Family Money

Where I come from, traipsing around in underwear that possesses only a memory of elastic is referred to as doing the walk of shame. But maybe that's just me. In a message that manages to channel both Lady GaGa and the dudes from The Full Monty, Dockers debuted its newest ad campaign during Sunday's Super Bowl and Testosterone Fest aptly entitled, Men Without Pants.

Striding boldly up a grassy knoll, wearing nothing but tighty-whities and casual Friday separates, an a cappella group of regular Joe's sing an anti-pant anthem and provide a cheeky look at Docker's new message to Man-kind: it's time to take back masculinity and start "wearing the pants."




Inspired by the idea that somewhere between manscaping and metrosexuals, manhood has taken a hit, Jim Calhoun, president of Dockers Brand, said he hopes the campaign will spark a discussion about what it means to be a real man in the 21st century. In his words, one who can "change a tire and a diaper." Personally, I've got a cell phone and Triple A, if push comes to shove, I pick diaper. But then I'm not a guy.

Pointing to recently-released studies from the Pew Research Group (The Rise of Wives), an article in the New York Times (More Men Marrying Wealthier Women by Sam Roberts), and an NPR report (Human Male: Still a Work in Progress), Dockers says it is capitalizing on an emerging trend. Man-up guys, step away from the stonewash and get yourselves some serious anti-wussie wear: khaki pants. Or, do your laundry.

However, if finances don't allow, Dockers has got your back(side). It will be giving away 2,010 pair of free khaki pants at Dockers.com. (Insert chest bump, here) Nothing like a little wrinkle-resistant twill to put some swagger in a guy's step.

Real men who download Shazam software to their smartphones can also tag the ad and enter to win pants via mobile. (OMG, knuckles and a shot of Scotch neat).

Winners will find out instantly if they have scored a pair (of pants) and can enter daily until February 15. In the meantime, put down the quiche, and may the best man win.

For the past two years, I've been chasing down a crazy goal: to reduce my family's trash enough that I could call the company which collects our garbage and tell it that, instead of picking up our one 32-gallon can every week, we'd need the service only once a month. Even though we've always been obsessive about recycling, it had taken our family of five a long time to reach this place.

First, we'd started composting all of our kitchen waste, feeding the tastiest scraps to our backyard chickens. Then, I'd begun a serious and totalitarian campaign to stop buying things with excess packaging, toting my recycled glass jars to the co-op to fill with dried cherries and black beans and brown rice flour from the bulk bins; baking cookies and breads instead of buying them; saying 'no' to single-serving foods. It didn't hurt that we were on a "financial fast" that had us buying very little we didn't need.

Break out the duct tape, fire up the glue guns and get the sewing machine out of the closet, it's prom season! Crafty, college-bound prom goers can win serious scholarship dollars for designing dream dresses and tuxedos -- no fairy godmother required.

JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores is offering a $50,000 grand prize, $10,000 second prize and significant runner-up prizes for the winners of the Own Your Look Prom Contest 2010. Similarly, Duck Brand duct tape is celebrating the tenth year of its "Stuck at Prom" design competition to find clever couples with style and stick-to-it-tiveness in the US and Canada .

Part MacGyver, part Project Runway, entries for both contests will be judged by panels of experts looking at workmanship, originality and level of detail. For those whipping up a little something out of duct tape, contestants will also be judged on use of color (choose from pink, green, orange, yellow, silver, camouflage, aqua, red, blue, black and white, to name just a few), accessories and the quantity of duct tape used to create their attire.

In a reality-TV-style twist, Stuck at Prom's top ten finalist couples will be judged during online public voting (June 18-July 26) to determine the grand prize winners ($3,000 for each contestant and $3,000 for the school whose prom they attend). Staying in the competition could prove tricky however, since couples with the lowest votes will be eliminated a la American Idol if they don't get enough support from their fanbase.

Looking to send someone off to college next fall? Hurry, time's running out to apply for a $2,500 Upromise Scholarship. Due by February 15, applications are being accepted for 2010-11 scholarships aimed at assisting 100 undergrads with financial need.

"Especially in this economy and with college costs increasing each year, it is gratifying to know that this program will help 100 bright and hard-working students," said Suzanne Boozer, a Upromise employee who helped create the scholarship program which began in 2008. Natalie Alatriste, a freshman at the University of Central Florida, and recipient of a 2009 award said, "By helping to pay my tuition, the Upromise Scholarship has allowed me to pursue my dream of studying biology."

Applicants, or their parents must be a member (or quickly become a member) of Upromise (joining is free), have a minimum 3.40 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent), prove a household income of $80,000 or less, be a US citizen and a high school senior, high school graduate or current college student who plans to enroll in a two or four-year accredited college, university or vocational tech school.

Complete guidelines for eligibility and application can be found here.

You can also help the cause by becoming a "fan" of Upromise on Facebook. The company has pledged to donate $1 to the scholarship fund for every new fan (up to $25,000).

Although becoming a facebook fan is a whole lot easier than filling out a scholarship application, both are worth the effort and there's still time. What, you thought you'd be watching the Superbowl? Get the scholarship now, the tailgating can come later.

How do you wrap an adrenaline rush, put a bow on a mind-blowing experience or help your sweetheart check off something on their bucket list for Valentine's Day? Smartbox offers a solution -- and free shipping until February 14.

Cleverly packaged in a CD-like box, each Smartbox contains a gift card and a themed guide book of activities. Your recipient can choose one experience from the extensive list, and will have up to a year and a half to redeem it.

Themes are categorized with monikers such as, "Discovery," "Serenity," "Adventure," "Gourmet" and "Fun for All," Just reading the descriptions of things to do in California gets the imagination going: "Battle down whitewater rapids, hang ten on a surf board, defy gravity in a wind tunnel, build your endurance while rock climbing or simply kayak and discover the beautiful scenery that surrounds you." They had me at defy gravity.

Toymaker Schylling Associates, which makes classic toys including many with the Curious George and Thomas & Friends brands, was accused of knowingly selling tens of thousands of its products that had lead paint in violation of federal law, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced.

Although the company denied it broke any federal laws in agreeing to the settlement, Schylling agreed to pay a $200,000 penalty. The toys were sold in 2001 through 2003 but were not reported to the government, as required by law, until 2007, when they were recalled.

"Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers have a legal obligation to ensure that no banned products are introduced into or distributed in the U.S. marketplace, and to inform CPSC as soon as they become aware of information that must be reported under our laws," CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a written statement. "We will continue to penalize companies that do not follow these basic requirements."

Music industry glitterati took home free the Ritmo Advanced Pregnancy Sound Systems by Nuvo along with the rest of the enviable graft in their gratis Grammy Awards MusiCares goody bags this year. Designed to support a pregnant belly, aid in fetal development, and provide, "unparalleled quality and safe sound to prenatal listeners," the system aspires to be a multi-tasking baby Bose for the in-utero crowd.

I saw August Rush, I get the idea. Nuvo, however, cites scientific studies to prove its case.

Dr. Alexandra Lamont from Leicester University's Music Research Group at the School of Psychology (UK) reported that babies can remember sounds they heard in the womb more than a year after birth,

"This provides new evidence about the influence of nurture in early child development.," he said. "Babies can remember and prefer music that they heard before they were born."

In addition, Nuvo notes information from authors Sloboda and Deliege, who wrote Musical Beginnings:Origins and Development of Musical Competence (1996) and stated, "musical interactions from the earliest moments are directly related to brain development and may be the building blocks for future musical ability, intellectual development, and ultimately functioning in the culture in which the child lives".

Let's flash back to the beginning of December. The Consumer Reports National Research Center polled more than 1,000 randomly-selected consumers to find out how much they planned to spend on gifts this holiday season. The answer: $699 on average, about $65 less than they planned to spend in the prior two years.

Now, however we have actual totals and they are -- you guessed it -- substantially higher. The average shopper spent $811 – or 16% more than they'd planned – on gifts alone. The half of the population surveyed that paid with credit cards reported spending another $85 more, on average, raising their total to $896. And nearly one-fifth couldn't resist bringing home a little (or not so little) something for themselves.

It's the hottest new theme park opening in a decade: Universal Orlando Resort's Islands of Adventure park is putting the finishing touches on its feverishly anticipated The Wizarding World of Harry Potter section. This Sunday, Feb. 7, the world gets a sneak peek at the new 20-acre attraction when a top secret commercial airs during the Saints-Colts Super Bowl battle. Among the surprises: Daniel Radcliffe himself appears as Harry Potter to promote the opening, which was designed with the full cooperation and approval of series author J.K. Rowling. Guess what, Potterheads? WalletPop.com has an exclusive first online look at the entire spot.

It's an age-old problem that's been with us for ages. You raise your kids to be independent adults, but...what if something goes wrong?

What if, for instance, they lose their job, suddenly run out of cash and need help? Or what if they got in over their heads financially with credit card debt and need a loan to help pay off their debt?

Do you look the other way and let the chips fall where they may, even if that means they wind up on the streets? Or do you help them out? And what if they need a lot of help? How far should you go to get them out of the bind they're in? And at what dollar amount are you really helping them out, or just enabling them to continue their financially unsound lifestyle?

I didn't need any time for deliberation when I received my ballot for this month's special state vote in Oregon: I filled in the bubbles for "yes," as did a majority of voters, next to Measures 66 and 67 and took it with all speediness to the nearest library drop-off. Measure 66 raises taxes on individuals making more than $125,000 (and couples making more than $250,000)

Last night, I had a devastating conversation with one of my favorite dads, about kindergarten. It started innocently enough. "Do you think test scores matter?" he asked. He has a little boy -- friend since (practically) conception to my second son -- entering kindergarten in the fall. This is the man who'd just as soon passionately argue the evils of our fossil-fuel dependent society, or why he built a 325-square-foot house, as fret over his kid's eventual career. And yet here he is, attending his first kindergarten roundup session and trying to figure out where his not-yet-five-year-old will be most "challenged."

Here in Portland, Ore., like many cities and towns across the country, it's time to start thinking about kindergarten registration. And though it seems ridiculous to link a person's future to the choices parents are making right now, well, it's surely not the first time (just look at Baby Einstein and the famously bitter battles to wangle admission to Manhattan's top preschools).

If you're a parent or expecting, Toys R Us is offering a chance to trade in old baby products and get a discount on new models. The three week "Great Trade-In" event starts Friday, January 29 and ends February 20, at both Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores.

Just bring in your old, broken, dusty or outdated baby item and get 25% off a new one in any of the product categories covered including: cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers, travel systems, play yards, high chairs and toddler beds.

This is a reprise of a similar event run by Toys R Us in September 2009. During that time, the retailer took in approximately 55,000 items, most of which were in unusable condition.

According to Nancy Cowles, executive director of the not-for-profit Kids in Danger, it's a great opportunity to for parents to replace potentially dangerous baby products with safe ones.

"We've had about seven million cribs recalled," says Cowles. "Ten million sleep products if you include bassinets and portable beds." That's a huge number of unsafe baby products to retrieve from homes, and exchanges such as the Toys R Us program go a long way to help, she says.

Traveling with small children is a sherpa-like experience that tests not only strength, endurance and patience, but also creativity and negotiation skills. Nowadays, it has now also become expensive, thanks to the new baggage fees airlines are charging.

In the past, frazzled families checked luggage under the plane leaving "hands free" (haha) to tote diaper bags, backpacks of books and toys, 20-lb car seats, jackets, a purse, snacks -- and, oops, the kids! Amazing Race contestants have nothing on parents traveling with toddlers. But Thanks to ever increasing baggage fees, frugal families now have to carry on their luggage as well. It just adds to the hell of traveling with small children. What can you do?

Louise Stoll, a former Assistant Secretary within the Department of Transportation, and grandmother of nine, did something about it.

She remembers her "Aha moment" like this: "My daughter, Miriam, came to visit us and stepped off the plane carrying a 2-year-old toddler, a 20 pound car seat, a diaper bag, and she was 7-months pregnant! I thought there had to be a better way and I went home and started to draw pictures of what I though a child safety device designed for airplanes -- not cars -- ought to look like. My husband, an attorney, looked at the sketches and sent me to a patent attorney."

With National Fettuccine Alfredo Day (February 7) just around the corner, is it possible to find a recipe that will befit the occasion while remaining true to our New Year's resolutions ... you remember those? Something about eating healthier and losing weight?

Shirataki noodle evangelists at Miracle Noodle and House Foods believe the answer lies in the refrigerated food case at Whole Foods, health food stores, Asian markets or via online purchase. Shirataki noodles, made from either tofu and yam flour (House Foods) or the konnyaku imo plant (Miracle Noodle), cook almost instantly, are high in fiber and low in fat, calories and carbs. A dieter's dream. If you're counting "points," an entire two-serving package of tofu shirataki noodles from House Foods has zero points. Yes, you read that right.