TechyDad

If you’re anything like me, you have a love/hate relationship with cleaning. I love a clean house, but hate how much time needs to be put in to clean the house. I’d rather be spending that time playing with my kids or having a date night with my wife. Still, if you don’t put in the time, the house begins to take on a rather unsavory appearance.

One of the worst jobs has got to be scrubbing the toilet bowl. First, you need to squirt that foul-smelling cleaner around the rim. Then, you need to wait for it to soak in. Then, you need to remember to go back and clean it off. And you just know that, during the soak-in time, a little one will run up needing to use the potty!

That’s why I was excited over the prospect of the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner. You attach it to the toilet bowl and a sensor detects when the bowl isn’t in use. When the sensor identifies the appropriate time, it sprays a cleaning solution around the entire bowl’s surface. The next time the toilet is used, it is clean. That’s the theory, anyway. So how did it work?

I took the automatic cleaner out of the packaging and set it up. I was half-afraid that this would be complicated, but it was actually quite simple. I just clipped one end to the bowl and suspended the other end from the toilet’s tank. After putting in the bottle of cleaning solution and giving it a “test fire,” I let it do it’s job.

We have hard water and, as such, will often get hard water stains on our bowl. I knew this was coming so I purposefully left them in place to see how it would do. Unfortunately, it didn’t get these off by itself. After scrubbing the bowl, though, I haven’t seen any sign of new hard water stains appearing (going on 2 weeks now).

The cleaner does a very good job of firing off only when the toilet isn’t in use. In fact, for awhile, I was wondering if it was working at all. The bowl was clean, but I never heard it fire. Then, I realized that the cleaning solution was steadily going down. So there was actual proof of it working even if it was a very stealthy cleaner.

You can purchase Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner from Amazon.com (affiliate link) or from Drugstore.com. But wait, there’s more!

Giveaway:

Thanks to Edelman and SC Johnson, one lucky winner will receive a Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner. To enter, simply leave a comment below answering this question: What is one household cleanup chore (besides the toilet) that you wish you could automate?

You can also earn bonus entries by doing any (or all) of the following items. Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each item that you complete.

• Follow @TechyDad on Twitter. (1 bonus entry)
• Follow @ScrubbingBubble on Twitter. (1 bonus entry)
• Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TechyDad, Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner and a link to this post in the Tweet. (1 bonus entry per day) For example: Automate toilet bowl cleanup. Chance to #win Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner from @TechyDad. http://bit.ly/bLiFYC #Giveaway
• Subscribe to my RSS feed or let me know if you already are. (1 bonus entry)
• Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from July/August. Leave a comment here letting me know which post you commented on. (1 bonus entry per comment, maximum 3 entries)
• Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries. (3 bonus entries)

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today, September 2nd and ends at Noon EST on September 16th, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

Disclosure: I received a Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner complimentary of Edelman and SC Johnson in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed above are my own. Edelman and SC Johnson is also providing the giveaway item to my readers.

We’ve been fans of The Wiggles since NHL was young and they were on Playhouse Disney. We’ve been to three Wiggles concerts and seen countless TV shows/movies. We’ve pointed our fingers and done the twist, mashed some potatoes, woken up Jeff and even rode the Big Red Car. When we go in the car, JSL will invariably ask for "toot toot chugga chugga" (his code word for the Big Red Car song). When NHL goes to sleep, he insists on listening to Go To Sleep Jeff (a series of slow songs designed to help kids fall asleep). Needless to say, they (and we) were excited to hear about a "best of" Wiggles compilation.

The first thing I liked about this DVD was the inclusion of Greg. As any Wiggles fan knows, Greg had to step down as the Yellow Wiggle due to health reasons. Even though Sam stepped up and made a fine Yellow Wiggle, many of the Wiggles classic songs were done with Greg. Instead of having the Wiggles re-record these past hits (with Sam), they simply did an introduction to the piece and then let the original video speak (sing?) for itself. This also gave you a chance to marvel at how young the Wiggles looked during some of their early videos!

Of course, the next thing we liked were the songs themselves. From Wake Up Jeff to Monkey Man to Hot Potato to Hot Poppin’ Popcorn, there was a good mix of classic and newer Wiggles songs. When we put this on, it didn’t take long for the boys to get up and start dancing.

Finally, I loved the bonus material. Seeing the Wiggles’ mothers talk, while not too exciting for my 3 and 7 year old, was very interesting to me. My kids and I both enjoyed seeing some of the early Wiggles videos too. They marvelled at a very young Anthony, wearing green instead of his usual blue, singing with a very young Greg, Jeff and Murray in an obviously low-budget setting (especially compared with current Wiggles productions).

All, in all, this DVD is going to see a lot of use and my kids are going to get a lot of exercise dance a lot thanks to the wonderful songs on it. Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles is definitely a must have DVD for any Wiggles fan.

Giveaway:

Thanks to The Wiggles, one lucky winner will receive their very own copy of Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles DVD. To enter, simply leave a comment below answering this question: Who is your favorite Wiggle or Wiggles character?

You can also earn bonus entries by doing any (or all) of the following items. Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each item that you complete.

• Follow @TechyDad on Twitter. (1 bonus entry)
• Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TechyDad, The BEST of The Wiggles DVD Giveaway, and a link to this post in the Tweet. (1 bonus entry per day) For example: Get ready to Wiggle. Chance to #win The BEST of the Wiggles DVD from @TechyDad. http://bit.ly/cY0Yd6 #Giveaway
• Subscribe to my RSS feed or let me know if you already are. (1 bonus entry)
• Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from July/August. Leave a comment here letting me know which post you commented on. (1 bonus entry per comment, maximum 3 entries)
• Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries. (3 bonus entries)

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today August 19 and ends at 11:00 AM EST on September 2, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Also note that TheAngelForever is also running a Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles giveaway on her website. You can increase your chances to win by entering there as well.

Disclosure: I received this DVD complimentary of The Wiggles PR agency in order to facilitate this review. They also sent a few other Wiggly surprises for our sons that included a T-shirt, CD and Henry the Octopus doll. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed above are my own. The Wiggles are also providing the giveaway item to my readers.

The time has come to pick the giveaway winner. I fired up Random.org and…..

….. Comment #8 is the winner. That’s Ashley R. I’ve notified her of her winning status. She has 48 hours to reply to claim her prize. (If she does not claim her prize in 48 hours, I’ll draw another winner.)

Congrats, Ashley R!

I have a confession to make: Growing up, I hated neckties. I suppose this was understandable. At the time, I only wore neckties at formal (read: “boring” in kid-speak) affairs. The neckties themselves were borrowed from my father and thus didn’t represent anything approaching my taste. I was expected to slap on the tie and then keep it on until the event was over.

When I got a job that required a dress shirt and tie, I found that I actually liked ties. I especially liked theme or offbeat ties such as the Jerry Garcia line, wildlife ties or ones depicting famous cartoon characters. I now have a very nice collection of ties from the very dressy to the very wacky. Still, when I was given the opportunity to review ABC Neckties, I jumped at the chance.

I was impressed with their selection. They have a little bit of everything so you’re pretty much guaranteed to find something you like whether it is a tie featuring Wile E Coyote or just a plain silk tie.

I quickly homed in on which tie I wanted to try. It really wasn’t hard, I’m a fan of comic strips and work as a webmaster. So this tie quickly caught my eye:

It arrived pretty quickly and I didn’t have to wait long before I wore it to work. I was impressed with both the speed of the delivery and the quality of the tie. I’d definitely order from them again (and, in fact, am deciding which tie to get next).

But wait, there’s more! Thanks to Family Review Network, Affordable Style, and ABC Neckties one lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to ABC Neckties!

Rules for Giveaway:

• MAIN RULE – Go to ABC Neckties and name one tie that you’d like to wear or, for the ladies, that you’d like the man in your life to wear. (NOTE: You won’t be held to this tie if you win.)
• 1 Bonus Entry – Follow ABC Neckties on Twitter @ABCNeckTies. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
• 1 Bonus Entry Per Day – Tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @TechyDad and @ABCNeckties in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Chance to win a $25 gift certificate to @ABCNeckTies from @TechyDad. http://www.techydad.com/2010/07/abc-neckties-review-and-giveaway/
• 1 Bonus Entry Per Comment (limit of 3) – Post a comment one of my other posts from June or July. Be sure to leave a comment here telling me which post you commented on.
• 3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog about and linking to this post. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today, July 27th and ends at Noon EST on August 10th. You don’t need to be a blogger to enter, but I do need you to leave a valid e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you for your mailing address once the giveaway is over. I’ll select the winner using random.org and will contact you via e-mail. Once the e-mail is sent, you will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to residents of the US or Canada.

Disclaimer: I did this review as part of a campaign on Family Review Network for Affordable Style. I received a complimentary necktie from ABC Neckties to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own and no other compensation was received..

The GeekDad Book Giveaway has ended.  I used Random.org to pick a winner among the 25 entries.

The winner is comment #8 made by Kevin(The DADvocate).  I’ve e-mailed him and he has 48 hours to accept his prize.  Congrats to Kevin and thanks to everyone who entered.  For everyone who didn’t win, you can purchase the book for under $10 on Amazon.com.  It is even eligible for free shipping if you spend $25 or more.

Thanks to winning a contest over at Dad of Divas, I was able to check out the new book Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share by Ken Denmead. I was instantly overwhelmed, but in a very good way.

The book recognizes that not every dad is your stereotypical sports-loving, beer-drinking man. Some of us like Star Wars, role playing games, and other things of a geeky inclination. Since dads love sharing their favorite activities with their kids, the question becomes: How do we share our love of science, technology and other geeky subjects with our kids? Sharing some items might be easy. You can sit down with your kid and have a Star Wars marathon, but others might not be as easy to share. Chances are, a 7 year old won’t quite understand or have the patience for an adult-level role playing game.

Read more…

The week is up and the Sid the Science Kid giveaway has ended. I used Random.org to pick a winning number from the 59 entries and the winner was:

Yes, number 12, also known as Noelle Cagle has won a Talkin’ Sid plush. I’ve e-mailed Noelle and she now has 48 hours to respond with her mailing information. If she fails to respond, another winner will be selected.

Congratulations to Noelle and thank you to everyone that entered. I wish I could send a Sid plush to everyone, but I’ll have to settle with saving everyone $3.00 off the purchase of the Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid plush at Toys ‘R Us. Go to Coupons.com and click on the “Toy and Game” link on the left hand side of the page. (Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid is currently only available at Toys ‘R Us.)

I would also like to thank The Jim Henson Company and KCET (PBS/Los Angeles) for allowing us to run this contest and for sending us a Talkin’ Sid of our own to review. This review is in progress look for it in the next week or so.

I’m a big proponent of science. I was even a physics major for awhile in college. So I like anything that helps to teach my children about the workings of the world around them. In addition, I’m a big fan of pretty much everything that the Jim Henson Company makes (and has made), from the Muppets to the television show Dinosaurs to Farscape. When I watch a Jim Henson production, I can be sure that it will be entertaining and high quality. Sid The Science Kid is no exception.

Sid always begins the show puzzled by a certain phenomenon. Whether it be a banana gone bad or shoes that "mysteriously shrink", Sid wonders how the event happened. Just like any good science kid, or grownup, Sid uses various tools to figure it out. He looks up information on the computer (aided by his mother), he comes up with a few theories (aided by his school yard friends), and he performs some experiments (with the help of Teacher Susie). In the end, Sid understands just what makes that phenomenon occur and starts to dream of putting it to good use (in his Super-Duper-Ooper-Schmooper Big Idea). The translation of the processes that real scientists go through is faithful while remaining understandable to children.

NHL has loved the Sid the Science Kid television show for quite awhile (as I’ve mentioned in the past). During a recent trip to a toy store to shop for Chanukah presents, he noticed the Sid toys. He was drawn to them and wanted one. In the end, we we decided to get him other items, but thanks to The Jim Henson Company and KCET (PBS/Los Angeles), NHL will soon have a Sid The Science Kid Talkin’ Sid to review. Ok, technically it is for me to review, but you don’t think I’m not going to recruit him to review it as well, do you?

You can save $3.00 off the purchase of the Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid plush at Toys ‘R Us by going to Coupons.com and clicking on the "Toy and Game" link on the left hand side of the page. Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid is currently only available at Toys ‘R Us.

But, wait, there’s more! (I’ve always wanted to say that.) I’ve been presented with the opportunity to give away one Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid plush to a lucky reader (or a lucky reader’s child as the case may be).

TALKIN’ SID THE SCIENCE KID

(Ages 3 years & up/Approx retail price: $24.99/Available Now)

Now kids can bring their friend SID home with the lively TALKIN’ SID THE SCIENCE KID plush character. This soft and loveable plush SID is 12 inches tall and comes ready to play and learn with his iconic "microphone." Squeeze his belly to hear seven different popular phrases from the series. Requires two "AA" batteries, included.

Rules for Giveaway:

• MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: What phenomenon would you like to see Sid investigate on Sid The Science Kid?
  
• 1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TechyDad. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
• 1 Bonus Entry Per Day – Tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @TechyDad in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Chance to win a Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid Plush from @TechyDad. http://www.techydad.com/?p=1426
• 1 Bonus Entry Per Comment (limit of 3) – Post a comment one of my other posts from November or December. Be sure to leave a comment here telling me which post you commented on.
• 3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the Sid The Science Kid giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today December 7th and ends at Noon EST on December 14, 2009. You don’t need to be a blogger to enter, but I do need you to leave a valid e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you for your mailing address once the giveaway is over. I’ll select the winner using random.org and will contact you via e-mail. Once the e-mail is sent, you will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclaimer: As stated above, I am going to recieve a complimentary Talkin’ Sid the Science Kid to review. I haven’t recieved it as of this posting, but I figured that this giveaway should go live as early as possible. When I recieve my Talkin’ Sid, I (and NHL) will review it and will post the review on this website.

On December 17th, Ima on (and off) the Bima posted a Chanukah giveaway.  She was giving away copies of Bruce, Bruce the Chanukah Moose.  I entered twice (once by posting a comment and a second time by tweeting the contest).  The next day, Ima notified me that I had won.  It was my first online giveaway win ever!  A few days later, B informed me that a package had arrived for me.  I ripped it open and inside was a copy of the book (along with a CD with music based on the book), 3 bags of chocolate gelt and a dreidel.

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I’ve already read NHL the book, played the songs for him and played dreidel with him using the gelt.  He begged to be able to rip open his coins and eat them, but I told him that he couldn’t play with them if he did that.  (Empty foil wrappers don’t count!)  I let him eat a couple, but most were saved for future dreidel games.  Thanks to ImaBima for everything!

I’ve been inspired.  Cake Wrecks, that bastion of baked badness, recently opened a Zazzle Store featuring some gags based on their hilarious cakes gone wrong photos.  When I saw that, a lightbulb went off over my head.  I had just taken a bunch of great photos from Charleston and I had a few others I’ve taken over the years.  I had thought once or twice of selling prints, but never really got serious about it.  Zazzle could change that, though.  I could upload a photo, add a witty caption, and instantly be able to sell posters, prints, shirts, etc.

I’m awful at coming up with witty slogans, but I figured I could run a contest.  I’ve never really run a contest or a Zazzle store, before though.  So before I dive in, I’d like to get as much advice as possible.  What suggestions would you have for someone who’s about to run his first contest and his first Zazzle Store?