Plastic Baggies: "Bye, Bye!"

Neither the preschool that my son went to, nor his elementary school allow plastic baggies in the students' lunch boxes. They have "trash-free" lunches.  So, I put everything in reusable containers.  Until recently, I had yet to find a sandwich container that is the right size to hold a sandwich, but is not too big so that it fills up the entire lunch box - leaving no room for anything else.   I struggled with these awkward containers, and then I happened upon something called LunchSkins.

Here is an excerpt from the LunchSkins website, which talks about how LunchSkins began:

"While sitting around a kitchen table in 2008, we heard a staggering statistic - every day, more than 20 million sandwich bags from school lunches go into landfills in the US. We knew that many families were looking for easy, convenient ways to be green and avoid this kind of waste. So we put our passion and energy together and 3greenmoms was born. Our mission - to design a colorful, fresh alternative to the plastic baggie.

It seemed relatively easy... all we needed was a food-safe, dishwasher-friendly, moderately-attractive reusable bag. How hard could that be? Our number one priority was to find a food-safe fabric, so we went straight to the food industry. There, we found a very high-quality European fabric used by patisseries and bakeries certified as food-safe. Conveniently, this fabric is durable and withstands high heat, too - bingo! It can withstand repeated cycles in the dishwasher. We came up with some fresh, modern designs for those of us who want to dress up our bag lunch. Then, we found a family-owned manufacturer nearby in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

It all sounds logical, right? But, after many prototypes, sleepless nights, exhausting early morning flights and late evening telephone calls, we think we’re on the right track. Getting here wasn’t easy, but LunchSkins have now put a fresh face on an old idea. Thankfully, it has been a family affair with husbands, kids and friends sharing advice and support on a daily basis.

Whether you care about our environment, saving money, eating healthy, or looking stylish, LunchSkins are the answer to your plastic baggie blues -- they offer an environmental benefit (reduce landfill waste), a practical benefit (they can be used hundreds of times and save you money over the long run), and a healthy choice (food tastes better in a pastry bag). Welcome to our family!"

And it seems that business has been good.  And landfills are feeling the ease. Look at this!

"In just one year, our LunchSkins customers have taken a big bite out of landfill and ocean waste. With your purchase and use of LunchSkins, more than 12 million plastic baggies have been saved from the landfill. WOW! We’re on a mission to reduce the number of plastic baggies thrown out. Help us reach our 2011 goal of keeping 100 million plastic baggies out of landfills and waterways. Bag the (plastic) baggies!"

We love our Lunchskins sandwich bag.  I can toss it in the top rack of the dishwasher, or handwash it.  It is so durable!  Plus, my son likes the cool design on his.  Check it out.  And think about "trash-free" lunches for your kids!

Thoughts On Our New School...

I have been noticing the parents at my son's new school as we are in line at drop-off in the mornings and pick-up in the afternoons.  I don't know many of them yet - this is a new school for us.  "Big Kid School," as my son calls it.  But yesterday, I noticed the Indian mother bringing in home-cooked food for her son's class.  I noticed my son's teacher who came to greet him at the car, wearing a peace emblem on her shirt.  I have noticed the different races of the students at the school, playing on the playground together, and not in cliques.  I noticed the pickup truck in front of me with a antique bureau in the back.  The truck had a bumper-sticker that was pro-environment, and the dad, dressed in flip flops, looked like a surfer.  In a community which boosted many Yes on Prop 8 bumper stickers last year, I am seeing more Coexist bumper stickers now.  Over the summer, many of the parents volunteered to improve the playground and garden.  They gave up many of their vacation days to help the school! And we just finished the first school fundraiser - selling biodegradable SKOY cloths, instead of junky candy and tacky gift wrap.

I am so glad that my son is in a school which embraces all children, of all backgrounds.  I am so glad that the parents are globally minded, respect the environment, and understand that a we should teach our children these things.  I love that the parents are involved in their children's education.  I am so glad he has teachers that read books to the class like "Three Cups of Tea." 

I think all of these things play into an environment that is loving, safe, and supportive.  I think these children will be more open-minded than generations past.  I think schools like this are helping to create a better society for the future.

Chemicals, chemicals, everywhere!

Someone very close to our family has been in the hospital for the past couple of days with a severe reaction to a chemical peel done by her dermatologist.  First came the swelling, the anapyhlaxis, next heart problems, and then seizure-like spasms occuring every hour or so.  This is rare and the doctors are getting to the bottom of it as we speak.  They are expecting a full recovery, but nonetheless, this is very, very scary.

This is a perfect example of how quickly and efficiently our skin, our body's largest organ, can absorb chemicals, and how quickly our bloodstream can move chemicals to other parts of our body. About 6 months ago, I read somewhere that it is quite common for a person to slather on, soap up with, and bathe in over 200 chemicals per day.  I was urged to look in my medicine cabinet, in my shower, on my counter.  I scanned bottles for anything I couldn't pronounce.  Words like sodium laureth sulfate became bad words.  I threw out bottle after bottle...items which said "natural" on the front label, but had a list of about 50 unrecognizable ingredients on the back.  

Imagine how many times per day, per week, per year you use lotion, soap, shampoo.  If there are chemicals in those products, imagine how much of them your body absorbs over a long period of time.  Also imagine using those products on a child, whose body is smaller and weaker than yours.  

Take a closer look in your bathroom.  It potentially may house more harmful chemicals than your cleaning supplies cupboard.  

Paradise

A few months ago, my husband and I were running in the neighborhood, and saw several Amazon parrots perched upon an electric line.  Now, as much I we may dream, we do not live in South America...we are in Southern California.  Needless to say, this was a rare sight.

We were only two blocks away from home, and I desperately wished these exotic creatures would make their way to our yard.  We are well equipped with tons of tropical trees and plants - a haven for these unusual birds.  Sure enough, last month we would see the flock of about 18 parrots fly over our property in the morning, usually around 7:30 or 8.  They flew high, but their call was unmistakable.  They were loud and rambunctious, waking up any sleepers-in.  

A dream come true, they have finally settled into our neck of the woods, at least for a morning treat each day.  The flock spreads itself over two or three trees, calling to one another.  They sit on the electrical line that feeds to our home.  They jostle for the best viewing position of a tree with one spare branch at its peak.  

I know the morning will come when they move on.  It will be soon.  But, 'til then I can enjoy my little slice of paradise each morning.

Hey, Mamas - Live Your Life!

Over a decade ago, I had the honor of performing in the national tour of the Broadway musical, "Rent."  A predominant theme of the story is "No Day But Today," meaning "live today to the fullest - who knows what tomorrow may bring."  Now, many years later, here I am...a mom, a wife, an actor, a teacher, a director, a writer, a homemaker, a "wake-up at 6:30-get the boy off to school-come home-feed the pets-pay bills-clean dishes-makes phone calls-memorize lines-return emails-research scripts-vacuum floors-pick up boy from school-help with homework-play Legos-fix dinner-go to the theatre for an 8:00 performance-come home at 11:00-crash on the couch" mama...it would have been easy to have let the theme "No Day But Today" evaporate from my daily life.  But somehow, as I move through my third decade, that theme is resonating stronger than ever.

A voice teacher, years ago, said to me, in a melodramatic tone, "Women don't come into their voices until their mid-thirties."  Meaning, that a woman's voice does not fully mature until her 30s.  But, I think there was more to her statement than just that.  There is something about the mid-thirties...the fact that at this point in our lives we have now experienced births and deaths, dealt with emotional ups and downs, made friends, lost friends, reconnected with old friends, made money, lost money...  Many of us have seen the world - it's treasures and it's tragedies.  We now have some "life experience" in our personal tool belt.  And we have opinions, and goals, and passions, and dreams based off of those experiences.  And we have learned how to juggle, to some degree, the home life with the work life.  And we must never forget to seize each day and live it to its fullest.  We are equipped to juggle all those balls in the air and LIVE!

What is that Mark Twain quote?

“Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.”

What are some of your passions?  How do you live each day to the fullest?    

Responsible Back to School Shopping

Yesterday, my son and I did some back-to-school shopping.  Continuing in the tradition of his previous Montessori school, we stayed away from the Star Wars backpacks, Power Ranger lunch boxes, and logo-ed tee shirts.  We allow him to play with these things at home, but have always kept the "commerciality" out of his learning experience at school.  He willingly agreed to the more plain backpack - and actually really likes it because it looks like an "explorers" backpack.  

The lunch box and water bottle (made by Crocodile Creek) are both environmentally friendly and still look cool.  The bamboo utensils we bought for his lunch box are made by To-Go Ware, and come in a handy pouch.  When shopping for some of the school supplies for the classroom, we purchased Seventh Generation brand paper towels and tissues.  Also, paper was listed on his supply list, so we were sure to buy paper that had come from renewable wood from certified and responsibly managed forests.  

These days I don't even think twice about shopping in the most responsible way that I can.  Having a child has taught me this.  And raising him through a Montessori education has supported this lifestyle.  I know when my son goes to school, other kids will also bring their lunch boxes, sans plastic baggies.  Many of them will have stainless steel water bottles.  And there won't be the lure of the Transformer tee-shirts or Sponge Bob sweatshirts to distract him from his learning experience at school.  

Rice and Beans

One of my favorite memories of my time spent in Central America is waking up to the smell of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans).  The aroma wafts out of tiny kitchens and into the sidewalks and alleys of cobblestone streets.  The strong scent even flows into the thickness of neighboring jungles.  Somehow it thickens the air, even on the hottest, most humid mornings.  

Mothers and grandmothers, sisters and daughters make this dish with such pride and such care.  It is warm and it is wholesome.  It fills little tummies as they set off on their day.