Mommage

"Free Kid Hear... Heer... Here"

That's what the sign said that my son just made.

"Free Kid Hear... Heer....Here"  He's  mad at me tonight, because I won't let him watch Star Trek when he still has stuff he has to do.  So he's running away, you see.  He's gonna put the sign out on the driveway so everyone in the neighborhood knows that he's a free agent.  It takes 30 minutes to make a sign and tape it onto a t.v. tray.  Big sigh... inhale... loud exhale.

I don't bite.  Such an evil momma I am, I know.  (I did offer him to a friend of mine though, who graciously declined.)

He keeps looking for me to respond; to beg and plead "OH PLEASE DON'T GO.... I NEED YOU TO STAY HERE WITH MEEEEE!!  I AM SORRY, YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE STAR TREK YOU WANT!!!!  And I am refusing.  Much to his disgust.

Consumer Alert - Ground Beef

Federal and state authorities have issued a consumer alert for ground beef that may be in your freezer that is tainted with E. coli.  This is not technically a recall, because the product is past its "sell by" date, but consumers may still have the product in their houses.

The affected products are "Northwest Finest 7% Fat, Natural Ground Beef" with UPC code label "752907 600127" and 16-ounce packages of "Northwest Finest 10% Fat, Organic Ground Beef" with expiration dates between August 1 to August 8.  They were purchased from Safeway, QFC and Fred Meyer.

Nine people ~ 6 from Washington, 2 from Oregon and 1 from Idaho ~ have already become ill from eating the beef.

Before putting ANY ground beef on your grill this holiday weekend, double check what's in your freezer.

Cross-posted at ShopperCast.

--Contributed by Deb

Consumer Alert - Toys "R" Us

Toys "R" Us and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced a voluntary recall of 27,000 Imaginirium wooden coloring cases due to lead paint in outer package of the item as well as some of the black watercolor ink. 

The affected items were sold from October 2006 through August 2007 and cost $20.  This product includes crayons, pastels, colored pencils, fiber pens, paintbrush, pencil, water colors, palette, white paint, ruler and pencil sharpener in a light tan wooden carrying case that measures about 14 inches by 19 inches.

If you have one of these items in your home, take it away from your child and return it to Toys "R" Us for store credit.

Cross-posted at Shoppercast.

--Contributed by Deb

Consumer Alert - Metz Fresh LLC

Metz Fresh LLC announced today that it is voluntarily recalling bags of fresh spinach after some samples tested positive for salmonella.  The recalled spinach was distributed through 48 states and Canada and sold in both retail and food service packages.

The recall covers 10 and 16 ounce bags of fresh spinach as well as four pound cartons of spinach.

Consumers having questions can contact Metz Fresh LLC at 831-386-1018.

Cross-posted at ShopperCast.

--Contributed by Deb

It's not always a happy occasion

When I announced my pregnancy this past April, the majority of my friends and family were happy for me, except for one of my best friends.  It's not that she came right out and said she was upset, but I could tell by her tone that she felt less than overjoyed at my news. 

Truth be told, I knew she wasn't going to be ecstatic, which is why I waited to tell her, and I tried to break it to her as gently as I could.  Her and her husband have been trying for some time now to get pregnant, without success.  When I got pregnant the first time, last September, her reaction was the same.  My husband and I had been trying for only six months, while she had been trying for two years.  Then her sister announced she was pregnant, after very little trying. It was then my friend pulled away from both of us.

I think I understand how she felt (and probably still feels). It's probably quite similar to how I felt a few years ago when everyone around me was getting engaged and then married, and I didn't even have a boyfriend.  I'm sure it's also akin to how I felt when, after having a miscarriage last year, I found out that not only her sister (also a close friend of mine) but also my own sister were pregnant. It's a feeling of unfairness, and it is unfair, but it's not an intentional unfairness; after all, it's not like both women were getting pregnant just to torture me.

There's also a feeling of guilt because when a friend engaged or pregnant, you're supposed to be happy for them.  To not be is incredibly selfish, but your feelings are your own; you can't help but feel left out. So I do get how she must have felt, but there was nothing I could do about it, but wait for her to work out these feelings on her own. I knew this from my own experiences.

Avoiding Manic Mornings

Saying I'm not a morning person is a severe understatement.  I am not at all kidding or exaggerating when I say I hate mornings.  I can work through the night till the cows come home, but if I do actually go into sleep mode, not only am I completely useless when I wake up, but everyone around me better stay out of my way or be prepared to suffer.  I can't be spoken to or make any decisions whatsoever, and if coffee suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth, I would need serious drugs.

Now that you've got an idea of my morning disposition and capabilities, can you imagine what I'm like on school days when the bus is rolling down the road while my son is brushing his teeth? 

I've got a secret.

There is only one way for me to successfully get through five school mornings a week without losing my cool.  I plan ahead.  I do everything the night before and make my son do the same.  I set the table for breakfast and take out all the non perishables, I make his lunch and put it in the refrigerator, bagged and ready to go, the book bag is packed up with homework, and I don't let my son go to bed without deciding what he's going to wear the next day.  After the first few bumpy mornings, our usual routine kicks in like a well oiled machine.  We literally do it with our eyes closed.  There is no thinking required.

Calling On The Collective Wisdom of Others

Death is just a part of life, right?

So why am I so anxious about my son going to a funeral with his Grandma this weekend?  The whole thing bothers ~ from the open casket to the pig roast the family will be having after the service.  Ugh... I just don't like it.  This would be the first funeral service he has attended.

Setting beliefs about what happens after we die aside, a funeral is an exercise in finality.  It's to say goodbye to a family member or loved one.  It's a time to remember his or her life and what they stood for.  Some might call it a crutch for the living so they can move on with life.  From the book of Ecclesiastes, there is a time to laugh and a time to grieve.  While I totally understand and appreciate the need to grieve and believe everyone should have the opportunity to grieve, some part of me thinks that 13 years old is a little young to come face to face with death like this.  Especially in such a brutal manner.  And especially when he's going with his Grandmother.  I can easily see how thoughts of his Grandmother dying could come up, considering the decedent was less then 50 when he passed.  I would rather spare my sweet child those nightmarish mental images.  And, yes, I could be just very neurotic  and overprotective as well.

Thoughts?

--Contributed by Deb

Another Diaper Dilemma

It happens on PlanetFeedback on a fairly regular basis ~ letters like the one written by Wendy M. about the quality of the diapers she purchases for her child.  It's the same complaint over and over again - in packages of diapers, one of the tabs on a significant percentage of the diapers pulls off, making the diaper completely useless without resorting to duct tape.

I have often wondered if these letters are the only instances of this sort of thing.  I would think there are probably a sizeable number of parents who just shake their heads and toss out the diapers.  But with multiple kids over multiple years, throwing away all those unusable diapers gets to be expensive.  Bad for the pocketbook, bad for the environment. 

So it was with amazement that I read this story the other day.

Can you imagine starting to potty-train your child at 6 weeks of age?

Leaves of Three, Let Them Be

It took me 48 years to experience the wrath of poison ivy.  I never had a reaction to the harmful plant as a child or as an adult, and amazingly never saw anyone afflicted with the ensuing rash, until six years ago when my son was ten years old and suddenly developed an intolerance to the menacing tri-leafed plant.  At first, I had no idea what the little red bumps on his skin meant and assumed they were bites that could be easily soothed.  As they started to spread and ooze, however, I began to realize I was in over my head, and at some point figured out it was poison ivy.  I headed to the store to purchase every over the counter remedy I could find, but nothing even made a dent in the spreading mass of gushing mini volcanoes on his skin.  The harder I tried to get it under control, the worse it got.  The real scare came when he woke up in the morning with his head swollen like a balloon.  I panicked.  I didn't even call the doctor's office, I just put him in the car and rushed over there, miraculously being spared a speeding ticket.  The doctor wasn't nearly as alarmed as I was.  I guess he'd seen a lot worse.  It turned out I had been doing all the wrong things.  I was told to get rid of everything I had been using and was given a prescription for a steroid cream.  I was extremely doubtful that it would actually work, but after only one application, everything started to look much better.  It did take awhile for his head to deflate, but at least the itching was under control.

So, for the last six years, that cream has been a staple in my medicine cabinet.  As each unopened tube expired, I continued to renew it over the years because I knew as long as I had it on hand, the need to use it would never arise.  My son did have several other bouts with poison ivy that summer, in spite of the fact that he never left the house without being fully clothed from head to toe.  Apparently some people are affected by the air, and he's one of the unfortunate ones.  However, once the season was over, he never got it again... until now.  He came home last night with what I am certain is poison ivy.   At some point during the past six years, I stopped renewing the cream, and the only tube I have left is long expired.  So I guess we're headed over to the doctor's office... and right before school starts.  What timing.

Poison ivy has gotten much nastier since the 1950's.  Leaf size and nasty oil content are way up, so it is worse than when you or your parents were kids.  Breathing smoke from burning firewood with poison ivy on it can put you in the hospital.    Using a weed whacker to remove poison ivy will result in spraying your legs, and if you are bare-legged and get scratches while being splattered with sap from poison ivy, you could find yourself in the emergency room.  If you rip the plants out by the roots, it can result in a terrible case of poison ivy rash, and the plants will most likely grow back until you get every last bit of root.  You can't burn it because the smoke can get in your lungs and make you deathly ill.  If you keep mowing it, the plants might give up and die, but when you grind up the leaves they create a nasty soup.   Someone recently suggested getting a goat because they can eat poison ivy with no ill effects.  That may seem like a terrific idea for getting rid of poison ivy, but keep in mind that goats will also eat everything else they can reach, and depending on where you live, goats may make you unpopular with the neighbors.

The best approach is to avoid contact with the poisonous plants in the first place.  Learn to identify poison ivy so you can steer clear of it.  Stay away from areas where you know the plants live.  Wear long sleeves and long pants whenever you're in areas that could contain the plants.  If you come in contact with the oil, try to wash it off your skin right away, but don't take a bath.   If you do, the oil can get in the bath water and spread to other areas of your body.  And if your dog has been out exploring the woods, you might want to give him a shower, too!

~Contributed by Venice

Oh my God! I really *AM* my Mother!!

Is it just me, or are the kids starting back to school WAY earlier than when WE were kids?

My son started 11th grade last Tuesday. On Thursday and Friday, school was closed. Why, you ask? It's HOT. Yes, it's HOT in the Midwest in August. Who'd have thought!

I found myself mildly perturbed. Not that I want my kid to sit in school and swelter, but I think back to the bone-crushing heat I faced in school, with no AC - and with catholic uniforms, to boot! Were WE allowed to go home or not come to school? I think not.

Granted, this was in the 1980's, but I can't believe things have come this far that our kids are being kept from school because its hot. I guess I really AM becoming my mother. :(

~Contributed by Tracy