As I recall...

Seems like there have been a lot of recalls the last few years, doesn't it? If it's not tainted peanut butter or questionable produce, it's lead-paint laden toys or faulty baby slings.

In fact, March's SlingRider recall prompted one baby carrier manufacturer to take a look at the numbers and create this sweet infographic* illustrating which baby products were recalled from January 2009 through April 2010.

(*P.S. Dontcha just love infographics?! Numbers are so much better when they have pictures to go along with them.)

Are baby slings dangerous?

I'm a fan of babywearing. I love how it gives parents a simple, practical way to hold a baby close, while they get things done around the house, shop, take care care of an older child or even head out of town.

So when I heard that there was a big baby sling recall going on, and that the CPSC was advising caution for using slings with infants under four months, I was concerned. I wanted to know what was going on, research what the issue was and find out how far-reaching the problem was. However, Megan at SortaCrunchy saved me the trouble.

She wrote a fabulous post about safe vs. unsafe babywearing. As it turns out, it all depends on what baby carrier you're using and how you're using it.

If you are interested in more information, I would highly recommend checking out her post and the resources she links to.

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Photo by zimpenfish.

All good news!

Thanks for all your concern and wishes for health, regarding the headaches I was having and more recent sore throat bug.

The bad headaches left with the change in weather, and I'm just about over the sore throat and coughing. So yay!

Much more exciting than that is we got my brother all married off! He and his bride are honeymooning in London as I write this.

Also, I wasn't necessarily intending to write a blog post today, but I got rather long winded commenting on a post by verybusymomwith4, who was looking for feedback on saving money and still eating well. The topic intrigues me, and there is a great discussion going on over there.

I'd definitely encourage you to stop by and add your two cents!

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Photo by me: Ian and Christine opening presents the day after the wedding. I was in the wedding, so I didn't take any pics then.

Sweet tricks for beating the treats

I thought these were some good tips for making Halloween a little healthier. They originally came from Shauna Johnson of Wellspring Academies, and I paraphrased a bit (of course)...

• Wait to buy your candy - Procrastination can be a good thing sometimes. And if you're worried about snacking on all that candy around the house, don't keep it around the house.
• Plan your own activity - Two words: corn maze. You're still getting some walking done, but you're not collecting piles of sugary badness at the same time. If skipping the candy altogether doesn't fly with your kids, just hit up a few houses and then move on to another activity. Or go to a party or fall festival where there'll be treats, but they won't be the whole focus.
• Ration the amount of candy eaten afterwards - Just because you collected it all on Halloween night doesn't mean you have to eat it all on Halloween night. Make it last! The trick is to treat yourself to sweets without overeating.
  

What do you think? Could this work for you? Do you have other ways of combating the sugar or keeping things healthy on Halloween?

Water safety beyond the pool fence

I thought we should have a theme for this week. And I thought it should be...summer! It's certainly hot enough here already, and there's plenty to talk about!


When it comes to water safety, I'm assuming you know the basics. The abridged version: children can drown in even a very small amount of water and in a very small amount of time, so watch them like a hawk and keep the pool locked down like Fort Knox. (Need more of a refresher? Check how this "How to prevent drowning" article from Mayo.)

One very practical tip that doesn't get a lot of coverage is simply teaching children some basic swimming skills. Knowing how to hold their breath, how to float, etc. can help keep them from drowning. (You still need to watch them like a hawk around water, though.)


My friend Becky is a swim teacher and she wrote this fabulous post about how to get your kids ready to learn to swim. It's amazing how young they can learn. But they can't learn if they're still freaked out about the water. So before you take them off to swim class (or take them to the pool yourself), there are some things you can do to prepare them - no pool required. You can read all about it here.

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Photos by the Hubs and I.

Are you ready?

I haven't really discussed the swine flu here much (if at all). The thing is I kinda felt like it was getting enough attention already. I did toy with the idea of a post on decorating face masks, but, by the time I was getting around to that, the (real or perceived) threat to North America was dying down.


This morning an article about the media and people's reactions to the swine flu caught my attention. On Exurban, Inc., Ted Villa wrote:

"One of the most interesting things to me has been the reaction to the 'pandemic' as defined by the WHO on places like Twitter: skepticism, lack of concern, some outright mockery. Meanwhile, compare this to some of the reaction in the print and broadcast media where it seems it’s time to stock the water, rice and beans and line up for the Tamiflu vaccination."

Good article. (And worth reading the rest of.)


But I'm wondering: what's wrong with stocking up on water and rice and beans? I mean, pandemic pandemonium aside, isn't it just generally a good idea to keep some of that stuff on hand just in case of...whatever?


I'll admit, we're not always so great about that emergency preparedness stuff around here. (My parents - good scouts who are very into Being Prepared - are cringing as they read this.) Maybe it has something to do with living in Phoenix. We don't have a lot of natural disasters here. No blizzards or hurricanes or earthquakes (if there's a biggie over in L.A. we might get a little swimming-pool-sloshing tremor, but those don't really count). So we tend to get a little lazy and put off filling the water bottles or stocking up on staples.

But hearing about how one of the world's biggest cities basically shut down because of a little teeny virus made me think. And, flu or no flu, I think we shouldn't be quite so reliant on being able to zip out to the store at any moment. You just never know.

So, we're gonna work on that. And I bet my dad could help us come up with a check list.

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Photos by me. Apple pie filling bottled by Mom, who is most likely ready for anything.

Quick Takes: May Day migrants to migraine magnets

1. Happy May Day! Did you know that May 1st represents all kinds of very different holidays - from celebrating spring to migrant workers' rights? Yep. You can read about all that here.
2. If, however, you're just into cute May Day/spring crafts, then this is the site you're looking for.
3. Speaking of workers' rights, May 9 is World Free Trade Day, which is about producers and laborers around the world getting fair compensation for their goods and services. There's more info about that on my organic clothing page (but ya gotta scroll down to "World Fair Trade Day"). Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up, in case you wanted to hold or attend a Free Trade Day event.
   
4. I usually read blogs via something called a feed reader, which I would (normally) recommend. (Basically, it brings blogs, news, etc. to you rather than you having to go all over the internet to visit them.) However, if my feed reader doesn't deliver feeds, I get behind on my blog reading. I thought you bloggers had been awfully quiet. So, if I haven't stopped by your blog in awhile, don't think I'm mad at you or something. It's not you, it's Google.
   
5. As an addendum to yesterday's poetry links, I saw something very cool on Craftzine today: Poetry Reels. There are poems printed on ribbon and wrapped around wooden spools. So clever and beautiful!
   
6. Wednesday my cousin's babysitter fell through at the last minute (no, she didn't get the swine flu - she got American Idol tickets), so I ended up watching his son, E.J. (namesake of E.J. Peak) at my parents' house for about half the day. We had a fun time building blocks, feeding apples to Mom's chickens, trying in vain to make Weebles fall down, and watching Aladdin. He even took a nap! :)
   
7. Migraine-suffers might like to know they're working on a crazy new treatment that involves magnetic stimulation. Yeah. I can't even really wrap my head around that. But, hey, if they can find something - anything - that gets rid of those, more power to them, right?!
   

More Quick Take fun is at the Conversion Diary!

What's the deal with organic apparel?

I have to admit that way back when I first heard about organic clothing, I thought it was a bunch of hype. I mean, food is one thing. But, unless you're a goat, I doubt you'll be ingesting that cotton t-shirt.

When I heard the supplier for my t-shirt shop was going to be offering a wider array of organic apparel, I thought I'd better figure out what the deal was.

Here's the bottom line: Pesticides are icky. And do you know what gets a TON of pesticide dumped on it? Cotton. Cotton farmed using conventional (non-organic) methods uses more pesticide per square foot than any other crop. (Yikes!!)

Producing one t-shirt typically uses 1/3 lb. of agricultural chemicals. So purchasing an organic tee keeps 1/3 lb. of chemicals out of our air and water supply. Which is nice.

Honestly, I've kind of changed my mind on the subject. I'm going to make more of an effort to buy organic clothing when I can. I know that won't be true of everyone, so I'll continue to carry non-organic tees, etc. in my shop, but I'm excited to be able to offer more quality organic options - including women's tees.

You can see a full list of my new offerings and find out about the introductory discount I'm offering on my Bold Avenue blog.

Shrimp van to Rufus the plant

7 Quick Takes - the (almost) weekly post where I share random stuff from my week that doesn't fit anywhere else.

Ready? OK!


If you're driving south from Phoenix on Maricopa Road, you'll start to see handmade signs along the side of the road advertising "Rocky Point Shrimp." Eventually, you'll get to the place of business: a large white van on a rural corner. The weirdest part is that I've seen bunches of cars parked around it more than once. You have to be pretty brave to buy stuff out of some random van. Especially sea food. That came from 5 hours away. In Mexico. All I can say to both business owners and customers: Buena suerte.


I'm still planning on doing more cloth diaper definitions, I just haven't had the time to put that together yet. Hopefully I can post that this week. (Keep your fingers crossed!)


The pastors at my church have started fasting and praying on Thursdays, and they've invited the rest of us to do the same, if we feel lead to do so. Skipping a meal (or even eating a meal that doesn't have enough protein) is physically a problem for me. (I get huge headaches, dizziness...blahblahblah....won't bore you with all the details.) So I've been thinking about what really is the essence of fasting and how to set aside time to focus on prayer without making myself sick. I've skimmed John Piper's "The Crazy Idea of Fasting in '09" and this other article, "Biblical Fasting - What It Is and How To Do It," I randomly came across. I'd like to take more time to read through those. Oh yes, and I read a post on the Girl Talk blog too. Any other recommendations?


Ladies: I heard about month.ly.info from SortaCrunchy Megan a couple months ago. It's a great tool for tracking your monthly cycle, which might turn out not to be as random as you think it is. Very simple, very handy - especially if you're specifically trying to have or avoid having children right now.


Sometimes there are cool things going on here locally that I want to make sure the Phoenix-area peeps know about, but I know that you are not all in Arizona (or anywhere near it). I guess I figure maybe it'll give you an idea for something to do in your own town. Like "oh, I can't go that art show, but I wonder what local artists around here are doing." Or maybe you'll come visit. That's my thinking anyway. What do you guys think? Does the Phoenix stuff get on your nerves?


Hubs is sick today. So I'm working in between saying things like, "Have you taken an aspirin yet?" and "Why don't you drink some more water?" but trying not to be a nag.


When the Hubs picked up his prescription yesterday (hey, I offered to go, but he went on the way home from the doctor), he also picked up this tiny, adorable little plant. His name is Rufus.


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Take time for more quick takes at Conversion Diary.

When not to breastfeed

Lots of us have eaten while driving. Some have reached around to hand a child a snack or a bottle while (maybe) at a stoplight.



Here's what you should not do: breastfeed a child while driving.

Did that even need to be said? Apparently. According to the New York Times, an Ohio woman breastfed her youngest child while driving her kids to school.

There are so many things wrong with this incident that I don't even know where to start.

My biggest problem with the whole deal? Taking the girl out of her car seat while they were still on the road and holding her in the front seat. Didn't we just talk about car seats?? (I like pretending that everyone reads my blog.)


In case anyone still isn't clear on this, if your child gets crazy hungry while you're driving to school and you can't just give her a bottle or some Cheerios, here are your options:

1. Wait until you get to the school to feed her.
2. Pull over into a parking lot along the way and feed her (with the car stopped).
   

She will not die of starvation during the drive. And the older kids will not die from being late to school. But think what could happen if you got into a car accident (which is more likely when you're distracted).

The woman, who is charged with a first-degree misdemeanor because her daughter was not in a car seat, said she would do it again.


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Photos by me.

Keeping kiddos safe in the car

Fabulous post over on SortaCrunchy today on The Pivotal Importance of Car Seat Safety! The safest ways for children to ride in car seats, how long they should be in car seats, the best safety seats...it's all there with plenty of links to even more information.

So even if you think you know everything about kids and safety seats, check it out. You might be surprised.

(And, yes, if you go read it, and it turns out you really did know every single thing there, you can come back and tell me "I told you so.")

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Photo by M J M.

Handmade gets a break

A lot of rumors have been going around about the CPSIA. Ali says some of them are true. So does the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (They would know.)

Lead restrictions will still tighten (which is good!), but those expensive certification requirements have been postponed for a year (also good!), giving Congress time to reconsider.

Did you hear that? I think a whole bunch of crafters, parents, small retailers (and maybe some toys) breathed a huge sigh of relief.

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Photo by Funky Shapes.

Peanut butter: your deliciousness is our downfall.

The fact that peanut butter is so great is really the problem. It's delicious, high in protein and goes great with all kinds of stuff - jelly, celery, chocolate, crackers...and the list goes on...

So a problem with peanut butter is a BIG problem.

Which is why the recent salmonella outbreak is so widespread. And confusing.


Oddly enough, as far as anyone can tell, you only have to worry about products with ingredients from one source: the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). (I say "as far as anyone can tell," because remember how we got all freaked out about tomatoes when we only should've been worried about jalapeños? I haven't heard anything different this recall. But I still feel the need to throw that little qualifier in there.)

How do you know which peanut-containing products may have sinister PCA-produced ingredients? There are a few ways to find out. Pick your favorite:

• List of brands not affected by the recall
• List of all recalled peanut-containing products - download in Excel or PDF (that would be Portable Document Format, Chanelle!)
• Search for recalled products by brand name, product description and/or UPC code

I'll leave you with this quote from a washingtonpost.com editorial:

"EVEN THOUGH he's not caught up in this mess, Mr. Peanut must want to clobber the geniuses at Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) with his cane."

(I don't think he's the only one.)


EDITED: fixed "brands not affected by the recall" link above. (Should go to http://www.peanutsusa.com/USA/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.page&pid=262.)

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Photos by me.

Pregnancy category PDF - for real this time!

I don't know what happened to the link on my Pregnancy categories for drugs post, but it did not work. (I'm sure it's not my fault. Maybe link gremlins came in the night and chewed on it or something--?)

Anyway, I fixed the actual post. Since you don't probably scan past posts with rapt attention (the way you do with current posts) (right???), here is the for-real link to the document with the pregnancy category information.

P.S. Thanks to Aunty for bringing this to my attention!

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Photo by me.

Pregnancy categories for drugs

Have you ever seen prescription medication having a label like "Pregnancy Category C?" I actually just noticed that recently.

I was wondering what that was all about, and I found this PDF that explains it all.

Basically, the FDA has these categories (A, B, C, D and X), which let you know the risk based on past studies (if there are any) and potential benefits.

I also learned a new word: teratogen. According to Wiktionary, it's "Any agent or substance which can cause malformation of an embryo or birth defects." The PDF above has a list those, as well.

Of course, different medical professionals will have differing opinions on medication during pregnancy, but this is good information to check out and possibly a place to start the discussion.


Edited to add: I fixed the link on the PDF - it should go to http://depts.washington.edu/druginfo/Formulary/Pregnancy.pdf

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Photo by abardwell.

Speaking up for small business and children's safety

When it comes to the issue of the CPSIA (remember? new lead testing standards for children's products that are so strict they'd hurt many businesses), I haven't had time to look into it as much as I would've liked.



Here's the thing. Today is the deadline for public comment. Ready or not, even if we think we might want to speak up, today is the day to do it.

Here's what to do:

1. Go to the contact forms for your Representative(s) and Senators (for Arizona voters, that'd be Jon Kyl and John McCain.)
2. Fill out your name, etc.
3. Under "message," briefly type out your thoughts on the CPSIA or use a form letter.
   

I decided to go for it, even though I don't know as much as I'd like, and I certainly don't have all the answers. I just took a few minutes to voice my concerns. If enough of us do this, they'll re-examine the legislation. Here's what I wrote:

As a business owner, I am concerned that the CPSIA is more stringent than necessary when it comes to testing standards. I believe it is possible to keep children safe from lead poisoning without such extreme measures.

The testing required would be far too costly for many small businesses, especially at a time of economic crisis when retail sales are down and credit is hard to come by.

Also, with huge corporate layoffs and unemployment numbers climbing, many individuals are starting their own companies. Why limit their options unnecessarily?

I am glad to hear that some natural materials have already been exempted.

Please request that the CPSC consider further exemptions or revisions to the CPSIA, especially as it relates to small and micro-businesses.
- Could materials (paint, etc.) be tested rather than final products?
- Could small business get a one-time or annual certification proving their processes do not add lead to their products?
- Could we look at standards in Europe and Canada and determine whether they are rigorous enough on their own that products would not need to be re-tested once they are imported to the U.S.?

I appreciate your time and consideration of this matter.

See? Not perfect. Not complete. But making my voice and my concerns heard.

Your turn.



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Photo by me. Llama ornament by my talented sister-in-law Elizabeth.

Poison plants?

I wouldn't recommend munching on poinsettia leaves. However, I learned on Science Friday that they're not as poisonous as they were once thought to be. Neither is the American variety of mistletoe. If you're child decides to nibble either one, the side effects probably won't be worse than an upset stomach.

When in doubt, call 1-800-222-1222 to be connected to your local Poison Control Center.

The biggest poisoning danger during the holidays? Alcohol. Make sure it's out of reach, and keep a careful watch on kids when you're in someone else's house. (You never know what's in those bottom cupboards!)

Have a fun and safe New Year's Eve!

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Photo by me.

Do we need to save handmade toys?

The first thing I read about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) sounded like uninformed panic. (No, it wasn't on your blog, I promise.)

So I kind of ignored the whole deal for awhile. But then I started hearing about it from people who had rational concerns. I thought I'd better see what the fuss was about.



Megan at SortaCrunchy summarizes the issue nicely:

In response to the alarming number of toy recalls in 2007 in which toys that contained dangerous amounts of lead and other harmful chemicals or posed other safety risks to our children were pulled from store shelves, the United States Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008. This act is certainly a first step towards protecting our children from harmful or dangerous products in that it mandates more rigorous testing of the toys we allow into our homes.

The CPSIA, however, would also impose such a terrible financial burden on any maker of toys that small, cottage-industry toymakers in the USA, Canada, and Europe will be driven out of business.

So I'm looking into it further. And, of course, I'll let you know what I find out. But it sounds like handmade toys might need us to come to their rescue after all.


P.S. In case you're wondering about Bold Avenue - we checked on this, and the company that handles the printing/fulfillment of our baby and kids products does have a product testing program in place.

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Photo by me.

Guns, viruses & steely hearts

"Bomb" was the first word I heard when the radio alarm clock clicked on this morning. Something about a hotel evacuated, other weapons discovered - and they weren't talking about Mumbai. It was here in Phoenix. Scary!

I was relieved to read it was a smoke bomb, and no one was seriously injured. It actually happened last night. I've been a little slow on the news lately.

In fact, when I posted this and even this, I didn't realize the Mumbai attack was still ongoing.

By the time I reconnected with the world on Friday, I was shocked. There was still fighting in the Taj Mahal Hotel. There was a shooting in a toy store. And a Wal-mart employee was trampled to death by shoppers. Stomach-turning news. Also, I realized today would be World AIDS Day. Such a heavy heart.

What do I tell you on a day like today? Not about the idyllic Thanksgiving Day I had. No, not today.

Do I tell you to be thankful for each day we live and breathe on this earth? To remember the dead and the dying? To support a cause - giving to fight AIDS or help the people of Mumbai? That tragedy could strike anywhere? Maybe. But none of that seems sufficient.

We live in a violent world. And - I hate to say it - we all contribute. If we do not shoot or bomb or hit or yell, anger still smolders silently. We are jealous or disrespectful or bitter or or uncaring or spiteful or feel we deserve to be treated better than someone else. None of us escapes the violence of the heart.

Last night I was angry with my husband - one of those times where all the little stresses, concerns, frustrations that have built up come tumbling out at once for no good reason. I vented, cried, ranted, blamed, cried more, then I was all choked up, but I managed to stop sniffling just long enough to look at him and say, "I'm sorry I'm so mean."

This morning I was still wondering what to say to you. And as I prayed about it, one thought finally resonated: Love one another.

Love your neighbors - the ones next door and the ones inside your house and the ones in/from a country that's not your own. (Yeah, they're our neighbors, too. The planet's not that big.)

After that, what else can I say?

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Photos:
1) By me.
2) By Swami Stream. CCL.
3) By Dystopos. CCL.
4) By heath_bar. CCL.
5) By the Hubs.

It begins.

Did things just get all crazy for you too? The holiday season reminds me of playing tether ball as a kid. You know it's coming around again, but WHAM! it still hits you in the face.


Somewhere between Friday night's Mysterious Exhibit viewing and working on Saturday, the Hubs got the sore throat crud that's been going around.


The next day we still made it to church. And the party for our friend who just got his PhD. (Yay Mariano!) And Thanksgiving #1. (Hubby's family reschedules Thanksgiving for whenever it fits everyone's calendar.)


In the two days before Thanksgiving #2 (with my family, on the traditional U.S. day), I've got some work to do. And I also have the same crud now as the Hubs.

Ah, the holidays.


P.S. Speaking of work, I'll be announcing my Thanksgiving sale tomorrow on the New on the Avenue blog, so stop by or subscribe to make sure you don't miss it! :)

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Photos -
Top: By forezt. CCL.
Other two: By me.