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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Did You Know...

... That the hard bottle caps of any kind of plastic product are NOT recyclable?
I just thought about it when I actually had to deal with some. Yes, I found myself drinking water out of plastic bottles for the first time in ages - Hurricane Irene freaked me out and I gave in and bought some bottles just in case.
In our neighborhood I can collect them and bring them to my son's school who has a partnership going with a cosmetic company (click here for more info).

Google mentioned the program "caps can do" - you can ship your caps to them. Some Whole Foods markets have bins where they collect #5 plastics for companies like Preserve.

If you think about it, these caps can cause a lot of problems:
When just tossed, they take years and years to decompose. When thrown in the recycling bin (where they don't belong in most areas) they slow down the recycling process because pieces that don't match (plastic bottle #1 plastic and lid #5) have to be separated, or, if accidentally processed together, it can ruin the whole batch.
What little caps can do to wildlife is beyond belief. Just think about animals trying to eat them, polluting oceans and streams.
Best is to stay away from plastics altogether. Buy reusable water bottles, that's the biggest culprit.
The caps that you have to deal with, either recycle the right way or be creative with them.
Here are a few ideas:
1) Use as tiny picture frames
2) Paint and use them as checkers
3) Use for artistic purposes - to hold small amounts of paint etc.
4) Use for storage for tiny things (you could glue a bunch of caps to a wooden board)
5) If you have a lot of caps in different colors, get a big piece of cardboard and "write" your child's name with them - this could be a fun rainy day project.

If you have other ideas, please feel free to share

Friday, September 23, 2011

Paper Decoration For A Really Cool Place


These are some paper decorations that I made for go lightly the last two nights for the launch of the new RAW CAFE. Yay, that's right - a vegan raw cafe in Montclair, NJ! If you live in the area, don't miss out on this, it's delicious, healthy, good for you and the earth.
I'm so happy that finally there is an option for healthy, vegan and raw food in the Montclair area.
And if you don't live in the area, I encourage you to look for a raw food restaurant and just try it, even if you're not vegan or a raw foodie. You have to try it to believe how yummy it is.
Bon appetit!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Self Made Toddler Hammock!

What is this? You may ask.
A weird looking pinata? A way of hiding presents from kids? A pet trapped in a blanket? Or a toddler in a impromptu hammock, made of an Ikea blanket and tied to two chairs.
My two-year old went back to napping, after 6 months of skipping naps.
I found myself wishing for some sort of swing, like the good old baby swings that soothed them into sleep, and came up with the idea.
I secured one chair by sliding a step ladder between the seat and the table so the chair wouldn't fall backwards. The other chair was secured by another one on top of it. I double-checked how safe it was before I put him in and, of course, stayed within arm's reach.
He had a wonderful nap!

Monday, September 12, 2011

A Truly Good Company

I just had a very pleasant experience with a very pleasant company that sells a product that I really like.
I'm talking about WRAP-N-MAT, the re-usable sandwich wrap and placemat in one.
Years ago my son received this wrap as a party favor, and until this day it was the most thoughtful and useful thing that we ever got at a party. He used it almost all the way through his two years of pre-school, until I accidentally put it too close to the stove and burnt it.
I had a replacement already (just in case :-), which unfortunately didn't make it quite as long and we had to exchange it for a new one when the new school year started.
This new one had a fault in the material - I wasn't able to wipe it clean without getting it damp and unusable for a few days until it dried out.
So I decided to write to the company and let them know about it.
What a nice experience that was! All through e-mail, the customer service representative was all about making it right, agreeing that the product should last for a very long time (don't we all have the environment in mind!) and send me three new wraps, one of them with the original design that I once had and can't find anymore. I'm so excited! I love their product! It made it possible for my son to not have any waste at lunch - ever! Think about how many zip-lock bags it'll save you and the earth over the course of a school year, or for your own lunches/picnics/snacks/...
It even doubles as a placemat when spread out! I just love it when a company has an awesome product and an awesome philosophy. And when they even stand behind their product and do everything to make it right for the customer, it's just the perfect fit. For me, anyway.

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