On September 16, SESAME STREET will kick-off it's 44th Season on PBS KIDS with a host of new segments, one of which is COOKIE'S CRUMBY PICTURES - with each five minute piece presenting a lesson in self-regulation (a large part of this year's curriculum) with COOKIE MONSTER. While we've got just under two weeks until the Season Premiere, Cookie Monster just got an early lesson from actor TOM HIDDLESTON. Check it out...

It's a known fact that I'm not a fan of ICONA POP. While The Rock Father might not love "I Love It," I do love COOKIE MONSTER, and today my big blue friend finally made "I Love It" worth listening to through his reworked cover, "Me Want It." The new, Cookie-centric version of the song comes from SESAME STREET Season 44 (premiering September 16, 2013 on PBS KIDS!), in which Cookie Monster has his own segment to help kids learn to practice self-restraint. Check out Cookie's new video below, along with a full playlist of Sesame Street Season 44 Previews... including the SONS OF ANARCHY riff, "Sons of Poetry," and the introduction of Sesame Street's newest resident, 'Mando!

Earlier this month, the youngest member of our family hit a major milestone: Finley Renoir turned one! I have to get used to the fact that "Baby Finley" is now a toddler, and I still can't believe that it's already been a year since she came into our lives. This past year has been filled with emotions that I never expected to have, fueled by the fact that even before Finn was born, my wife and I decided that we'd be completing our family with the arrival of our second daughter. With each "first" for Finn came a "last" for Dad... as I'd come to realize that I was doing certain things for the final time as a parent as our baby moved towards completing her first twelve months on this planet. The last folding of a 0-3 months size shirt; the last box of plain rice cereal purchased; and recently, the last bottle of formula created, as the little one "graduated" to 2% milk.

My oldest daughter just wrapped preschool for the season, and while I do have her enrolled in a Day Camp a couple of days a week throughout the summer, I - like many parents - want to make sure that learning doesn't take a break just because school's out. To help combat the summer learning slump (a genuine issue that the National Summer Learning Association has data on), my friends at PBS KIDS have come up with a variety of FREE RESOURCES for kids and parents, including 10 weeks of themed programming, printable activities, and they've developed some great partnerships to keep learning fun and productive all summer long.

It's Memorial Day Weekend, and for most, that means that Summer is officially getting started! The folks over at Ty's Toy Box hit The Rock Father with a list of the Top Five popular summer products, and details on a limited-time offer of 20% Off for the Holiday Weekend. Check 'em out below...

Last week, the world was introduced to the newest neighbor on SESAME STREET, a Writer from Puerto Rico named Armando - or 'Mando as the folks on the 'Street quickly dubbed him. The introduction of this new character is part of a focus on Hispanic Heritage and Diversity that plays a key role in the forthcoming 44th season of the iconic series on PBS KIDS. Mando (Ismael Cruz Cordova) joins Maria (Sonia Manzano), Luis (Emilio Delgado) and Muppets Rosita and Ovejita (Carmen Osbahr) as part of SESAME STREET's bilingual community. This week, my adventures took me to the famed Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach, where I joined my fellow PBS KIDS VIP (Very Involved Parent) Ambassadors at the 2013 PBS Annual Meeting. There, I spent some time with Mando and Rosita... and just may have found the answer to that age-old question: "Can You Tell Me How to Get to SESAME STREET?"