Not Again

Mattel Inc., Recalls 800,000 Lead-Tainted Chinese Toys for Third Time

This is getting ridiculous. And we have yet to receive the forms we're supposed to fill out and return with the Go Diego Go toys from Mattel's first recall.

Anyone care to join us in a Mattel boycott?

Ironically, as I was typing this post, I received an e-mail from the RC2 Corporation (makers of Thomas the Train), updating me on the status of Bitty's recalled Thomas trains. One click and I was directed to a web page listing all of the toys we had returned and the scheduled shipping date for their replacement. (In the meantime Bitty has received a complimentary train AND a refund check for the return postage.)

Mattel could learn a few things about customer service from RC2.

Foto Friday

No new photo, but an explanation of the photos posted on Wordless Wednesday.

About a month ago, when we walked into our local Super Wal-Mart,we were accosted stopped by a woman gushing over my gorgeous boys. She was,of course, an employee of their portrait studio.

She peeked my interest with the teaser "$5.88 for 35 Photos" package. Ittyboy was in a good mood and he hadn't had any professional pictures taken yet so I bit.

The catch was the $5.88 package only applied to the first picture shot. Although I was hoping to catch one of Itty's trademark open-mouth smiles, I was still thrilled with the top picture.

The picture of me holding Itty above my head? Totally candid. Had I known I was going to be photographed I would have run a brush through my hair, but I love Itty's huge grin as he grabbed my shirt. The photographer was so happy with the shot she gave me a free sheet in exchange for permission to use it in her portfolio.

And the final photo speaks for itself. Men will only pose for pictures for so long! (But the look on Bittyman's face as he tries to hold his squirmy brother and cheese it up is priceless!)

Wordless Wednesday

Contest Crazy!

(Yes, I realize I missed Foto Friday. I was too busy celebrating our 11th Wedding Anniversary. I'll make it up this Friday, promise!)

I'm almost tempted not to post about this contest because I love the prize so much and don't want anyone else entering, thus lessening my chance to win...

But that would be bad contest karma, wouldn't it? So surf on over to Musings of a Housewife for your chance to win a GORGEOUS Eliza Grace bag!

Contest Time... Again!

(Yes, I realize it's been a bit contest crazy around here, but you won't be complaining if you win one of these prizes!)

Sniffing newborn's head,
a primal urge takes over--
try not to eat him.
- from Haiku Mama

I thought I was the only Mama with the urge to devour her sweet-smelling baby! What a clever haiku (a mode of Japanese poetry with a 5 syllable/7 syllable/5 syllable pattern for those who have forgotten) from a gifted blogging Mom.

Absolutely Bananas is giving away two copies of Haiku Mama. If you write your own haiku and post it in the comments section you'll get an additional entry. Here's mine:

Writing a haiku
while nursing at the keyboard—
Multi-tasking Mom!

Flex your Mommy braincells and go enter the contest—and post your haiku in my comments too.

Parenting for Profit

Note to self: Next time a Matchbox car sneaks its way into my shopping cart, it may be a cash cow for Mama if I can eBay it with a clever auction!

Contest Time!

The gals over at Apples' n' Oranges are giving away a really cute 'babes in black' onesie. Surf on over and check out all of their items!

Contest Time!

Lorri is having a contest at The Mac and Cheese Chronicles! She's giving away two different planners - and you know how I love anything having to do with organizing!

Foto Friday - Happy 4 Months, Ittyboy!

Although Daddy brings home the bacon and Mama provides the milk, no one, and I mean no one, makes Ittyboy smile more than Bittyman.

Today the boys 'played' cars - and by 'play' I mean Bitty buried Itty in Little People vehicles. And while my first instinct was to lecture Bitty on the dangers of being rough with the baby, the lecture would have been drowned out by the sound of Itty laughing HYSTERICALLY as his big brother smothered him with love.

Foto Friday

Itty's Theme Song

Remember the Jim Henson show, Dinosaurs? Well between his big eyes, chubby thighs and enormous grin, Itty is our own Baby Dinosaur - Gotta love him!

Foto Friday

Let's hear it for the boys!

Contest Time!

Think I can go 2-for-2 this week?

Apples' n' Oranges is giving away a cute "give peas a chance" onesie.

Ittyboy would look adorable in this - and it would be quite ironic as I still don't give those nasty little veggies a shot at my palate!

Recalling Summer of 2007

What I will recall most of all about the summer of 2007 is, well, all the recalls. First it was the Recall of Thomas the Train Wooden Vehicles and Train Sets Components. Just announced yesterday is the Fisher-Price Toys with Lead Paint Hazard Recall.

Not only did Bittyman receive several of the recalled Go Diego Go! toys for his birthday, but we just gave one the recalled Dora toys as a gift.

Now I'm no rocket scientist, but doesn't everyone know that lead in paint isn't safe? And haven't we known this for, like, a few decades?

So far, RC 2, makers of Thomas the Train, are winning the customer service award. This week Bittyman received a letter from their CEO and President, apologizing for Bitty's inconvenience and informing him that they are working as fast as possible to replace the 8 trains he shipped back. In the meantime, RC 2 enclosed a 2006 Limited Edition Toad as a token of appreciation for his patience and loyalty.

The Fisher-Price website has pictures of their recalled products... but the link to the page where a form must be filled out in order to "receive a brochure to assist you in identifying whether your product is affected" and "receive a pre-paid electronic merchandise return label to send back your product, if it is affected" is not working.

Apparently the employee who put the lead paint on their toys is also in charge of their website.

I Won!

I'm an Organizing Junkie (one of my favorite blogs even before today), held an online contest and I've won a year's subscription to the new periodical, Organize Magazine!

Could I have won a more perfect prize? Organizing is one of my passions. I almost cried when The Container Store in my town went out of business. One of my favorite possessions is my P-Touch Labeler. And I actually follow the FlyLady system. (Except I had to unsubscribe from her hourly e-mail reminders to banish clutter - they were cluttering my inbox!)

Many, many thanks to Laura at Organizing Junkie for hosting the contest.

Foto Friday

Now I'm no child development expert, but I thought that was pretty amazing coloring from a 4-year-old boy!

Foto Friday

Bittyman attended his first Vacation Bible School this week. Four hours a day of games, art projects, music and chocolate treats (judging by the mess on his mouth when I picked him up each afternoon).

Since this was the very first time Bitty had been involved in an activity away from Mom and Dad (other than his weekly Sunday School class) I had a huge list of projects I intended to accomplish with my Bitty-free time: Painting the kitchen, a deep cleaning/purging in Bitty's room and making tie-blankets for the boys.

But instead I spent the week showering Ittyboy with undivided attention, trying to cherish each newborn moment before it's gone.


In the blink of an eye they will BOTH be attending Vacation Bible School. Then I'll have no excuse for white kitchen walls. But for now I'm proud of those walls. They mean this type-A personality took time to stop and smell the baby.

I'm 3 Months Already?!?

Foto Friday

We enjoyed a festive 4th decked out in our Old Navy Flag T-shirts/Onesies. (If only I knew how to work the timer on my camera I'd have gotten a family picture!) Despite the heat we headed to the heart of town to watch the fireworks then stopped at Baskin Robbins for 3 of their 31 flavors. (Itty got his flavor from Mommy - Peanut butter fudge milk!)

God Bless America

I grew up just 13 miles outside of Washington DC. Every July 4th we'd head to the Naval Annex parking lot and watch the amazing fireworks over the skies of our Nation's Capital, just like those pictured above.

On this day more than any other I'm homesick. No city celebrates the 4th like Washington, DC.

This year we'll be enjoying the local firework show from the comfort of our air-conditioned minivan as the temperatures here in the desert soutwest at 9pm will still be in the triple digits. Excessive heat warnings and newborns don't mix.

God Bless America and God Bless our military and their families! Happy 4th of July!