Today's Mad Hunt.....

Hello, all!!! I have been a bit better about posting lately..... YEAH!!!!

Today was day 4 of swimming lessons; I am starting to talk to people about ISR lessons, and hope to possibly get a group here that is interested so the instructor will come to US. However, if that doesn't work out, I'll just take Weiss in to Lakeway, which is still around an hour drive... It will have to be in the fall, because the summer lessons are booked.... However, if you are from Marble Falls and you are interested in ISR lessons, let me know and spread the word! Weiss's swim instructor says it is great and it would be a great idea for him; she would love to become certified herself, but I checked the certification cost, and it is a $15,000 initial certification fee for instructor training.... WOW.

Anyway, Dickey and Cinda had gotten Weiss a Fisher-Price Kid Tough Portable DVD player last Christmas, and he LOVES it.... He would rather watch his DVDs on a 3.5 inch screen because HE can press play, HE can turn up the volume, et cetera. And it really is a great thing, because now that he is older, if he wants to watch Veggie Tales, Sesame Street/Elmo, Baby Einstein or Barney (his top four), Logan and I do not have to be captive victims. I have it plugged in (it also works off batteries) under this little buffet table with a low shelf so he can sit on the carpet and watch. (Our main TV is on the other wall, behind Weiss's back).

The DVD player has been, for the most part, "kid tough," as advertised. He has ripped off the legs it stands on, but they pop back on, and I think I have seen it fly down the grandparents' stairs as Fisher-Price has advertised. He has touched the laser inside, and we've had to clean it off, but it has definitely been the "little DVD player that could." We have never had any problems, until I attempted to clean the screen.

I used some Mrs. Meyer's basil spray to clean the screen one day, and I guess Weiss saw me. (He also saw me spray my fragile orchids with a bottle of water, and later hosed them down with Mrs. Meyer's..... Monkey see, monkey do.) Later that day, I came around the corner, and Weiss was hosing down his DVD player. I let the player dry, and he began playing with it the next day. However, the buttons have a "sticky" feel, and the latch that closes the player seems to act funny now... Weiss will put DVDs in the machine, and most of the time now, they will not play because the machine's cue tells us the DVD door is not closed (which it IS, but the Mrs. Meyer's residue is confusing it, I guess....)

After Weiss tried today to load Veggie Tales' "Gideon and the Tuba Warrior," I finally gave up. It wouldn't load. I called Fisher-Price, which has always been great when I have dealt with them in the past. (I had to get a new motor for his Baby Papasan swing when he was an infant, and they were quick, friendly, and helped me out, no questions asked.)

My dealings with the company were great and they are sending me a check to replace the DVD player for its cost during December 2008.... Which means.....

THEY ARE NOT MAKING THE DVD PLAYER ANYMORE..... UH-OH. Tell THAT to a two-year old who considers it one of his favorite toys.....

So, today was spent going to the local Walmart Supercenter and looking for the Fisher-Price player in "blue." No blue players, but about SEVEN pink ones.

I went online, called Mom and Dad to look in Abilene (possibly better luck there, but there were NO players in either color when they looked at several stores/locations). I noticed even my favorite "store," amazon.com, did not have great prices on the blue ones--the pink ones were usually much cheaper. However, the pink one is MAJORLY pink; my kiddo cannot do the pink one.... It's fuchsia and baby pink....ALL OVER.... His old one was more gender neutral.

Anyway, I looked at about 15 different online retailers (including many common stores online); no luck. Most were sold out of both, and were not getting any more in. However, I decided to check eBay. I got outbid at the last minute on one (was winning bidder, but did not put last bid in quick enough for my FINAL bid....ARGHHHH....frustrating....)

The same seller had a "buy it now" on a brand new, boxed BLUE player. By the time I would have payed tax on the pink one at Walmart, it would be just slightly less (a few bucks) than what I payed for this one. The check Fisher-Price is mailing me will be seven dollars more than what I got the eBay player for, so, hey---we came out on top.

Isn't it crazy how parents will do ANYTHING to make their children happy?!?!?! (I'm just thankful I found another one, because when I told Weiss his player was broken and he needed a new one, there were tears.....)