was discusted by how many 'disposable' this, and 'throw away' thats there were! We went to get Cyan a sippy because the part that you drink out of on hers was falling apart and I am totally against plastic most of the time, but the bed time and car time sippies are important... so I went, thinking Cyan would play, I would pick out sippies and we would leave. Well I did that, but I was nearly sick to my stomach by the time we got out of there! It was so sad! A 1/6 of the things in the store were going to be thrown away with in a week, and over half with in a year!

Then I got to thinking about planned obsolecence. That is when co's plan for the zipper to break on a coat, and they count on you NOT to be handy and replace the zipper, but to buy a brand new coat. They plan it just well enough so that you feel as though it may be worth it to buy THIS (insert brand here) coat again, because it lasted so long, but then you need to buy another one because the zipper broke. It is not defective! They plan that $h*t! It amazes me... my dh did not believe it, but then we bought Alex some micro machines last year to go with the set that Don has had since childhood, only to find out they cost more, but are made of CRAPPY "made in China" materials! The new ones are already wearing out, when Don's 20 yr old ones are made of metal and going strong!

I mean someones daddy/son/whatever stood in a vat of leather tanner, or molten plastic for 25 cents and hour with no bathroom breaks just so we could have this expensive, crappy stuff!

So I have decided that if I don't buy my toys local... I don't buy them at all. I may make an exception for fair trade, and WAHM's once in a while.... but local is where its at. I am putting my money where my heart is. "Buy local... you live here." Man I want a bumper sticker that says that. :D

Love Val

Yeah. I know what you mean. I went to Target the other day and spent too much money on plastic containers for the kids' lunches. I just can't send them in glass, and I think it's better than all the wax paper I'd go through (though I will use that too, just for things that dry out like carrot sticks and so on, I want containers).

Anyway. I got those awful "reusable or disposable" little containers and cups with straws (those are for emergencies in the car since Jake can't drink from an open cup and spills if I get a bottle of juice and put a straw in it). The little containers are colored and cute, I am putting in homemade playdough and then also using some for lunches and snacks. But I can't understand why someone would buy them and just toss them??? Does it really take that much to stick the empty container back in your diaper bag and take it home and wash it? I guess so. <sigh>

I bought Katie plastic for her b-day. :P One concession. It's Polly Pocket, and she saw it on TV. See? It is evil. Other than that they are getting natural/fair trade stuff, and not much of it.

Just wanted to say I hear ya. Unfortunately nothing cool is made locally here, or very little anyway...so we're a bit stuck. In Oly you have such beautiful things to choose from.

We use a lot of disposible products (something I'm working on) but I'm always amazed by the amount of disposible products I see. I will admit that I'm not much of an environmentalist, but I AM a total cheapskate:D The new disposible toilet brush things are killing me right now...


We buy those keep or toss containers for DH for his lunches. Most of the time they come right back home, get washed and then used again. There are times, however, when he'll forget one and leave it in his desk at work for a week...eeeeew. It's pretty nice to be able to toss them when my pg tummy is just not going to be able to handle it. He's really bad about not washing them out when he gets home as welll! I would say that there may be 2 or 3 a year that end up with this fate...I can deal with most things, but sometimes...


j

The toilet bowl thingies are awesome! LOL. :D You re-use the wand and all, and just the fully biodegradeable sponge part at the end comes off for tossing......it's small and supposedly 100% biodegradeable. I was using a sponge, but just thinking of all the germs on it.......:eek: (I did, however, see other ones with disposie arms parts....you can get the "better" ones though...lol...like mine.
:D )

Polly Pocket is a fave here too......(o: