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Johnson and Johnson recently released (and then quickly removed) an advertisement for its popular pain reliever, Motrin. Within a few days before being pulled, writers around the blogosphere and, more importantly, on Twitter, expressed outrage and disgust at the ad’s misrepresentation of moms. The ad claimed to relate to moms who felt burdened by baby carriers, which the ad claimed moms wore despite experiencing pain (albeit a “good kind” of pain because it’s “for my kid”). And, the part that really got me, it mistakenly claimed that we wore the baby carriers simply because they “were in fashion” and made us look like “official moms” - an absurd and ridiculous assertion!

My baby carrier of choice, the Baby Bjorn, helped me care for my other child while holding my baby, it helped me soothe my babies when nothing else would, helped me eat dinner with two hands while still keeping my babies close, and helped me make dinner (not recommended) while holding my baby because she would scream if I tried to put her down in a baby seat but would sleep if I kept her in the BB.  It let me face my babies forward as I walked through city streets or suburban malls, giving the little darlings their first sense of exposure and pseudo independence while still gripping onto my fingers with their tiny little baby fists.

When my babies grew out of the BB (I transported my youngest in it until he was almost two!), it was one of the few baby items I kept (in part, because it was too worn to give to another mom but primarily because it held a special place in my heart).

The “Motrin Mom” drama subsided today when the makers of Motrin issued an apology on the company’s website:

(click to enlarge)

The fanfare and resolution lasted less than three days (not including the time remaining for ads in print).  How did it come and go so quickly?  One word: Twitter.  That’s the part that amazes and impresses me.  Outraged parents posted comments, thoughts, and links to videos (as well as video responses) which served as loud, blaring warning sirens to McNeil Consumer Healthcare (the makers of Motrin): the ad was a failure.  Unless the company took appropriate action, the ad would offend far more people, likely damage the brand, and lead to a reduction in sales.

It’s all about a standard of excellence.  Is it true that informed, tech savvy moms demand more from companies and their marketing departments?  Or simply that, with today’s technology, companies need to focus more on client satisfaction and find innovative ways to serve them better? If so, kudos to McNeil/Johnson & Johnson for paying attention to Twitter, rapidly responding by pulling the ad, and issuing an apology.

Sure, ticking off Motrin buyers is not as serious or important as aid to Darfur, but it still was a mistake which was noticed and commented on by social media - which proved to be a new and very effective means of assisting companies - something which any savvy businessperson would be wise to consider and explore.

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If you really want to see it…

Worst Ad of the Year:

Best spoof of the worst ad:

Recently we had the pleasure of dining in a fabulous restaurant…with our kids. Gasp!  I know, many people believe kids simply have no place in certain five star restaurants, but we believed they were ready.

I’m happy to say that they made us proud.  We enjoyed good conversation, told stories and shared perspectives on life (granted, my kids are almost teenagers).  But what we most enjoyed discussing was the food.  Item after item delivered to our table was a culinary delight but also wowed us with its artistry.  Here’s one example: (note: it’s not a very good photograph (taken with a camera phone in very low light) but it will help illustrate the chef’s exceptional presentation).

Whipped cream served as the base, followed by layers of meringue filled with vanilla ice cream, a dark chocolate hat (filled with marzipan) and a marzipan scarf, all sprinkled with enough powdered sugar to make you dream of the coming winter.  In fact, the look on my son’s face made it clear that he wished the snow were real and he had made the snowman himself.  Outside.  In our yard.  Didn’t happen last year.  Maybe he’ll be luckier this year.  In the meantime, he had to settle for this work of art that also functioned as his dessert.

I have no idea how much time went into making the many creations we devoured, but I am grateful for the effort.  Special celebrations deserve memorable food and good conversation.  It’s particularly gratifying when both involve your family.

I’m feeling very blessed and grateful today.

My mom always told us to put happy, wonderful memories up on a shelf to take down on a gloomy day.  I’m happy to say that this day gave me a few more boxes worth of joy for my gloomy day shelf.

Although I have to admit…I hope it snows soon.

and asked the waiter if the restaurant sold them or if he knew where I could buy one.  The restaurant did not sell them and he had no idea where they were from.

Enter my handy dandy iPhone.

I read a few key words on the carafe, entered them into Google on my iPhone and in a matter of minutes…voilá! I found the website for these thermal carafes.

Isn’t technology grand?

This little item brings me so much joy –

Might sound a little nutty, I know, but it’s true. We run both hot and cold filtered water through it. So in addition to cool glasses of aqua, we can instantly make tea (or anything else that uses hot water). It also comes in handy for removing stubborn labels or cleaning sticky sauces off of kitchen shears. Because of this little gem I drink more tea than I have in years (and probably also because there are so many wonderful choices of teas available now!).

Bottom line?  If you have the chance to install one, I highly recommend it.

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*Mainly because I’m participating in NaBloPoMo and it sounded like a great idea for a regular feature.  As some people have mentioned on Twitter, it’s important to “add value” so, with this feature, I’m attempting to do just that by sharing ideas or telling you about something that improves my quality of life.  Then maybe it can improve yours, too (or at least give you some good ideas).

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I asked my teacher, “Do we have Veterans’ Day off?”

He said, “No. It’s kind of wrong, you know?  We don’t have school on Columbus Day, which is a day to honor some guy who was looking for jewels and riches and then stumbled upon what is now the Bahamas.  Yet we do have school on Veterans’ Day which is a day to honor all the veterans and soldiers who fought and still fight in our wars.  It’s just kind of wrong, don’t you think?”

So…

The least we can do is say Thank you.  Thank you to all the soldiers and veterans for keeping our country safe and strong.  We are grateful for your bravery, dedication and service.

We recommend the game for tweens and up for its “create” mode, where kids become the little sackperson shown on the cover of the game.  In that mode, they can create their own levels or areas on their own planet.  They can fly, play around on the planet and essentially design and build structures and platforms to make a unique adventure.

My son made something that resembled a very basic version of one of the levels in any of the Mario games, complete with rudimentary steps, ramps, and rubbery objects (on which to jump).  Okay, granted it did not have the fabulous background graphics and details of the Mario games, but it was great to see him running up and down blocks and staircases created and designed by him.

If your kids are not into that kind of thing, they can opt for story mode.

For more information, visit the LittleBigPlanet website here.

Granted, articles about the topic present conflicting results. But aluminum is a proven neurotoxin and, besides, whenever I read irreconcilable studies, I like to err on the side of caution.  If I can find an alternative, why not use it?

On a recent trip to New York City, I forgot to pack deodorant, so I went to a nearby shop where the saleswoman passionately recommended a type of roll-on which she claims to sell out of every time she gets a shipment.

Any idea which one she’s referring to?

It’s called Aromachologie Purifying Deodorant by L’Occitane.

I’ve tried all kinds of deodorant, from Secret and Degree to Jason and  Tom’s of Maine.

After using the L’Occitane deodorant on my trip, I’m a devoted fan and another one of those customers who stocks up when my local L’Occitane store receives a shipment.

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*Note: SoapboxMom received no benefits or payment of any kind for this post, she just likes the product and wanted you to know.