Some Freaky...and Nice Easter Videos for You!

The first one really is freaky! The weird little eggs will haunt me in my dreams tonight, as the Easter bunny prepares to add chocolate to their weird little countenances in the baskets set out for the children.



The next one is a classic and my favorite of all the Peanuts videos. It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! That Marcy really is dim! This one "cracks" the kids up every time we watch it. I'm so glad we can still share in the awesomeness that is Charles Schultz. Happy Easter!

Keeping Kids Safe This Summer

Before you know it, the kids will be out of school and looking for things to do. You'll be wanting to keep them safe from the hazards that free time and heat can bring!

Here are some tips for keeping your children safe during summertime and Spring Break!





My Kids Ride Safe

• Infants ride in rear-facing car seats as long as possible, but until at least one year of age and 20 pounds.


• Children at least one year old and between 20-40 pounds are secured in a forward-facing car seat.


• Children over 40 pounds ride in a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt.


• Children who weigh 80 pounds and 4 feet 9 inches tall may use an adult lap and shoulder belt.


• Before getting in my vehicle and starting the motor, I always walk all the way around it to check for children.


• I never leave my child alone in a car

My Kids Swim Safe

• I maintain visual contact with my kids when they are playing in or near the water.


• Install fencing around all sides of a home pool or spa. The fencing should be five feet high and have self-closing, self-latching gates.


• My children wear life jackets when on a boat, near open bodies of water or when playing water sports, and I make sure the life jackets fit properly.


• After their fourth birthday, my kids take swim lessons

My Kids Play Safe

• I always supervise my children on playground equipment.
  
• Safe playgrounds have 12 inches of shredded rubber, hardwood fiber mulch or sand beneath the equipment.


• I don’t dress children in loose clothing, clothes with drawstrings or necklaces when they play on the playground.


• When practicing or playing team sports, my children wear the right protective gear.

My Kids Wheel Safe

• I make sure my child wears a helmet and other protective gear when riding bikes, skates or scooters.


• The helmet fits snugly and does not rock back and forth. It should be centered on the head, strapped and buckled.The bike fits my child and is in good working order.


• I teach my child the rules of the road and to obey traffic rules.


• Children under 10 should only wheel on sidewalks, paths or other designated areas.

My Kids Walk Safe

• My children under 10 cross the street with an adult.


• Teach children to cross streets at the corner, to use crosswalks and obey traffic signals.


• Instruct children to look left, right and left again before crossing the street and to keep looking as they cross.


• Remind children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing.


• I dress my kids in clothing with reflective materials and give them a flashlight when it’s dark.

Surviving Hannah

It's been nearly a week since our daughter's Hannah Montana Birthday Extravaganza (or hereafter known as HMBE). We hosted 18 rock-n-roll stylin' girls aged 8 and 9 in our home for singing, dancing and fun.

As each kid arrived, they received a customized "backstage pass to Hannah's concert" and an autograph book to capture each other's pop persona autographs.

They played games like "race for the tickets", where we did relay races for fake tickets to the "concert" that could be turned in for cool prizes. They also did a lot of freeze dancing for prizes. Each girl had a chance to do High School Musical Sing It karaoke.
Everyone glittered their hair, their faces, their clothes, the entire house! Everyone had a rockin' good time! I would highly recommend this theme for this age group of girls and it's easy to do at home. And we already had the Wii thanks to

Tim winning it from PayPerPost last year!

Tim Survives the Father Daughter Dance

Last night my husband, Tim, escorted our eldest daughter to her 3rd Father-Daughter Dance. Being the effervescent writer that he is, you can find all the poignant details at his post on Florida Sun Dog. The little one was supposed to go, but she's had some kind of 48 hour flu type virus and is just getting better today. That's good because we are hosting the best Hannah Montana party ever today in for Annie's 9th Birthday. Actually, it's billed as High School Musical/Hannah Montana/American Idol. But basically, it's a bunch of pre-tweens having fun and dressing up. I wish they had these kind of parties when I was their age. We had cake and presents and one game in the living room. That was about it.

Oh, To Be Young Again.....

My daughter recently attended a sleepover with her friends sans cocktails (they are still young) for a birthday. They had a fashion show and danced with the disco ball! Great fun was had by all! Check out the adorable cake her mom made by hand (I'm not that ambitious, but I do appreciate great homemade cakes!) It's a sleepover cake!

Hillary Clinton Should Win Because She's "Stylin"!

Overheard between my husband (staunch Republican) and youngest daughter, Emily:

(While looking at a newspaper showing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton)

"Who would you vote for?" asks Tim. Daughter replies, "Hillary." "Why?" says Tim. "Because she's stylin", says Emily. Tim, "that's not a reason to vote for someone." Emily says, "And I think she'll stop the war."

You Go Emily! Six year olds have an eye for fashion, trends and the truth!

The Joys of Childhood.....And Motherhood!

My youngest told me yesterday that she wasn't going to college. No way, not ever! I asked her why? She said, "because I'll never leave you Mommy!" Of course, you won't, darling! Never, ever....we'll see when she's sixteen! But I said, "you can stay with me forever!" And she smiled...the joys of motherhood!

How Can A Mom Keep Decent Hair?

You moms know what I'm talking about! I don't think I've had good hair on display since I had kids....well, maybe a few times, when I actually took the valuable hour to prep, shampoo, condition and set my hair and actually use styling products. That would be going on nine years now, by the way. It's quite sad!

Sometimes I go several days without time to actually shampoo my hair, or even take a shower! (don't tell my husband - wait....he probably knows - that's sad too!) I am happy to say that I have found a product that can actually help me and all the other moms out there who need a quick fix up in between that luxurious shower and shampoo time! Salon Grafix Dry Shampoo is really cool in that you can do a quick spray shampoo for those times when you don't have time! They also offer shades of brunette, blonde and silver so that it matches your hair color, while you use it to give yourself a quick hair clean up when you need it! I plan on keeping it in my bag for quick emergency touch ups when I need to head out to meet someone without having time to go home!

Salon Grafix dry shampoo is really a great mom product when the time crunch hits. And when is there NOT a time crunch, especially for you who still have infants and toddlers!

Girl Scout Cookie Sales - The World Was Against Us Today!

They say troubles come in threes, don't they? Well, we're waiting for number three and we still have time for it to happen! Today was our first day of Girl Scout Cookie Selling. My oldest is in her last year of Brownies and has a tremendous personal cookie sales goal of 750 boxes. If she achieves this, she'll get to go on a special trip to Arabian Nights in Orlando with the local council.

Already, we have one personal strike against us, because on Friday, I started to get the annual "sickness". You know, runny nose, quick bronchitis....blah, blah, yecch. So I don't feel good. But you only get to sell cookies for a short time and we gotta beat the other Brownies out there, so off we went. I drive her around and she goes to the doors. Midway through our morning run, I am backing out of a driveway and suddenly, the front end of the Explorer is in the air! I ran off the culvert and got stuck. I rang and rang the house, but no one answered. I finally sent my little scout running home to get me some help. Tim arrived and pushed me out of the ditch. Literally...with his bare hands - no truck, or anything! (he made me add this....)No harm, really.

We took a break. We headed back out after lunch, this time with little sister in tow. After only two houses, she is running across a yard and whammo! she steps on a metal rake with her Crocs on. She fell, the shoe was impaled (Crocs don't offer much protection) and her foot was bleeding. Someone doesn't want us selling cookies today!

She is fine, just scraped, no puncture wound and her tetanus shots are up to date. But the bastards didn't even offer to buy cookies after she fell in their yard! I can't tell you how many people will say "no" to a sweet little 8-year-old and her 6-year-old sister, I never say no to any scouts at my door!

Bottom-line is this - when a Girl Scout comes to the door - BUY A BOX OF COOKIES! For God's sake, do support the children who are doing something positive with their lives, not just running around robbing liquor stores or smoking crack....

Let us know if you want to buy some cookies or make a donation to Gift of Caring - they'll donate cookies to the needy, old folks homes, or orphans - no lie! Just email me at staceylovelock@yahoo.com.

There, I'm better now...have a cookie!

How Can I Write Anything Better than This?

I just cruised over to my husband's funny blog to see what he's been writing and found this profoundly touching and unfunny post about our daughter's birthday on Dec 31st. I really don't think I can write anything better than this today, so I'll just leave you to read that and see you tomorrow. Happy 2008! But I will add photos to go with the story...Here's the princess on her 6th Bday and sometime shortly after her scary original birthday!

Christmas, then the Birthday!

We have just returned from our Christmas outing to my husband's family. We left well, all but one came home sick - so far that's me...the one. I guess I'll count my blessings that no one has thrown up this holiday season...yet! I think think that makes this one the first in five years or so.

My youngest's 6th birthday is fast approaching on New Year's Eve. In the past, we've done her party with kids either before Christmas break or far after, but this year we're actually going to try to have the party on her real birthday! But I have made a grave error....

I thought no one would want to come to a holiday time birthday party....boy was I wrong! I invited all the girls from her class, her Daisy troop, her soccer team and a few from dance, as well as a few of her sister's friends to act as helpers. Almost everyone is coming! Now, all I can do is pray for no rain, decent temperatures and improved health for the birthday child!

New Bumbo Video Outtakes - So Funny!

Here's the newest video from Ready Set Bumbo! It shows a lot of how they made the videos with the dog and baby and a lot of funny moments too! Looks like they have a series in development! Yay - Kodi and Baby!

Letters From Santa for Kids

You still have time for your children to receive Letters From Santa in time for Christmas. Children love to get mail and what's better than a response from Santa Claus! They'll receive a personalized letter from Santa, customized to fit their activities and requests, as well as a beautiful postmarked envelope from the North Pole! For one low price and free shipping, the kids will also get a free customized door hanger and a follow-up postcard from Santa for after the big day!

Child-Related Recalls - Stroller, Hairstyling Iron

I am featuring the below recalls because they are items that I consider child-related recalled items. The first recall is for some models of Stokke Xplory® Strollers, being recalled because wheels have fallen off, causing child injuries. The second is Farouk Systems WEE CHI Ceramic Hairstyling Irons, as parents may have children and teens who would be using these hairstylers. They are being recalled due to potential burn and fire hazard caused by a problem with the on/off button. The details and photos for these and other recalls of the week can be found at the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

Stokke/Xplory® Baby Strollers

A bolt that attaches each front wheel to the stroller can loosen, causing one of the front wheels to fall off, posing a fall hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 14 reports of one of the front wheels falling off, including one incident where a child received a scratch when she toppled out of the stroller. In addition, there were 244 reports outside of the United States of one of the front wheels falling off.

Only Xplory® baby strollers with serial numbers between 1 and 28,097 and with grey handles are included in the recall. The serial number is located under the foot plate. Strollers with white handles are not included in this recall.

Manufactured in: The recalled front wheels were manufactured in China and the strollers were made in Norway.

Sold through: Stokke distributors, Web site and juvenile product retailers nationwide from September 2003 through December 2006 for about $770.

Consumers should stop using the recalled strollers immediately and contact Stokke to arrange for a free replacement of the front wheels. Stokke will contact all known purchasers by e-mail or regular mail. Stokke notified its retailers and posted a recall notice on its Web site in May 2007.
Note: Some consumers have already received a repair to their stroller or are in the process of receiving replacement wheels. These consumers do not need to contact Stokke again.
Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Stokke toll-free at (877) 978-6553 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at StokkeUSA.

Farouk Systems/WEE CHI Ceramic Hairstyling Irons

The iron’s “on/off” switch was installed incorrectly. When the iron is plugged in and switch is in the “off” position, the iron remains “on,” which could pose fire and burn hazards. No injuries reported.

The recalled hairstyling iron is black and measures 9.5 inches long. “CHI” is printed on the iron in red lettering. Date code 0306 or 0507 is embossed on the inside of the paddle.

Sold by: Professional beauty supply distributors and beauty salons nationwide from April 2006 through September 2007 for about $160.

Manufactured in: South Korea

Consumers should stop using the product immediately and contact the firm to return the product for a full refund or replacement iron. Farouk Systems is directly notifying all distributors and retailers.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Farouk Systems Inc. at (800) 237-9175 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.Farouk.com.

I Don't Like the Ham Because It's Purple....

I wouldn't eat purple ham...would you? Well check out the comments my daughter's classmates wrote in an informal survey she did of friends about her school's cafeteria food offerings.

Here's what they said (spelled the way they wrote them):

I like: chocolate milk, carrots, broccoli, and steak (I've never seen them serve this yet!) - Maggi

I like: hotdogs & pizza. I don't like the strawberries...they are mushy. - Annie

I like the turkey, mash pothoes and papa jones pizza. I don't like everything else, except chiken nuggets - Nicole

I like cheese sticks and pizza - Papa Jhons and chicken nuggets. I don't like ham because it is purple, and I don't like anything else - Allie.

At least one kid mentioned the veggies....I have to chime in and say I've never eaten worse food in any cafeteria anywhere - I feel for them. It's all frozen and usually poorly prepared. Veggies and fruits are mushy/frozen and meats have too much salt or too little seasoning. I think she plans a full on assault by having all the kids write to the principal.

We Got Hannah Montana Tickets......

Yes, we finally got tickets to a Hannah Montana concert....her movie! Can you believe the kids made me stay up until midnight on Friday to assure them of seats for a concert movie that won't play until February 1st? Yes, and it cost as much for four seats as it did for me to see the last concert I attended...hmmm that probably says too much about my age....but it was a lot for movie tix. This better be good, since we are frozen out of the live performances. Go check out my husbands blog to see how he is handling the family Hannah fetish.

We do enjoy Hannah, not that there's anything wrong with that!

Updated List of Hot Toys for Christmas 2007

I posted my Santa's toy list a few days back, but here's another list of hot toys for Christmas 2007 : They are predicted to be very difficult to find this year for your children. I'm already keeping an eye out for some of them now. We already have a few, and unfortunately, we have several November and December birthdays to buy for as well. We are trying to keep the China factor limited though.

American Idol Talent Challenge

Aqua Dots Super Studio (Update - This is Now a Recalled Toy! - No Longer should anyone have these!)

Barbie Girls

Eye-Clops (Update - we got this one)

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (we will be asking for more Wii games)

Hannah Montana Singing Dolls and Pop Star Stage (We got these)

Nerf N-Strike Disc Shot

Rubik’s Revolution

Fisher-Price Smart Cycle

Spotz

SwypeOut Online Battle Racing

Transformers Arm Blasters & Transformers Movie Ultimate Bumblebee

Send Your Children Letters From Santa Claus

I always enjoyed writing letters to Santa Claus each year until I was about eight years old. It was that year I found the Santa present stash stored in my parents' garage. They didn't make up some happy story when I confronted them about it. I kind of wish they had......

Christmas is about magic! My oldest is a questioner and she has her doubts, that's okay. But I won't confirm her suspicions about the reality of Santa. Because I do think Santa is real! Also, Santa's elves will be arriving today bearing notes, mayhem, and tiny gifts until Christmas. We all help make Santa real through our thoughts and actions! Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! You can help keep the Christmas magic going yourself by using Santa Letters! Your child will get a Personalized Letter from Santa I think this is really cool. You help create special memories your kids will treasure forever!

Amazing Ways to Tie Your Sneakers

I stumbled upon this blog post today, Amazing Ways to Tie Your Sneakers. There must be 50 ways to lace and tie your funky shoes. Who knew? I've got to tell you I've never done any other way except the way I learned when I was five years old. I think I will re-lace my Reeboks and see if I can be way cool at age 44. Check it out!

Seasons - A Poem

I thought I'd share a poem my daughter wrote this week while sitting in class. Her teacher was so impressed with it, she called me to tell me. This wasn't an assignment, she just did it for fun:

Seasons

A summer breeze turns to fall wind,
Which will soon turn to winter.
And soon to Spring when the frost melts,
And then right back to summer.
The seasons change throughout the year,
Summer fun turns to holiday cheer.
It seems like magic in the air,
When the seasons change everywhere!

It really is this way isn't it? And now we're already getting ready for winter!