Not to self

Probably should not pin patterns into your 3 year old daughters doll in front of her, therapy could be in her future.

Made in the USA

Would you like your MADE IN THE USA item featured? Just send me an email along with your logo.

Changes

You will be seeing many changes to this blog in the next few weeks. I have already started adding Companies to the BUY AMERICAN section and I'm also including a section for MADE IN EUROPE. I'm learning how to code all this as I go, which is why it will take me a couple of weeks.

If you know of any companies who can be listed in either section, feel free to leave a comment, or email me.

Rant - Spam email

I'm so sick of getting these spam emails I've decided to start publishing them. These people really are scum.

From: miss_annette06@msn.com
Reply to: annettegozim@hotmail.com

Dearest one,

Hi, My name is Miss Annette Gozim Yak, 24years old originated from Sudan. I am dark in complexion, loving romantic and caring angel. I gone through your profile truely is quiet intresting to me, I decide to contact you I really want to have a good relationship with you
My father Dr. Justin Yak Arop was the former Minister for SPLA Affairs and Special Adviser to President Salva Kiir of South Sudan for Decentralization. My father Dr. Justin Yak and my mother including other top Military officers and top government officials had been on board when the plane crashed on Friday May 02, 2008.

You can read more about the crash through the below site:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7380412.stm

After the burial of my father, my uncle conspired and sold my father's properties to one Chinese Expatriate and live nothing for me. One faithful morning, I opened my father's briefcase and found out the documents which he have deposited huge amount of money in one bank in Spain with my name as the next of kin. I contacted the bank in Spain to transfer the money so that I can start a better life and take care of myself, but unfortunately, the officer of the Bank whom I contacted told me that my father's instruction to the bank was the money be release to me only when I am married or present a trustee who will help me and invest the money overseas.

I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust. But rather take me as your own sister. Though you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without knowing you, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you are the true person to help me. More so, I will like to disclose much to you if you can help me to relocate to your country because my uncle have threaten to assassinate me. The amount is $8.4 Million and I have confirmed from the bank in Spain. You will also help me to place the money in a more profitable business venture in your Country.

However, you will help by recommending a nice University in your country so that I can complete my studies. It is my intention to compensate you with 20% of the total money for your services and the balance shall be my capital in your establishment. As soon as I receive your interest in helping me, I will put things into action immediately. In the light of the above, I shall appreciate an urgent message indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction sincerely. Please do keep this only to your self. I beg you not to disclose it till i come over because I am affraid of my weaked uncle who has threatened to kill me.

Sincerely yours,
Miss Annette Gozim Yak.

Rant - The Mac Store

My husband was working all morning trying to find a replacement for my Father-in-law's dead computer, an Apple G4 Desktop. After calling around and taking to several people at The Mac Store and the Apple Store they decided my FIL should buy the $599.00 (or 600.00) Mac Mini.

So off goes my FIL to the Mac Store and tells them he wants to buy the $600 Mac Mini. The sales person says they don't have a 600 Mac Mini, they have a 500, 700 & 900 Mac Mini. Apparently my FIL asked what the difference was and they told him that the $900 Mac Mini was faster and without knowing any better he bought it. The 500 (really 599 and closer to 600) one would have been a lot faster than what he has now.

They totally took advantage of a man in his middle 70s and instead of selling him what he needed they sold him what would make them more money. We use to go to The Mac Store all the time, but we will no longer be going there nor referring others.

Rave - Jobs at QFC

So the QFC on Holman Road and the one on Northgate Way are hiring!

Rant - Cyndy's House of Pancakes may soon be House of Pasties

I live just blocks away from Cyndy's House of Pancakes on Aurora and 105th. I just read an article on King5.com where they owners are selling and a prospective buyer wants to turn it into a Strip Club. Does anyone else find this disturbing? We have the Oak Tree Cinemas just a block away where families take their children to see movies. There already is the Dancing Bare place and the XXX Book store. Do we really need another strip club and especially one so close to neighborhoods, schools and churches??

Rave - Incident Response of WA

Sorry I have not been posting lately. But I wanted to tell you all about something that happened Tuesday, Feb 24. I was planning on going to Babies-R-Us with Baby Girl to pick up some items for my cousins baby shower. Even before leaving my neighborhood I started feeling odd but tried to put it out of my head. I get on the freeway at the 145th entrance and shortly after started having a panic attack. I tried to think of other things and even got Baby Girl singing with me but I soon realized it wasn't ending. I wound up pulling over before the 177th street exit and immediately called my husband at work. Luckily he was somewhat free and able to talk to me to try to calm me down. But the panic attacks kept coming, they wouldn't stop. I was on the phone with my husband for about 10 minutes when a Washington State Incident Response truck showed up. He came over to make sure I was ok and when I told him I was having a panic attack he offered to call an aid car for me. Knowing I wasn't dying, I thanked him and refused (even though inside I really wanted someone else there to tell me I was ok), I knew their time would be better used helping someone else.

After talking with my husband for about 20 minutes I realized they were not going to stop and someone needed to come and get us. Being shaky and light-headed I was in no shape to drive. Also lucky that my in-laws run a family business so my husband was able to call them and send someone out to get us. And during this whole time the Incident Response guy stayed behind me. At one point he even moved my car further off the road. So I want to send out a big THANK YOU from Baby Girl and myself!

Rave - Eagles

Yesterday we were sitting around the dining room table when I noticed a Bald Eagle soaring out out window! VERY COOL!

Rant - Melissa & Doug toy recall in Canada

So now we can add Melissa & Doug to the list of China recalled toys. Although you wouldn't know that by looking at their website. In August of 2008 Canada issued a recall of the "Geometric Stacker" by Melissa and Doug and in September 2008 Canada issued a recall of the "Stacking Train" by Melissa and Doug. Testing by Health Canada revealed that the surface paint on the toy contains barium in excess of the allowable limit.

Why is barium even present in a toy manufactures facility? What purpose does it have?? When I looked up Barium in Wikipedia I see it is used in glassmaking, rat poisions, used for drilling oil wells, it gives fireworks their green color, but no where could I find why it would be present on a WOODEN TOY FOR TODDLERS. If someone could explain to me, please do so.

So when are parents going to wake up and see that these Chinese manufactures do NOT have our children's best interest at heart. How many tainted toys are going to be enough for everyone to stop buying these products?? Maybe we need to change the word 'tainted' to something more accurate like 'potentially lethal', maybe that will get peoples attention.

Rave - Snowflake Lane in Bellevue Square

If you live in the Seattle/Bellevue area you have to go check out Snowflake Lane at Bellevue Square, it is fabulous fun for the whole family. It starts around 6:45 every night from now till Christmas Eve along the sidewalks of Bellevue Way and NE 8th at The Bellevue Collection. Rudolph, polar bears, Snow Princesses and toy soldiers on stilts walk around and give out lolly pops to the young and young at heart. Then at 7:00 out come the toy soldier drummers. Along both sides of the street on the side walk are drum platforms that the drummers stand on and drum to Christmas music. And the finale....snowfall. Yes you heard me, no matter what the weather it always snows on Snowflake Lane. It is a hoot!!

I found out about it because one of my nephews is one of the drummers this year. We ventured out to see him last weekend and had no idea how popular this was. I soon realized that my 747 sized stroller was not the thing to have as the people kept coming. My husband took baby girl to see if he could find his sister in law, he never found them but he did find one of the drummers.

Rant - No Troll postcard to be found

We received Flat Stanley from a relative and so we decided to take him to the Troll in Fremont to take some pictures. Afterward we headed down to Fremont to look for a post card to send to the school. Could we find one?? NO. How can Fremont not have a post card of the Troll??

End of small toy companies continued

Please read these two blogs. They explain what will happen in an easy to read format.

Greco Woodcrafting’s Weblog

The Smart Mama

Rant - Score 1 for Mattel and Fisher Price, Score 0 for actual SAFE, QUALITY & EDUCATIONAL TOYS

I have stopped buying ANY toy that is made in China. For Christmas this year Santa is bringing baby girl the Chalet Doll House from PlanToys. It costs us a pretty penny and other than a few small items for her stocking, which are wooden figurines by Ostheimer, that is the extent of her Christmas. Well ok maybe a few books here and there, if I can find ones NOT made in China. Christmas is not a time to spoil our children with mass amounts of toys anyway. It is the Celebration of the birth of our Lord, something I am making sure my family remembers and celebrates. Next year I do not know what I am going to do.

See the United States Congress recently passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requiring that all toys being imported to the US pass extensive testing fees of up to $4,000 per type of toy they make. They will also be required to permanently label each toy with a batch number and date. This will in most cases force the toy companies to recreate their molds.

So what does this mean for the little mom and pop businesses that sell wooden toys for a living? Well they will more than likely disappear. And probably no more SAHM or SAHDs selling handmade toys on etsy.com. Good quality wood, educational and Waldorf style toys are going to be even more expensive and harder to find.

One European company Selecta has already announced that after Dec 31, 2008 it will no longer be selling it's toys in America, how many more will follow?

So I want to say thank you to Mattel and Fisher-Price for having your toys made in China for lower costs and quality, which caused most of the recalls, all so you can make more money at my child's expense. And a big thank you to my Government for taking the choice away from me to buy my daughter good quality toys and leaving me with cheap, plastic crap from China.

I'm urging every American to read the following and write your Congressperson and Senator immediately!
Please read this from the Handmade Toy Alliance. You can also sign their online petition. And PLEASE, PLEASE pass this on to your family and friends.

And Honey you probably better start now making something for baby girl for next Christmas.

Help Save Handmade Toys in the USA from the CPSIA
The issue:
In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public’s trust. They were selling toys with dangerously high lead content, toys with unsafe small part, toys with improperly secured and easily swallowed small magnets, and toys made from chemicals that made kids sick. Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.

All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels.

For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers, however, the costs of mandatroy testing will likely drive them out of business.

*A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
*A work-at-home mom in Minnesota who makes dolls to sell at craft fairs must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
*A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
*And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of toys that have earned and kept the public’s trust: Toys made in the US, Canada, and Europe. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade toys will no longer be legal in the US.
If this law had been applied to the food industry, every farmers market in the country would be forced to close while Kraft and Dole prospered.

You can read our Proposal to Improve the CPSIA here.

How You can Help:
Please write to your United States Congress Person and Senator to request changes in the CPSIA to save handmade toys. Use our sample letter or write your own. You can find your State Representative here and Senator here.


NEWSFLASH FROM A NATURAL & EUROPEAN TOY IMPORTER

As many of you may have heard, the company Selecta has decided to pull out of the USA market effective Dec. 31st 2008. We need your help to make sure other quality companies are not forced to make similar decisions.

While we all applauded efforts by the federal government to tighten the safety standards for toys, we all got much more than we bargained for. The law that was passed extends to all products directed to children 12 years of age and younger, and includes such things as clothing & toys and much more, with very few exceptions or exemptions. That wouldn’t be so bad, but there are a few requirements that, if left as is, will force most small businesses (and many medium & large sized businesses) out of business….including retailers, work-at-home moms and independent crafters making products for children. The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection will hold a hearing on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled “Implementation of the CPSIA: Urgent Questions about Application Dates, Testing and Certification, and Protecting Children.” This is an oversight hearing examining implementation of Public Law 110-314 (H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)). Witnesses will be by invitation only.
The staff briefing for this hearing will be held on Monday, December 8, 2008, at 4:00 p.m. in room 2322 Rayburn House Office Building. 3.

1. Existing Inventory: The law states that any affected product that does not meet the new standard (with the exception of phthalates) cannot be sold from the shelves after February 10th. The problem is that the law includes many new items that have not been under a previous regulation, and have not been tested. To test these items now, on the retail or wholesale level is prohibitively expensive, and/or simply not possible. So it is very difficult to confirm compliance (although most items in most companies would be compliant), and at the same time, penalties for selling anything that doesn’t meet the standard are very stiff.

2. 3rd Party Testing by SKU: The law will require 3rd party testing in the future for each sku (or style). The large pair of jeans have to be tested separately from the medium size of jeans…even though all materials are the same. This makes testing prohibitively (impossibly) expensive. There are other ways to form a testing regimen and be just as satisfied with the results.

3. Markings: All products manufactured after August 12th, 2009 must have markings on the package and permanent markings on the product indicating where, by whom, and when the product was made. Large corporations can afford purchasing multiple dies to do this. Small companies cannot. European companies with limited sales to the USA likewise cannot.

4. Complexity: The law is extremely complex. Needlessly so. It is requiring companies to hire lawyers just to get a grasp of what is required of them. Also, the requirement of including certificates of compliance of each product shipped, with each product is overly burdensome. Electronic certificates has been approved, and will help, but even then there is a substantial cost to the additional administration—which does very little, if anything, to improve the safety of our toys.

5. Frequency of Testing: Experts are still trying to get a clear grasp of this. However, it is very possible that each batch must be tested/certified. This is fine for large companies running 10,000 or 100,000 pieces per batch. For small manufacturers, with small runs, it multiplies the enormous cost from point #2, even higher.

What this means is small, innovative companies that typically make niche products, will be forced out of business, or forced to narrow their product range and sell to the mass market. Product availability and selection will diminish. We will be primarily left with imported plastic toys from China. Yes, quite ironic isn’t it.

URGENT Action:

The Subcommitte that put this law together is meeting to review its implementation on Wednesday. We need to send a message to them to revise the law or its implementation in ways that will maintain the integrity of the safety standards, but will not decimate the children’s natural products market. Here is a link to the list of Committee Members. Please contact your Representative of Congress. If any one of these Representatives on the Subcommittee is YOUR representative, PLEASE be sure to call & email them to voice your concerns about the provisions in the law as they affect you and the children’s products industry in general. Please do this as soon as you are able.
Here is a link to some suggestions for talking to our representatives from WAHM Solutions.

What else can you do? Pass this on in your e-newsletters, in your stores, among your friends. There is much disinformation in the market, and it is up to us to warn consumers and colleagues of the pending disappearance of the natural & specialty toys we have come to rely on in the recent years.

This is a critical time to raise our voices and be heard. Important issues that affect us will be discussed in a public way next week…NOT after Christmas.
What else can you do? Join the Handmade Toy Alliance, join the online community cpsia-central and become informed & involved. Contact the media, discuss this in forums and in your own online communities. It isn’t just small businesses that are at risk, it is the very nature of the toys & products our children & grandchildren will have access to in the future.

Rave - Clover Toys

I just discovered another great toy store in Ballard. It's called Clover Toys. There was so much great stuff I don't know where to begin. I went there looking for a wool felt kit by Woolpets. It is not a huge store but I think baby girl and I were in there for an hour and a half, at least.

They carry Ostheimer figures. These are great wood toys for children, very durable and it allows them to use their imagination.

They have a wonderful selection of books, including the How to books (that's what I call them) by Munro Leaf How to Behave and Why, Reading Can Be Fun, etc.

They also have a cute little craft section with felting kits, wool felt and roving.

Wood puzzles, Haba toys, Kathe Krause, Plan Toys are some of the toy companies they carry.

Go check them out!

Rant - Reusable Grocery Bags

Has anyone looked where the reusable grocery bags the grocery stores carry are made??

QFC - CHINA
Central Market (Seattle) - CHINA
PCC (Seattle) - CHINA
Albertsons - CHINA

I have not checked out Whole Foods or Trader Joe's yet and and soon as I do I'll update this list.

I'm not sure about you but when I think of Environmentally Friendly China is one of the last places I think of.

Rant - Save the Elephants!

Africa has allowed their stockpile of Elephant Ivory to be sold to the highest bidder. And they have allowed China to be one of these importers. China is already the largest buyer of ILLEGAL ivory and other endangered animals. Not to mention their human right violations and possible organ harvesting from religious prisoners amongst their own people.

The fact that CITES has allowed the sale of this ivory is unbelievable. This stock pile should have been destroyed years ago. Will you sign this petition against this move?
You can read more about it here and here


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The decision to sanction the sale of ivory to China is not only ill informed and irresponsible, it has potentially signed the death warrant for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of wild elephants in Africa

Elephants cannot speak for themselves and it is the responsibility of compassionate, caring and informed men and women to give a voice to elephants. We are therefore asking our supporters to sign a petition against the sanctioning of China as a legal buyer of ivory.

Sign Petition

We have already added our name to this petition and hope you will do the same. We would also urge you to copy and paste the statement below into an email to your friends and colleagues, so that they too can choose to sign this petition and speak out for elephants.

The author of this petition will present it to Gordon Brown, as well as representatives of the CITES standing committee.

***********************************
I'm also asking that you watch what you buy. If it is made in China put it back on the shelf, do you really need more cheap plastic crap in your house? By American, or for my Canadian friends and family, By Canadian. Same goes for my English friends. Buy and support your local merchants who are trying to make a living selling good NON TOXIC products and who don't use child labor.

Thank you,
Kim

Rant - QFC Shopper

Last night I made a quick run to QFC to pick up a few things. While in the produce aisle I saw a woman taking items out of her cart and putting them on top of the books in the magazine aisle. And what was even worse was at least one item was something that should be refrigerated. I mean come on how hard is it to put the items back or even at least wait till you check out and tell the cashier that you don't want them. At least then they are not just sitting around the store somewhere.

Rave - Easter Grass for Baskets

At Kmart I found Easter Grass that was not made in China, although it is plastic and made in Mexico. I went ahead and bought it because I was running out of time to look for more environmentally friendly made in USA grass. I also picked up a Ariel doll that is for the bath. Baby Girl is in love with all things The Little Mermaid. It also has a toy Flounder. It's not made in America but it's not made in China either. It seems a lot of Mattel Dolls (Barbies, Disney etc) are made in Indonesia.

After letting Baby girl run around KMart we headed over to Albertsons for some grocery shopping. As I was heading to the checkout counter I decided to take a quick look at the Easter stuff. And what did I find?!? Paper Easter Grass made in the USA!!! There is no web address on the bags but it says on it 'Made by Bleyer Gift Packs for Easter Unlimited, Inc/ Fun World Carle Place, NY 11514. A search in Google found this site. Don't know if it is the same but it very well could be.

Rant - Product Red pins

I'm sure most of you are aware of the (PRODUCT)RED branded product that help benefit Aids patients in Africa. I recently purchased a few pairs of jeans at The Gap and was given a red bead on a pin which was on a piece of cardstock.



When I got home I looked it over and saw something that just made me shake my head.



Is it just me or do others feel it would have served the public better by having these beads and cards made by Africans?