toxic car seats?! A bulletin from Moms Rising

Can you believe it? A recent study conducted by the watchdog group, Friends of the Earth, found that 56% of infant carriers, 44% of car seats, and 40% of the strollers they tested had dangerous levels of toxic fire retardant chemicals.[1] This is downright scary--and is yet another toxic exposure on a long list of children's products with toxic chemicals to come out lately. We have to turn this tide.

The good news: Graco, the giant manufacturer of children's products, responded to the Friends of the Earth report the day it was published. Graco says they want to do the right thing, but they haven't yet committed to removing these chemicals from their products. If Graco gets rid of these chemicals, other baby product manufacturers will be under enormous pressure to follow suit.*

Ask Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to not use any more halogenated fire retardants - period! http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1230

Haloge-what? Halogenated flame retardants have been shown to cause serious health disorders including endocrine disruption, cancer, birth defects and a host of reproductive and neurological disorders in developing fetuses and offspring in animals.

Forward this note to your family, friends, and community so we can all let Graco, and other manufacturers, know that nobody wants toxics near their kids. When consumers speak, companies listen. Moms' voices are turning the tide on toxics: After our [MomsRising] petition with your signatures was delivered several weeks ago on getting the toxic bisphenol A (BPA) out of baby bottles, Toys"R"Us, Babies"R"Us, and CVS announced they'll stop selling baby bottles which contain BPA, and Playtex committed to stop using BPA in all of their baby bottles by the year's end. So please forward this email far and wide to get as many signatures as possible--we know your signatures will have an impact. We want Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to know that making safe products includes keeping toxic chemicals out of them.

Together, we can make help keep dangerous chemicals away from our children.-- Joan, Kristin, Katie, and the MomsRising.org Team

Thank you to Friends of the Earth and MOMS: Making Our Milk Safe for their tremendous work on this issue.[1] Friends of the Earth report, entitled Killer Cribs, http://action.foe.org/t/3882/content.jsp?content_KEY=4205p.s.
To see the CBS story on flame retardants that ran on Monday go to: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/19/eveningnews/main4109418.shtmlp.p.s. Women's Campaign Forum (WCF) has launched the second annual She Should Run campaign (http://www.sheshouldrun.org ). She Should Run is a comprehensive effort to gather nominations of women leaders who should run for public office. WCF is committed to ensuring these women get essential encouragement they need and to providing them connections to key public life decision making tools and campaign resources. Do you know a woman who should run for office? Research shows women are much more likely to run if someone asks them to. Tell a woman she should run for office, share her story, and send her on her way toward becoming the influential public office holder she was always meant to be.Halogenated fire retardants have been linked to serious health disorders such as cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption, reproductive, and brain dysfunction and learning disabilities.

Tell children's product manufacturer Graco to stop using these chemicals!
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Caught ya!

10 months old and already climbing up on things to reach the top shelf! In this case a pack of diapers she pulled out from underneath the changing table to stand on. Isn't she too young to figure this out? Oh ya...we're in trouble!

Oh ya...the times are a-changin'

She's into everything!! Crawling, pulling up, and under tables! Still so much fun...but a bit more exhausting.

Molly's 1st tooth!

Molly’s first tooth poked through today.

It’s been a big week—crawling, stood on her own a few times, and a tooth! You’d think she’d nap with all that energy being expended!

Oh my GAWD!!

Happy Spring!!

We introduced Molly to one of Jonathan's famous day road trips and went to Daffodil Hill in Amador County today. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed a great drive with a sleeping baby in the back. The daffodils were in full bloom when we arrived. It was so much fun walking around the paths and taking pictures--put together a little film of our day. Enjoy!


Spring has been busy for us (thus the infrequent blogging...as I have heard some complaints!). Sierra College graduates on May 10th -- which seems very soon! Jonathan has been enjoying a condensed schedule of teaching with a year home part-time with Molly. And we are taking in as much family time as possible. Took Molly on her first trip to the Sacramento zoo, enjoyed spring festivities on the block, getting silly with cousin Ella, Easter in Sebastapol, meeting Heather and Emma for the first time...and celebrated Grappa's 60th birthday. With Amanda getting married, Jon turning 40, Molly turning 1, and Megan's folks celebrating 40 years of marriage...we have much to celebrate this year.

Molly and Hanna hanging out!
We co-op child care on our block with another family. Molly and Hanna get 4 days a week together--two with us and two with Hanna's family. Hanna's mommy was off track (she teaches in Elk Grove) in March, so the girls were happy to be back together again on this sunny April day! Aren't they adorable!!

Molly helping daddy make the bed

Quick Molly update...

Molly is sitting quite well now, she is trying to crawl (we're hoping later rather than sooner!), she is louder and louder everyday, loves to dance, and is perfecting her waving. We have all just survived our first family cold (have pictures of that too...of course...but want to spare you the desperately sad look of a baby with a cold).

Molly continues to be a joy in our lives reminding us of what is really important...family, love, and together time. Molly turns 8 months old on March 7th--the day before her grappa turns 60! We have much to celebrate in this family.

Life is good. Cheers!