CPSIA Goes Into Effect Today, RIP Handmade Toys

It is ironic that the same day the Senate is poised to sign the Economic Stimulus Bill is the same day that the day the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act takes effect. While I'm very much in favor of the intent behind this legislation, this act is unfortunately shutting down independent US (and Canadian) made children's toys and clothing manufactures as we speak. We’ll still have Mattel and all that crap from China but we won’t have handcrafted toys, like my daughter’s wooden play kitchen, which was made in New Hampshire by a honest-to-God cabinet-maker and sealed with a hand-rubbed all-natural beeswax finish, because apparently we can’t write a bill that offers exemptions to these types of toy manufacturers. You know, the toys that have stood the test of time, the toys that we all claim we wish kids still played with, well there has been an explosion of these types of toy producers on the internet through websites like Etsy and Hyena Cart and other handmade sites over the last 5 years. Unfortunately, these sellers tend to be small (like one employee small) and in business both because they love to make things with their hands and also because they need to make ends meet. Sometimes they work other jobs, sometimes they are lucky enough to make a product that has captured the attention of enough people to support themselves and their families from their efforts. These are the same folks who can’t afford to pay the thousands of dollars worth of lead testing that the act requires. However they are also the same manufactures who do the research to make sure the products they use are safe and since they are making them in their homes primarily from natural, non-toxic raw materials, they are safe. While there was a last minute dispensation for libraries and used clothing stores to give Congress a year to figure out if the act should apply to them (and I don’t think it should), Congress did not make that same dispensation cover the thousands of small business people who use non-toxic, natural materials to make quality children's toys and clothes. The big toy importers who pay sweatshop rates to impoverished adults and children over seas will be able to pay for the testing of all the plastic junk they import, but already, shops are closing on the handmade sites and the rest of us are struggling to find the black market where we can continue to buy the toys and clothes we love or we’ll have to make it ourselves. When are we going to get something right in this country?

Cakes, Cookies and Presents

For Nora's birthday we had some friends and family over and I made cakes. Two to be exact. I had planned on making cupcakes, but then I saw this star form pan on super-duper clearance and then there was the problem of locating the large cupcake tins (with the combined household, we have enough tins to make over 7 dozen mini-muffins without re-using a tin, but my regular sized muffin tins are packed and Mom can't find hers), so it turned out to be two, two layer star cakes. One was chocolate with pink icing and the other coconut with white coconut icing. I adapted Isa's chocolate cupcakes and "buttercream" icing from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and her Coconut Heaven cupcakes and icing from Vegan with a Vengeance. I even broke out the pastry bags and icing tips for my first ever attemp at cake decorating. It wasn't Martha Stewart, but Nora was really happy as was I. Here's a really bad picture of a partial coconut cake and the pink cake after a star point was cut off. (I have no idea why I don't have a picture of just the cakes).
She had a really great time and everyone brought her too many wonderful presents. One of the many downsides of having a birthday right before Christmas is that all of your loot comes in one fell swoop, and it's hard to not get overwhelmed. On the upside, Jason and I will probably always be off for her birthday and we'll do our best to make sure her day isn't lost in the big holiday hubbub.

The Saturday before, Nora, Laura, Grammy and I made cookies - here Nora and I are working on the gingerbread cutouts (we used a doctored up recipe from Vegan Lunchbox) she really loved decorating them BEFORE they went into the oven (so, yes, they are safe to eat despite a three year old's hands being on them). She also loved tasting the dough, sprinkles, red hots, and sanding sugars as well as the finished product. We also made the Lemony Cutout cookies from Vegan With A Vengeance, but we just dropped them, flattened them and added sprinkles.

Christmas meant even more presents to open, including the whole Santa mythology which continues in our house thanks to Dad and I (Mom and Jason are really not into it).
Santa, with the help of Elves, Todd and Natascha who made a trip to Ikea, brought this fabulous easel. It's been one of the most popular gifts this year:
Along with Steve, Barbie's dog who's been born with a plastic heart on his abdomen and came with a complete pink and purple vet kit (thanks Mom). I don't know why Nora named him Steve. Lastly, I have my Aunt to thank again for this:
This is Penny. And actually I belive my cousin Ellen might be the responsible party, because believe it or not, this is a My Pretty Pony Newborn. Yes, I know it's blue, its eyes are too big (this is a big selling point with Nora) and it's hair is rainbow colored and it has a pacifier, but nevertheless its a horse and now its also beloved and must sleep with us. Her ears are not very nice to roll over on, but I think Penny is here to stay.

Week of Troubles

Since I've last posted it seems like we've had one thing after another. First I was sick (again!), and Nora had the croup (again), which evolved into the stomach flu last weekend, which resulted in me not cleaning (again). But the worst day was Monday. Just as Nora was getting over the flu (no barfing in almost 24 hours), we were rushing off to our Monday morning routine, and Jason slipped on the ice and fell down the front steps with Nora. I was right behind them and in my haste to help, I hurried after them and fell on top of them. Jason and I were fine, but Nora to a nasty konk on the head and we rushed her to the emergency room in possibly the most panic-frenzied state of our lives. After several hours there and a CAT scan, we found out she's fine, but we're still a little shaken and guilt-ridden. Fortunately her bruise isn't as horrible as I feared it would be and she's back to her normal self. But between the croup. flu, and concussion she lost 2 pounds, which wouldn't be a big deal for adults but it's quite a bit for a already-light-for-her age 24 now 22 lbs little girl.

The one upside to Nora's flu was that last Saturday we did watch an entire day of Rankin and Bass stop action animation holiday features and Nora learned a whole new vocabulary - "Rudolph", "Santa", "Reindeer", "Vixen", "snowman", "Heat Miser/Snow Miser", and most unfortunately, "barf", which punctuated our day of TV excess. For those of you who may only be familiar with Rankin & Bass's "Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer", I can highly recommend several of their other features, most notably, the surreal "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" based on a Frank Baum book, the historically laughable "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" which features Ben Franklin and Caveman Ug helping Rudolf save Baby New Year, the biographical "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" or as Todd calls it "Glen Cambell Claus" showing the early years of of a very red haired Santa and his efforts to thwart the toy-destroying Burgermeister Meisterburger. But best of all was my personal favorite " A Year Without Santa Claus" featuring those trouble-making siblings - Heat Miser and Snow Miser. There were also several less thrilling features - Nestor the Long Eared Donkey and Pinocchio's Christmas. For those of you who missed it, I understand the Family Channel does this every year and that they will also show them throughout the month of December as well. All this Family Channel watching also resulted in me having to tune in on Sunday to the much advertised and anticipated Family Channel Holiday Special, Holiday in Handcuffs, featuring Melissa Joan Hart (Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina) and Mario Lopez of Dancing with the Stars fame (but I know him from Pet Star on Animal Planet). Jason commented that it was much better than expected.

The other event of note is that my aunt has bought Nora yet another pink pony that she can sit on and it neighs and plays music. This one has wheels instead of a rocker. It was supposed to be out at my parents but somehow it made it's way here, and now there are TWO singing pink ponies in my living room. I need a stable.

American Girl

So my mother got an American Girl catalog in the mail and passed it on to me. Nora is a bit too young still for their targeted demographic, but I ended up browsing through it anyway. It confirmed much of my early opinion of the marketing giant, that they use book tie ins to lure parents in to buying a whole lifestyle for their dolls, that they might even balk at buying for their daughters themselves. After my initial horror, I brought it to my office and to a group of women who are similar minded to me, for them to turn their feminist eyes on it. One of them noticed (& I heard her cackling at her desk) and pointed out to me that Kit, the 1934 doll was described as the "bright light of the depression era". We were all feeling a mixture of shock and awe at the sheer volume of accessories and lifestyle packets that are available for the dolls, some of which correspond with their literary historical counterparts (check out the new 1970's doll if you really want to feel old) and then something odd happened. It got to my co-worker first. She turned the page with the matching daughter/doll pajamas. "Ohhh, I can see why people buy this, I would've wanted my daughter to have this", As I was laughing at all the excess (do we really need tiaras for our daughters and our daughters dolls?) I was occasionally pulled in by some of the details. It brought me back to my aunt's amazing barbie doll wardrobe and how much fun I had playing with it. My colleague, who's daughter is just a couple of years older than Nora, pointed out how well made the AG stuff is compared to other toys, and how cool the record player (for the doll) actually played little miniature 45's. Then I saw the Kit doll's doll (insane isn't it?), who was dressed like an aviatrix. Now I want an aviatrix outfit and matching doll for Nora (no, I haven't checked to see if this is possible). So who knows if I'll eventually fall into the American Girl marketing quagmire. I've still got a few years before it starts working it's evil hypnosis on Nora, and maybe by then I'll figure out where I stand.

By popular demand....

PRETTY PINK PONY!!!!!
S/He (there is both a male and female voice) sings:

"I'm a pretty pony
Clippity-clop, Clippity-clop
Such a pretty pony
Clippity-clop, Clippity-clop
I like to have my coat brushed
Beneath the old oak tree
Let's run and jump and have lots of fun
Oh won't you play with me"


Over and Over again, until it bleeds over into your sleep. It is worse than Raffi. PPP also says "I like it when you brush my hair" and "Let's go for a ride" as well as snorts and neighs.

And yes, Nora is wearing her cowgirl bib and no, I don't know who put that bow on her head. Who would do such a thing?