Army of Mom

So this is how liberty dies ... with thunderous applause.

1.07.2005

Friday Hodge Podge Blog Entry

Maybe I'll start a new category on my blog of the Friday Hodge Podge. I'm not sure.

I was treated this morning to some yummy new chicken minis at Chick-fil-A. I had been hearing on the radio that this morning only you could get a free order of Chicken Minis for stopping by. So, I thought those would be perfectly sized for my munchkins. The chicken pieces look about the size of nuggets, but the biscuits are TO DIE FOR. "Bite-sized Chick-fil-A Nuggets® nestled in warm, mouth watering mini yeast rolls that are lightly coated with honey butter spread (3 or 4-count)," is the description on the website. I could taste the honey butter and it was INCREDIBLE. I found my new breakfast treat. They're a little pricey, though. It was $1.99. I got the free one and an extra set for me and Little Bit to share. She liked them, but she had already eaten a waffle for breakfast, so she wasn't especially hungry. Highly recommended.

Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 9., this year. As a mediocre Catholic I traditionally give up something very important for me during Lent. For non-Catholics, here is a summary - Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice for us by dying on the cross for our sins, so, as part of Lent, we want to sacrifice something important to us to show Christ that we appreciate and recognize what He gave up for us. I figure if He can endure torment and torture on the cross for me, the least I can do is give up some guilty pleasure for Lent. So, between Feb. 9 and March 27, I will be giving up cookies and Dr Pepper. This may sound easy to you, but guess what started today? Girl Scout cookie sales.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

So, I think I have my sacrifices cut out for me this season. It also coincides with good timing to help me work on losing some weight. I will have my cast off in four days. HOOFREAKINGRAY!!!! So, I will have a little boot splint thingee to wear for another couple of weeks, then I hope to get an ok to start karate classes. Pickle is going to start and I'd like to do it, too. I figure it will be a good way for me to learn some self-defense and get in shape.

On a very sad note, a man in neighboring town, Corinth, accidently ran over his 2-year-old son Thursday night while pulling out of the driveway. The dad was taking another kid to a function when the 2-year-old got out of the house. Dad was driving a big ole Dodge pick-up and didn't even see the baby and ran him over. So sad. I can't imagine what I'd do. I am so paranoid about keeping Stinkerbelle in the house and safe. Hot Rod got out of the house once when he was 2. Army of Dad and I were arguing and I went next door to blow off steam and talk to my neighbor. AoD thought Hot Rod was following me over there and it didn't even enter his mind that I didn't have him. I assumed the boys were safe with him. Fortunately, one of our neighbors saw him in a yard two houses away and came and got me because she knew I didn't let him run the streets - unlike other people in my neighborhood - who let their toddlers and preschoolers play in the street. Yes, you read that right, they not only let them play in the street, but they leave them under the supervision of kids as young as 6 or 9. *shaking my head*

Back on a wackier note, consumer warning labels are sometimes so bizarre and over the top that you have to wonder A) how stupid some people really are that they need THIS warning or B) how scared some companies are over getting sued. One we had for Stinkerbelle's Spongebob beanbag chair says that children may be suffocated if they stick their head in the beanbag. Exhibit A, I had to warn Hot Rod to not bury his head in there because he could smother. Army of Dad shot me a look like "how stupid" but I thought of the damn warning label. A group against stupid litigation sponsored a contest winner for the wackiest warning labes. The winner was for a toilet brush. It advised consumers not to use it for personal hygiene. Ewww. Here's your sign.

9 Comments:

  • At 2:11 PM, January 07, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I think they meant not to let kids stick their head IN the bag (though a broken seam?). That foam filler will clog the kid's nose and throat. It is nearly impossible to get out because it is so small and it will stick to the passages.

    Army of Dad

     
  • At 2:14 PM, January 07, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I think they meant not to let kids stick their head IN the bag (though a broken seam?). That foam filler will clog the kid's nose and throat. It is nearly impossible to get out because it is so small and it will stick to the passages.

    Army of Dad

     
  • At 5:00 PM, January 07, 2005, Blogger Army of Mom said…

    Twice the posting, twice the fun.

    And, you're probably right.

     
  • At 6:22 PM, January 07, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I have looked all over the internet (and I’ve checked three local stores that carry toilet brushes) and I cannot find one with a warning that the brush "should not be used for personal hygiene." This contest is put on by a group called M-LAW. As I was looking for toilet brush warnings on the internet, I came across M-LAW's website which says that it’s an organization that is seeking to stop the “litigation explosion” of people suing companies when they get hurt: http://www.mlaw.org/wwl/index.html. This website says that “The brush was selected by listeners of Purtan's morning show on Oldies 104.3 WOMC in Detroit as the winner of M-LAW's Eighth Annual Wacky Warning Label Contest.” So I looked up Dick Purtan on the WOMC website, and he is a right-wing radio host whose radio program is chiefly sponsored by Washington Group International: http://womc.com/skin/feature.php?sectionId=215. So I looked up Washington Group International, and its website says “Washington Group is ranked among the top five hazardous waste contractors in the U.S.”: http://www.wgint.com/service.php?id=29. By the way, I also looked up Ed Gyetvai, of Oldcastle, Ontario who is the person who supposedly “won” this “wacky warnings competition.” He’s in the pesticide industry, and he’s funded research “assisting companies with the registration and labeling of their products”:
    http://www.ridgetownc.on.ca/research/documents/sikkema_2000Intro.pdf. So this “contest” making fun of product warnings was run by a group trying to stop injured consumers from suing big companies, and it was “won” by a person in the pesticide industry who funds research into labeling such products, and it was “judged” by the audience of a right-wing radio program funded by one of the country’s top five hazardous waste contractors.

     
  • At 6:45 PM, January 07, 2005, Blogger Army of Mom said…

    Yes, I knew it was a group that is anti-litigation. I find a lot of consumer warnings just plain stupid. Like the one on a coffee cup: Contents may be hot. No shit sherlock.

    I am not against litigation reform because I think too many people sue too easily.

     
  • At 7:18 PM, January 07, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I think there's too much litigation, but I think most of it is because of corporate irresponsibility and because insurance companies now deny almost all claims whereas they used to be better about paying fair claims without forcing the issue to litigation in the hope that the insurance company will never have to pay a claim. You know, I hear talk of "frivilous law suits" all the time, but I have never met a person who ever filed one and I've never met a lawyer who could explain how she could make a decent living filing frivilous lawsuits (isn't that like a chef who makes inedible food? i.e., not a viable business model).

     
  • At 11:23 AM, January 09, 2005, Blogger Army of Mom said…

    I can give you several examples of frivolous lawsuits. My favorite that made news this past week is the dumbass who is obviously too stupid to use his remote control and turn the channel. He is suing because Fear Factor made him sick. THAT is frivolous.

    Another that pops to mind is a case for which I was selected for jury duty. This stupid woman was a military dependent - meaning her medical care was provided to her FREE of cost on post. She was suing a lady that had rear-ended her. Instead of seeking treatment from post doctors for FREE, she went to a quack chiropractor who hooked her up with a lawyer. This gal, had she been truly injured, would have been seeking and getting care on post for FREE. Now, I was a military dependent and I know that military medical care isn't always the most pro-active, but it is FREE and available if you truly need it. She was seeking damages and money for her chiropractic treatment. She didn't get any. This old lady's insurance paid for her car as well as some of her medical stuff. But, her military medical access wasn't used. Her problem, not mine.

    Those are the two that immediately jump to my mind although I'm sure I could find more if I went looking for them.

     
  • At 9:48 AM, January 12, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Sure it is a viable business. They just file some papers and extort the company in hopes of getting a settlement. Very little work for the attorney and they get to keep a nice chunk of the settlement (sometimes more than a third!).

     
  • At 10:28 AM, January 12, 2005, Blogger Army of Mom said…

    Yeah, it is a viable business and that is just sad. I've seen it too many times. That is why some lawyers are called ambulance chasers. Just look at Jim Adler, the tough smart attorney ... *rolling my eyes*

     

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