An Earth Day Give Away

Thursday is Earth Day.  Now, around here we try our best to make environmentally conscious decisions every day, but there is something to be said for observing our yearly reminder to step it up a notch.  This week I'll be sharing tips, crafts and ideas inspired by my own thoughts about what it means to live green.  I'm also excited to use this opportunity to host an amazing give away sponsored by the very local, Aurora Shoe Company.

Aurora Shoes are an excellent model for environmentally responsible consumerism.  Aurora Shoes are made with pride in Upstate New York using only American sourced materials.  This means a lot in an age where most products are assembled under sub-standard or unregulated working conditions using materials that are often produced in even less desirable conditions.  All of these materials and products travel great distances to finally make it onto the shelves of American shops where the shipping, import taxes and marketing costs result in products whose pricing does not reflect their quality.

At Aurora Shoe you pay for what you get:  high quality materials, superior craftsmanship, serious comfort and a solid guarantee.  You can see the Aurora Shoe production process for yourself by watching this video, filmed by a local newspaper about a year ago.

Not only are Aurora Shoes an ethical purchase, they're also a renewable one.  Many of us walk in a way that causes the soles of our shoes to wear unevenly.  Aurora Shoe is one of the only companies I know that encourages customers to not buy new, but to re-sole instead.  This simple act gives new life to each well loved pair and saves materials, energy and a trip to the landfill.

In honor of Earth Day, the Aurora Shoe Company has generously donated one pair of shoes (any color, any style) for the very first Keep it Real give away.  To enter, leave a comment on this blog between now and 6pm on Thursday, April 22nd.  Comments should answer the following question:

What is one long-term change you can make today to contribute to a healthier planet? 

The emphasis is on making a change today that you'll carry into the future. I'll give you one entry per commitment to change and certainly encourage you to come up with several.  Bonus points and one additional entry per person if you share a website, blog or article that offers eco-friendly  inspiration.  On Thursday I'll collect all comments and will randomly select one winner to post on Friday. 

If you read this blog or know me personally, then you already know that I  have a family connection with the Aurora Shoe Company and that I write for their company blog.  This does nothing to change the fact that I  have owned and loved these great shoes for more than a decade before my family had anything to do with them!  

This give away is now closed, but we welcome you to keep up with the Aurora Shoe Company by visiting their website and blog.

Baby Shower Gift Inspiration

I've spent the morning searching Etsy, looking for inspiration for a friend's upcoming baby shower. I like to make baby gifts myself and always find great ideas on the internet. Here are a few of my favorites:

Thanks to the amazing properties of wool, these hand knit wool slippers are perfect for babies year round. They'll keep little feet warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

via Handknit Hugs

Easily the cutest and safest looking teether I have ever seen.

via Little Sapling Toys

This cute wet bag definitely tops our throw-it-in-a-grocery-bag method for dirty cloth diapers!

via The Pat-a-Cake Baby

Obviously not a great shower gift, but so cute for after baby arrives.

via Chichiboulie

A little local love - everything Silk Oak makes is adorable.

via Silk Oak

Self Imposed Challenge of the Day

 My sewing machine has been stored away since before Christmas, but today I'm going to pull it out and attempt to make a cute bag for my turquoise loving sister who turns 22 in a few days.  Her party is tonight, so the pressure is on to produce something quickly.  Let's see if Leif can keep himself happily busy so Mama can do the same!

I enjoy making my patterns up as I go (at least that's what I tell myself - I'm really intimidated by actual patterns) but these are a few bag plans that I would love to take on some day:

Buttercup Bag via Made By Rae

The Weekender Travel Bag by Amy Butler via Sew Mama Sew

T-Shirt Bag via Martha Stewart

As I was searching for inspiration I also stumbled across this free pattern for a bra purse.  Yep, it's made from an actual bra.  I don't think I'll ever be attempting this one, but it was just too good to not share!

Check us out @ Mama Goose!

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review the Ergo baby carrier for our favorite local shop, Mama Goose. You can read my review to see what I think of our Ergo carrier (it's all love), but I'm going to use this space to tell you more about our family's love for the Goose.

Jodi and I first discovered Mama Goose when the Ergo website listed it as a local retailer. We couldn't believe our luck when their cute little shop happened to be a block away from our Obstetricians' office. We would leave appointments and then walk down the street and see what treasures the little consignment shop had to offer that day. I can't tell you how many outfits, toys and books we brought home before Leif was even born. We bought our Ergo baby carrier at Mama Goose and it was even on the suggestion of a Mama Goose staffer that we chose to purchase Mother Ease diapers. As the first of our friends to have a child, I can't imagine how we would have navigated all of those baby prep decisions if we didn't have the support and expertise of Mama Goose to rely on.

We were more than excited to see Mama Goose expand into its new location on State Street in Ithaca, and we still do most of our shopping there. We scored a great wooden train set for Leif's Christmas present this year and have to say that most of his wardrobe has come from Mama Goose as well. We feel good about everything we buy at Mama Goose - whether it's gently used toys, clothes and shoes for Leif or locally made, fair trade or organic gifts for the other babies and kids in our lives. It's feel good shopping at its best and we're so glad we live near enough to get into the store as often as we do!

And, just in case you were wondering, and in the spirit of keeping it real, I have to say that I have no formal relationship with Ergo (or Mama Goose). I'm just a very satisfied customer!

How Safe are Your Products?

Do you ever wonder if your shampoo is going to give you Cancer?

Now that I have a child, I think about that kind of stuff all the time. Though it's become a bit controversial, I trust the findings of the Environmental Working Group's website called the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.

I discovered this website recently and was surprised to find that many of the products I'd carefully chosen for my family were not as safe as they had seemed. For example, my Herbal Essences shampoo is no safer than my 2 year old's Burts Bees wash (great to know after using it for 2 years almost exclusively). Other finds were not so surprising: Self tanners are terrible as are the most common sunscreens (stay away from Coppertone!). Regular body lotions are also pretty awful, with many containing ingredients that have been known to cause Cancer.

The website makes it clear that they evaluate products based on the ingredients contained in them, and not the products themselves. They are also careful to say that an individual's reaction will be based on their level of exposure to the ingredients and their individual susceptibility. Like every other resource out there, the Cosmetic Safety Database offers useful information. As consumers, it's our job to educate ourselves and then use our own brains to figure out how to apply it to our lives.

Based on the findings from this site, along with my own experience, I would like to recommend the following products as safe and useful:

Badger Balm Lip & Body Balm (yum!)

California Baby Aromatherapy Bubble Bath (it's not just for the kiddos)

Earth Mama Angel Baby Pregnancy Pampering Kit (they also make wonderful and completely safe baby products)



Aquarella water based nail polish (because regular nail polish is about as toxic as you can get)

I haven't yet found a lotion that I feel good about, so we've been using a jar of coconut oil. We have to warm and melt it in our hands first, but it works just as well as anything and smells delicious!


Check out your products at the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database and see what you think.

Not a Cup, But a Cow

What do you buy for the person who already has everything?

How about buying for someone who has much less instead?

Heifer International helps families around the world achieve self-reliance through the gift of livestock and training. Their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.

Here is a brief history of the organization, taken from their website:

A Midwestern farmer named Dan West was ladling out rations of milk to hungry children during the Spanish Civil War when it hit him.

“These children don’t need a cup, they need a cow.”

West, who was serving as a Church of the Brethren relief worker, was forced to decide who would receive the limited rations and who wouldn’t – literally, who would live and who would die. This kind of aid, he knew, would never be enough.

So West returned home to form Heifers for Relief, dedicated to ending hunger permanently by providing families with livestock and training so that they “could be spared the indignity of depending on others to feed their children.”

Dan West's idea has now changed the lives over 8.5 million people

In 1944, the first shipment of 17 heifers left York, Pennsylvania, for Puerto Rico, going to families whose malnourished children had never even tasted milk. Learn about the cowboys who brought cows and kids together. Why heifers? These are young cows that haven’t yet given birth – making them perfect not only for supplying a continued source of milk, but also for supplying a continued source of support. That’s because each family receiving a heifer agrees to “pass on the gift” and donate the female offspring to another family, so that the gift of food is never-ending. This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for over 60 years. Since 1944, Heifer has helped 8.5 million people in more than 125 countries.

Heifer International will even help you create a card to accompany your gift. Please consider giving the gift of livestock this year. It's more than a gift, it's a solution.

Alternative Holiday Shopping

Every year around this time the local churches pass around a box full of beautiful handmade items from around the world. They sell them at the local craft fairs and during coffee hours after church services during the advent season. I always find a few treasures and then get on the website to see what else is out there. This year SERRV is celebrating its 60th year of "eradicating poverty where it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers world wide".

I bought this Indonesian pin last week. I haven't decided if I'll give it away or keep it for myself.

Here's how SERRV describes their work:

Our work encompasses more than just buying and selling.
We offer prepayments so our partners can sustain their business.
Create new designs so they can build their markets.
Teach new skills so they can develop their craft.
Provide grants so they can expand their resources.

We support equal rights for women.
Guide sustainable development.
And of course, pay a fair wage.

For 60 years, we have worked on behalf of the world’s Artisans and Farmers. One of the first alternative trade organizations in the world, SERRV is a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (formerly IFAT) and a founding member of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF).

This just went into my shopping cart. One of those church ladies snatched it up before I could!

And this - genius!


SERRV items are unique and I always feel good about my purchases. It's a win-win-win!