100+ Great Green Gifts

The following is my exhaustive (if I may say so) list of green gift items, just in time for holiday!

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There are so many reasons why the Kindle is great, not the least of which is that it saves trees. My favorite feature is the instant gratification of being able to read whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want. Check it out - it is amazing!



When shopping for a gift, you might not immediately think: "my friends and relatives would be psyched to save some water with more efficient toilet flushing!" But you should see this dual flush converter. It saves HUGE amounts of water. Perfect for the DIY-er.

Daily Photo: Because Non-Premium Pig Ears Just Won't Do

Costco always has something interesting.  I stopped by yesterday to pick up some last minute items for Thanksgiving and found these strange things:  Premium Pig Ears.  

Which immediately had me thinking, "Because non-premium pig ears just won't do."

I found this particularly interesting since I did not know they are typically given to dogs as chew toys.  I was thinking this was yet another example of "regional differences."  I'm glad to now know the truth!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My Sons, on Fashion

My 5 year old son is very aware of how he dresses - he notices all of the little details.  He likes certain colors, likes his tops and bottoms to match, likes to look tidy and aspires to look cool.  My toddler just wants everything his brother has.

On the topic of fashion, here's how a recent conversation went:

Him: "Oh no!  I've got a small rip in my jeans!"
Me: "Where?"
Him: "On my knee!  Oh wait, that makes me look kind of cool!  Like a tough kid!"
Me: "Yes, I guess it does.  A ripped knee might not look so well on sweat pants, though."
Him: "You're right.  It only works with jeans.  I look tough!"

That's when my toddler chimed in:  "My diaper makes me tough!"

We all started laughing, including the toddler.

(That's when it occurred to me that if my toddler can joke about his diaper using perfect sentence structure, he might just be old enough to not wear diapers anymore.)

EcoMeg's Thanksgiving Menu

I'm looking forward to a low-key Thanksgiving on Thursday.  Am I cooking anything tomorrow?  No.  I'm taking my little boys to the library and the park.  So, what's on the menu for Thursday?

• organic free-range turkey with chestnut and sausage stuffing, gravy
• warm ciabatta rolls with organic butter
• organic string beans with slivered almonds
• sliced organic red delicious apples
  
• organic pumpkin pie with fresh organic whipped cream (Have I mentioned how simple fresh whipped cream is?  Put heavy whipping cream into your food processor with powdered sugar.  Blend.  To. Die. For.)

Oh, and let's not forget the football. 

Green Up Your Holiday Table

When you're preparing to entertain, why buy a floral arrangement for your dining table when you can create a centerpiece with elements from your own garden or existing craft supplies?  Even if you live in a very cold climate, you can reuse what's around you rather than buying new things.  Here are a few ideas:

• Make an arrangement of holly from your garden - the red and green are very cheery.
• Make a "Thankful" arrangement.  Take a beautiful, short bare branch that has broken from a tree in your yard and place it in a nice vase.  During Thanksgiving, have your children make Thanksgiving ornaments shaped like turkeys and hang them from the branches.  Have them write on each one something they are thankful for.  These ornaments are easy to make.  Take orange or brown construction paper, trace your child's hand in pencil, cut it out, cut a hole at the top of the middle finger and thread a string through (the thumb is the head and the fingers are feathers).  Then decorate them with crayon, glitter glue or construction paper "feathers."  You could do the same thing for the December holidays, but with construction paper Christmas Trees,  Snowmen, Menorahs, etc.
  
• If you have a chandelier over your table, make a "family" arrangement with double-sided printouts of photos of every family member, hung on pretty string from the chandelier at different levels.
  
• Decorate with a "cornucopia" centerpiece that you'll later cook up and eat.  You don't actually need a wicker cornucopia.  You can just decorate the center of table with seasonal fruits, nuts and vegetables in nice bowls.  Make sure they're washed in case someone takes a bite!

Use your imagination.  There are tons of ways to cheerfully decorate without creating more waste or spending more money!

How to Make All Natural Lip Gloss

A few weeks ago, I wrote about running out of facial powder and substituting organic corn starch - with great success.  I'm comfortable now that I'll never go back to buying commercial facial powder.  Inspired by this success, I decided to try my hand at creating other beauty products.  My criteria: they must be all natural, easy and quick to make, smell great, feel soothing, and be edible.  Yes, edible - that's my measure of safety, particularly for lip gloss.

Over the next few weeks, I will experiment with making a few different items, and I'll share my recipes here with you.  I hope you enjoy the health, savings, beauty and fragrance of these as much as I do!  Also note: they make great little gifts for the holidays!

Pink Lip Gloss

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons grated pure beeswax
8 teaspoons castor oil
4 drops vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon organic beet juice powder (be careful where you put this - it is a strong dye)
 -- you will also need a container to put it in - I bought a small Nalgene jar  (they are BPA free) at The Container Store for $0.99.

Directions:
1. Melt the beeswax and castor oil together in a small Pyrex dish in the microwave.  45 seconds ought to do it.  Mix well.  Add the vanilla, honey and beet juice powder.  Add more beet juice powder if the shade is not as dark a as you'd like.  Let it sit in the Pyrex dish until it cools enough so it won't melt your Nalgene jar.  Don't wait until it's fully set up to move it to the jar.
2. Pour it into your jar.  Let it sit 20 minutes before covering it.

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Lo SieNto NaBloPoMo

Visit NaBloPoMo
I ambitiously signed up for National Blog Posting Month's (NaBloPoMo) November challenge.  All that was required of me was to post something every day.  I made it to day 22, when  I literally had nothing to say.  Yes, that surprised me, too!  For the other NaBloPoMo participants out there - keep it up, and good luck!

I'm Having A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I borrowed that title from one of my favorite children's books, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  I'm being dramatic.  Obviously, I am completely blessed and have no reason in the world to complain.  At all.  But sometimes a person just gets frustrated and has to let it out.  Mind if I dump on you?  Thanks!

So, my toddler work up at 5:30 a.m. for the third day in a row and refused to go back to bed.  So I was up at 5:30 a.m. for the third day in a row.  I am not a morning person.  "Get me another juice!"  "I don't want a fresh diaper!" "But I want to put my foot on your belly!"  "Get me that toy!" "I don't want that toy!  Get me another toy!"  "I don't want to read that book!" "I don't want to get down!"  "I don't want to be quiet!"

As soon as the 5 year old woke up at 7 a.m., they proceeded to play every dangerous game known to man.  Example:  "The Big Jump Game."  This involves climbing up the jungle gym we have in our playroom and jumping off of the highest point.  My toddler is two and broke his leg in a playground accident last January.  Needless to say, I am unenthusiastic about this game.

My 5 year old asked for porridge for breakfast two times, so I made porridge with raisins, honey and bananas (yum!).  While both of them insisted on "helping" (code for spilling everything, trying to pull things out of the refrigerator, running over my toes with a scooter, and climbing up on the counter every five seconds).

Once it was on the table, the 5 year old crossed his arms over his chest and insisted he wanted something else.  I finally resorted to telling the story of the hungry children in Africa.  He still refused to eat it.

"Husband!!!" I yelled.  It was 8:45 a.m. by now, and I'd been up since 5:30 a.m. while he slept peacefully.  It was time for him to take over.  Seriously.  Right then. That very second.  Grumbling, he obliged.

I finally realized that the 5 year old probably just needed a solid cuddle, so I scooped him up, reminded him how much I love him and that we'd simply had a hard morning.  This worked and he ate his porridge.

Then the toddler ran out of the bathroom without his diaper.  Thankfully, it was only #1.  He decided he wanted to wear big boy underpants (we keep a drawer of them in the bathroom in case the spirit moves him to potty train).

I sat down at the table with a cup of coffee and started to poke around my blog, catch up on some other blogs.  This was the first time I'd sat down all morning.  "Mommy, get me that!"  "Mommy, this toy needs a new battery!"  The two kids began to tease each other and soon the toddler was shouting at the 5 year old.  I looked at my husband.

It is now 10:45 a.m. and I am sitting on the floor of the bathroom with my lap top, door locked.  I have put my husband in charge.  The toddler is yelling "Mom! Mom! Mom!" outside the door.  I am waiting for my husband to tell me the toddler had a pee pee accident.
 
Sigh.

I'm sure plenty of Moms have similar mornings.  Even in Australia.

Just Chuck The Tie Already

I've always hated the smell of dry cleaned clothing.  Before my first child was born, I worked in financial services and "suited up" every day.  We didn't have an organic dry cleaner near us.  While I made sure to only wear machine- or hand-washable shirts under my suits, I looked forward to casual Fridays when I could ditch those dry cleaned suits. These days, I only wear machine-washable clothing unless I have to dress formally.  I couldn't imagine hugging my child while wearing a dry cleaned sweater.

My husband suits up every day, so the topic of necktie care has come up.  They are only cleaned when they need a spot removed, and they are always dry cleaned.  I think that's pretty typical of the way most men care for their neckties.  Ick.

So when I read yesterday's Wall Street Journal and saw an article titled, "Nothing to Sneeze At: Doctors' Neckties Seen as Flu Risk," I had to read it.  Here was one interesting quote...

"A 2004 analysis of neckties worn by 42 doctors and medical staffers at the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens found that nearly half carried bacteria that could cause illnesses such as pneumonia and blood infections. That compared with 10% for ties worn by security guards at the hospital."

Some doctors are resistant to going tie-less despite this evidence - they feel that neckties lend an air of professionalism.  So a company is selling neckties with a stain-resistant coating that the company says "repels bacterial infection."

Excuse me while I look up at the ceiling and sigh deeply.

Simple Thanksgiving Dinner

My five year old's Montessori class held its annual Thanksgiving celebration feast this morning. I signed up to bring the turkey, stuffing, gravy and vegetables. Did I start cooking yesterday? No. I started cooking at 6:15am and delivered everything to the school by 10am. No sweat.

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner does not need to be stressful.  I've outlined, below, a simple menu that can be thrown together very easily in a matter of a few hours.

The Perfect Turkey

Cooking a turkey is not hard, but for some reason, people have heart palpitations about it. Maybe it's because the only time each year that they make one is on Thanksgiving Day. Or maybe it's because they haven't discovered the secret to it all: A THERMOMETER.

1. Start with a really great thawed turkey (we enjoy Mary's Free Range Organic Turkey - delicious!). Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Remove the turkey from its wrappings. Unclasp the legs and remove the neck from the "abdominal cavity" (anyone else think of mobsters when you see something's neck shoved up its abdominal cavity?).  Remove the giblets from the neck cavity. Rinse the entire turkey, including both cavities, then pat dry (cavities, too) with a paper towel.
3. Re-clasp the legs. Place the turkey breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Rub the turkey with olive oil. Pour 3-4 cups of water into the roasting pan (until the water almost touches the turkey).
4. Place the turkey into the oven.  Rinse the neck and giblets, place them in a pot and cover them with water.  Bring to a boil, add a bit of olive oil and some salt and pepper, then simmer the entire time the turkey is cooking and you'll have great additional stock for the gravy.
   
5. 1 hour later, check the fluid level in the pan - add some water if it gets low. Baste the turkey with the juices in the roasting pan. A baster is really key here. 
6. 30 minutes later, baste the turkey again. 
   
7. Once the top of the turkey turns golden brown, tent some aluminum foil over it.  Don't wrap the aluminum foil over the pan - the point is just to keep the top from burning, not to restrict air circulation.
   
8. Start checking the turkey's temperature and basting it every 15 minutes.  Use a meat thermometer and check the breast at its thickest point.  The turkey is done when it is 165F.  Also check the temperature at the thickest point on the thigh.  DO NOT COOK THE TURKEY PAST THIS TEMPERATURE OR YOU WILL DRY IT OUT.
   
9. Once the turkey has reached 165F, remove it and let it rest for 30 minutes.  The purpose of letting it rest is to let the juices settle into it.  If you cut it too soon, the juices will run out, leaving it dry.  While it's resting, you can make your stuffing, green beans and gravy.
   
10. Serve.

Notes: 

• I don't recommend cooking a turkey with stuffing inside.  It takes 30 minutes longer to cook and it's harder to get it to cook evenly.  Better to prepare your stuffing on the stove top, then bake it in the oven for a crispy top.  
• A convection oven can cook your turkey 25-40% faster than a conventional oven.  So check that temperature often!  Using a convection oven this morning, my unstuffed 16 pound turkey took 2.5 hours to cook.
  

Stuffing

Arrowhead Mills makes an awesome organic stuffing.  Add mild italian pork sausage (remove the casing, crumble and sautee), crumbled chestnuts and sauteed minced onion to make it extra special.

Gravy

Strain the neck/giblet stock into a pan and add the drippings from the roasting pan.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Add a quarter of a stick of butter and whisk in flour until it's thickened to your desired consistency.  To eliminate lumps, you may want to put it in the food processor for 30 seconds.

Green beans

Rinse green beans and pinch off one end to facilitate cooking.  Put in a covered Pyrex dish and add an inch of water.  Microwave on high 4 minutes.  Strain and toss in a bit of butter.  If you want to get fancy, add some slivered almonds.

Dessert  

Check out my favorite pumpkin pie recipe.  You can make this the day before and refrigerate it until you're ready to eat it.

BPA Is in "BPA-Free" Cans, Too.

Today, a friend forwarded to me an article titled "Concern Over Canned Foods."  The article details findings from Consumer Reports' latest test for BPA in canned foods.   BPA is a known endocrine disruptor.  It mimics your own hormones and has been connected to obesity, breast and prostate cancer, negative effects on fetal and infant brain development, and other terrible stuff.

The article states a few interesting things:

1.  Federal guidelines, based on experiments done in the 1980s, put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight.   However, several animal studies show adverse effects, such as abnormal reproductive development, at exposures of 2.4 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day.  Clearly, the federal guidelines need dramatic revision.

2. "The canned organic foods we tested did not always have lower BPA levels than nonorganic brands of similar foods analyzed. We even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled "BPA-free.""  The implications are obvious - if you think you're making a safe choice by going organic, you are not necessarily doing so.

3. "In Japan, most major manufacturers voluntarily changed their can linings in 1997 to cut or eliminate the use of BPA because of concerns about health effects. A 2003 Japanese study found that the levels of the chemical in subjects' urine dropped by 50 percent after the change in cans was made."  This means it's not too late to get your body back on track.

The main conclusion: dump the canned food.

So far, I've restricted my family's exposure to canned goods to one single brand, Eden Organic, because of its "BPA-free" can, but even this brand was mentioned in the study as containing trace amounts of BPA.  For at least a year, we've been enjoying the canned navy beans with some frequency and occasionally use the canned pizza sauce, too. 

I am both idealist and realist.  I aspire to keep my kids' bodies as healthy as possible while still under my watch, and I think I do a pretty good job of it most of the time.  With this new knowledge, I will learn to make my own pizza sauce and freeze it, or I'll buy a version in a glass jar.  I will also start soaking and cooking my own beans.  But I know that my kids will end up eating some Halloween candy that has artificial colors and flavors, attend birthday parties where unnaturally-red fruit punch is served, and have an occasional slice of pizza that's made of non-organic ingredients.  I also know that there will be nights when canned Eden Organic beans will be part of the meal.   Because 1 ppb of BPA might be preferable to me blowing a gasket.

Inspired by Bauby

My husband ordered an amazing movie last night on pay-per-view, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  It's an autobiographical film, based on the book by the same name, of Jean-Dominique Bauby.  Bauby was editor-in-chief of Elle until he suffered a stroke in December 1995.  He emerged from a coma 20 days later, intellect intact but almost completely paralyzed.  He had some movement in his head and eyes, one of which had to be sewn shut.  He dictated his book by blinking his left eye to select letters as a transcriber recited the french language frequency-ordered alphabet.  It took 10 months, dictating four hours per day.   He died of pneumonia two days after the book was published in french. 

I've been percolating a book in my head for a few months.  After watching this movie, I've decided to just go ahead and write it.  And if I utter even one word of complaint in the process, all I have to do is remind myself how incredibly difficult it was for Bauby.  That should shut me up.

Daily Photo: Home Again

I've only been away from my children on my own three times - never for longer than two or three days.  I attended two school reunions and took one trip to visit family.  Each time, things were a little different when I returned.

Certainly, the children coped quite well without me - my husband takes great care of them and makes it fun.  But there is something different each time I return.  Last time, my younger son was quite upset with me and things took a few days to return to normal.  This time, when I departed I left a toddler and a preschooler and I seem to have returned to a little boy and a first grader.  They are noticeably older, more advanced, more independent, more mature.  Noticing this was at once both impressive and heartbreaking.

My five year old has made me promise that I will never again leave for more than one day and night.  After this experience, I have to agree.  I don't want to miss a moment!

Daily Photo: Approaching Los Angeles

On the flight into L.A. this weekend, I was struck by the beauty of this mountain peaking through the clouds.  It also made me grateful for radar.

Recycling 201: Yard Sales

I love yard sales.  It's an important and fun part of the recycling chain.  The process of preparing for a yard sale is a great way to keep your home tidy, organized and efficient.  It requires sifting through your possessions to see what you can part with.  It generates cash, and it's a great way to lessen your contribution to landfills.  Your castoffs might be another's treasures, and you can feel good about that.  You're doing a solid for humanity. 

My friends are dedicated yard salers.  Every Saturday morning they set out to see what treasures they can find.  This past Saturday, during my visit to LA, I joined them in this ritual and learned some great tips.

Here's a list of good things to know about yard sales.

Where to Find Yard Sales

• You can find yard sales by driving through your neighborhood on Saturday mornings and looking for signs.  Don't be misled by the number of signs you see for a yard sale.  If you see a lot of signs for the same sale, it doesn't necessarily mean the seller is desperate.  It might just be because there's an overzealous teenager involved who has a stake in the proceeds.
  
• You can log on to CraigsList.  Just navigate to your city, then use the search term "yard sales."  Up pops everything that folks have listed (here's an example, for Los Angeles).  
• If you are planning your own yard sale, put up signs with your address and the time of the yard sale at major intersections near your home, and don't forget to list it on CraigsList.
  

Pricing of Items

• Pricing is an indicator of the economy.  In good times, people are just looking to get rid of their things.  They're less likely to care about the pricing.  These days, you'll see prices stuck to every item.  People are more serious about getting their asking price for their things.  Sellers need to have realistic expectations, though.  For instance, if you want $20 for that big box of Legos, you won't get it.  You'll only get $10.  It doesn't matter how much they sell for in the stores.
• If it isn't gone by 11:30am, pack it up and drop it off at Goodwill.  So price things to sell.
  
• Buyers can find Harry Potter books for $1 at yard sales.  Want $50 for the whole series?  You won't get it.  No, it doesn't matter that Amazon sells the hardcover boxed set for $120.  You will get $1 a piece.
• Don't sell high end things at yard sales (yesterday, I saw a jet ski at a yard sale for $7500).  You won't even get a "reasonable" price.  
• The golden ratio is 20:1.  If a yard saler pays $1, it's worth $20.  One person's trash is another person's treasure. 
• Sellers should have lots of change on hand - dollar bills, fives and quarters.  LOTS.
• You can find baby books, in great shape, at yard sales for $0.25 a piece.  In stores, a small stack of baby books would cost a fortune.  Get there early to find these treasures.
• CDs can go for $0.25 a piece.  Buyers can upload their favorite songs to their iPod, then resell the CD at their own yard sale for $0.25, rendering the uploaded songs free.

Should You Hold A Yard Sale?

• In yard sales, the dollar still has value.  Buyers are looking for a "find", a "treasure."  They're not looking for a deal versus retail.  That sort of shopping is done on eBay, so you might consider listing certain items there.  If you don't want to ship items, list them on CraigsList because the expectation there is that people will come and pick them up from your home.
• Yard sales are a great way to teach your children lessons about money, the value of a dollar, budget and frugality.  It's also a great opportunity for your youngster to operate a lemonade stand under your watchful eye.  The going rate for lemonade is $0.25 a cup (not dixie cups, not huge beer cups - the size just up from a dixie cup) - maybe $0.50/cup if your neighborhood is more affluent.  Another great item to sell is Donettes or bite-sized brownies for $0.25 a piece.  It is breakfast time, and people would probably love these.  If you have an older child manning the stand, he/she could also make change.  Younger kids might request exact change only, and buyers can get change from mom and dad.
  
• Goodwill Versus A Yard Sale: For clothes, you might sell a pair of pants for $0.50.  The tax deduction you might get through a contribution to Goodwill might be $0.50, and Goodwill might resell those pants to the public for a few dollars.  
• Consider joining forces with your neighbors to hold one large yard sale at one person's house.  You can separate the shopping areas so folks pay the proper sellers, but you might gather a larger crowd if you've got a few houses worth of items displayed.
  

When to Go

• Yard sales tend to be held 8am-noon on Saturdays.  Most of the good stuff, if priced correctly, will be gone by 11:30.  What's left at noon should be packed up and taken to Goodwill. Sunday yard sales don't do well.   
• Serious yard salers should show up early.  In LA, there are professional yard salers.  They show up at 7:30am, scour the landscape, pick up a few treasures and then might resell them at the Rose Bowl.  The Rose Bowl hosts a huge, wonderful flea market one Sunday each month. 
• It's ideal to arrive at yard sales at 8:30am or 9am. 
• Sometimes it's better to show up late because when people have never had a yard sale, their expectations are high and they won't bargain until they realize they're not getting people to buy things.  That usually happens later in the day.

Etiquette

• If someone wants $60 for something, don't say "will you take $10?"  It's insulting.  You don't want to break someone's spirit.  Maybe you could ask for 1/2 off, or a "2 for 1" deal.  If it's $10 and you say "will you take $5?", that's very different than saying "will you take $2?"  
• If you see something you like and want to discuss it with your shopping buddy, don't look directly at the item while you're talking.  It attracts the attention of other yard salers and they will descend like vultures.  
• Don't step on another yard saler's deal.  If an item is tagged at $10 and they're offering the seller $5, don't cut in and say "I'll pay $10!"  You will make a yard sale-ing enemy.
  

The Best Way to Display Items

• Put items on tables.  Resist putting things on the ground.  That's what you do with garbage.  It's a psychological thing.  If you put things on a table, people feel like they are shopping.  If things are on the ground, people feel like they are rummaging.  They might not be very careful with your things and they will not want to pay money for items they have to rummage through.
• If you're selling clothing, try to hang it up on racks.
  
• If you're visiting a yard sale and you see lots of things on the ground, you might find some bargains because people overlook things on the ground.

A Word of Caution

• The vast majority of humankind is honest and nice.  Just be alert.  You might encounter someone who is casing your house, looking to "shoplift" or wants to pull a scam.
• Don't hold your yard sale inside your house. 
  
• One scam I've heard of is someone approaching a seller when he/she is very busy and asking a price for something, then coming back and saying "do you have my change?  I gave you a $5."  You don't want to make a scene, so you give the change and the person walks off with the item AND the change.
• Don't accept checks, and don't accept any bills over $20.  Counterfeiters love yard sales. If someone approaches you with a larger bill, ask them to go to 7-11 for change.
  

Swine Flu Has Visited My House

This has been a tough few months for the kids.  We've probably been through 4 different viruses since school started in August, despite being chronic hand washers, having a no-shoes policy in the house and disinfecting our hands whenever we enter our car after we've been out and about.  The kids collected the airborne viruses like magnets.  Thankfully, they never contracted any of the really ugly digestive-type illnesses, though (I chalk this up to the diligent hand washing).  We did get the seasonal flu shot but did not and will not get the Swine Flu vaccine because of concerns about its efficacy and the connection to Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

My five-year-old ran a fever a few weeks ago and the fever lasted for maybe a week, peaking one day at 106F.  He was lethargic and had a headache.  But we had him tested TWICE for Swine Flu and Strep and the tests were always negative.

So when he ran a slight fever over this past weekend and had a slight cough but was otherwise okay, I kept him home from school for the duration of the fever (as I always do) but otherwise didn't think much of it.  But on Friday, as I packed for our trip to LA, I decided he should get tested one more time.  The cough had really lingered and I wanted to be sure before I exposed hundreds of people to him.  Sure enough, SWINE FLU.  I was flabbergasted.  This was almost a non-event - I almost didn't even have him tested, and none of the rest of us got sick.

So he had to stay home with his Dad and I went alone to LA.  He was devastated.

I just thought I'd share our experience so that folks might understand that not everyone ends up in the hospital, not everyone gets terribly ill from Swine Flu.  If you do not have underlying health problems, think HARD before you get the Swine Flu vaccine and all that comes with it.  Don't succumb to the hysteria.

TechnoMeg: Link Love

According to Bloggosary, Link love is linking, usually unsolicited, to a site you enjoy, admire, or find useful.  Many bloggers think that Link Love (particularly if it is swapped) is beneficial - it improves traffic, is free advertising, and may improve your Google PageRank.  While Google apparently no longer considers PageRank to be of paramount importance, many advertisers may still regard it as an important indicator.  So why not share the love?

If you would like to swap image button or hyperlink links with me, just grab my button (see below) or URL (http://www.EcoMeg.com) and leave a comment for me in my latest post telling me 1. the location of where you've placed my link and/or button and 2. the HTML of your button or the hyperlink you want me to include, and I will post it (or them) here.

Many thanks!






<br/><center><a href="http://www.ecomeg.com"><img src="http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae214/ecomeg/9jn0jl-1.jpg"/></a></center><br/>

Want to know how to create a button like that?  Read here.

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FTC Says Bamboo Fabric Should Be Labeled Viscose Or Rayon

The Wall Street Journal published an article today titled "Picking Apart Bamboo Couture." It states that four apparel manufacturers are being sued by the FTC for claiming that their bamboo fabric is "natural", "biodegradable," and "antimicrobial," when in actuality, the process used to make bamboo into fabric utilizes toxic chemicals and the end product is neither biodegradable nor antimicrobial (two qualities that bamboo has in its natural state).

That's a big disappointment, but I find it encouraging that folks are investigating uses for bamboo given how easy it is to grow it.

"I'm Not Going if There Are Tsetse Flies."

Tomorrow, I am taking my 5 year old son with me for a visit to Los Angeles to see some of my family.  I made the mistake of telling him about it a week ago, and he's been trying to pack his bag every single day since then.  "Honey," I'd say, "I'm pretty sure you'll need your toothbrush between now and Friday.  Why don't we wait to pack that particular item."  But today is the big day for THE PACKING.  I'm sure he's in a total fog right now at school imagining all of the things he'd like to take with him on our three day trip.

But his excitement gave way this morning to a strange concern.  "Are there Tsetse Flies in California, Mom?  Because I'm not going if there are Tsetse Flies."

"No, I think Tsetse Flies are only in Africa," I said.

"Ok, well, when I get home from school, we'll look it up on the internet, Mom, okay?  Because WE HAVE TO BE SURE," he said with big eyes.

"Ok, honey."

Daily Photo: Autumn Rose

Our Knock Out roses, which had been in bad shape by the end of the summer, have finally rebounded.  They are particularly eye-catching since the trees are now so bare.

Daily Photo: EcoMeg's Guide to Cleaning Little Boys' Laundry

EcoMeg's Guide to Cleaning Little Boys' Laundry (As It Differs from Girls' Laundry)

Step 1: hose off dirt and debris.

Daily Photo: The Difference between Boys And Girls

EcoMeg's Guide to Cleaning Little Boys' Laundry, As It Differs from Girls' Laundry

Step 1: hose off dirt and debris.

What Is Life without Happiness?

Blogging has been beneficial to me for so many reasons.  For example, it compels me think and write creatively every day on topics about which I am passionate, and this practice has helped to restore the vocabulary I had partially lost due to baby-related sleep deprivation.  It also introduced me to the very large and interesting blogging community - which made me realize that there are a lot of other people out there who contemplate the same things I do.

Happiness is one of those things I regularly contemplate.  I try to remind myself every day of the little things that make me happy and I've written about it here.  So I was interested today to stumble across The Positivity Blog and in particular, this post and this post. 

They are definitely worth a read and a little contemplation.

Have a happy day!

The Many Uses for Corn Starch

I ran out of facial powder this morning.  I've used Prescriptives for years as it's one of the only ones that doesn't irritate my skin.  But there is just no way I am going to drive 30 minutes and navigate mall parking with a cranky toddler to buy some anytime soon, I'm not going to pay for shipping and I've wanted to try something more natural anyway.

So I grabbed the box of corn starch from my toddler's room (when he was a baby, I used to apply it to the deep chubby creases around his neck and under his arms to reduce irritation).  A little dab here and there and the shine was gone, which is really the only reason I use facial powder.

As I researched whether or not to do this, I came across Hodgson Mill's website.  It has a page chock full of tips on other uses for corn starch (recipes, too!), including, among many others:

• as an underarm deodorant - just wipe your underarm first with rubbing alcohol to kill bacteria, then apply corn starch
• to patch plaster walls
• to shine your car
• to clean your silver
• to make powdered sugar
• to make finger paint or "play clay"
  
• to remove grease stains
• as a facial cleanser
• to thicken gravy
• to make homemade baking powder
  
• to soothe sunburn
  

I'll still use foundation and under-eye concealer for dressy occasions (ok, well the concealer is mandatory until my toddler starts consistently sleeping through the night!), but I'll ditch the department store powder and head to the grocery store instead.

Bonus: a box of corn starch costs about a buck, which is a savings of about $30 versus what I used to pay - maybe more since the box is so big.

Score!

Daily Photo: This Does Not Bode Well for The Week

All Natural Solution to Hard Water Spots

I use white vinegar as a cleaning agent for just about everything in my house.  I've written about if a few times - you can read more here on how I use it.

This evening, I saw the "add rinse agent" indicator lit up on my dishwasher, which reminded me of yet another way to eliminate chemicals from your life and save a few dollars in the process.

Once you've finished off the last of your store-bought dishwasher rinse agent, just fill that rinse agent well with white vinegar.

Problem cleanly solved.  Oh, and your dishwasher will smell better, too.

Introducing: EcoMeg Recommends...

I am excited to announce the launch of my online store, "EcoMeg Recommends..."  Here you will find many products that will assist you on your journey to live a greener lifestyle.

Many of the Featured Products have been the subject of my blog posts - you can find my Product Blog by scrolling down below the store.

Please check it out and let me know what you think!

Is This A Wind Turbine?

Is this a wind-powered video surveillance camera?  It's hard to see it, but there is a small propeller spinning next to the star I affixed on this photo.

Update 2 hrs later:

Mystery solved. It is a weather station installed by a local TV station, and the propeller gauges wind speed.

Daily Photo: Goodmorning Moon

A Little Boy and One Great Green Idea

Yesterday, as my five year old son and I walked past our Town Hall, he asked what was inside the building. I told him that it is where city officials work and the town council meets to discuss how to run the city. It is also where the Public Library is. I reminded him that he's been to story time there a few times.

He's told me a few times that he usually prefers to read fiction books only once ("they're not as exciting when you know what's going to happen") but he'll read "fact books" (science, human body, etc) many times because it helps him remember "things that are important". So I told him that we should stop buying fiction books and instead just borrow them from the public library. This would save us money and be better for the environment.

He enthusiastically proclaimed, "let's go to the library! I want a library card!" Though we needed to get home so I could start dinner, I agreed. We were right there, he was excited about it, and it was something that needed to happen eventually. So we ducked in.

The librarians were very sweet to him, gave him a library card and helped him find some "spooky books with skeletons, ghosts and vampires." Clearly, Halloween arrived too soon for my son. We also picked up a "Miss Nelson" DVD (which is sort of spooky too).

This morning, he took his library books and card to school for show and share. He is very proud. So am I!

The Public Library - One Great Green Idea.

A Great Article on Fake Plastic Fish about Baking Soda

Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish wrote a great article today about the many uses for baking soda.  I've written a few times about it (for example, here) and use baking soda every day.  But in Beth's article, she highlighted a few interesting and surprising uses for it - things I'd never considered before - particularly pertaining to personal care.  It's worth a read!

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Avocado, watermelon, pumpkin - these are a few of my absolutely favorite foods. 

Pumpkin is a highly flexible fruit (yes, it's a fruit, not a vegetable!).  It can be made into bread, muffins (see my recipe here), gingerbread, cookies, pancakes, pudding, pumpkin butter, soup, ice cream, cheesecake, and, my favorite, pumpkin pie.  In my view, pumpkin pie even trumps strawberry shortcake, which I chose as my wedding cake because cakes can't be made out of pumpkin pie.  No, I'm actually not joking. 

Now we are now solidly into pumpkin pie season and there is a pumpkin pie in my refrigerator.  As a pumpkin pie connoisseur, you might logically expect me to share with you my favorite pumpkin pie recipe - so here it is!

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• one 15 ounce can 100% pure pureed pumpkin
• 12 ounces of half and half (I prefer this over evaporated milk)
• one 9-inch unbaked deep dish pie crust

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Stir in half and half. Pour into pie shell.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F, then bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 2 hours, then serve immediately or refrigerate.

 Yum!!

Mo Willems, One of Our Favorite Children's Book Authors

How long does it take for a book to be considered a classic?  For Mo Willems' books, not long at all.

Our favorite Willems books are Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale and Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus.   We read them all regularly.

The illustrations are charming, hip and funny,  and the stories are touching.  Each one carries unique, meaningful messages that are valuable for your children to hear, and each is as entertaining for the adult reader as it is for the child listener/reader.  My children never tire of them, and neither do I.

If You Don't Ask, You Will Never Know

Yesterday's post compared my life over the past week to the Bermuda Triangle.  Almost everyone in the house got sick and just about every crucial electronic we own malfunctioned, requiring expert attention.

Thankfully, things are on the path toward recovery - except the budget, which took a bit of a hit.  The family is feeling much better, the nail holes in the roof repaired, the car battery replaced, a new digital camera purchased, the MacBook "geniused", a free replacement cell phone ordered, and a new motor for my energy and water-efficient clothes washer purchased.  This last one taught me a very important lesson.  You never know what you can get unless you ask - nicely.

I called a repairman we'd previously used to repair the same washer while it was under warranty.  This time, I was told that the entire motor needed replacement.  The total cost of parts and service would be close to $400.  When I asked the likelihood of a motor wearing out within two years of purchase, he indicated it was fairly unusual.

I know that the manufacturer stands behind its products, so although the washer is two years old and it only carried a one year warranty, I called the parts line and asked what they might be able to do for me.  I was extremely nice about it, and so were they.  While I did not get the part for free, they did give me a good discount.  I should receive the part soon, at which point the repairman will return and install it.

Unnamed washer manufacturer: you rock.

The lesson here: if you don't ask, you will never know what you can get.  That is true in just about any situation in life.  And if you get nothing after asking, at least you stood up for yourself, tried and have nothing to regret.

I Must Be in The Bermuda Triangle

Things started to go wrong this past Tuesday, when my 5 year old sprouted a fever of 103.

On Wednesday, we went to the pediatrician because the fever persisted and was accompanied by a massive headache, which kids his age rarely get.  Negative Swine Flu test.

On Thursday, the clothes washer started to act up.  It sounded like a raccoon was trapped in there.  Later in the day, the 5 year old's temp was up to 106 and he looked terrible.

On Friday, we were back in the doctor's office.  Again, negative Swine Flu test.  Strep test was also negative.  "Just a rogue virus," the pediatrician said.  Later in the day, one of our MacBooks stopped letting us log on.

On Saturday, my minivan's battery died and my cell phone stopped working properly.  While trick or treating that evening, the toddler developed a wet cough.

On Sunday, the 5 year old's fever was still there and my husband stayed in bed all day fighting a cold.  The toddler's nose was running like a garden hose.

Pardon me, but %$@*&!!!!!$%%^&&%#  and @!!!@@#@!**&$^$%$ !!!!  (Big exhale)  I feel better now.

Here's hoping this week is better.  We already replaced the car battery and my 5 year old's fever is gone, so we may be pulling out of this.  Please send good thoughts...