A Teenager's Social Media Breakdown

The older my kids get, the more I'm interested in how they view social media. There is an article worth checking out about how social media platforms are used and perceived by teenagers. It was written by a nineteen year old college student, and while it's not a scientific "study", it does read as very true (at least to me). 

The main takeaways? The more anonymity, ephemeral and less "linking" to outside things the better. Instagram and Snapchat are the clear winners, along with something I'd never heard of called "Yik Yak" (I am, of course, old). [I was recently made aware that Yik Yak is now in the dustbin of social media sites. -mdd]

And Facebook?

"Facebook... is seen as an awkward family dinner party we can't really leave."

As the annoying uncle at that dinner party, I know what he means.

A Teenager’s View on Social Media (Written by an actual teen) by Andrew Watts [Backchannel - Medium.com]

The End of the Dumb Dad Era

There's a great article in the Washington Post today from author and stay-at-home dad Chad Prevost that's worth reading, "Why this is the end of the dumb dad era." What resonated with me was this passage:

"No, the domestic hemisphere is not for the faint of heart. Not just because it’s hard. It is definitely another job, but it’s also often humble work, tending to others and scheduling your life around their schedules, while remaining engaged enough to be emotionally present for your kids. There’s little external reward, and for many smart and driven people, even when you do it well, it’s not enough."

That is right on the money. 

One of the most common responses I get from people (both men and women) when I tell them I stay at home is usually something like "Well, that's definitely a hard job," or, "I could never do it." But I'm lucky we can afford to make the decision to have a stay-at-home parent in the first place, and the truth is the tasks themselves aren't that difficult. However the responsibility and selflessness that it takes to get the work done makes the job pretty tough some days. 

So I usually respond by saying, "Well, it's the job that needs to get done."

Why this is the end of the dumb dad era, Chad Prevost [Washington Post]

iPad Potty Seat or "iPotty" Signals the End of Days

It's not often I'm dumbfounded by products I see for children, but this one? Wow.

I'm not saying the CTA Digital 2-in-1 iPotty with Activity Seat for iPad is a harbinger for the End of Days but...

No. Wait. I guess I am.

CTA Digital 2-in-1 iPotty with Activity Seat for iPad, $34.98 from Amazon.com.

Teach Yourself Guitar with Rocksmith 2014

Ever since I was a little kid playing Mattel handheld football people have been talking about how to use video games to get kids to actually learn something. The old trope is, kids waste time playing video games but if they could just learn something while playing then it would be a win-win.

The problem is that kids see right through this, and games that are "educational" or teach something "useful" aren't particularly fun. Some learning games are great, and as a Dad I often make my kids practice their math facts (for example) using apps on their iPods. But my kids know they're memorizing arithmetic and not really playing a game.

I think comparing Rocksmith 2014 Edition, a "game" from Ubisoft that teaches you to play guitar, to a game like Rock Band or Guitar Hero does both a disservice. People play Guitar Hero to relax, have fun and fantasize a little about playing guitar with a band on stage. Rocksmith uses some of the principals of this type of game but instead of a video game controller in the shape of a guitar the player uses a real electric guitar. The learning curve might be a bit more steep, but before you realize it you're actually playing the guitar.

To be fair, I have been playing guitar for many years and although I'm not great I do have some abilities. If anything I think that ended up being a bit of a hindrance in using Rocksmith. Anyone who learned guitar the old fashioned way by reading books and looking at chord charts might find this method difficult to grasp at first. Like Guitar Hero Rocksmith uses a sort of moving "track" to show you which notes are coming up next, except the "track" is broken down into the individual strings and frets of the guitar. For someone who has played before it's not the most intuitive thing to grasp at first, and I have to admit that my 40-something brain found it hard to translate but eventually I got the hang of it. For someone who has never played guitar or only has very rudimentary knowledge I think it might be much easier to master.

There are 50 some-odd songs to choose from (main list is here) and teaching those songs is the core of the experience. When you start to learn a song the first time through it starts so simply that it almost seems like you've misjudged the settings somehow and made it too easy. But each time you go through the song it gets a little more difficult, and pretty soon (if you've taken the time to go through the individual lessons) you're playing the song you've been working on.

There is one BIG issue that anyone thinking of buying it needs to consider. If your audio from your video game console travels over the HDMI cable with the video then there is definitely going to be some audio lag. Basically there will be a split-second between when you strum the guitar and when you hear it over your TV. The audio lag pretty much makes the game unusable in my opinion so before you buy please check out this web page to see if your setup is compatible (Ubisoft also smartly includes this exact thing as a huge one-page sheet packed inside the box). Split seconds don't seem like a big deal, but when you're trying to play along with the music on the game a split second can be infuriating. I used an audio adapter for my XBOX 360 and output the audio to a separate speaker which worked great. Again, check out this page on the Rocksmith website before you buy to make sure your setup is compatible or that you can do something to make it compatible.

There's a lot more to Rocksmith that I'm leaving out - like fun mini-games that help you drill chords, notes and scales; and a very thorough step-by step lesson section with videos. The whole learning experience is very comprehensive and in my opinion it does a great job.

If you've got a child with a video game console and an electric guitar then it seems to me that this is something you should definitely consider. And for us Dads who always wanted to learn how to play the guitar (or get better beyond the three chords you learned in college) it's also very much recommended.

And it goes without saying, no one ever impressed a girl because he was great at Guitar Hero.

Rocksmith 2014 Edition is available for PC/Mac, XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 for around $79.99 with the cable included, and $59.99 without.

You can check out all the versions on Amazon.com here.

Your Baby's Not Sleeping, She's Mapping Feedback Loops

There's a great article in National Geographic online that poses the question, "Why Do Babies Twitch in Their Sleep?". Most parents assume (myself included) that it has something to do with dreaming, but new research is showing that it's more about developing a brand-new nervous system.

"...these sleep twitches actually have an indespensible purpose: to teach a newborn what all of its limbs and muscles can do, and how to use them in concert to interact with the big, wide world."

Why Do Babies Twitch in Their Sleep? (Adorable Video Edition) | NationalGeographic.com

What We Actually Send Our Kids to College For

As my elementary school aged children get older I've been thinking a lot about sending them to college. Specifically I'm thinking about how I'm going to afford it. There was a great OP/ED piece in Forbes recently by John Tamny that, although it didn't assuage my anxiety about paying for college, at least it helped reinforce my original intentions in the first place. The crux of it is this:

"Parents and kids once again aren’t buying education despite their protests to the contrary. Going to college is a status thing, not a learning thing. Kids go to college for the experience, not for what’s taught."

Most of us aren't entrepreneurs. Most of us aren't Walt Disney or Mark Zuckerberg. Most people get a job working for someone else. And the best place to get into that "club" of people who have high-paying jobs is a four year college. It's where you meet the right friends, potential spouses and networking contacts. And it's the first thing a hiring manager is going to notice is missing.

I just wish it cost what it did in the early 1990s.

Online Education Will Be the Next 'Bubble' To Pop, Not Traditional University Learning [Forbes.com]

CES 2013: Three Children's Photography Tips from Jack Reznicki

This year was my tenth visit to CES, and while I still love looking at all the latest products the thing I've been taking more advantage of at the show is all the free learning. Many of the companies, especially the companies that sell products to people who make things, offer demos that turn out to be more like master classes. For photographers Canon offers some of the best of these lectures, and one of them this year was from one of their "Explorers of Light" Jack Reznicki.

Jack is a professional photographer who is well known for his images of children, and while many of these children are professional models he still has to use plenty of "tricks" to make the image he is going for. These are what I think were the top three tips he spoke about that most parents (or anyone taking pictures of kids) would want to know.

1. NEVER TELL KIDS TO SMILE
   This is pretty much the opposite of what all of us do as parents when we're trying to take a photo of our kids. But Jack explained that when you tell a child to smile, what you get is a forced, unnatural smile. He said to instead look for how kids are reacting to what is around them. Tell them a joke, come up with funny phrases ("fuzzy pickles" was one he uses) or ask a funny question like "Are you married?". Basically don't don't be afraid to be silly and do whatever it takes to get the reaction you want. A photo of a child laughing is the natural smile that's going to make the best photo.
2. IF KIDS ARE CRYING, LET THEM
   You don't want a child to get to the stage of uncontrollable, red-faced bawling, but often you can get uncomfortable tears to go away if you just let them cry for a little bit. You can also use that opportunity to take some photos of them crying or upset, because the image you don't expect can often become your favorite.
3. TELL THEM TO SPIN
   This one was my favorite trick he gave in the lecture. Taking pictures of children standing up or sitting down can be static and boring, but in the lecture Jack showed some great images of children that he had made by asking them to spin around. After one quick spin around he'd take the picture of them off balance (and often laughing because it's a funny thing to do) and the images looked really fresh and fun. Check out this image from his website.
4. BONUS TIP! - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHEERIOS
   Babies love Cheerios. If you're trying to get an image of a baby who isn't doing what you want them to, introduce some Cheerios in the mix. Jack had one image of very young children looking down into a doll's crib, but what you couldn't see is that they were looking at a doll's crib full of Cheerios. He showed another with a small toddler walking to a woman not because the woman was the child's mother (the woman was a model) but because the woman was holding a hidden Cheerio in her left hand. It's a trick for sure, but the proof was in the images.

Check out Canon Explorer of Light Jack Reznicki at his personal portfolio site Reznicki.com or at his Explorers of Light page at USA.Canon.com

CES 2013: Three Fun New Party Products from ION

Again at CES this year ION was showing some really cool new products for older kids, parents or both. Their booth location this year definitely improved, and judging by that it seems like they are a company on the right track in the post iOS / Android world.

The Party Rocker is their attempt at making a party in box. A great solution for amateur DJs, it connects to your device via Bluetooth (or AUX IN) and also has a microphone input for karaoke or MCs. It also has a glass dome on top that projects light in sync with the music you're playing. The Party Rocker sounded great on the show floor and seemed like the sort of thing a college student would love. It will be available in the Spring of 2013 and will retail for $149. (It's smaller cousin the Road Rocker is available now for $99.99).

Maybe the coolest thing I saw at ION was the iDJ 2 Go Plus. For anyone who has played with DJ apps on the iPad (especially the amazing DJay from Algoriddim) it can be a little clunky to operate just using the screen. The iDJ 2 Go Plus puts every control the app requires into a real switch, knob or button and should make rocking any party incredibly easier. The "Plus" means that it has an Apple Lightning connector and should be available in the Spring for a MSRP of $99. Seriously, wedding DJs have never had it easier.

While this isn't a "Party Product" per se (at least any party I'm comfortable talking about in this blog...) the Sound Splash Bluetooth Splash Proof speaker seems like a great idea. Not only does it let you listen to Bluetooth audio off of your phone, it also lets you take a phone call while you're still in the shower. I wasn't able to hear the speaker quality at the show, but if I can get my hands on one I'll write a complete review later.

CES 2013: New Cases and Adapters from Olloclip

The Olloclip is my favorite accessory for the iPhone - more than any case or adapter. It's a deceptively simple little gadget that slides onto the corner of your phone and allows you to choose between three different lenses for your camera. With it you can make all sorts of images that you wouldn't be able to create with just the phone and an editing app.

But the Olloclip only works on an iPhone without a case. While this isn't a huge deal I have found it to be vexing at times, especially when I'm trying to capture something that my kids are doing. At CES this year they were showing a prototype case to address this issue. The cases have a hinge over the part where the Olloclip attaches to the phone which allows an Olloclip user to quickly put the accessory on and start taking pictures.

More importantly for parents perhaps was another product they were showing - an iPod touch (4th and 5th generation) adapter (also pictured above). I doubt I'd ever buy an Olloclip for my kids, but I can definitely see getting an adapter so they can experiment with mine on their devices as well.

Both products should be available sometime in Q1 of 2013. There has been no price determined as of this time.

Disney Preparedness

I think it's fair to say that my family goes to Disney theme parks a lot. Usually we go to Disneyland, but in a few weeks we'll be making our second trip to Walt Disney World this year. And whether we are driving or flying there are always a lot of preparations to be made for a good time. Doomsday my come and go, but before you tackle the Mouse consider these things from a Disney Prepper.

1. Disney Dining
   In a Disney park your focus isn't usually on food. But while you're there you are going to have to eat, and a little planning and foresight can get you a reservation in the best restaurants that Disney has to offer. In Disneyland's California Adventure park there is the new Carthay Circle Restaurant (probably the best meal I've ever had on a Disney property) and in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom there is the Be Our Guest restaurant in the newly opened Fantasyland. Both are hard to get reservations for and almost impossible to get a table at without making a phone call in advance. One thing to remember - typically Disney dining doesn't take reservations beyond 30 days60 days for Disneyland and 180 days for Walt Disney World in advance, but that policy can change at any time. Generally the earlier you book, the better. But keep that number handy in your information phone, because if it's 10AM and you know where you want to eat lunch at noon, it's worth putting a call in. I've made reservations in the park and walked right up to a table while the other stooges were waiting with their names on a list.
   Disney Dining Walt Disney World - (407) 939-3463
   Disney Dining Disneyland - (714) 781-3463
    
2. Download the Apps
   Any decent prepper knows that even the best laid plans will always require some adjustment along the way. And while you're enjoying your vacation, the best way to figure out how to adjust your plans on the spot are some of the Disney Apps available to download to your smartphone. The best is actually the app made by Disney themselves, Disney Mobile Magic. It's free, works on iPhone and Android (sorry Windows Phone users) and gives you attraction wait times, maps and a calendar of what is happening that day in the park. It will only give you the most important information if you are in the vicinity of the park, but make sure you download it before you start your trip. Because when the timing of something you've meticulously planned fails, it's going to be the first thing you go to. I should also give an honorable mention here to the Birnbaum Walt Disney World and Disneyland guide books (available digitally as well as old-fashioned hard copies). If you want a great book to plan your trip with, these are the best. I also recommend the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids. My kids love going through the book at home to help plan the trip.
    
3. Bring ONE Toy Per Child
   What's that you say? You couldn't possibly travel with your children unless you were sure they had at least five of their favorite stuffed animals and dolls and action figures and video games? Preppers know that if you've got to bug out, keeping it light is key. This won't last long, because once you get to Disney your kids will have a strange way of accumulating all kinds of stuffed animals and dolls and action figures and games. Because don't forget - you are going to have to find a way to bring all of that stuff back.
   
   (On a related note, one of my fool-proof tricks for taking young kids to Disney is buy them one small toy right after you get in the park. Make it the first thing you do. Because when you've been waiting for 45 minutes to ride Dumbo, having a new toy to play with in line goes a long, long way.)
4. Swimming Suit & Medicine
   This one is rather self explanatory, but it bears repeating. You can buy almost everything in any of the Disney parks, but the two things that are going to be a real pain if you forget is medicine and your swimming suit. If your kid has special eyedrops that you only need when their eyes act up, then it's almost guaranteed they will act up on the trip you forget the drops. And the weather is good pretty much year round in all of the parks, and while you can buy a suit at the gift shop, you are going to wish you remembered it when you were packing.
    
5. Imagine the Memories Before You Go
   If you're reading this then there's a good chance that you are also the person in your family in charge of taking the pictures and keeping the memories. Before you pack your cameras and your MULTIPLE memory cards (always bring more than you think you'll need) try to imagine what kind of thing you're going to make after the trip is over. Are you going to make a slideshow for your Apple TV? Are you going to make a photo album to put on the coffee table? Or are you going to make a full-blown home movie with pictures and video? Whatever the answer is, if you can imagine the finished product it will help you think about what kinds of pictures or video you what to take while you're there. It's understandable that you might want to take a bunch of shots of Cinderella's Castle (one I took is up above) or Sleeping Beauty's Castle during the holidays. But how many of those pictures are you going to actually show to other people? Get the shots you need and keep the focus on the people you're with and you can never go wrong. And don't forget to pass that camera off to someone else so there is a record of you having fun too!
   
   For more Disney photography tips, check out another post I made a while back,Using a DSLR in Disneyland (or Disney World)

But most of all take a deep breath. Because this time you aren't prepping for the apocalypse, you're prepping for fun.

The Kind of Creepy Elf on the Shelf

The [Elf on the Shelf][1] didn't exist when we were growing up. As a true-believer I loved Christmas and had absolutely no problem with the idea of a man with a white beard somehow getting into our house once a year and leaving behind presents. But it seems to me (at least from my adult perspective) that the Elf on the Shelf takes Christmas magic and pushes it to its limits.

For those that aren't aware, the Elf on the Shelf is an emissary of Santa that appears in your house during the holidays and watches over your kids. He then goes back to the North Pole every night and reports on whether the children of the house have been naughty or nice. But every morning the little Christmas snitch comes back from making his report, he returns to another location in the house. And it's this random relocation that is both the source of magic and stress in my house.

The magic part is easy to understand. Like Santa's visit, anything that happens in the house without the permission of Mom and Dad is, in its own way, magical. But mostly my kids are excited when they wake up to look for him. It's kind of like a game, and when they find him it is always the first thing they tell me about at breakfast. Some families talk to the Elf and tell him what they want from Santa, and while we don't get that into it the Elf does become another fun way to get excited about Christmas.

Of course, all of that magic doesn't come without its cost. For every five (or so) times my kids wake up wondering where the Elf is, I wake up at least once in a panic wondering if Santa's other helper remembered to put the Elf into a new spot. And on the mornings that the Elf didn't manage to find a new place to roost there is always a lot of explaining to do to my six year old. As my wife said, "It's like the tooth fairy every single night."

Then last year it occurred to my daughter that if the Elf could go anywhere in the house while she was asleep, he could also end up in her room. And the thought of something coming into her room, magical or not, while she was sleeping wasn't cool. In fact she said that waking up with the Elf on the Shelf in her room would be "kind of creepy."

But she didn't want to banish him completely. So for two years now, on the first day he appears, she puts a note on her bedroom door telling him to stay out (this year's version is pictured above). And while she sticks to the rule of not touching the Elf, he also has kept clear of her room.

Then again, all of her anxiety over the Elf on the Shelf could be an elaborate ruse and the sign is just a cover for the really naughty stuff that's going on behind closed doors. I wouldn't put it past her.

Tools of My Dad Day: Waze for the iPhone

Since my kids have gone back to school I've been giving a lot of thought to the tools that I use every day. This is the first in (maybe, hopefully) a series of the things that make my weekday life easier. Not all of them will be unique or even particularly special, but each of them make my day easier.

[Waze for the iPhone]

This app is what I've always wanted out of a turn-by-turn direction app on the iPhone, and it's not because it gives me directions. Waze helps drivers get around traffic by monitoring other Waze users on the roads and then suggesting alternate routes. The more drivers using Waze, the better all the users know how traffic is in real time. Trust me, it's awesome. Drivers can also report things like police speed traps, accidents and road construction giving other Waze users information on what is happening on the roads. When driving to and from school for my kids, it's proven invaluable.

There are loads of other location based features (like finding cheap gas) and there's a growing community of users trying to make the app better for everyone. I can't say enough good things about it, plus it's free to download and use.

Download Waze for iPhone at the iOS App Store

Watch Star Wars With Your Kids In The Correct Order

Even if you're Super-Dad (or Mom) and have your kids busy with activities all summer long, there's always a few hours in a day of down-time. And to fill in the gaps, this summer I plan on finally introducing my kids to all the Star Wars movies. But I'm not going to do it in order of release date or episode order, but in "Machete Order".

I got the idea from this blog post by Rod Hilton that's been floating around the Internet for a while, but the basic premise is simple. Episode order ruins the surprise that Darth Vader is the father of Luke and Leia. Watching the episodes in IV, V, II, III, VI order keeps the surprise while filling in a lot of the background story.

Like most of us, I grew up with Star Wars and have lived with the knowledge that Vader is Luke's father since the 80s. But I never thought about how much it would suck if that surprise was ruined for people who have never seen it before. "I am your father!" is one of the best movie moments ever, and as a kid I remember being at family parties and witnessing adults - my parents and their friends - arguing over whether or not this could really be true. At the time it was a tremendous shocker, and I want my kids at least to have that same surprise.

You may have also noticed that "Machete Order" completely removes Episode I. My kids have already seen Episode I when it was in the theater, so I won't be able to entirely remove it from their memories. I'm just going to pretend like it never happened. And as Rod Hilton reminds us, leaving out Episode I also effectively leaves out Jar Jar, midichlorians, trade disputes, Jake Lloyd, confusing Padme/Queen switcheroos and virgin births. All things most of us wished never happened anyway.

Looking at all six movies as a whole, it really seems George Lucas wanted to make them the story of Anakin Skywalker's turn to the dark side and eventual redemption. But that story is executed so poorly it puts the impact of all of the movies at risk. Anakin has almost no character depth. He goes from a simpleton boy to arrogant Jedi to evil Jedi to embodiment of evil to redeemed in the last five minutes of the last movie. It's not much of a change in character at all.

But if you look at the movies as Luke being the main character then not only is he relatable as Mr. Hilton argues, but he's also the only character with a real story arc. He changes from naive do-gooder to grown man who has faced his fears and demons and has come through to the other side to save the galaxy.

Plus, Machete Order deletes Jar Jar Binks almost completely. Which is all you really wanted anyway for your kids.

Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

Five Facebook Job Complainers

Five types of people who, by humble-bragging complaining about their jobs, help me realize I need to stop looking at Facebook.

1. Teachers
2. Business Travelers
3. Stay-at-Home Parents
4. Golf Pros
5. Teachers (who get the summer off)

Amazingly Awesome Disneyland Time-lapse Video

Thanks to my GoPro I've started enjoying making time-lapse videos. I've tried to take time-lapse in Disneyland (I even managed to make one in the car on our way). But with over 30 thousand images and a year in the making, this video really sets the bar high - and provides some pretty awesome inspiration.

Over 30,000 still images taken over the course of a year. Check out The Walt Disney World version here: http://youtu.be/OwgfRgome5k Instagram: http://instagram.com/daniel_s_navarrete

Check out Daniel Navarrete's YouTube Channel here.

Dad Tip: Crocs + Armor All

If you want to bring an old pair of your kid's Crocs back to life (or if you want to hand-down an older pair to a younger sibling) wipe them down with some Armor All after you wash them. They'll go from that dried-out dull to an almost-new finish. Crocs makes something called "CrocsButter" (which comes with a sponge applicator that in my experience dries out rather quickly) but chances are you've already got some Armor All hanging around in the garage. And if you don't, at least you can spend your money on something that might come in handy for other stuff.

The Jenny McCarthy Body Count

JennyMcCarthyBodyCount.com via Kottke.org via Dr. Craig Canapari.

Kids Need More Video Games, Not Less

[This is a post I originally wrote for one of my other sites, Gentlemen of Gaming. But it applies just as much to Modern Day Dad, so I thought I'd include it here too.]

Those of us who play video games regularly already know that, aside from entertainment, video games can have other (often unintended) benefits. And while I'm not really sold that playing Just Dance 3 on the Wii should really count as exercise, there are skills to learn and practice while playing games.

So if you've been wanting to get an XBOX 360 for the living room and still can't convince your wife, send her a copy of this article a friend sent me recently, Kids and video games: Why children should play more [Venturebeat.com]. Video games can promote cooperation, teamwork, problem solving, planning and thinking "outside of the box." 

"...The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) states that kids actually need more, not less, video game play as a result. Citing games’ ability to prepare workers for the increasingly competitive global job market, the organization says that games promote strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, plan formulation, and ability to respond to change."

Despite what many parents may think (and what many bloggers may, ahem, blog about), not all video games are violent. In fact, the vast majority are not. And when you compare playing a game to more passive forms of entertainment like watching television, the differences are easilly contrasted.

I just wish this research existed when I was twelve.

The Ten Best Disney Princess Songs

A friend of mine on Facebook recently posted that he found himself downloading princess songs, and that he never thought he'd find himself doing something like that. As the father of two girls I have also gone through the princess phase, and his post made me realize that there are in fact a lot of really good songs associated with "princess movies". It also made me realize that I know just about all of them by heart.

So here's a list for you Dads of daughters that are just starting to love princesses. And like I commented back to my friend on Facebook, enjoy it now because by the time you realize how awesome it is, it's almost over.

[A quick note about the list: This list is of Disney princess songs. While I'm sure I'm probably missing a princess with a song not related to a Disney movie, none came to mind.]

10. "Some Day My Prince Will Come" - Snow White
I wanted to leave this one off of the list because the sentiment is pretty much the exact opposite what you want to teach your young girls. But it's a classic that just about everyone in the US can sing part of (or at least hum), so I'm just going to ignore the obvious and remember that the movie came out in 1937 when the world was a very different place.

9. "Something There" - Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is really more like a Broadway musical than a movie, and this song is one of the best. But the best part isn't even in the soundtrack recording. It's at the very end of the song when Chip says "What's there, Mama?" My kids say it every time they hear it.

8. "Just Around The River Bend" - Pocahontas"
Colors of the Wind" is also a good song, but the best of the bunch is the song that explains who Pocahontas is. She's kind of an under-appreciated Disney princess, but this is a great song. It's also put to great use in the new World of Color show at Disneyland's California Adventure theme park.

7. "A Whole New World" - Aladdin
This princess song duet is probably sung more by Aladdin than princess Jasmine, but it's a great song from a great movie. It also is my go-to song to sing to my girls when I really want to embarrass them.

6. "I'm Wishing / One Song" - Snow White
This is the best from Snow White, if only for the incredibly odd transition when the Prince comes in at 1:30 with, "TODAY!!" It's still a really well written song, and feels like a time machine when you hear it.

5. "So This Is Love" - Cinderella
Cinderella is the first princess my oldest daughter really fell in love with. And every time I hear this song all I can think of is her watching it, glued to the television and saying afterwards, "It's so beautiful!"

4. "Almost There" - The Princess and the Frog
This song is the exact opposite of "Someday My Prince WIll Come" for all the right reasons. It's not a ballad, but like many of the others in this list it defines who the character of Tiana is. She's a young woman who is working hard to find happiness in her life. But she's going to get it through her own hard work and on her own terms, not from some prince who is going to give it to her. Princesses, welcome to the 21st century.

3. "Part of Your World" - The Little Mermaid
This song is the best modern (post Sleeping Beauty) princess song there is, and it might be the best Disney song in the modern age.  It's superbly performed, superbly written (both music and lyric) and holds up to any of the classic Disney song masterpieces.

2. "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" - Cinderella
The classic Disney princess song from the classic Disney princess movie. On other lists this song would likely be at the top, and it's not hard to understand why. It's so pervasive, that in the Disneyland Hotel the guest rooms have the opening line on the throw pillows on the beds, and the song plays in music box fashion in the nightstand to twinkle lights in the headboard.

1. "Once Upon A Dream" - Sleeping Beauty
This is in my opinion the best princess song there is. The lyric was written by Jack Lawrence based on a melody from Tschaikovsky. As the story goes, Walt Disney had scrapped the score for Sleeping Beauty that Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence had been working on and just wanted a song based on Tschaikovsky's melody. The music is of course eternal, but the lyric is near perfect.

"But if I know you / I know what you'll do. / You'll love me at once / The way you did once / Upon A Dream."

 You can't turn a phrase much better than that.

Modern Day Dad On Pinterest

Not one to deny myself a good old-fashioned Internet fad, I've started some Pinterest boards for Modern Day Dad. I've decided to try to keep my boards relevant to the types of things for parents, kids and dads that I've written about on this blog over the years. There will be some things that I've written about before that I still love, and new things that I've never mentioned before (like the Facebook "Like" and "Dislike" stamps in the picture).

Anyway, you can check out and follow my Modern Day Dad Pinterest boards here.

If you'd like to check out some of the more personal stuff I'm pinning too (some related to parenting but not all) I've started a personal board as well.