I don’t want to grow up, I’m … made in China?

Do you remember that commercial? About being a Toys R Us kid? I do. My quest brought me to Toys R Us this week. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised that most of the toys there are made in China. I felt a little weird picking up so many boxes and looking on the bottom. But I did it. Not every toy though ( I don’t have endless time to spend there looking at toys). I had a coupon so I just decided to get most of my haul there. It was challenging though. Here are the brands that stood out:
A+ -BriarPatch. They make mostly board and card games. They are made in the USA! I bought my three year old a Good Night Moon board game. A bonus is that it was made from recycled paper products.
A -Playmobil. Made in Germany.
A- - Legos. They mostly manufacture these quality plastic blocks in Mexico, Denmark, Hungary and the Czech Republic. They get an A- because they do manufacture certain parts in China. Keep an eye on the Duplo Legos, those are the ones that often have parts made in China.
B - Crayola. Many of their products are made in the US. I like that. Some of their more plastic products are made in China though. You have to read the packaging on every product.
Honorable mention: Hasbro makes some of its products in the US. Like the Guess Who game (it is a classic folks). I will be getting that for my boys next year.
I’m sure that by now you have noticed something about these products. They ain’t cheap. It costs a little more sometimes to buy goods that aren’t made in China. On the other hand, you are more likely to see some of that money again. But that’s for another post. (Hint: trade deficit)

Targeting the Toys

I have decided to start my search on Amazon. Online shopping, or on couch shopping, seems like an easy place to start my search for toys (Christmas gifts) not made in China. Wrong! Apparently online retailers don’t have to state the country of origin. This doesn’t mean I won’t buy anything from Amazon, it just means that I won’t start my search there.
On to my favorite big box retailer. Seriously, I love Target. With two little kids and a house to maintain, I think one stop shopping is the best thing since sliced bread. But will I be successful here? Not at the dollar section. Essentially they could call the dollar section, the “made in China” section. I will admit that many times I have spent more than just one dollar at that particular section. We Americans love cheap goods.
A few days ago I had a few minutes to spend in Target doing some investigation in the toy section. In future posts I am going to highlight certain brands that stand out, but for now I will give you a synopsis of the toy selection as it relates to my quest: dismal. There were only a small percentage of the toys that weren’t made in China. Most dolls, cars, action figures, stuffed animals were made in China. Even board games. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. I am lucky in one way though, my kids are boys and they really like Legos. Legos are manufactured in Denmark, Mexico, and Hungary.

Christmas without China?

Try this: pick up a toy and turn it over. Chances are it says “Made in China.” Since I have two little kids I having been thinking about where their toys come from. I have been wondering, are all their toys made in China? I started turning toys over and making piles. Sure enough, nearly every toy was made in China.
I wondered, is it possible to have a Christmas without China? Can I give my family gifts that aren’t made in China? I have taken that as my challenge, to only give my family members gifts that were not made in China.
My husband challenged me to blog about this adventure. I don’t have anything against the hardworking Chinese people or the entrepreneurs making their way in the world. I just think that we don’t realize how many of our goods are manufactured in China. This is a simple economic experiment that may bring to light some complex economic problems.
In the coming week I will document my adventures in finding Christmas gifts this year made in countries other than China. I have a feeling isn’t going to be easy. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

How Does My Garden Grow

I have finally taken some pictures of my flower garden. They are from my cell phone. I decided to play with them. I had fun with them. Gardening is a great pleasure for me these days.

Another Hobby

As if I don't have enough hobbies or interests, add guitar to the list. Erin got a violin and became a little envious. I'm not really interested in playing the violin though. I can't afford a piano right now so that was out. I started to become interested in guitars. My hubby suggested the classical guitar. So with some of my birthday money I got a guitar. I heart Amazon.com. It was a really good price so I figured why not? I purchased Classical Guitar for Dummies and I am on my way. It is surprising how technical classical guitar is. I can't play anything yet, but I've had it less than a week. I think maybe I am insane, only time will tell. At least I'm excited.

Clearly I am a Delinquent Blogger

It's true. I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog. I guess I lost steam. Here is what I have been up to:

1- Gardening. I've been planting marigolds, foxgloves, tropicana roses, red poppies, and more. I will be posting pics soon. I'm pretty much in love with gardening.

2- Many unfinished craft projects. I'm making a Rollie Pollie chair for my little guy. I'm also working on a quilt and curtains for the boys' room. I'm also working on various gift projects. Seriously, I need metal help with this obsession.

3- Cleaning. Blahh. Ironing. Laundry. Dishes. You get the picture. So, I listen to audio books and podcasts. I recently listened to Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. I'm also really enjoying the Freakonomics podcast. These keep me entertained during the drudgery.

4- Blog hopping and too much Facebook. Seriously it takes up too much time. But don't worry, I don't have a farm or a mafia, just friends (and the occasional bejeweled blitz).

5-
Trying to stay sane! Easier said then done with two human cyclones running around my house.

Recipe Review - Love for Haiti Cupcakes

I'm going to start reviewing recipes and crafts in my blog. Sometimes they look really good and are just okay. I'm going to share the gems I find. Here is the first one. These Love for Haiti cupcakes are quite decadent. Creme filling and chocolate ganache icing, oh baby. I followed the recipe but I added heart sprinkles on top. They were not too hard to make (a little time consuming) and they looked beautiful. I almost didn't want to eat them, almost. I made mini cupcakes too. Worth the trouble.