OMG YOU GUYS it’s a DIY My Little Pony plushie tutorial
When I asked my brother if there was anything I could make for my niece for the holidays, I was a little overwhelmed when he suggested a My Little Pony — Friendship is Magic plushie of Pinkie Pie. I’d never sewn a stuffed animal before, and I’d be a pony newbie creating something to give to a pony expert!
Goodbye screen time, hello awesome kid
My husband and I freely cop to having used television as a coping method. As two working parents with up to three hours of commute time each per day, free time to clean the house, cook meals, or attempt a conversation is seriously lacking. So, for about a half hour on weekday mornings and around half hour to 45 minutes in the evening on those days, we’d turn on the Roku and let our three-year-old kiddo watch Wonder Pets, ’60s-era Spider-Man, or any other variety of parental-approved idiot box entertainment while we powered through chores and tried to plot out each day.
My son simultaneously wears a Dora apron and fights sexism
It started when my son decided he wanted cupcakes. I figured we’d make cupcakes and take them to work for our friends. I gave him one of my aprons but it was too big. The next week at the local farmer’s market I spied homemade kid-sized aprons. They had some robots and some flowers, but what really caught my eye was, of course, a Dora apron. It is bright pink and lacy but whatever — that’s not something that would register for Isaac.
A guide for families watching the Tour de France together for the first time
It’s been a difficult year for the sport of cycling: the news about Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal was nearly unavoidable for months. A lengthy investigation, a weepy appearance on Oprah, an admission that his multiple Tour de France victories were all tainted by doping. But the 100th Tour de France cycling race began Saturday June 29th, 2013 and all the bad press about Lance doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the Tour one bit.
My hand-and-homemade Legend of Zelda-themed baby shower
I’m a huge Legend of Zelda fan — my daughter is even named after one of my favorite characters in the series. So it was a no-brainer for me when coming up for a theme for my baby shower — of course it’d be Zelda!
SPOILERS: there’s an awesome Doctor Who-themed family session headed your way
I realize that if you’re not a fan of Doctor Who then this post doesn’t mean much to you, which is why I made the subject line as blatantly obvious as I could — feel free to skip on over it. But FYI Whovians in the house: we have a treat for you today!
Daddy Issues: The Mixed Blessings of “Dadvertising”
Bitch Magazine recently ran a piece on the blessings and perils of Dadvertising — the often times not-realistic inclusion of Dads in advertisements that are aimed at women and families.
All about that time Offbeat Empire’s Megan Finley made her TV godmother ugly cry
While some of you may have been reading Offbeat Empire websites for YEARS, you might not realize that we have a veritable television star on staff. OH YES: years ago, Offbeat Empire Associate Publisher & Offbeat Home Managing Editor Megan Finley had a key role on Knots Landing as a baby who, among many other things I’m sure, has the fantastic ability to bring emotional women to their knees