Blissed Out Thanks to LeadCheck

I spent the past few days at the Blissdom Conference in Nashville. It was inspiring and informative...and a whole lot of fun.


What you realize from meeting all of these wonderful women in person is that each one of us has a story: each one of us has our successes, we all have our own struggles that we have overcome or are working to overcome.


We're all very real.


My own personal story has been affected by my middle son who has lead poisoning.  Those of you who read me regularly know that I blog about all aspects of my life and not just about lead poisoning, but that is a part of my life.  A very real struggle.


While at Blissdom, I was able to share more about my son's lead poisoning and talk about LeadCheck, which has at-home testing kits for lead.  Lead poisoning is not something to be taken lightly and many people are not aware of the damage that it can cause; I wish that I didn't know all of the details about it, but unfortunately, as a mom of a child with lead poisoning, I've learned.


LeadCheck did sponsor me for the conference and I thank them very much for doing so.  I very much believe in their products and feel like our partnership was a natural one.


I would encourage you to check out their at-home testing kits for lead; you can also check out my review of their products.  They are definitely worth buying. You do not want any of your children to have to deal with lead poisoning.


I wish mine didn't.  And that is where my passion for this product comes from.


LeadCheck did sponsor me for Blissdom, however, all opinions of their company and product are my own.


@LeadCheck on twitter
LeadCheck on facebook

Does Your Drinking Glass Contain Lead?

As many of you know, my middle son suffers from lead poisoning.

The struggles he has had to deal with have been a challenge. Knowing all the complications from lead poisoning has made me be very aware of where you can find lead.

It's not just in old paint. Or toys.

Recently, there have been some drinking glasses that have been found to contain lead. Glasses imported from China have been found to have up to 30% lead in their enameled logos. The federal limit for lead in children's products is 0.03%.

Now, you might think that it's not a big deal unless your child is licking that cartoon logo, but the lead can get on their hands by them touching the glass. Then, if they later put their hands to their mouths, they could get the lead into their system.

Don't forget about the recent recall of Shrek glasses from McDonalds. I had some of those glasses. Thankfully, they hadn't been used yet when we heard about the recall and I immediately put them out of my children's reach and then returned them.

If you are looking for drinking glasses, don't assume that just because there is some cute cartoon character on them that they have been tested for lead. Check out this video of a Mickey Mouse glass being tested positive for lead with a LeadCheck Swab:

I'm going to make sure that I buy drinking glasses made in the USA. Plus, I'm now obsessive about checking things with my LeadCheck Swabs.


Don't forget that just because a toy(or other item) has a brand name that you usually trust, it doesn't mean that it is safe. In 2009, Fisher Price was fined for toys that had over the legal limit of lead in them. Yes, I will be testing all of my boys' Christmas toys before Santa delivers them.


Think I'm overreacting? If you had a child who had lead poisoning, you wouldn't think so.


To stay on top of the latest lead news and to find out where you can buy LeadCheck Swabs, follow LeadCheck's blog, follow them on twitter, or fan them on facebook.


As a mom to a child with lead poisoning, thank you to LeadCheck for offering such a valuable service. LeadCheck is my sponsor to Blissdom, however, I would be telling you about them and talking about news concerning lead poisoning anyway because this is a part of my family's life.

My Blissdom Sponsor: LeadCheck

You may have heard me squeal across twitter on Monday afternoon that I was going to the Blissdom conference and that I had a sponsor.  I couldn't help it- I was so excited!


Now, I'd like to introduce you to my sponsor: LeadCheck^® .


They contacted me after I posted about my middle son's lead poisoning. They offered to send me some of their LeadCheck^®  Swabs so that I could test to make sure that we didn't have anything in our home now that has lead.


Like most of you, all I used to know about lead poisoning is that "it's bad." And that it could come from old paint. Or I'd heard stories about toys containing lead. But, I had no idea of just how much damage it could do to a child.


Plus, hey, if my child isn't eating old paint chips, he's safe, right? Wrong. What I learned is that kids can touch surfaces that contain lead... and then if they later put their hands to their mouths with the lead still on them, that's a way for them to get the lead into their systems. And ironically enough, lead is very sweet, which appeals to kids.


After encountering children with illnesses related to lead-poisoning, Dr. Marcia Stone created LeadCheck® Swabs, allowing for instant-read lead-detection and the prevention of lead contamination. Over the years, Dr. Stone has contributed to the prevention of lead poisoning in children and adults through early lead detection.  The EPA recognizes that LeadCheck^® test kit can reliably determine that regulated lead-based paint is not present.


Some of the most common places that lead is found are:
*Paint
*Ceramics
*Vinyl lunch boxes
*Mini-blinds
*Bathtubs (this includes older tubs and the glaze used on some newer tubs)
*Solder


Believe me when I tell you that lead poisoning is not something that you ever want your child to go through. Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Until we found out that my son had lead poisoning, Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder were considered. We do not know what the long term effects will be.  I wouldn't wish this on anyone.


I'm thrilled that LeadCheck ^® exists and am excited about my partnership with them so that I can tell other moms about their products so that you can keep your children safe. Their products are very easy to use.




I have a giveaway of the swabs going on right now that ends tonight, if you are interested in trying these out. You can enter HERE.


Just this week, lead was found in reusable bags from Winn-Dixie, Publix, Sweetbay, Walmart, and Target.   You can follow LeadCheck's blog, like them on facebook, and follow them on twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news about lead.


LeadCheck is sponsoring me to Blissdom in exchange for sharing information about them with you. But, as the mom of a child with lead poisoning, I'd want to share this anyway. Shhh, don't tell them that.