When do you forgive and forget?

The Picture below is of me shortly after arriving at the hospital… in labor. That was 17 months ago. Time flies, and at this very moment the baby girl that was in my tummy in this picture, is now running back and forth across the living room babbling to herself on a play phone! I think she has a bad connection, because she keeps yelling “hi!… hi?…hi!!?!” into the receiver

The day this picture was taken was the best day of my life, because it brought me my sweet smelling, pink bundle of love. But there is something else about that day that leaves me with a pit in my stomach.

My husband and I had hired a birth doula to help me through my labor. I lost my mom when I was 16, and when I married my husband I moved to Texas far away from all my relatives and friends. My desire for a doula was for all usual reasons, but also because I knew in that pivotal moment of my life – I would be missing an older female to guide me. It was important to me that I have a “mother figure” with me when I got scared, or when the pain became too much for me. But, the doula that we hired to be there, took our money…and never came.

You may wonder if we did our research? We did. We interviewed several different doulas, we took notes, we made sure they were in good standing with DONA the most notable doula association, an agency that oversees doulas and certifies them, we even picked a doula that had been voted the best in our area by readers of local magazine. And we asked questions…lot’s of them. In the end they all seemed great, but I felt most drawn to the older woman, I was looking for a stand in for my own mom after all. The doula was on her way to becoming a midwife, and was a trainer to new doulas in our area. She seemed like a great choice, she seemed motherly. We paid her, and she agreed to keep the two weeks surrounding our due date free.

When I went into labor we called her right away. She advised us to go get something to eat, and to rest up. Productive labor she said, was still  far away. My water broke a short while later in the cosmetic aisle in Walgreens … so we knew our baby was on it’s way! We called the doula again, she suggested we continue stay at home as long as we could. But she kept giving us reasons she shouldn’t come to our house, help me with the labor. We were both excited and scared, and went along with what she said. We stayed home despite the fact that I had Meconium in my amniotic fluid. She advised us to not call our doctor, since he would likely say to come to the hospital, but she advised us that wasn’t necessary. But as the evening got later my husband and I both felt uncomfortable following that advice, and went to the hospital anyway. She explained that she didn’t need to meet us there yet, because “we would have so much paper work” to fill out  first. And when we called her after I was given a room – she felt it would be better for her to “nap, and then wake up later and have lot’s of coffee.” She said she would call us in a little while, and let us know she was on the way. I was in full labor, and being given Pitocin to increase the strength of my contractions all night. She never called. And she never came. I was in labor through the night, and in the morning it was finally decided I needed a C-section ASAP. My husband called the doula, and told her she had missed my labor.

After getting home from the hospital days later, my husband called the doula to see what happened. She had no explanation for why she never showed up, but did offer him a refund of the money she had taken from us. Months went by…no money. We e-mailed her, and could see she opened our e-mail, but she would not reply. Michael tried, I tried, at first saying perhaps she had misplaced our address, and later asking her why she was not responding. Eventually she e-mailed me, and acted like she didn’t know why we were asking for a refund! It was infuriating. We had a new baby at home and no time for her games. But eventually we saw we had been lied to a second time. She had no intention of following through. So we contacted DONA. I submitted a formal complaint, waited for them to get in touch with her, get her side, and then interview us both on the phone. After months of waiting, I received paper work from DONA letting me know they had found her at fault. And recommending she refund our money, and write us a letter of apology, along with other requirements. She never did. And when I let DONA know she hadn’t followed through on any of those requirements, they told me they were just “suggestions” and they could not make her do them, and that they would not be revoking her “good standing” with DONA! So if another person researches her, just like we did – they will never know her history. It remains hidden, and she can continue to do this.

My husband is a wise man, and he has often suggested that we try to forgive and forget what happened. That she was wrong, but we only poison ourselves by continuing to feel hurt by it. I understand his point of view. But I often wonder if we should continue to pursue the matter for the sake of other expectant parents who may hire this woman, and never know her history. I also wonder if letting her win, will only serve to show her that being a rotten person pays. That it’s ok for her to promise to be there for someone in a pivotal life moment, and take their money…but not respect that agreement enough to follow through. Or at the very least, to apologize if something came up, and refund their money. Not to mention her advice to stay at home when she knew we had Meconium in the amniotic fluid. That could have caused our daughter to have long term health problems had it gotten in her lungs. Which thank God it did not.

Readers, this is the abbreviated story. There are plenty of other details that eat away at me. And I feel like I need to make a decision about this – should I contact small claims court? Write the Attorney general? Or do I just walk away? I’d like to have some closure on the whole thing, but I don’t know if I’ll get it by being the “bigger person” or by standing up for myself.



Behold! The Power of Two

The Demise of the Tooth Fairy

Many years ago, before my 2nd born even HAD teeth, I bought 2 Tooth Fairy Kits. One pink set, one blue. They came with a little packet of fairy dust, a velveteen drawstring bag and a stack of notes from the tooth fairy printed on fairy stationary.

Both my kids, the oldest especially, have been “late bloomers” in the tooth loss department. He was the only kid in the 2nd grade with all his baby teeth.

He’s now in middle school and STILL has a lot of teeth left to lose. I don’t know how many. Does anyone out there know how many teeth kids lose? Do I lose Good Mommy Points for not knowing this?

In the Tooth Fairy Kit, every note is a bit different. They all say how proud the Fairy is for their bravery in the face of tooth loss, how beautiful and well-cared for that particular tooth is, and what the fairy is going to do with the tooth. Some notes allude to the fact that this was an especially hard tooth to lose, or perhaps took a long time. There is always a reminder to continue to practice good dental hygiene.

When the Fairy first started visiting our home, she signed all the notes “Moonbeam.”  Then, one weekend we were camping in Yosemite and my daughter lost a tooth (do I get Good Mommy Points for remembering to pack the Tooth Fairy Kit for vacation?), and so that note was signed “Awahnee.”  Teeth were also lost in Costa Rica, and though I don’t recall which particular Fairy signed the note, foreign currency was left.  When we relocated to Texas, the notes started being signed by “Buck Tooth” and more recently, just plain “Buck.”

Anyway…. my oldest has lost 2 teeth this past month. I think his mouth is getting sick and tired of those baby teeth squatters and is going to start evicting them in rapid order.

I dug out the Tooth Fairy notes from their top-secret hiding place, and there are only two notes left.

Note #1 was left under his pillow with the usual monetary compensation and I liberally sprinkled Fairy Dust all over Aidan. After all, only one visit to go, I might as well not skimp on the Fairy Dust.

Aidan showers every morning before school, so the Fairy Dust shouldn’t be a problem. Except that it sort of gets all over everything, and he’d just die, DIE, D-I-E I tell you, if he had to go to Big Bad Middle School with Fairy Dust twinkling from among his clothing and hair. He complained.  Repeatedly.

So, when the next tooth came out, I kinda rushed the Tooth Fairy ritual. It was the holiday season and I was tired.  No Fairy Dust and I forgot to sign the note “Buck” like usual. I didn’t even look at the note. Besides, I still had to hide the $%&* elf-on-the-shelf.

Aidan stomps down the stairs in the morning and thrusts the note under my nose. “Look at this!” he demands. I take the note and hold it farther from my 45-year old eyes, scanning it quickly just to make sure I didn’t accidentally put the Tooth Fairy Kit Instructions under his pillow or some other gross error.

“How nice! A note from the Tooth Fairy!” I say.

“Read that!” he points to the 2nd paragraph:“This diamond will have a special place in my tiara, the other fairies have chosen me to be Queen of the Fairy Ball” the note says.

“That doesn’t sound like BUCK!” he proclaims.

“Um…. it must not have been? See, son, there’s no signature. Must’ve been a substitute Fairy?”  He just glares at me.  “I think that maybe this is your last visit from the Tooth Fairy anyway, what do you think?”

He fixes me with that oh-so-superior middle-school glare and mumbles ”Whatever.”

Fairies. &%$# Elves. Bunnies. Fat men is red fur-trimmed suits.

Whatever, indeed.

When she’s not chauffeuring over-scheduled children or procrastinating about the housework, Pam can be found scratching her head in her garden, making a giant mess in her kitchen, channeling her inner redneck, or sneaking off for a bubble bath with a fat novel.  Her monotonous adventures are chronicled in painful detail here.

DO NOT CLIP COUPONS!

In a poor economy, it seems that the only businesses doing well are those promoting survival in a poor economy.

Everywhere I look, I see the same advice on how to lower your grocery bills: clip coupons, clip coupons, clip coupons.

Here’s a twist: I’ve also got tips on how to save a lot on your grocery bills, but I won’t tell you to clip coupons. In fact, I’m going to recommend that you don’t!

Intrigued? Read on.

Get Ready

The real way to save money at the checkout is to know why you’re buying what you’re buying. This means that planning is essential. If you invest a little time every week, it can mean the difference between plenty of savings and none at all.

• Make a menu. The single best way to make sure you don’t overspend your grocery budget is to create a menu for the week, and use it to build your shopping list. Then stick to it. If a week’s worth of planning seems daunting at first, try three days’ worth instead.

• Check the weekly grocery ads ahead of time (they’re almost always available online if you don’t get a hard copy in your mailbox), and write down the items that you could potentially use. Use these lists to populate your upcoming menu, and from there make your grocery list.

• Go online to find bargains. Websites like My Grocery Deals allow you to “subscribe” to several stores at once. You can run searches by store, category, or item to see who has what on sale this week. It’s especially handy when you’re searching for a specific item.

• Make sure your grocery list is detailed. The fewer trips you need to make, the less temptation you’ll have to make impulse buys.

• Commit to sticking to your list; it will make a difference. Try one shopping trip in which you don’t put a single item in your cart that’s not on your list. At the same time, add up the cost of the items you would otherwise have thrown in. It’s quite an eye-opener; those extras that you don’t need can double your grocery bill.

• Consider using multiple stores. If you have to drive all over the city to take advantage of sales, you’ll use up the savings on gas, but if you’re creative you’ll probably be able to combine errands. For example, if you pass by a grocery store on your way home from your daughter’s ballet class, consider its sale flyer. Are there any savings worth the extra stop?

Get Set

As important as planning is to grocery savings, it’s not enough on its own. When running a marathon, you won’t succeed if you’re not physically and mentally prepared, regardless of how good you look on paper. Grocery shopping is no different.

• Don’t shop on an empty stomach. When you’re hungry, pre-prepared foods and snacks are especially attractive. Unfortunately, they’re also the most expensive (not to mention bad for your waistline!).

• Again, stick to what’s on your grocery list, and realize that it won’t be easy. I frequently toss an impulse item in the cart, then stop and mentally remind myself why I need to return it to its shelf. If you like checking out new things, limit yourself to one impulse buy per trip.

• Arm yourself with a calculator; it will not make you a nerd. Well, actually, it might. But if the price-per-unit comparisons on the shelves are hard to figure out, a calculator will be helpful. And at least you’ll be the nerd with the fatter wallet!

Go!

The aisles of a grocery store are filled with traps to make you spend more than you need. If you think through some of the following pitfalls, you’ll be well on your way to savings.

• Ask yourself, for each item, whether you really and truly need it.

• Remind yourself over and over that your grocery list is set in stone. It’s easy to forget with that delicious fresh bagel scent wafting through the store. Stay strong!

• Put the cellphone down. Distractions make impulse buying a lot easier; paying attention to what you’re doing will save money!

• Shop the perimeter of the store as much as you can. There’s a reason why you have to pass by the crackers, chips, and salsa on your way to the milk or bread aisle; enticing prepared foods are common impulse buys that raise your bill.

• Don’t completely discount prepared foods, though: they might be more cost-effective than fresh foods, particularly when it comes to produce. Although precut cauliflower may cost a dollar more than the equivalent amount of fresh, if the fresh vegetable always rots before you get around to cutting it, it’s not a better deal.

• Beware of clearance. There’s no place more vital to second-guess your impulses than the clearance section. Yes, that bag of Valentine’s candy is 75 per cent off, but that’s still three dollars you don’t need to spend. And while soon-expiring produce and meats are often a steal, they aren’t worth the savings if they’re just going to go bad in the fridge.

• Beware of coupons! Yes, I know. You’ve been told a million times that you simply must clip coupons. It’s what people who save money do, right? Wrong. In principle it can work, but in reality it’s often a money waster.

First, don’t buy something just because you have a coupon for it. (That’s the real reason the manufacturers pass out the coupons—there’s no altruistic motive here!) Only use them for items you frequently use and/or were already planning to purchase. If you don’t normally buy pizza rolls, or if you already have three jugs of dishwashing detergent, then your coupon “savings” will be the opposite.

Toss them, share them with a friend, or join a coupon swap. And use the remaining coupons very, very carefully: at the store, compare per-unit amounts (a calculator helps). Other brands, including store brands, are often cheaper, even when you factor in the coupon.

• Resist the urge to stock up. While sometimes there will be a case lot sale or a fantastic meat reduction, be wary: most of those “stock-up” sales are ploys to get you to buy more than you need or want. Once you start reading the ads, you’ll begin to recognize what goes on sale, and how often. You’ll frequently find that every few weeks, a given item will be on sale in at least one local grocery store, so stocking up isn’t always as necessary as the store wants you to believe.

Finish Line

Cutting down your grocery budget is a work in progress. It will take time; I still occasionally come home with items that I know I shouldn’t have purchased. That’s okay! There’s no magic finish line to cross. Doing your smartest to save your family money is success enough in itself. However small, the boost to your finances is the best reward.

Slime

Nicholas just LOVES science experiments! He is always asking me if we can do an experiment of some kind. If I don’t have one for him, he will often do his own “experiment” which often just consists of measuring out and mixing up a weird combination of ingredients and seeing what it looks like.

So today, as part of Swine Break ‘09, we did a science experiment and made our own slime. It was fun but while he was making it I also talked about the processes of saturation and chemical bonding to make it educational too! The slime stuck to itself well but didn’t make a mess by sticking to everything it came in contact with which I appreciated. I’ve included the recipe below in case you want to try it out too.

You will need:

Basic white school glue
Borax (found on laundry aisle)
Water
Mixing bowls
Spoon
Food coloring
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons

To make, mix equal parts of glue and water in a bowl. Set aside. Pour one cup of water in a bowl and add about one tablespoon of Borax and mix.

You want the Borax to completely dissolve in the water so that the water is saturated. Ours didn’t completely dissolve so we added a little bit more water until we got it just right. Once the solution is saturated, add two tablespoons of the glue and water mixture and stir quickly. The Borax binds the glue molecules to each other making the whole mixture a thick slime.

Add food coloring and knead into slime until color is thoroughly mixed throughout the slime.

You can make multiple batches of different colors and store them in Ziploc bags to keep them from drying out. Ours didn’t last that long. Nicholas wanting to take the slime outside and play with it.

He checked to see if it would stick to the side of his fort. Nope.

Then he took a stick and said that we were now playing Man vs. Wild again (he loves this game!). He said that the slime was a giant marshmallow that we found in the wild and that we could put it on the stick and cook it over a fire (aka his old turtle sandbox).

Once we were done playing with our slime, it had an entirely new texture to it. It now contained lots of little pieces of dirt, leaves, sticks, grass, etc. so we decided to chunk it in the trash. But what fun we had with it and it was so easy to make!

When Kim and Nicholas aren’t experimenting they are exploring the metroplex with Nicholas’ little sister and Kim is reporting it all in Savor the Days.

Don’t be a Griswold: New Rules for Holiday Lighting

It all started in July.  Seriously.  I walked into Hobby Lobby in shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops, already pitted out from crossing the heat-baked parking lot.  I rejoiced in the momentary blast of icy air that hit me as the store’s doors opened. But then the assault began…Christmas music!  I am not kidding you!  I don’t know when it started, but I can assure you that by July 9^th, the Herald Angels were singing “Hark” in Hobby Lobby.  I turned on my flippy-floppy heels, and walked out of the store.

I’m really no Scrooge.  Ask my friends and they’ll tell you that there are a minimum of 5 trees in my house each year.  I regularly host a cookie exchange and a couple of holiday cocktail parties.  Most years my Christmas shopping is finished by Halloween, and my cards go out the day after Thanksgiving. (OK, truth be told, last year I didn’t get cards out at all, but that’s a first in 21 years of marriage.)

There used to be some sort of “holiday etiquette” that everyone followed.  Nothing was written.  There were no classes to take.  People just did it.  Things began to get a little off-kilter when retail businesses began to set up holiday displays before Thanksgiving.  That worked without repercussion, so the set-up day began creeping backward, first before Halloween, then before Labor Day.  But now, they have pushed the envelope too far in my mind!  I refuse to listen to “Dashing through the Snow” while sweat is running down the middle of my back.

Once the retail stores started pimping Christmas early, other businesses soon followed suit.  The Christmas Lighting guys began hanging folders on our doors in August.  The card stores started pre-selling their custom engraved photo cards in September.  In some areas, Salvation Army began setting up in October.  I can’t take it, so I have stayed away from the stores as much as I can.  Christmas is no longer “special” when it lasts for 6 months.

And herein lies the real problem.  Many of my neighbors and yours too, no doubt, have joined in the pre-pre-pre-Christmas sentiment.  So today, for you my friends, I will step into the role of Miss Manners, as I declare the new Holiday Lighting rules.  You can thank me next year.

1. Christmas lights should be hung with care. If the lights are to represent a straight line (like on a roof) use clips.  If the lights are on a tree or bush, check to make sure that one of the strands doesn’t flash while all the others are solid. If you really feel you must line your sidewalks with lights (honestly, Miss Manners thinks this can be a bit distasteful) use stakes so neighbor kids don’t trip. Please don’t leave extension cords hanging from any of your displays, it truly ruins the effect.
2. Exercise caution when purchasing inflatable scenes from large home improvement stores. Miss Manners realizes that some who choose to be festive do not have time to painstakingly string lights around their home, and that the ease of plugging in colored nylon and watching it come to life is nice.  However, there’s something a bit disturbing about driving through a neighborhood in the daytime and seeing deflated Santas and emaciated Frosty’s lying about in everyone’s yard.  Therefore, I will suggest that no more than one inflatable scene per yard is tasteful and since set up is relatively easy, can you please shove this type of décor in your garage (or behind a bush) at the end of each night, and plug it in freshly each evening?
3. Icicle lights are no longer chic. Enough said.
4. Purchase timers for your display. Lights should go on at dusk, and shut off no later than 11pm each evening.  Imagine living next to the Griswold’s and having to pull all the blinds in the house just to get your kids to sleep at night.
5. Holiday lights should not be turned on prior to Thanksgiving, and they should be turned off no later than one week after New Years Day. This should give everyone ample time to celebrate Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza and the Epiphany.

My holiday wish for you is that your neighbors will embrace these rules.  Wouldn’t it be lovely?  Regardless, I will continue in my quest to make the holiday season both festive and tasteful.  Next year, we’re going to need to talk about those holiday sweaters.

The Princess and the Potty, unhappily-ever-after ending

Two days before the Maiden turned three, she decided to be Big.  First, she decided to stop throwing fits.  (That lasted two days.  Please do not ask me to elaborate.)

Second, she decided that she was Done With Diapers.  This was particularly musical to my ears, since I’d much rather spend the Maiden’s budget on cute outfits from OshKosh educational books than on something that, well, gets peed on.  I mean, on something that is supposed to get peed on, not peed on accidentally-on-purpose on One Of Those Days in which Maidens do things just to annoy their mothers, like deciding the closet floor is a potty and laughing hysterically when they get mad.

Ahem.

So– the Done With Diapers thing.  The Maiden had already been daytime trained for a good six months before that, but had trouble remembering at night.  We’d planned to let her decide when she was ready, no pressure, as we had for daytime.  However, when we inadvertently ran out of Pull-Ups one evening, I asked the Maiden if she could be a Big Girl now and be all done with Pull-Ups at night.  She responded with enthusiasm– and dryness!

And it continued.  She stayed big-girlishly dry, night after night.  I was so proud of the Maiden’s determination!  I might even have patted myself on the back.

That was a mistake.

One day, four months later, for no apparent reason, the Maiden decided she was done with dry nights.  At first, I thought it was a phase, so I continued as before.  Finally, after a couple weeks of nonstop laundry, I figured that Pull-Ups were cheaper than the electrical costs of drying sheets and comforters every day.  I bit the bullet, and put her back in Pull-Ups, trying to ignore the victorious cheering coming from the laundry room.

Now, more than six weeks have passed, and the Maiden shows no signs of going back to nighttime dryness.  Oh, she has every intention of staying dry, and makes promises to that effect every night.  But every morning, I wake to find a sodden Pull-Up  inches from my face, while an eager voice asks, “Am I dry, Mummy?”

She wants to be dry.  We want her to be dry.  But it isn’t happening.  We’ve tried everything.  Praising.  Scolding.  Making subtle hints about big girls waking up to use the potty.  Making not-so-subtle hints about babies and their use of diapers.  Eliciting promises.  Grinding teeth when said promises turn out for naught.  Ignoring it all and “letting her do it when she’s ready”.  Limiting water intake.  Putting her in diapers.  Putting her in panties. Letting her wear Disney Princess dresses to bed.  Warming sheets in the dryer (that was a mistake).   Reading books about princesses and potties.  Using stickers.   Making charts.  Making collect-stickers-to-redeem-for-various-Disney-merchandise-items-that-Maidens-threw-tantrums-about-in-the-checkout-line-at-Target-last-Sunday charts.

Nothing.  Works.  At.  All.

I have the tiniest suspicion that her subconscious is doing this just to spite my subconscious, and that the more I let it get to me, the longer it’s going to drag out.  My acting skills are a little rusty, but I think I can fake pretending I don’t care. So she’s in Pull-Ups for highschool–who cares! Not me! Actually, come to think of it, that could be a very good bargaining card to have on hand when she asks to push her curfew back.   On second thought, Maiden, go right ahead and be as wet as you like.  Mummy’s got sinister plans brewing.

Now, just watch: she’ll be dry from here on out.

Purse Expose

In my pre-mommy days I used to cart around quite the stylish handbags. Some were so quaint and tiny, they merely had room for a drivers license, lipstick, and a $20 bill.

These days such quaint purses sit in the top of my closet, collecting dust. I have since traded in such little clutches for larger mommy handbags, the kind with bottomless pockets and sturdy interiors that can withstand the occasional sippy cup spill. These days my purse holds more than a small tube of lipstick and some pocket money. The other day I peered inside the depths of my Mommy purse and laughed out loud at its contents.

The contents included:
*One green pen
*Two Sesame Street-themed watercolor pens
*One tiny board book
*One lid to a piece of Tupperware (Tupperware container was not in bag..not sure how lid wound up in bag)
*One GI Joe figure (popular with both children)
*Purple brush
*Set of car keys
*Small toy car
*Nail File
*Three lone nickels
*Three bobby pins (I have hair issues)
*One hair rubber band
*Unopened package of Toy Story stickers
*Package of Goldfish crackers
*Three boxes of raisins (My two year old has raisin issues)
*Pair of daughter’s sunglasses
*Sesame Street Watercolor book
*Small stuffed dog
*Two packages of tissue
*Buzz Lightyear notepad
*Random, unopened toy from a kid’s meal
*Wallet
*Make-up bag holding two lipsticks and a pressed powder compact
*Cell Phone
*About 20 crushed goldfish crackers
*Approximately 11 used Kleenex tissues (Not pictured for obvious reasons)

Someday my young children will be grown and I will be able to pull those cute, small handbags down from the top of my closet and use them once again. I will not need to travel around with a small arsenal of toys and snacks tucked safely away in my large mommy bag. No one will dig through my purse hoping to find spare change for a candy machine or a crayon to use in a boredom emergency. I will simply be able to toss a bit of make-up and some money into a bag and jet out the house, whimsical and carefree.

And most likely, I will miss my mommy bag full of random goodies and the leaking sippy cups that came along with it.

Baby Einstein offers refund to parents

When my first child was about seven months old, I slipped in that first magical DVD into our DVD player. Hesitant to expose my precious bundle of joy to the ole picture box, but in desperate need a few minutes to myself, I figured anything with the name “Einstein” in the title could not be that bad.

Besides, did I mention that I needed a few minutes to myself?

I watched as my child sat mesmerized by a few simple puppets and some basic toys presented in front of what appeared to be a black sheet. He loved the music, he squealed at the dragon and he was transfixed by the images before his baby blue eyes.

I silently blessed Julie Aigner-Clark and her seemingly ingenious idea.

When we had small children in our home, Baby Einstein products were a staple item. Both of our children watched the DVDs on occasion and, dare I say, likely learned a thing or two from them. (Hey, we live in the ‘burbs. We do not often encounter an animal from the jungle on our daily excursions). Although I think that my children might have gained something from viewing such “educational” videos, I did not plop them in front of said movies in hopes of increasing their IQ scores by a few points.

Allow me to be honest and say I did it merely for a guilt-free moment of peace.

The Baby Einstein Company has  made their presence known in the baby and toddler product world, boasting a variety of items from DVDs to books to baby equipment. All bear the company’s trademark symbol of a seemingly-intelligent, spiked-hair little boy wearing glasses.

Although a bold claim was never made by Disney or the Baby Einstein Company (which is no longer owned or managed by Julie Aigner-Clark) that their materials would indeed make a child more intelligent should she watch, play, or read from said products, many consumers indeed believed that such materials would enhance their child’s intelligence. The millions of dollars generated through the sale of Baby Einstein products proved that parents were on board with the seemingly-educational materials, which included flashcards for babies and DVDs that infants could view in foreign languages.

However, not everyone has been as enamored with the Baby Einstein brand. Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood has actively fought against the promotion of Baby Einstein DVDs in the home, siting that the Baby Einstein Company and Disney (along with other similar companies) were falsely advertising their products as being an educational tool for babies, especially since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two should not watch television at all (Baby Einstein videos are for children ages 6 months and up). Things heated up between Disney/ The Baby Einstein Company and Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. The Federal Trade Commission was eventually brought into the battle, who closed the complaint against Disney without pursing any real action other than suggesting that certain testimonials and statements on the Baby Einstein website be modified to ensure no claims were being made about their materials enhancing a child’s intelligence.

The battle waged on, prompting Disney to offer a full refund (up to $15.99) to anyone who has purchased a Baby Einstein video in the past five years (refund is only good for up to four DVDs). Calling it the “Baby Einstein DVD Upgrade/ Money-back Guarantee“, Disney and The Baby Einstein Company are hoping to reassure parents that they are confident in their products and are willing to provide a variety of refunds or monetary compensations to those consumers who are not satisfied or who misunderstood the nature of these products.

My children have moved past their Baby Einstein DVDs, preferring the “mature” storylines of Dora and Deigo over simple dancing puppets. Our collection of these videos are tucked away should we make the decision to have a third child and I once again need a few moments of peace from a sweet little baby.

Leave a comment and let BurbMom know how you feel about this Baby Einstein refund. Do you plan on sending in your DVDs or are you going to hold onto them?

Video Blog: What is the best potty chair?

Do you have advice on what potty chairs are most helpful? Simple? Or a chair with all the bells and whistles??

Help!

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