Children’s Storage Bins Sold at Lowe’s Stores Recalled Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

The recalled storage bins are wooden with scalloped edges and were sold in pastel green or pink. Item number 226782 (pastel green storage bin) or 226781 (pink storage bin) is located on the bottom of the storage bin. No other storage bins or colors are included in this recall.

Sold at: Lowe’s retail outlets nationwide from March 2007 through February 2008 for about $6.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled storage bins away from children and return them to any Lowe’s store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact L G Sourcing toll-free at (866) 493-6563 anytime, or visit www.lowes.com

Right now Dunkin Donuts is offering FREE samples of the delish coffee! Check it out!

For more great Wordless Wednesday check out these great sites: here, here and here.

Nintendo Character-themed lapel pins Recalled

Hazard: The metal lapel pin contains high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recalled lapel pins have images depicting 12 video game characters. The lapel pins vary in size, ranging from 1- to 2- inches in height. The characters Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Mario, Mario Kart, Pikachu, Princess Peach, Samus, Starfox, Waluigi and Wario were sold individually. Mario, Princess Peach and Samus were also sold as a set.

Sold at: Nintendo stores in Redmond, Washington and New York, NY between April 2004 and November 2007 for between $1.50 and $4. The recalled lapel pins were also distributed to employees at electronics and game stores nationwide from April 2004 through November 2007.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop wearing the lapel pins and contact Nintendo to receive a free replacement lapel pin.

Consumer Contact: For more information, consumers can contact Nintendo at (800) 431-0971 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site www.nintendo.com

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As a proud mama, there is nothing I like better than to have my girls pictures done. But as a frugal mama, there is nothing that irks me more than the astronomical prices most studios pay just to have my daughters sit still (ha.) and smile (ha. again.) This is the exact reason I adore Picture Me! Studios, formally Walmart photo studios. I recently signed up for their e-newsletter and just today I recieved an email with a couple of great coupons. $4.99 for their “Introductory” package plus a “FREE” 10×13. This is a great deal! I’m not sure why they call in an “introductory” package, as far as I can tell there is nothing “Introductory” about it. If you watch their instore deals, they often mimic the email deals. I checked last weekend and yep, there it was the package plus the “FREE” 10×13 for $4.99.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t like having your kid’s photos done by a professional photographer…but you aren’t paying for a professional photographer. You’re paying a miniscule amount for priceless photographs of your babies. I’ve never had a “terrible” experience…though I have called and complained about a particular photographer who didn’t want to take the time to get my girls to smile…I got a free “introductory” package. These pictures are always good quality and at a good price.

I’m sure there are similar options at other venues. I know Olan Mills Portrait Studios (Meijer and KMart) runs great deals frequently also. They are currently running a special for their introductory package for $9.99. You can print this coupon here. To sign up for great email offers from Picture Me! Studios click here.

For more great tips check out BeCentsAble’s Tipster Tuesday.

And for a great deal on Digital Pictures head over to ArtsCow.com for 400 FREE prints and a 8×8 Photo Book! All you have to do is run don’t walk your fingers over to Artscow.com and register on their website. It’s a really simple process (1 page) and the pay off is wonderful! I mean, who doesn’t love free pictures of their children? We’re using ours to send pictures of the girls to relatives who sometimes miss out on pictures of them. Now, you don’t get all 400 upfront, you get them 100 at a month. For instance, I get 50 4×6 pictures and 50 5×7 pictures from April 29 - May 29, and so on and so forth. The free 8×8 Picture Book isn’t available yet, it becomes available on My 31…but it’s already been credited to my account. But hurry…this offer is only going until they reach the target of 20,000,000 free prints credits granted the offer will be discontinued.

Thanks to HandPrints on the Wall and Freebies 4 Mom for letting us in on the GREAT deal on FREE Digital Prints! Thats right I said FREE!! 400 FREE digital prints to be exact. ArtsCow.com is giving 400 FREE digital prints and an 8×8 Custom Cover Photo Book (good starting May 31) just for siging up! This is a limited time offer so you will need to sign up fast! Its a simple registering process, very simple considering they are just giving away prints! Personally I LOVE Snapfish and am loyal to them, but I would be just crazy to pass up a chance at FREE prints of my beautiful babies! Take advantage of this offer quick because once they hit their limit of 20,000,000 free prints credits the offer will be over and you will have missed your chance! It only takes a couple of seconds to register and your are credited the prints automatically!

So…we went the “whole week” without television. Kinda. Truth is, I allowed them to watch Sesame Street nearly everyday. At least the end of it, you see my girls adore Elmo, and in the mornings after breakfast and bible reading time they watch him. During this time I help my husband get ready for work…motivating him, making his lunch, getting him out the door. I have a hard time being able to do this efficiently with two kids under toe, so I use Elmo.

I will say though that besides Elmo, we didn’t spend much time being hooked up electronically. In fact, we didn’t even miss it…except KG, who kept asking me when TV turn off week would be over. We spent a TON of time out side, taking two walks a day and going to the play ground daily. We also spent a lot of time reading and doing crafts…we had a ball! We’ve (hubby and I) that we will be keeping the TV turned off as much as possible from now on. We will still be endorsing Elmo though. That little red furry guy can be a life saver! Over the weekend, we spent time outside and doing family oriented things! It was great to see the girls really get to spend some quality time with their daddy. They see him so rarely during the week, that this was a real treat for them.

As for me and staying off the computer, it was easier than I had expected! I really didn’t miss it at all! I did get online a couple of times during the week for just a couple of minutes to see if there were any deals I needed to take advantage of right away…they were a couple. I also used to the computer to figure our bills and such last week…but I spent FAR less time than usual on this!

All in all, I say it was a GREAT success for us! We had a great time and learned a little more about each other over this last week…we will definitely be keeping this up!

For more information about TV Turn Off Week and to see how others did check out Mom Unplugged at Unplug Your Kids.

Good Morning! I’m baaaack! After a week of having the TV turned off…it was kind of hard to get back into the swing of things. But none the less, here I am with a new menu plan.

We got our April Angel Food Box Saturday, so I’ll be implementing as much of that as is possible this month. We never eat all the food offered, but we donate what we don’t use to our church’s food pantry.

Monday: Spaghetti, meatballs, garlic croissants

Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and veggie of choice

Wednesday: Dinner @ Mommaw’s house

Thursday: Cheese Quesadilla, veggie

Friday: Pancakes, fruit compote

Saturday: Soup and Grilled Cheese

Sunday: Chili Dogs and hashbrowns

Breakfasts: Pancakes, Kix cereal, Oatmeal, yogurt, applesauce

Lunches: Spaghetti O’s, Chicken Noodle Soup, Sandwiches, Applesauce, yogurt, sliced Cheese

For more great menu ideas check out Organizing Junkie!

I know there have been many posts through the years about the joys and evils of buying seasons passes, but it’s been my experience that when used often these can truely be a blessing! We have a year round pass to the Louisville Zoo, now granted we only use this pass for about 6 months out of the year but we get our money’s worth. Both girls absolutely LOVE animals, so we drive down (it’s about a 45 minute drive) and spend the whole day there. This could get expensive if when we went we bought food, drinks, train passes, bought pictures or gifts, etc. We don’t. We bring a picnic lunch, which my girls like better anyway, lots of drinks and our own camera. Once a year, usually the last time we go, we allow KG to pick out one gift from the Gift Shop.  The great thing about our Zoo is that 25% of our membership price goes to Conservation Projects all over the world!

Now, this may not be a good investment for everyone. If you plan to only visit the zoo once a year then buying the tickets out-right is the best bet for you…but for us, this saves us anywhere between $100 and $184 a year! Thats a HUGE amount of savings for us! Not only that, but if something happens and we need to buy food, drinks, or gifts while we’re there we get a nfity 25% discount on all items! This year we are planning on purchasing the Dual Family Membership, which will allow us to get into the Zoo and the Science Mueseum all year! KG is just starting to get really interested in science so now seems like the time to be exploring the Science Museum. The Science Museum is particularlly great around here because it is so geared to children and has a fantastic 3D movie theater! I am really looking forward to a summer/fall of exploring and learning with the girls and the peace of mind that I am not breaking the bank or the budget to do so! And if you save a little year round, you don’t have to worry about coming up with the up-front money it requires to purchase these passes!

For more Great Tipster Tuesday Ideas, check out BeCentsable’s site!

How do you save money and still provide your family with educational/fun activities?

So…Yes, I know this is a day late…but in keeping with my staying off the computer goal, I didn’t even turn this thing on yesterday. I started to, don’t get me wrong, but KG caught me and reminded me that not only was it TV turn off week, but it was also COMPUTER turn off week. It’s sad when your fiver year old can rightly lay the guilt on you The only reason I’m on line right now is because I am allowing the two of them to watch the END of Sesame Street. I know, I know, I’m not supposed to allowing ANY television…but it was either that or not get to write again. I’m sure some of you are wondering why I couldn’t just do this once they get in bed, but my husband is gone from around early in the morning until after the girls are in bed, so I try to spend what little time I can with him at night. and To be honest, I’m exhausted by the time bedtime rolls around.

KG has just stopped her afternoon nap as she quit sleeping during them sometime ago. After yesterday, I am totally regretting doing it last week. She was a wreck by the time 9 o’clock rolled around, but so was I. I’m not sure it had anything to do with the TV being turned off since we didn’t watch much anyway. It was a beautiful day yesterday, but since there were so many people out mowing we didn’t venture out. Both girls have terrible allergies and it would have wreaked havoc on their little allergies. It was very hard to keep them inside yesterday, but we worked on KG’s math and writing skills. We also spent some time on her anatomy puzzles. I think today we’re going to try and tackle the Nervous System during Kat’s first nap.

I had planned on getting the house cleaned from top to bottom this week while not using the computer, but it has just NOT been working out that way. I have been organizing where I can, but I find I am spending more time with the girls playing. It struck me this weekend that KG would be starting school for real this year…then it struck me that she was no longer a baby…and then I cried. I decided it was more important to spend this time with KG and Kat giving them the attention they need and crave, than it was for my house to be super clean for about a day. I would still like to get the closets cleaned out, but if I don’t get to it this week..I can always do it in about 10 years=)

No pictures today…I’m just getting rushed off now

If you’re looking for more people’s adventures in TV Turn off week be sure to check out MomUnplugged’s blog.