DJ Lance spins for the babies!

This week we spent the early evening at Brooklyn Bowl, which, to me, is really just a club that happens to also have bowling lanes. It was a launch party event for Yo Gabba Gabba’s live show. My big girl has watched the show. My baby, who won’t turn two until the end of June, hasn’t.

We went inside and saw throngs of people — kids, moms, dads and babies — milling around. All the characters were there, too, as was DJ Lance, who was actually using a turntable and spinning records. (Yes, actual vinyl! Each one encased in its sleeve and the sleeve encased in plastic.)

My big girl was excited to be there. The little one was a little scared. The noise, the darkness, the flashing lights. Once she settled down, however, she loved the music. Only ten minutes after we arrived, she stopped clinging to my shoulder and started dancing. Then she started clapping her hands.

It was a fun even even though I had to snag a bracelet from someone leaving (I was told at the front door they had no more to give) so we could get onto the dance floor. Once we stepped down onto the floor we participated in the meet and greets with everyone. I think my husband, who I am technically not allowed to write about anymore, was most excited. He really wanted to meet DJ Lance, who turned out to be one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. I asked him to do a video intro for the blog. Not only did he do it, but he did it twice since he didn’t get the name right the first time. The video will go up over the weekend or on Monday. (Have to let hubby work his technical editing magic on it.) In the meantime enjoy the photo, the following Favorites and the rest of your Friday!

Leafware = I have a new compost bin. I entertain a fair amount during the summer. I hate plastic.

I’m hoping this statement — if I was doing a truth table — would come out all true. (I’m expecting a sample some time soon, so I will let you know.) Leafware, as the company says is  “leaves of specific trees and vines, sewn together with bits of stem” to form plates, bowls, and trays. If you buy them in bulk they come out to about $.50 each. I’m personally willing to give it a try, especially since I can throw it into my compost when I’m done. Again, I’ll let you know what I think.

BetterWorldBooks. I am a reader. I’m also someone who writes stuff that goes into newspapers and magazines. And yet I hate the thought of how many trees I’ve probably killed doing what I do for a living. This is why this site may be one of my favorite new haunts. Every book it sells ships free in the U.S. (the international shipping fee is $3.97), and the company offsets its shipping by buying carbon offsets from Carbonfund.org. It also collects old, unwanted books and sells them to support literacy efforts. To date, the company says it has diverted 33,082,876 books from landfills. Not bad. Now do they have my next book club book?

Let’s Go Chipper! app. I got a press release about this one. Sounded pretty neat, so I checked it out. It’s an educational storyline (books, movies, activities and iTunes downloads) for kids ages 2 to 6 that teaches them about ecology. With the summer coming up — at least here in the northern hemisphere — the stories explain how to keep the environment the way you left it. A plus: Chipper, who is a chipmunk, is pretty cute, too.

That’s it for now. I’m back to work. Another few interviews to do today and then we’ve got a birthday party and I have a flip-flop party to go to. Whoohoo! What are you up to this Friday night? p.s. See that little brown box over to the right? The one that says Top Mommy Blogs? I am trying to move up in the rankings. Would you pretty please click on it and then click to vote for my blog once you get to the landing page? Thanks in advance! I only need 30 clicks through to move into the top 10 in the Eco category.

The organization assessed 17 different perfumes, which listed “fragrance” on their labels. On average, there were 14 different unlisted ingredients in each of the perfumes. The reason: manufacturers are not required to list the chemicals they use to make perfumes fragrant. And some of the perfumes had many more than average. For example, American Eagle Seventy Seven had 24 unnamed ingredients, Coco Mademoiselle Chanel had 18, and Britney Spears Curious and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio both had 17 unnamed ingredients. Almost 2/3rds — 66 percent of the ingredients — have not been tested for human safety. “According to EWG analysis, the fragrance industry has published safety assessments for
only 34% of the unlabeled ingredients,” says the report.

From the report: “The fragrances tested contained, on average, 10 chemical sensitizers, which can trigger reactions such as asthma, wheezing, headaches and contact dermatitis when they are breathed in absorbed into the skin.” (Check out page 9 of the report to see the full list of chemicals.)

It’s not like this all over the world, though. In fact, it seems like the folks in Europe are better protected than those in the States. In Europe, there are 26 ingredients that must go on the label if they are in perfume. According to this week’s report, those 17 perfumes tested by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had 22 of those ingredients. And 12 of the 17 perfumes tested also contained phthalates: diethyl phthalate, known as DEP, specifically. Phthalates are hormone disruptors that mainly affect the reproductive organs and the brain. Nasty little chemicals. Not something you’d want to be rubbing on your skin or inhaling into your lungs.

An April 2010 study out of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University has linked prenatal exposure to phthalates found in personal care products and perfume to childhood ADHA. Another Mount Sinai study linked phthalates to early puberty in girls. This is a big deal, according to researchers, because it may cause a higher incidence of breast cancer later in life: “”Exposure to these chemicals is extremely common,” Dr. Mary Wolff, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Oncological Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “As such, while the association between chemicals and pubertal development seems small, the impact on the overall population is significant.”

So what’s the take-away? We, as consumers, should be able to avoid phthalates and chemicals that have the potential to hurt us. We can’t do that unless we can see everything that goes into the products we buy. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics wants Congress to rewrite the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973, forcing the perfume manufacturers to list every chemicals that’s in a perfume or cologne. It’s tough, though, since the FDA lacks the authority to make this happen. I agree something has to change. What do you think?

Do you wear perfume every day? I don’t — only on special occasions — but this still scares me. My girls have been lying on my mom’s chest since they were born. My mother-in-law’s, too. They “smell like Grandma” when both grandmas leave.

Not sure where you are, but I’m in New York. It’s hot here. Summer hot. Lazy day in August hot. It was 81 degrees at noon. My electric thermostat says it’s 76 degrees. Yep, my office is mighty warm. I’m sitting here dreaming of my central air conditioning unit. I’d love to flip the switch and turn it on. But then I remembered how I grew up in a house where we didn’t get air conditioning until I was in my late teens and I realized how selfish that would be.

Running a big central air conditioning unit like the one I have takes a lot of energy. How much? Well, my electricity bills go up about 50 to 100 percent during the summer months, depending on how hot it is. So I decided to figure out other ways to stay cool.

First I had to change my clothing. Instead of my usual pants and shirt I’m wearing shorts and a t-shirt. And no shoes. Then I had to get hydrated. I filled my reusable water bottle with ice — lots of ice — and water. I’ve been taking slugs all day. My lights are off, of course, and I turned off my printer. The blinds are drawn to keep the sunlight from warming up the room even more. My door is also open for a change to encourage the breeze from our open bedroom window to make a visit in here as well. It’s definitely helping, but I may look into getting one of those little fans for my desktop. And I’m definitely open to suggestions, too. Have any?

How are you keeping cool? How do you decide when to turn on the air conditioning? Do you have any get-cool-quick ideas? I’d like to know.

Better than a diamond ring or a trip to the spa -- at least to me!

My husband came home from the store today with a surprise. One that made me smile really widely: A compost bin! Finally!

He gave it to me right before dinner so all the non-meat scraps that are sitting on the table will soon find a new home. I can’t wait to see how this is going to affect our garbage output. Now almost everything old and moldy sitting in the fridge will get tossed in the compost as well as grass clippings and leaves. I will also toss in our old egg cartons (the paper kind, of course), paper towels, tissues and napkins. And I can even throw in my shredded documents.

Experts say that those who compost can reduce the amount of trash they send to a landfill by 30 to 50 percent. I guess we’ll see, but in the meantime I’m off to clean out my fridge. What an exciting way to spend a Saturday night. Thanks, Chris!

Do you compost? Any tips for me? If you do compost have you seen a big reduction in the amount of garbage you’re putting out every week?

Earth Day meets 45th Street

I spent Friday in the city at the ASJA Writer’s Conference, which took place at the Roosevelt Hotel. Great conference, I was excited to see all the people I talk to on Facebook and on our online forum. Once I left the hotel, though, and made my way down 45th Street I was really excited. Right outside the hotel was EarthFair Outdoors, a celebration with music, booths and characters. As I walked through the crowd enjoying the beautiful weather and relaxed vibe I found a few things that have the possibility of becoming my favorites. I thought I’d pass them along…

Wicked, the play. Okay, I lied. This is already on my list of all time favorites. Still, what does Wicked have to do with Earth Day? I’ll let them explain. (From the tag on the cute baby evergreen they gave me to take home and plant: “Green. For Good. This tree has been planted in tribute to Elphaba and all the green things on earth.” So basically my favorite play of all time was giving out free evergreens for Earth Day. Outstanding!

Seed Body Care. I am a sucker for a sweet-smelling cream. And if that cream happens to have shea butter and be scented like my two favorite herbs, lavender and sage? Swoon. Seriously. And if it’s paraben-, phthalate-, presevative-, petrochemical-, and artificial color-free? I may be tempted to shell out the cash. They were showing three products — a body bar, a lotion, and a shampoo bar. I’m thinking I need to buy the body bar. (I kept sniffing my hands, scented from the tester, all the way home on the train.)

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. What happens to livestock that isn’t well enough or hearty enough to be slaughtered? Some of the chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, and goats end up at this place, a home for the animals that don’t make it to your table. The sanctuary gives tours daily from April 1 through October 31 where children and adults can learn about how and why the animals arrived there and what we as human beings can do to reduce our meat consumption. Sounds like a nice day trip…

The New York City Compost project. Okay, so you live in a small house or — in this case — an apartment. Still, you cook. You eat. You have non-meat food scraps. What can you do to recycle them? This project, funded by the New York City Sanitation Department, teaches apartment-dwellers how to create an indoor compost bin with worms. You can learn, too, by clicking through on this link. (Yes, there were worms at the event, but no, I didn’t get a photo!) Okay, if folks in apartments are composting I will finally make it my business to create a compost bin at my house. And I plan on doing it this weekend.

The components that go into the Sprout watch.

The Sprout. I got sucked in by the tubs of bamboo, cotton, and corn pellets, which reminded me of the tactile boxes at my big girl’s Gymboree classes. Once I got closer I saw that the bin contents represented what the company makes its watches out of. The watch body is corn resin instead of plastic. Straps are made of organic cotton instead of leather, while the watch face is made of mineral crystal — a type of glass — rather than plastic. The dial is natural bamboo. The result is a watch that is either 80 or 86 percent eco-friendly. Not bad. And they’re cute, too. At $30, it was a steal, but I didn’t have any cash on me. Sigh.

Matthew Modine wants people to ride bikes -- not drive cars.

Bicycle for a Day. Hey! I know that guy! He was the guy in Married to the Mob! (I’m talking about Matthew Modine.) A celebrity hanging out in the middle of the city? Yup, and for a good cause, too. Modine started a non-profit called Bicycle for a Day to help people get out of cars and on to bikes. A noble cause, and one I should be doing myself. I love spinning so much I should be jumping on my bike when I need milk rather than jumping in my car.

CommuterLink. How do people living in the Tristate area get involved in a carpool? This is a good place to start. The site helps you find people to carpool with. Then, once you’re signed up, guarantees that if you miss your ride because the driver has to leave early, they will help you get home free-of-charge. Nice.

How was your Earth Day? Hope you have a fun, relaxing weekend!

It’s Saturday, so I’m not going to write a long blog. I’m sure you don’t want to read a long blog. But I did want to put this out there: Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is great. But while we’re at it how about fostering some love and concern for our earth? Jamie says he wants real, unprocessed food, but where are we going to grow that food if we keep polluting our waterways and killing our ground with plastic and chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA), which NEVER go away. Never.

So on this Saturday evening I say can we take it to the next level? While we’re teaching those kids to love what is found in nature, how about we show them that it’s important to protect nature. We must find a way to eat while at the same time avoiding waste. Kids should be recycling and — if they have to use disposables — they should be using more earth-friendly options. Companies like BioSmart Packaging are a good example. But I still think that the best option is to teach kids how to go completely green by using metal utensils and ceramic plates and cups like they do in Nashville or some of the other schools that have taken the waste-free lunch challenge.

Because the real revolution is more than just eating the right foods. The real revolution keeps our bodies and our environment clean and healthy.

Hope you’re having a good weekend! How does your school handle the environmental issue of food service? Would you consider advocating for a waste-free cafeteria?

Why do I always get weird injuries?

Anyone who has been reading for a while knows that when I get hurt it’s usually in some weird, obscure way. Something that prompts an insurance letter being sent out. The letters always want to know if someone else is responsible for the injury. Because hey, how else could you get a black eye and contusions or a cut on your chin unless someone actually hurt you? I had another wacky accident yesterday, one that will probably result in another letter.

I have been working non-stop so I decided I would go to half of a mommy-and-me class with Little Girl. The place is right up the block. I could hang out for 30 minutes, I thought, and make it back in time for my noon conference call. So I get there, and we were doing circle time sitting on the floor. Little Girl, like most of the kids, was getting on and off my lap. At one point, she runs away from me. On her way back, she trips. I put my arms out to catch her, and her two front teeth met my thumb. I knew instantly we had a problem. Her teeth sliced my thumb open. Blood gushed. I picked Little Girl up and carried her out while holding my thumb airborne as not to drip and blood on the kid. She (and her teeth) is fine, thank goodness, and was able to go right back into the class with my mom, who was in the waiting room. But I was a different story. I ended up in front of a doctor getting liquid stitches and steristrips. So today’s Favorite Things is going to be short and sweet. My thumb is still throbbing. I can’t use it to type, and I have three more conference calls today. Sigh. So here, in an abbreviated format, are my favorite things of the week.

Clif Z Bar for Kids. I won a prize in a Twitter party. (Thanks, @Healthy_Child) Part of it: 20 of the chocolate chip variety. Yum. Big Girl loves them, too, so it’s given me another snack option for her lunch box.

ThredUP. I hate throwing clothing away. I hate buying it new, too, especially for the kids. This new site is part eBay, part Craigslist, part Freecycle. You go on, put a “box” of clothing up, and someone will claim it. And you can do the same. All you pay is the shipping on the clothing you’re claiming. Everyone wins. Clothing is reused. You don’t spend a fortune. Love, love, LOVE this, and plan on trying it out this weekend.

MatterofTrust.org I love using surplus in an innovative way. Who knew that human hair from the floors of salons could be reclaimed and reused for oil spills and oil slicks? But it can. This organization helps collect human hair and get it out in the field when there is an oil spill. They also do a ton of eco-education. Ask your salon if they are participating in the program. It’s worth it.

That’s it for now. I’m going to try and add two more things by late Friday. Have a great weekend in the meantime!

Anyway, it’s Friday, and this week’s Friday Favorites has nothing to do with the above thinking-out-loud, but it was on my mind. Figured I’d ask everyone what you did for your child’s second birthday. Keep in mind that Big Girl had a giant second birthday party complete with a gorgeous dress, tiara, and about 25 of her closest friends. And now on to the things I really liked this week. A lot of these things are stuff I came across in my journalist life. I’m getting some really interesting press releases these days. The blog has made it into a few databases, which makes my life easier. Please note: I did not get any freebies. I have to buy everything I like below — and probably will be. Just wanted to provide full disclosure. I just liked ‘em, so I am writing about them.

This cool t-shirt. Again, no, I didn’t get a free one. I’m just writing about it because it’s cute. I’m not really a slogan kinda gal. My clothing is writing-free, but this t-shirt, which makes GREEN into an anagram is just really cute. A little expensive for my taste, but cute, so I thought I would write about it.

A green toothbrush. I brush twice a day like the rest of the world. I have switched over to a eco-minded toothpaste — finally — but I was still brushing with the same plastic-going-to-end-up-in-a-landfill toothbrush that I always used. Then I found Radius and its eco-friendly toothbrushes. Cellulose (made from wood pulp) handle. Nylon bristles. Cool design. The fact that you pick whether you want a lefty brush or a righty brush sealed the deal for me. (Since my entire family falls into the lefty category.)

Shoes for my pedis. I get pedicures. I got a really nice spa package for my birthday this year that entitles me to one every other month. Anyway, I usually drag a set of red flip-flops with me. They are big and annoying and dirty, so when I saw these foldable flip-flops that are also made of 90 percent recycled materials I was intrigued. And at $15 they don’t break the bank. Seems like a nice addition to my manicure kit. (I bring all my own supplies including eco-based top and base coat as well as files, cuticle nippers, and a pumice stone. Too freaked out about germs to do anything else.)

Non-plastic wrap wrapping. We have no plastic wrap in my kitchen. At all. Or plastic bags for that matter. Drives the husband crazy. I tend to put stuff in the covered Corningware I have or in a Pyrex bowl that also comes with a cover. When those are in use I put a glass plate over a regular bowl to keep food fresh. Works, but not the safest option. Which is why I will be ordering CoverMate Food Covers this weekend. These are reusable, washable hair-net-looking things that stretch over plates, bowls, and other food serving dishes. The nice part is that the ones I will be ordering are sort of free, too. The company’s PR woman sent me a nice offer for my readers, and you know I am getting in on it. CoverMate is currently running a special promotion. Pay $3.95 shipping and handling and you get a sample pack of all four CoverMate sizes along with a $1.00 off retail coupon in case you want to buy more. They are BPA-free, dishwasher-safe, and reusable. I plan on getting one set and hand-washing them so they last for a long time. I will still use my Pyrex and Corningware first since CoverMates are plastic, but they will be nice to have when everything is in use.

Have a great weekend, everyone. I’ve already written Monday’s post — a story about toddlers and dieting. Also, Tuesday should be about food allergies. And don’t forget about the Celestial Seasonings give-away. Check out Tuesday’s post and then scroll down a bit to enter to win a nice, big basket o’ tea. Finally, see that little brown button to your right? A little ways up the page? The one that says Top Mommy Blogs? Can you click on it? I need to move up in the rankings a bit. I’d like to be closer to 100. Right now I am close to 200. You can click once a day, which I did not know!

Before you say it, I’ll say it first: No, there’s no way I am going toilet paper-less like No Impact Man. And I’m not going to get my husband to give up his Bounty paper towels, either. (I actually have to buy two sets of towels because my husband refuses to use my Seventh Generation or Marcal Small Steps paper towels.) But there’s plenty I can do here in the house to reduce the amount of paper products that go into the garbage. For example, I have a stainless steel kitchen. Cleaning it requires special cleansers — I use Method’s Steel for Real spray — and, in the past, lots of paper towels. But starting this month, however, I have made the switch over to a washable microfiber cloth. It sits under the counter on top of the spray. It isn’t the Method Stainless Steel microfiber cloth, which I didn’t know existed until I had to provide the last link, but it works pretty well. I also have a microfiber cloth for my wood as well as another for general cleaning. Seems to be doing the job.

Another change: Making sure there are plenty of hand towels lying around the kitchen. Wash cloths, too. The baby is constantly dirty, and it’s nice to be able to use a wash cloth on her face rather than grabbing a paper towel. Likewise, I’m teaching my big girl to reach for the hand towel instead of the paper towel when her hands are dirty or need drying.

The bathroom is a little tougher. Aside from buying recycled toilet paper, there’s not much I can do. Sure, I can try and use fewer squares, which I am doing but short of installing a bidet, how can I cut down on toilet tissue use? Yes, I am asking. Feel free to post any suggestions. I considered using a squirt bottle and air drying, but who has time for that? (And I’m sorry for giving you that visual.) This is definitely a tough one, but I’m hoping doing little things like avoiding using toilet paper for picking up hair out of the shower drain or using cloth instead of paper to wipe toothpaste off the counter will add up.

The final paper-related (well, it’s actually wood pulp fluff) product reduction…this is a huge one: We’ve got Little Girl day potty trained! Undies all day. Diapers for naps — which she often keeps dry so I reuse –  and at night. Talk about saving the environment! And for those who wonder how I did it: I just took the diapers away and stuck with it. You have to expect accidents. You have to tote your potty with you everywhere you go. But once the kid gets the idea, you’re home free.

So all in all my February changes are pretty good, I think. Wait until you see my March changes. I hope I have the guts to go through with them and post about them. I seem to have no shame and no Internet filter, so I’m thinking I will.

What changes have you made lately to green your house and life? I love reading about what other people do. Inspires me and the other folks who read this blog!

The top concerns, of course, were the economy and jobs, taking the number one and two slots with 83 and 81 percent rating these issues as “top priorities.” The third concern — cited by 80 percent of respondents — was terrorism. Really? Terrorism? You, out in Kansas? That’s what you care about? And you, too, down in Mississippi? When you look at how many people terrorism has actually affected here in the States, it sort of boggles the mind, no? Shows how well our media does at scaring people with its coverage of airport shenanigans. People trying to open plane doors in midflight. (And yes, I do consider the underwear bomber a truly terrible and scary event, but I don’t think it’s as significant to my daily life as deficit reduction or health care, which rank seventh and eighth, respectively.)

There were 21 categories. Which do you think ranked last? That’s right: global warming. The environment was sixth from the end. It would be depressing except for the fact that slowly, other entities are stepping up and confirming that global warming is something to be wary of. That it is real, and that we should be doing something about it. The best example is one that even the skeptics have to take pause at. Back in 2007 the Environmental Defense Fund along with investors asked The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to ask public companies to disclose their “climate-related ‘material’ effects on business operations.” So whether they would be affected by clean air legislation, for example. The SEC actually did it. This week, it went one step further asking companies to disclose any serious risks that global warming might have on their business and revenues. (There’s even a video linked to the SEC’s press release.) How freakin’ awesome is that? The New York Times does a wonderful job of explaining the disclosure regulation. I won’t belabor the issue, but when the SEC comes out and says something like this, it can’t be long before more people start believing that it’s real and something that can and will actually affect our lives.

Another big win for the environment and health: Wisconsin this week voted to ban Bisphenol-A (BPA) from children’s bottles and cups. It’s the third state to do so, and there are about ten other states considering similar legislation. So while the FDA flounders about, at least the states are doing something that matters.

Next week I’m going to get back to my original Favorite Things Friday, pointing out some of the best sites and stuff found on the Web. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

What do you think about global warming? Is it real? Are you frustrated by the U.S. government’s inability to legislate change? Do you live in another country? How well is your government protecting its citizens. I would really love to hear a non-U.S.-based opinion!