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Christmas Reminder

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:37:00 -0600

If you look for Me at Christmas,

You won't need a special star---

I'm no longer just in Bethlehem,

I'm right there where you are.

You may not be aware of Me

Amid the celebrations---

You'll have to look beyond the stores

And all the decorations.

But, if you take a moment

From your list of things to do

And listen to your heart, you'll find

I'm waiting there for you.

You're the one I want to be with.

You're the reason that I came

And you'll find Me in the stillness,

As I'm whispering your name.

Love Jesus

(Author Unknown)

Mead Johnson, Maker of Enfamil, Loses Multi-Million Dollar False Advertising Case Against Store-Bran

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:15:00 -0600

This is a sponsored guest post written by a Press Release on behalf of PBM Products. Post powered by Sponzai.

GORDONSVILLE, VA., December 2 , 2009—PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula. Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands. PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®. The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.

“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning. “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”

U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10^th jury verdict. Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM's infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that "It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development," and "there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition." The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM's store brand infant formula.

The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:

· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf

· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf

The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development. Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil.

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil. PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®.

This decision marks the third time PBM Products has sued Mead Johnson for false advertising claims. On the prior occasions Mead Johnson admitted that it made false claims about PBM’s products. It is also the first false advertising case to focus on the issue of DHA and ARA nutritional ingredients in formula, which were introduced into the market in 2003 and have become a staple in recent years by many brands as key components for infant development.

“This jury verdict should send a significant and clear message to Mead Johnson about the way it conducts marketing and advertising for its brands,” said Manning. “This lawsuit also demonstrates our complete commitment to defending our products and the valuable brands of our retail partners.”

“As a parent and supporter of children’s medical research, I take a personal responsibility in assuring our customers that the products we produce are healthy and nutritionally equivalent to brand names like Enfamil® LIPIL®. It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product,” Manning added.

The U.S. infant formula market is estimated at $3.4 billion and the global market is estimated at $7.9 billion.

All of PBM’s formulas, and for that matter all of U.S. infant formulas, are subject to the exacting standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Infant Formula Act of 1980. This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formula products sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. For more information, visit this FDA link.

PBM Products was represented by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Partners from the firm’s advertising practice, Harold P. Weinberger and Jonathan M. Wagner in New York, led the team.

About PBM

PBM is privately owned and based in Gordonsville, VA. PBM companies specialize in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing consumer food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit www.pbmproducts.com.

Enfamil® LIPIL® are registered trademarks of Mead Johnson & Co.

Have you Lost a Loved ONe?

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:22:00 -0600

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of MyLife. All opinions are 100% mine.

I think it is only natural to think about people that you used to know at some point in time and wonder how they are.

For some it may be lost loves or family members. For others like myself, it is lost friends.

I do not know why it happens, but life takes strange twists and turns and before you know it you have lost touch with someone you love.

There are a few people that I have considered to be very close to my heart. I have been blessed to have a best friend at every stage of my life. But for whatever reason, I allowed life to separate us.

I do often think about my special friends who I feel blessed to have known. I wonder if they have families of their own and what their children might be like. In fact I do hope that one day I will have the opportunity to be reunited with them.

MyLife is a great place to start my quest to find my lost best friends. It is completely free to join MyLife.com and begin searching for your lost loved ones today.

Unfortunately, my search came up empty. But I am not going to let that stop me.

Free Dry Erase Paint

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:16:00 -0500

There are a neat paint freebie available this week.

The first is a special paint that turns any surface into a dry erase board. I think this is the coolest thing I've seen in a while.

There are just so many ways that this could be used. I'm thinking it would be a great way to make a message board in the kitchen.

Hmmmmm..... The possibilities are practically endless.

Sign up for you free sample of Dry Erase paint.

NASA To Blow Up The Moon

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 22:11:00 -0500

Have you heard abut NASA's plans for early tomorrow morning?

Apparently Nasa is planning to send a rocket to the moon. But this time they are intending to actually hit the moon!

Does this seem a little strange to you? I mean do we really have a right to fire a rocket at the moon and damage it all in the name of science? And what if their plans go wrong? And how will this change the moon?

I understand what they are attempting to find out with this little experiment of theirs. They are hoping to find water beneath the surface of the moon. I for one am very curious to see how this goes and will be watching tomorrow morning news about how we attacked the moon.

You can read more about it here. And there is an interesting video called "Planning the Assault: Why Bomb the Moon"

Frugal Formula Options

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 15:55:00 -0500

After I had my daughter, almost sixteen years ago, I did not make the decision to breast feed. I was very young and did not fully understand all of the nutritional and health benefits to using breast milk to feed your baby. I received W.I.C. which is a government program that helps moms with getting the necessary baby formula and cereal that a baby needs to grow strong. As your baby gets older they also help you with milk, juice, cheese, and peanut butter.

I have to tell you that in those early days of being a young mom, I had not idea that their were off brand formulas. Instead I would scrape together whatever money I could to buy the formula I needed for my baby since the help W.I.C. provided always seems to be just a little less than enough.

Now I know that breast milk is the best choice for a baby. It is also the most frugal option in my opinion. And it is also the choice I would make should I end up having another baby. But I am so thankful for programs like W.I.C. I am also thankful that there are other options when it comes to purchasing baby formulas that are not as expensive as the name brand formulas they give in the hospitals.

Menu Plan Monday

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 15:53:00 -0500

Breakfasts - consists of oatmeal, cold cereal, fruit smoothies, toast & poached eggs. Lunches - consists of soups, peanut butter sandwiches, or dinner leftovers. Dinners - I will try to include lots of veggies this week.

~ Monday ~
Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken, potatoes, and Green Beans

~ Tuesday ~
Sirloin Steak, Baked Potato, and Garden Carrots

~ Wednesday ~
Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Toast

~ Thursday ~
Blueberry Whole Grain Pancakes and Sausage

~ Friday ~
Pizza Night!

~ Saturday ~
BBQ Cheeseburgers, Baked Beans, & Corn on the Cob

~ Sunday ~

I don't plan a Sunday meal. Usually we have a very late lunch and just find something small for dinner. Either way I don't plan because I like to be flexible for anything that pops up. You can find out more about weekly menu planning here. To check out more menu plans for this week click here.

Time Changes Things

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 09:51:00 -0500

While growing up, I was never a child who liked chocolate very much at all. I always chose the fruity or sour candies over any kind of chocolate. But then around the time I became a teenager, I discovered that occasionally I liked a good candy bar.

Well this is so funny to me because now as an adult I love chocolate. It has a way of making any day better.

It is so popular among all people which is why it is the first choice in gift giving. We give chocolate for birthdays, Valentine's Day, and anniversaries. We even use it for Corporate Gift Giving and graduations, you name it and chocolate is the gift of choice.

Sawicki School

Sun, 17 May 2009 17:18:00 -0500

Is your homeschool year beginning to wind down now that summer is approaching?

I can already feel the affects of summer at our house. Just like the rest of the year we try to remain flexible in our school. However we don't take a formal summer break. We do however, take a break in the way we "do school."

For example we tend to spend lots of time outside. This may include reading, experiments, or just observing nature. I don't let my kids know, but even when they think they aren't doing school, they're still learning. And there is a ton to be learned during the long lazy days of summer.

If is rains and we are stuck inside maybe we'll watch a historical movie or TV show. Sometimes it is really necessary to spend days and days building and figuring with Knex. I'll never tell my son he's doing science or math. Cooking and gardening are other activities that top the list.

School in the summer takes on a new look, but learning continues just the same.

Patience Necessary

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:52:00 -0500

Being a teacher to my own children has been the greatest adventure ever. There have been many ups and downs. Like the time my son finally started to really get reading after such a long time of it not clicking for him.

Struggling Readers are the most difficult kids to teach because they come to the table already discouraged. It takes a lot of patience for a teacher to walk a child through the reading process. But it is so worth it when you see your child cross that bridge from being a struggling reader to being a confident reader.