Ideas

We survived! Jeremy was in San Francisco for work last week and got back Friday evening. It was so nice to have him back home for the weekend.

I was thrilled to have my niece (12) and nephew (15) stay with me the whole time. They helped me more than they realize I'm sure. They played with the boys, kept them company so I could get some housework done, and even helped during the night when the boys woke up. And I got to spend my evenings talking and laughing and spending more quality time with them than I have in a very long time. They are such amazing and caring individuals and I am so very happy that it worked out for them to stay with us. I missed them these past couple of mornings when they weren't here! (pic above taken by Nick while he was here).

I've been wanting to write a follow up post to Plastic World. When I sat down to figure out how to get rid of plastic in our house (and how to avoid buying new plastic), I slowly realized how hard that will be. Plastic is everywhere in nearly everything. But I decided that changing one thing at a time will add up to making a big difference. Once I really looked at things, I realized that plastic is in everything involving kids. Apparently, big companies think 'indestructible' is the only thing suitable for kids. From sippy cups to toys...kids' items are plastic. There has been a lot recently in the news about kids' toys...whether it's lead paint recalls or toxins in plastic. But toys are only part of it. Babies and toddlers are especially vulnerable because they suck and chew on everything which means toxins like BPA's and Phthalates are getting into their bodies at a higher rate. Teethers are even made of plastic.

An alternative to plastic sippy cups I have found is the Klean Kanteen for toddlers. I love this sippy cup! Ian loves it too and it goes everywhere with is. I even bought a couple for Jeremy and me in the bigger size. They do sweat a bit so the insulated sleeves work great. We also have a couple Sigg cups for both boys that are really cute. I like the Klean Kanteen better as a sippy cup but it's nice to have a couple of options.

When Ian was learning to eat I used plastic bibs because I thought they were easier to clean up...just wipe and go! But all they did was end up smelling really bad and I could never get them clean enough after awhile. Then when Sawyer started solids a few months ago I was given several handmade cotton bibs from Anna, a friend of the family. She made me several and I absolutely fell in love with them. First of all...they are so much more comfortable for Sawyer (see how happy he is?). Second...they are so much cuter than the smelly plastic bibs and they wash as simply as a hand towel.

Recently I've been looking for baby and toddler utensils for the boys. All the baby spoons I could find have some sort of plastic on them. Ian has a few stainless steel spoons but the handles are plastic. Then I stumbled on these. And they are just as adorable in person. Ian took right to his which was a great sign since we are constantly reminding him to use his fork or spoon. I'm going to order the cooking set for him since my big spoons are just too much for his little hands.

Have fun browsing! I have more ideas coming but I need to put a little one to bed.

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