Adopting Rocco

We have a new family member! We welcomed Rocco [he was already named and Marina insists in keeping it as such] into our family on Thursday after adopting him from a local animal shelter. The search for the right dog for our family's two small kids was long and grueling. I have never seen so many sweet, sad-eyed dogs in need of love. The overcrowded, desperately needy city shelters were so vastly different from the privately funded SPCAs and similar organizations with their ample space, clean cages, and attentive staff. These people have the patience of saints and hearts of gold. I wanted to take them all home and found it difficult to choose. Then I saw Rocco. I almost passed him by because he has no features that jump out at you and he almost escaped my notice. But finally,his gentle eyes and wagging tail caught my eye and I was in love! He is fantastic with the kids and they adore him.
His first night in his new home, we figured out he had something wrong with his ears. They told us at the shelter that he had fly bites from being tied outside in the summer. It turned out to be a double ear infection! Poor thing was miserable. But, he is on the mend now.
We gave him his first bath in the tub this morning. He must not be a swimmer, because he definitely hated it. Oh well, he smells better at least.
We were so glad that he seemed calm and relaxed, no shoe chewing, jumping on the kids and the furniture, barking... But, after his bath, he seemed to have been renewed to puppy form and promptly found Soren's monster toy and promptly ripped both its eyes off! Some things just are too good to be true. That's ok, Roc, I forgive you for destroying my favorite toy. Uh, I mean, Soren's favorite toy. Grrr. :) Welcome to the zoo, Rocco!

Upcycled sweater turns Doll

I'm always on the lookout for unique toys for my kiddos. And, I have a weakness for anything with birdies on it. (Just look at my Paperbird collection.) That's not why I love these dolls though--it's just a bonus! They are absolutely fantastic! Made by Viola Studio out of New York, each one is unique and partly made of recycled materials.
Made from soft 100% wool pre-washed recycled sweaters and fabric. Other details include hand stitched features, eyes of suede, hair of fleece plus removable stockings and tangerine felt button shoes. Both come with a handmade felt card and a bag for giving.
These are adorable. I must have at least one! Check them out at Quiet Hour Toys.

My Interview with Chic Galleria Magazine

Check out my interview with Chic Galleria Magazine's Beth Anderson. This is a great publication! (and not just because they interviewed me :)

13 month old does sleep study

Hi, I am Soren Balderas. My mom has asked me to be the guest blogger today. I want to inform you of the results of my latest sleep study. In the event you find the information helpful, no need to thank me, I'm happy to help.
First, let me start by saying that if you have a choice, don't go for that "crib" stuff. What kind of treatment is that?! They sleep together, what makes them think we want to sleep alone? So if you happen to awake and find yourself in this unwelcome environment, my advice is that you make your opinion known as loudly as you can, to ensure a secure spot in the "real" bed.
Once you're there, you will discover that mom is usually more snugly than dad. Stick with her. No really, stick with her, like glue. Given a chance, she will probably try to position you somewhere in no-man's-land-middledom. Don't go for it. If you are not up next to her, you won't feel it when she tries to escape to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
The best way to keep your eye on her and still get some shuteye is to place your head directly on top of her's. My mom likes to sleep on her side, so this makes it easy to lie cheek to cheek. Try to lay your head down gently, but hey, accidents happen! If you fall asleep like this and drool starts to drip from your open mouth, don't worry about it. She was probably thirsty anyway.
In the event that this head sandwich style doesn't work for you, and immediately carry you to the land of sweet dreams, try repeatedly slapping mom's forehead with the palm of your hand.
As far as dad goes, try to ignore him while keeping him in his place. From the head sandwich position it is easy to lie horizontal in the bed, forming a wedge with your body between mom and dad. You want to prevent any kind of interaction that may result in ending up back in the crib!
Take it for what it's worth, guys, but it works for me! Now go get some zees!

Businesses like Tailored Tadpole in danger. Please read...

This comes from Elizabeth Barnes, of Hoobaleedoos. Please take a moment and read through it. You can vote from January 5th-15th on change.org

Elizabeth writes: "I just wanted to make you aware of some new legislation called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. It is already a law but goes into effect Feb. 10 2009 and was created because of the increase of items with lead coming into the country from China. In essence, this law requires that items for children under age 12 be submitted for lead and phthalate testing. Testing is extremely expensive ($100-$1000/item) and destroys the product being tested. Any items that are not tested as of Feb 10 2009 will be considered "hazardous" by the CSPC and will have to be destroyed. If a manufacturer is caught selling with out a certificate of testing, they can face around $100,000 in fines per item that was sold. While in theory a good law, the details are horrendous.

This legislation will KILL handmade baby and kids items. Under this legislation, each one of a kind item will have to be tested. Since all my items are one of a kind and special, they would each have to be subjected to expensive testing and then destroyed making it impossible for me to continue with Hoobaleedoos. This legislation, that was designed because of problems with imports from China, will leave consumers with no choice but to purchase import items from China. Huge manufacturers will be the ONLY ones that can afford this testing. This will eliminate the wonderful, unique and already safe goods that handmade offers.

This legislation will not only impact me as a manufacturer. This legislation will increase the costs of baby/kids goods that are already purchased by consumers. Large manufacturers will have to increase their costs due to the costs of testing. Many people in our country are hurting financially already and this will only increase their financial problems. The CSPIA will, also, impact charity donations. Items without certification of testing will not be allowed to be donated to ANY organization. This eliminates things like grannies donating knit caps to NICU units and donations of toys and clothes to the Salvation Army! After Feb 10 2009, I couldn't even donate my items to any charity organization. The CPSIA will, also, impact you! Any baby/kids items will have to be pulled from your shelves as of Feb 10th 2009, which has become known as NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY DAY. I don't know how much of your stock is for kids under age 12, but many small brick and mortar stores will have to close because they do so much business in baby/kids items.

I cannot emphasize enough how this legislation will negatively impact all of us and the need to fight for amendments to it.

If you would like to help fight the CSPIA as it is written now, please look over the links below. We have until Jan. 30th to get our voices heard! We are in dire need of your help!

Feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be able to help!

Youtube video that sums up this law very well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUlY6zOMPqQ&feature=related

Please take a moment to vote to help save us all from the CPSIA!!
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia
According to change.org:
"The top 10 ideas are going to be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day and will be supported by a national lobbying campaign run by Change.org, MySpace, and more than a dozen leading nonprofits after the Inauguration. So each idea has a real chance at becoming policy."

Sign the petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/

An easy way to write your Senator/Congressman about the CSPIA:

http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx

Make a statement or ask a question to the CSPC about the CSPIA
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx

60% off 2008 Ultimate Baby Blankets--Stock your gift closet!

OK, so here's the deal. I have stock from the past two years I need to clear out of my studio. NO SPACE in here! So I am offering an amazing 60% off on these limited designs. You won't find any retailers carrying these designs, they are unique. The retail price of $50 will be cut to $20. I will combine shipping if you want to purchase more than one. Have these great shower gifts on hand for 2009. What's the catch? Because the stock is so varied and many are one of a kind, I cannot possibly photograph each one. So you send me an email at linde@tailoredtadpole.com and tell me the gender you wish them to be for. I choose the designs and you get to be surprised! I will invoice you for a paypal transaction or take a cc over the phone. Your choice. This is an amazing opportunity to fill your gift closet of your baby's closet!

Peanut Butter & Pickle Reviews-Tailored Tadpole Giveaway!

To register for a free Itty Bitty, check out little this giveaway! Good luck! Expires January 9th @ midnight. Hurry!

http://pbandpickles.blogspot.com/2009/01/tailored-tadpole.html

The Best New Years Plan

Happy New Year to everyone! Is it just me, or did 2008 fly by? Well, it was a very exciting year for my family and for Tailored Tadpole, and I hope it has been for you. I wish you all the best in 2009.
We took the "lay low" approach on New Years and stayed at home most of the day, just being together. I took the day off and we had a great time playing with the kids and cooking, reading books and watching movies. Marina (she'll be 4 in June)received doll house furniture from her Auntie K for Christmas and it was still lying in the box. She already had the Chalet Doll House from Plan Toys, but not many of the fun accessories.
So we got them out and had a blast together. I never had a dollhouse as a child, so this was super fun for me. I couldn't resist grabbing the camera and capturing some of the things she did. I used some of the scraps I keep around from my designs, and made blankets and throws, towels and tablecloths. I just cut the scraps with pinking shears and Marina issued the designated use with a triumphant, somewhat bossy tone. "This blue one is for the fiesta, mami." "I need another one for this deck chair, this grandma is tired." and then, "Mami, not there! It goes with this boy. The boy doesn't want pink!" When I went to dump the memory card on my camera, she did the first photo all by herself. "Look, they're having a fiesta!" My heart swelled.
So we carried on for hours. Papi went to sleep on her bed, Soren played with the bed's canopy and wrecked the furnishings whenever he saw the opportunity, occasionally hurling it across the room. It was a great time. I figure the new year is going to be a great one with a start like this. Cheers!
Plan Toys is a green company, making green, healthy toys in modern styles and fun colors. I absolutely LOVE their products. Check them out.