Nothing much going on today. Skie is still sick. She woke me up asking for medicine. Odd lil girl likes to be drugged. lol. She is finaly cleaning up her room. Im still trying to get it organized.
Im in love with a new coffee creamer. Normaly i like just milk and sugar, but Coffee Mate made a holiday creamer called Pumpkin Spice. Oh goodness, its a perfect blend and mixes great with coffee.
So i titled this blog "Things I Care About" and here is why:
For those of you that do not know about the CPSIA laws going into affect in Feb, please get educated. Whether or not you own a child’s business, you will be affected as a consumer and definitely as a blog owner that does giveaways with countless mom and child businesses. This is a terrible, terrible law that was made for a Nobel cause, but put together too broadly and will incidentally affect, and shut down, nearly every mom business out there in Feb that works with children’s products. Its being called National Bankruptcy Day very appropriately.
I am shocked that a law like this could be passed. Its going to ruin many peoples businesses. So i email my senators... here is what was said:
December 28, 2008The Honorable John CornynUnited States Senate517 Hart Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510-4302Senator Cornyn:I am writing to ask your immediate help to deal with an urgent problem relating to the recently enacted Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) (PL 110-787).The CPSIA legislation was an important contribution in efforts to strengthen product safety laws to make sure only safe and compliant products are sold to our nation's children. While well-intentioned, this legislation contains several provisions that impose new and burdensome requirements that increase costs at a time of economic upheaval but do not offer any improvement in the safety of children's clothing or footwear. If left unchanged, such requirements, especially considering this dire economic environment, will have a disastrous impact on our company.As you know, the August 14, 2008 legislation included a new ban on lead in children's products (no more than 600 parts per million (ppm) by weight of any part of the product). According to the CPSIA, the new lead requirements take effect beginning February 10, 2009. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), however, has determined that this new requirement will apply to goods in inventory, as well as goods made on or after that effective date. This ruling effectively makes this new lead requirement retroactive. This means that product that I produced several months ago, and which is safe and legally compliant today, will not be able to be sold on February 10. This seems unfair, as it means we are being held responsible for a standard that didn't even exist when we made those goods. Moreover, it will be extremely difficult - and in some cases impossible - to retroactively certify that individual goods already in the warehouses and on the store shelves meet the new lead standard.In short, the ruling puts at risk millions of dollars of inventory. Moreover, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has so far failed to provide clear guidance or issue regulations on how the new lead rules should apply to garments and footwear, even though this rule takes effect in just under 75 days. Guidance has thus far been provided in a piecemeal approach while the CPSC wades through a backlog of information requests and juggles multiple new rule makings with limited resources. Because of the incomplete guidance, we are being forced to undertake duplicative testing of components or to test elements of garments and footwear that are either inaccessible or that are inherently lead free. While testing forms an important validation, we do not see how these conflicting and burdensome requirements - especially for products and components that are inherently lead free - advance children's safety.I respectfully request your help ensuring that the CPSC institute rulemaking to clearly define the scope and applicability of the new lead regulations and testing requirements for apparel and footwear products. I also urge that CPSC announce and implement an orderly enforcement schedule that focuses initial phases on education of these new requirements. Finally, I believe the decision by the CPSC to apply the lead ban retroactively needs to be reconsidered as soon as possible since the practical impact of this decision, in today's economic environment, will have an adverse effect at a time the government is spending billions to stimulate the economy.

And here is what i have gotten in return so far:
Dear Misty VanEpps, Thank you for contacting my offices. Your correspondence has been received, and we will respond to you as quickly as possible. A copy of your message is attached below for your records. If you need immediate assistance regarding an urgent problem you are experiencing with the federal government, visit the "Help With Federal Agencies" section of the website for details on how to proceed so that your difficulties are brought to my attention as soon as possible. If you are seeking information or services from my offices that are NOT related to my Legislative duties, please visit my "Services For Texans" section for more information.Warmest Regards,U.S. Senator John Cornyn

I hope that enough people bring this to there local reps emediatly to help keep these small businesses afloat. its sad, but we need to do what we can. please head on over to the link above and do your part, this will effect you too.
~misty~