I have an opinion

It's been a while since I've vented on my blog.  I think the last time might have been back when Leno stole The Tonight Show back from Conan...TEAM CONAN!!!

Anyway, I think I might try to start writing little opinion posts... maybe...

So one of my favorite new websites is pinterest.com.  I love it!  If you don't know, it's another social media type of site.  You "pin" (or save) things you like onto different customized "pinboards".  They're pretty much visual lists of things.  Images you like, DIY projects you want to try, decorating and fashion inspiration.  You follow other peeps and can "pin" or "like" what they're pinning.  Everything you pin has a link to the site it came from.  So it's also visual bookmarking.  And this is GREAT for me, since I'm a very visual person, and my bookmarks list in Firefox ends up being pretty useless for me because by looking at the titles of the bookmarks, weeks or months later, I have no clue why I bookmarked that site. 

Sometimes I get sucked in on Pinterest for an hour or two.  But I tell myself that it's great inspiration for my photography, painting or decorating.  AND the DIY stuff will save me $$$!

So here's where the venting starts: A couple weeks ago, I saw this. (It's a picture of a baby with a string of plugged in Christmas/twinkly lights.  They're PLUGGED IN, and she's got them in her mouth.)  I was immediately HORRIFIED by this.  And I couldn't believe the number of times I was seeing it "re-pinned".  I finally pinned it myself- to a new pinboard I created called "NO".  I ranted a bit and added this link to a post I found on bloomberg.com.  (It explains the hazard that Christmas lights pose to kids due to the fact that: "Fifty-four percent of holiday lights tested in a U.S. study had more lead than regulators permit in children’s products, with some strands containing more than 30 times those levels.") So not only is there the fact that they're PLUGGED IN and the baby is chewing on a live electrical cord, there's the lead.

So.  NOT a very good idea to let your kids chew on them. 

Since I first saw this image a couple weeks ago, it pops up on Pinterest once in a while, with comments claiming it to be "cute", and a "possible Christmas card idea".  I cannot tell you how much this makes me crazy.  How do people not know this is a bad idea?  Every package of lights I've ever purchased comes with a warning to wash your hands after handling them due to the LEAD.  LEAD, people!  There's a reason why the U.S. banned lead paint in the seventies!!!  Kids/people were ingesting it and getting sick!  Here are some facts.

But what prompted me to write this post is that just now, I saw this picture.  (This time it's a photo of an adorable dog with the Christmas lights draped over him.)

I am completely horrified that this is seemingly becoming a trend.  Or maybe it has been a trend and I'm just seeing it now. 

I don't like to see things that endanger kids or animals.  Maybe people don't know about the lead content.  Or maybe the strings of lights in those photos don't have the high lead content.  But the viewer of those photos doesn't know that, and without knowing the possible risk, might try to re-create those photos for their holiday cards, and end up making their babies and pets sick.  I would hate to hear that story on the news.  And I don't mean to lecture, I just wanted to vent a bit, and maybe someone will see this info and think twice about re-creating those images. 

To end on a positive note, check out Pinterest!  So fun!  Come follow me!  And let me know if you need an invite!