Kettle Cuisine soups. I love soup. Love it. It’s quick, filling, and usually chock-full of vitamins and healthy stuff. Except for one thing: It usually comes in a can. Cans usually have BPA, which in my book negates all the good stuff, which is why soup, in recent years, has become something I avoid. Yes, it’s true homemade soup is BPA-free, but I can’t always make my own. (Although I  did make my own lentil soup during the throws of my severe anemia. I didn’t freeze it as my mother told me I should, so I threw a bunch of it out. But I digress…) A few weeks ago, a press contact at Kettle Cuisine reached out, sending me a few coupons to try the stuff for free. I decided to give it a try since the company uses real food ingredients — no hydrogenated this or high fructose that. The soups come frozen in BPA-free plastic containers; It’s #1 PETE, but I still took the soup out of the container and put it into a glass bowl to heat it in the microwave. After a few minutes it was ready. Oh. My. Goodness. I had Tomato Soup with Garden Vegetables (110 calories) on Wednesday and Angus Beef Steak Chili with Beans (250 calories) last night. Both tasted like my mom made them — lots of vegetables, meat, and broth. A success. Can’t wait to try the other varieties.

Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident for Wii. I spent a lot of time lying on my back over the past few months. My poor kids had to sort of hover close by so I could watch them. We played Wii a lot and this game — a type of I Spy — was one of their favorites, and something I could actually play with them. The best part of this game is that the entire family could participate. Big Girl did the navigation while Little Girl and I (and sometimes my husband) searched for the hidden items on the screen. It’s a lot of fun, and it doesn’t get old.

MindWare Q-bitz. Another fun game for the entire family. Each person gets their own square frame along with 16 multi-patterned dice. The goal: Try and duplicate the pattern on a card before someone else does. We gave Little Girl a head start so even she could play!

The iPad 2. I was never an Apple fan. I prefer PCs, actually, but I cannot explain HOW much I love my iPad. I love the Optimum Online iPad app that lets me pull up live television from every room in my house. I love Fruit Ninja, which is a super-fun game that everyone can play alone and against each other. I love having an always-on Web browser sitting next to me while I watch TV. I just love it. Thank you, Steve Jobs, for creating a device that anticipates and provides for everything I need and want to do.

Clif Kid Z-Bars (in either chocolate brownie or chocolate chip flavors). What do you do when your hemoglobin drops below ten? Eat stuff that is iron-rich. While I love Cream of Wheat, I can’t eat it more than once a day. Enter Z-Bars, which are 95 percent organic, low in calories and fat, and taste like candy. I ate one every day both for the taste and for the hefty dose of vitamins and minerals.

Citrus Lane gift boxes. I’m finally able to talk about baby stuff without crying, so I figured I’d pass along this great idea. This company lets people buy monthly giftbox subscriptions for new parents, filling the boxes with healthy and natural items that are age-appropriate for Baby. For example, Month One’s box contains an Aden + Anais Burpy bib, a bottle of Mommy’s Bliss Gripe water, a Sage Creek Organics washcloth, a package of Weleda Calendula Diaper Care, and a Cotton People Organic baby doll. Very cool, very fun. A nice way to give all throughout the year, especially since you can start the subscription any time between month one and month 18.

That’s it for now. Big weekend coming up. Big Girl turns eight. My MiL goes home to Florida. The kids have an extended weekend. Hope everyone has a good one.

Well, it’s been three weeks, and yes, sometimes I miss having instant access to my good friends even though I email, text, and see them regularly IRL (in real life). I miss hearing from my writer friends, who are flung all over the country. I miss chatting and DMing the high school friends I reconnected with; Those who live close by, and those who are all over the world. I miss my private online writers’ group, and the great writerly and friendly discussions we have. I miss staying in touch with my cousins and other relatives. And I definitely miss some of the better organization and blog pages, which are usually packed with great articles, links, and commentary. What I don’t miss: Having to see and hear about people who aren’t my friends and really never were. And you know what? That trumps ALL the stuff I do miss.

So…will I go back? Right now, I am in no rush. I am still playing crazy catch-up at work while trying to settle my kids into a fall routine. No, I’m not ready to delete my account completely, but I’m certainly thinking about it. (And in the meantime, I’ve got my husband updating this blog’s Facebook page. Check it out by liking it to the right.) So what will happen? Let’s see what October brings…

Are you on Facebook? If so, how often do you check in? What’s the biggest positive? The biggest negative? I’d like to know.

My soon-to-be delivered product and bread bags look beautiful -- and they are made in the U.S.A.

My house is pretty much a plastic-free zone. We’ve eliminated all Tupperware and plastic storage containers. I don’t use any Zip-Lock-type bags. I have reusable grocery bags. We don’t use plastic wrap, opting instead for glass containers with lids. We don’t have a single plastic cup. I even got rid of all the plastic utensils (aside from two my husband insists on keeping around). However, there were two holdouts from my plastic ban: bread bags and produce bags.

This weekend I set out to get reusable cloth bags that could be used for both. I checked on Amazon first. I found plenty of them available but they were either lined in plastic or manufactured in China. Two no-nos in my book. Then I took to Etsy.com. It was there that I hit the jackpot.

If you’re not familiar with Etsy: It’s billed as “Your place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage, and supplies.” You can find everything from clothing to art to glassware to toys — it’s truly like a giant online craft fair. I searched for “reusable produce bags” and found more than 600 options available. Then I started narrowing things down. I wanted something without a stitch of plastic. I also wanted something that was light and washable. And it absolutely had to be made of materials from the U.S. or Europe — that was not negotiable. I picked about eight options and contacted the sellers, asking them where they sourced their materials.

A lot of people told me their materials were made in China. (How sad, BTW, that even stuff lovingly handmade here in the States starts out in some plant in Asia.) I was starting to think I’d never find anything when I heard back from the seller LoveForEarth, who, incidentally, has a feedback score of more than 2,700. A trustworthy seller, I figured. Here’s her word-for-word reply to my question: “Where is your fabric made?”

Hi, it is made in North Carolina. Thanks!

Wanting to make sure I heard her correctly (and that she read my note correctly), I sent a clarifying email:

Fabric that’s made in the USA? Really??? Just confirming that the fabric — not the bags — are made in the USA, and once I do I will go purchase them!

Her reply:

Amazing, isn’t it? There are still a fair amount of textile mills in the U.S., mostly in the South. I’ve managed to source both materials from the zipper bags and the produce bags from U.S. mills. Although they are more expensive, they are MUCH higher in quality.I’ve gotten to where I can tell the difference between some types of synthetic fabrics. Here’s a list I found of U.S.-based textile mills:

Textile Companies of United States of America which has been accumulated from various sources from the net.

1. Weave Corporation, USA
2. Van Lathem, Inc, USA
3. Triumph Geo- Synthetics, Inc, USA
4. The fabric Stock Exchange, USA
5. Textile Innovators Corp, USA
6. Textile Development Associates, USA
7. Taconic, USA
8. Sunsilks,Inc. USA
9. Sun Action Textiles, USA
10. Straus Knitting Mills, Inc, USA
11. Stratford Hall Textiles, USA
12. Somerset Fabrics, LLC, USA
13. Silberman Associates, USA
14. Satesa Corporation, USA
15. Safco Fabrics, USA
16. AST A. Sommer Textiles, USA
17. American Folk & Fabric, Inc., USA
18. American Ribbon Manufacturers, USA
19. American Spandex, Inc., USA
20. American Textile, USA
21. Angel Textiles, Inc., USA
22. Apparel Label, USA
23. Arc-Com Fabrics Inc., USA
24. Asheboro Elastics Corp., USA
25. Ashro Fabrics, USA
26. BNB International Textiles, Inc., USA
27. Bo-Tex Sales, USA
28. Bostik, USA
29. Brecon Knitting Mill, USA
30. Bruck Braid Company?, USA
31. CDS Company, USA
32. Carnegie, US
33. Celia Incorporated, USA
34. Central Shippee, Inc., USA
35. Crazy as a Loom Weaving Studio, USA
36. Custom Laminations, USA
37. David Rothschild Company, Inc., USA
38. Dazian, USA
39. Donaldson Filtration Solutions, USA
40. Fifield Inc., USA
41. Fisher Textiles, United States
42. Gemex, Corp. , USA
43. Gibson-Tex, Inc., USA
44. Gift Fabric, Inc, USA
45. Guilford Performance Textiles, USA

Success! I plunked down my $15.75 plus $1.85 for shipping my seven reusable produce bags, and here I sit waiting for them to come. Okay, maybe not literally waiting for them to come, but you know what I mean.

So what’s the point? There are healthier options out there. If you want to avoid plastic or whatever you’re not loving these days you just have to do a little legwork to find it. And, as an aside, bravo to sellers like LoveForEarth and to the tenacious mills that have stuck around here in the States. That’s what’s going to help drive our economy. I’m so happy to be doing my part.

I was surprised, however, when I got around to looking not at traffic or hits but at the content that got people to linger on the site. The stuff that people found and decided was worth a deeper dig. The story choices didn’t surprise me. (I really like the stories that made people stick around.) However, the fact that the the two categories — top traffic posts and top time-on-site posts — do not intersect did give me pause. Yes, that’s right. The posts that inspired people to stick around the longest were not the ones on the top ten traffic list. And even more interesting: Only one in five of my top posts has anything to do with being natural. Go figure, right?

Curious about what your fellow readers like to read? Here’s my top three posts in terms of traffic as well as the two stories that got people to stay on my site, on average, more than 22 minutes.

A post entitled Sunburn on a Cloudy Day was my most popular direct link. Lots of people Googled, “Can I get sunburned on a cloudy day?” and found my blog. It’s definitely worth a read, even in the winter since yes, you can get a sunburn when it’s 20 degrees outside. And of course my Southern Hemisphere readers (hi, Australia contingent!) should be thinking about this as they enjoy their summer months.

The second most visited post was Spanking: This Will Hurt Me More Than It Hurts You. It’s a story I wrote after talking to a new mom who was spanking her three-year-old. I was upset about the encounter, and shared my own spanking experiences.

The post in the third spot goes to Cereal Killers: Kellogg’s Methylnaphthalene Problem. Another post that got lots of hits in natural search. People heard about the Kellogg’s recall, Googled it, and found their way to my site.

Okay, here’s where it gets interesting. The post that made people stick around the longest is called Love Isn’t Complicated. I wrote it after an especially tender moment with my husband when, for a millisecond, I saw myself through his eyes. There are a zillion reasons that I love him with all my heart and soul. This post is just an example of one of those reasons.

The post that kept people around the second-longest is The Definition of a Friend. I wrote it when I was feeling especially vulnerable about — what else? — a newish friend. Upon reflection, the blog post ended wrong. I was fooling myself. I am still hiding some of the time. My darling husband confirmed this tonight, saying that I still hold back a lot. That, because I am afraid to disappoint or have people see me for who I really am, I still keep things surface-y. (Surface-y is my word. He explained it in a much wordier and nicer-sounding way.)

Okay, so resolution time again. I resolve to remember Joel Goodson. I resolve to put myself out there more. Putting this in writing is a huge first step since I know at least some of my friends and a few acquaintances read this blog. I promise to try and be less surface-y.

List aside, what was your favorite blog post this year? It doesn’t have to be my blog. Feel free to post your favorite overall blog post here. I love finding new people to read and follow. Just no spam, please.

That said, it’s not too late to get in on Chipolte’s horrifying processed food fun. You can still get dressed up, stand outside a Chipolte, and take a picture of yourself so you can enter the company’s costume contest. (No, you can’t get the $2 food, but you might still be able to get some bragging rights.) Take your photo and submit it to Chipolte until November 8th. Chipolte’s costume experts will pick the best of the “worst” and post the winners by November 15. Oh, and yes, there are prizes involved: one grand prize of $2,500, five $1,000 prizes, and 20 runner-up prizes (burrito parties!).

I have a few more ideas for you to check out. Hope you’re having a great week. Me, I’ve had a cold. So annoying. Definitely using my neti pot — have you read about how my husband stole mine? — and got a real chuckle over the neti pot story on Cougar Town this week.

International Rescue Committee’s store. It’s time to start thinking about the holidays. Say what you want about December, it’s a great time to purchase gifts for people that support and help those most in need. The International Rescue Committee has a store where you can donate money in someone’s name, purchasing care for those in developing countries. $24 buys a first aid kit for a community health worker. $60 buys a farming kit for refugees. $18 buys mosquito netting for a family of four. Your recipient gets a beautiful card that explains what you purchased in their name. You get the satisfaction of supporting a charity that’s top rated by CharityNavigator.com.

California Strawberry Commission. My kids love strawberries. Mostly, I just cut them up in a bowl. However, with strawberry season almost upon us I loved this site, which has a slew of interesting recipes. Thought I’d pass it along.

Good Housekeeping @Home App. I don’t have an iPhone, but if you’re one of the millions who do, take note: there’s a new app that sounds pretty neat. According to the press release, the app provides, “do-it-all cleaning tips, in-depth stain removal advice, simple and elegant decorating ideas and a complete directory of Good Housekeeping Seal products.” I especially love the idea of the Stain Busting tool, which helps you figure out how to treat fabric, carpet, and upholstery stains.

Passport to Prana. Love trying lots of different yoga classes, but hate the one-time prices? Passport to Prana, which costs $30, is a multi-studio yoga passport that gives you access to yoga studios all over your city. Basically, it’s a try-before-you-buy offer. With the passport, you can go to classes at hundreds of studios in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Miami, and New York (Los Angeles and San Diego coming soon). For example, there are 13 studios in Brooklyn, which works out to about $2.30 per class if you make it to every location. Perfect for someone on a budget, or someone who wants to scope out the yoga scene before settling on a regular studio. Can’t wait until it comes to the Island!

This post is how I am participating this week in Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Fridays — two awesome campaigns to get people eating real food again.

Also, if you’ve got an extra second. Scroll down a bit. See that little brown box? Yes, the one about Top Mommy Blogs. Can you give me a click, please? People who find me from that site tend to become loyal readers. The higher I move in the rankings, the more likely it is that people will find me. I’m in the 300s right now…

Spot It!, my new favorite game.

Today did not start well.

Last night we had lots of wind in New York. Something about it set me off. I had nightmares literally all night. One after the other. I can’t remember what they were about aside from one where I was being electrocuted. (Nice, right?) But they kept me and my husband up when we should have been sleeping.

Okay, so it’s 8 a.m., and I get out of bed, go downstairs, and open the fridge to pull out the container of pancakes to heat some up for Big Girl. As I am opening the door, CRASH. One of the side bins falls to the floor, breaking bottles of condiments all over the place. Sigh. I kept my cool — I was too tired to do anything else — and cleaned it all up. Then we raced out the door to make sure Big Girl got the bus on time. Had to race again to bring Little Girl to her school. Oh, and hubby forgot to bring two checks to work to deposit, so I had to go to the bank, which, since I don’t have an ATM card, took FOREVER.

All that said, I am going to focus on all good things to close this crappy week out. And so…my list.

Scotch Naturals Nail Polish. Hopscotch Kids, which sells amazing nail polish for kids free of all the nasty chemicals in traditional polish, has come out with an adult version in adult colors. (The company, which launched last year, says its products only contain three ingredients, water, acrylic polymer and non-toxic colorants, and that they are “eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, fragrance free and biodegradable.”) The kids’ version scores a next-to-nothing 1 on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database, and they don’t even need top coat or base coat (which translates to less drying time), so I was thrilled to see that I would finally have an option for myself that isn’t purple, blue, or green. Got a sample in the mail this week called Kiltlifter. I wonder if that means it makes guys lift their kilts? If so, I’ll be getting a manicure at some point this weekend. Something to look forward to!

CleanWell Hand Sanitizer. I love alcohol-based hand sanitizers. I really do. I have a bottle sitting inside my car and another on my counter, but an incident that happened over the summer makes me worry about using them on Little Girl. (Big Girl gets squirted liberally with the alcohol-based stuff.)  Little Girl was coming out of a class and got her usual dime-sized dollop of hand sanitizer, but before it dried completely, she touched her eye. We went through almost an hour of crying, with me freaking out and calling Poison Control, an office that — at this point — probably recognizes us on the caller ID. So I was pretty jazzed when I found this product at Target. Made with thyme (yes, as in the herb), this sanitizer is non-toxic and safe for the environment since it doesn’t have the dreaded triclosan in it. But the best part? It actually kills all the germs I am oh so scared of. From the company’s press release: “CleanWell uses a unique formulation of plant essential oils proven to meet FDA standards for 99.99% germ killing efficacy, and a safe and effective natural alternative to the toxic ingredients found in most antibacterial and sanitizing products.” Nice.

Spot It! Game. We have two birthday parties this weekend, so I needed to buy gifts. I went to my favorite toy store here on Long Island, Fun Stuff Toys. The guy at the desk is great. I can ask him what’s new and exciting, and he always has a good suggestion. And not only does he show me the items, he pulls out a demo and plays with me so I can gauge it for myself. In this case, what he showed me was a cross between War and I Spy. Manufactured by Blue Orange Games, a company that pledges to plant two trees for every one it uses, Spot It! works like this: Each person starts with a card that has eight symbols on it. There’s a deck of another 53 in the center of the table. You turn over a card from the deck. The first person to spot an item on that card that’s also on their card gets that card, which then becomes their new “spotting” card. The game goes on until there are no more cards in the deck. Lots of fun, and a good take-along game since it fits into a pocket. Note to Sam’s mom: I got him this along with the Ninja hamster course.

I hope the rest of the day goes more smoothly than the first ten hours, and I hope everyone has a great weekend. More reviews next week. What do you have planned?

From Facebook: “Co-Creators, Leane Vandeman (@leevandeman) and Ciaran Blumenfeld (@momfluential) are working with a major Los Angeles-based production company to develop this unscripted series.” Hmmm. And wow. Pretty exciting. I’ve seen the competition. They are, as Nigel on So You Think You Can Dance says, “without question,” pretty fierce. And yet here I am at the 11th hour posting my own submission.

Why should I be one of the castmembers? I think it’s pretty simple: I have very strong opinions and I’m not afraid to share them. And yet I’m also very likable, I think, once you get to know me. People seem to like me — unless they’re all faking. Plus, I have been told I am a great listener with a heart of gold. I’ve also had lots of dramatic stuff happen to me. (I’ve got stories, people! Child of a widowed mother, sad childhood, engagement to an abusive idiot I broke up with, finding the man of my dreams online before there was the Web or AOL or even CompuServe, battling to stay together through our issues.) No, I don’t have a poof like Snooki or a propensity to get arrested like Lindsay Lohan, but just Saturday I yelled at a teenager for throwing a cigarette butt out her car window, and I have the ability to create a poof ala Snooki. (Lots of hair!) And there’s the whole come from nothing to make something of myself.

I’m also well-educated, have ridiculously adorable kids, a husband with a non-life threatening health issue (we’re going to go for operation number five in October), and lots of really interesting friends. And yes, I’ve been on TV before. A bunch of times, actually. For example, earlier this month on News 12. I work full time. I blog. I balance it all. I’ve been happily married for a long time. And I am staunchly committed to being green. And I’ve got lots of failings. I am, as I have mentioned many times before, a work-in-progress.

I started this blog as a mirror for myself. A way to figure out what works and what doesn’t. It was also a place to give myself permission to fail and make mistakes. I am incredibly hard on myself. Always have been. So while I don’t have a book deal and I haven’t been quoted in a New York Times article — hey, I’ve written a bunch of them, though — I think I connect on many levels with my readers. Even companies coughpeopleandcompaniesIamoutragedaboutcough read and post to my blog. Sometimes they are mad. I know I could do the same on TV. My final thoughts? You could do a lot worse, @leevandeman and @momfluential! So I hope you’ll at least give me a look as your girl-next-door, perfectionist greenie.

For those who are unfamiliar: BlogHer is a conference for women all about blogging. It’s a chance for a few thousand women to get together, talk about the business and craft of blogging. And maybe even meet a few sponsors and corporate folks who are looking to tap mommy bloggers who are — no surprise — extremely influential. (A recent MediaPost research brief even sliced and diced the mom blogger pool into subcategories of influencers.)

I missed the sign-up, but I was on a waiting list. A waiting list ticket came up, but I didn’t check my throw-away email fast enough and the link expired. I emailed the powers that be at BlogHer and explained what happened. Arggg. The wrote back and sent me another sign-up link. I had it on my to-do list to sign up but real work got in the way and I forgot. Sigh. So now I am without a ticket to an event that I desperately want to attend.

There are a ton of people running contests right now giving away BlogHer tickets. Most want you to follow them, Like them on Facebook, tweet about them, sign up for their RSS feeds, comment on their blogs, sign away rights to your first born grandchild…you get it. You have to jump through a lot of hoops to get those free tickets. (And drat to all of you bloggers who were smart enough to buy an extra ticket to give away essentially snatching tickets out of my grimy little hands!) It’s just too much for me to go through.

I was able to find one contest that I was SO on board with at Blog Conference Newbie until I realized I didn’t qualify. It is a $2,000 sponsorship gig with Energizer. I started reading the post. It would be so cool, I thought. The product that it asks you to shill for– a new Energizer Recharge Smart Charger — is something I could stand behind. Heck, it’s something that is totally in my bailiwick. It’s an ENERGY STAR-certified battery charger for two or four AA or AAA NiMH batteries. I’m all ABOUT the rechargeable batteries. We own Energizer rechargeable batteries already. (The new one does what sounds like a trickle charge to extend the life of the batteries as well as provide a charging gauge — how long it will be until the batteries are fully charged — and how much charge they have left.) How amazing would a product sponsorship like that be for me, Ms. Natural as Possible, who has been recharging or recycling batteries forever? But, alas, I don’t qualify for that one, either because you have to be registered already to win the sponsorship. Note to Energizer: Hey, Energizer! How about adding a sponsorship that includes a ticket, too?

And so now I am back to square one. I am already signing up for a bunch of the parties and PR stuff that’s going on the evenings of the show. I can’t wait to meet some of the fellow bloggers I already feel like I know via Twitter and their blogs. Still, I want to get into that conference. Any ideas?

Over the years I’ve kept my toe (okay, right now it’s an entire leg) in the technology waters writing and editing for business and trade pubs, but the reviews slowed down. And yes, I’ve also kept writing for women’s magazines, but the stories are more likely to be about weird toddler habits than which sippy cup is best. Yes, I’ll admit it: I miss the rush of writing a review.

There’s nothing like being able to dissect a product, explain why I like it and what missed the mark. This is why — next week — I will launch reviews. I am committing to at least one review a week, although knowing myself that will balloon up quickly. I’ll have themes, of course. We’ll have Mommy Mondays for toys, baby- and kid-related items, Tech Tuesdays for — what else — technology and consumer electronics reviews — Whatever Wednesdays, which is my catch-all category and Foodie Fridays for food-related items. My first review will be for a reusable diaper. And now on to this week’s Favorite Things…

Yummly.com. This site sounds amazing. (And I intend on reviewing it, actually.) It’s a recipe site that, like Netflix, “learns” the types of recipes you like and makes suggestions based on past usage. With more than 500,000 recipes and a Universal Recipe Box that helps you tweak ingredients, this site may become the answer to this week’s blog post question: What’s for dinner?

Sunnygram.com. This is another one I can’t wait to review. So my mom is okay when it comes to technology. Okay, but not great. She’s not on Snapfish or anything like that. This site lets you upload all your photos and create — get this — a printed color newsletter that features all your pictures. I think it will be amazing for anyone who likes to write Christmas letters or someone who, for example, might be getting married and want to keep everyone up-to-date on the planning.

StorySnoops.com. I really, really love this idea. And yes, I will be reviewing it. So my Big Girl is only in first grade. (Gulp, second now, I guess!) But she’s reading on a fifth grade level. Finding books that challenge her but don’t introduce topics and subjects that I am just not ready to discuss is a chore. This site provides book reviews from a parent’s perspective. Will I, as I learned on the fly when we were reading Superfudge, have to skip an entire chapter about Santa Claus? (Thank goodness we were reading that one together!) I never knew. This site will help me answer that question, I hope!

Hope you have a great weekend! As usual we have ten parties and five events to run to. But I still plan on relaxing a bit. How about you?

Kenneth Cole sells shirts to support the Gulf cleanup efforts.

I have a big problem with plastic. It’s everywhere. Everything we buy — even at environmentally-conscious stores — is wrapped in it. Bread comes in plastic bags. Cereal is in a box. Inside the box: a plastic bag. Most cheese is wrapped in plastic. Even the paper milk cartons we use are lined with plastic. Very disheartening. It was making me really sick. With everything going on in the world today couldn’t I find a way to reduce my plastic use? Which brings me to my first Favorite:

PlasticBagRecycling.org. This site is where I found out I could recycle, “grocery bags, retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed), paper towel and toilet paper plastic wrap, plastic newspaper bags, plastic dry cleaning bags and all clean, clear bags labeled with a #2 or #4.” Oh, and bread bags, Ziplock bags, potato bags, and others. Sweet. I was able to search for drop-off locations in my area, too.

Of course, there are other types of plastic that weren’t covered on the above site, which led me to my next Favorite:

1-800-RECYCLING.com. This site is wonderful. You click on the type of plastic (using the number on the bottle or packaging) you want to get rid of, enter your Zip code and receive a list of where you can take your junk. And it’s not just for plastic, either. You can also search and find drop off locations for electronics, paper, glass, metal, automotive, yard, household and hazardous waste, too. (Who knew Target takes Plastic #2?!?)

Once I get rid of all the plastic in my house I’ll need to tackle all the piles and piles of clothing I have. Especially since my little girl is outgrowing stuff and my husband is tossing a lot of his unwanted work clothes. I needed a place to get rid of everything in an eco-friendly way. Enter my next Favorite:

Bigwardrobe.com The site, which is finally making its way to the U.S., is part Craigslist and part eBay. Dedicated to clothing as well as a limited number of household items, you set a price, upload photos and sell. You can also find really nice stuff to buy. Right now most of the items are located in Europe, but it’s worth browsing around. Buying on the site is free; it will cost you one euro to sell, however.

And speaking of clothing: my last Favorite is from a press release I got via e-mail. Kenneth Cole is raising money for Gulf cleanup by selling t-shirts. All of the net profits will go directly to AWEARNESS, The Kenneth Cole Foundation, which is committed to supporting the Gulf efforts. They come in 14 colors and 12 slogans. (Cute and poignant: “We Can All Clean Up Well,” and “I Clean Up Well,” are two of the 12.) They are a little pricey at $35, but worth taking a look at. Oh, you can only buy them on the company’s Facebook page. Just thought you should know…

Hope you have a great weekend. By the way: Are you following me on Twitter? Find me @NaturalAsPosMom. I tweet pretty regularly throughout the day. Also, see the little brown button to the right? The one that says Top Mommy Blogs? (You might have to scroll down a bit.) Well, can you click on it and then click to vote for me? I’ve fallen out of the top 100 and I’d like to move back in. You can vote once a day…