Do Nothing for 2 Minutes

In this crazy world we live in, we could all use the reminder to slow down, or even stop and do nothing... even for two minutes! Click here to see what it feels like. I "failed" in my attempt to do nothing for 2 measly minutes! Will you?

Solids Starter Kit from mumi & bubi: Non-toxic Baby Food Freezer Trays

It seems like just yesterday I was making homemade baby food for Olivia. I couldn't have dreamed that three years and several bags under my eyes later, that I'd be on the precipice of pureeing food for my baby boy as well.

Whipping up homemade baby food is a breeze, but my efforts were always somewhat thwarted by the lack of having good, ample storage to keep the baby food readily stocked in the freezer. The trays I mentioned in this post sadly had lids that easily popped open once their contents froze, rendering the food freezer burned and useless. So, I am arming myself with a foolproof freezer system now, and luckily some advances have been made in the baby food storage market in time for Ashton's foray into fine dining.

Enter Mumi & Bubi's Solids Starter kit, which comes complete with two freezer trays, each with 21, 1 ounce cube slots, and a protective lid that snaps on over the entire tray to ensure that freezer burn won't be an issue. We have a tiny freezer, so another thing I love about these trays is that they have grooves on top of their lids to allow for easy stacking and space-saving. Also included with the Solids Starter Kit is an e-guide with 27 baby food recipes to help get the blending underway!

Most importantly, when storing baby's homemade purees in these trays, the food is sure to stay pure. The Solids Starter Kit is made from non-toxic, virgin polypropylene, (PP5) and it is free of phthalates, BPA, and PVC.

Check out Mumi & Bubi on Facebook and Twitter, and purchase your kit here!

"Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly!" at Oregon Children's Theatre

I had the delightful opportunity to take Olivia to her very first play this past Sunday -- the world premiere of "Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly" based on the bestselling books by Doreen Cronin. In addition to being charming, witty and fantastically well-acted, this humorous musical, the current production at Oregon Children's Theatre is also very green! 

The show's production materials are 90% recycled and reused -- and once the show is over, the production staff will aim to find new homes for the materials to be repurposed. Some of the set background includes "reused vinyl billboards, set leaves that are made from carpet used for former Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts' campaign event, and costume wings made from used car headlight covers and kitchen equipment." Check out the theater's blog to see MANY more ways the show's set and costumes are green.

Beyond the stage, the playbills are printed on recycled materials and the flashlights used by the ushers feature LED bulbs and rechargeable solar batteries. 

I must add that my favorite eco-friendly element of the show were the ant character's cute red TOMS shoes! (He also happened to be my favorite actor in the play!) Each and every actor was so talented and captivating. Whether singing a solo or a group number, they all delivered 110% and truly made me, an insect loather, feel more affinity for spiders, flies, bees and worms!

At a very mature 3 years old, Olivia was still just a touch young for this show. Most of the witty jokes and dialogue soared right over her head. That said, she was still thrilled to be there and she smiled ear to ear the entire time, clapped on cue and laughed on cue, even if she wasn't in on the joke! But, I can see why the recommended age for attendees is 4 and up -- and "Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly" will certainly enchant audiences of all ages. I was enthralled for every minute of the approximately 70 minute production.

DETAILS:

Dates: January 23-February 20, 2011
Location: Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway
Times: Saturdays at 2:00 and 5:00 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm (No 5:00 pm shows on 2/12 and 2/19, no show on Sunday 2/6)
Tickets: $16-$26 for adults and $13-$20 for children and seniors
Box Office: 503-228-9571 or through TicketMaster (503-790-ARTS or www.ticketmaster.com)
General information: www.octc.org
 

NOTE: Petite Planet Posts are NOT Sponsored - They Feature My Honest Opinions

I just received an email from a reader who told me some of my posts seem "sponsored." I want to assure Petite Planet readers that whenever I write about a product, it is my HONEST enthusiasm that I am relaying, and I am in NO WAY paid by sponsors to tout their wares.

Oftentimes, I am sent products free of charge to review. However, I am not obligated to say I like them. If you follow my blog, you'll notice the absence of negative reviews. If I do not personally endorse or like a product, or feel it is green and non-toxic, I simply do not write about it. I'm not in the business of badmouthing companies or products, but what I do enjoy doing is letting my readers know about products and ideas that are very worthy of their time and money.

Petite Planet is by and large a labor of love for me. I write it because I want to share my experiences and help narrow the field of countless eco products to help parents and families live a green lifestyle more easily.

Thanks for reading!

Beth
Petite Planet Founder/Writer

Ditch Paper Towels and Reach for Reusable Skoy Cloths!

I shudder to admit it, but even as an eco-savvy individual, paper towels are my Achilles heel. However, my New Year's resolution is to completely eradicate them from our home! Enter these ingenious Skoy Cloths to help me turn mission impossible to mission accomplished.

One Skoy Cloth is the equivalent to 15 rolls of paper towels, and a Skoy Cloth absorbs 15 times its own weight. In addition to being 100% natural and recyclable, these handy helpers are made of a blend of natural cotton and wood-pulp cellulose. They are chlorine-free and non-toxic and their vibrant colors are the result of water-based inks.

I love that you can get a bunch of Skoy cloths in varying colors, so you can color-code your cleaning endeavors -- ie: yellow for kitchen cleaning, purple for bathroom duty. Additionally, Skoy cloths may be cleaned in your dishwasher, and they are also machine washable and may be tossed in the dryer as well. Or, you may microwave a wet Skoy cloth for 1-2 minutes to sanitize it and get rid of germs and bacteria.

Skoy cloths are the perfect hybrid between a cloth and a sponge and I couldn't recommend them more highly. They also have built in grooves that help with scrubbing and they do a great job removing food from dishes and cleaning countertops. Now that I have Skoy cloths within my reach, I know I'll finally be able to kick my family's nasty paper towel habit!

Buy Skoy cloths on Amazon: $7.49 for a pack of 4. Also available in white with flower graphic, and holiday prints, and an array of additional colors and designs.

Handmade Amigurumi Teddy Bears featured on Momtastic

One of my favorite bloggers, Rachel of the gorgeous blog Handmade Charlotte, now writes for Momtastic as well! Hooray for a double dose of her charming finds! Smitten with the adorable little teddy with bed head shown above? Learn all about him at Momtastic!

Kids Konserve Reusable Lunch Kits

I've heard many green writers extol the virtues of Kids Konserve lunch kits, and I am thrilled to have finally had firsthand experience trying one out myself. These super stylish and savvy waste free lunch systems really streamline and simplify the process of packing an eco-friendly lunch.

I especially like the cute caterpillar pattern, shown above, and available for purchase here for $45. The BPA-, lead- and phthalate- free lunch kit comes complete with one cloth napkin, one 304 food-grade stainless steel beverage bottle, one food kozy (a reusable alternative to plastic baggies, plastic wrap and foil. Recycled, FDA approved, non-toxic, non-leaching, recyclable PE plastic) and two 304 food-grade stainless steel food containers -- all packaged in a recycled cotton sack -- a chic, eco way of brown bagging your lunch!

The fun, modern designs on Kids Konserve lunch kits are obviously geared toward kids, but as a young at heart mom, I'd happily tote one myself!

Kids Konserve also recently added the Whimsy Snak Pak to their collection. A smaller version of their lunch kit, the reusable Snak Pak includes a recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, 2 small 304 food-grade leak-proof stainless steel containers, a food kozy  and a recycled aluminum name tag. This mini system was created for moms on the go who need to pack snacks for their toddlers, and for kids who may be opting for a hot lunch at school, but need to take along an afternoon snack.

Product Photography by Emily Dodge (EcoProductPhotography.com) and Helga Sigvaldadóttir.

This Guitar Pillow Rocks!

How cute is this guitar pillow for the little rockstars in your life? It is made in Berlin with 100% cotton silk cloth and printed with water based ink. Rock on!

HOW TO: Make Monogram Mugs via Design Mom

 It's surely coffee, tea and hot cocoa drinking weather. And what could be better than cozying up with your favorite steamy drink in your very own, personalized mug?

Head over to one of my favorite sites, Design Mom, to learn how to make these super cute monogrammed mugs -- which would make great gifts too!

Image credit: Design Mom

Stop 'Bogus' Psychiatric Labeling of Children

This video really speaks to me... in an age where doctors seem to want to label and medicate children to an alarming extent.

Green to Grow BPA-free Baby Bottles with 'Mellow' Colic-Relief System

One of my all-time most popular posts on Petite Planet is a post about Green to Grow's wide neck baby bottles, and how they are "more like mommy." And I can't state enough how wonderful it is to have the option of an anthropomorphic bottle to minimize nipple confusion in breastfeeding babes who are also bottle fed.  Green to Grow bottles are my top choice for baby bottles, (tied with thinkbaby bottles), and I was thrilled to learn about their new Mellow ™ colic-relief system. If you've had a gassy infant in your care, you know you'd be grateful for *any* type of help in assuaging his woes.

And while you're befuddled enough by a crying baby, Green to Grow saves the day with vented nipples that are a single piece so you don't have to wash, keep track of and assemble countless parts to formulate a bottle. Made from a transparent, medical grade silicone that is heat-resistant and odorless, they feature an "air vent built directly into the base of the nipple, allowing air to circulate into the bottle as baby feeds, equalizing pressure inside the bottle, and making it easier for baby to drink."

Additionally, Green to Grow goes above and beyond BPA-free status because their bottles are made from PES plastic, which is "a premium grade resin that outperforms other BPA-free plastics because it doesn't leach, and it is incredibly durable, heat resistant, and does not break down with repeated sterilization." Their bottles are also free of phthalates, PVC, lead, and nitrosamines.

If you're wondering what to get expecting parents on your list, the Green to Grow Mellow™ colic-relief Welcome Home Set seen above (also available with regular neck bottles) would make an amazingly helpful and thoughtful gift.

Another reason to choose Green to Grow: they go above and beyond with charitable endeavors...

 "In 2007, Green to Grow founded the Bottles to Babies Initiative, which provides an infrastructure for Green to Grow to realize our mission of giving back. Since that time, Bottles to Babies has helped thousands of low-income families in the United States and this year Green to Grow has donated over $50,000 in BPA-free baby bottles and nipples to families, orphanages, camps, and hospitals in Haiti."

The Real 'Elaborate Fraud': People Who Are Lemmings

I have always been a free thinker... a rebel. A trait that was always frowned upon in my youth and adolescence by my educators, making me the proverbial black sheep since I was knee high -- and landing my mother in more parent/teacher conferences than she would have liked (although she always had my back).

My way of thinking has spun into a career in my adult life, writing about eco and green living, which is still very much considered an alternative lifestyle, and frightens many because it goes against the status quo.

Most Petite Planet readers know of my passionate stance against the AAP's current vaccination schedule. Our babies are virtual guinea pigs, receiving literal boatloads (given their tiny size) of toxic chemicals and untested medicinal cocktails, in the form of vaccinations. Before I go on, I will give my stance in a nutshell: I DO believe in immunizing your children, I DON'T believe it adhering to the current ludicrous and dangerous schedule of administering so many shots/doses at one time, so close together.

That said, people came out of the woodwork to call and write to me (practically throwing confetti in glee) with regard to the recent news that Wakefield's MMR Vaccine/Autism Link was deemed an 'elaborate fraud.' I weep inside to think that all of these people are so quick to believe whatever the government wants to feed them.

Further, this week, Inhabitots, where I am an editor, published this post:

 'Study Linking Autism to Vaccines is an Elaborate Fraud.'

Along with a vote on what readers believe re: the vaccine/autism link. I am stunned and disheartened to learn that so far, the vast majority of voters have chosen the option: "Wakefield and his research are dead wrong. MMR Vaccinations do not lead to autism."

Here are the comments I left on that post:

"Irregardless of any formal studies, the true litmus test in the vaccine/autism link debate are the children who are affected after receiving the injections. Parents know their children better than the government or researchers in a lab, and when they see the impact a vaccine has on their child, that is evidence enough. Of course, there will always be ‘debate’ surrounding this issue because the drug companies have so much to lose, and they also have the government in their back pocket."

"The world will continue to become a more dangerous place to inhabit if we assume scientific data, which may also a) be rife with human error and b) be paid for to be conclusive a certain way, trumps human instinct. And I never said we should ignore the millions of children who have been vaccinated without any problems. But the ones who HAVE HAD PROBLEMS SHOULD BE GIVEN A VOICE TOO. Wakefield and all of his personal issues, agendas aside."

I do not support Wakefield, or any other doctor or researcher who manufactures false findings, but what I do support are the parents, the individual families and children who have been affected personally and specifically by vaccine injuries. Many I have spoken with on a case by case basis, and their suffering cannot be denied or falsified by any government claim.

Further, if there is no link, than why did the U.S. government award Hannah Poling $1.5 for autism that followed vaccination?

I'm off to go drink a pesticide laden, genetically modified fruit smoothie out of a container made with BPA, because none of that will hurt me either -- the government said so. Oh, and there's no such thing as global warming. Just ask the polar bears.

*Lemmings became the subject of a popular myth that they commit mass suicide when they migrate."

Image © Brian Hoskins

Smart Mom Jewelry: Non-toxic Teething Bling Necklaces

Every mom knows that keeping track of all of baby's accessories is a tall order -- especially pacifiers and teethers! But the aptly named Smart Mom Jewelry makes holding on to one of your little one's necessities a stylish and convenient endeavor with their teething bling necklaces.

I have to wear my hair up and go sans necklaces or my four month-old has a field day pulling a wad of my hair or yanking at the beloved charms around my neck. But with Smart Mom's necklaces, I can now wear what looks like a beautiful stone pendant, but it is actually a teether for my son!

My baby boy loves sitting in my lap and gnawing away at this bling until his heart's content! I always have a teether on hand to help get him through his teething woes, and I never have to worry about him dropping or losing it in transit.

In addition to being stylish and clever, these savvy necklaces are most importantly, safe. They are non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, PVC, latex and lead free and all pendants come with a breakaway clasp.

At under $15, you can't go wrong with a necklace for mom and a teether for baby! Teething bling is available in a wide variety of styles and colors to suit everyone's taste!

iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G Cases from Bioserie: Made Out of Plants!

I previously wrote about my affinity for my iPhone case, which is made out of plants -- and recently the masterminds at bioserie released an additional collection of cases made out of plant material for the iPod touch 4G and the iPhone 4 as well.

These savvy cases are made out of bioplastics, all derived from plants and annually renewable resources. They are lightweight, and they feature a textured surface for better ergonomics. What I like best about bioserie's cases are the 'feet' they have which enable safe facedown placement and screen protection -- and which very likely saved my screen from cracking when my toddler dropped my bioserie encased iPhone on our stone tile floor!

Learn more about bioserie here and order your eco-friendly case here!     

Baby & Me 100% Organic Bamboo Bath Towel for Eco Babies

I love coming across truly new innovations that make parenting a bit easier. Such is the case with the Baby & Me organic bamboo bath towel.

An ideal gift for parents-to-be, this clever creation is sold in a set which includes a towel that mom or dad wears around his/her body like an apron, and a hooded baby-sized bath towel to wrap baby in after bathtime. This way, when you lift baby out of the tub, you can secure him against your body (without getting drenched yourself!) and then get him all warm and toasty in his own towel. Additionally, baby's towel may be buttoned to the apron worn by the parent, so there's no need to try to hold onto the towel while nestling baby in it. Here is a pictorial illustration of the Baby & Me bath towel in use, as well as a video demo.

Additionally, the Baby & Me bath towel is eco-friendly and non-toxic, making it perfect for your little one's delicate and vulnerable skin. Made in the USA from 100% organic bamboo terry and 100% organic ribbed cotton trim -- bamboo is naturally anti-microbial and anti-bacterial -- and the set is packaged in FSC certified paper as well.

Before this towel set came along, I was juggling my son on my knee while trying to precariously wrap him up. Now, I simply nestle him into my warm body while wearing the apron component of the Baby & Me set, and then I'm able to effortlessly cover his body with the hooded towel, which is amazingly soft and lovely.

The mother/inventor behind Baby & Me is also researching children's hospitals and women's shelters that may benefit from the donation of these innovative towel sets, so in addition to this being a wonderful product, it is also one that will soon be charitable in nature.

Purchase your Baby & Me towel set here.

BOOK: Spit That Out! by Paige Wolf

The spectrum of 'being green' runs the gamut from die-hard eco moms like myself to those who are just learning about how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, avoiding BPA, only buying organic produce, making sure toys don't contain phthalates, etc. No doubt, there's a dizzying amount of information for parents to sort through and research these days, when it comes to caring for their families and the health of the planet.

Since it's my job to write about green design and eco living daily, I live in a bubble. Green living is my world, but I have to remind myself that others may have barely scratched the surface when it comes to knowing how to live an eco lifestyle.

Enter Paige Wolf's new book, Spit That Out: The Overly Informed Parent's Guide to Raising Kids in an Age of Environmental Guilt. If you know anyone who would like an introduction to green parenting, or who has made it one of their New Year's resolutions to clean up the earth by starting at home, this book makes a nice launching pad into many confusing topics from toy safety to TV viewing to diapering to herbal remedies.

If you already consider yourself the Wonder Woman of green living, this book may be a bit too basic for you. For instance: one of the topics covered regards organic produce. The author concludes that an organic apple is best, but if there isn't an organic apple available, a conventional apple is better than a bag of chips. (Fruit always wins regardless of whether it is organic or not). I say, if an organic apple isn't available, find an organic fruit that IS available, and skip the pesticide laden fruit and unhealthy snacks on the same note.

That said, I think readers on all points of the green spectrum will benefit from the advice Wolf offers in her book, which will help parents navigate this crazy world we live in, that seems to get crazier by the minute!

Spit that Out! is available for purchase here.