This is easy compared to...

I thought buying items not Made in China would be difficult. There are a few items I have given up on (edamame, for example, and apple juice... but we're switching to made in the USA white grape), but for the most part, it's been nice to say "sorry we can't buy it... it's made in China" and that often ends the begging for worthless junk that no one needs anyway (makes Wall-E and Idiocracy look like they could really happen).

BUT, compared to giving up High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) for Lent, giving up things Made in China for a lifetime is a walk in the park.

Do you know how many birthday parties I have been to since Lent began? Do you know how many times I have had to turn down a really good-smelling hot dog because the bun AND the ketchup have HFCS? ARG!

I had considered giving up TV for Lent, but decided against it for a few reasons... one is that I work from home for Matt & Jenny (my sister & her hubby) while I watch tv. It's boring work that's best done while watching CSI or Law & Order reruns. The second reason is that I honestly thought that giving up tv would be harder than giving up HFCS. I"ve done both before and recall that tv was harder, or so I thought. I have my Mexican Coke... I don't need no stinkin' Sonic happy hour cherry Coke with extra cherries, right?!?!?! I didn't consider the birthday parties. I should have brought my own ketchup (and buns).

At least the ketchup isn't Made in China, right? ;-)

I caved

I didn't mean to, but I didn't have a choice!

I have been meaning to replace a toy that Brendan broke at a friends' house MONTHS ago. Had I gotten on the ball and done this when I was supposed to have done it, I wouldn't have even checked the label! As it turns out, this particular widget in all it's forms, sizes, and colors, is apparently only available from China anyway. My guilt (or is it embarrassment?) over my son breaking a toy (by using it in a manner in which it was NOT intended to be used) that didn't belong to him won out over my guilt about buying things from China...

Aside from that, I DO have a rule that if something is simply not available from a different country of origin, I will accept that there are some things that we must have. Normally this is not a must-have item, but the afore-mentioned guilt (and embarrassment) are an exception to the rule...

Food is also an exception. We cannot find edamame made anywhere but China. My dear husband even looked at the Asian market (MT Supermarket on Lamar) where there are multiple varieties of edamame. I have looked at multiple grocery stores (OK... CostCo and several HEBs) and can't find these delicious AND healthy/nutritious soy beans anywhere BUT China. If it weren't for the fact that it's an outrageously healthy vegetable that my kids love, I'd walk away, but a green vegetable that both the 3-yr-old AND the 6-yr-old love??? Exceptions to the rule must be made.

In the meantime, in an effort to get Sarah to potty-train (we're a desperate hour here), I searched and found Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty AND Cars underwear (yes, she likes boy underwear if it has Lightning McQueen on it) all made in the Phillippines. Surely that's not as bad as China?

I'm starting to wonder where all the fair trade stores are here in Austin so I can just shop there guilt free? Is Whole Foods it? Sure AUSTIN has more than that! I will have to research! For now, that's all I have... :o)

Gray Area

I have a gray area....

I am in charge of the Sock Hop at the school's Spring Fling. Spring Fling is a carnival/fundraiser day for the PTO. Part of my duties as Sock Hop coordinator is to make sure there are adequate glow-rings and glow-necklaces for sale to help generate $ for the PTO that day. Apparently these items will be available for purchase during the sock hop (we are new to the school, so I'm not 100% sure).

I am 99.99% sure that all glow-rings and glow-in-the-dark necklaces and other glowing paraphernalia is all Made in China.

These are not items I am purchasing for myself and I am not using my own money to buy them. Am I compromising my values by purchasing these things (through the PTO) to sell at the Spring Fling?

I know... I know... I am taking this WAAAAAAY too seriously! But do the kids who MAKE the glow rings get to even GO to school? Much less have a Spring Fling or a Sock Hop to raise money for their school!!! NO! They work 7 days a week, 12+ hours a day just so we can have this crap for pennies each.

I will probably do it, but perhaps delegate the purchasing... after all, I am not in charge of any finances. My responsibility is only to "make sure we have the glow-in-the-dark stuff" for the Sock Hop... it isn't to BUY the stuff. It still feels like a dirty little secret, though... It's gonna get out and they'll never let me in charge of the Sock Hop again (maybe this isn't a bad thing?!?!?).

;-)

I am most of the way through "A Year Without 'Made in China'" and it's not what I expected. The author is boycotting Chinese-made goods just for one year, and just to prove that it can be done.

Some of the hang-ups they've encountered so far include a broken blender, printer ink cartridges, sunglasses, beach toys for their 2 kids, and flip-flops. Sounds minor, but now that I go and look at all the shoes, sunglasses and summer toys in our house (and, I'm ashamed to say, the goodie-bag stuff for Sarah's party on Saturday, which I bought BEFORE the New Year), it's ALL made in China!

I did have a little luck with one additional craft item for Sarah's party... little suncatchers. I already had a few (but had thought I had more) for the kids to paint at the party... palm trees, flip-flops, etc. I found more at Joann's yesterday... Made in the USA. I also found 100% cotton thread made in Greece, since the only toys that I will be able to sell after CPSIA goes into effect on Feb 10 will be 100% cotton or 100% wood. All else HAS to be tested for lead and anything with plastic also has to be tested for phthalates, too.

I wonder if the Chinese will stip making cheap plastic toys for our country to gobble up and focus on wood toys (with no paint or varnish) and cotton toys??? I somehow doubt it!

What Would Jesus Buy?

I got a movie from Netflix yesterday called "What Would Jesus Buy?" It was a bit silly and I had to laugh, but the message was basically to bring awareness of our over-consumerism in the US. We shop maniacally to fill a void and a lack of satisfaction with our lives. We are trying to buy love for our kids, family, friends, and even acquaintances!

The message of the movie was focused around "Chistmas shopping" (which has now been renamed "holiday shopping" so as to not offend the millions of Christians who feel guilty for not having a faith life and the handful of non-Christians who forget who founded this country), but basically, this guy (Rev. Billy) and his "choir" go around the country reminding people (with music and preaching) that Christmas isn't about presents, but about the One True Gift, Jesus Christ.

He does address the poor working conditions (and because of the poor wages, the poor living conditions) of the people across the world (not just in China) who slave and labor just wo we have more "stuff" to buy.

The reason I have earmarked China as the country "non gratis" for the year is because of their deplorable record of unfair treatment and low wages of their workers, but also because it's a Communist country. It's a corrupt system, so the communism is no longer a healthy system (even if it was once well-intentioned). When we buy things "Made in China," we are funding the Chinese government and all that they would like to "buy." Since we're in a Cold War with China, what do you think they're buying with all that money we're sending them in exchange for Hot Wheels and Barbies and discounted Wal-Mart prices? They're not improving the lives of the millions of workers who make this junk for us. They live in deplorable conditions and work mandatory overtime because our maniacal consumerism allows it to happen. If we can turn things around in China, the biggest offender, we can effect a global change.

That being said, I will do my best to buy less unnecessary stuff (regardless of the country of origin) and to buy Fair Trade whenever possible. www.crsfairtrade.org is a good resource (GREAT chocolate!). http://www.fairtradefederation.org/ also has hundreds of Fair Trade businesses listed and they are easy to search. Happy non-shopping! :o)

NOT Made in China

In a rare moment, I decided to make a New Year's Resolution and avoid all products "Made in China." This is daunting, considering how many things we, as a society, have come to rely upon that happens to be "Made in China."

For those of you who don't know me, I say this is "rare" because I really never make New Year's Resolutions. I think they're silly and I know myself... I wouldn't stick with an exercise plan, or a lack of caffeine... I can do it for Lent, but that's just 40 days... not a whole year (or more!). I am doing this to make a lifestyle change, but also to make others aware that there's a reason we should be looking for alternatives to "Made in China."

So far, I have only had one "hiccup" in my adventures... and I'm only on Day 2!!! I had to return a Christmas gift that didn't fit and decided to mark something off my Christmas list that I didn't get... a new comforter or quilt for our bed. In nearly 10 years of marriage, we've only have one "new" quilt for our bed - one my aunt made as a wedding gift. I love it and wish I could keep it on our bed, but it doesn't match the decor, and more importantly, we have two stupid cats who would destroy it. I treasure that quilt and don't want it destroyed, so it's safely tucked away until my decor changes (and until we no longer have two stupid cats).

So I found a beautiful quilt and took it to the register and paid for it and then had a sickening thought... I didn't check the tag! I was so disappointed when I saw where it was made, but I returned it and took my money to shop around some more.

Now I had money burning a hole in my pocket... I HAD to spend it! ;-) I could have (should have) looked on Etsy.com, shophandmade.com, or even on the fair trade web sites, but in all honesty, I knew I didn't have the money for that, so for a big purchase like this, I had to compromise and look for something NOT "Made in China."

I finally found a beautiful quilt (although a little more flowery than I would have chosen) that was made in India - and on clearance, too! AND with a coupon! I also found new flannel sheets (made in Turkey) that match and will replace the old sheets we have had probably since we got married. They're a bit thin, although I'll donate the fabric to Project Linus and hopefully they will make soft and snuggly blankets for newborns and sick children.

So please consider joining me on my new adventure... If you're looking for a bit of a push, read A Year Without "Made in China":One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy by Sara Bongiorni. Also, google "not made in china" for other resources. I will try to list more of my reasons as I blog along... :o)