Growing Up Me

This is a listing of recently recalled products.  To see the full recall including pictures of the products on the CPSC website then click on the product name.  These are set to open in a new window.

Century Cookware Stainless Steel Stockpots This recall involves the 8-quart, 12-quart, 16-quart, and 20-quart Century Cookware Stainless Steel Stockpots with glass lids. “Century Cookware” is marked on the front and on the bottom of each pot. They have been recalled due to the metal handles coming off during use.

Casper the Friendly Ghost(r) Halloween Mini-Figurines  The recalled Casper the Friendly Ghost(r) mini-figurines are made of resin and paper, and are three inches tall. They were sold in mini bags decorated with a spider and web design. The Casper the Friendly Ghost(r) figurines are dressed as: Dracula in a red spider bag, Skeleton in a green spider bag, Devil in a purple spider bag, Mummy in an orange spider bag, Casper(r) in a blue spider bag, and Wendy the Witch(r) is in a yellow spider bag. The figurines are stamped with TM & (c)Harvey Ent. “Coyne’s & Company” and “CP1030″ are printed on a white sticker on the bottom of the bags. These figurines have been recalled due to lead paint violations.

Wooden Toys by Earth Friendly  This recall involves three models of wooden toys. Moee the car, Cubby the stackable bear and the Bell rattle. The toys are painted in glossy red, orange, green, red, black and yellow.  These toys have small parts that can come off and choke babies as well as the rattle handle violates the voluntary rattle standards.

Fit & Fresh(tm) Smooth Blend Mixers  This recall involves Fit & Fresh(tm) Smooth Blend Mixers with item number 770FF and model number SB-19. The white mixers have four components - a base unit, blade assembly, blending cup and cap. Fit & Fresh(tm) is printed on the front of the base. The recalled mixers can be identified by the date code, a four-digit number located on the bottom of the base. Date codes included in the recall are: 2707, 4407, 5207 and 0308.  These have been recalled due to them unexpectedly cutting on when putting the cup off or on causing the blades to start up. 

Yesterday, I harped on marital values but all those things should be with any committed relationship.  I should have called them relationship values. If you are in a partnership with another person then you should be committed to each other not everyone and their cousin or your cousin’s girlfriend!  Those values are not just reserved for married couples. They should be for any relationship whether you are straight, gay, or bi. They should be held true if you are married, intending to marry or just plan on living together forever.  If you are in any kind of exclusive one on one relationship with a partner you are considering for life then you should value them like you want to spend the rest of your life with them. Your relationship values should reflect how much you value your partner as a person. You should value them all the time not only when it’s convenient for you and you don’t have better plans with your buddies!

I grew up watching my parents, and grandparents with their relationships.  I seen the respect and love they had for each other.  I want that kind of relationship.  My parents had their ups and downs with their marriage.  They couldn’t make it work between the two of them and divorced when I was two.  They have both since found and married wonderful people.  Love, respect, concern, trust, and fidelity are part of their everyday marriages.

Now that I am grown and dealing with my second divorce, I am wondering what the hell happened to values in marriage.  What happened to mutual respect for your partner?  Shouldn’t courtesy for one another be a given?  Since when did keeping your private parts between you and partner and not half the country become an option in committed relationships?  When did it become kosher to party and bar hop without concern for the others feelings?  Since when did trust become something that is one dimensional?  Why is it something that is only reserved for one person of the party?

Marriages and committed relationships are not like going car shopping. Love, respect, concern, trust, and fidelity are not cruise control, sunroof, air bags, power windows and all wheel drive.  It’s not like saying well I don’t use cruise control so that’s not a perk that I want. You can’t pick or choose what components of your vows that you want to keep and make your marriage work.  I don’t want part of them. I want all of them. They all go hand in hand. Am I being unreasonable? Am I asking for too much?

This year has been a pretty rotten year. My girls and I have been through a lot. My grandfather passed away from Pancreatic Cancer. We have dealt with my husband’s return from Iraq and now our separation and divorce.

Yesterday, I reflected on what I do have and I have a lot. My car is paid for so I don’t have to worry about making the payments on it. I have lots of family that love us. I am thankful that we have a roof over our heads. I am thankful for my best friend who had the balls to tell me the truth. I am thankful, most of all, for my beautiful daughters. I have the most awesome girls, of course, I am biased.

I hope this Thanksgiving everyone was able to find at least one thing they were thankful for. I found too many to list and for that I am thankful.

Alnico Bar Magnets which are manufactured by Home Science Tools of Billings Montana have been recalled.  The magnets were part of a science kit or came packaged as a pair and sold between May 2008 and September 2008. These magnets were painted red and blue with lead paint.  Coming from
China, this really does not surprise me. They were sold as item number   MG-BAR3AL and sold at web retailers and by mail order.  If you have purchased these, take them away and contact Home Science Tools to receive replacement magnets.  

For additional information, contact Home Science Tools at (800) 860-6272 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.hometrainingtools.com

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09011.html

As a Mom, I firmly believe in safety for my children and believe keeping up with product recalls is important.  When my oldest daughter was a baby she had lead poisoning. We never did find out what caused it.  I do not want this to happen to other kids so to do my part to help prevent it; I am going to start posting blogs with product recall information.

If manufacturers keep losing money from putting our children’s lives in danger to save a couple of bucks on paint, maybe they’ll wise up! As well as toy recalls, I will be posting recall information on clothing, bedding and anything else that children might play with or use. So check back often, I’ll try to have the latest recalls out as soon as I find them!

I had made the short trip to my Mom’s for one of our coffee and chat sessions that’s so rare with our hectic work schedules. Even though we talk on the phone almost daily, it’s still nice to actually see each other.  Our family really centers on Mom’s den. When one of us shows up, usually a couple more come to visit too.

I was trying to fill my family in on everything that had happened over the past few weeks with the breakup of my marriage and upcoming divorce.  My little 12 year old angel, who should have been off playing but can’t stand to be left out of a conversation, pops her head into the den to give her two cents. She says “Mom, I can sum up your marriage in two sentences.”  Wanting to hear her insight into my marriage, I give her the go ahead. “You marriage is like a cell phone contract. It last for two years and was full of lies!” she replied.  I think we all nearly fell out of our chairs laughing.  Oh, out of the mouths of babes!

While it is not really funny, it is because in this case it is so true.