archives

We have quite a collection of small Avent plastic bottles with the sealing disks. I used them to freeze breast milk and veggies for my older son when he was a baby (YIKES!). By the time our second son arrived about a year ago, I had purged plastic as much as possible. Toys I was able to freecycle without much bad conscience. I figured if parents wanted them, that was their decision. But I felt that giving these bottles to someone was ethically sketchy. I don’t think any baby should be eating and drinking from them. On the other hand I am a compulsive re-user, and hate the idea of throwing yet another pile of plastic stuff in the trash (I don’t think they are recyclable). Is there any safe use I could make of them? What’s the best route to take?

Springtime is ant season in Brooklyn and I'm dreading their arrival any day now. I've heard about trails of cayenne and citrus vinaigrettes that are supposed to get rid of them, but in my years in New York I've never seen a healthy approach work. It's hard to convince a landlord to spend the money on a non-toxic pest control, so this time last year we took the advice of an entomologist friend and defeated a major ant infestation without the use of any products containing organophosphates (which could interfere with the nervous system of a growing baby, infant or child, as well as cause headaches, depression and fatigue). ...

I'm still a newbie at being the mom on Mother’s Day, even though my cat has given me lovely cards dictated to her father for years now. My daughter is now two and the past two Mother’s Days I have spent at my mom’s weekend house. I figured my bringing her granddaughter to her was a lovely action. And I’ve also gotten some action(s): I’ve been allowed to sleep in, I’ve been woken up with fresh-picked lilies of the valley, I’ve been taken out to lunch, I’ve been given an extra afternoon or two to sneak off to a long yoga class. And really, these little luxuries are all I’ll ever want.

Still, if suddenly I morphed (back) into a big consumer, I do have a Top 10 (ok, Top 11) wish list ...

Of course I happened to make this snack on the first truly gorgeous day of spring and we were late to the playground where our friends were waiting for us to romp. I needed to take this snack with me, and I needed to do it quickly. This is the part in the story where almost every other mom in America reaches for their trusty kazillion quart Ziploc bag, stuffs it, and heads easily out the door. As much as I envy these ladies their Ziploc (so simple! so large! so easy!), it should come as no surprise to you, my dear readers, that I have almost no plastic bags in my house. ...

We moved this weekend and I went back to our old apartment yesterday to give it a cleaning -- the first thorough one first since giving up conventional cleaners. I used all-purpose sprays from Seventh Generation and Ecover, as well as some Bon Ami, and it was a nice change to finish a heavy duty clean without shredded fingers and a huge headache. I was particularly impressed with Earth Friendly Products non-chlorine bleach, Oxo-Brite, which turned my enamel sink whiter, even though it’s made for clothing.

Now that I’ve given up chlorine bleach it seems particularly obvious that it can’t be good for you ...