Five More
Toymakers have recalled five more Thomas & Friends toys for excessive levels of lead paint. Full CNN story.
There’s also agreements in the works to stop lead from being used in children’s toys made in China which I think is a good solution. If lead is never used then you don’t have to worry about excessive levels.
However, there’s rumors that all of this will end up increasing toy prices by as much as 10 percent and as soon as January of next year. Companies are encountering increased costs by paying for third-party testing of lead levels before putting toys on shelves and some are looking at moving production from China back the U.S. or Europe (which is another change I like) where labor is more expensive.
But it all comes down to a safe product. If I have to pay a higher price for toys so that companies can test for lead and guarantee toys’ safety and so that they can pay workers more money in a country where safety regulations are tighter then so be it. If toys get too expensive they can go outside and play hide-and-seek, look for bugs and make mudpies — more active and educational playing which they should be doing anyhow.
Native American Nike’s
What a kind act: Nike has designed a shoe just for Native Americans and they’re selling them wholesale to tribal wellness programs and tribal schools exclusively for American Indians. Then they’re going to turn around and reinvest all the profits into health programs for Native Americans. (Apparently obesity and diabetes are big problems among the Native American population.)
Nike says their goal is to promote physical fitness and provide American Indians with a shoe that fits. Native Americans’ feet are larger and wider, and traditional shoe sizes don’t fit as well, if it all.
It’s nice to see a company care about something other than profits. Sure, they’re getting press coverage which may make people more likely to buy Nike which may equal more profits for them. But you don’t design a shoe for a specialized market, sell it cheap and then donate the profits right back to the cause just for name recognition. Especially if you’re Nike and everyone already knows your name. Here’s the full story from CNN Money.
Wanted: a vending machine that takes VISA.
A few months ago I read about several companies testing the use of vending machines that take credit/debit cards. I can’t wait for these to hit the streets everywhere. I never have cash and therefore rely on plastic for nearly everything I buy.
I could have used a credit-card taking vending machine today at work. I had only .20 cents and no drink for lunch and was craving an ice cold Coca-Cola. I’m counting the hours til I can leave work not for the traditional reasons but solely so I can stop at a gas station on the way to get the kids and get a coke — on my debit card, of course.
The Price of an Apple
About 9 years ago I came to the realization that every decision in life comes down to time or money: which do you have more of?
I was planning my wedding at the time and was shopping for materials to make those little birdseed-filled cups for guests to throw at us as we left. I could buy tulle by the yard and then sit down and cut roughly 100 circles to make our birdseed favors or I could buy pre-cut tulle circles ready to use. It was cheaper to buy the tulle by the yard but then it would have taken more time to cut out circles. I could save time by spending more money and getting pre-cut circles. Which did I have more of at the time? Money. (My engagement was a short 5 months.) So we bought the pre-cut circles.
This principle has been applied many, many times over the years, most recently at the grocery store where my 4-year-old wanted a green apple. I could buy two whole apples for around $1 and then have to core and slice the apples before he could eat it (less money but more time involved). Or I could buy a bowl of precut apples for $2.99 (more money but less time because they’re ready to eat).
While I am not rich and there are times when I choose time over money, with hungry and impatient kids we enjoyed the overpriced bowl of pre-cut fruit.
I’ll share more time vs. money examples as they come up. Feel free to share yours in my comments section.
New Blogroll Additions
Two new additions to the blogroll: Rocks in My Dryer and How Kids Think.
Rocks in My Dryer is a mommy blog. (I love a good mommy blog.)
And from Rocks in My Dryer was a link to How Kids Think, which is a research project that asks questions related to how parents and teachers provide a Christian education for kids. The site doesn’t discuss Christian schools as much as it covers incorporating God and Christian values into your home life.
Check them out. They’re cool. If they weren’t cool I wouldn’t have listed them.
Still Gray
I didn’t have time to use my little box of brunette hair color this weekend so my little stray gray hairs are still with me. You have to leave the color on for 25 minutes and then rinse. So I either have to do it late enough in the evening that the kids are in bed but still early enough that I have 25 minutes plus time to wash and dry my hair OR wake up early enough one morning to do it before work. Neither of those options sound feasible right now so my gray hairs may be around for a while longer.
Why I Don’t Want to Color My Hair
A new book “Going Gray” tells of the author’s journey of “going gray” by stopping to color her hair. This has been my issue with coloring all along: When do you stop? And when you do stop won’t it be a shock for yourself and everyone who knows you to go from brunette to gray in a matter of months? I’d rather gray over the years than in a matter of months!
My older sister, who colors hair, disagrees with my rationale. In her opinion why do you ever have to stop? My answer to that is because at a certain age it looks odd to have no gray and then people know you’re coloring which kinda defeats the purpose. You’re not fooling anyone.
It’s bad timing for me to stumble upon this book and pen my opinions on hair color considering that just this week I bought a box of hair color which I plan to use this weekend. But it’s all my husband’s fault. (Isn’t everything?) A few months ago he suggested I color my hair again to cover up the gray. Note that he said again, because it is true I have colored my hair before, usually blonde highlights for “fun.” He thinks its OK to cover my gray until 30, 35 or an age where it’s more appropriate to be gray. I’m only 27. So I reconciled with coloring my hair until 30 and decide then what feels right then.
So bye-bye gray. Hello natural color. (For now.)
Here’s an excerpt of the book.
Imitating Target
I read today that Wal-Mart is changing its ad slogan from “Always Low Prices” to “Save Money. Live Better.” Anyone else notice how the rhythm and main thought sound a lot like Target’s “Expect More. Pay Less.”?
Well, at least one other noticed. This from a public radio broadcast:
“Edward Weller is a Wal-Mart analyst at ThinkEquity Partners. He says Wal-Mart has a history of stealing good ideas from competitors. Edward Weller: From the point of view of content and rhythm, it is surprisingly like the Target slogan which is “Expect More. Pay Less.”
If you can’t come up with your own ideas, just steal them from your competitors, which is what Wal-Mart has been doing the last 3-4 years. Target is the reason that Wal-Mart remodeled their stores to have wider aisles and hardwood floors. They’ve unsuccessfully tried to compete with Target’s more upscale, trendy but still reasonably priced fashion. Now they’re using a cheap imitation of Target’s slogan. What’s next? A red Wal-Mart smiley? A Wal-Mart dog?
