The CPSC has recalled a toy dart gun set manufactured by OKK Trading Inc. The CPSC said the recalled ACTION TEAM play set "...has a toy gun with three soft rubber darts, a S.W.A.T. watch, a baton, walkie-talkie, a whistle, and a badge with a clip and an identification card. The soft, pliable orange plastic darts have a nearly 2 ½ inch long shaft and an approximately ¾ inch diameter suction cup. The toy gun is black with an orange nose and trigger and red spring release mechanism. "Made in China" is printed on one side of the barrel."

Sadly, the death of an 8-year-old boy in Texas prompted this recall. The child choked on one of the darts in the set. If this toy is in your home, please remove it immediately. For more information on this recall, visit the CPSC website.

Today I schlepped six boxes of baby clothes and toys to my local consignment shop. It felt liberating and I felt lighter...that is, until I was I heard the LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table singing in the back of my car. I bought the table for my first son in 2005 and he played with it for about two years. (First on the floor, then we put the legs on when he started pulling up.)

Its trombone lick and recorded female voice scatting away became part of the soundtrack of my home. When son number two arrived we dusted off the table for him, and my husband and I both laughed when we heard the familiar music again. It was symbolic as we welcomed a new baby.

Now the boys are bigger and it's gone. I suggested that the store provide Kleenex and counseling services to customers who break down at the counter as the reality of "no more babies in my house" sets in. I'll be OK, though. Some other sweet baby will enjoy it the same way my sons did, and in the process some other mother will hum along to its catchy tunes just like I did.

Photo © LeapFrog

What toy will you be sad to give up?

For some reason both of my children completely lose their marbles at 5pm. Tonight I put a halt to 500 laps around the kitchen-to-living-room circle by busting out a couple of classics. Now I have both small boys completely captivated by some really old-school holiday classics.

I bought the 1969 version of Frosty the Snowman and 1964's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer several years ago for my husband and me to watch together. Another favorite, The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) is the one with the hilarious brothers, Heat Miser and Snow Miser. I've been known to sing along to that one! Now our kids are enjoying them as much as we do.

Rudolph's abominable snow monster scared my 4-year-old son until I pointed out that it is so clearly a stuffed animal. Now he laughs when he sees it. I tried not to cringe when Donner and Rudolph decided it was time to get the women back to the cave. The bucks were probably just hungry.

Even if they're old fashioned and a bit dated, those movies are always fun.

What's your favorite classic Christmas movie?

I've made it clear that I'm no fan of the Zhu Zhu Pets, but I admit that I feel a little bit sorry for cute little Mr. Squiggles today. A recent report by GoodGuide alerted the public to high levels of a chemical called antimony in the must-have hamster toys. The organization tested many of the hot, new toys for Christmas and found that (shocker!) they're not all that "green".

Today GoodGuide has published another article to clarify that its testing methodology is not the same as the government's testing methodology.

The GoodGuide site says, "While GoodGuide considers the presence of any antimony on the surface of a toy to be a concern, we want to clarify that we used a testing methodology to evaluate the toys that is different from the testing methodology incorporated into the federal standards."

Cepia LLC, the toy manufacturer issued a statement that said, "All Zhu Zhu Pets toys are safe and compliant with all U.S. and European standards for consumer health and safety in toys." and "Good Guide used an inferior testing methodology."

It's confusing when people in white lab coats tell us one thing, then the toy companies contradict it, but I had a bad taste in my mouth about this story when the news first came out. Parents aren't dumb. We know that most of the hot new Christmas toys aren't handmade from sustainable hardwoods by craftsmen in Vermont. They're made from plastic in Chinese factories. Then they're shipped to big-box stores where we line up for them because our children are begging for them. Besides, in the original report, GoodGuide misspelled the word "hamster." (It had a 'p' in it.)

Parents have a responsibility to make informed choices and we must read beyond the gasp-inducing headlines and evening-news teasers to determine if the toy is a good purchase. It's no coincidence that this story came out right before Christmas and focused on the one hot toy for this year. Now the organization's name is all over the news. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a certain hamster had his people file a lawsuit to protect his good name.

Will you still buy Zhu Zhu Pets?

Photo © Cepia LLC