funforkids

 Because mom said so (Dot) Com is giving away FOUR baskets containing 5 cleaning products each.  Wow Green is a wonderful “GREEN” Company which provides cleaning products that are safe for our children, pets, and better yet the world.  They use recycled packaging and send their products out in solution form WITHOUT the water which saves on the amount of plastic packaging the world utilizes.   I have used WOW Green myself and am happy to say that these products do work well and are comparable to the GREEN items you find in your local stores.  I like that I don’t have to lug the bottles of cleaner home from the grocery store too—they are delivered right to my door and its a few less things that I have to remember to buy while grocery shopping with the kids in tow!   I know you will like these products too so why not TRY THEM FOR FREE by winning them.   To enter to win you just need to leave a comment on the blog saying which product you would like to try most.  You can enter once a day until AUG. 8th and there are other ways to get extra entries too.  Head over to Because Mom Said So . com and enter.   Free stuff is great and the odds of winning are good as not many people have entered yet. 

Here is the direct link:  http://becausemomsaidso.com/wow-green-products-review-and-giveaway-win-one-of-four-green-basket-prizes/

Good Luck !!

Just hearing the news about Mike Tyson’s 4 year old dying due to strangulation sends chills through my entire body.  We take such great pains in caring for our children, we watch over them as best we can, but the truth is: it only takes a second for tragedy to strike.  We turn our backs for even a second and the worst CAN happen–and often does.  It is scary that you can tell your kids HUNDREDS of times not to play with wires, cords, string, ropes, plastic bags –anything that can cause harm but there is no guarantee that they will listen, or remember  or even that their curiosity won’t get the better of their good senses.  As a pre-k teacher I see these little ones just acting on impulse–it is constant!  They don’t think about consequences, they don’t realize that someone can get hurt, and they don’t really respond to the teacher saying:  Hey–danger!  They don’t see the jump rope as a hazard, they don’t realize that running with scissors is dangerous.  They don’t sit right on the chair day after day and no matter how many times I say:  Sit right you are going to fall, they still sit sideways or on their knees and they fall off the chair 2 times a week.  No matter how many times they have proof that what we are saying is true:  ie falling off the chair hurts, they will continue to do what they want to do.  Well, we all know too well that there is no reasoning with the little ones, so….I guess what this all boils down to is this:  WE CAN’T LEAVE THEM EVEN FOR A SECOND!  My  heart goes out to Mike Tyson’s family.  I can’t imagine the pain that they are going through right now.  

  According to the March 2009 edition of Parents Magazine 12,000 1-ounce bottles of Mylicon infants Dye Free gas-relief drops (sold from October 2008 through November 2008) were recalled because some of the bottles COULD contain metal fragments from the manufacturing process.  CALL  (800) -222-9435 for a replacement of the product or for a refund. 

 The following information was taken from the Mylicon website:  

JOHNSON & JOHNSON • MERCK CONSUMER PHARMACEUTICALS COMPANY ANNOUNCES URGENT VOLUNTARY NATIONWIDE RECALL OF INFANTS’ MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE DROPS (SIMETHICONE-ANTIGAS) NON-STAINING DUE TO POSSIBLE METAL FRAGMENTS

Fort Washington, PA (November 10, 2008) – Johnson & Johnson • Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Company (JJMCP) is voluntarily recalling approximately 12,000 units of Infants’ MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops (simethicone-antigas) non-staining sold in 1 oz. plastic bottles that were distributed after October 5, 2008 nationwide. The company is taking this action in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although the potential for serious medical events is low, the company is implementing this recall to the consumer level as a precaution after determining that some bottles could include metal fragments that were generated during the manufacturing process. If any medical events were to occur, most are expected to be temporary and resolve without medical treatment. Parents who have given the product to their infant and are concerned should contact their health care provider immediately.

The two lots of Infants’ MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops non-staining 1 oz. bottles included in the recall are:

Consumers can find the lot numbers on the bottom of the box containing the product and also on the lower left side of the sticker on the product bottle.

Consumers who purchased Infants’ MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops non-staining included in this recall should immediately stop using the product and contact the company at 1-800-222-9435 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST) or via the internet at www.mylicon.com for instructions regarding how to dispose of the product and request a replacement or refund.

Infants’ MYLICON® drops are sold over-the counter, in retail stores and pharmacies, as an anti-gas medicine to relieve the discomfort of infant gas frequently caused by air swallowing or by certain formulas or foods.

The recall does not affect any Original Infants’ MYLICON® GAS RELIEF products (1/2 oz. or 1 oz. size) or Infants’ MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops non-staining (1/2 oz. size).

The manufacturer has instructed retailers and wholesalers to return their inventories.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Regular Mail:
Use postage-paid FDA form 3500 available at:
www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm.
Mail to MedWatch 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787

Fax: 1-800-FDA-0178  

About MYLICON® drops

Infants’ MYLICON® drops, the #1 pediatrician-recommended anti-gas medicine, relieve the discomfort of infant gas frequently caused by air swallowing or by certain formulas or foods. For more information, visit: www.mylicon.com.

   With the recent death of Jett Travolta still fresh in my mind I thought I would take a look on the internet and research Kawasaki Disease which is an illness that he was diagnosed with at age 2.    According to kidshealth.org Kawasaki disease is an illness that “involves the skin, mouth, and lymph nodes” and usually affects kids under the age of 5 years old.  It’s cause is unknown.  Kelly Preston has alleged that chemicals found in carpet cleaners and fertilizer brought on the illness in her son Jett at age 2.  Once diagnosed, Kawasaki is easily treated and the child can make a full recovery in a few days.  If left undiagnosed and untreated, the illness can lead to serious complications that can affect the child’s heart.    According to kidshealth.org  19 out of every 100,000 kids in the United States is diagnosed with Kawasaki disease.  The illness is most commonly found among children of Japanese and Korean descent, but it can affect all ethnic groups.   The illness can not be prevented.

      Some of the symptoms of Kawasaki disease are:

Phase one includes a “persistent fever higher than 104 F and lasts for about five days.  The fever may be accompanied by:

severe redness in the eyes, a rash on stomach, chest and genitals, red dry cracked lips, swollen tongue with white coating and big red lumps, sore and irritated throat, swollen palms and soles of the feet with a purple-red color, and swollen lymph nodes.

The second phase comes usually within 2 weeks of the fever and includes the peeling of the feet and hands in large pieces, joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal pain.  If YOUR CHILD HAS ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS, CALL YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!

      Luckily, if the illness is treated within 10 days of the beginning of the symptoms, heart problems usually do not develop.   If a case goes undetected it can lead to more serious complications such as “vasculitis, which is an inflammation of the blood vessels which can be particularly dangerous because it can affect the coronary arteries which supply blood to the heart.  It can also cause inflammation to the heart muscle, lining, valves, and the outer membrane  surrounding the heart. ”

     There is no single test for the disease; doctors have to rule out other illnesses and evaluate the child’s particular symptoms before he/she can make the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease.  A doctor usually orders an echocardiogram to monitor the child’s heart, and takes blood and urine samples in order to rule out other illnesses such as  scarlet fever, measles, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or an allergic reaction to a drug.

     Once diagnosed with Kawasaki disease a child is treated with “intravenous doses of gamma globulin (purified antibodies) which is a natural ingredient in blood that helps the body fight infection and a high does of aspirin to reduce the risk of hear problems. “

The information above was based on an article by Joel Klein, MD (October 2008)

I hope you found it useful and/or interesting.

     I was fowarded this great website by a friend and thought it should be passed on to everyone.  I know it is sort of morbid to send something like this around but as a parent I want to know where DANGER LURKS in my neighborhood and the neighborhoods that surround me.  The site allows you to put in your address and then shows you information on the residences and work places of any and all registered VIOLENT and SEXUAL offenders.  The site is very informative and very useful.  It is also very scary because there are so many offenders out there.  FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ANY OFFENDERS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NOW!  Here is the link as it was passed on to me: 

www.FamilyWatchDog.us

“When you visit this site you can enter your address and a map will pop
up with your house as a small icon of a house. There will be red, blue
and green dots surrounding your entire neighborhood. When you click on
these dots a picture of a criminal will appear with his or her home
address and the description of the crime he or she has committed.
The best thing is that you can show your children these pictures and
see how close these people live to your home or school.”
This site was developed by John Walsh from Americas Most Wanted. This
is another tool we can use to help us keep our kids safe.
Please pass this on to everyone!!!
Many thanks to CHRIS —a corrections officer for keeping us informed.