Mommage

Consumer Alert - Ground Beef

Topps Meat Co. has expanded its recall from 330,000 pounds of ground beef (announced Tuesday) to 21.7 million pounds. 

E. coli is the culprit and 25 illnesses are under investigation in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

If you have this product at home ,  cut off the UPC code and return it to Topps for a full refund, then dispose of it immediately.

If you have any questions about the recall, call Topps Meat Co. at (888) 734-0451

--Contributed by Deb

Crossposted on ShopperCast

A Curious Thing

So right now I am away from home.  I packed a bag, kissed the kiddo goodbye and got on a plane and flew into Cincinnati yesterday.  I am having a really good time.  My girlfriends were only a little bit late picking me up from the airport.  We went out and ate some famous Cincinnati chili and Tracy showed me around the 'hood in Kentucky.  Tell you what, never before have I experienced buying a bottle from a liquor store and being given a plastic cup with it.  Went out for beer and wings last night and giggled into the small hours of the morning.

But that's not the curious thing.

Here We Go Again

This is another example of why I feel like we are now a society of paranoid citizens.  First, a teacher and student are not allowed to shake hands, then a home is invaded by police officers, and a grandfather is put in handcuffs over a toy gun, and now this.
I am not disagreeing with Mitzi's complaint in her letter to Meijer, but the need to have such a fearful reaction to what happened says a lot about how we are being forced to live these days.

 

I'm not sure if anyone should pass judgment on what occurred at Meijer without actually having been there.  According to the letter, it certainly seems as though the cashier was completely out of line by moving a cart with a baby inside.  It also seems as though the cashier was confused as to which cart belonged to her customer.  Sometimes there's more to a situation than meets the eye, so I'll refrain from speculating any further.  I was surprised, however, by several of the comments to the letter regarding the child's mother and grandmother.  I wasn't expecting that reaction at all.

Drama At The Bus Stop

Well if I had not seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, I would swear that it never happened.  I saw a grown woman throw a temper tantrum!  You see, she has four children elementary age that ride the bus with my daughter, one of those children was running late Monday morning.  The bus arrived and all the children piled on to the bus and claimed their seats.  The mom starts screaming for the bus driver to wait.  Apparently her daughter was coming but was not visible to the driver or to me.  The driver waited about 30 seconds and still did not see the girl, she told the mother she could not wait any longer (she was holding up traffic, but also she had to keep on schedule).

Finally the daughter popped over the hill (strolling) about 15 seconds after the bus driver left.  Then it happened......the mother pulled the race card!  I could hardly believe my ears.  I think the worst part is that she is showing her daughter that even though a situation is of your own doing just throw the race card.  I just wanted to pop her one, but I restrained myself. 

As parents, we are the ONLY ones responsible for getting our children where they need to be, when they need to be there.  In our county riding a school bus is a privilege.  They are not obligated to wait for anyone that is not on time.  I might have been more sympathetic if the child could actually be seen by the driver (and if the mother had not been so belligerent), but it was clear that this child was not in a hurry.  The bus has a tight schedule, and has more stops after our stop.  So what do you think?  How long should the driver wait?  Was the behavior of this mother appropriate (especially in front of her child)? 

--Contributed by Renee 

Dating in the 21st Century

I met my husband on Match.com. I had joined the year prior, dated a bit, took a break, then reactivated my membership. I originally joined at the suggestion of a friend, who used a similar site to meet his significant others.

"Aren't you concerned about the safety issue?" I asked. "After all, you have no idea who these people are?"

"It's no different than meeting someone in a bar, Dawn. You could meet a guy at a baseball game who could turn out to be serial killer."

A Case for Forced Sterilization

Just kidding! Although, you might reconsider your views on it after reading this letter.

Seems Elody recently had some issues using her coupons at her local Target.  She apparently got into a skirmish with the cashier and the manager over the use of these coupons, resulting in her leaving the items meant for purchase, which unfortunately included a game that her child had picked out.

In her letter, Elody admits to using profanity and does indeed come across as an entitled, borderline-illiterate drama queen. The most disturbing part of all of this is that her little tirade took place in front of her child, and that she BLAMES TARGET for HURTING her child in the process. Seems that it's the fault of Target that she decided to throw a fit of unimaginable proportions, and in the process, left all of the items she meant to purchase INCLUDING her child's toy.

I just can't get my mind around this. I'll admit that on a few occasions, I've been angry enough with a situation to leave a store without my items. The difference is, although I might be upset with the store for whatever issue I had with them, I would NEVER blame the store if one of the items I left behind happened to be for my child.

Although I rarely say this, I find myself hoping that this letter is a fraud and is someone's skewed attempt at humor, or at getting a rise out of the masses.

Truly, there are some people who shouldn't reproduce.

--Contributed by Tracy

Recall--Frozen Ground Beef Products

Recall for possible E. Coli contamination.    This is a Class I recall--risk High.

Contributed by Renee

Cross posted on Shoppercast

No pain, no gain?

My standing mantra, whenever a discussion about childbirth came up, was this: "I plan to have kids the way it was intended: strapped down and drugged up."

While the sentence itself was meant as a joke, the sentiment behind it wasn't. My usual way of coping, when I'm sick or in pain, is to drug myself up and lay on the couch, moaning. So up until recently, whenever anybody asked if I was considering "natural childbirth", I would say, "Heck no! It's epidural for me all the way! If I could get a morphine drip when I walked in the hospital, I would!"

Going Overboard?... You Decide

I was very disheartened by the information in Deb's post regarding teacher/student interaction.  I don't understand a world where teachers and students are not even permitted to shake hands.  I didn't think anything could make me feel worse, until I read this.  Keep it in mind when choosing your child's Halloween costume.

Imagine being asleep one minute and finding yourself in handcuffs the next.  That's what happened when this grandfather's home was flooded with bright lights and rattled by police banging on the door, all caused by a trip to Wild West City Amusement Park with his grandson.  On the way home from the park, the boy was sitting in the back of the family car wearing a cowboy hat and pretending to shoot a Western-style toy gun with a bright orange tip.

Is what happened next a sign of the times or the absence of common sense?

More To Parenting Than Biology

Mommage welcomes guest contributor Christine, who has a different perspective on parenting.  She was adopted by two homosexual men as a young child and couldn't be  a happier (or more well-adjusted) young lady. That little sound you hear in the distance is the pitter-patter of little feet that will be joining Christine's household in a matter of weeks.  Mommage thanks her for her contribution and wishes her and her dads all the best.

A same-sex couple in Australia announced that they’d be suing their doctor because one woman’s IVF treatments resulted in her giving birth to fraternal twin girls instead of only one child. They considered giving one up for adoption but decided against it as “The burden is not the children's to bear. The burden is ours alone”.

My heart goes out to both of these girls, to be called a burden after their birth was so carefully planned.