My inaugural personal finance post over at StopBuyingCrap.com (one of the best website names ever) was published today.  Should be the 1st in a series of articles from me over there discussing the finances of being an at-home dad, teaching kids about money, philanthropy on a budget, traveling with kids...

The process of adopting animals, and thus becoming a ZooParent at the Elmwood Park Zoo, was swift and painless, even with using a pile of checks to seal the deal financially. Say hi to the Bear’s Baby Elk: In addition to this lovely little lady, the Bear also became the adopted mom to a lucky...

I’m heading to the Elmwood Park Zoo today with the Bear, where she’ll become a ZooParent.  She received enough $ for her birthday to adopt a pair of animals at the enrichment level, meaning they’ll receive a special toy/treat.  She’s positively giddy. You may remember that this...

The Bear turned into a 6-year old yesterday. The celebration began on Saturday and continued through last night.  What struck me funny about the way we ushered in the 6th year of her life, more than anything, was that it included an ungodly parade of sweets. On Saturday, at the official party that...

Damn! The Bear’s been saying this choice, common curse word since she was 2.  Big deal?  Not really, because most importantly to me, she’s been saying it in proper context from the start; after seeing her box of crayons crash to the floor, for example.  Kids say some adorable things, but...

There’s a post title I never thought I’d use.  With few exceptions, I hate commercials and dislike TV. We’ve been bombarded by ads watching the Olympics (thanks for sucking ALL the joy out of the Winter Games NBC, ‘preciate it) and suffer through many others watching sports together...