Oh, the products from China (and other lands)

One thing we are struggling with is the lack of availability of safe and quality products, particularly those for children.  Most of these are from China but they are not the same Chinese products one finds in the States.  The ones we get here are guaranteed to fall apart or not work or be poisonous.  LITERALLY.  Here is the latest example:

Behold Egan's new FAVE toys!  He love, love, loves them.  Soon after we began playing with them, I noticed a noxious odor.  Serious off-gassing smell.  I picked up the product packaging and turned it over to see....

Seriously?!  Wash hands after handling this CHILD's TOY?!  Now I must make them disappear.  

 

The flip flops we bought him had a similar odor but no warning.  The fire truck fell apart into lovely little choky parts.  Our fan (made in Mexico?) worked for a month.  This is pretty much just how it goes.  The solution is to have our visiting friends bring us these things but that means waiting....and waiting.  We are getting good at patience.  Things move slowly here anyway, so this fits right in. 

But the toys labeled as poisonous are totally out of hand.  Right?

This is a test...

Okay, y'all....I am convinced that the only people reading this blog are Tommy's mom (she leaves comments, so there is evidence) and our friend Sherry.  I haven't updated lately because I was starting to feel silly about it.  So....if anyone is out there, please leave a comment here to tell me you are there.  Or just email Tommy or me and let us know.  Otherwise, I'm probably going to lay it to rest.  I am thinking that if six people are reading it, then I will keep it up.  AND.....if you are just here because Tommy told you or posted on FB, then you don't count as part of the six.  I know who you are!  And I love you of course...

Hurricane Richard is announcing his impending arrival!

Hello there loved ones!  We have battened hatches and are busy sitting on the couch simultaneously surfing the internet and catching up on LOST.  Egan and Jesse are napping.  The wind is blowing pretty hard (around 50mph) and the occasional gust sends rainwater under our doorway.  Not a lot, but enough to notice.  We went for a pre-hurricane stroll about an hour and a half ago and the following pictures were taken then.  Have some video on our Picasa Web Album if you are curious.

 

For about the last 24 hours, I have been obsessing on the internet.  Nope, not about hurricanes at all but about unschooling, natural parenting, animal rights, human rights, and on and on and on.  I added links here to some of the blogs I was reading  (left side of this page).....one blog always leads to another.  I think it all started because our friend Paul is coming to next month and he agreed to bring us some things.  I started adding books to my Amazon cart and of course I had to research which books I needed most right NOW.....it is out of control and I should probably stop soon.  More on that whole Unschooling thing and Belize next time...

Composting and Gardening Project

Kathy and David, a couple visiting from Ohio, started a composting and gardening project at the local high school, Ocean Academy.  Go Kathy!  Go David!  Not exactly sure how this came about, but Tommy volunteered to take over when they leave.  The teachers here are overwhelmed and there really wasn't anyone to keep it up and monitor it, so Tommy stepped in.  Go Tommy!  He is also looking at this as an opportunity to learn about composting, something we had been hoping to do on a grander scale than our previous backyard pilings (eaten by the land crabs every night).  The other day he took Egan with him to the school; here are a couple of pics...