Product Review for Priti Nail Polish and Polish Remover

It is safe to say that, in many ways, our girls are girly girls.* Whenever I sweep, I find glitter in the dustpan. When dressing in the morning, we often hear requests for “skirts that twirl.” The girly girl side of them meant that nail polish was needed. Read more

Protect Your Child, Your Wallet, and Your World with One Spin of the Dial

When I was pregnant with my first child, a colleague gave me a great piece of advice about labor: “Remember that you only have one contraction at a time.” I’ve since discovered that this advice has broad applications; I often remind myself of it when I become overwhelmed with parenting or fighting global warming. The end results I want in both arenas are really the culmination of many small actions, just as the birth of my daughter was the result of many (many!) contractions.

Global warming sounds so big (ginormous, as my youngest would say) that it is easy to feel overwhelmed or inconsequential. However, we can all make small changes, many of which benefit us directly. Collectively we can make a positive difference for the environment. As I remind my kids when we’re faced with a messy room, many hands make light work. None of us has to assume the mantle of responsibility for the entire world but we can all help to clean up the mess! Read more

Recycling Vision

During the holidays, many parents will be thrilled as they watch the eyes of their child light up with the wonder of the season. But for some parents, looking into their child’s eyes is a painful reminder of vision problems they cannot afford to address. If you have old eyeglasses or sunglasses sitting in a drawer, there are several organizations who would love to help you pass them along to someone who needs them. Read more

Greening Families’ Gift Guide for Children’s Books

Garrison Keillor was right when he said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” We love giving books to our children and their friends. We slip at least one book into every birthday present and enjoy searching for new titles to share. Here are some of our favorite green-themed books. Please let us know if you have others! Read more

Storing Leftovers for Less

‘Tis the season… for leftovers. Leftovers are a life saver in our house, allowing us to cut our grocery bill, our food waste, and our prep time when the kids are ravenous. Storing them, however, had become a holly, jolly pain.

Like many families, we have been working to reduce the amount of plastic we use. This was particularly important for us when it came to plastic coming into contact with food our children would eat. (For a refreshingly clear discussion of plastics and food, visit The Smart Mama.) But what would we do without our plastic containers? And how could we store our leftovers safely without spending more money?

The answer came in a jar of jam. The Koala Sisters are big PB and J fans so Richard and I spend a lot of time with the jam jar. The jars are so pretty that I had saved several with no real plan. And then it hit me! We are already buying the perfect food storage containers; we just need to reuse them when the original contents had been consumed.

We started saving our glass jars to reuse for leftovers. Jam jars are perfect for small amounts of leftovers or for individual servings. We have several in our frig right now full of yummy mushroom soup. Jars from spaghetti sauce and peanut or almond butter are fabulous for larger amounts. All clean up easily and impart no harmful chemicals to our food – and in the end are totally recyclable!

This switch has also made us think about our food purchases in a new way. Now that we know the containers will be reused, they are a larger portion of our decision to make a purchase. Our last yogurt purchase was of yogurt in a glass rather than plastic container, in part because of its great jar. It was a tiny bit more expensive but quite delicious so this change is also helping us to expand our food horizons.

If you have questions about your plastic food storage containers, check out The Green Guide’s piece on the safety of different plastics by number. Or start your own jar collection!

Biking in 2009

A recent USA Today article on biking to work included an interesting fact. Beginning in January of 2009, companies can earn a tax credit of up to $20 per month for each employee who commutes by bicycle under the Bicycle Commuter Act.

This tax credit has companies all over the country offering incentives to their employees to encourage cycling. From Discovery Communications in Maryland to New Resource Bank in California, companies are offering money to their employees to purchase, repair, or maintain a bicycle.

If more exercise or fewer carbon emissions are one of your New Year’s resolutions, ask your company about this and make sure they know about the tax credit. For more on the Bicycle Commuter Act, visit The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Commuter Act FAQ.

Be Green While Conceiving

You might have, ahem, other things on your mind if you are trying to conceive but know that there are green choices even in this portion of your life.

Richard and I have been open about our earlier battle with infertility, in part because we felt so alone at the time. One topic that has come up repeatedly in our conversations with others is how helpful we both found the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health (Revised Edition)
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler.

There are many, many ovulation predictor kits and fertility monitors on the market, some of which are quite pricey, but the information in this paperback book was truly valuable. After reading the book, I was able to accurately track my cycle with nothing more than a thermometer and a piece of paper. Read more