Two years ago, our family sponsored a child in Costa Rica named Oscar Mario. He was the chosen one for very specific reasons – at the time, our family was a bit light in the boy department so we thought a male would even things out nicely. My eldest son was obsessed with Super Mario, so when we saw a child who had the name Mario, it was clearly a good fit.

The kiddos feel very connected with Oscar Mario – they send him letters and art work, and anxiously await his response. When they are all behaving like spoiled brats, I remind them of Oscar Mario and his life, and they humbly retreat back into humans I am proud to have birthed.

Last year for Oscar Mario’s birthday, our family sent off a package with stickers, cards and Mabel’s Labels. Some months later, it was returned unopened. I did what every good mother does – hid it from the kids and forged a letter of thanks from Oscar Mario.

I had been meaning to reach out to the agency to investigate the returned package. But our monthly donation continued to be withdrawn so I assumed everything was fine. Of course, following up on the package ended up at the bottom of my “to-do” list – tied in last place with about 20 other items.

Last month I got a letter saying we have a new sponsored child because Oscar Mario cannot be located. Not be located?! I started flipping out wondering how he just fell off the radar. Upon investigation, it seems that families commonly relocate without notifying the agency. So my next question was about where my money was ending up if my kid had gone MIA. I was told it went to his community. I do remember signing on and reading something briefly about how the money is distributed locally – I think the sponsored kid thing is more of a sales tactic.

It’s a sales tactic that worked very well on us. I’m pretty sad about losing Oscar Mario. For two years, we’ve been looking at his adorable picture on our fridge. He’s been my “go-to guy” when the kiddos need to be reminded about how privileged they are.

I have actually been putting off telling the kids about our now long lost friend. I’m torn between the truth (that he’s gone!) and telling them that his family won the lottery and Oscar Mario is busy managing his house staff in between private school tutorials and cello lessons. Suggestions welcomed.

Since my youngest child is now completely potty trained and we are getting more freedom to roam around, I have been thinking about places I would like to travel with my kids. Besides the regular organizing odds and ends of taking trips I have really been thinking about safety. I think about this especially if I am on an outing alone… 3 kids + my two arms = I’m outnumbered! What can we do to insure our child’s safety or at least a speedy return if something were to happen?

1. Wear bright colored clothing to spot a child in a crowd. Better yet make them all match, the older kids will surely NOT love this, but better safe than sorry!

2. Have children wear Mabel’s Labels My 411 Wristbands and have your cell phone number printed on them so you can be called right away.

3. Snap a picture before you enter a busy place so you have the absolute most updated picture and an accurate description of what child is wearing.

What safety precautions have you taken while traveling with your children?

This week I was mulling over some possible questions for the blog, some good suggestions and tips from experiences I’ve had or days when I’ve really had it together….

…until today, when I took my kids out for lunch.

Suddenly, I was THAT mom. (We`ve all been there, fess up!) The one who gets the exasperated glare from the surfer guy who just wants to order his organic salmon in peace, or the pitying smirk from the pregnant woman who rubs her belly thinking “I’ll never let MY child behave like that in public.” So I stood there, babe in one arm, toddler throwing himself to the floor in a fit of low blood sugar and exhaustion, and a fine sweat forming on my brow, and took stock of my options.

1) The old “That’s it! We`re going home!” Not today. Home was 30 minutes away, my 2 year old was famished and the baby was due for a feed.
2) Time out? No dice. Having foolishly left the stroller in the car, I was already out of free hands and my boy was not about to sit quietly on a chair by himself to contemplate his wrongdoings.
3) Pray for a sinkhole to swallow me up? Quite possibly…

So what can I suggest this week? When the wheels fall off, (and I have a dozen or so witnesses who can attest to the fact that they most certainly did)–laugh it off. Smile at surfer guy, because he clearly doesn`t get it and probably never will. And smile at the pregnant mama, because in a couple of years, she’ll be that mom too!

This week Mabel’s Labels launched their Ultimate Back-to-School Combo so I thought I would share how the company has transformed our school experience.

First of all, I have to mention those lovely backpacks sold online and in catalogs that promote getting your child’s name embroidered across the back. They are adorably cute, but I don’t recommend letting every stranger out there know your child’s name. Instead use a Bag Tag to help identify your child’s back pack in case it gets lost!

Labeling school supplies can be a real pain especially if you have to label each individual crayon and marker like we have to do. No worries, this year we are using the Tag Mates (Skinny-Minis also work) to cut down on time getting supplies ready.

Last but not least, I will never have to worry about losing the extra clothes we keep at school in case of accidents. Having Tag Mates on them has been very helpful in keeping up with the clothing!

What about you, how have your Mabel’s Labels helped out at school?

Big things are launching this summer at Mabel’s Labels!

Today is the launch of our long-awaited Ultimate Back to School Combo; the name says it all! We’ve filled it with all the necessary goods: Tag Mates, Skinny-Minis, Shoe Labels and Teeny Tags. It is available in Limited Editon Classic and Colourful design motifs.

In the Colorful LOL Labels department we have new (and absolutely adorable) designs! The new design motifs  are available on all of our Colorful LOL Labels from Sticky Labels to Shoe Labels and everything in between!

Cupcake

Monster

Owl

Robot

Shark

Skateboard

We know you can’t wait to head over to MabelsLabels.com and order your new labels right now, but wait! We have more great news to share. Mabel Moolah is back! For a limited time, earn $25 in Mabel Moolah on every $80 purchase. Buy now, save later! Click here for more information.