Sunday, January 23, 2011

Infant Skinny Jeans: Are you SERIOUS?

I've been catching up on some of my old email, and I just couldn't believe it when I stumbled across this article (in the Wall Street Journal, no less). Skinny Jeans for infants and toddlers? At $40 each?  And the rationale is that in this rough economy parents skimp on themselves but not their kids?

Let me tell you something. If you are buying $40 jeans for your INFANT, who will outgrown them in a matter of weeks, you are NOT experiencing a rough economy in your household.

I was happy to see that the 3 pages of comments on the WSJ article were all as equally horrified, appalled, and disgusted as I was to read this. It's a horrible reflection on American society. How many people out there are really like this? How many people out there would really spent $200+ a year on a few pairs of skinny jeans for their child (who doesn't care AT ALL), as opposed to sale and thrift shopping, using that money to buy the entire wardrobe for the entire year, and then using the savings for better pursuits: retirement savings, education savings for the child, charitable contributions, etc.

Am I taking this too seriously? Is this a striking symptom of the bigger issue of Americans losing perspective and lacking to plan long term? Or is this just an example of a few fashion-crazed folks grabbing headlines for a day?

Of course, as soon as there is a trend in the high-end market, there are low-end copy cats, so you can already get the skinny infant jeans for $10-$20. But still, then you are left with the issue of whether or not skinny jeans are really the best idea for an infant who wants to crawl and waddle and roll ... not strike a pose.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Lucky, how could you?

Two years ago, I was thrilled to find that Lucky Brand Jeans were still Made in the USA.

I went to buy another pair this week at the Lucky Brand online site, and discovered that they have now moved most or all of their manufacturing out of the country. I was extremely bummed about this. I wrote them. They didn't seem to care. That makes me sad. It appears that they moved down to Mexico. I'd pick Mexico or Canada over China, but I'd prefer USA.

It appears that Urban Outfitter still has some Made in the USA jeans, so I may give them a try. [They also carry Smith's Rosebud Salve, which is my family's baby.]

I'm hoping that Lucky reconsiders. Other clothing manufacturers are returning to 'homeshoring', so maybe they will too.

Is anyone else noticing brands that used to be Made in USA suddenly going abroad, or vice-versa?

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Tracking down the Best of GeoTrax

The Geotrax Train system by Fisher-Price is pretty great. You can start to use it with two-year olds and the trains remain interesting quite frankly into adulthood. (Heck, I love playing with them, too.)

The problem is that they are not making very good pieces for it anymore. They have stopped making most of the really interesting ones. So, if you have a toddler and are considering investing in these, here is what you do.

Step 1: Buy the basic Remote Control Timbertown Railway at any standard retailer, toy shop, etc.

Step 2: Assess your toddler's reaction. Does s/he seem transfixed? If so ...

Step 3: Leave the retailers behind and go to the second-hand market. Consignment shops, Craigs list, Ebay, etc. Sniff around first and get a feel for prices. Then start buying. This is how you get the really cool stuff: the big sets of tracks, the clock tower, the mountain, the funky suspension bridges, the special tunnels.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

If you can't communicate, how can you do business?


As the energy tax credit supposedly expired on December 31, 2010, we had our leaky, 25+ year-old front windows on our townhome replaced. We used the same company that we used for the back windows three years ago: The Hodges Company in Arlington, Virginia.

They aren't the cheapest shop in town, but they are fabulous.
They send out a crew of two guys who really know their stuff, and can speak excellent English to communicate this knowledge. Three years ago, they talked to us about issues with our one sliding door frame, and also took out a wasp nest. This time, they talked to us about some serious issues that had been introduced to the dormer windows on our room because of how our new roof had been installed four years ago.



So let's talk about that roof experience, for comparison, from Masters Roofing. That crew was all hispanic, and none of them spoke very good English. The would have been fine if I was in Mexico. But it's sort of problematic here. I can speak some spanish, but not enough to communicate complex construction ideas. We were a little worried about what was going on up there, 4 stories up, but there was no one we could talk to. And as it turns out, what was going on up there was that the work was not being done correctly.

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for people speaking multiple languages. But if we want to remain one Great American melting pot, as opposed to a collection of disparate pots sitting next to each other, we really need to make English the official language. One language needs to unite us for commerce, government, and large collective events, while individuals retain their german, spanish, indian, chinese, russian and other heritages for interactions with family and friends.

This seems like a pretty important topic, but no one wants to talk about it. Instead, the country is starting to slowly divide. What are others seeing and feeling about this?