Recall: Lead - "High School Musical" Jewelry

CPSC.GOV -- Again with the high lead content. I believe that these people are in it for a quick buck. They know but don't care. Move as much as you can before the CPSC catches on, knowing you won't have to pay a lot at recall time. Sadly, these product have Disney on them and were sold at the Limited Too so you know there was a hefty mark-up and lots of people made money. If you can't trust Disney, who can you trust? (Though I doubt Disney knew.) More...

Recall(sort of) - Crib - Fall Hazard

CPSC.GOV -- Apparently only 180 of these have been sold. And the problem isn't with the crib, it's that the instructions fail to mention there's a "lower" setting for the mattress. So apparently it's the assembly instructions that are being recalled. Nice looking crib, tough. More...

Say, What?

Pointing at a photo of herself, told her great-grandmother:

"That's when my mommy wasn't taking care of me. She gave me a basket to sleep in."

The photo? Taken close to two years ago by the photographer who visited the daycare. For the photo, the little baby, still too young to sit or stand, was placed, lounging, into a large basket.

Christmas Sleepy

Rachel woke up from her nap yesterday and had this to say:

Rachel - "I'm sleepy."
Me - "I know."
R - "Christmas sleepy."
M - "Christmas sleepy? What's Christmas sleepy?"
R - "No, not Christmas sleepy. Orange jacket sleepy."

She was, however, unable to expand on what either Christmas sleepy or orange jacket sleepy actually means.

Recall: Lead - Soldier Bear

CPSC.GOV -- Soldier Bear "Invincibles Transport Converters" Toy Sets was painted with paints containing high levels of lead. More...

Recall: Choking Hazard - Dollar Toys - California

CPSC.GOV -- Tri-Star International Recalls Ball Rattles, Wrist Rattles, Wind-Up Toys Due to Choking Hazard. Sold at: Dollar stores in California from January 2005 through May 2007 for about $1. More...

Scapping the Scrapping

PARENTHACKS.COM -- Interesting idea... taking photos of kids working on art projects. Then the photos can be part of the project, or part of the present, or part of the scrapbook later on. I know Lori did this last Christmas when Rachel made Christmas tree ornaments for the grandmas. More...

Recall: More Cheap Children's Jewelry

CPSC.GOV -- More junk jewelry made in China and sold in vending machines has been found to have high levels of lead making them unsafe for children. (Or probably anyone, for that matter.) More...

Recall: Children's Jewelry

CPSC.GOV -- Cheap jewelry sold in vending machines, department stores and grocery stores contains high levels of lead. More...

Recalled: Children's Capri Pants

CPSC.GOV -- Pants, sold at Mervyn's for $20 have buttons that can detach, causing choking hazard. More...

Mr. Pettibone

Rachel decided tonight that our cat "Cash" should be named "Mr. Pettibone." She was really excited that we left the cat in her room. She was upset that the cat wouldn't lay down on the bed with her and cried every time the cat left the room. (Whenever we'd go in there, the cat would come back in.) We told her we'd try again tomorrow.

Ticket system helps kids track their own TV and game time

PARENTHACKS.COM -- I got tired of being the boss of when my kids (three and five) could watch videos and DVDs. I also wanted to help them learn to make choices about media consumption while they’re still young. So I decided to set up a ticket system. More...

Recall: Evenflo Embrace™ Infant Car Seat/Carriers

CPSC.GOV -- Fall Hazard Prompts NHTSA, CPSC and Evenflo to Announce Recall of Embrace™ Infant Car Seat/Carriers. When used as an infant carrier, the handle can unexpectedly release, causing the seat to rotate forward. When this happens, an infant inside the carrier can fall to the ground and suffer serious injuries. More...

RIP Hippos, 2005-2007

from Lori... ah, the joys of parenting, courtesy of thesneeze.com (warning: language)

Target Recalls Children's Toy

CPSC.GOV --
Target Recalls Anima Bamboo Collection Games Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard. More..

First Time Obedience

We're doing the Ezzo parenting study "Growing Kids God's Way" at church. While they seem overly strict, I'm finding it really interesting. I'd only heard biased bits and pieces before and formed my own opinion before even starting the class, but to hear them explain why they teach what they teach, I have to admit that a lot of it makes sense.

Really interesting is the idea that at this age, when a child is asked to do something, there is really only one response... "Yes, daddy." or "Yes, mommy."

Anything else is willful disobedience. And so it becomes a matter of spiritual training, so that should there be an instance where disobedience isn't just frustration, but also a matter of safety or security, you and the child end up with the confidence that the right thing is going to happen. (Apparently as they grow older, they earn the right to essentially request an "appeal.")

Our little one isn't to this stage yet and likes to push the boundaries, see what she can get away with, whether or not we're going to hold her punish her or not. And that's the hardest part, being consistent.

But I think overall, things are probably better off for all of us because we're taking this class. I can see where I've been pretty lax in the past, or where I've been pleading and repeating and becoming exasperated. This course is giving me tools to help have a consistent framework in which to act and react and is helping Rachel to know what's expected of her.

Interesting stuff.