Toys Not Made in China, Making Finding Them Easier

The Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide is a toddler mom's toy fantasy land. It boasts the best finds of the season for moms who are fed up with toy recalls. Sellers offer gifts in almost every price range, from the $6 set of four colorful German-made balls at Oompa Toys to the $249 rocking dory hand-crafted by artisanal Maine wood-workers at Nova Naturals Toys and Crafts.

While major retailers are slower to respond to demand for toys not made in China, some toys made in the USA and in Germany can be found on the web sites of FAO Schwarz, Target and Toys R Us. These retailers don't make it easy though. Searching the sites is time consuming and often fruitless. Many, if not most, of the toys offered are made in China and, particularly in the case of Target and Toys R Us, often little or no manufacturing information is offered. (We found even if we called customer service to ask where a particular product was made, a Kiddi-O Tricycle by Kettler, neither Target nor Toys R Us could tell us. They suggested calling a local store, not exactly an efficient use of time.)

Even "The FAO Schwarz Toy Buying Guide," includes a statement from CEO Ed Schmults saying, "All toys sold in the US must meet certain US government safety standards concerning safety (choking hazards, toxic substances, etc.). However, the recent recalls suggest that it is possible for harmful substances to make it into toys." Perhaps an understatement?

Schmults also says, "There are many quality-oriented factories in China that don’t cut corners, but if you are uncomfortable with China production, then seek out alternative toys made with quality design and quality raw materials." While Scmults acknowledges that some people may be uncomfortable with China production, to continue defending Chinese manufacturers seems almost counterproductive. At this point, parents are more concerned with finding alternatives to toys made in China than trying to find a quality-oriented factory in China that can be trusted with the health of their children.

Schmults does go on to offer some helpful advice about selecting quality toys in general saying, "Look at how the product was designed : Does every part have a purpose? Toys with excessive moving parts can be prone to breakage and factories may use cheaper materials to reduce the cost of manufacturing a complex item." Notably, FAO Schwarz does stay ahead of Target, Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us by offering the capability to search for toys by country of origin. Then again, based on price and reputation, it seems FAO Schwarz should be offering more non-China products than they are.

All-in-all, mainstream American retailers are still missing the mark in responding to the recent toy recalls, leading former customers to smart solutions like The Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide and new relationships with the toy sellers found there.

Two Great Toy Sellers

Oompa Toys

Moolka

Both feature a broad selection of European toys.

Just in Time for Flu Season, Flu Drugs May Cause Psychiatric Events

Based upon FDA staff recommendations for new warnings on two flu drugs, the cure may sometimes be worse than illness. Psychiatric events, including hallucinations, delirium and abnormal behavior may be linked to the drugs Relenza and Tamiflu. Some events in patients taking Tamiflu have resulted in serious injury or death, although there is conflicting evidence regarding whether the events are medication-related.

Click here to read the Reuters story on Yahoo! News.

French Toast Casserole with Easy Cranberry Sauce

Lazy me. I like French Toast, but who has time for all the endless dipping, frying and flipping on holiday mornings? This easy recipe provides a simple alternative. It can be adjusted to feed few or many. It even works well refrigerated, reheated and served the next day.

The simplicity with which it is prepared belies the complexity of texture and taste it delivers. There's no need to mix to perfection before putting it in the oven. The varied textures help deliver its rustic charm.

Ingredients:

4 slices thick-cut raisin bread
4 large eggs
4 Tablespoons sour cream
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash ground cloves
Real butter

Grease 8 inch x 8 inch glass pan with real butter. Toast raisin bread under oven broiler until golden brown, and set aside. Mix eggs, sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves in large mixing bowl. Tear toast into small pieces, varying in size from about 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches, adding to egg mixture as you go. (This allows different levels of saturation, adding to the complexity of the dish.) Pour into pan, and cook at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Less time for a more pudding-like consistency. More time for consistency nearer French Toast.

Serve with alone, topped with whipped cream or topped with Easy Cranberry Sauce as seen above.

Enjoy!

Is It Too Late to Return the Turkey?

Best Thanksgiving Help Sites:

Visit CooksIllustrated.com for the full Thanksgiving survival guide.

Better Homes and Gardens offers a step-by-step guide from buying and thawing to roasting and carving.

Hot lines and online help links abound at About.com, links for everything from Butterball to OceanSpray.

"Last Minute Turkey Day Salvation," from Wired.com, features tips for the seemingly unsavable turkey.

Kids table conundrums are solved at MarthaStewart.com, where you'll find creative ideas, complete with instructions and patterns.

Seriously short on time? For easy last-minute options, visit the Boar's Head DigiCatessen. Click on the turkey, and do a little last minute turkey salvation dance as their many options for pre-cooked turkey pop up.

The Last Straw -- No More Toys from China

(*Correction, the FAO Schwarz site does not identify country of origin for individual toys. It allows visitors to search by country of origin. Not a quick process, but still better than the information many other sites offer.)

According to a CNN report today, 80% of US sold toys are made in China. There are alternatives though. FAO Schwartz and the Cool Mom Pick Safer Toy Guide identify toys made in the USA, Germany, and other countries with higher production standards.

I'm cleaning out the toy box and starting over, with no toys from China. The best way to lose a mom's business is to sell her something unsafe for her child. Pretty obvious, at least I would have thought so before 25 million toys were recalled.

How Now Green Cow

Baby Z loves cows. This week we talked with Papa on speakerphone. She was amazed when I told her he had cows we could go visit. Even more exciting was the brilliant array of colors in which she must have pictured them.

Me: Do you like cows?

Baby Z: I like cows!

Me: Did you know Papa has cows at his house we could go visit? Would you like to go see the cows where Papa lives?

Baby Z: (stunned)

Papa: I have a black and white cow.

Baby Z: Black and white COW!

Papa: And I have a red cow.

Baby Z: Red COW!

Papa: And I have a cow that's white all over.

Baby Z: White cow!

Papa: And I have a yellow cow.

Baby Z: YELLOW COW!

Me: Wow, a black and white cow, a red cow, a white cow and a yellow cow. What other color cows do you think Papa might have?

Baby Z: GREEN COW!

Well, yes, why not a green cow? They do seem to come in every color of the rainbow after all.

Southwestern Diet Deviled Eggs

This is a fresh recipe with a little New Mexican flare. Egg whites are substituted for yolk, and green chili sauce adds a yummy kick. Low-fat or nonfat sour cream, instead of mayo, allows a little guilt-free indulgence.

The recipe below is for a single serving and can be easily doubled, tripled, etc. as needed.

Ingredients:

--2 hard-boiled eggs
--1 teaspoon yellow mustard
--1 Tablespoon low-fat or nonfat sour cream
--1 Tablespoon "505 Southwestern Green Chile Sauce" (ideal because of it's smooth, rich consistency)
--1 olive
--1 small cherry tomato

Remove shell from eggs. Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and store for later use. To make filling, puree one of the egg whites, mustard, sour cream and green chili sauce in hand chopper or small blender. Chill in refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes. Remove filling from fridge and spoon into center of remaining egg white. Garnish with sliced olive and halved cherry tomato.

Serve with Tabasco, red or green, and lots of water. : )

December Feature: Home for the Holidays

Blog posts here in December will feature recipes, decorating tips and a little dollop of holiday madness. After all, I'm still a mom of two toddlers.

Provence Calling

Talk a walk through Provence through the pictures here. Simply beautiful.

Hair of the Dog -- Another Shot of Gas, Anyone?

For best and worst examples of responsible consumption, check out the LA Auto Show online. Vehicles range from the ultra environmentally conscious Volvo Recharge to the $400,000 Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe (Okay, we get it. You're rich.).

"Believe"

From The Bravery's May 2007 "The Sun and The Moon," "Believe" is rich in sound, rhythm and lyrics. Guitar harmony flows through lilting synthesizer, supported by a drumbeat backbone, wrapped in vocals ranging from velvet to raw silk.

Visit http://www6.thebravery.com/thebravery/music.php to listen.

In concert November, 30 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hils.

Up for Review -- A Twilight Zone Flashback: Insanity Escaped

It's National Blog Posting Month, and my little well of creativity is running dry, along with my little well of time. So for today's post, I give you this week's writing class assignment for your review and feedback. It's a review of a great little flick, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."

A Twilight Zone Flashback: Insanity Escaped

Once mental illness was feared and hidden in darkness, its stigma so strong its revelation could be shocking, even dangerous. Insanity manifested was as scary a monster as any movie maker could conjure.

In the 1963 "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," directed by Richard Donner, mental illness was still scary, scary enough to be the focus of this episode of "The Twilight Zone." With light and shadow, silence and perception, Donner illuminates one man's struggle with insanity and his fear of its revelation to the world. The episode has a bumpy take-off with overacting and long dramatic pauses which are almost laughable until they prove to be part of the point of the story, highlighting perceptions of mental illness.

As the story begins, Bob Wilson and his wife Julia are flying home after his release from a mental institution. They and other passengers board the plane through a dimly lit entry, but once Bob and Julia are seated, the light on them is stark and bright. As they wait for take-off, his fear of a relapse shines through. He fumbles with a cigarette while eyeing the illuminated "No Smoking" sign.

Repeated close-ups reemphasize his facial expressions in response to anything that might cause him the slightest risk of cracking up, from not being able to smoke a cigarette, to taking off, to the announcement of a coming storm. Then, as if the fear is manifesting itself in physical form, a figure appears on the airplane wing. Shadowy and obscure at first, Bob struggles to see it. It vanishes then reappears, vanishes again, then suddenly appears, faced pressed against Bob's window in full revelatory light.

Is it Bob's insanity personified, or is it real? The question arises again and again, each time with more urgency, as the creature he dubs a "gremlin" begins to open the wing and rip out wires.

It's here that Donner's use of tight shots, long pauses and overacting finally make sense. It's all about perception, and that's what he showcases by refusing to rely on wide shots, dialogue or even great acting.

Bob's struggle is both internal and external. He knows that telling the crew may undermine a sanity that even he cannot be sure of, yet not telling may put them all in danger. So, he tells his wife and eventually the flight engineer and stewardess.
They contort their faces in such extreme reactions to his claims he sees a gremlin on the airplane wing that it's almost laughable. Bright light reveals every curve and line of their exaggerated expressions, though they say little. Initially it all seems overblown, but it proves to speak as much or more in the story as the actors.

They all know he is insane, and their over the top expressions in harsh black and white reveal what that means. His insanity is dangerous, much more dangerous than any gremlin. So they give him a sleeping pill to soothe his mind, and go about their business.

Despite their dismissal of his urgent pleas, Bob eventually finds the danger so overwhelming that he is forced to confront it. He does so in a way that puts his life and others in danger, but he sees no other choice. Does he rid himself of the gremlin? Does he conquer it? Was it real or a living embodiment of his fear of insanity? As always in “The Twilight Zone,” the final determination is left up to you. The story is presented in whole, laying out the facts, and you are invited to think, to examine, to decide.

Thanksgiving Dinner

I won't be cooking a big bird. In fact, eating out is my idea of a festive Thanksgiving. How about you?

Welcome to Retroville: Holiday Shopping with Thrift Shop Style

Vintage cards, wrapping papers, and ephemera from the 1920's through the 1970's are some of my favorite inexpenisve treats for holiday decorating.

This box, which I purchased for $1 from a Salvation Army store, came filled with cards in excellent condition, including the one featuring Santa with Raggedy Ann as seen on the front of the box and here below.

The Best Saddlebag a Gal Could Ever Have

The Skip*Hop Saddlebag, seen above in pink camo, is perfectly sized to fit diapers, wipes, cell phone, drivers license, and debit card for a quick jaunt out with two toddlers. Velcro straps on back fasten securely onto grocery carts and strollers, and an array of pockets allows easy access to essentials.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I won this one and liked it so much I purchased two Skip*Hop Dash diaper bags which double as very hip messenger bags.

Call Me the Queen of Easy

Frozen brownies in a box. Really. Seriously. Really.

And I love this, instruction number two on the back begins with "Remove brownies from cardboard box . . ." Target markets?

1) Those high enough to actually eat the box along with the brownies;

2) Incredibly inexperienced bakers unaware that cardboard boxes do not fare well inside ovens; and

3) Sleep-deprived mommies like me likely to toss the entire thing in the oven before reading the directions.

Step five troubles me though, "Allow to cool for about 5 minutes." Are you kidding me? Five whole minutes? By then I will have already filled up on Pop Tarts and Twinkies.

For Veterans Day, Holiday Parcels to Iraq

For all our armed forces do and sacrifice, Liv is organizing a parcel sending party to bring a little home for the holidays to our men and women in Iraq. Click here to visit her blog to learn more.