Random Tip #39

While running out the door I noticed that I had a strange looking bleach stain on my black yoga-style pants (which is really strange because I don't use bleach and furthermore, I don't do yoga). I didn't have time to change (heck I barely had time to put on the unattractive outfit I was already wearing) so...

I used a black permanent marker to color over the unsightly stain making it look like a much more acceptable wet spot.

Fun in the sun?

Did you know that 3 out of 5 sunscreens either contain dangerous chemicals or don't adequately protect your skin from the sun? Crazy, right? And the worst offenders are brands you know well...like Banana Boat, Neutrogena, Coppertone. To make matters more complicated, sunscreen companies can essentially put any claims they want on their product because the FDA doesn't monitor them.

When you consider that I'm talking about a product that you slather all over your body and the cute little bodies of your kids, this is a big deal. A huge deal really...

I've got a little box over there <------- where you can type in what sunscreen you are using to find out how safe it is. Sunscreens rated 0-2 are recommended by the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit independent organization. I do have to warn that the recommended sunscreens aren't cheap. But aren't you and your family's health worth it? You can price compare on amazon.com and drugstore.com. Target.com also states that they carry one of the kids' brands, California Baby, in store.

Have fun and be safe in the sun this summer!

And happy 4th of July!

And in case the widget isn't working, the Environmental Working Group's 2009 Sunscreen Report is here.

Random Tip #62

I like to wrap gifts. There is something soothing about working with my hands and trying to make a present look pretty. But sometimes I have to resort to the dreaded gift bag. (Why do manufactures have to make toy packaging so bumpy, lumpy and uneven?)

Recently, I realized that instead of buying a traditional gift bag I could do better. I'm now using reusable shopping bags as gift bags. The price is comparable (and often cheaper). Once the present is out of the bag and being played with, mom can use the bag for shopping, sand toys or another gift. So one less piece of trash in the landfill.

I've seen cute bags at Ikea, The Disney Store and Toys R Us.

The two above are from Ikea and are filled with my favorite summer birthday gifts...sidewalk chalk, sand toys and bubbles. But, shhhh! Don't tell the Emma and Quinn, the birthday kids...

Scooters, styrofoam and no-waste lunches...oh, my!

My post yesterday, Bags, farmers and worms, oh, my!, touched on reusable bags, farmer's markets and composting. I was so, so, so excited at the comments I got. (Heck, Girl Child's second comment brought tears to my eyes!)

So, today I'm continuing on with the more...difficult?, unusual?...things my family does to help our planet. Though they really aren't that difficult. And hopefully, in the near future they won't be considered unusual, but mainstream.


Commuting
Scott rides a scooter to and from work everyday. Not only is it good for the planet but it's good for the wallet. (He gets over 65 miles per gallon!)

If I could figure out a way to safely strap my kids and me together (maybe Logan on my chest and Jack on my back), I could get a scooter too! (Wait, where would I keep the sippy cups...and snacks...and change of clothes...and toys?) Oh, well! If/when Honda makes a hybrid minivan, I'll be all over it!

Frequently, we ride the bus. We actually started because we have two young boys interested with any and every thing with wheels. We have buses that go down our street and as babies the big colorful city buses always peaked their interest. Even after a year of bus rides they still get excited when we tell them we taking one that day. It's good for the planet and saves us money on the exorbitant parking fees in our city.


Recycling
This topic could have almost made my my list of "no brainers." Luckily recycling is becoming commonplace and it seems like everyone has the basics down...soda cans, newspapers, glass and plastic bottles.

But what about other things...yogurt containers, jars, cans from canned food, egg cartons, empty paper towel rolls, wrapping paper, pasta boxes, plastic bags. Even the bag our baby carrots came in is recyclable. And in the city I live in, styrofoam is recyclable.

In the past, when I was done with something and wanting to throw it away, it went in the trashcan automatically. Now, when I have "trash" I turn to the trashcan as my last choice. I'm always hoping it can be composted or recycled. It takes me no more than 15 seconds to rinse out a dirty container before tossing it in the blue bin.

Here a couple of things from my recycling bin (and boy, did Jack give me some odd looks as I pulled stuff out and set it up on the counter!):
Of course, the kitchen isn't the only place where recyclables can me found. I'm slowly getting better about recycling stuff that would normally end up in my bathroom's trashcan:
In my dream house, I'd have space built into each bathroom for a container for recyclables.

No-waste lunches and snacks
With two kids, I make more than 400 school lunches a year. What if for every one of those lunches there was a juice box, a plastic fork, a ziplock bag and a yogurt container or chip bag.

Then my family alone would be putting 400 juice boxes, 400 plastic utensils, 400 ziplock bags and 400 pieces of trash from a pre-packaged food into a landfill in one year. One two-kid family in one year = 16,000 pieces of trash just from school lunches! This doesn't even take into account when Scott or I would make lunches.

So instead, we have "no-waste" lunches. I have a collection of reusable lunch containers, utensils and sandwich wraps. We use them every weekday and pretty frequently on the weekends...we picnic a lot. Additionally, I have reusable snack bags that get used everyday. Here is my collection:
The cute little bags (actually two little and one bigger) in the back are from snackTAXI. They can be used for sandwiches or snacks and wipe clean easily (or can go in the dishwasher or laundry machine).

The red gingham things are Wrap-n-Mats...you wrap your sandwiches in them and they double as a placemat. Scott and I primarily use these.

The utensils are from the dollar bin at Target. (Where else, of course?)

The plastic boxes are like bento boxes with removable compartments. You can see them in action in this post. I love that you can rearrange the compartments to fit your needs. These are what the boys use daily. They are from a company called Lock & Lock.

And the teeny tiny containers are from a local Japanese market. We use them for dipping sauces or raisins or sunflower seeds for the boys to sprinkle on their salads.

Now I will say that it cost a bit of money to get this collection. But in the long run it pays for itself. I use these things every day. That means that I'm not paying for tons of baggies and utensils. Additionally, I save money by buying a big bag of pretzels and putting some in the snack bags instead of paying a premium for little individual disposable bags of pretzels. Save money...save the planet.

No-waste drinks
Ummm...I think my family might have a drinking problem. Or maybe I just have a bottle collecting problem. One is Scott's, two are mine and the rest...well, the rest belong to two thirsty little boys.
All of these bottles are aluminum and reusable, of course. They are used for water and occasionally juice. That means no plastic disposable water bottles and no juice boxes. Woohoo!

And again, they pay for themselves. Instead of paying for bottled water, I get mine for free out of the tap. (Don't like the taste? We had a Britta pitcher and now we have a Pur filter on the tap. Both taste great.) As for juice, I buy a big bottle and am able to water it down (for health and economic reasons) when I fill up the boy's little bottles. Way cheaper than juice boxes...and way better for the environment. (Did you know juice boxes are usually not recyable because they are coated with a plastic that can't be seperated from the paper?)

Well, that's all I've got.

Actually, that's not quite right. I've got one more thing.

I put together a 'get green starter kit' that I'm giving away.

Bags, farmers and worms...oh, my!

So, my post the day before yesterday was my list of "no brainers." And I loved everyone's comments that these were things their family was already doing.

Today and tomorrow I'll get into some of the more...difficult?, unusual?...things my family does to help our planet. Though they really aren't that difficult. And hopefully, in the near future they won't be considered unusual, but mainstream.

Reusable bags
This one almost made it on the "no brainer list." It's really not that difficult and thankfully gaining a lot of popularity.

The average person uses more than 300 plastic bags a year. Multiply that times the number of people in your family and that's a huge number of bags in a year. In my family of four, in the 18 years it would take my boys to head to college, my family would have consumed more than 21,500 plastic bags. Um, that is an obnoxious amount of plastic bags.

Seriously, how easy is it to use reusable shopping bags? I use them at the grocery, toy and drug stores. I use them at Target and the farmer's market. This is about 2/3rds of my collection. I won't spend more than $1 for one but so many stores are carrying them cheap now.
Reusable bags are becoming so mainstream that many stores offer some sort of incentive to use them. My (big chain) grocery store gives each customer 5 points of credit for each reusable bag used and my Trader Joe's enters those using reusable bags in a giveaway for free groceries. Some stores are even going as far as to charge customers for plastic bags.

A tip for mamas...
Another reason why I love using reusable bags is that it cuts down on tantruming kiddos at the store. Let's just say that I'm in Target (not hard to imagine!) and I find something, maybe a snack or a toy, that I want to get the kids but I don't want them to have, or even see, right now.

While my boys are distracted, I slip the item into one of my reusable bags siting in my cart. We go on our merry way up and down the aisles with my boys none the wiser (because they can't see through or into the bags).

When I get to checkout, I hand the whole bag to the cashier and ask them to scan the items while they remain in the bag. Usually, once they see what's in the bag and my two whirling dervish kids they understand what I'm trying to do.

The only downside is that Target's anti-theft employees can be found trailing me throughout the store. But hey, it's nice to have some grown-up company while I'm shopping.

Support your local farmer's market
I love shopping at farmer's markets. I wish I could go more often. Often foods and flowers are organic and grown using sustainable agriculture. Another bonus is that the food for sale didn't have to travel thousands of miles before it enters your kitchen.

Luckily my city offers several different markets. To find one near you, enter your zip code at Local Harvest and specify that you are looking for a farmer's market.

Composting
Hi! I'd like you to meet my little friend. This is Mr. Compost Pail. He sits in a place of honor on my kitchen counter, right between my kitchen sink and the trash can.

What goes in my compost pail?
Cantaloupe rinds, dry Cheerios that never got eaten, egg shells, bread crust cut from my sons' sandwiches, strawberry stems, carrot tops, tea bags, bell pepper ribs and seeds, leftover pasta with tomato sauce, cookies that expired (oh, wait...we never let that happen around here!)

I can hear you now. "That's...um...great, Carey. Now you have all your yuckiest trash sitting in a bucket on your counter. What now?"

You've got two options.

You can go full out and buy or make a compost bin. This is kept in your yard and you fill it with the kitchen scraps and every so often mix it up. Did I mention the worms? Yes, there are worms in the compost bin (not the pail!). They eat your kitchen scraps and their poop is the compost. "Um, Carey. What do I want with worm poop?" You use it as fertilizer on your plants.

Because we live in a big city and don't have much room for a compost bin or much need for a lot of fertilizer, we empty our compost pail in our city's green can. Our city provides each house with three "trash" cans. Black for trash, blue for recycling and green for biodegradable waste. For most families, they only use the green can for yard clippings. We add the items from our compost pail to it as well. The city then turns it into compost.

Try this: Instead of automatically throwing all your kitchen scraps in the trash let them pile up for one meal (from the prep and cooking to the leftovers on the plate). Anything that is not meat or cheese can be put in the compost pail. You've got a pretty good-size pile right?

Now imagine this: That pile of scraps from EVERY meal, EVERY day!

I fill up the pail every couple of days, maybe 3-4 days. In a year, my family probably empties the pail 100 times. So imagine 100 pails filled with food scraps...it all adds up. But I'm so happy to say that ours doesn't add up in a landfill.

A couple more points about composting:

• No, there is no smell from my compost pail. It has two charcoal filters that prevent any funky smells from escaping. I've had the pail for almost a year and haven't even had to replace the filters yet.
  
• Compost pails are not hard to come by. They are available on Amazon and at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $25.
  
• I used to put the food directly into the pail. I'd empty it every couple of days and by that time it would get a bit grody at the bottom of the pail. I was much a much happier composter when I started using biodegradable bags to line the pail. Several companies make bags specifically to fit compost pails but they can be expensive. I buy biodegradable diaper bags at Target and they work great (Nature BabyCare diaper disposal bags; $3 for 50). I can empty the pail, bags and all directly into my city's green can or a compost bin because the bags are biodegradable.
  
• The city I live in offers a free compost seminar every month and discounts on compost bins. Maybe your city has a similar program?

I was going to leave you with a picture of my yucky food scraps, but I'll spare you.

Any questions about any of the above, bring it on! There is a good chance I won't know the answer (again, I'm not an expert) but I'll happily try to find the answer.

Tomorrow's post is titled Scooters, styrofoam and no-waste lunches...oh, my! Intrigued?

A Tip for Tuesday

My boys are so different in many ways. One difference is obvious when we see a movie. Though Jack is 15 months older than Logan there have been several movies that have scared the bejeesus out of him but did not phase his younger brother. Monsters vs. Aliens was one of those movies. (See my pseudo-review here.) Jack covered his eyes several times before finally asking to leave partway through the movie.

Kids in Mind is a website I've used for a couple of years, which makes it even more embarrassing that I didn't consult it before taking the boys to see Monsters vs. Aliens last week.

They have three categories that they rate: Sex & Nudity, Violence & Gore and Profanity. But in my opinion, even more valuable than their ratings are the extremely detailed descriptions they write about the movie for each of these three categories.

The descriptions offer no judgment...just the facts so that parents can make their own judgments based on their family's values and their kids' sensitivities. Because it' all relative.

The Sex & Nudity descriptions for kids' movies crack me up. For example, this was written about Nim's Island:
On a beach, several female dancers are in bikini tops and long grass skirts, male dancers are in knee-length shorts and are bare-chested.

Further, they go on to mention that a women wears a two-piece bathing suit. This would be handy to know for those families that still wear old-fashioned bathing outfits to their private watering hole because they are not comfortable with bare midriffs. Those families should definitely avoid the risque Nim's Island. (See, this is me judging...not Kids in Mind.)

More telling for me are the Violence & Gore descriptions. We are a toy-weapon-free house so if I had actually read the description for Monsters vs. Aliens the term "open-fire" would have tipped me off that we might have a problem. Then there is this:
The image of an alien is projected into the sky and tells many people standing on the ground below that "We are here to destroy you," and "Take over your planet," and it threatens death and slavery.

I know my kids. And I would have known that Jack would be scared if I had actually bothered to look this movie up.

Sorry, Jack! Sweet dreams?

Tomatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes. Oh, my!

Hmmm... Tip or recipe? Tip or recipe? I guess this is both...

My kids eat at least a full serving of fruits and a full serving of veggies for breakfast everyday. It's great knowing that they are getting tomatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes for breakfast.

"What's that kids? You didn't eat all their veggies at lunch? No big deal! I snuck them in your breakfast earlier."
"What? You don't want veggies for your snack today? No big deal! I snuck them in your breakfast this morning."

And best of all there is no whining, no complaining, no "Mama, it's yucky!".

Are you ready for my secret weapon? Do you think you can handle it?

V8 V*Fusion

But I don't just give it to them straight up. I make the easiest smoothie in the world. These are my ingredients: cups with lids and straws, spoon, yogurt and V8 V*Fusion juice:

V8 V*Fusion has a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruits and no added sugar. If it were organic, I'd be in heaven. It comes in several different varieties. I like the Pomegranate Blueberry for my boys because in addition to the carrots and sweet potatoes that come in all the varieties, there are also tomatoes and a healthy dose of antioxidants. (And, no, this is not a paid endorsement!)

I dump a couple of healthy spoonfuls of yogurt into the cups and add the juice.

Then I snap on the tops, cover the straw hole with my finger and shake, shake, shake. I pop in the straw and hand them over to the boys.
I also love making their smoothies this way because when I'm done, all that is dirty is one spoon. (Well, and the cups they drink from. But no dirty blender!)

They usually drink them in the car on the way to school each day. That way, if they've boycotted breakfast they still have a full belly for school.

Giving a tip and taking tips

This is a two part tip post. First, I've got a tip to give. The second part is me looking for some specific tips relating to dairy cattle. Yes, really, I'm talking about milk cows...

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Did you know that denture cleanser tablets will clean some of your jewelry?
Not only will everything sparkle but your jewelry will also be left plague-free and minty fresh!

Another bonus is the price. I bought a box of 108 tablets at Target for about $2. That means that each cleaning is 2 cents!

I just plop one fizzy tablet in a cup of warm water, drop in my jewelry and wait a minute of two. Next, I rinse, dry and wear.


I can speak from experience when I say don't put silver in the denture cleaner.

I have used this method personally on:
platinum
yellow gold
diamonds
cubic zirconium
emeralds
sapphires

Stop by BlogMommas for more tips.

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In our house, we refer to milk as liquid gold. It is so expensive and I seem to buy so much of it. Scott drinks a little but mostly uses it in his cereal. I don't drink it but do use a bit to cook. The boys are our main liquid gold consumers.

I hope this lasts us a week:

So I've decided to get them their own cow. As with any pet large livestock, they'll be responsible for feeding, walking milking, and bathing it. Our backyard is about 1,500 square feet and our Bessy will have to share it with our dog, Marley. The good news is that Marley is part Shepard so if Bessy gets loose into our alley and starts wandering the streets, Marley should be able to round her up and bring her home.

So, I'm wondering if any of you have any experience raising a cow in your backyard. I'd appreciate any tips you can give the boys or me.

I'm off to start looking at cows for sale online. What do you think...Amazon or Ebay?

A (Weird) Tip for Tuesday

Okay, so this is a bit of a weird tip. And it's only good for little kids.

When I'm desperate to get a meal on the table for my boys, I serve them a mini healthy smorgasbord in ice cube trays. (Yep, really, ice cube trays.) The boys love the novelty of it. They get little bites and lots of choices. I fill 99% of the compartments with healthy stuff that I have on hand in the fridge.


Here are some serving suggestions:

cut string cheese / broccoli / carrotts / crackers / edamame / red pepper strips / chicken nugget w/sauce / croutons / corn / peas / nuts / hummus / pasta / olives / hard boiled egg pieces / black beans

Though I haven't tried it yet, it would also be fun to do for breakfast using a couple different dry cereals, fruit and different flavors of yogurt.

(I picked up a pack of three bright orange ice cube trays at the $1 store. It's nice not having to worry about emptying out the ones in the freezer when I want to throw this meal together.)

Stop by BlogMommas for more tips.

A Tip for Tuesday

I've been known to post sarcastic tips about various things: what to do when in public and the front of your shirt is covered in poop, how to use lollipop goop as a hair-styling product and how to "even out" a stain on your kiddos' clothes.

But today I'm posting a REAL tip, sans sarcasm.

For Jack's upcoming birthday we are going to Disneyland in lieu of a party. I'm not a Disney fan (gasp! can someone admit that without being stoned to death?). In my humble opinion, it is not the happiest place on earth. But we've never taken the kids so I will be seeing things with fresh eyes for my eldest's birthday. But thinking about the dreaded upcoming trip has reminded me about the safety precautions our family takes when we head out to crowded places.

• When we get to our destination I take close-up and full length photos of the boys with my digital camera. The boys just think I'm being a mamarazzi when in reality I'm recording exactly what they look like (clothes and all) in case we are separated. I can show the photos to park security (or god forbid, the police) if need be.
  

• Since our boys are so young and I don't want to freak them out with 'stranger danger' info just yet, we keep it simple. We make sure they know that if we get separated they should find a mama to talk to. I know personally that if a child came up to me saying that they were lost, I'd stay with them until their parents were found even after park security was brought in to help. I can only hope that another mama would do the same for my kids.

• Lastly, I have the boys wear dog collars. (No, not around their necks. But as bracelets.) They are thin nylon straps custom made extra small (think a Chihuahua's neck). Each is embroidered with just my cell phone number. The boys know that after they tell another mama that they are lost, they should show them the numbers on their bracelets.

I certainly hope all these safety precautions are for naught. But better safe than sorry, right? Anyone have any further ideas for really young kids?

Random Tip #48

If the front of your shirt ends up covered in poop while you are out in public and you have made the unfortunate decision not to carry spare clothes with you at all times, simply fold the bottom of your shirt up. This protects anything your shirt may touch from becoming contaminated and makes a daring fashion statement. (Maybe the half-shirt will make a comeback for chubby mamas?)

This tip sponsored by Logan!

(And if you'd like to hear more about the delightful event that left me covered in poop you can read this week's Not Me Monday post.)

Random Tip #28

After putting your child in a white shirt (which you rarely do because that would be extremely foolish) and he spills thick dark purple acia berry juice all down the front and you try all the stain removal tricks you know over the course of several days to no avail, simply splash more thick dark acia berry juice on the back of the shirt and sleeves and tell all your friends you got it at that trendy kid's boutique where all the celebrities shop.

This tip sponsored by Jack!

Random Tip #74

Try this handy and easy tip when you run out of your usual hair styling product: Have your child suck on a lollipop until it's good and sticky. Then have them gently dab the lollipop on your head in several areas. Use your hands to arrange your hair in your desired style. Remove your hands quickly as the lollipop juice begins to set. (You wouldn't want your hands to get stuck to your head, now would you?) Repeat as needed.

This tip sponsored by Logan!