Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

Leave a comment Posted on Nostalgia, parenting

What If Mattel Only Sold The “Real-Life” Barbie?

July 6, 2013 at 11:11 pm , by 

2 years, 7 years.

Dear Jack,

A story that has been going viral this week is about an artist named Nickolay Lamm, who showed the world what the Barbie doll would look like if she had the proportions of an average 19 year-old woman.

The main question I see being asked is whether this more realistic version would sell in stores.

My question, though, is more specific: How might the sales of Barbie dolls change if Mattel began making all Barbie dolls with the new proportions.

In other words, I’m not interested in knowing how a new “real” Barbie series would do in addition to the ones already in stores.

What I am curious of is what would happen if Mattel suddenly went through the trouble to make all their Barbies with these more legitimate proportions.

Barbie would look a bit different. The most obvious difference I see is how hilarious the “normal” Barbie’s feet are. They’re like barely half the length of the “real-life” Barbie’s feet!

I love asking my Facebook friends about stuff like this. Here’s some of the feedback I received from them on the subject:

“If Mattel were to only sell the ‘real-life version,’ would Barbies sell just as well as they always have?”

“Of course they would. A large part of Barbie’ s popularity is in just the name… Just look at Dora. She’s just as popular as Barbie but she’s short and her belly hangs out of the bottom of her shirt.” -Hannah W.

“People complain that society is telling us that we have to be skinny. Well in actuality the world is now telling me that I’m not ‘a real woman’ because real women apparently aren’t slender. News Flash: People come in ALL shapes and sizes. I played with action figures and stuffed animals as a kid… I figured I would grow up to look a lot like my mom, who is beautiful and always helped me to have good and realistic ideas about my self image, and to not look to toys to measure my worth.” -Elizabeth L.

“I think it would sell. The old Barbie is too skinny. Even for a doll. My daughter doesn’t like Barbies, anyway. So I guess I’m glad for that. But I grew up with Barbie and I never compared myself to the doll. I DID compare myself to celebrities and what I saw on tv. I guess it depends on the kid.” -Elizabeth U.

Ultimately, I’m sure it all comes down to what will generate selling the most Barbie dolls. I imagine it would take a lot of work and money to “break the molds” and create new ones for the “real life” Barbies, replacing the old ones all together.

It’s all speculation, but I really do love hearing what people are saying about it.

 

Love,

Daddy

Photo: NICKOLAY LAMM/MYDEALS.

2 Comments Posted on parenting, Storytelling

Our 5th Wedding Anniversary Gift Of Being Debt-Free!

July 5, 2013 at 12:16 am , by 

2 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack,

Today is a very special day… for more than one reason.

It was five years ago that Mommy and I got married!

We had talked a couple of weeks ago about what we would get each other as 5th year anniversary gifts. Well, we couldn’t have planned this, even if we tried, but…

As of today, our family is officially debt-free!

I can’t think of any greater gift Mommy and I could give each other on this special day.

Of course, we still have a mortgage. But as far as school loans, car payments, and our credit card, which mainly consisted of our wedding expenses and pre-existing debts from single life, those are all paid off now.

No other debts. Done.

Just to make sure this good news holds its worth weight, the amount of debt we paid off was a little over$58,000. And just to be clear, our household income level is completely average for Nashville.

No, Mommy and I didn’t win the lottery, gain a huge inheritance from a rich uncle, or suddenly get a multi-million dollar book deal.

We just took Dave Ramsey very seriously. Maybe a little too seriously.

I now equate credit cards with the devil, or at least Monsanto; but really, I think they’re all the same thing anyway.

Every penny we earn is accounted for. We tell our money where to go so that it doesn’t tell us where to go. We snowballed our way into debt and we snowballed our way out.

Another thing that financial guru Dave Ramsey taught us was that if we live like no one else now, we’ll live like no one else in the future.

He jokingly talks about living off beans and rice until you’re debt-free.

Considering that through this process, you and Mommy became vegetarians, and I became a vegan, you could say we took Dave Ramsey’s “beans and rice” advice pretty literally, even though our “plant-based, non-GMO” lifestyle change was motivated more by other reasons.

Either way, our family never, and I do mean never, eats food from a restaurant anymore. That saves us a lot of money every month.

Speaking of, on January 1st, I wrote “5 Impractical Ways To Save Your Family Money in 2013,” in which I proclaimed that this would be the year we would become debt-free.

Here are the 5 ways I mentioned:

1. We don’t pay for cable or satellite TV.

2. We don’t pay for Internet on our phones.

3. We hardly ever go out to eat. (That, of course, has since changed from “hardly ever” to “never.”)

4. We don’t update our electronics or possessions that cost over $100.

5. We live by a strict weekly budget, on an Excel spreadsheet.

Then, a week after I wrote that, I revealed that we also tithe 10% of our income. As Dave Ramsey puts it, “If you cannot live off 90% of your income, then you cannot live off 100%.”

Oh, and I cut your hair now. That saves us about 12 bucks a month.

I’ve never been so happy in my life to be at ground zero. Our family will continue the rest of our lives with our extremely frugal (!) lifestyle no matter what our income is.

Now that we’re out of debt, we will begin to snowball our savings and eventually our investments.

Granted, one of the greatest benefits of strategically working our way out of nearly $60,000 of debt is that Mommy and I will carefully teach you everything we’ve had to learn the hard way about money management.

Apparently, that knowledge alone is worth at least $60,000. It was for us, at least.

 

Love,

Daddy

 

Photos by Joe Hendricks Photography.

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling

Still, Though, I Think I’d Be Happy With Just One Kid…

July 4, 2013 at 3:43 pm , by 

2 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack,

Last Saturday, your best friend Sophie stayed with us while her parents went to a wedding.  I had these preconceived ideas going into the event that, despite caring for two kids instead of one, it would not only be a lot of fun, but also, less stressful and chaotic than it usually is on the typical Saturday afternoon at our house.

Turns out, I was completely right! Sophie is so kind, so sweet, so cute, and so hilarious. That part was the icing on the cake.

The “cake” itself was the fact that you definitely were less needy than you typically are when it’s just you, Mommy, and me.

It’s that awkward number of three that makes the dynamics weird and often, more stressful, for me at least.

You rarely let Mommy prepare dinner or do anything productive without whining and hanging on to her legs, even though I eagerly want to play with you and your toys in the living room.

And I understand why, given the fact we both have to work while you’re at school all day.

But with Sophie here, making that new number 4 instead of 3, it was ideal. Everybody paired up throughout the afternoon.

Most of the time it was you and Sophie; me and Mommy. Or you and Mommy; me and Sophie. And a few times, you and me; Sophie and Mommy.

No one was ever left out; everyone had a role and a place. It worked. I liked it a lot.

From playing outside at the water table, to a luxurious wagon ride, to a delightful dinner involving mac and cheese along with Gogo Squeez applesauce pouches, the day had an excellent flow.

With that being said, I’m still not convinced that having another sibling would bring that sort of feng shui for our family.

After all, you and Sophie were born just one month apart. So basically, age-wise, you two are the equivalent of twins.

Not to mention, physically, you could easily pass as twins anyway!

But I’m not talking about twins in my scenario here. I’m talking about the possibility of Mommy and I having another baby; who would be a few years younger than you.

Those dynamics would be a lot different than having an equivalent girl version of you, plus you.

My reasons for wanting another child, when I sporadically do, are never sincere enough or truly legitimate. (Am I being too honest right now? Am I committing social media taboo by admitting that?)

I feel like my reasons are always selfish. If we’re going to grow our family, I want it to be “for the right reasons,” and I’m not even sure what they are anyway.

(Hmm… I wonder if that would make a good blog post?)

Yes, our family absolutely loves (!) Sophie and I really appreciate the dynamics she brings to our family; still, though, I think I’d be happy with just one kid.

I feel complete with a family of three. But, that could always change…

 

Love,

Daddy

 

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling

The Never Ending Dinner: No Appetite For Bed Time

July 3, 2013 at 10:39 pm , by 

2 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack,

Last week I told how you’ve recently been requesting to be in trouble so you could be in time-out instead of getting dressed in the morning.

Well, you have been extending that same clever line of thought in regards to bed time too.

Like tonight, for example.

After having already eaten your mac and cheese Mommy made for you especially, you waited until right before your “pre-bedtime playtime” was almost over until you decided that you wanted some more food… whatever Mommy and Daddy were having.

Tonight, it was veggie burritos. And honestly, they were a bit on the spicy side.

However, that didn’t stop you.

It was “Operation: Stall Dinner By Stuffing My Face” and you weren’t going to let anything get in your way… as long as Mommy and Daddy let you get away with it.

Which we did.

Since both of us are off of work for July 4th and you’re not having school, Mommy and I perhaps were a little bit in “whatever works” mode.

So we let you eat a semi-spicy burrito. Then, since you were still hungry/pretending to be, you took your time also downloading a Gogo Squeez applesauce pouch.

After that, I watched you drink a cup of water slower than I’ve ever seen you drink.

Actually, I was starting to wonder if you were pretending to be at the dentist, as you slothfully swished the water around in your mouth before finally swallowing it.

Son, I was quite impressed by your skills tonight. You did a great job making it look like you hadn’t already just eaten one dinner before having a second one.

Just be lucky we like you so much.

We could have sent you to bed without your 2nd dinner. Oh wait, that’s not how the saying goes…

 

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling

Life’s A Journey, Not A Destination

July 2, 2013 at 11:51 pm , by 

2 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack,

This week I introduced Mommy to a 25 year-old movie called Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

It’s one of those movies where, now that I’ve seen it for the 3rd time, I realize that it’s actually one of my favorite movies.

I mentioned to Mommy some of the similarities betweenRain Man and The Guilt Trip , starring Barbara Streisand and Seth Rogen; another movie we both really like.

And then it hit me… most of my favorite movies are “road movies.”

A road movie is a film genre in which main characters travel across the country (or at least the state) motivated by some random plot device; during which they learn to overcome their differences in personalities and communication styles.

The characters involved typically find themselves rewarded by the end of the movie; most of all because of their shared personal experiences and character development. In other words, they become better people because of the road trip.

Ultimately, they prove that life’s a journey, not a destination.

(Just to name a few more examples of my favorite road movies… Dumb And Dumber, Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Little Miss Sunshine, and Sideways.)

On a similar note, Mommy and I have been totally psyching you up for this weekend. Friday is our 5th wedding anniversary and we’re celebrating it by…

Taking you on a 2 and a half hour road trip from Nashville, TN to Louisville, KY!

We’ve got you so excited/slightly confused as we keep telling you about the fold-out couch you’ll be sleeping on:

“Jack, do you want to sleep on your own special ‘big boy bed’ at the hotel in Louisville?”

Not to mention, our zoo membership is recognized there too, so visiting the zoo ultimately becomes the plot device for our little road trip.

You’re hoping to see camels and bears.

For me, this is really fun. I’m already cracking up at the thought of you sleeping on a fold-out couch in a hotel in Louisville.

That’s something I adore about you:

Here Mommy and I have hyped up this trip for the past couple of weeks and you don’t even know what a hotel is, or Louisville, or a fold-out couch.

Yet, your eyes light up at the thought of it all.

I think you’re going to do great on your first real road trip. It’s all about the journey, anyway.

 

Love,

Daddy