Slob to Suave… A Father's Day Contest

***WINNER PICKED 6/23 BY ROO AND JASPER***
See who won here!



When Bob and I first started dating, we both paid a lot more attention to fashion. I introduced him to the wonders of designer shoes and he bought expensive jeans. These days, we've devolved into a style that can only be described as comfy parental slob. It suits our kid-centric lifestyles but you probably wouldn't want to have your picture taken with either of us. The kind folks at JCPenney have given me a $100 gift card to give Bob a Father's Day Makeover. (I think they realize it would take more than $100 to help me out. Shudder.)

First up, let's take a look at the subject in question. A great dad, yes, but hardly a sartorial wunderkind. Here he is in his natural habitat, playing with the kids:





Here's what he looks like without kids, posing rather dashingly (dorkily) in front of some of his artwork and sporting his trusty sun hat and yet another beard experiment:




I'll be honest. I don't expect to wrestle him into a suit. (Although I would love to see him in something like this Concepts by Claiborne Black Striped Suit… sans brightly colored tie and flashy belt, naturally.)



Wouldn't that look slick at one of his openings? I think JCPenney's American Living would be more Bob's style. Maybe a pair of nicely fitting American Living Bootcut Jeans without scattered, tattered holes and paint splatters paired with an American Living Gingham Woven Shirt. This is about as "4th of July" as I can imagine my husband getting, if you can believe it.




For summer weekends, I could see Bob in something casual that isn't covered in sawdust. I like the American Living Green Plaid Shorts and I think he would like them, too, because they're slim cut but have cargo pockets. It's hard to find cargo shorts that aren't too baggy, according to my dear husband. I also like the detail on this orange American Living Classic Crewneck Graphic Tee. I think this outfit would still fit in with Bob's style, such that it is, without looking super sloppy. Or actively filthy, for that matter.




JCPenney wants to give one of my readers a $100 gift card to take a dad in their life from Slob to Suave for Father's Day! To enter, post a picture of your makeover candidate in all his slob glory ("before" style in his own clothes) on your blog and leave a link in comments below. If you don't have a blog, email your picture to me.

Entries will be accepted through Father's Day, June 21st. By entering, you are giving me your permission to post your photo on this blog. Remember to be family-friendly, so no nudity or otherwise questionable photos, please. Winner will be chosen by a panel of experts… my kids.

Mom Central's Father's Day Gift Guide

Father's Day is coming up on Sunday, June 21. If your dad is hard to shop for, check out all the great ideas on Mom Central's Father's Day Gift Guide. They have a bunch of suggestions to suit every personality, and every budget. Better still, Mom Central will be posting dad-centric giveaways every day with fabulous prizes including barbeque accessories, a 7-person Jeep tent, CDs, DVDs, books, razors, and much, much more.




Click the button above to visit Mom Central's Father's Day Gift Guide and click on the "giveaways" link for your daily chances to win. You must register or login as a member of Mom Central to enter.

Top Chef and Father

Chef and Father is a great new DVD that shows you how to make your own baby food. I've read several books and watched some videos on the subject but this is the first one that makes cooking for your baby seem practical and realistically do-able. What really sets this apart is the sincerity of the message: you can tell that this isn't a one-off project, but the preface to a life's work…



The titular Chef and Father is Greg Johnson, a Seattle-area father of two daughters, professional chef, and backyard gardening enthusiast. Greg genuinely wants you to take the time to make your own baby food not because it's trendy or even because it's cost-effective (although it is in the long run!), but because he thinks families need to regain the quality time spent around the table: "I truly believe the dinner table is where we can make significant change for the future. We can help our kids have the values and beliefs and the core systems that will make the future world a better place. It's the memory of a family meal that sticks with you for the rest of your life."

Chef and Father Vol. 1 introduces the equipment and baby food basics, covering the preparation of various first foods from butternut squash, apples and pears, basic grains and steamed veggies through more complex vegetable purees. I love that Greg winds the DVD up with a recipe for the grown-ups using several of the purees you made for baby- grilled pork chops with pureed squash and apples. It looks not only tasty but reasonably achievable, no matter how sleep deprived you are. I also love the fact that Chef and Father is equally approachable for mothers and fathers. My husband is in the kitchen at least as much as I am, so it's nice to see another daddy cooking for his kids. And wife!

A new toddler-centric DVD is forthcoming, which I am looking forward to now that Jasper is hitting the 18 month pickiness. And hopefully Greg will come up with some solutions for preschoolers as his girls grow up, too. I could definitely use some help getting Roo to eat more than peanut butter and grilled cheese these days…

Click here to buy Chef and Father, Vol. 1 for $19.99.

Who's Your Daddy?

If your mate is ambivalent to the constant barrage of parenting books and magazines you're poring over during your first pregnancy, here's a painless (and often chuckle-out-loud funny) way to him know he's not the only guy in the world who is totally confounded by impending fatherhood.



Being Dad is a video snapshot of contemporary adjusting adjusting to their new roles. It's comforting to see a bunch of dudes from various ethnic and social backgrounds sitting around talking about the ridiculousness of pregnancy and parenthood from what is, to me, a fresh perspective. It's like the male version of a Girlfriend's Guide book, with added profanity, graphic birth video and a good deal of beer. It's refreshing to hear birth stories from a father's point of view and the expert information is actually from this decade– no weird Cosby Show sweaters or Farrah Fawcett hairdos in this movie, thank goodness. Most of these people seem entirely relatable.

It was also moderately comforting to know that my husband is not the only guy who managed to say exactly the most unsupportive thing throughout both pregnancies. Seriously, Bob used to make truck backing-up beeping noises at me. I still haven't forgiven him. Perhaps if you slip a copy of Being Dad in your SO's stocking you might avoid a similar fate…

Bronwen Loves Dads

***WINNER PICKED 5/1 WITH RANDOM.ORG*** ***CONGRATULATIONS, anonymous (nosaints73)!!!***
his comment: I'm a new dad, I'd love to win a sling


I've written here before about my admiration for Bronwen Handcrafted. We recently received one of her new pouch slings to try out with Jasper. The catch? This one's for Bob!

It's from a new line of Dad Slings she has designed with babywearing fathers in mind. The fabrics are as elegant and luxurious as we've come to expect, but the styling is even more streamlined to appeal to more masculine tastes. We received the olive cotton model, which is almost a subtle camouflage pattern.



Bob loved the colors and print immediately. The sling took a little bit of getting used to but he likes how small and lightweight it is and how he could fold it up into his pocket. He also likes how easy it is to get Jasper in and out of, especially compared to the front carrier he usually uses. He prefers the front carrier because it distributes weight on both shoulders and allows both hands to be free, but there's no way he could stow that monster in his pocket, so this is a good option for him.



Bronwen Handcrafted's Dad Slings come in a variety of styles and textures, from dark denim to blue printed cotton shirting and even a black cotton alligator-print jacquard! My favorites are the ultrasuedes, though. One is plain and the other has a cuddly looking white minky plush lining.




Bronwen Handcrafted has added a lot of other good things to the inventory and opened an Etsy Store, too. I am absolutely smitten with the Chiapas necklace.



I always wish I had a Powerbook, but I want one even more now so I can carry it in this lovely red leather computer case.



The hand-hemmed Italian linen tea towels are enough to make me want to spend all day in the kitchen. Well, almost!



To enter and win an olive cotton Dad Sling (a $55 value!), please comment on this post with your favorite item from Bronwen Handcrafted or Bronwen Handcrafted at Etsy.

Entries will be accepted through April 30th and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US/Canada readers are eligible. Only one entry/comment per person, please.

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win! Or, you may choose to check for your nickname at Prizey.Fetch, a new site that compiles winners in one convenient place:

Roo can swim!

At the start of the summer, Roo wouldn't even put her face in the water. She quit her "real" swimming lessons in lieu of practicing in grandma and grandpa's pool with her daddy. Now look at her go! Pretty awesome doggy paddling and fearless rock jumping from a 3 1/2 year old, in my wholly unbiased opinion…









She says she's going to teach Jasper to swim "when he's bigger." And I bet she will. She's the coolest big sister, ever.

By the way, the background noise is the deafening roar of crickets. It's what our yard sounds like in summertime.

You're all winners, in my book

Beth from I Should Be Folding Laundry is giving away a pair of Ryka shoes! And she's doing the same thing on her other blog, Tales From The Scales!

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a tiny HP printer and a Lands' End $100 gift certificate!

Stay At Home Dad, Geek Style is giving away a Canon PowerShot SD750 and SmugMug photo packages!

Mom Views is giving away a Bebe Au Lait/Hooter Hiders nursing cover!

Keeping Feet is giving away a Slinglings pouch sling!

Mod*Mom is giving away the Boon feeding stuff I posted about yesterday!

My Mom Shops is giving away a bib/burpcloth set by Sheppard Girls!

Life Is Like A Lunchbox is giving away soapy goodness all week!



Mum's The Wurd is giving away a cooler backpack or messenger bag by Outside Baby!

The Opinionated Parent is giving away an allergen-proof and waterproof mattress and pillow encasement set from CleanRest!

I am going to try and add things as I see them, so check label "new giveaways" for new updates. Blogs that have incredible contests every day, like Cool Mom Picks or MommyKnows won't be on the list since they're one-day entries and I am just not that on top of things. Go check 'em out yourself!

Scout's honor

How cool is this new diaper bag by Petunia Picklebottom? It's the Journey Pack in heathered olive wool felt from their new Scout line.




It looks like a vintage find that you've retrofitted to do diaper duty, you suave hipster, you!

Vested interest

Mom Views is hosting a contest where you could win a snazzy Diaper Vest from DadGear. I'm thankful the DadGear folks didn't include a panel to stick fishing flies on because I can totally see my husband, uh, "multitasking" with the baby and a bunch of tiny, sharp hooks. Bob would probably not choose the hunter orange model, though, since the all-black version looks way more sci-fi badass. Very Farscape Peacekeeper.