I love to create playlists for special occasions and events, but it’s hard to find the time, which is why this list, put together by Rdio for Father’s Day is especially awesome. Celebrate with these 26 songs from some of the hottest dads in music.

What songs and artists are missing from the list? Let us know by leaving your suggestions in the comments.

This year, my youngest started getting into the whole Star Wars craze when we introduced him to the franchise by picking up a pair of Toddler Boy’s Licensed Star Wars Slip on Shoes.

We’re starting slowly since he’s only two but pretty soon we’ll be watching the films (the original Star Wars Trilogy , thanks for asking) every day of the week and getting ready to see the Disney version when they release Episode VII…which I’m not quite sure will ever take off with parents of a certain age.

So, just because I was born in the same year that Star Wars (Episode IV, technically) came out has nothing to do with the fact that I am a Star Wars geek. I pretty much blame my husband for my current obsession.

When Angry Birds Star Wars was first announced, I was super excited and made sure to download the game the second it became available. Now, I’m obsessing over the new Angry Birds: Hatching a Universe book that Insight Editions has published which includes an entire chapter on the Star Wars characters and shows off some epic illustrations from the entire Angry Birds franchise. I wonder how long it’ll be before Disney buys this one up.

The book is a bit expensive for the average fan, considering the games only cost $0.99, but for artists and game developers, this one’s a must-have since it includes concept art and quotes from the many different team members at Rovio as they discuss their roles and how each game and character were created.

Inside the book, readers will be happy to discover some removable goodies, like posters, postcards, stickers, a bookmark, a door hanger and birds (and one pig) printed on card stock that you can put together to display.

A short comic is also included along with a small sketchbook, making this one a book that adults and kids will enjoy, much like the Angry Birds games we all know and love.

On the heels of my birthday, I joined several friends who happen to be bloggers for a fun night out at Donovan’s Prime Seafood in the Gaslamp District. I had no idea what to expect, but we were treated like VIPs as we experienced the amazing menu of cocktails and seafood items that the servers just kept bringing to our table.

We were first treated to an array of oysters to sample along with a champagne shooter. Believe it or not, this was my first time trying oysters. We started talking about aphrodisiacs as soon as they were presented to us and the conversation – and volume- escalated as our night continued.

After describing the three different types of oysters laid out before us (East and West Coast varieties), I carefully sucked down the first which was very salty and gritty. The second one was much more mild and I ended up looking around the table to see if there were more. This would be a recurring theme throughout the night, with all of us reaching down the table for more and asking the servers to bring additional plates of food to sample.

Later in the night I would be introduced to Oysters Rockefeller which are just too good to describe. Did you say bacon?

With every appetizer or menu item, a specialty cocktail was also delivered to our table. There was the Cucumber Caliente (Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila And Cointreau, Muddled Cucumbers / Fresh Lime Served On The Rocks With Cucumber), the Fiery Passion in Paradise (Hangar One Mandarin Vodka, Passion Fruit / Basil, Cayenne, Syrup / Fresh Lemon Served On The Rocks With A Sugared Rim) and the Lavender Martini (Stoli Vanilla Vodka, Lavender Syrup / Fresh Lemon Served Up With A Twist).

Everything we sampled was amazing. From the goat cheese & risotto stuffed tomatoes to the Hamachi tar tar and the Creme Brulee, the chefs truly outdid themselves with this menu.

If you’re looking for a place in the Gaslamp District with amazing food and great cocktails, you won’t want to miss the Happy Hour that takes place every night at Donovan’s from 4-6pm. Tuesday night is also Ladies’ Night, which extends Happy Hour until 7pm. Along with the great food & drink specials they offer complimentary, hand passed seafood treats that will whet your appetite before dinner.

Heading out after dinner? Head to Donovan’s for Reverse Happy Hour – from 8pm – close. There’s never an excuse to miss out on Donovan’s when you’re downtown San Diego.

Stop in, order the Oyster Rockefeller and enjoy!

Disclosure: Dinner and drinks were hosted by J Public Relations. All opinions and photos are my own.

Between the wooden blocks, LEGO tables, marble maze and magnet wall, my toddler had a hard time focusing on just one type of toy to play with. We bounced from table to table and could have easily spent the entire afternoon there without ever getting bored.

The staff was great and the decor was fun too! The entire front counter has LEGO mini-figured enclosed in a nice display case which was fun for my son and I to look at as we signed in and paid for our first session.

Build It Workshops opened in February of this year and was created by a stay-at-home-dad. Here’s a brief snippet of their philosophy which I find quite refreshing:

Everyone thinks toys need to be interactive.  No, toys don’t need to be interactive.  Children need to interact with toys.  The best toys are 90 percent kid, 10 percent toy, the kind of thing that you can use 20 different ways, not because it has 20 different buttons to press, but because the child, when they’re 6 months old is going to hold it, feel it, and toss it, but when they’re a year they’re going to start stacking it.

The creators of Build It Workshops are parents but they are also scientists with over twenty years of combined biotech research and hospital lab bench experience. They understand the importance of safety, cleanliness, and good health for all their guests, and it shows! I was pleasantly surprised to see the clean environment and look forward to bringing both my boys, and my husband, for another fun and interactive learning adventure.

Boogie Wipes is asking families to Take the Pledge to always take some Boogie Wipes with you. Your kids – and germs – get into everything – so having some travel packs to throw in your diaper bag or purse is essential for keeping up with those runny noses.

Pledge to always keep your hands clean (and away from your face) but if you have to pick your nose (we’re talking to you toddlers) please make sure to wipe your fingers with a Boogie Wipe and save your sleeves (or your mom’s t-shirt) for emergencies only!

Enter to win a Save the Sleeve Kit from Boogie Wipes by visiting their website and having your children Take the Pledge. Your family could win one of 1,000 Save the Sleeve Kits. Each kit is packed with Boogie Wipes temporary tattoos, a backpack button, Boogie Wipes samples, and coupons.

When drybar first opened in Del Mar, I received a package with a round coaster inside offering me a free blowout. Score. I’m now a regular customer.

Upon entering the drybar for my first appointment, I was offered a Skinnygirl Margarita and sat down in front of a large screen TV and enjoyed some Sex and the City while getting my hair styled.

Their blowouts come in a few different styles and since they keep with the bar theme, each item on their menu of services is named after a cocktail you typically see on a drink menu. Mai-Tai, Manhattan, Cosmo, Southern Comfort, or a Hot Toddy. They even offer Up Tinis (up dos) which I would imagine many brides and bridesmaids take advantage of before their special day.

Right along with the bar theme is their bartab you can purchase, which saves you a little money when paying in advance for services. You can also buy a drybar membership if you know you’ll be in at least twice a month.

Of course, heading to the drybar would be the perfect night out for you and a few girlfriends, which is why they offer private parties as well.

Speaking of parties, HBO hosted an event at every drybar location in January and I was one of the lucky bitches to book an appointment during the three-day event. Blowouts were complimentary (HBO picked up the bartab) and drinks were provided as well. The best part of the event was the goodie bag provided as I exited the drybar with my new and beautiful hair. HBO went above and beyond in promoting a few of their shows, giving away The Complete First Season of both GIRLS and Enlightened to each guest.

Their latest partnership, and possibly their most grand, is with Sephora, who is now their exclusive vendor for their hair care products. From shampoo and conditioner to hair dryers and hair brushes, you can now buy these drybar products online or at your nearest Sephora store.

That Ali Webb is smart and sexy!

Girls On Target is a program based in San Diego which offers year-round classes as well as a weeklong summer camp from July 29 to August 2. Girls in grades 4 through 12 learn endurance training exercises and yoga throughout the week while also participating in relaxation and nutrition sessions to help acquire tools for stress relief and healthy living habits.

As a former middle school teacher, Saree Zweifel founded Girls On Target after seeing the consequences of low self-esteem in young girls first-hand. She quickly realized girls need more positive outlets to support each other and to help them feel more empowered.

Somewhere along the path of life, girls participate in the inexplicable act of tearing one another down vs. supporting and building one another up.  However, providing the right environment can encourage young women to see the value in uniting, complimenting, and supporting one another.  Through fitness classes, I demonstrate to girls how much greater a challenge feels when you have others believing in and supporting you.

I wish there were programs like this available to me when I was younger. Having participated in yoga during both of my pregnancies, I can attest to how strong and confident I felt while actively involved in this practice.

I hope to see this program grow to support even more young women in the coming years. If you have a daughter in San Diego who this might appeal to, you can have them check out the class to see if it’s a good fit. The first class is free for newcomers.

Bare Mixers was one of the sponsors and I was eager to test out their margarita mix and review it and share their fun cocktail recipe videos on the new video recipe site I created just for that – Mixing Mamas & Papas.

They were kind enough to let me take home a bottle of their margarita mix to sample and since my in-laws were in town at the time, I grabbed the bottle and brought it with during our regular Happy Hour routine that same week.

I think I had one or two margaritas with them but I never did see that bottle again! I think my sister-in-law finished it off before I had the chance to ask for it back. Needless to say, it was a hit with this crowd who pretty much invented Happy Hour. They know how to mix a drink or two.

Bare Mixers was originally called SoCal LowCal. But with the hopes of taking the brand national, Natalie Susi, named one of 10 Female Entrepeneurs in San Diego to Watch by Forbes, recreated the brand and changed the name to “Bare Mixers” to connote images of being healthy, free from unnatural ingredients, and simple, made of literally just the bare essentials.

Head over to the Bare Mixers site to discover recipes, cocktail videos as well as a list of ingredients and where you can enjoy a drink made with Bare Mixers when you dine out in SoCal.

Bare Mixers™ is free of artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and empty calories. Bare Mixers™ contains only the simplest and freshest ingredients and tastes great with just about any liquor or by itself over some ice.

Flirting is all about eye contact so don’t forget to spend a few minutes of your day – yes, every day – staring into your lover’s eyes or you may just end up like this couple to the left, spending more time cuddling up with their digital devices than each other.

If you spend the majority of your time digitally connected, here are some tips for enhancing the way you communicate with your partner:

1. Don’t Start a Conversation With, “Did you see that video I posted on Facebook today?“ If there’s something you really want to talk about with your partner, send them an email or text message during the day, or call them if you can. Invite them into a discussion without having to refer them to their smart phone or computer (and away from you).

2. Don’t Share Without Your Partner’s Permission – No matter what you blog about or share on your own personal pages, there are new rules for online etiquette and the first is never share something about your spouse (or your kids) without their permission. Whether it’s a photo you’re hoping to Instagram or a blog post you want to write that involves them, make sure it’s ok with them prior to you sharing it with the world and ask them if they want to read it before you hit Publish or Share.
3. Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry Online -  It’s never going to be a fair fight if your in-laws, friends, co-workers, or readers can weigh in and offer their “opinion” on an argument you’re having. If you plan on sharing this conversation after it’s been had, make sure you include both sides of the story, in his or her words, not just your own.
4. Don’t Get Offended If They Don’t Respond Right Away - Even if your spouse works in an office where they’re most likely reading their email throughout the day, if something comes up that requires an immediate response, make sure you’ve discussed the best way to get a hold of each other, especially in the case of a true emergency. 
5. Don’t Get Upset About Something They’ve Posted Online (without talking to them about it first) – You’re bound to take something the wrong way or read into a comment when you’re not 100% at your best (physically or mentally) so if something is posted online that rubs you the wrong way, make sure you confront your partner about it in a respectful way to get to the bottom of its meaning or intention. Sarcasm doesn’t have a font, unfortunately, so it’s easy to misinterpret what someone may have said when you’re reading it without their voice or inflection to guide you.
6. Don’t Communicate with Them Digitally More Often Than You Do IRL – This is a tough one and is null and void for those military families who cannot be together or those working at a long-distance relationship (these obviously enhance your connection, in these instances) but for those who spend the night in the same bed – or at least under the same roof – make sure Facetime isn’t replacing the actual face-to-face time you spend together.Designate tech-free times (such as during dinner or after 9pm) so you can be sure to really focus on family time.

7. Don’t Bring Your Phone on Your Next Date – This one may not seem possible, but there was a time when parents left the kids at home and didn’t have a cell phone! Can you imagine what that must have been like? You’ll survive and you’ll enjoy each other’s company much more if you’re not running to the bathroom just to check your Twitter feed.

This list is a challenge to many, especially those who work in social media, like I do. If one of these doesn’t sound reasonable, pick one or two to work on first but let your partner know what your intentions are and try to get on the same page with your goals for reconnecting and why you’re eager to make some changes.

What else would you add to this list?

We opened up the app together a few weeks later and, at first, my son watched me manipulate the screen before attempting to play with it on his own.

My toddler, who is 27 months old, has recently started to get the hang of how it works and can now swipe the “menu” of words from A-Z and goes back to the “home” screen after each word to select the next.

Once you click on a word from the main menu (you can also select a letter to move faster through the list), the word then appears on the screen and you hear the word spoken aloud, followed by the adorable gang of critters running across the word, scattering the letters around.

The word (without colors) still appears but each colorful and patterned letter must be dragged back on top of the corresponding letter to complete the “puzzle.” While the colored letters are selected, small, googly eyes appear and the sound of the letter is repeated until the letter is put back in its proper place.

Once the colorful letters are arranged, the word is spoken aloud again and a short video plays that not only shows what the word means but introduces its definition with a friendly voice over.

This is such a fun way to build a child’s vocabulary beyond the simple words we’re used to teaching kids first (you won’t find “cat,” “ball” or “car” among the words in this app).

While playing with the Endless Alphabet app, my son is learning and having fun and I get to enjoy watching him and listening to him sound out the words, such as “exercise,” “demolish” and “gargantuan.”

Endless Alphabet is such a fun app, I wish I had heard of it earlier, although it is still relatively new, from Callaway Digital Arts, the same company behind some other fun apps, such as Mr. Potato Head Create & Play, Thomas & Friends: Engine Activities, The Great Cookie Thief (Sesame Street) and Miss Spider’s Bedtime Story for the iPad.

 You can download Endless Alphabet for the iPhone or iPad.

Does your toddler or preschooler have a favorite app? We’d love to discover more so if you have some to recommend, please share them in the comments section below.