Tag Archives: eco-smart

boon WRAP protective bowl cover


I’ve been reading some disturbing articles questioning that while BPA-free is great, but what are the plastics replacing the BPA, and why haven’t those been tested? I have a long history of female heath problems resulting in my abdomen looking like a bizarre Frankenstein experiment – and some day I’ll write about them – but until then I am super hyper-sensitive to anything that can cause future reproductive problems (plastic, hormones in meat, pesticides on produce, preservatives, parabens + phthalates in cosmetics and cleaning supplies…) for my daughter, whom I fear naturally inherited my issues from the start.

Ergo, I spent the better part of Saturday scouring the web trying to find A) Good glass or stainless sippy cups (anyone have suggestions?) and B) non-glass or non-plastic bowls for feeding, as Evie is eating solids a couple times a day now and already hurling objects off her high chair with impressive fortitude.

And then I discovered THIS.  There really isn’t a reason to buy a whole bunch of new dishware for the youngins at this age, since they could care less about design.  Plus, good luck finding a good alternative that isn’t breakable or plastic.  And anyway I prefer using my small pyrex glass bowls to feed her since I can just heat up her food and mix it all together in one dish.  Oh dear lord the boon WRAP is genius. Genius!! Use the dishes you already have, and wrap this sucker around it and watch it bounce to safety.  Plus it suctions to the table, which means greatly eliminated projectile tossing!

The WRAP isn’t available yet, but I’ve already pre-ordered it on Amazon.  Boon does it again.  My house is becoming a boon showroom!

Paraben-Free, Phthalates-Free, Plant-Based Products I Love


Happy Earth Day!

I am by no means an expert in the area of super-green living, but I have been trying to make small changes every year for the last 3 years and have done a decent amount of research as to what products are cleanest, greenest, and most importantly, what is safest for my family.

Below is a round-up of the products we use every single day in our home.  These items have been tested, used and then determined – sometimes despite a few undesirable ingredients – that their results combined with their ingredients serve my purposes best day to day.  Some of these rate a bit high on EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, so I’m always looking for better replacements.  In the meantime, these do the job.

Caudile Instant Foaming Cleanser ($26),  Beauty Elixer ($46), Grape Water ($13) – A great line. Love it all.

Josie Maran Organic Aragan Oil, $14 – This makes a good early morning or before bed moistureizer.  I rub it on if I’m heading out to breakfast with the fam and don’t feel like putting on make-up, but want a healthy glow.  I love to top it off with a spritz or two of Caudile Grape Water.

Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion Daily Shade Formula SPF 16, $19 for 32oz – I like the SPF, and it moisturizes well in this dry climate.

Alba Shave Cream in Coconut Lime, $4 – Coconut & Lime! This shave cream is so yummy!

Mustela Stelatopia Moisturizing Cream, $19 – The best stuff I’ve found to help with Evie’s dry skin.  We’re in Colorado, so I know dry.  This really works and is unscented.

Mustela Bebe Vitamin Barrier Diaper Cream, $9 – I love the scent and it keeps her moisturized as well as protected.  Ok to use on cloth diapers.

Ok, I use a whole lot of Mustela products on my daughter – I love the line, I really do.

Tom’s of Main Long Lasting Deodorant Wild Lavender, $6 – The ingredients in standard deodarants are just scary, so I decided to make the switch to natural.  I’m not crazy about it, and I sometimes still need to use a bit of Degree if the day calls for it, but for most days, this works really well.  It takes some getting used to, but I think it’s worth it.

Kiss My Face Moisture Hand Soap Lavender Shea, $7 – Clearly I like lavender! This is the hand soap we use around the house.  Cleans up well and smells great.

Seventh Generation Liquid Laundry Concentrate Free & Clear, $22 for 150oz – No dyes or crazy perfumes. Plant-based and keeps our clothes clean. I just use a smaller amount for the baby’s clothes and she’s never had a problem.

Seventh Generation Dish Liquid Lavender & Floral Mint -  Love the scent and again – cleans dishes really well.

Better Life cleaning products (all of them!) – Oh man, I can’t say enough great things about this line.  We’ve been using it exclusively in our home for nearly two years.  I love the people that own the company, and I love love love the products!!

Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Tablets, $8 – I’m annoyed they wrap each tablet individually, but beyond that these clean our dishes wonderfully.  I can’t say I understand the intricacies of dishwashing detergents, but I think these are a step in the right direction.

Mimi The Sardine Spillmats


So our little Pumpkin has started eating solids, and I’m about as obsessed with mashed/steamed/roasted/pureed food as you can get.  We haven’t even decided on a highchair yet (though I am leaning towards the Boon Flair Pedestal) but I’m now painfully forseeing a future involving aforementioned foods splattered all over our house (and baby).

Due to her remarkable spit-up capabilities and excessive drool I am well-versed in bib science, but outer protection is new to me.  I just came across the lovely baby shop UrthChild and these cute Spillmats by Mimi The Sardine.  They’re made from 100% organic cotton and have a water-based, acrylic coating that’s non-toxic, BPA-Free and not PVC.

I think the patterns are adorbs, but would also love some muted colors/patterns too.  I can see a more adult palette as useful for meals involving guests when you don’t necessarily want to parade every rainbow-colored baby item you own.

Regardless, I’m going to pick one up, as we’ll definitely need this for feedings outside the house.  I know our family will appreciate roasted butternut squash landing safely on this mat and not the carpet at Sunday dinners.

Boon LAWN Countertop Drying Rack


There is no doubt of my love for Boon’s Grass Drying Rack – except that lately not everything I need to dry fits on our cheery little patch of BPA-free drying “grass.”  Clearly Boon heard the cry from parents who have little hungry hippos and are always drying bottles – because the grass has turned into a Lawn!  This is great as we slowly venture into solids and have even more utensils to dry.  Also, Evie’s 8oz glass bottles will nestle so much easier on a larger space…no more balancing acts and piling of nipples!

Old News


Since our daughter was born I fear our Sunday ritual of combing through the New York times has been temporarily suspended, thus creating quite a pile of unread newspapers (we get the Denver Post too) which are gathering on various surfaces around our house. Solution? This stylish, functional, and smart newspaper collector aptly titled “Old News” by uber cool Swedish design collective, Creatables.  Bring on the Sunday funnies!

Ecoist Snowjob Chair


ecoist is a great company who makes super stylish fashion accessories from, well, basically trash.  They collaborate with big brands like Coca-Cola, Aveda, Frito-Lay and Disney to secure their mis-printed and obsolete packaging and then fold them up into innovative products.

This is another brand I’ve sold in the past. ecoist has been around since 2004…before the big “green products” boom that hit the market in ’07;  I think they really know what they’re doing, and I’m thrilled they’ve been able to thrive for so many years. (Fun fact: Kim Cattrall’s character toted a silver “Mega” ecoist bag in Sex & The City 2, which was an absolutely terrible sequel, but the clothes were still good!)

This chair, however.  WOW.  Now, I have a thing for chairs, so I am easily impressed, but you’d have to have a cold heart not to see the beauty in their latest collaboration with designer Emiliano Godoy.

Glad to see they’re looking at new ways to use those candy wrappers.  What’s next a couch? A headboard maybe?  Guess we’ll have to wait and see…

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