How many family members in your household access your Netflix account? Netflix has made some progress on making their service more family friendly, and for my daughters’ sakes they’ve got a little further to go….

We enjoyed a long New Year’s weekend away from home, spending most of our time at the indoor pool at our hotel, playing cards in our room, or mindlessly watching network TV.  Looking for a little programming variety, I fired up the Netflix app on my iPhone and scanned the usual screen landscape:

Recently Watched: Curious George, Avatar The Last Airbender, Wizards of Waverly Place, Gossip Girls, Vampire Diaries, Hannah Montana, Veggie Tales  ….

Woah, what a minute. Hmm. A few of these set off the warning flares. I have two girls ages 12 & 11, six boys 10 and under, and then a wife that ain’t spending a lot of her free time watching Netflix.  I’m no expert, but from everything I can tell Gossip Girls and Vampire Diaries probably aren’t in the age-appropriate wheelhouse for pre-teen girls which means my daughters were sneaking some inappropriate viewing time on their iTouch , which means—queue the knee-jerk reaction–I blew my stack!

Five minutes and a mini-Spanish Inquisition later, my girls continued to voraciously deny the offense. Shucks, they did look pretty darn earnest. Maybe I accidentally hit the viewing on these shows recently when I was browsing around? But for both shows? Naw.

Finally it clicked: Our 18 year-old babysitter was checking-in on our dog a few times a day back home. Clearly she was making herself comfy and enjoying some couch-time with the dog and the ladies from Gossip Girls. We’re not the type of family to tuck a secret babysitter webcam into the bookcase, so it felt a little creepy to have an audit trail of her viewing habits.

Some key takeaways:

• The Jerk: Yep, I’m a big ol’ jerk. My daughters got a big bear hug and even bigger apology from daddy ASAP. Mea culpa!
• Parent Control: Boy, I wish Netflix had some privacy controls so I don’t have to use a combo platter of responsibility dialog, scare tactics, and the “Recently Watched” queue as a deterrent to keep my kids from accessing mature and R rated content!
• The Recommendations: Shoot, I just realized that my babysitter’s viewing is probably going to skew the recommendations that Netflix starts spitting out at me. Uh oh.
• The Audit Trail: There’s some mature stuff – like Spartacus or The Tudors — that I click on that I just plain don’t want to show up in my Recently Viewed list. Period. Netflix, can you give me a widget that will allow me to suppress this?

Any of this ever happen to you? How many family members access your account? Please share!

Our house is extremely busy with our four daughters. There is constantly a little one that needs to be wiped, repaired with a band-aid, broken up from a potential brawl with their sister…you name it. There is always something going on. I love the excitement. With that said, there is also a constant battle of who controls the living room and entertainment devices. The girls outnumber me so more often than not; Disney Channel is coming through the big screen TV, while another kid’s show may be occupying the tablet device. Because of things like those pesky college savings I haven’t built my man cave…yet, so my mobile device is extremely important to me, it’s like my mobile man cave.

I’m absolutely a gadget hound. I have owned and played with all kinds of smartphones. My new favorite might be the new LG Nitro™ HD. What immediately makes the device so cool is the screen. The phone came loaded with 3 sample videos and the picture was so astounding that I wanted to show everyone I know. I didn’t know I needed real RGB striped pixels and a 329 pixels per inch screen in my life, but I do. The color and sharpness of the screen is truly amazing. My wife and I joked that we could prop this thing in our family room and make it the media centerpiece of the room.

With the sample videos being so impressive I immediately downloaded some of my favorite apps like HBO GO and Netflix. My favorite shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Breaking Bad never looked so good. On Monday mornings, I run through all of the highlights from a weekend of NFL football and again, the 16:9 aspect ratio for widescreen make the device perfect for HD quality sports. Definitely excited now that the NBA is back. The visuals are also great for HD movie experiences.

IMAGE: BREAKING BAD ON NITRO

I love the size and weight of the device too. Let’s say I’m taking my oldest daughter to her dance classes, which I feel like I’m doing all the time these days, and I have some time to spare while I wait in the sitting room until they’re done. The Nitro is perfect in this scenario–the 7 hours of talk time means I have plenty of time when waiting. The visuals are so stunning that I feel immersed in the entertainment like you would a tablet device. But you don’t have to lug it around like a big ole tablet.  The Nitro fits right in your pocket. It’s the perfect balance of giving a big-time entertainment experience while still keeping the device small.

What makes LG Nitro’s True HD IPS Display so amaing? 16:9 Aspect ratio for widescreen entertainment, sharper, crisper images, amazingly accurate colors and more. Exclusively available on AT&T’s 4G LTE network. Find out more at www.NitrobyLG.com

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
I was one of the bloggers selected by LG to review the LG’s Nitro HD. They provided me with product to test and compensation for my time. However, my opinions are entirely my own.

To celebrate this holiday season, The Toy Wall is helping Playground Dads everywhere find the coolest toys for their families in this 12 Days of Christmas Toys series!

In this digital age of touch screens and tablets where kids play by swiping a screen, should we be concerned about the impact this trend is having on our kid’s creative development? Luckily, the folks at TEGU, founders of the first magnetic building block system, are at the forefront of reinventing classic imaginative play without the need of electronic gadgetry or instruction manuals.

Their recently released TEGU Mobility line enables you to take any wood block creation and unleash them in vehicle form! Choose from a set of 4 colorful vehicles (Maddy, Riley, Dart, Hatch) that feature varying shapes which you can further customize with any existing TEGU blocks. Assemble anything you want with the gravity defying magnetic blocks…from simple and sporty to more futuristic and space age. Snap on the high-quality rubber wheels that effortlessly click onto your personally crafted roadster and send it zooming across the floor!

However, it’s when your vehicle crashes is when this TEGU product flexes its magical muscle. Any hard collision will jar the magnetized blocks and cause your car to reshape without separating, often into a more streamlined vehicle that looks cooler than you could have imagined on your own! Continual interaction (and ferocious crashes) will lead to many more inspired designs as you tweak and manipulate your mobile creation.

If you’re still stumped for a toy to get this holiday season, look no further. I’m fully impressed with this new edition to the TEGU family, which will undoubtedly expand your child’s imaginative boundaries. Fully compatible with existing systems, the mobile addition to the award-winning TEGU line instantly takes low-tech building play into full-blown active play…and is definitely more fun than swiping!

Ages 3+

Learn more about this product and other cool toys at The Toy Wall.

To celebrate this holiday season, The Toy Wall is helping Playground Dads everywhere find the coolest toys for their families in this 12 Days of Christmas Toys series!

As a kid, my friends and I loved playing co-op video games on the original Nintendo like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Working together as we battled foot soldiers, we knew we had no choice but to try to complete the game in one go since there wasn’t a save option.

Years later, on more advanced systems, we could level up and save our characters progress  (i.e. Marvel Ultimate Alliance), but play couldn’t continue if we went to someone’s house that had a different console system.

This year…Activision has launched Skylanders Spryo’s Adventure, a revolutionary new game that offers the first multi-player cross-platform experience! It essentially has finally bridged the gap between video games and collectible toys like never before.

The game is simple and plays like any co-op action game. You must run around Skylands and complete each level by beating up enemies as you save the world from an evil sorcerer. The real “wow” factor begins by how you interact with the characters. To start, take one of the real-life action figures (starter set includes three), place it on the “Portal of Power” USB device, and watch in amazement as your character is immediately transported into the game. Play like normal but as soon as you physically take the figure off the portal, your progress is automatically stored onto the toy!

Take your action figure to a friend’s house, and you can play on his game with all the levels, treasures and weaponry you’ve already accumulated. And it doesn’t matter if he has an Xbox and you have a Wii…they are all compatible. Your character will forever be your character!

If you have a kid (around 6-10 years old) that’s into video games, this is an insanely fun game to play with them. Even if you haven’t picked up a controller since you’ve held a diaper, the game is simple for anyone and highly addictive. Enabling a toy to forever remember your video game experiences wherever you go is a truly remarkable feat…we can only imagine what video games will be like for the next generation!

Ages 8+

Starter Pack Includes: Video Game, Portal of Power device, and 3 action figures. Fully compatible on Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, 3DS, PC.

Learn more about this product (see the commercial) and other cool toys at The Toy Wall.

To celebrate this holiday season, The Toy Wall is helping Playground Dads everywhere find the coolest toys for their families in this 12 Days of Christmas Toys series!

There’s nothing more annoying (or embarrassing) of having to retake photo after photo of a self-portrait shot of you and your friends to put on Facebook. Luckily your kids don’t have to worry about any chopped off heads or perfectly aligning the background when they use their new Fisher Price Kid-Tough See Yourself Camera!

Vastly improved from previous versions, this durable digital camera features a superior resolution (quality good enough to print), expanded internal memory (store up to 1,000 photos), larger viewing screen (1.8”) and a 4X digital zoom. Designed specifically for kids, the camera’s big buttons and no-reading-required controls make taking pictures a snap. Kids can also explore their inner-Spielberg and record video by just sliding a switch! Don’t worry about drops or tumbles down the stairs; this camera has an ultra-tough exterior that can withstand any type of accident.

But the show-stopping feature that makes this “toy” camera stand out is its 180-degree rotating swivel lens! This enables your budding photographers to take perfectly aligned pictures of themselves at any angle like a pro. For more creative play, kids can add special effects and create photobooks/cards to e-mail to the family.

This is a great first camera for any preschooler that will love being able to take pictures like mommy and daddy. And who knows…maybe you’ll even find yourself using it for your next Facebook picture too!

Ages 3 – 7

Learn more about this product and other cool toys at The Toy Wall.

To celebrate this holiday season, The Toy Wall is helping Playground Dads everywhere find the coolest toys for their families in this 12 Days of Christmas Toys series!

Designer jewelry kits for young girls usually have a lot of one thing in them: Air!
Isn’t frustrating to open up a package to realize only ¼ of it filled with actual product?

Luckily, the folks at Crayola have developed the new Model Magic Jewelry Boutique that comes loaded with enough material & tools that will inspire your fashionista daughters for days! Using the improved model magic material and studio workstation, you can create your own jewelry accessory line of bracelets, earrings, and necklaces all by yourself.

How do you make them? It’s super easy. First twist two or more model magic colors together, and then roll them using the jewelry spinner. Shape them into cones, discs, or any style you’d like and add texture for some flair. After they dry, apply a glaze  (for shine), attach some gems…and then string them onto cords to make necklaces/bracelets or posts for earrings.

With enough material to make 160 beads, this fully stocked kit allows girls to refine their jewelry making skills and creatively express their personal style through their fashion accessories. Get ready for family room fashion shows, and perhaps Milan runways in the future!

Ages 6+

Learn more about this product and other cool toys at The Toy Wall.

To celebrate this holiday season, The Toy Wall is helping Playground Dads everywhere find the coolest toys for their families in this 12 Days of Christmas Toys series!

Let’s face it, some family board games aren’t much fun to play when you need to “accidently” make mistakes to let your kids win. This is true for many of the classics, but the all-new CONNECT 4 LAUNCHERS levels the playing field by transforming a simple strategy game into a fast-paced frenetic action game!

Just like the original, the objective is still the same. Be the first to make 4-in-a-row and you win. But instead of dropping your checkers into the board, you have to LAUNCH them in the air!

Using the tabletop launchers, each player tries to accurately land their checkers inside the divots on either the top or bottom level of the board. One of the best features of this game is that players don’t have to wait their turn. Fling as fast as you can and the excitement builds as the checkers fly through the air and bounce off each other. Because the board is horizontal, your checkers can land on top of your opponent’s piece, thus taking their spot on a line that they’ve been working so hard to complete!

Connect 4 Launchers come with three suggested types of gameplay but your kids will have more fun making their own “house” rules (i.e. longer distance from the board = more points). Re-invented sequels are rarely better than the original, but I’d make an exception with this game. And this time around, your kids might have to take it easy on you!

Ages 5+

Learn more about this product and other cool toys at The Toy Wall.

To celebrate this holiday season, The Toy Wall is helping Playground Dads everywhere find the coolest toys for their families in this 12 Days of Christmas Toys series!

It’s amazing how quickly our brains are rewired after watching Star Wars. From that moment on, any long object (i.e. stick, broom, whiffle-ball bat) triggers a synaptic charge, which then equates it to a lightsaber. If two such objects are present in the presence of another person, a duel must immediately take place.

Back in the day, we had to make the “whoosh” sounds with each swing while at least one person did their best Darth Vader voice as you battled. But with the new STAR WARS ULTIMATE FX LIGHTSABER your kids can concentrate more on their swordsmanship and style as the innovative sensor-controlled effects will take care of the rest.

Unlike the more expensive and hyper-realistic lightsabers that older geeks hang on their walls for display, this new version is affordable and finally built durable enough to withstand punishment from younger Jedis in training.

Power up the 36” plastic blade by pushing the single working button on the hilt, and watch in amazement as the glowing power with the ominous humming sound is unleashed. The best part of this toy is the motion sensor-controlled effects, so as the lightsaber makes contact, the familiar crackling sounds and flickering lights emit just like in the movies!

Only two versions are available for the holidays, Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker, so you’ll have to choose between the dark side of the Force or for good/pre-dark side. I’d get both since duels are meant for two, and you’ll technically be able to fight yourself!

Ages 6+

Learn more about this product and other cool toys at The Toy Wall.

To celebrate this holiday season, The Toy Wall is helping Playground Dads everywhere find the coolest toys for their families in this 12 Days of Christmas Toys series!

There are fun toys and there are frustrating toys, but it’s quite rare to come across one where you’ll want to pull your hair out in bafflement but still be drawn back thirsting for more (also known as the Tim Tebow effect).

One such toy that has been winning award after award for its addictive gameplay, is PERPLEXUS.

Unlike the boring flat puzzle mazes that we grew up with, Perplexus provides a 3-dimensional experience where you must maneuver a marble around a series of obstacles inside a transparent sphere.

To start, just roll the ball onto one of the three starting points (numbered on the track). Keep the ball on the track by shifting, twisting, flipping, and spinning the Perplexus as you encounter one obstacle after another. Fall off the track and it’s time to start all over again, but this time armed with a new strategy!

With over 100 ever-increasingly challenging obstacles on 23 feet of track jam-packed into the sphere, your kids will love working with and against gravity as they advance past the stages while improving their problem-solving skills and hand eye coordination.

Of course, with obstacles with names like “Upside-Down Drop” or the “Tight Rope”, it’ll take some time for any kid to make it to the end…so you’ll have more time to watch another 4^th quarter Tim Tebow miraculous comeback.

Perplexus Rookie – for younger kids, Ages 4+
Perplexus Original – Ages 6+
Perplexus Epic – for older kids and veteran Perplexus players, Ages 6+

Learn more about this product and other cool toys at The Toy Wall.

To celebrate this holiday season, The Toy Wall is helping Playground Dads everywhere find the coolest toys for their families in this 12 Days of Christmas Toys series!

When we were kids, the best toys were often the ones that didn’t require any batteries or complex instructions. A simple cardboard box or wrapping paper tube could take physical play into unlimited realms of fun. The only issue with those household items was their fleeting durability, especially when hyped up on freeze pops. If only there was a toy that could provide open-ended creative play AND was indestructible…

Allow me to introduce you to the Spooner Board.

Spooner Boards are like a cool mash-up of a skateboard without wheels and Fun Slides (carpet sliding shoes).  These curved boards allow riders to mimic surf/skateboard/snowboard moves on any type of surface. Because they don’t have any wheels, Spooner Boards offer an extremely safe and easy learning curve that is perfect for kids of any age. Start by simply rocking back and forth, and as you build your confidence, you can try some simple twists and spins. Older kids will quickly master the fundamentals and will have a blast creating their own advanced tricks.

Not only does the Spooner Board act as a great training simulator for extreme sports, it also can be used anywhere! Requiring little to no space, you can use it in your bedroom, driveway or in your backyard. The smooth curved bottom makes it fun to use in all weather conditions…ride on grassy hills or as a sled in snow.

I believe the true beauty of this multi-award-winning product is its simplicity. With no set rules, your kids can let their imagination run wild and use it however they want…active play at it’s best! And unlike the 5-minute life expectancy of a cardboard tube, the virtually indestructible Spooner board comes with a lifetime guarantee!

Made in the USA.

Ages 3+ (24” Freestyle Board)
Ages 6+ (28” Pro Model Board)

Learn more about this product and other cool toys at The Toy Wall.