If my dog had a credit card...

I was at a Birthday party yesterday, and we were talking about how the credit card companies inundate you with offers when you are between the ages of 18 and 24. It's like they know you're going to go into debt over spending and charging things you don't really need and can't really afford. And then you'll be paying them interest for 100 years. My sister in law said that she thought it would be pretty easy to get a credit card for your dog. So last night as I was falling asleep, all I could think about was what would my pets charge if they could? I wonder if they would surprise me...
I think Skippy, my little rat terrier mix mutt rescue dog would go nuts charging dog treats, toys, big, comfortable furniture and warm, soft blankets. I think my old sheltie, Fletcher, would probably just charge food, he seems pretty easy to please, I can't think of anything else he would want. My pushy cat, Milo, would charge a lot of catnip, cat toys, cat treats, cat trees, little fake mice, (maybe some real mice), and some high quality cat food. My shy, quiet cat, Minnie would probably not charge anything. She never asks for much, just a warm bed and some food occasionally. Who knows, maybe they would surprise me. I know Milo loves to bird watch, would he order some fancy bird feeders and have someone install them outside the kitchen window? Would the pets leave and find new owners if they could? I like to think we treat them pretty well, and I think they're happy here. But who really knows what they're thinking? It's funny how they each have their own personalities, and we give them human descriptions, as if they were humans. The dog whisperer (that Cesar guy on tv) would probably not approve.
Anyway, check out my newest custom t-shirt and gift shop, (freshgreentees.com), it's all about going green and reducing your carbon footprint. I've been so busy working on my original t-shirt shop, creativethought.com, that I haven't had much time for blogging!

McDonald's-love the fries, hate my thighs

So, the Center for Commercial Free Childhood sent me a great update...see below!


"Thanks to the efforts of CCFC members, McDonald's has ended its controversial report card advertising in Seminole County, Florida. Children in kindergarten through fifth-grade had been receiving their report cards in envelopes adorned with Ronald McDonald promising a free Happy Meal to students with good grades, behavior, or attendance. CCFC was alerted to the advertising by Seminole County parent Susan Pagan and launched a campaign which resulted in nearly 2,000 letters to McDonald's and plenty of bad publicity for the fast food giant. The following is CCFC's statement on the McDonald's decision to end the program.

This is a good day for parents and children in Seminole County and anyone who believes that corporations should not prey on children in schools. We are pleased that McDonald's is listening to parents all over the country who believe that report cards should not be commercialized.

In the absence of needed government regulation to protect schoolchildren from predatory companies like McDonald's, the burden is on parents to be vigilant about exploitative marketing aimed at children. One parent can make a difference. There is no doubt that the Seminole County ads would have continued - and violated McDonald's pledge to stop advertising in elementary schools - had one parent not called attention to the problem. And when that parent was joined by other parents and CCFC members, one of our nation's largest corporations was forced to back down. What we accomplished in Seminole County should put all marketers on notice: advertising has no place in our nation's schools.

Thanks so much to all of you who took the time to write to McDonald's. Those of you who wish to acknowledge McDonald's decision to pull the branded report cards can email Kathleen Pyle, McDonald's director of family and kids marketing, at Kathleen.Pyle@us.mcd.com.

Working together, we can reclaim childhood from corporate marketers.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.
www.commercialfreechildhood.org

Support CCFC. We rely on our members because we will not compromise our commitment to children by accepting corporate funding. To make a tax-free contribution, please visit http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/donate/"

Now, I LOVE McDonald's french fries...fresh, hot, salty...they are one of my favorite things in the whole world! You can tell by the size of my thighs, I like fries!
But, I don't think they should sneak their corporate brainwashing techniques into elementary schools! Or any schools for that matter!

Anyway, good for the Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood, be sure to check out their website.

So, my t-shirt selling biz is going pretty well. I sold my first dog t-shirt! Someone bought a Barack Obama t-shirt for themselves, and a matching one for their dog! Yeah! I think that's pretty cool. I really like designing the t-shirts, coffee mugs, etcetera, but trying to figure out the SEO and marketing stuff is making my brain hurt.
It's really a lot more difficult than I thought. And, as it's January and no more Christmas sales...it's a little discouraging right now, not tons of sales. But I'll keep plugging away. I purchased my own domain name and site, separate from CafePress through cpshops, but linked to my CafePress shop. I can supposedly do a lot more with it, but it's scripted, using Perl program, and I am totally lost trying to figure it out right now. Perhaps I bit off more than I can chew, as they say. Anyway, check out my new site, and feel free to pass the link on to your friends! http://www.creativethoughttshirts.com