Making Wise Toy Choices is Now the Reponsibility of Parents

I just saw an article in the Daily Green with another 50+ toy recalls. Predictably, almost all of the items contain high amounts of lead and also predictably, the items are manufactured in China, Indonesia, India and even Trinidad. Many of the items with excessive lead levels are seemingly innocuous things like necklaces, keychains, magnet sets and sleeping bags. If the past year of toy recalls has not been a wake-up call for parents, I don't know what could be. It is time for parents to take responsibility for what comes into their homes and make wiser choices about what they buy.

As usual, people do not take personal responsibility for buying cheap junk, and they have been whining for government intervention. The government responded to the problems with (mostly Chinese) goods containing lead by passing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, or CPSIA. This act requires all goods intended for use by children to be tested for lead and phytates before entering the stream of commerce. Sounds good, right?

The problem with this kind of legislation is that it takes consumer choice away from consumers and puts it into the hands of the government. The people who will suffer the most from this legislation are the small-scale, cottage industry type of artisans who make goods in their homes or small workshops. Many beautiful, one-of-a-kind locally made goods are available from these kind of people. Often, if one wants to buy something that is safe and made locally, this may be the only choice. Unless the government exempts domestic producers, many will stop making beautiful toys and children's goods because they cannot afford testing. Gone will be the days that an entrepreneur can invent something wonderful for children and start up a shop in their town or on the internet to make a little extra money. Many wonderful childrens products will simply become inaccessable, and I fear that the cheap Chinese goods from large manufacturers will actually become even MORE prevalent.

U.S. made children's toys and clothing should be exempt from such a law. Domestically produced goods do not contain lead because lead has not been tolerated in American paint for many, many years. In the meantime, parents who buy goods made in China or other countries abroad have received a fair warning: you get what you pay for.

It doesn't get more local than this . . .

For the past year, I have been frequenting the Laguna Hills Farmer's Market every Friday to buy produce for our family. I first started going there as an effort to save money on our rather large produce bill. I quickly found out that the quality and variety I could find when buying produce directly from local farmers was far superior to that in any store. Granted, I am blessed to be in Southern California where almost any kind of produce can be grown, but the stuff in the grocery stores is the same bland junk you get everywhere else in the winter. Yes, I can get real organic sun ripened tomatoes in the dead of winter. . .only at the farmer's market!

I was sad to find out that my usual farmers market was cancelled for three weeks due to the fact that it is usually held in a mall parking lot. Apparently they thought they needed the extra parking (although this is a mall that hardly anyone shops at and the spots in question are WAY in the back). After two weeks with no FM fix, I decided to find another one. So I visited the Irvine farmers market this Saturday, and found the grand-daddy of all farmers markets. This is not just your run-of-the-mill Southern California produce. In addition to your usual citrus, vegetables and strawberries, there were two cheesemakers, a coffe roaster, five or six bakers, a mushroom grower, someone selling whole free range chickens just butchered yesterday... and that is just the food. There were also all kinds of local crafters selling their wares. Let's just say that I found it very inspiring and I will be returning when I can. I honestly think that I could easily find everything that I need to feed my family for a week right from the local vendors. That may inspire a new challenge in a few weeks. Seriously, if you are in the local area you need to check out this market. If you aren't, take care to try and find some local produce vendors and start a purchasing relationship with them -- your tastebuds and likely your pocketbook will reward you.

The produce in the photo are a pommelo, two tangelos and four satsuma mandarins, all purchased this Saturday at the Irvine Farmers market.

The Big Switch: New Diapers for the Little One's Bum

After 17 months of buying disposables for our son, we have switched to cloth diapers. So far most of my friends that have noticed the new "fluff" (slang for cloth diapers) think that I must have lost my few remaining marbles. When my son was born a year and a half ago, I had a cloth diapering friend that I thought was crazy too. If you had asked me then, I never in a million years would have thought that I would EVER try cloth diapering. However, I have been slowly pushed toward it due to several factors. First, my son has incredibly sensitive skin. The last year since he started solids has been a roller coaster of rashes, allergies and irritations due to various diapers. For the most part, we have been buying Seventh Generation and Whole Foods 365 unbleached diapers because they are the only ones he can tolerate. That brings us to the second concern: cost. No diapers are cheap considering that your kid pees in them once and then you throw them out. But environmentally friendly, chemical-free diapers are RIDICULOUS in cost. I stocked up during the sales around Earth Day last April, but since then have been paying about $11 per pack. Finally, my new resolution to buy local products is well-supported by the switch to cloth. While Seventh Generation is still made in the USA, most other disposables are made in China.

I thought at first that cloth diapering would be difficult. After all, no one likes leaks and blowouts, and I really hate to do laundry. However, cloth diapers are almost as easy as disposables these days thanks to super fabrics and smart construction. I have yet to have a leak in 3 weeks (that would never happen with the Seventh Generation diapers) and the laundry routine really is pretty easy. No special wet pails or equipment required. Besides, I am a design freak, and cloth diapers are really, really cute.

Fluff gets really addicting, and so far I have already tried 5 different cloth diapers. I have really liked Happy Heinys pocket diapers. They are based locally in California, and their diapers are made in the USA by moms. Gotta love that! This type has velcro across the front and an absorbant insert that you take out when you wash. Since the stuffing comes out, they dry really fast. Even DH thinks they are as easy as disposables. I would encourage anyone with kids to give cloth diapering a shot. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Day 1: Two Screwdrivers, a Shovel and an Unpleasant Surprise.

Our New Years Day project is planting two new fruit trees in the backyard of our new house and finishing up installing a few things around the house. We purchased our first home about a month ago and have been working hard ever since. Because I am completely sick of using the Made in China screwdrivers that my husband had from college, I decided to get some better ones. So I headed to our small local hardware store on the corner in search of a shovel and screwdrivers. To my unhappy surprise, they only had a couple of shovels, none made in the USA. None were even made anywhere but China. I am realizing that in some cases I am not going to be able to find the things that I want at smaller community stores. I hope that they are not stocking only China items in hopes of making more profit to compete with the larger stores. However, a quick examination showed these items to be made of inferior quality--I think that the first rock they encounter will spell certain death. So I hit the internet and found out that Sears has a large line of tools that are made right here in the United States. What could be more American than Sears?

I was very pleased with the Craftsman professional screwdrivers -- there is no way that the steel on these is going to disintegrate like my old ones. I bought three and then headed for the garden aisle. There was a selection of about 12 shovels, pretty good for the dead of winter, and several were made in the usa. I selected one from a company called Companion, and it seems sturdy. I am glad to see that people in America are still making quality tools, and I thanks to them I now have two beautiful trees in my backyard.

Stop the Recession: Buy Local or Buy Nothing for 2009

Every time I turn on the television or read an article about the economy, it seems like someone else is looking for a bailout. Mortgage banks, insurance companies, automobile manufacturers, the entire state of California. . .the list goes on and on. While the United States government continues to throw money at every economic weakness in the midst of this recession, no one ever seems to address the real sources of the problem. We have become a consumer society, and the majority of the things that we consume provide little lasting value to our economy. Americans want to buy the most possible things for the cheapest possible prices. This means that suppliers have steadily bypassed goods made at home for things manufactured in impoverished nations abroad. While the prices of goods steadily fall, the hidden costs remain: the American jobs that steadily disappear even as foreign manufacturing booms; the small community business that are replaced with national chain stores and restaurants; the landfills that fill up with junk that was only used for a short time; the high charge card balances and low savings account balances that the average American maintains.

I believe that the solution for our economic problems starts with every individual. There is nothing more mundane than spending money -- hardly a day goes by when we don't buy household goods, eat in a restaurant, or pay money for something. If we stop looking at spending money as merely the way to get more for ourselves, and instead turn it into an opportunity to help others in our community, our economy would be transformed.

I believe that where our money is, there our heart is. Because I truly care about the people in my community who are going through hard economic times, I am pledging to buy local or buy nothing for 2009. I hope that this will be a year of surprises and abundance for myself and all of the people whom my dollars meet.