Recall

Ok - we got our 4th Recall letter in the mail in the past several months. All different items, all with scary potential effects. First was the Thomas stuff - we didn't have much, a few stop signs lol. Lead paint isn't a huge concern of mine, but certainly the results of lead poisoning are not funny! I'm not even totally sure the stuff we had was in the lots that were recalled, but I chucked them anyway. Then the aquadots thing - Beca thought it was so cool, and good lord! Coma and what-all-else for those little kids! Ugh! And then the lamp in the living room - yes, a lamp. Seems this particular one is burning down peoples homes, living room first. And lastly there was the letter from Battat about the mini-magnet-building-set that we got Beca a few yrs ago. Apparently the magnets were popping out and causing problems in the digestive tracts of children. D'oh! As soon as the first one popped out I've started throwing them away, and steadily I have continued to do so. It's taken a while, actually, to get them all; I'm still not sure I have. It never did occur to me to gather them into one place and RETURN THEM TO THE MANUFACTURER!!! Not sure what is with me - I seem to have fallen into a seriously lame funk these past few years.

Being a mom is hard. Being a mom with responsibilities beyond just caring for a child is harder. For instance, being in charge of the maintenance of the cars, any major decisions (ANY major decisions) regarding our lives - health care, education, any expenditure of money on a large scale, maintenance of our quality of life items (house, car, etc.), these are all in my purview. Now don't take this as complaining, though I'd dearly love to do that. In reality, I'm HAPPY that these are mine and pretty much mine alone. In the end, what I say goes on a lot of topics. However, it is exhausting. More tiring than I care to admit to myself. I spent DAYS researching preschools (what they're supposed to teach, how they can do that, optimal hours per day, per week, etc.) and finally decided on one that fit all my needs, exceeded my expectations for facility and teachers, and that wasn't a days drive. In each direction.

As we get ready for vacation (FLORIDA!!! DISNEY!!! HEIDI!!! WOOHOO!!!), I find myself consumed with a zillion tiny (and not so tiny) decisions, some cost nothing, some cost hundreds or thousands of our dollars...and SO much TIME! Wow...it's really something else, how much time can be taken up trying to get a reasonable sized media player for the kids to hold onto in the back seat, one that has enough memory for a few movies (so they can choose) and that doesn't have wires all over everywhere. And of course, nothing NOTHING is ever easy. I chose to get a PSP slim and light, which purports to play MPEG4's BUT...and it's a BIG FAT GREEK BUTT... they only play PSPMPEG4's. So all the ones I have on my HD are not working. And it's not one download, it's not TWO downloads, it's not THREE downloads...I've done more than FOUR downloads already, and the darned thing still won't work. So now, at the 11th hour, I'm stuck with $300 worth of machine (that only actually cost me $150, but that's besides the point!) that doesn't do what I need it to do, and does what I didn't need it to do (entertain with witless and useless games that are helluva fun and totally addictive). Grrrrrrreat.

Well, so as I find myself so consumed (and there are a lot of other decisions undescribed - the car top carrier, the bike carrier, the rental unit, driving vs flying down, what to do about our food issues etc.), the amount of time and energy I have for stuff like collecting tiny magnets that are spread all over the darned house and collecting them and sending them back to Battat - well it's pretty low on the list. Getting laundry done, clearing out the fridge, getting someone to feed the fish - these are all bigger issues for me. And our dog sitter that we lined up - Jason and Mindy? Jason hasn't been in all week. I suppose if he isn't in tomorrow we will have to call and beg. God, how humiliating. Getting recalled sucks.