New Community for Moms of Color

Found a great new community for moms of color: mommybrown.

I stopped by, browsed and decided to share. According to the founder, who is anonymous (as far as I could tell), "Mommybrown’s mission is to be the definitive source for moms with children of color (of all ages) to have a high quality place to connect and share stories for the benefit of themselves and their children."

This feature-rich community includes news, a member area, photos, groups, advice, videos, polls, forums, and journals. Membership is free.

After only 6 weeks, the community already has nearly 5,000 posts and more than 1400 members -- all moms looking to share and gain perspective on raising healthy, aware children of color. Kudos to the founder(s) of mommybrown.

The "I Love Reading" One Million Words Reading Contest

This contest was inspired by our sixth grade book reviewer, Rahshemah, who devours children's novels like most kids eat french fries. She is currently reading about a million words every couple of months -- and absolutely loves science-fiction/fantasy/adventure novels.

CONTEST RULES

1. Every child is welcome to participate; however the contest was designed for children in grades 5-8.

2. Between September 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011 you must read 1 million words (up to 10 books totaling 1 million words), books already read during this time period may be included [FYI, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix contains approx 257,000 words.].

ThThe child's teacher must write a letter stating that the student is capable of reaching this goal.

4. You must submit a review (not a book report, but a review designed to help others determine whether to read this book) of the book or books read. Books must be read between September 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011.

5. Reviews must be between 100 and 300 words each. Each entry must be accompanied by a Parental Release Form (found at DollsLikeMe.com). All entries must be received NO LATER THAN April 15. 2011. Download the official contest brochure for a complete list of rules.

PRIZES

GRAND Prize (1 Awarded)
SONY Pocket eBook Reader
$75 US Savings Bond
$75 Dolls Like Me Gift Card
Reading Tote
Book Light
1 Million Word Certificate of Achievement

SECOND Prize (5 Awarded)
$25 US Savings Bond
$25 Dolls Like Me Gift Card
Reading Tote
Book Light
1 Million Word Certificate of Achievement

THIRD Prize (25 Awarded)
Reading Tote
$10 Dolls Like Me Gift Card
1 Million Word Certificate of Achievement

JUDGING

The review(s) will be judged by our Academic Committee (comprised of educators, staff and, of course, Rahshemah). Winners will be announced on our websites and via email on April 30, 2011. Winning book reviews will be published on our website along with winner's bio and photo.

Good luck and happy reading.

FREE Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Poster

DollsLikeMe.com is offering free Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor posters throughout Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15). The 11"x17" wall posters are printed on glossy stock and shipped rolled.

"Justice Sotomayor's appointment lends a much-needed voice to the nation's highest court," said Dolls Like Me founder, Denise Gary Robinson. "Her outstanding academic and professional background demonstrate the benefits of hard work, determination and a solid education for young girls, especially young Latinas."

There is no purchase necessary to receive a free poster; however, there is a $3.75 per poster charge to cover the cost of the mailing tube, shipping and handling -- for posters ordered alone. There is NO additional fee if the poster is added to an order. There is a maximum of 5 posters per household, school or institution. Offer available while supplies last.

Additional Hispanic history products available at Dolls Like Me include the Sonia Sotomayor Biography Fun Book ($3.99), the Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Reader ($2.99), Hijas Americanas Image: Growing Up Latina in America ($11.99), and the Hispanic Heritage Coloring Book ($5.95).

Free Children's Eid Cards

It's that time of year again and in celebration of Ramadan (August 11 - September 10) and the forthcoming Eid al-Fitr we are once again offering FREE children's Eid cards with purchase (through September 10, upon request). Make any purchase of $10 or more and receive a FREE children's Eid card upon request -- just write "free Eid card" in the comment section of the order form and one will shipped with your order. Just need a card? Purchase one or more for $1.75 each at Dolls Like Me. Of course, we also have thousands of gifts for children of color -- to go along with that great card -- including Amirah and a complete wardrobe for $84.95

Ramadan Mubarak
The Dolls Like Me Family

Kids, Race & Parenting: Children and Self-Esteem

This CNN series brings to mind a recent conversation I had with an irate parent who has since unsubscribed to our mailings and (if true to her word) has encouraged her friends to unsubscribe as well. A few weeks ago, Insider News quoted a long-time customer who identifies herself as the proud adoptive mother of two beautiful Black girls. Our ex-customer insisted that no White mother would ever call her children adopted or Black. She was insulted and enraged.

On the other hand, the customer shared with us how she proudly tells her girls that they are Black and beautiful on a regular basis. She feels that it is obvious to everyone, including them, that they are adopted, saying, "So why pretend... I tell them how lucky I am that God allowed me to bring them into my home and my heart." She told us that she is teaching them to celebrate their beauty by:

~Decorating their room with African and African American princesses,
~Refusing to have ANY catalogs or magazines that do not include a "significant" number of models reflecting women of color,
~Refusing to take her children to see movies that do not include them ("It breaks my heart to see children of color looking longingly at a screen full of children who none of them resemble, it's as if they have not been invited to the party"),
~Refusing to shop where the sales staff is not multicultural,
~Living in an area where her children can attend a school where there are other children with whom they can identify,
~Insisting that family members send cards and gifts that reflect her children ("At first my parents tried to pretend they were two little White girls, I gently put a stop to that nonsense early on."), and
~Telling them how fortunate they are to have such beautiful Black skin. (How God loved us so much that he made us all beautiful in our own way. That God revels in our individual beauty and we should never, ever be ashamed of how God made us.)

Kudos to this mother, who told us "I cannot change how the world sees my children but I don't have to support it. And I certainly have total control of what goes on inside these walls as well as what they see and do." We wholeheartedly agree.

Take a look at these three videos and we're sure you will agree that building self-esteem in children of color is a full-time job that starts at birth.

Black Girl Calls Skin Color Nasty

Biracial Boy Wishes he Were White

Kids, Race and Parenting

What, No More Asian Play Dolls?

Well, it's a sad state of affairs over at Middleton Doll since the Madame Alexander takeover. Shipments have been pushed back, entire doll lines have been discontinued and the new Dealer Order Form for the holidays DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY ASIAN PLAY DOLLS.

That's right, the current holiday order form does not have one Asian play doll. In fact there are precious few dolls of color, period. The only play dolls of color available for the holiday are Savannah, Hailey and Bailey (all available in Black and Latina) and Keydon (only available in Black). That's it!!

We do have a few Middleton Asian play dolls in stock (left over from last year), so if you are interested, now is the time to purchase as they won't be coming back.

In addition, the new Middleton NOW dolls DO NOT INCLUDE ANY DOLLS OF COLOR. Middleton NOW dolls are the larger, higher end play dolls. For the past couple of years they have included Chillin', Tiny Cheer, Butterfly Dreamer, Cami (shown left), and others. This year, there will be none.adame Alexander has a poor track record of producing quality play dolls of color. Looks like they are hoping to craft a new Middleton Doll in their own image.

It may be time for some letter writing. The addresses are below, not that you asked.

Jane Abrahams, Marketing Director
Gale Jarvis (Ms.), President

Madame Alexander, 615 West 131st St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10027, Phone: 212-283-5900

Make sure your CC the president, if you choose to write to the marketing director.

69% of US Elementary Children who Study a Foreign Language Study Spanish

That's right! French is a distant second, capturing 18% of the elementary students who study a foreign language.

We found an exciting line of Spanish edutainment products (for ages 3-8) that will help keep your child on track through the summer months while providing hours of fun.

Los niños might not even realize they're learning.

The line includes the Smart Projector (shown left), Alphabet Cards (on a flip handle -- perfect for travel and road trips), Crossword Blocks (a large block crossword puzzle/game), Spellable (a bilingual puzzle card game that teaches the alphabet and three letter words), and an Animal Puzzle (to help the little ones learn the names of animals and objects in English and Spanish).

The line is fun, durable, safe and affordable -- with three of our products under $8. The electronic Smart Projector is $24.95.

Ingenio is the first bilingual educational toys and games brand in the USA. Their toys and games foster bilingual learning at an early age through hands-on learning techniques -- we love them.

Before You Grab That Bottle of Baby Lotion

Did you know that many of the chemicals in skin care products, when applied to the skin, can be absorbed directly into the blood stream? This can be more dangerous than if the products were actually eaten because chemicals ingested through the skin do not get filtered by your liver or digestive system!

Children are at even greater risk of suffering the consequences of exposure to dangerous chemicals, because their skin is 30% thinner than adults (on average) and can absorb greater amounts of chemicals from the skin surface. They breathe in more air (and air contaminants) relative to their weight than adults, and the blood-brain barrier that helps block chemicals from penetrating brain tissue is not fully formed until a baby reaches 6 months of age. In a 2007 study, the Environmental Working Group (EEWG) found that, "Every day children are exposed to an average of 27 personal care product ingredients that have not been found safe for kids. ... and overall, 77% of the ingredients in 1,700 children's products reviewed have not been assessed for safety."

In fact, 54% of children's products marked as safe and non-toxic contain one or more of 20 top ingredients of concern in children's products, including chemicals linked to allergies, nervous system problems, cancer, reproductive risks, and hormone disruption.

In 2007, EWG surveyed more than 3,300 parents to find out what shampoos, lotions, bath soaps and other personal care products their children use. The results were used to help EWG produce a Parent's Buying Guide to help parents navigate around bogus claims and find safer products with fewer ingredients linked to allergies, cancer, and other concerns for children.

We have prepared a handy, pocket HealthySkin^™ Shopping Guide to help you choose safe personal care products for your children. The packet guide is available FREE to Insider Subscribers. Subscribers should send a SASE to:

Dolls Like Me
HealthySkin Shopping Guide
6B Caldwell Ave
Summit, NJ 07901

Not an Insider subscriber? Subscribe today at dollslikeme.com. You will be automatically entered into our monthly giveaway sweepstakes. Winners are announced in our Insider News Bulletins.

Allow 4 weeks for delivery.

Source: Environmental Working Group.