As a Smart Mom you need to budget every single minute of your day.  Most of us have a plan each morning, or I think at times a dream, of what is to be accomplished that day.  Between carpools, soccer practice and ballet, not to mention laundry, dinner and upkeep of the house, how can we attempt to face our “online” day?  A Smart Mama must have a plan, each day to get to her online responsibilities. The sites that take her away from folding laundry or getting the salad prepared for dinner must be worthwhile a serve a great purpose.  Below is a Smart Mama list of 10 things I follow or at least attempt to follow, each day. What’s on your list?  What should I add to mine?

1. Tweetdeck:  Twitter tool that I use to keep up with tweets, mention and DMs, as well as follow certain #hashtags.  Follow me:  @SmartyPantsMama
2. Facebook
   • Check my personal page
   • Check my Facebook.com/SmartyPantsMama to see latest chatter and post latest post.
3. BiMoms – Online Community/Forum for Onine Security Resources
   • Follow the Bit Mom blog postings where I at times post questions I may have on technology related Smart Mama decisions and concerns.
4. SITS on TheBlogFrog – Online Forum to support bloggers in Bloggy Bootcamp and more!
5. Statcounter: a fantastic statistical tool for website data analysis
6. Gmail: yes, at times I actually catch up on my email!
7. Huggies’ Every Little Bottom: See the latest happening from this campaign!
8. The Miami Herald, Your Blogs: SmartyPantsMama is a featured blog  in Parenting, I like to check to be sure the latest and greatest posting made its way!
9. Weight Watchers: I am a woman. I am a woman who needs support and encouragement to eat well.  I find it here!
10. Skinny Taste : Goes along with #9, a FANTASTIC site of scrumptious healthy recipes! I get inspired with my meal planning here.

These are the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls that have been issued from July 21 –27, 2010.

As a reminder:

In February 1996, CPSC issued guidelines(pdf) (which were incorporated into an industry voluntary standard in 1997) to help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled in the neck and waist drawstrings in upper garments, such as jackets or sweatshirts.

Be sure to check old hand-me-downs for this!

You can find even more detailed information on all recalled products mentioned below on CPSC.gov.

All information below comes directly from the CPSC website.

Name of Product: Bamboo Torches
Hazard: The fuel canister that holds the wick of the torch has a sharp edge inside the lip of the opening that poses a laceration hazard when consumers try to remove the wick.
Description: This recall involves bamboo torches that have a black metal canister with a smooth black metal lid. The torches are used to light outdoor gatherings. The following are the UPC numbers included in this recall. The UPC number can be found on the tag.

Sold at: CVS/Pharmacy, Rite Aid and Dollar Tree/Deals$ stores from February 2008 through March 2010 for between $3 and $5.

To learn more about this recall: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10306.html

Name of Product: Roman and Roller shades
Hazard:
Roman Shades: Strangulations can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the shade or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck.
Roller Shades: Strangulation can occur if the shade’s continuous loop cord is not attached to the wall with the tension device provided and a child’s neck becomes entangled in the free-standing loop.

Description: This recall involves all roller shades that do not have a tension device attached to the continuous loop cord and all custom, made-to-order Roman shades. Brand names include Smith+Noble, Christopher Lowell by Smith+Noble, Jessitt Gold, Shop Blinds and Window Elements.
Sold exclusively at: Smith+Noble online at www.smithandnoble.com and through catalog sales nationwide from 1998 through April 2010 for between $100 and $1,600, depending on custom size and options.

To learn more about this recall: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10307.html

Baby Matters Recalls Nap Nanny® Recliners Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards; One Infant Death Reported

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Baby Matters LLC, of Berwyn, Pa., is announcing the voluntary recall of 30,000 Nap Nanny® portable baby recliners. CPSC is investigating a report of a 4-month-old girl from Royal Oak, Mich. who died in a Nap Nanny® that was being used in a crib. According to preliminary reports, the infant was in her harness and found hanging over the side of the product, caught between the Nap Nanny® and the crib bumper.

CPSC and Baby Matters are aware of one other incident in which an infant became entrapped when the Nap Nanny® was used in a crib, contrary to the product instructions. In that incident, the infant fell over the side of the Nap Nanny®, despite being harnessed in, and was caught between the baby recliner and the side of the crib. The infant sustained a cut to the forehead.

CPSC and the firm have received 22 reports of infants, primarily younger than 5-months-old, hanging or falling out over the side of the Nap Nanny® despite most of the infants being placed in the harness. One infant received a bruise as a result of hanging over the side of the product.

Infants can partially fall or hang over the side of the Nap Nanny® even while the harness is in use. This situation can be worse if the Velcro™ straps, located inside the Nap Nanny® cover are not properly attached to the “D”-rings located on the foam, or if consumers are using the first generation model Nap Nanny® that was sold without “D”-rings.

In addition, if the Nap Nanny® is placed inside a crib, play yard or other confined area, which is not a recommended use, the infant can fall or hang over of the side of the Nap Nanny® and become entrapped between the crib side and the Nap Nanny® and suffocate.

Likewise, if the Nap Nanny® is placed on a table, countertop, or other elevated surface and a child falls over the side, it poses a risk of serious head injury. Consumers should always use the Nap Nanny® on the floor away from any other products.

The Nap Nanny® is a portable recliner designed for sleeping, resting and playing. The recliner includes a foam base with an inclined indentation for the infant to sit in and a fitted fabric cover and a three point harness. The first generation model of the Nap Nanny® can be identified by the absence of “D”-rings in the foam base. In second generation models, the harness system has “D”-rings in the foam base and Velcro™ straps inside the fitted fabric cover.

The recalled Nap Nannys® were sold at toy and children’s retail stores nationwide and online, including at www.napnanny.com, from January 2009 through July 2010 for about $130.

The recalled product was manufactured in the United States and China.

Consumers with a first generation Nap Nanny® models, without “D”-rings, should stop using the recalled baby recliners immediately and contact the firm to receive an $80 coupon towards the purchase of a new Nap Nanny® with free shipping. Consumers with a second generation Nap Nanny® model, with “D”-rings, should immediately stop using the product until they are able to visit the firm’s website to obtain new product instructions and warnings. Consumers will also view an important instructional video to help consumers ensure the harness is properly fastened. Consumers who are unable to view the video or new instructions online, should contact the firm to receive free copies by mail. For more information, contact Baby Matters toll-free at (888) 240-4282 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.napnanny.com/recall

Name of Product: Youth and Adult Brine VIP Lacrosse Gloves
Hazard: Screen printing ink used on the silver triad logo on the back of the glove contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.
Description: This recall involves black and white Brine VIP lacrosse gloves sold in three sizes: 10, 12 and 13 inches. The name “Brine” is printed in white and a silver triad symbol is printed on the back of the glove on the wrist cuff. The following lacrosse gloves are involved in this recall:

Sold at: Sporting goods stores nationwide between July 2009 and June 2010 for about $50.

To learn more about this recall: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10310.html

Yes, Every Little Bottom is ready to party at BlogHer! Are you!?  This Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 9PM ET & then again at 9PM PT the Huggies Every Little Bottom Ambassadors (MommyWords, House of Prince, A Parent in Silver Spring, Rookie Moms, Jenny of the Spot and Smarty Pants Mama) welcome you to join in on a great Twitter party to celebrate the ways we can each get involved in the Every Little Bottom campaign!

We’ll talk about NYC and the gazillion of things to do!  Heading to a BlogHer party? Sneaking out for some family time between sessions?

We’ll talk about Every Little Bottom being an important campaign for all BlogHer and BlogHeratHome moms!

• How have you been impacted by diaper desperation (moments when we have run out of diapers)?
• Do you remember a heroic MacGyver moment in diapering!? How did you wing it?  What extremes did you have to go through?

We’ll talk about special opportunities attendee will have support Every Little Bottom at BlogHer!

Pre-Party to Learn More

• EveryLittleBottom.com
• Diaper Banks
• Amazon Wishlist

Don’t forget!  Be there or be square!  Wednesday, July 28 at 9 PM – 10 PM ET, and then again at 9 PM – 10 PM PT, Every Little Bottom #ELB is looking for every little mommy (and daddy, too) to come party it up at this Pre-BlogHer celebration.  Be sure to use hashtag #ELB

As an official Blog Ambassador I am a selected social media partner for the Huggies Every Little Bottom campaign. I am compensated for my time as a consultant to the program. However, the content and thoughts shared in this post are my own.

Guest Poster: Gigi from KludgyMom.com

This week I welcome Gigi, a stay at home mom who parents, cooks and lives haphazardly!  She blogs about it all at http://www.kludgymom.com

Straight out of Martha Stewart’s Great Food Fast is this recipe for cashew chicken. I am still a stir-fry novice; I’ve made some with flank steak a few times but needed to branch out and try some chicken. I love cashew chicken when I eat Chinese out – it’s one of my favorite dishes.   This was incredibly easy and fast to pull together and it tasted really good. I wouldn’t say it was exactly like cashew chicken you’d get in a restaurant, but still had great flavor and was inexpensive to prepare. The biggest endorsement I can give this dish is that my husband REALLY liked it and said so. His usual response to everything I make is “it’s good, hon”. It could be an amazing meal but his reactions are always pretty muted, so when he said how impressed he was with this dish on my first try at it, I knew it was a keeper.

Cashew Chicken (from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living)

Ingredients
¾ cup roasted, unsalted cashews (these are sometimes in the produce section) 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into 1-1 ½ inch pieces* 2 tbsp cornstarch ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 6 medium garlic cloves, minced (use a garlic press) 8 scallions (1 bunch), white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce ¼ cup water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Start cooking rice, if making.)
2. Place cashews on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes. They will crisp up as they cool.
3. Place chicken pieces in large bowl and mix with cornstarch until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over high heat until very hot. Add half** the chicken to the skillet and stir-fry (stir as you cook) until lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
5. Add the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet; then add remaining chicken, garlic and white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Turn heat down to medium and add the rice vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
6. Add the hoisin sauce and water; cook, tossing, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallion greens and cashews. Serve immediately.
*Chicken pieces should all be roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Since chicken breasts are not uniform thickness, compensate by making the thinner pieces a bit bigger.
**The reason the chicken is cooked in two batches is because it will not sear properly if crowded into the pan. You want it in a single layer.

This classic repetitive chant is a perfect distraction on traffic filled days. This morning we faced fierce rain and tons of traffic on our way to camp.  A long drawn out game of “We’re Going on a Picnic” helped distract both mommy and the kid!

In the classic game players take turns repeating “We’re going on a picnic and we’re going to bring…” Each player adds a new item that starts with a different letter of the alphabet.  You begin with an item that starts with the letter A. The next player repeats the chant, the letter A item and adds a B item. You continue chanting the chorus, repeating every item in alphabetical order that has been included thus far and then your added a new item.  It’s a great game can get humorous a times when Grandpa and a llama are included in the picnic!

Smart Mama Move: Well today’s traffic was unusually heavy so I need to kick “We’re Going on a Picnic” up a notch with some variations.  To challenge my daughter, and myself, I suggested that the picnic only include animals.  This variation caused more thinking quiet time.   It was enough of a challenge that continued my daughter’s interest and kept the game fun!  And boy did it cause mommy to be alert trying to remember 26 animals in order from A-Z!

Here are a few more variations to try:

• Foods
• Names
• Cities/countries
• Certain number of syllables (older kids)

What other variations can we try?  What other car game do you play?