GoodyBlog

Pigging Out

It's time to retire that antiquated slot-in-the-back piggy bank—there's a new hog in town. And this one moves. And oinks too.

Check this out—when you place a coin in the Hungry Bank's mouth, it's detected by a built-in motion sensor. The precious piglet begins to chew and swallow your cash into it's savings belly. And of course, it oinks and snorts while munching away. Wanna see the pig in action? Click here. This would no doubt encourage your kids to save their coins away for a rainy day.

The Hungry Bank is available for sale here. Thanks to This Next for the link!

A Kinder Period (Kinder to the Earth, At Least)

There’s nothing cute about getting your period (unless your definition of cute includes zits and bloating), but o.b.’s new tampon carry case definitely is. And if you don’t happen to be a fan of applicator-less tampons, there’s good reason to convert (other than being able to use this teeny, recyclable case): They create 58 percent less waste than applicator tampons. It even takes fewer trucks to ship applicator-less tampons to stores. Head to mightysmall.com now and nab a free case (just in time for Earth Day!); they’ll also be available at Wal-Mart in May and Rite Aid beginning in June. And don’t forget to enter to win a Toyota Prius while you’re on the site!

Clip With Caution

What's worse? Holding your squirming baby down while you try to trim her nails without removing the top half of her pinkie, or dealing with claw marks from unclipped nails? Now one of them doesn't have to be so painful...for you or your little one. Baby Light and Clip makes the job super simple by illuminating under your child's fingernail (great for sneaking into her room at night to trim while she's asleep) and has a safety guard to prevent the  fingertip from being snipped by the clipper blades. But it gets better... the clipping tray avoids messy clean ups, and a comfort control handle gives you a non-slip grip. Yay for keeping little fingers intact!

No More Broken Dishes

Family dinner hour is always a bit frenzied, so by the time you're ready to wash the dishes, your powers of concentration and coordination probably aren't at their peak. And if you're pretty clumsy to begin with (as I am), you end up chipping and dropping all the delicate stuff you couldn't put in the dishwasher. So before I destroy all the glassware I own, I'm going to try out these Grab & Dry Gloves from Wishing Fish ($14.95). Yes, these giant white gloves will make me look like Mickey Mouse, but I'll gladly resemble a half-dressed Disney character if it means I can keep all my kitchen gear in one piece.

Pocket-sized Video Camera

Check out this totally cool and convenient new tech item - the Flip Video Camcorder! There's no clumsy uploading cords, no bulking carrying case, and no battery packs (takes AA). And the sleek, compact design (not even 5" tall!!!) is perfect for busy parents. Just drop it in your diaper bag so you'll always be ready to capture the "firsts" in your kids' lives.

The Flip is really simple to use too! Just turn it on (it only takes 3 seconds to boot!) and start filming. It holds up to 30 or 60 minutes of streaming video. Once the memory is full, just use the flip-out USB arm to upload and share those memories in minutes.

LOVE IT!

 

Fear of Flushing: Why Kids Hate Automatic Toilets

There was an article in yesterday's New York Times about a new phobia: The enormous fear some children have of toilets that flush automatically. This is one of those advances that seem to have been designed without considering the children. When a child sits on the toilet and squirms, the sensor activates and it flushes violently while the kid is still sitting there. Super scary. Our readers write in all the time with tips to battle the infrared sensors, the most popular being to keep a pack of Post-Its in your bag. Have your children been traumatized by the automatic flush? And if so, what do you do about it?

Photo via

There's a Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever

Uh, what is that little boy wearing? Why, it’s a Pee-Pee Teepee (yes, we’re being totally serious.) If you’ve gotten drenched one too many times while changing your baby boy (yuck-o), you just might be willing to shell out $13 to shield yourself. The price includes five teepees and a mini-laundry bag (yup, they’re machine-washable and reusable.) I want to say these are ridiculous, but I might feel a lot differently after my baby peed all over me. You can buy them at moderntots.

The Final Straw!

It might be hard to tell from this picture, but what we've got here is a build your own straw kit. Even a ordinary bendable straw makes drinking more fun, so I think this is some kind of liquid paradigm shift.

Composed of 36 dishwasher safe components, DIY Drinking Strawz guarantee that liquids get into your body exactly how you want them to. Want to mix drinks? Well, then build your straw to dip into two (or more) cups. Want to share? Then build an extra drinking branch. Want to mix drinks AND share? You can do that too!!!

Yes, I think this is really cool. I love when the geek world and the kid world intersect (this actually happens a lot!) I'm going to get one for each of my kids right now. Link via boingboing.

The Future of Kids & Chores

The overgrown plastic caterpillar-esque thingy at the right? It's actually a rideable vacuum cleaner for kids! How did no one think of this much sooner? Oh sure, you could get a Roomba (though they creep me out—one day they're gonna turn evil and destroy their human masters.) But this is way more fun; your kids would actually BEG to help around the house. Sadly, it's just a prototype; Kristina Anderson, a Lundus University School of Design grad, designed it for her thesis project. Let's hope some smart company hired her to mass-produce them. What do you think: Is this brilliant or a bust?

Make Your Photos Snappier!

Hello there new favorite gizmo! This little tripod (called the gorillapod) can latch onto anything—therefore changing the way you take all your family pictures. I'm talking about the hundreds  I've taken where I've reached around to both be in the picture and take it—it makes every single photo look exactly the same. But this can stand up on its own three feet! Or you can wrap it on something as in this picture. Hey I could put on my dog's collar and finally see the world through her eyes! The possiblities are endless. This is officially My Must Have This Summer thing. Get yours Right Here.