I sometimes get questions about B's toys. I think people think he must not have any toys because we are eco-friendly. FALSE! Now not all of his toys are eco-friendly and I really don't think that would ever be possible. We do try hard to not have too many toys and starting with his 2nd birthday this summer we will start the 1 in 1 out rule (with the toys being donated).

Okay first of all this toy is a dinosaur so that makes it kickass awesome to start with. Now add to that the fact that it is made from solid wood from renewable forests and is finished with water-based, non-acrylic, non toxic paint. Packaging can be the a make or break deal with me. It really grinds my gears when it is an eco-toy but in non recyclable packaging or the toy is held in place with those little plastic ties. This toy was housed in a minimal amount of packaging all of which was recyclable. And there were NO little plastic ties.

What I don't like (and B hates) is that the string to pull the dinosaur is really short. I extended it with some twine but it still doesn't help to keep the dinosaur upright. Perhaps he will grow into it but right now he can pull it a foot or so before it topples over. T-Rex can't keep up with B's full on running I guess!

Green Toys are made in the US from recycled milk jugs (totally a foreign concept for us since our milk comes in bags or cartons). Their packaging is also entirely recyclable. B loves to push it around (he stands behind it and runs while pushing it) but the wheels don't roll as smoothly as other trucks so it doesn't roll as far if you just push it. The recycling materials that come with it are just pieces you cut out of the cardboard box. We opted to not keep these because B would totally be putting them in his mouth...not recycling them in the truck. If he was older then it would not have been an issue.

I love MiYim toys. They are organic, colour dyed with soy and 100% certified non-toxic. B has the monkey stacker and when he isn't putting the pieces on his head and giggling he has fun staking it in the proper order. And since it is a plush toy it doesn't hurt when he throws it at me. It's a nice change from the typical plastic stackers on the market. He also has a MiYim rattle and lovie.

While this toy isn't fully an eco toy (outside of the wood being free from toxic chemicals and insecticide) I was very impressed with the packaging. There was no plastic holding the toy in place. Rather it was pieces of cardboard with holes in them and pieces of the toy (ie: the trains wheels) that were through the holes holding them in place.

Related Posts - Check them Out
Christmas Roundup
B's Birthday Bash

It is the end of Week 1 of my 2011 in 2011 challenge. I am surprised at how easy it has been. When I first started I thought for sure I would never make it even close to 2011 by the end of the year. I know I will make it there...the question is now how quickly. I have decided that if I hit 2011 things before year end I will keep going to see how far past it I can go.

I collected things in the kitchen and B's room 3 days this week. Here are the results. The ? category means I am not sure what should be done with it and I need to determine if it can be recycled or not.

I have never bought Method products before because frankly there were costly compared to other products that are out there. Then I saw their tub and tile cleaner and how it was only 4.99 which was in line with the costs of its competitors (green and non green).

I first tried it in our shower. It is all tile and a complete bitch to keep clean. I don't know what it is but we always get this orange/pinkish residue on the tile. I have used other cleaners in the past and always gag due to the fumes in such a small space. I didn't have to worry about that with this Method product. It has a mild peppermint smell and did not give me a headache when I sprayed it all over the tile while standing in the shower stall.  It got rid of that orange/pinkish crap and made the grout sparkle again (I used a toothbrush on the grout). I didn't have to let it sit forever either. I sprayed it on and let it sit for maybe 5 minutes before scrubbing down the more troublesome spots. I also used it on the shower stall glass door and it did an awesome job at getting rid of the soap scum.

Next I used it on our deep soaker tub. I sprayed it on, let it sit for a few minutes then just rinsed it off. The tub wasn't that dirty to begin with but you could still see the results. After Poopgate 2011 I used it on B's tub. This tub gets much more use than our tub and I still didn't have to do that much work to see results. I sprayed it on, waited a few minutes and then rinsed it off. It took care of all residual poop and the soap scum.

This product is biodegradable, made from plants and is not tested on animals. The bottled is made from 100% recycled plastic.

*** I have not been paid to review this product nor was I given any of this product to review. I bought the product myself and am reviewing it on my own.

This is something all Canadians can relate too. How many of us did this or knew someone who did? I am dying over here watching this!

That is the number of things I will be trying to get rid of (recycle, giveaway, sell, trash) this year. I saw the idea on Kid Stuff World today and thought that it is an awesome idea! Plus I really need to organize this place so hopefully getting rid of 2011 things will kick start that process. I am going to start with the office because it is a mess. I keep the door shut it is so bad. It is kind of where stuff goes to die. Phase 2 may just be the garage because it has become a nightmare.

Stay tuned...I will post my results each week. I know you all can not wait for that ;)

If you want to join in here are the guidelines (from Kid Stuff World). If you do end up doing this let me know and I can link to your blog with your updates (if you have a blog).

Anything that has taken up residence in your home. Any item using valuable floor/counter/table space you could be using or areas you could be not using in a more calming, soothing way. This could be stacks of papers and magazines, clothing you no longer need or wear, items in your cupboards you haven’t touched in years, toys no one plays with, hair and body products you have never opened … you get the idea.

The only items not included in our challenge are things you will be replacing with an item of a similar nature (i.e, – food, recycling, beauty supplies you use on a constant basis, laundry detergent) and items you bring in your home after you start the challenge, like mail, new clothing, etc.

The only exceptions to these guidelines are 1) when you leave mail lying on the counter for a week (or more) and it takes control of your kitchen. Go ahead and toss it and count it. Or 2) when you find 5 empty TP rolls in your guest bath or 3) large empty bottles of laundry detergent in your laundry room just junking up the place. Don’t be hard on yourself, just tally them in with your other items and be done with it. Vow to do better the next time around.

Our Progress
Week 1 - 431 items
Week 2 - 225 items
Week 3 - 179 items
Week 4 - 175 items
Week 5 - 203 items
Week 6 - 72 items
Week 8 - 57 items

Week 9 - 79 items
Week 10 - 122 items
Week 11 - 56 items
Week 12 - 61 items
Week 14 - 130 items
Week 19 - 18 items
Week 21 - 152 items
Week 24 - 33 items
Week 35 - 24 items

This weeks Change the World Wednesday challenge is to find other ways to talk about being eco-friendly other than just talking about it here in the blog world. When I started my blog it was because I often got questions on how to be more environmentally friendly. I still get a lot of questions and sometimes I refer people to a post here or other times I just talk to them about my experiences. So other than my little corner of the interwebz how do I 'spread the word' about becoming more green?

Not everyone I know is crunchy. But most people respect what we are doing and I love that they are interested in what we are doing to make ourselves greener. No one gave us any attitude when we asked for no toys at B's 1st birthday, my family threw me a green baby shower, and the fact that I pumped at work for 7 months opened the door to talk about breastfeeding with so many of my coworkers.  Joe is also open about what we are doing and has more than once told his co-workers about all the cool things I am working on.

I was involved for decades and my Mom and Sister are still involved. Recently they asked me to come and talk to their group about the Weekend to End Women's Cancers walk I did in September. It gave me a chance to talk about that wonderful event but also to talk about what changes I think we can make to reduce our chances of getting this horrible disease.

I don't just talk about shit on here and then not actually do it in my life. So people see me using products or doing something different and ask about it. It gives me an opportunity to talk about why I am using a new water bottle or why I am taking my composting home with me.

I talk to strangers. Several months ago I saw a lady standing the cleaning aisle of the grocery store with 2 products in her hands. I have tried both and knew which one actually worked. I wasn't sure if I should say anything but I mean really so what if I do and she thinks I am crazy...not like I am going to run into her again. So I went up to her and told her about my experiences with the two products and which one I would pick. She didn't run away yelling STRANGER DANGER, instead she thanked me and put the product I had recommended into her cart.

In Part 1 I covered how to get started with your vermicomposter and how to harvest it.  So let's talk about what problems you may run into and what you can do about it.

Place a jar with beer in it beside your vermicomposter. Make a tightly wrapped cone out of paper (with a very small hole in the center) and place this over the opening of the jar. Fruit flies love beer so they will come away from your vermicomposter and travel down the cone of death into your jar of beer. When the fruit flies are all gone just empty the jar out.

To prevent fruit flies from returning to your vermicomposter make sure that you cover the food completely when you add it.

If you have mold in your composter it is because you have too much moisture. Remove all the mold from the composter, including any foods with mold on them. To soak up the extra moisture add thin, dry strips of newspaper to your bin. Rotate the bedding in the bin.

To prevent mold growth ensure you don't add any additional moisture when you add your food scraps.

If your vermicomposter smells it is probably because you have not buried the food properly, have too much water build up in the bottom or the composter is being overloaded. To get rid of the odor drain any water that has accumulated in the bottom (make sure you don't lose any worms!) rotate the bedding and cover all of the food.

If you find that your composter is smelling and food is not breaking down fast enough stop adding food to the composter so your worms have a chance to "catch up". They just need to let that top button out before they continue on with the buffet!

Victoria at Mommy is Green asked a question about kitchen composting so I thought I would post about my experience in vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is composting with worms and it is not as gross as it sounds. If you do it right the worms stay where they should, in the bin. It really is an excellent way to compost if you do not have a backyard or the space to outdoor compost.

You are going to need a bin. The size will depend on how much room you have and how much organics you produce. A typical family of 4 produces 6lbs of organics per week. You will also need bedding material and some red wiggler worms. You can get the red wigglers by splitting them from someone who already vermicomposts or you can find someone who supplies them. Red wigglers are used because they can eat their body weight in a day and leave behind a rich soil fertilizer.

Drill holes in the side and the top of the bin to help the worms breathe. You will also need at least 10 drainage holes 1cm in size on the bottom of the bin. Place the bin on small blocks over a tray.

There are several options for bedding for your bin. Personally I would use a mixture of black soil and shredded paper. Simply shred the paper (not glossy, waxed, bleached or coloured paper), wet it with water and then mix with black top soil. An alternative to this method would be to soak peat moss overnight in water then squeeze out the extra liquid and combine it with crushed egg shells.

There are several things you can do to keep your worms happy. Firstly they do not like bright light. They like dark environments with a moderate temperature so do not leave your bin in direct sunlight. If you are keeping it outdoors make sure you bring it indoors if the temperature drops below 4C. They do not like too much moisture so make sure you drain your food waste before putting it into your vermicomposter.

You can put egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags, fruit peels, vegetable scraps and bread/baked goods into your vermicomposter. You will have more success if you put in smaller pieces rather than say a full apple.  You should avoid adding dairy products, oily food, meat, fish, bones.

Make sure you always cover your food scraps when you add them into your bin.

It will take about 2-3 months before all of your bedding will be gone and it will be time to harvest your compost! Just follow these few simple steps:

1. Remove the lid to your composter and move the bedding material to one side.

2. Prepare new bedding and put it in the side that you cleared. Add food scraps to this side.

3. Cover only this side with plastic or a lid. Within 2 weeks your worms will migrate to the new side.

4. Using a bright light on the finished material, scoop out the compost.

5. Spread the new bedding out to cover the whole bin.

6. Add some fresh bedding and food scraps and start composting again.

The compost that you harvest can be kept in a tightly closed container until you are ready to use it. You can use it for plants, your garden or as potting soil!

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I will cover solutions to common vermicomposting problems.

When our city composting system launched last year we got 2 containers. 1 is for the kitchen and one is the larger one that we roll to the curb. I have always struggled with keeping the initial part of composting 'clean'. I don't take the container out every day and lets face it, I am never going to. I take it out when it is full....sometimes stuffed full.  We were also given paper bags to go in them. I found the bags for the kitchen container to be slightly useful but I don't see a need to put a big brown bag in the curb side container. Last week I ran out of the kitchen bags and I am not going to purchase replacements. That means I have to wash my container after I empty it. I try to prevent some of the grossness by lining the container with newspaper but it doesn't stop it from getting pretty nasty.

Oh man I don't even want to think about what the curbside container is going to be like in the summer. Maybe I will use our home compost in the summer and the city program in the winter.

If you compost what do you do to make it as 'clean' as possible? Am I SOL if I don't take it out every single night?

I never thought I would be an extended breastfeeder but I am so proud that I am. We reached a pretty big milestone last week. A year and a half of breastfeeding. When B was first born my goal was to nurse until he got teeth. And when those suckers came in I had several times where I would say I was done out of the pain from him biting. But we worked through it and he learned to not do that. My next goal was to make it to 1 year. It was hard since I went back to work at 9 months and had supply issues starting around 10 months. I got lots of support and brought my supply back up. After B turned 1 I decided I wanted to make it to 15 months....then 18 months. Now I don't know what to aim for. Do I even need to have a goal anymore?

I think the biggest shock when we do stop will be the cost of having to buy organic milk. It is going to be hard to pay for something that we have been getting for free for so long!

1. The snuggles

2. When B sticks his feet in my face and laughs all while still nursing

3. I'm like a walking fridge....milk is always available when he wants it

4. Knowing I am able to give B what is best for him

5. Cash monies savings!

6. It is eco-friendly...which you know is right up my alley

7. Those quiet moments where it is just B and I in the middle of the night

8. Bonding...oh the bonding

9. Seeing Joey being happy and proud of me

1. Waking up with rock hard porn star boobs while laying in a puddle of milk

2. Pumping....especially at work. How I did that 3 times a day for 7 months I will never know

3. Pumping...in the bathroom of Union Station (ewwwww fecal mist)

4. Teeth

I decided to take the Change the World Wednesday challenge of using more eco-friendly cleaners. I already use mostly eco-cleaners at home so I decided to take the challenge to the next level and make my own. I focused on vinegar because it is simple to use and I wanted to see how effective it would be in the dishwasher, washing machine, sterilizing toys and cleaning the windows.

The Dishwasher (aka - seriously you are 5 years old...why do you sound like you are 50 years old?)

I filled the rinse agent dispenser full of vinegar and started the first load. My dishes are always rinsed prior to going into the dishwasher but there are still some food bits on them. I think I was expecting to open the door and be blinded by the shining awesomeness that is clean dishes. Sadly this did not happen. My dishes were no more clean than when I wasn't using vinegar. I would say the only real difference was that my white plates seemed shinier but this could just be my mind making me see this so I could say 'YEAH VINEGAR RULES!!'

The Washing Machine (aka - the buddy to the Sock Eater)

We have a front loader so I added the vinegar into the fabric softener compartment. I did the first load which was towels on hot. After it was done I put them into the dryer and I could already feel a difference. The second load I did was clothing and these did not go into the dryer. I hung them to dry (inside) and was really surprised when I didn't have crunchy jeans!

Some days my days are filled with a lot of poop. Some days the tub is filled with poop. I found that vinegar worked well for cleaning the toys.

I love using vinegar and newspaper to clean the windows. I don't know why but it just seems to make them clean easier. The vinegar easily got all the little hand prints, paw prints and little nose marks off of the glass. And really I don't have to worry about B sticking his mouth on the glass to blow 'window farts'.

In conclusion I think I love vinegar. I am still disappointed that it didn't give me the results I would have liked to see in the dishwasher. I read that I can use vinegar to clean the dishwasher itself so that will be something I will do this weekend. I am going to top the water softener up too and then see if that changes the results at all.

What are your favourite uses for vinegar?

I have been known to do some weird things in place of modern medicine. It's not that I don't like doctors or medicine, it's just that I like to take a natural approach first to some things. Like when B was stuffed up as a baby I used to put drops of breastmilk up his nose and then suck the snot out. It actually worked so well that when I told my sister about it she asked for some milk for her daughter who was also stuffed up. I was a breastmilk suppler/dealer for a bit there.

Last night my eye started to hurt and itch. I woke up this morning to a red swollen stye eye. And yes..it is really sexy! I took a picture of it this morning and sent it to Joe who then zoomed in as far as he could on it so that his desktop was just a picture of my stye eye. At least someone is getting some laughs out of my misery!

I didn't want to get drops but thought it would be the only thing possible that is until my coworker saw me today and suggested I try putting a warm tea bag on it. Apparently the tea bag helps to suck all the bacteria out of the eye. So here I sit writing this post with a tea bag on my eye.

I am overwhelmed with genetically engineered (GE) foods. I don't even know where to start when it comes to cutting it out of our lives. I have started to do the research several times and it just makes me run screaming to the closest bottle of wine (if anyone leaves a comment saying wine is GE you will be dead to me).

When I saw on twitter and in the blogs I follow that shit was going down with Monsanto (aka the devil), Whole Foods, Stonyfield and a few others I turned a blind eye. It is overwhelming for me to even start to decipher what is going on and what the implications are on our family. But tonight I decided that this is no way to live and it certainly can not be an excuse anymore. I realize this will mean giving up my beloved peanut butter cups..time to dust of my recipe to make my own again!

I don't know where to even begin so if you have any resources just leave a comment and I will check them out. If you have started to cut GE's out of your life let me know what you have done. If you are confused and overwhelmed as I am then come and snuggle into my bosom and cry with me.

Not even sure what the hell I am talking about right now?  Here is what caused me to decide to finally come out from my hiding place and address this part of our life.