The EcoChic

I’m really trying this year to not get carried away with all the commercialism of the season.  I’ve realized this year that my son takes a lot of things for granted because he’s never ‘needed’ anything that he hasn’t gotten.  It’s not an easy thing but we’re working on giving from the heart. 

I mentioned a few days ago how I am trying to give my son something from the heart each day for Advent.  Special time with me is something that I’m sure he will remember and value when he is older.  So far we’ve made rice crispy treats together, we’ve decorated our tree together, and a few other things.  Tonight I treated my kids to another special family night.

The weather in FL was fabulous so I decided to pick up McDonald’s and take the kids to the beach after school.  I had forgotten how early the sunsets this time of year so we only had 20 minutes before we were asked to leave the park (we went to our favorite State Park beach) because it was closing.  It was ok though, the weather on the island wasn’t as nice as it was on the mainland.  It was already misty and windy so we couldn’t stay long anyways.  It was just long enough for the kids to put there feet in the sand and listen to the sounds of the ocean. 

Since we were so short on time at the beach we didn’t eat until after we left…so I stopped on the Causeway Beach to finish watching the sun go down.  It’s so strange how you can drive one mile and loose the mist and dreariness.  It was nice to see the sun go down.

Next up on the events of the evening…drive through a local neighborhood and look at Christmas lights!  What an un-eco-friendly way to end our night! LOL!  Sometimes holiday traditions and eco-friendly don’t go hand in hand…but it’s still special!  Here is one of my favorite light displays…

I wonder what other special things I can do with my kids?  What will I do next? 

I wish it wasn’t almost midnight and that I had actually taken some pictures of our evening.  If you read my recent post about Eco-Advent Calendars you remember that I am taking a cue from a friend of mine and doing something fun with my family each night.  It’s Day 3 and I just started! 

Tonight we went searching for a new Christmas tree.  We were all over the place this year but I knew I wanted something new (real, fake, palm, or pine).  We ended up settling on a new fake tree.  I know there is so much eco-ntroversy over which is better for the environment but at $88 this tree will last us another 10 years!  We are finally retiring our original tree from when we first moved in together.  I think 10 years is good for the environment don’t you?  And it’s not trashed…it will go to a good home where it can get a second life. 

Anyways…we brought our tree home only to realize we bought the wrong one! Boo!  Thankfully hubby ran quickly back to the store to exchange it.  In the brief 20 minutes that he left Big B and I made Rice Krispie Treats together!  He loved watching the marshmallows melt and adding the cereal to the bowl.  He’s really such a big help these days.  Lil’ B watched excitedly from her high chair…wondering what all the fuss was about!

The best part of the night was everyone sitting down together eating our treat!  I wonder what we’ll do tomorrow…maybe we’ll at least find some time to put the ornaments on the tree!

Hello? 

Hello? 

Is anyone out there? 

Oh wait, you are probably saying…”Where is The Eco Chic?  I haven’t seen anything new from her in a while!!”  Never fear my friends…I am still here!  As usual life has gotten in the way of blogging.  When my friends tell me that the feel neglected and in second place over the Internet I start to take the hint.  (I do listen.)  My family suffers from my addiction at times too.  It’s rare to find a night at the Eco-House where my nose isn’t buried into my computer as soon as the kids are snoozing away!  My dear sweet husband is sitting on one end of the sofa playing Vampires or Mafia Wars on his iPhone and I’m on the other end blogging or tweeting!  Really, it is a sad life we live.  Add in a few visits out of town and I’m actually starting to miss my little escapes to the blogosphere! 

You know exactly what I’m talking about.  There is something much more pressing and important that you need to be doing right now than reading my thoughts…but you are still here…and I love you for it! 

So now that I’ve spent a week conserving energy (hehe!) let’s get right back into the Eco World!  I have so much information and updates to bring you that I don’t know where to start first. 

FTC and blogging!  Why not, everyone else is talking about it.  The FTC is now regulating bloggers who receive compensation (either product or $$) in exchange for writing up a review for companies.  READ the actual regualtions here.  To set the Eco-Record straight…yes I receive compensation for SOME, not ALL, of the reviews that I write.  Most of the compensation I receive is my way of free product.  But rest assured that I have always (and will continue to be) been honest with you in my reviews.  If there is a product that I really don’t like I will tell you what I don’t like about it.  I will also point out the things I do like about it.  And if the product is really that horrible I will send it back to the company that sent it to me.  (Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet!)  What are your thoughts on the FTC regulations?  Do you think it will better the blogosphere?  Do you think that companies will quit offering compensation for reviews?  Have you ever found a product that you really, really, really love because of a product review on a blog?  Tell me about it!  (Leave me a comment below!!)

Breastfeeding!  Yes, I just jumped from the FTC to the Boob!  LOL!  Lady B (she’s growing up so Lil’ B just sounds so young!) is now 9 months old and is still attached to the boob!  Even with 4 teeth and business trips that take me away from her we are still breastfeeding and I couldn’t be happier. 

Cloth Diapers!  Yes, we are still using cloth and loving it!  I have 2 new diapers that I am reviewing right now.  The first is by GroBaby and the second one just arrived yesterday from Bamboo Bums.  Can I tell you that bamboo is soooooooooo soft!  Oh la la….I need a blanket out of this stuff!  Or a sweater?  Hmmm….  Our child care provider is adjusting ok to cloth but we still have a ways to go to get her fully on board.  She’s using cloth but she has some concerns.  For instance…she was sending them home in plastic bags INSIDE the wetbag…kinda defeats the purpose of the wetbag!  And yesterday she told me she put her in a sposieat nap time because she hadn’t gone poo all day.  Sure enough she did go poo at nap time and cleanup was much easier on her…but again…defeating the purpose of cloth!  It’s going to take a little bit of educating and empathizing with her to get her fully on board.  I think I need to practice my new nonviolent communication skills that I’m learning from my new book, Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg.  I’m reading it as part of the training to become a Real Diaper Association (RDA) Circle Leader for the Tampa Bay area.  More on that in another post. 

Family News!  My son is the light of my life and got rave reviews from his teacher yesterday in our first conference of the year.  Besides the fact that we have a mini-genius on our hands I was moved by her words on his kindness and heart!  I guess my little boy is beginning to show compassion for others and that just moved me to tears!  He’s being a mentor to a little boy in his class who doesn’t speak English well…voluntarily!  I couldn’t be more proud of him and the wonderful little man he is becoming!  Lady B is 9 months (like I mentioned earlier) and is weighing in at a whopping 17 3/4 lbs.  I don’t think her brother was that big at a year! LOL! 

Reviews & Giveaways!  Don’t worry I have many things waiting to be written about!  I have more cleaning products to write about, baby food, baby toys, kids toys, diapers, blankets, and so much more coming your way!  Now I should go formulate my game plan on how to get caught up again!  

Thanks for visiting and caring about where I have been!  I really need to find that balance between real life and my blog that seems to get a little off balance more often than not!  Have a great weekend!

OK ladies and gentlemen!  Help a fellow blogger and friend win $100 from Cozi!  All you have to do is leave me a comment!  The one with the most comments WINS!  So if you are reading this leave a comment below!

1.  I haven’t seen my oldest (6yrs) in over a week and he comes home TOMORROW!!!!

2.  I get to go talk to a friend about commissioning me to do a mural in her new day care center!

3.  I get to spend some quality time with my friends at PHCC tonight for Spaghetti Dinner!

4.  I live in FL…who ever wants to leave FL for Chicago?  Or any other place?

5.  I’ve been traveling with work so much that I enjoy my quiet relaxing days at home.

6.  If I were at BlogHer I would miss my Big B, Lil’ B, Hubby and Kitty too much!  I leave them enough (see #5) the rest of the year!

7.  I need to catch up on some blog contests and giveaways of my own! 

8.  Did I mention I live in Florida and the sun will be shining all weekend?  The pool and beach are calling my name!

9.  I’m into saving the environment and my staying at home will keep my carbon footprint down!

10.  I will have some time to learn all about Cozi!  This cool new online tool that is going to help organize my life!  Lord knows I need a little more organization in my life!  Do you?

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE!  And go check out Cozi and see if they can help you organize your life!

Earth Day is one week from today; what are you going to be doing to help celebrate?  Is your city planning any special events?  How do you find out?  The first place to look is Earth Day Network; where you can search by your zip code for events in your area.  You can always search your local newspapers for happenings in your area too.  Did you know that most cities are celebrating this weekend?  Our local beach and State Park is holding an Earth Day festival over the weekend.  Wal-Mart is celebrating on Saturday with 1 million free reusable shopping bags to give away.  Publix is celebrating by focusing on their GreenWise Organic line. 

 So what is the Eco Chic doing for Earth Day?  Actually quite alot.  I have to travel for work again so that’s on negative impact I will be making while trying to eductate others; but it is absolutely necessary for me to be there.  We’re having a big outdoor Earth Day festival for our employees at the headquarters.  As part of our environmental program we are promoting ways employees can become better environmental stewards both at home and work.  We are really trying to show how the little changes they can make (turning of their computer monitors when they walk away) really do make a difference.  Not only to the environment but also to the overall operational costs of the organization.  I will be spending three days celebrating Earth Day for work; one setting up and two days for the actual events at two locations. 

When I get home I’m going to finish celebrating with my sons school.  Thursday I arranged for someone from our local Keep America Beautiful office to come in and talk with the pre-K classes.  Friday I am going to go and talk to the kids about energy.  I have no idea what I’m going to talk about yet; I guess I’ll figure out a short lesson for them over the weekend.  I do have one good book (see yesterday’s book review) that I can read them but I want to come up with a great project I can do with the kids to really get them thinking about energy. 

I would LOVE to hear how you will be celebrating Earth Day this year.  Leave me a comment.  Whatever you do try to make a pledge to yourself to change one thing in your life.  I’ll let you know next week what my pledge is. 

P.S.  Since I’m on travel next week I’m not sure if I’ll get to actually wish you all a Happy Earth Day!  So I hope you all have a great day! 

BEFORE YOU SLAM ME FOR BEING ON A PLANE – READ THE NEXT POST!  I APPRECIATE YOUR VIEWS AND WILL KEEP ALL COMMENTS (UNLESS VULGAR) BUT I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER YOUR LIFE BEFORE YOU JUDGE MINE!  Thanks! 

I wanted to thank my friend Purple Pepper for her contribution to the Earth Hour post earlier today.  I was on a plane from Savannah to Atlanta when I read an article reminding me about Earth Hour.  Purple Pepper graciously posted the information for me since I wasn’t around my computer.  However….I also wrote an article while waiting for my return flight back to Tampa…so here it is:

Delta Airlines SKY magazine had a great green issue this month and the cover was about Earth Hour.  I remember when Australia honored Earth Hour last year so I was glad to see this again this year. 

It’s not just about an hour as it is to how much we as individuals impact the environment AND how we as individuals have a personnal responsibility to help reduce our impact.  We can sit around all day and blame the government for the lack of environmental laws but we need to take a step back and remember that we CAN all make a difference without laws.

What are some of our biggest issues we face today?  Is it the war in Iraq?  Is it the rising price of gasonline?  Is it the poor economy we are facing more and more each day?

By being a good environmental steward we can help with all of these issues.  How you might ask??  Think about today and the Earth Hour.  If we all (American’s or elsewhere) turned off our lights for one hour tonight not only will we be reducing our personal energy usage BUT we will also help reduce the amount of oil consumed on this planet.  We often forget where our daily necessities come from.  You don’t consciously think that you are contributing to the rising oil prices when you leave a light on in a room as you go off into another room; only to turn on another light.  And how often do you consider that by turning off that same light you might help us as American’s to bring our men and women home sooner from Iraq.

Why are we over there anyways?  I know there are many other reasons for our military presence in the Middle East but one reason for this (and other past wars) is due to the fight over – OIL!

Why have we become so dependant on this non-renewable resource?  How many of the products that we use on a daily basis are made with oil?  I would challenge you to think of a product that doesn’t directly or indirectly use oil.  Whether in production, transportation or in the use of the product almost everything we use or consume contributes to our dependance on oil.  Have we always been dependant on oil?  When did we as humans first use oil and what did we do before then?  What lessons can we learn from those individuals who didn’t depend on the oil?

So I know I have ventured off into a very controversial area but we often forget how dependant we are on this resource.  And what other technology or resource is available that would reduce this dependance?  What did families do prior to having electricity in the homes?  I bet 1) they had better family values and strong family bonds, 2) they were healthier without all that junk food and televisions, 3) they incorporated exercise into their daily activities, and 4) they took pride in their communities and natural resources.

There is a lot to say for the way things use to be BUT we also have to embrace where we are today.  As we turn off our lights tonight at 8pm (local time) I challenge you to take the time to consider additional ways you can change your life; not only to be a better environmental steward BUT for your FAMILY, your COMMUNITY, your COUNTRY, and your MOTHER – MOTHER EARTH!   

I joined this kids swap last week and I’m super excited to see how it unfolds.  I am trying to come up with ideas for the swap that are eco-friendly and fun.  I’ll keep you posted as the swap unfolds and share my swap with you.  This is the last weekend to sign up for the swap and they are looking for families across the US and Canada to participate.  I hope to see you in the swap. 

From the swap blog:
You are invited to participate in a swap for the wee ones. The emphasis here is on the little ones (ages 2-10) and the idea is to send out a care package to help get through the end of winter blahs. Hopefully it will also help our kids make friends with someone far away while creatively constructing a fun package for someone they have never met.
You do not have to pick out a theme but that would probably be helpful as you pick items to send. It would be best to stay away from commercialized themes like Elmo, Barbie, and such. Instead a good theme might be make believe, mail, library, art, etc. You can make, buy, or send gently used items. If you choose to spend money then the upper end should be about 10 dollars plus shipping (this does not include the value you have of anything you choose to send from your home or the value of your time.) The swaps will be organized by family groups. So you may have 2 children and swap with a family that has 1 or more children.

The commitment for this swap is :
1) email your partner introducing your family and answering a few provided questions
2) one package shipped by April 1
3) either an email thank you or send a thank you card in response.
If you choose to do any more that is up to you. But this is the minimum.

To join in send an email to megandmag(at)gmail(dot)com In your email include your name, the names of your children, their ages and genders, your location, and how you heard about the swap. The deadline to sign up is March 10 or when we reach 50 participants, which ever comes first. Hurry, it is filling up fast! My co-conspirator and I will try to match up similar age families, but can not make any promises. If you are from outside the US, you must be willing to ship internationally. If you are inside the US, it is not required that you are willing to ship internationally, as we already have many families willing to do so.