Do You Hate to Iron?

Well, I do and I confess it has kept me in the paper napkin habit for way too long. I have gone out (more than once) to buy napkins with the idea of never using paper again, only to discover that I now have big balls of wrinkles that can only pretend to be napkins. I know there are people who iron there napkins, but I'm not one of them! Nor am I good at pulling them out of the dryer the instant the dryer finishes.

Finally... I think I found a solution. i just bought these Evolution napkins at Bed, Bath & Beyond. They are 2 for $8.99 - less if you find one of those coupons they seem to always send in the mail. They don't wrinkle because they are made of...plastic bottles! How a plastic water bottle can be recycled into a soft, functional napkin, I have no idea, but I love them so I had to share.

Check Out the Moon Tonight!

Tonight is a full moon and it's supposed to be the biggest one of our kids' lifetimes. At least it will be the largest appearing one since 1993.

It's the proximity that makes it bigger. Since the moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical shape (remember those ellipses from math class?), it varies in distance from the Earth. Tonight it is at its perigee which is the closest point. When it is at its furthest point, it's called apogee.

Should be a good night to look for the Man in the Moon!

Image by Trypode via Flickr

BpA - More Than Baby Bottles...

I admit it. Sometimes I hear a news story and I'm just happy that it's about something I don't have to worry about. With all the hubbub about plastic baby bottles these past few years, I've been relieved that my kids were past that stage. Did they use plastic baby bottles? Sure, but that was in the past and worrying now won't change anything.

Image by Sameer Karmarkar via Flickr

A recent article I wrote about plastics made me stop and think though. While it may still be legal in our country to make food containers and chewable toys out of plastic, it is not in many countries and the science is starting to back that up. Check out Bad Plastics for more info on why you don't want the toxic chemicals like bisphenol A (BpA), PVC, and phthalates getting into your system. BpA is an endocrine disrupter and the health concerns are wide-ranging - including cancer, infertility, and diabetes.



While my kids might not be using plastic baby bottles, they do still drink out of plastic cups most of the time. Why? I don't know... habit, I guess. They've always been the ones stored on the low shelf that they can reach. I did stop microwaving with plastic several years ago (stop if you are!) because I knew heating plastic increased the potential for those chemicals to leach into the food, but my kids definitely used plastic cups.


Not anymore! I threw away all the plastic cups and bowls - and then moved up to the bathroom and tossed the rubber duckies sitting in the corner of the bathtub. By the way, those rubber duckies are actually all made out of plastic. No one said anything so I guess they weren't even missed.



If you're still using plastic in your home for eating (or chewing in the case of toddler toys), you may want to think again. Think about whether you really need that item to be plastic. Glass, ceramics, and tin are good alternatives, depending on the need. Toss what you don't need - some people say donate it, but I figure there's no need to foist my chemical-laden products on others. If you do need purchase plastic items, shop wisely and look for products free of BpA, PVC, and phthlates.

Are there good plastics? Well, some don't seem to be as toxic as the ones I've mentioned above, but my view is that you just shouldn't be eating or drinking out of them at all. The recycling numbers on the bottom can tell you something - #2, #4, and #5 are generally consider safer, and this is what you will typically find milk jugs, plastic bags, and yogurt tubs are made of. If there isn't a number, you can assume it probably isn't one of those.

A Better Refill

I needed to buy a refill for my handsoap the other day and was surprised to see Method's refill package is now a pouch. I don't advertise for them on this blog (or anyone else for that matter), but I liked it so much I had to share.

According to Method, the pouch has an 83% smaller footprint (measured in plastic, energy, and water) than a rigid plastic bottle. They also claim it is "more fun." I don't know about that - it is just filling the soap bottle after, but maybe it will keep their hands clean, which will, in turn, keep the walls and doors clean. I can dream.

The Electric Car is on Order!

Several months ago, I placed a reservation for a Nissan Leaf, an all-electric car. I wish I could say I've found a way to drive significantly less, but as the primary driver in this suburban family of four, that isn't going to happen any time soon so I'm trying to find a compromise.

The car will be able to go 100 miles before charging, so I won't be taking any long cross-country trips (until there is more of an electric-charging infrastructure in place), but since 99.9% of my days involve less than 100 miles of driving, I'm not too worried.

A full charge is estimated to cost about $2 in electricity in my location. I feel good knowing that Washington state is one of the cleaner producers of electricity, with three-fourths coming from hydro-electric sources. To find out the source of your state's electricity, click here.

With my order placed, I still have another 4+ months to wait, but I'm excited to be in the first wave (Nissan accepted 20,000 reservations in 2010, but has halted that process until they can ramp up their production). I'm #30 with my local dealer and he's expecting to see his first cars next month.

What am I most looking forward to? No more $50 fill-ups at the gas station!

Energy Vampires in Your House

Have you ever wondered how your electric bill gets so high? You can reduce it by taking shorter showers, running full loads of dishes, and turning off the lights, but did you know that your house is consuming energy every minute of the day even if you have nothing turned on?

Standby power refers to the energy it takes to run electric devices even when they are turned off. Think of anything that has a display, remote control, or external power supply -- your microwave, TV, AC, alarm clock, and printer, just to name a few.

If you want to reduce your standby power usage, get your kids involved and have them count up how many devices you have plugged in. Then, think about what you could unplug. Maybe a rarely used phone? a VCR leftover from the dark ages? We actually do still have a VCR (not sure why...) but I was happy to find it already unplugged!

For more info on exactly how much each device uses, watt-meters, and suggestions for future purchases, check out Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories.

May the Farm Be With You

Today's blog is brought to you by Ryan, my 10-year-old, since we're both home sick today!

Grocery Store Wars is a cute spoof that features Cuke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Canoli, Darth Tater, Yogurt, C3 Peanuts, R2-Tofu, Chewbroccoli, Ham Solo, and Princess Lettuce in a battle against the Dark Side of The Farm (organic food vs. pesticides and chemicals).

Your kids should be entertained, but be forewarned it is a "war" so there are gun-toting characters from the supermarket. If you think Star Wars is too violent, you'll probably think this is too!