Because I Said So!!! Mom Knows Best!

Ugh! All this back and forth and back and forth is
killing me here. Run here and there and don't forget to
hit this place. It is hard enough with kids and taking
them everywhere they need to go. Andrew who spends
his time between here and his Dads makes for a lot of
packing and unpacking and the Baby. < Hangs Head >
The Diaper bag alone is enough to cause hip dysplasia
in most adults. I also have my dog who has to go with
no matter where we go and even has her own travel
pack for she loves Andrews Dad and he loves her and
Boo has spent a lot of time over there and needs stuff.
Now add in my Mother. < Hangs head and Sighs! > so
much carting around and running I am just about beat.
Even worse, feeding everyone. I had to learn to face
facts. I just don't have the cash to eat out all the time.
I was sitting there last week when John was still down
South and thought McDonald's tasted good for we have
not had it in ages. It was only Andrew and Rowan, the
Pooch and myself. I am not a huge eater and though
I get a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder I can make two
meals out of it and I share a small fry with Rowan.
So we go and get Andrew and I a large sandwich, with
a coupon that was BOGO and then a happy meal and
then the dollar menu, 2 pops, fry, nuggets for Boo,
2 apple pies and 2 salads. 23 dollars! For 2 Adults
and a Baby and a 4 piece for the dog. 23 smackaroos!
I was in shock! I remember when Andrew and I could
eat for under 10 dollars, heck close to five and now it
is 4 times that and the two others that eat are happy
meal age. I know with John home it would have been
over 30 dollars and I would have cried even more. So I
have learned to pack lunches whenever I can.
Now that brings us to storage containers. Lord do
I have them everywhere. I have about 4 dozen lunch
boxers alone for John used to take lunch to work every
single day and before High School and the threat of
ruining Andrews social life, he did too. Both of the boys
would loose their heads if not attached so I picked them
up when ever I saw a good deal on them. I had a
couple for each of them and then they would swear one
was lost and I would replace it and when Andrew left
Jr High and the locker he had for 3 years he came home
with about 10. YIKES! The 6 or so I had at the home
just turned to 16. The John, years and years working
part time at the same place that turned to full time when
he left the Fire Department were soon spent filing for
Unemployment. He clears out his work station and
brings home another Dozen or so. DOUBLE YIKES!
What happened to them being lost? It soon dawned
on me that they were as lost as it is hard to locate
the Milk in the fridge that I have to go and find for
them, middle top shelf, every single time! Boys, boys,
and boys, too lazy too really look. So now I am up
around 3 dozen and Rowan shows her little face and
I need lunch items for a whole new person that the
old boxes just will not work for. Plus little plastic
containers for treats and crackers and everything else
Baby needs.
My overhead cabinets are insane with storage
and lunch containers. The only thing I don't have is
a container for me. I like Rice and Stir fry for why?
Yeah, you guessed it, I am always on a diet. The
funny part is Andrew lovesssssssss Stir Fry and Tai
Food more then anything. To pack that to go though
is the biggest pain in the dairy airy for you need so
many containers it just isn't worth it. Well I was speaking
to a nice lady I had met and she told me that she had
just the solution with a Bento Box that does not take
up a small country worth of shelf space. In fact
Bento Boxes in General are easy to store. She
directs me to a place called Zojirushi. Neat! They
also do a whole lot more then Bento Boxes too. A
whole lot. I contacted them and got to do a review
for you guys. The item is called the The Ms. Bento
Stainless Lunch Jar and is about the neatest thing I
have ever seen. Not only does it all come in this
adorable little carry bag that is the perfect size for
the whole kit and kaboodle it includes a washable
container, two microwaveable inner bowls, chopsticks,
and chopsticks holder. I feel all organized and fashionable.
It is stainless steel but it is blue so it even looks
darling. Not that I have anything against stainless steel
for that looks pretty sharp all on its own but I have so
many stainless items that I need a little bit of color in
my life. The Ms. Bento brings it! Not only are you
blessed with this durable construction you have the
inner bowls that are perfect for the microwave and
can go right from the fridge to there and not miss a
beat. Easy to clean? You Betcha! And made for the
foods I like, Stir Fry, Mamma is coming home!
I about fell in love with my very own bag that if the
boys touch I will break-a-da-face!

In fact I think I have fallen for Zojirushi all
by themselves for they have a lot of items that are
right up my alley. With baby I am rushed and they
have bottle warmers to make my day a little more
easy. My Coffee addiction can be fed with an air
pot or and Electric Kettle, both are great ways to
keep Coffee hot and right next to me for they are
safe too! They have a whole line of Gourmet items
and the Ms. Bento I received is only the tip of the
ice berg there. You also have got to see the Zutto
collection for sharp, sharp and sharp. I would kill to
have any one of these items in my kitchen. What
they are is this super stylish and efficient line of
kitchen appliances that look like they belong in life
styles of the rich and shameless and you can even afford
them for your home. The other product that Zojirushi
makes is a Rice Cooker and I must say I am aching
to try that. I have never in my life been able to
get rice to cook right unless it is Uncle Ben's instant
and thank you Uncle Ben for without you I would really
be with out a paddle on the infamous creek but
the Rice Cookers that Zojirushi makes looks so easy
that I think even I could handle one. If I ever get my
hands on one I promise to let you know. They have
a huge line to choose from and each one comes with
its own set of gadgets and special effect. All of them
belong in my kitchen! Zojirushi offers a taste of Japan
right here in the good old United States of America
and you can learn a whole lot more about them on
their web site plus they have a whole lot of stuff
that is a blast to check out too. Recipes, the Animation
theater and would you believe there is a whole bit
on how to make perfect rice! YUM and I admit I am
nervous but I am sure going to give it a try!

One of you can win a handy dandy Ms Bento
box too! To enter just head over to the site and take
a look around and then come back here and post what
you liked best about the Zojirushi site! The contest will
start tonight and run to Midnight on April 27th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day, every day, and then posting that you did here
and other ways to enter are posted below.

Zojirushi


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

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and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times. You may only do this
one time! This is not a daily entry.

2. Tweet about my blog and post the link
here. 5 entries, please post five times. You
may do this once per day if you post a new
tweet. For Each Daily entry there must be a
tweet for that day!

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times. You may only do this one time!
This is not a daily entry.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries. Please
post five times. You may do this once per
day per new blog post! For each Daily entry
there must be a blog post for that day!



Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Radius Toothbrush and isABelt Contests!

A lot of people would flip out if the saw Andrews
room. Not all for the same reasons for most Moms would
flip out at how dirty it is, I know I do! Ask Andrew and
he will tell you just how "Dramatic" I can be when it
comes to stressing the point on how dirty his room is and
how much I can't tolerate it. But that isn't really what
I am talking about. What I mean was Children and pretty much
any kind of person who gets into build sets such as Lego's
and Duplo and Mega Blocks and K'nex would ball like a baby
if they saw what he had. For about 6 years straight Andrew
had passion for 2 things, Building sets and die cast cars.
Now the cars he liked but wouldn't dream about or get all
crazy over. By the time he was a teenager that fad was also
just about over. What he is left with is about 300-400 Hot wheels
and Match Box cars. The things there is the cars always were
good for bribe items, you know like be good while Mommy is
in her meeting and you can have a Hot wheel on the way home.
Also Stocking stuffers and Easter basket fillers. He also had
a knack for finding them at every garage sale we ever went to
and for about a year there they had them in McDonald Happy meals
and his school, believe it or not, rewarded the kids who got
stars every day with McDonald's for lunch every Friday and
then of coarse we stopped there at times as well. So that
collection grew without him even trying. Now other boys liked
more then one thing, most have a whole list of items they
are into. Action figures, sports stuff, videos, big old trucks
and so many other things. Not Andrew. Now he liked videos but
from the time he was young he was into older movies and music
and instead of having a wish list of Movies he wanted for Holidays
he was always into ours asking if he could watch this or that.
The same with Music. Real little time was spent, a bit with Barney
and that passed on his second Birthday for he got his first
set of Duplo Blocks. After that. Look out, because he never
looked back. Andrew was also the only child for about 15
years and not only was he the only child he was the only
Grandchild and only Great Grandchild. Spoiled does not define
that. Spoiled is what he starts his week with, he ends it on
a much higher note. I also have to admit I was a big part
of that as well. I bought him a Toy every single week and
on Holidays I went insane. I was a single, working mother
and had a chip of guilt on her shoulder large enough to
sink a small steam ship. Working 50-60 hours a week and another
10-15 drive time left little for us and on my day off we spent
it totally together on what we called "Date night" and how
that went was while he was a school I ran errands and always
stopped to pick him up a toy then I would grab him from
school and we would go to a nice dinner and do it up pretty
big there and while we waited for our food we would put
together his toy and then a Movie. After that we went home and
curled up on the couch together and snacked on left overs.
It was the same every week so that adds up to 52 toys a year
from me not including Christmas, Easter and his Birthday.
Translation, 52 plus Lego, Mega Block and K'nex sets a year
and that was only from me. No Grandmothers or Dads hat in
the ring yet. For Holidays he could have 20 plus sets alone
as gifts. Why would people flip out when they entered Andrews
room? Simple. Do you know those plastic Storage containers?
You used them for stashing your Christmas decorations or
off season clothing or a million other reasons. Well he has
about 20 of the large large ones (100 Quart up to 132 quarts)
filled with nothing but those building sets. He has the
entire line of Lego's, Mega Block and K'nex that were on the
market from 1995 to around 2004. Every single product they
made. Not only does he have that it got to be smilier to
when you read a certain author and you are waiting for a
new release. He was jumping at the bit when a new one came
out and toward the last couple of years he would wait for
months during the year and have all his money saved so when
they release new items he would snap them up. That was great,
he was really on top of it for a elementary child and JR
High school kid but that made it super tough for the rest of
us at Holiday time and we were forced to get creative and
had to get him collectors sets from Hobby shops that have
been out of production for years and his Father even went
so far as to buy some items over seas that were not available
in the United States. In total Andrew has around 800 sets of
these items.
800!
Do you know how many pieces that is?
We did try to get him interested in other toys. In fact just
to break the mold one Christmas, when we could not find a single
set he didn't have we knew he liked Star Wars so we bought him
an R2D2 Robot. This thing was cool and it really was a robot. It
costs a small fortune but we really wanted him to have another
interest. He was getting into video games by then but still all
he asked for was this building sets. So we got the Robot. We
really thought he would love it. This thing patrolled the perimeter
of your room, would dance and was interactive and what I thought
was adorable was if you said the name Darth Vader it would do R2's
little "Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" scream and shake all over.
There couldn't have been a cooler toy out there and Christmas
come and he opens it, says thank you and then asks if he got
any K'nex.
WOW!
Now I wish I could say he has grown out of it. He has and he hasn't.
The has part means he no longer only wants them. He is now really
into computers too but if he has extra cash he will still buy one.
At almost 17 if you give him one as a gift he will still get a lot
more excited then if you give him concert tickets or a CD or a video
game. I honestly don't think he will ever "get over" them and for
years I have asked him if he would like to sell his to make room
for other things and he always says sure, I will find some I don't
want and then never do it. I have even told him how much money he
could get and it is A LOT and still no interest in parting with them.
When I got this next review letter I just about keeled over. Andrew
would go nuts. Now I expected a set or two, maybe even one of the
mid-sized ones. I don't know if you guys are familiar with building
sets but they pretty much come in 3 sizes, give or take. A small one,
a mid-sized and then a large. They also have the WOAH MAMMA ones but
but not every collection has that. That is the other way they are broken
down, collections. So I am thinking a couple of smalls or a mid-sized
one. Now, I could not think of a better person, or one more qualified
to judge a building kit from K'nex then Andrew so when he got home
I told him. Half way through letting him know though I did stop and
say what they send might be one of the sets made for the younger kids
so don't get too excited and he didn't care. It has been over a year
since he has gotten any and he was jones'n for a fix. As of last year
Andrew has only wanted cash as a gift since he was saving for his
Gaming computer and budgeting is a tough thing to do and Andrew has
learned you can no longer buy everything when you want something
big and expensive. He just finished his computer around Christmas
but he hasn't been able to work with his Dad and earn some money
yet since so a K'nex set in the mail was a big deal for him. I told him
it would be a while and that took some of the air out of his sails but
he was still geeked. Well, I thought it would take a while and was I
wrong. K'nex is lightening fast. I spoke with them on a Thursday and
the start of the next week it was here. I almost keeled over. AND
not from the delivery time. My UPS man and I are pals. He is the
nicest guy in the world. He has brought stuff in my house clear down
stairs before and anything heavy he will wait to I answer the door for
if I don't he brings it back later so he can carry it in. He also does
the same if it is raining. Light stuff he is really careful with and
he always rings the bell and knocks to let me know he is here and
waits, even when he is in a rush. So I hear the truck pull up and
I am in the middle of giving Rowan a bath so I rush to the window
and throw it open and when he hops out of the truck I yell down
to him to just leave it on the porch today. He stops for a minute
and tells me he isn't sure he should its pretty heavy and I holler
back not to worry John should be back any minute. I get the hat
tip and back to the bath. About 20 minutes later I went to check
in case there were some light boxes I could grab.
OH, My, ( Pause and breath)
This is, ( breath again)
THE BIGGEST( some more breathing)
BOXXXXXXXXXXX I have ever seen!
Now I have seen some boxes, aside from reviews I do all my shopping
on-line for the most part. I just don't get around well. Walking the dog

is one thing, I know my limits but they frown when you sit down in
the middle of a mall. I get as many as 5 to 20 packages a day but
this is hugeeeeeeeeee. I am thinking to myself what in the world could
be coming that is that big. I have not a clue. At least not that big.
I carried the other boxes in and I knew I could not wait for John to
come home I would die of curiosity. I drag it in and rip into it.
K'nex!

she did not send me a few items, she sent me a few of every item they
had that year. All of them. 13 different items. Talk about shock. And Now
I had to sit down and catch my breath for a minute I was so
overwhelmed I had no idea what Andrew was going to do. This was
Christmas. Heck, better then Christmas for a boy as in love with
them as much as he was. Inside this box were:

 Kick it Elmo

Swim Time Ernie,

Cookies Monsters, Basketball

 And for loose sets there were
Fire Rescue 10 Model Set
350 piece K'nex Value set


Construction crew: Backhoe
Excavator
Steam Roller
Front Loader




The Microbots Speedy
Scooter
Crawler
Hopper
When Andrew came home and saw the pile on the floor I thought he
was going to keel over. I had to block him at the door to the kitchen
to explain the ground rules too him. All he had on his mind was getting
to the K'nex. I explained he had to make at least one from each series
in front of me so I could see how it was made and how difficult it was
and all sorts of info about the items I needed to know. I told him that this
was not going to happen all in one day for if Andrew had his way he
would have sat in the middle of the living room and tore open every
box and went to town. He would not have ate or slept to every single
one was done. If my son's love of these is not a spectacular endorsement
in itself I don't know what could be better. Here he is, almost 17 years
old and is still as infatuated with K'nex today as he was 15 years ago.
A better spokesman they will never find
For the review we are going to start with the Sesame Street
items we received. Andrew actually sat down with Rowan to build these.
Now she is too young right now to take part in the construction of the
K'nex but after watching and speaking to him, it will not be too
long before she will be able to. Now a lot of children don't understand
the concept of what piece goes where and Andrew was a rare exception
for he was putting together much larger kits by 3 and has some sort
of gift for you can give him a picture and the most complected set there
is and he will have it done in less then an hour. Andrew is determined
Rowan will like them just as much. Hey, it will be their middle ground.
For building it says ages 2 to 5 and they are right on the money. Rowan
being under that loves the pieces and tries to mimic her brother but
just does not understand how to make them stay together yet. Give her
a year and she will be building right along side of them. Now Andrew
had these together super fast so I don't think it would be a challenge
for the high end of that age range but it was still fun. Hey, a 16 year
old enjoyed himself. Now when they are built, look out. Rowan knew
right away that she knew these guys and demanded Andrew give them
to her. The fact they are Sesame Street is huge to that age range and
this would not only make a perfect gift, I feel as it is a spectacular
item for you to do with your children. Think of it as a craft. This
is something you can get down on the ground with the younger guys
and help them build. Not only will you be there to help them along
a build their own confidence it gives you a chance to connect with
them. I honestly think this would be one of the best things for Dad
and his little tyke to do for Dads are just uncomfortable with a lot
of craft projects and other things that create that team feeling between
you and your children. I loved this and Andrew and Rowan had a blast
building it together and it was like they had their own little secrete.
Once it is together, hey, this is a toy. The series goes from building
kit to cart around toy and Rowan loves her Elmo K'nex set as much as
she loves her Baby Doll. Value for your dollar? Priceless, you have
the entertainment value of building it and they fact that at their
age it is not the highlight, the complete product is and you also
get to spend time with your children doing something you will both
love. For the price they charge for these you are just not going to
get a better product that is as versatile and entertaining.
Next we did the Fire Rescue. Now that says ages 5 and up but Andrew
says, and I agree with him you can go a little younger for the pieces
are a decent size and since it is interchangeable they are going to
try and make their own creations as well and it is a great way to
encourage imagination. The fact that it is able to create 10 different
items and this truck a huge shelf life and Andrew tried all 10 and
then the fun really started for anyone a little older then 5 is going
to want to see if they can come up with a better design then K'nex did
and combine this from that design and that from another. If I had let
him he would have played with that one in general for the rest of the
night. Rowan was a little bummed though for she wanted in on the fun
and though the age range for that will have a blast playing with these
when they are fully built younger kids don't have the coordination
to handle them without them coming apart. This would make a perfect
gift for a budget for they will feel like they are getting something
super cool and you can afford it.
Value for your dollar? I loved the fact you are pretty much getting
10 toys for the price of one and as far as the kids go, a boy the most,
is going to be used a long long time. I don't see this one hitting
the toy box for a long time. My only complaint isn't really a complaint at all
but more of a suggestion, I would love it if they made something just like
this but with larger pieces for it is such a catchy toy and bright and i
nteresting and something kids identify with early and younger kids
would love it. Rowan lost interest in some of the other ones but this
had her undivided attention the whole time and
she wanted to play with it desperately.
After that we did the Collect and play Construction series and who can
say boy town? If you have a little boy this is the set to get. Snakes
and snails nothing, move that dirt and dig a hole this is where it is at.
Andrew loved it for boys love toys no matter what age and what I mean
by that is the older kids are going to love it for they have those
dreams of driving one themselves and they reach the younger side of
the 5 and up age. They are going to just plain love it. Watch out though for once
built it will be taken out to the dirt. They can't help themselves.
The really cool part is this has accessory's and when they collect them
all they can make their own construction site. Mom, buy all four and
then you might not have them tracking dirt across your floor! This
is one all ages and types of kids will love for it has mass appeal
and not only will it be a great gift it will be something great to
keep them busy in the Summer when they can take it outside.
Value for your dollar? Great deal here, affordable as all get out
and fun to collect. I would get them a little box to throw their
accessory's in for they will bum out if they loose them.
Next we did the Moto Bot series. For ages 7 and up and I would
stick with those guidelines. They need patience here though it
is not difficult it does take a little longer. This was one of
Andrews favorite though I have to warn you that it takes batteries.
It is worth it though, but the patience comes in when you collect
them all for it is a little more difficult to turn it into the
mega guy Battle Bot. The really cool part there is it is a 4
part set so when you are done you will have dueling Bots and
they will have a blast with their friends. Unlike a lot of the
sets this one is a set you can share or should I say it works
better when you do for how can you duel by yourself. It is also
a set that is great for a gift for that age when you are unsure
what to buy them. Got a Nephew who is 12 or 13 and you know they
are over kids items but not sure if they are ready for the teen
fads, this is a safe bet and they will love it. It is also
another fun thing for kids to do with their Dads, even more so if
they are on the younger age of that range for they might need Dad.
With all four they can also kick Dads butt!
Value for your Dollar? Real good, even with the batteries tossed in.
They can play with it without batteries but they do make it more
fun. Just don't feel pressured to rush out and keep replacing them
and tell the kids when they are practicing their skills leave it off
and when they are combating their Dads or friends then turn it on.
It is an all around cool toy though!


Last of all was the Value tub and what can I say. Andrew is still knee
deep in it and will be for a while. The tub is great for many reasons.
One, it promotes creativity for there are so many pieces they can make
just about anything they dream up. Two, it is nice to have around for
though the colors don't match Andrew has often lost a piece to a set he
loves and think of the tub as your own personal part store. Three,
it makes an awesome storage container for those kits that have too many
lost pieces to make but you don't want to throw away. No matter
what age the kids are they will have a blast with this, heck I sat
there and made stuff with this guy for it is just so tempting you
can't help yourself. Value for your Dollar? Um, it doesn't say value
tub for nothing. This truly is a must have item too for any child
that likes to create. Even girls will love it!


How did the review go? Fantastic. As a parent I am a huge fan of
K'nex in general. Not only because my son is the worlds largest K'nex
fan and believe it or not for many years that was his dream job, to
work for them, but because I think we owe it to our children to help
them develop their creativity and expand their minds. This is a toy
that is made to be used over and over and even when the instructions
are long gone it will still be played with and seldom will you see
K'nex in a toy box and what I mean by that is I consider the toy box
to be the kiss of death. When Andrews toys went in the box it was
because he was done with them. He may not be ready to give them
away but for all intensive purposes he is done playing with them. The toys
he loves he keeps on his shelf for easy access and his K'nex started
out there to he got so many he needed bins. For the money where else
are you going to buy a toy that grows with your child and they will
never tire of. Hey, you have two picks in that category, sporting
equipment and K'nex or building toys. It is just the perfect toy!


As a professional Product reviewer I was also impressed. Not only
with the product but with the company in general. They are going on
my top ten list for not only were they pleasant to deal with they
offer excellent support and customer service and were available
whenever I needed them. I enjoyed being a part of the review and
felt comfortable asking whatever I needed to for they made you feel
at ease. They stand behind their product and truly care that it is
the best possible item they can make and are always looking for ways
to improve themselves. Great company and great product. Not only do
they produce something that is reasonably priced and excellent quality
it is the perfect toy for all types of children and they do not dig
themselves into a niche. K'nex are also great for developmentally
challenged children and Attention Deficit for they are a great
tactile item and helps them develop coordination and patience.
I would love to get my hands on the Lincoln Logs and Brio for I have
never tried either but would imagine since K'nex themselves are so
spectacular they would be as well. K'nex and what they stand for
are tops on my list!


K'nex will be tops on one of your children's list too. One of
my lucky readers is going to win a K'nex gift pack that will make
your child scream. A box packed with sets! Yes, I said PACKED and
SETS! Who wouldn't scream. To enter just head over to the K'nex web
site and take a look around then come back here and post what item
you think your child would like best or hey, don't stop there, what do
you want to get your hands on! The contest will start tonight and
run to Midnight on April 30st.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day every day and then posting that you did here
and other ways to enter are posted below.


K'nex




Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.


1. Become a follower of my blog or Twitter
and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.


2. Tweet about my blog and post the link
here. 5 entries, please post five times.


3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.


4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.






Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!

BOX FOR BLOX
Got Kids?
Kids come with parts. Not just their own parts but parts
of everything they own. Annoying, numerous, tedious and all sized
parts. Want to know what a pain in the butt those parts can be?
Talk to any set of parents at 3 in the morning on Christmas
Eve after they spent the last 5 hours trying to put those parts
together. Better yet, walk in first thing Christmas morning and
hold out another toy that reads "some assembly" and tell them
you would have done it for them but it looks easy enough.
First duck, then run for that toy just might make its way
back to you. OR, buy them a huge Lego or mega block
kit and call them the morning after Christmas early so they
have to get out of bed and walk across the floor to answer
the phone. By the time they answer you will have had great
odds they will have stepped on one of those Lego pieces,
or ten on the way, then ask them how the toy went over.
I do have to warn you that if you try option number two you
should make sure that your life insurance policy is up to date
and you have been paying your premiums for you don't want to
stick someone with that bill, I heard funeral are expensive now
a days! The point I am getting at is any child's toy with parts
ends up being all over your floor and house and you are bound
to step on it long after they have lost interest in it.
Beads for necklaces and bracelets and Lego's are the
worst. Both of them hurt like all get out if you step on them
without shoes on. I have stepped on a few before and
it hurt so bad it brought me to my knees. Even worse, the
bottom of your foot is so sore and it hurts to walk on it for
weeks afterwords. Ouch and GRRRRRRR, all I want to
do is toss everyone in the trash when that happens. I have
bought more plastic bins that I can count for Andrew to pick
up his for he is a fanatic for Lego's and Mega Blocks and
K'nex and beg him to put them in there. He never does and
then I end up screaming at him and he still doesn't. Then
I beg, still no dice. I get to the point where I try to reason
with him and straight out ask him why and his answer is
always,
"Mom, if I put them all in that plastic bucket I will never be
able to find all the pieces. There are just too many and
I would have to dig forever to find the little ones!"
My reply is always,
" Then separate them and make one bin for each sized
piece."
His reply to that,
"Come on Mom, that will take forever!"
SO I end up doing it and it does take forever but the
pride of finishing it is enough to make my heart swell. Now
he has all his blocks organized and perfect and he can find
them when ever he needs them. Andrew walks in and sees
all of his pieces organized and the first words out of his
mouth are "cool, now I can remake ( insert whatever the
last building toy you child got) because I can find everything.
Then he proceeds to dump the boxes out. A day or two
later we are back to square one. Ugh! If only there was
a better way to sort them he might pitch in and help me
once in a while.
My next review IS such a way and a rocken way at
that! Box for Blox. This is another one of those Duh! I
could have thought of that products for hey, we could have.
Anyone with a boy or even a girl, Lego, Mega Block or
K'nex enthusiast knows what a pain in the hiney it is to
get your kids to pick them up. To keep them neat is even
harder yet and when you suggest to your kids that they do
the job they look at you like you are a leper.
Sort what?

Surely you are out of your mind to suggest such a thing.
Box for Blox makes it a painless task so simple your child
can't even come up with an excuse as fast as it take to
sort them. Box for Blox not only works to store your child's
Lego's and Mega Blocks it sorts them for them too. I swear
to all that is Holy!Are the pieces can hang out with all the
other sized pieces just like them!
What do they have to do?( or if you are at my house,
what do I have to do?)
Simple, just pick them up. Stack the Box for Blox the
correct way and the pieces will simply fall through layer
after layer to they get to the layer they belong on. There
are four trays that divide the pieces and
 the Box works like a charm. Once you
 put your pieces inside they naturally fall
 to the layer they belong on and you can
pick up the whole thing and store it for
the next time your kids play with it.
 The box holds loads of Lego's
and Mega Blocks and you can fit
anywhere from 1,500 to 1,800
Lego pieces and an exact number
would depend on what sized
pieces you have the most off.
Now Andrew has about ten times
that amount or more for he
collected them since he was
around 3 years of age and
still keeps an eye out for new
 ones now 13 years later!
Realistically they can't make
 a box any bigger then the size
it is now for the weight alone
 would be staggering. If
you have more blocks then that just order more then one
or do what we did. You know those plastic tubs I told
you about? We used the Box for Blox to sort them and
then just dumped the trays into the bins. It was so simple
to use that even Andrew has kept up with it and he has
even used the Lego's a few times since he had the box so
there have been real pieces to practice on. In all this time
not once did I have to fight with him to the point of wanting
to pull my hair out to get him to pick them up. In fact I
didn't have to ask him at all because it was so cool watching
all the Lego's fall to the right level he did it all on his own.
The Box also has him playing with his Lego's again and
hasn't really touched them in the last year for at his age
he is only into things that don't require clean up and they
have been sitting for quiet some time. Now they are back
out and he has never been happier.
The Box for Blox works for Lego's and Mega Blocks
and other similar sized block kits. It is 10 and a quarter
inches tall so it makes storing it a snap and I got a kick
out of the fact it even looks like a bunch
of giant Lego's stacked on top of each
other. Now I found that amusing
but what I didn't find amusing
was when Andrews Lego's
would get stuck in my Vacuum,
 now, HA HA, not so much
for they are in his box! The
price is right and the product
is perfect and I so wish they
had these when Andrew was
in his Lego Hey Day for I
wouldn't even want to think
about how many Lego's he
 lost over the years for the simple
fact is he never picked them
 up due to the hassle of putting
them away. Now they are stored
neatly on a shelf in his room
or stacked in the plastic tubs
 and Box for Blox has made
for one happy Mom and one
Happy boy and a whole lot
more peace in the house. They make a perfect gift for the
kids or better yet a gift for Mom and Dads everywhere for
we are the ones who get the best benefits from the box
with no more sore feet, no more ruined vacuums, no
more messy house and no more tears when little Johnny
can't find the last couple of pieces to his favorite Lego
set. These puppies are made in the USA and have been
featured in Woman's Day and right now you can order 2 and
save 10 bucks. Now that's a perk for me for I know I need
like 20 and I can rack up some savings! The Box for Blox
has also won the Best New Home Organizing Product and
rightly so for its my opinion the Box for Blox Rocks!
You guys have a mess like I did? Box for Blox would love
to help. They are going to let one of my readers win one.
To enter just head over to their web site and take a look
around then come back here and post what you have learned.
The contest will start tonight and run to midnight on April 19th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day every day and then posting that you did here
and other ways to enter are posted below.


Box For Blox




Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.


1. Become a follower of my blog or Twitter
and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.


2. Tweet about my blog and post the link
here. 5 entries, please post five times.


3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.


4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.


Box For Blox also has a monthly contest
going on via their site too so don't for
get to enter there as well!


Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!

DO  you spend more time on your feet then anywhere
else? Work all day then come home and spend hours
cooking and cleaning and doing laundry. By the end
of the day are your feet screaming in protest? When
you spend so much time on your feet it isn't just
your feet that suffer it is your whole body. Your
feet and back may feel the brunt of the burden but
all of your muscles and bones are complaining as well,
just not as loud. Many people deal with this on a
regular basis and I was one of them. For the 20 something
years I worked I averaged around 60 hours a week and
most of those were spent on my feet. I had a bad back
going into it but those years also were kind enough to
reward me with heel spurs and trips to the Podiatrist.
I took every caution I could and bought the best shoes
I could and in later years even orthopedic, not very
attractive but so much better for my feet and I remember
some nights when I came home it was all I could do to
pry my shoes off my swollen feet and soak them in hot water
then crawl into bed praying for relief by the morning.
It is also not often I get a chance to bring you a product
review of an item I know so much about but if you spend
a lot of time standing and walking then you really need
to know about this next one and I am so happy to be able
to bring it too you.
For many years the Restaurant industry has used
Fatigue Mats behind bars and let me tell you they work.
At one point Oil was spilled all over ours and when
I say someone spilled oil on it I mean a vat of oil not
just a cup and they all had to be pulled out and soaked
in degreaser for the weekend to see if there was any
hope of saving them. Another little known fact, and I hope
this does not stop you from eating fried foods but oil eats
plastic if left to soak. To many competing chemicals and
restaurants in general are full of them. I used to go through a
pair of shoes per month due to the cleaning products from the
floors alone at work. Ewwwe! Any who weekends are busy and
we happened to be short staffed so I spent a lot of time back there
helping the bartenders. I never knew how much those mats
helped to I worked that weekend without them. Not only
were my feet the size of footballs I had blisters on
blisters and spent my entire day off with my feet elevated
and soaking in Epsom salt. The pain! Many times had I done
what I did that weekend and I have never had that problem
before. It was the mats. The old saying is true, you never
know what you have to it is gone. The fatigue mats not
only save your feet and back they give you more energy
for your body naturally has better posture and is not
working so hard to cushion your impact for the mat does
that job for you. Now the commercial mats are huge and
well, a little unattractive and I never thought of putting
one in my home. Since my back has been bad though I have
found myself wishing I had one several times for just standing
at the sink and doing dishes has often caused me great
discomfort. Cooking a large meal is even worse and on
the Holidays I literally had to break what I did down to
days and segments for I just could not stand that long.
As ugly as those mats are if you were to ask me if I wanted
one those days I would have screamed yes at the top of my
lungs and jumped up and down like a little kid when they
put it in! Most commercial mats passed up ugly long ago
and offer nothing in the way of style but when your feet
and back hurt who cares, you would wear a Tutu and combat
boots if it meant you would hurt less.
A couple of days ago I was flipping through some sites
and then had to hit rewind. Was that a fatigue mat? Correction,
was that a fatigue mat that looked good? Was that a mat that
not only looked good it was meant for home use? I can't believe
I was looking at it! For the first time in forever I was shocked
to see something from my job that I would enjoy having in
my home. Well, now that they made a few adjustments like adding
style. Gel Pro has taken those super ugly commercial fatigue mats
and made them super fashionable mats for home use and in sizes
that will fit every room. They are perfect for the kitchen,
bathroom and laundry room, or even Dad in his work area and
once you use one for a couple of days you will wonder how you
ever got by without them. The difference is drastic.
GelPro has several different sized floor mats as well as
seat cushions and place mats and a selection of colors and
patterns to match any home. Each Mat is specially designed to
help with back problems and foot problems by offering an cushion
and comforts you just can't get on a solid floor no matter how
good your shoes are. Their special core makes them the perfect
shock absorber and instead of your feet, legs and back taking
the impact the mat absorbs it. Something as simple as shuffling
your feet can put a strain on your body and while you do not
realize it as you do it often at the end of the day when you
get a chance to rest it all comes back to you at once. GelPros
mats eliminate those aches and pains at bedtime and allow you
to truly relax when you deserve it! Unlike the commercial mats
I used GelPro went for style and they redesigned the mats and
only used the better materials that are out there to accomplish
this feat. GelPro Mats are going to last forever and do not wear
out like your back and feet do. Why not let something else take
the impact off of your poor tired body! GelPro spent forever
developing something you will be proud to show off and still not loose
its purpose. They managed to keep all the benefits of a fatigue mat in
tack and still come up with a product that you would be proud
to have your mother in law see. Speaking of style, they have seven
different variety's and loads of colors to choose from and
add in all the different sizes and the combinations you can create
are endless. I am a simple kind of girl so for review I just picked
a basic black with the basket weave and let me tell you I love
it. It goes perfect with my kitchen and my black and silver decor'
and no more standing at the sink cleaning out 42 zillion baby bottles
to only have to hobble away because of my aching feet and back.
The bathroom and the Laundry area will be my next venture and I
would love to upgrade the GelPro mat in the kitchen to a larger
one for with as much cooking as I do it would be a dream to have my
whole floor covered. One more cool thing is right now they have
a special going on where is your order one of their Designer mats
they are going to send you a 18x24 spot mat for free. That is a 70
dollar value and now you can do two rooms for the price of one.
I can't stop thinking about how much money in Bengay I will save alone
if I hit up the kitchen and bath! GelPro is just one of those places
that you can't go wrong with, good prices, awesome styles and
they manufacture a product that is great for you too! Next time you
spend a whole day in the kitchen, go out and dance, don't spend your
evening soaking your feet!
GelPro is great to my readers to. The are going to give one of
you a spot mat in your choice of color and design. To enter just head
over to their site and take a look around then come back here and
post what you learned or what mat you like best! The contest will
start tonight and run to midnight on April 23rd.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day each day and then posting that you did here
and other ways to enter are posted below.

GelPro

Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or Twitter
and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Tweet about my blog and post the link
here. 5 entries, please post five times.

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.

5. Join GelPro's mailing list. 5 entries, please
post 5 times!



Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!

How often do I whine to you guys about my
hair? That often? Okay, I know I have been bad in
the past but I think I am about done with all my
complaining. First I found some really awesome shampoo's
that have made such a difference in the texture in my
hair. It was so dry and brittle and fly away and please
do not get me started on the frizz. Before I found some
of the products I have been lucky enough to review I
could pass for that lady on the Bride of Frankenstein for
it really was that bad. I will never understand how
hair as dry and brittle as mine reacts so bad to humidity.
You would think the moisture would be good for it but nope,
frizzy flyaway city! I would look better if I put my finger
in a light socket. Now the dry, brittle part has been fixed
for the most part. I still have moments but with the
Shampoos and hair products I have to use on my hair
I can handle them with my head held up high and not my
hair buried under a baseball cap. In fact I completely knocked
the dry, brittle and frizzy flyaway stuff off my list of complaints.
All I have left now is the wave and the Grey hairs I seem
to be growing fast as the crab grass in my front yard. The
Grey I will have to handle another day but the wave. HUM,
I am sooooooooooo happy with this next review.

Let me start off by saying I don't hate curly hair, just
the opposite in fact. I like my hair curly and if it were not
such a hassle I would wear it that way more. The problem
with that is I don't have real curls, just a natural wave and
until I find a good way to enhance that I just will not wear
it that way. I have gone to some special events and brought
out the curls but to get them so they look good it to either
curl the heck out of it and with my hair being as thick as it
is that would take hours or wearing curlers over night and I
sleep bad as it is. To wear curlers would just make me
a dead tired woman with curly hair plus if you roll it wrong
you are stuck with curls that look like crap and stay that
way to you wash it again. The other way to get my curls
to pop is to use a lot of product. I have to use Mouse
and then a lot of hair gel and scrunch my hair up and keep
doing that to it dries. Now that ends up looking good but
if you were to feel it, yikes, now that is nasty baby!
It is so stiff and hard I could snap it off if I knocked into
something. So curls are a last resort until they make something
to help me. If they make a product that is easy to use and rocks
at curls I am in but until I come across one, and I am pretty
sure that finding one is like locating a Unicorn, I will hold off
on the curls. Now I hate the waves a lot so the other option
for my hair is to straighten it. I love the way my hair looks
straight for it is so smooth and shiny and just looks incredibly
healthy when it is poker straight. I have a problem there too
for to get my hair straight I have to use a flat iron and like
the curling iron it takes so long I seldom do it. I have a couple
of Flat Irons but I wouldn't call them good for the last time
I used one it took me an hour to get it straight, then I had
to wait a bit then do it all over again to get out the frizz
from straightening it the first time. When all is said and done
I have worked on my hair for close to 2 hours when you factor
in both times I used the iron and the fact I have to blow dry
it first to try and control the natural waves in my hair. That is
a lot of time and though the super straight is my favorite look
I just don't have that kind of time to donate to my hair on
a regular basis. I think one of the reasons I do it as often as
I do though is because I always remember my Mother when I
was younger and how straight and perfect her hair looked. She
was a 70's hippy and it just fell natural like that. Lucky woman.
The review I got a chance to do was for a Flat Iron and though
I love the look and agreed to the review I was secretly dreading
the amount of time it would take to straighten my hair. 2 hours in
the bathroom for a review and I am not even doing it because I
have some place fun to go. The things I do for you guys.

Well Michelle learned a valuable lesson. If you buy the
right product to begin with you won't have to spend two hours
to get a Hollywood style look. With this product I got it in
25 minutes. AND IT LOOKS GORGEOUS! I have never been so
impressed. Misikko sent me a Hana Professional Flat Iron 1.5" -
Pink Edition for review and I love Misikko and I love Hanna!
Love is in the air for isn't it funny how great you feel about
everything when you feel like your hair looks so good? With
the Hanna I took a shower and washed my hair and because of
the time factor I thought it was going to take I had been avoiding
the review for I was just to lazy to do it. So after the shower
I was already in a foul mood for I pretty much knew the rest of
my day was shot. To save some time I decided to just skip the
blow drying or product in my hair for I figured if it wasn't really
working a could use the hair dryer later to help make it
straight. A couple of hours later my hair was dry and the
waves were out of control and I knew for a fact I would be
standing there for a very long time trying to get my hair straight.
When I first got out of the shower I plugged the iron in so it would
be super hot and hopefully work better. In hind sight I realize that
didn't make a hill of beans in difference since the Hanna has a
temperature control on it unlike the other flat irons I have and
not only heats up super fast it stays at the setting you pick so
if you have thinner hair you can set it lower and if you have
hair like mine you can pick a higher setting. That was such a cool
feature. Still though as thick as my hair is I normally have to
break in into sections and do a little at a time to see any
difference at all no matter how long I let my old irons heat
up. Now here in Hindsight I realize a just had a junk flat
iron for with the Hanna I didn't have to do that either. In
fact when I started and before I put my hair up I ran it
through the Iron a bit to try and get a ruff idea on how many
times I would have to go through the process on each piece and
Duh! I felt like such a fool for not researching irons before I
bought my last one for one time through left that piece perfectly
straight and my mouth hit the floor. After I duct tapped my mouth
shut I tried it again with another piece and again I was in
shock. I swear my Jaw broke the tape and hit the floor again.
This was the easiest thing I have ever done. Making my hair
straight and shiny and sleek with the Hanna Professional Flat Iron
was as simple as brushing my hair. It worked that well. It
worked even better then that well. I could not get over how
great my hair looked and how fast I got it to look that good.
Complete and utter shock and I was kicking myself that I
did not try it sooner. With in 25 minutes I had my entire head
of hair finished and the only reason it took that long was because
my hair is so long and so thick. Now that was without any
product to help it along, no hair drying and blow it out
straight to get a head start, no pulling it up and doing it
piece by piece to make sure I got small enough pieces so
the heat of the Iron would work well enough to make it
smooth. Whats the point of straight hair if it is not smooth
and shiny? This was fantastic and I am doing a happy Hana
dance for it just worked so well. The Hana Professional Flat Iron
took my wavy, frizzy, thick and dry hair that I can't do anything
with and made it Sleek and shiny and smooth and soft to the
touch in less time then it took me to take a shower and wash
my hair in the first place. My review for the Hana? You can
not go wrong with this Iron. If you like your hair sleek and
straight and shiny and healthy and perfect looking like you
just walked out of a high priced salon then this is a must
have.

 Not a nice to have, or another good one or maybe
someday, it is a plain and simple must have! I am so in love
with it I took the other three irons I have and called my mother
and a couple of friends and asked if they wanted them for
after trying the Hana I will never ever go back to any of those.
In fact just having those on the shelf next to my Hana make
me think of a Royalty standing in the middle of a crowd of
Peasants.

Misikko only carries the best products out
there and doesn't even bother to keep the junk items in
their inventory. I have 3 flat irons and Misikko does not
even have one of the ones I have listed, no wonder why
they worked like crap. They carry everything you need to
achieve a professional look every time you style your hair
and you can shop at their store with confidence and even
if you are looking for an item you have never tried before
or this is your first time ever buying a hair care product
such as a curling iron, hair dryer or flat iron, you can
shop there with confidence for when you only deal with the
best like they do you never have to worry about an unhappy
customer. They stock Flat Irons with brands like Chi Flat Iron
and FHI Flat Iron and you guys know I think they have the
best Flat Irons. They also have loads of Curling Irons, l-
and tons of Hair Dryers and every type you could think
of from Ceramics Irons or Ionic Hair Dryers. Not only
do I love the Hair Straighteners I really want to try the
Hair Dryers and Curling Irons. They even have
Make-up, skin care, hair treatments and Model in a Bottle Products
and again, only bring you the best with brands like Paul Mitchel.
Murad, Chi and Body Silk. Everything you could ever need
to walk out of your house looking like a model every time.
The Hana Professional Flat Iron has a special deal going on
right now where you get a free heat mat so you don't have
to worry about leaving your hot iron on counter and a carrying
case. They always have something good going on and they
are also one of the most charitable places I have ever had
the pleasure of working with. Right now they have a benefit
for the relief in Haiti and with every item you purchase they
include a blank check for 25 dollars you can make out to
the charity of your choice. They are hoping to have as many
people as they can donate to the relief fund but you can
use it for another Charity if you hold one close to your heart.
After the review and the pleasure I had working with them and
how much I enjoyed their company in general they have a new
loyal customer in me. I love the fact I can trust their choices
and can't go wrong with any item I purchase from them and
I will be chanting the praises of the Hana Professional Flat Iron
for a long time to come for it just was the perfect product in
every way to me! My final review of Hana and Misikko is
a resounding two thumbs up, a happy dance, the biggest grin
you ever saw and a heart felt thank you for making me look
so awesome! I sincerely hope I get the chance to work with
them again!

You guys are going to love them too for they are going to
give one of my readers the very same Flat Iron! To enter just
head over to their site and take a look around then come back
here and comment about another Misikko product that interests
you! The contest will start tonight and run to Midnight on April
18th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.


Misikko




Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.


1. Become a follower of my blog or Twitter
 and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.


2. Enter any of my other contest. I entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.


3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.


4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.


5. Tweet about this contest elsewhere. 5 entries
please post five times.


6. Follow Misikko on Twitter. 5 entries, please
post 5 times.


Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!


You guys should defiantly check them out and shop with
100% pure confedance for I promise you they bring you only
the best! If they can fix my mop of unruley horse hair just
think what they can do with you guys who were blessed with
human hair not horsey tails!


Misikko!

Andrew is going to kill me for sharing this but
I told you guys I would when we spoke during the safety
Tats review. During that review I explained to you there
were two times in Andrews life that I lost him and both
times were harrowing and I wanted to die. You will never
truly understand the trauma and despair of losing a child
to you go through it for it really is one of those things
that you have to have been there to understand. Both times
I lost my child was short lived. In the Safety Tat's review
I spoke of the time I lost him at the mall. The total time
I could not find him was less then 2-3 minutes, the time
I am telling you about now was only slightly longer at
about 30, but each time I felt the end of the world on
the horizon. Though this time ended up on the comical side
the fact there was 20-30 minutes I could not find my child
was enough to scar me for life. I can only pray none of you
even go through those 20-30 minutes and my heart goes out
for anyone who has suffered or is still. My ordeals ended
on a happy note but many others do not.







When Andrew was just over two, one snowy day he and I
were playing out in the snow in the back yard. My home was
in a typical suburban area, 2 story bungalow and fenced
back yard. The back door was inside the fence and there was
a lock on the gate, I was prepared for children and knew
how they could wander and did not want Andrew to try and
get out the gate. We practiced things like Stranger Danger
and Don't touch me there or I will tell and Andrew was very
into 911 and had already tested every ones phone he could get
to and I had already spoken to the police more then once
about making sure he no longer dialed it. He also was more
then happy to tell everyone how my mother and I bought drugs
for he had seen the educational items where smoking is a drug
and bad for you and took pride in ratting my mother and I out
and was a constant embarrassment. You will never know how
embarrassing to you are standing in line at a grocery store
and your Grandson proudly tells the cashier that when you
leave this store you Nana is taking you to the corner to buy
some drugs before they go home. I would have given anything
to be a fly on a wall and listen to my mother explain her way
out of that for they were headed to the Cigarette store but
that sure wasn't how it sounded. Any way, the point is Andrew
was very bright and clever and not at all shy and more then
a little curious. That day we were having fun in the snow
when I could hear the phone ring. The phone was just inside
the backdoor, he was in a locked yard and I could see him
every second so I thought nothing of answering it. I
grabbed the phone and said hello and Andrew was happily
making his fort. The person I was speaking to gave me a number
to call and I fiddled in the drawer for a pen, all of 15
seconds and then glanced back out the window in the door
and he was gone.
I ran out the door and straight to the back of the yard
thinking he would have went behind the garage to be out of
my eye site. He wasn't there. I started screaming for him
and was frantically running around the yard looking in
every nook and crevice for I was still sure he had to be in
the yard for the gate was locked and he would have had to
walk past the door to the gate anyway. I checked every single
place and still I could not find him. I walked the fence line
and looked for places he could get out nothing. In the house,
maybe he slid by, screaming loud now, sweating and tears were
starting. It didn't take long but thoughts were already in my
head of how someone could have snatched him. Blond haired,
blue eyes, adorable baby boy, the things they could do with
him, tears are now freely falling. I was screaming at the top
of my lungs now and ran blindly out the front door and up and
down the street screaming as loud as I could.
Nothing.
From one corner to the next.
Nothing.
Back in the yard, over 15 minutes has gone by and I knew he
had to be scared and cold and worse. Now I was screaming at
the top of my lungs and hysterically crying. Back to the
street up and down screaming his name.
Nothing.
Over 25 minutes had gone by and I knew I had to call the
police, something was terribly wrong. There is no way he
could have got that far away on his own where he would not
hear my screams. I remembered the time we were playing hide
and seek and he crawled into some shelves that had a cabinet
underneath and got stuck and ran into the house tripping and
falling on the way only to get up with bloody palms and
rush to the cabinet. I through open the doors wanting to see
nothing more then a frightened face relieved mommy had came
to save him.
Nothing.
I ran back out the front door and up our driveway to the
still locked gate and once again tripped in my panic and
this time when I fell to the ground I didn't get up. I lay
there sobbing and horrid thoughts filling my head over what
someone was doing to him and trying so hard to pull myself
together and it was so quiet.
So quiet!
I heard a "Creaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkk" "Squeallllllllll"
Old metal grinding on old metal.
Creaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk, Swoooooooooshhhhhhhhhh
Again.
My neighbors had an old metal gliding swing in their
back yard. I could not see it because of the privacy fence
but I knew it was there.
No way. I got up, still listening to the creak and give
of the swing and made my way around to the front of their
house. I found a Boot. Then another, on their driveway
I found Andy's coat.
A little further up his snow pants.
Then his shirt, a sock, diaper.
There was Andrew, Sitting buck naked in the middle
of their yard, in the middle on winter, where there
was at least 2 feet of snow on the ground, all kicked back and
relaxed on the metal gliding swing just watching the clouds and
swinging away. How he got there I will never know. He had to have
climbed the gate or squeezed through. Now I was ecstatic to have
him back and by the time we got back in the house we were both
in tears, mine from happiness, his from me squeezing him so tight
but one thing I knew was that was the worst 20-30 minutes of my
life and I would rather die then go through that again. Had I had
this next review item I would not have went through any of that and
the 30 minutes would have been less then 30 seconds and I would have
saved myself all the trauma. I also did not understand to later that
had somebody really taken him it took me 30 minutes to react to the
point of calling the police. How far could someone have gotten with
him in those 30 minutes?
Mommy I am here is Lo jack for kids! It is a cute little Teddy
Bear guy you clip on their clothes or coat or shoes or whatever you
would like to hook it and if you don't see your child while you are
at a park or a fair or in a crowd or even in your own backyard on
a mild winter day, just hit the button on your own key chain and
an alarm sounds to let you know right where they are. Saving yourself
time, frustration, fear and giving you a peace of mind. If I could
take back that day I would in a heart beat for it was the hardest
lesson I ever learned. I have never been so afraid, felt like a
failure, heartbroken and devastated in all my life. They also have
a new model that alerts you if your child goes more then 30 feet away
from you and will sound automatically. We took both units for a test
run and they do exactly what they say they do and in my opinion
are a small investment that every parent must make. I have them
listed in the safety guide and think that when people make their
check lists out for home safety they need to schedule a check for
Mommy I'm here. If these were around when Andrew was a child both
times I had a problem, the yard and the few moments at the mall
when I lost sight of him, I would have felt much more safe and
part of the problem with me finding him faster had everything to
do with the panic I felt as a parent. Had I not done that and just
though more clear I would have found him sooner in both instances.
I mean really, at the mall all I had to do was look behind me but
because he was not right in front of me where he had been standing I
went directly into a meltdown. Had I had a Mommy I'm here on my
Keychain I would have had that sense of security and I knew it
was too soon for him to get very far, even if he had help and if I
were to hit the button I would have known he was only a few feet
away each time. At the mall I might have been calm enough to see
the bench he was sitting on next to the machine instead of fearing
the worse and running into the mall thinking someone had grabbed him.
The button could have been between my fingers ready to go and with
one spin I would have seen him and never needed to push it but because
if I did have it, clearer thoughts would have prevailed. Same thing with
the yard, had I had a device hooked on him it would have been the
first thing I hit rather then searching bushes to the point of sheer
panic. How many times did I run up and down that street without ever
seeing his trail of clothes? At least a dozen but in my blind panic
I only had tunnel vision. If I hit that button the minute I did not
see him in the middle of the yard I would have heard him as he
struggled to get out of his clothes on his trek across their front
yard. The range is far enough where I would have known when he made it
to the swing and I would have went right towards Andrew instead of
Everywhere he was not.

On our road test Andrew is not as fast as he used to be. Isn't it
funny how kids that have just learned to walk can go from there to
here before you even blink your eye and now that Andrew has had his
walking legs for 16 years he couldn't replicate that kind of speed for
all the money in Monopoly. We did have access to someone who could
replicate that speed and then some. Boo, our 12 pound Jack Russel can
go from one county to the next in the blink of the eye. We hooked the
Teddy Bear to her collar and off she went through our local park. She
Cleared one end of the park to the other and back before we even got 5
feet in an each time we hit the button we could clearly hear the beep.
By the time we finished our test I was more then confidant that the
Mommy I'm here device could keep up with any child let alone a person
who might be trying to lure your child away. I have to give a hats off
to any product that can keep up with Boo for that little fur ball, with
legs the size of toothpicks can clear more ground in 30 seconds then
any person I know can in 30 minutes. Put it to you this way, think of
a Hurricane trapped in a bottle building momentum for years then someone
taking off the top, that is Boo every time you let go off the leash and
the signal kept up with her every step of the way and I am super comfortable
with using it on Rowan and would love to know if they can make a smaller
version for Boos collar for she is the one I loose track of now and
with Mommy I'm here in Puppy Power I would never have to track her down again
either. Final verdict,  MUST HAVE item for any parent and this one
is a Keeper!
I have a Mommy I'm here for one of my readers as well. To win just
head over to the site and take a look around then come back here and
post something you learned in a comment. The contest will start tonight
and run to midnight on April 9th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.
 Mommy I'm Here would also like to offer my readers
a 20% savings on a product that every parent should
have. Just enter bismkb20 at checkout for your
discount!

Mommy I'm Here!


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Enter any of my other contest. I entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.

Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Port a Pong and Woobie Wear Contests!

Don't forget to look for Mommy I'm Here on the
Safety Guide!