No, I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth, but my computer and body seem to think I have.

Here is my BIG EXCUSE: Simultaneously my computer fried itself (really, it overheated and caused chaos that has resulted in it no longer turning on, which means data I really need is not accessible to me right now) and I ended up getting some sort of avian-swine-west-nile-or-maybe-just-an-insane-flu bug that has left me frying as well. (I am super-glad I ran the Disney 5K before completely giving into the fever.)

I have plenty of products to report on for you lovely readers, such as the stories behind when I tested out the Lincoln MKT last week (see some photos with my MKT impressions in the meantime!) and some back-to-school tips from Leapfrog (for whom I recently got a chance to test out the Tag Junior) and PBS Kids (who recently launched a dinosaur-train-centric show that has got my boys' attention - appropriately named Dinosaur Train.) On Wednesday I hosted a Zhu-Zhu Pets party, much to my kids' and their friends' complete delight! Alas, the photos that I took from that event are locked within the computer-who-will-no-longer-turn-on, so until the Magic Data Recovery Dude can help me out, I can only say (toy) HAMSTERS ROCK! My kids and their friends really, really loved the Zhu-Zhu Pets. Seriously, LOVED.

So yes, this is a cop-out post where I attempt to buy myself more time. Because, yes, I owe folks posts. I take my product reviews seriously, and this is the first time I've been tardy with a scheduled review. When I review a product, I want to post my impressions immediately. I want the feedback to be timely, and of course I want my thoughts to be fresh. So to those who have been checking my blog wondering, "JEEZ, we sent her our super-awesome products a MONTH ago and WHY hasn't she posted?" I swear, I will.

Hopefully the Awesome Computer People will magically revive my computer, at which point my various drafts, contact information to important people, product information sheets, and so forth will be accessible again. And then, I can report back to you lovely folks with accurate information, the proper links, and the first-impressions I had about the various products that I agreed to review.

Back-to-school certainly is chaotic, and it kills me to admit that I've become such a quick casualty - but I promise I'll bounce back strong!