04-11 21:21:00
Okay, it's time to announce the five lucky winners of the "Juice Box Heroes " CD Giveaway! I used the technology at Random.org to choose the following people:1. Tiffany ("My son would love this. He loves music!!!")2. Judy Aschenbrenner ("We need new music!!! Thanks for the giveaway!")3. bee  ("We love some "Movers" around here!")4. LN ("My kids would love this! And our new minivan doesn't take any cassettes, so a CD would be most welcome, since our stock is pretty low")5. Mommy Cracked ("We love IM! Count us in!")Congratulations to the winners! I will be contacting all of you personally at the email addresses you provided with your comment. For those of you who didn't win, Amazon has "Juice Box Heroes" on sale right now for $10.99! You should pick it up here before the sale ends.
More About: Contest , Pop Culture , Winners