Time out for Fisher Price

Fisher Price needs to be placed in time-out for a long while. I'm not sure how old they are, so I don't have the exact minutes worked out yet...but I'm thinking a good month out to do them. Selling toys made in China that are covered in lead paint. I mean come on now guys. Where was the quality control on this one, or were we too busy lining pockets with profit to notice toddlers would be chomping on these toys?! Fortunately for this family, the Prince is too young to have any of the effected toys so we are safe. I worry about the other families that weren't so lucky. Hearing on the news today that there are no discernable signs to lead poisoning, was very scary. It also made me think if these are the better quality toys that China was shipping over here, what are they sellilng to their own countrymen? Now Chinese families not only have to limit their size to one child only, and God help them if it is a girl...but they now have toxic toys for their one child to play with. Doesn't look so good for the future generation in China does it?! This is one of those times that we all have to be thankful that someone somewhere in the deep recesses of our government did the right thing, albeit a tad late but at least it was done. So go throw away all of those Sesame Street and Dora toys that your preschooler loves so much, they'll thank you some day. I say we send the company emails by the thousands letting them know just how unhappy the kids are, and maybe boycott their toys for a while anyway. In my opinion it is only when someone's bottom line is hurt do they take notice. So go out and buy a Discovery Toy and feel good about yourself!

Family fun

Today we spent the afternoon enjoying the Isle of Fun at the beach. There were fantastic waves today; so the time at the beach was spent splashing around in the water. The extra level of excitement was evident today, because generally speaking there aren't many waves to be had on the Isle of Fun. It is generally a calmer sea than was evident today. I guess Mother Nature threw me a belated birthday present, for which I am most appreciative. There is nothing funner than watching your family members trying to get atop a float, as they are being pumled by wave after wave! Prince Bite 'n Screech even managed to fall asleep on the Duke's shoulder, all the while getting doused with salt water! He didn't even flinch. Amazing! At home one little noise can awaken him from a deep sleep, yet at the beach the boy is gettiing slammed with very salty water and he continues to snooze away. That's Murphy's Law for you right there.

Speaking of very salty water. I don't understand why the water here is so darn salty. When you get a mouthful of it; you want to reach for a cup of water to rinse out with. It's like being in St. Thomas or somewhere like that. Just amazing. The ocean water in the northern half of this country is not like this at all...it will take some getting used to.

Sunscreen. Very useful. Not enough used today. Need I say more? Ouch. The Duke has to go to work in his work duds tomorrow. Not something I would want to do, seeing as he looks like a lobster. Remember when you were little and wore wool and you itched and itched? Well that will be the Duke tomorrow. I can't wait to hear how his workmates will tease him!

Meet the family

Have you been to the M&M's website yet? They have a "Character Creator" area, where you design yourself as an M&M. Very similar to the Mii feature on the Wii. A lot of fun...I highly recommend it. In order to introduce the family to the world at large, I decided the M&M site would be a great way to do it. So here we are. You see the Duke with his briefcase. I am right next to him, with the lovely crown on. Then there's Princess Hollister, Princess Nike, Princess Splish 'n Splash, and the Prince. Each of us looks somewhat accurate, believe it or not. I love selecting everyone's favorite colors for their bodies.

OK I know that Princess Hollister is the oldest child; however, I can not make her bigger. I have tried numerous times to get her larger than her baby brother; all to no avail. Additionally, Princesses Nike and Splish 'n Splash are not huge. I am giggling at this, finding great humor in it. The Duke however thinks it is the highest insult, and that I should get into the code and fix the error. Come on, it's just a game! So as my disclaimer, Princess Hollilster is not a wee little thing. In fact she is almost as tall as me, and is taller than her Nana. Go and check out the sight. See what kind of an M&M you are. It's a lot of fun! Now if only I could make the dogs into M&M's!

Cool contest

5 Minutes for Mom is sponsoring an awesome contest. You can win 37" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV! If that isn't enough consonants for you...get this the contest is free! Yep, you heard me right...free. All you have to do is spread the word about how great Best Buy is, and link back to 5 Minutes for Mom on your blog. So get posting. Here's the url: http://www.5minutesformom.com/2032/insignia-37inch-flat-panel-lcd-hdtv-contest/trackback/

As soon as I learn to use Mr. Linky these posts will be so much better. Give me time, I'm getting there!

It's my birthday!

Happy birthday to me, I say! I love birthdays, even my own. I can't wait to see how my day goes. I am dreaming of breakfast in bed, and a chorus of "happy birthday to me!" Now when I wake up, I know that none of that is going to happen. Princess Hollister has 2 friends sleeping over, and they are not getting picked up by their parents until 8 o'clock tonight. So she's out of the picture, as I'm sure she will be off to the mall with said friends. So I shall make my own birthday fun!

I went online this morning to my favorite scrapbooking store's blog. I learned there are to be several classes in October, taught by the one-and-only Tim Holtz! I am soooo excited. I can't decide which class or classes to attend. I want to select classes that will enable me to make things I can then sell. The Duke says I can't go to one until I finish a project I learned in a Donna Downey class. Phewy on him. I will finish that today, and photograph it...just to show him. No, he's not the boss. He just likes to think he is motivating me. How silly men are.

Togetherness

Well the Princesses have made it back home from a month long trip away with the grandparents. They had a thoroughly awesome time, and want to return there for Thanksgiving. Now it is time to get back into the swing of activity. I had such a slow month, with just playing with the Prince and his Fisher Price toys...now I don't know where to begin. The Prince seems to love having his sisters back, but at the same time is a little off his schedule. He can't seem to go down for a nap ( or sleep through the night cough, cough) because he hears too much activity occuring in other rooms. Hopefully he will settle back into his routine, otherwise I shall have to ship the Princesses out again!

Giving

I made a donation tonight for Parker. It was a wonderful feeling to help someone else. A random act of kindness that I would not have even been aware of, had it not been for the wonderful world of mommy blogs. The Duke regularly looks at me with a wink in his eye, when I have been surfing the blogs for hours at night. He does not understand that this is my link to the outer world. For while I am a SAHM I have little idea to what others are doing, inventing, creating, suffering, enjoying. If it was not for the fact that I was reading 5 minutes for mom this AM, I would not have become aware of Parker. I was touched...no, amazed by how many women are helping this family out. I am not sure how many know the family personally, but I'm betting most do not. So many stories in the newspaper or on TV stress the bad aspect of today's society. These donations for Parker put all that to the side. There is plenty of good out there, and it is not that difficult to find! I wish Parker and his family all the best. I will pray for Parker and his family, and more importantly when I am having a bad day I will remember there is a world of good out there to be proud of. Thanks blogging moms for introducing me to your world, and for being such a great place to "hang out" in!