verdemama — green around the edges

Earthwise Lunchbox || LunchSkins

by verdemama on February 20, 2011

Please, oh, please tell me you’re not still using plastic baggies for your kids’ snacks and lunches. They’re enormously wasteful, terrible for the environment and could leach harmful toxins into food. Plus, there’s not nearly as cute as this:

I dropped by the ecoriffic store The Green Life in Santa Monica this weekend and picked up a few of these adorable reusuable sandwich and snack bags by LunchSkins. Made from a thick cotton fabric coated with a food-safe polyurethane liner, these babies are lead-, BPA- and phthalate-free, dishwasher-safe and reusable again and again and again.

I got a sandwich-sized baggie

And a snack-sized baggie

And also? They’re brightly colored with unique patterns, plus there’s a space to write your little one’s name with a permanent marker — which will presumably thwart any potential snack swipers lurking out on the monkey bars.

Thank you for your continued votes!

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CHEEEESE Face

by verdemama on February 17, 2011

To end the week, I leave you with Orion’s new signature pose. Happy Friday!

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On the Charts

by verdemama on February 17, 2011

Have I ever mentioned I’m a diehard Etsy addict? I just can’t seem to quit it (here’s one example here, and I have lots more to show you soon), but that’s okay with me because I would much rather support indie artisans than the same ol’ same ol’ big box stores you see on every corner.

One of my more recent purchases is this adorable bicycle growth chart, now hanging in Orion’s room. (I tried and failed to snap of pic of him standing by it… Let’s see YOU try to convince a two-year-old to stand still long enough to measure him AND take his photo.)

I loved the idea of a canvas growth chart because I had been wanting to document his growth but I wanted something portable that could come with us should we decide someday our little house is too small for us. (It’s starting to become too small for our growing family already.)

The day before his second birthday we Sharpie’d his height onto the chart—35 inches, which was confirmed at his pediatrician appointment today. (He’s 70th percentile for height, and at 31 pounds, is 82nd percentile for weight.) He’s a big boy!

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Birthday Loot :: The Eco Edition

by verdemama on February 16, 2011

Orion got a ton of gifts for his birthday, despite my request on his party invitation that gifts were not necessary (you guys were too generous—seriously!). Here are just a few of my fave eco toys he received.

This one is from me. It’s just so cute I can barely stand it, and oh-so appropriate for where we live. It’s a Surfer Woodie with two magnetic surfboards that sit on top, and a magnetic family (including a baby and dog) that can ride inside—or on top, if he’s so inclined.

Melissa & Doug toys are always a hit. I love that they’re wooden, sturdy and have an educational aspect to them. Orion received a few of these, including:

this Stacking Train (thank you, Ana and Sophie!)

these Pattern Blocks (much appreciated, Joanna, Mike and Ethan!), and

this Magnetic Pretend Play Set (muchos gracias, Lauren and Hunter!)

He also received some wonderful books, gift certificates and more Matchbox cars and accessories. He’s truly one fortunate guy and it will be a top priority for me to teach him to understand exactly how blessed, lucky and loved he is.

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Two Big Years: Orion’s Birthday

by verdemama on February 15, 2011

If you were hoping for a sentimental “dear child-of-mine” letter or a retrospective of the past two years, I’m afraid you’ll be sorely disappointed. It’s not really my style to sob all over the WWW, plus I feel like a lot of other mom bloggers have already been there and done that to death, so there’s no need for me to go there.

But I will say, nothing makes you more acutely aware of the passage of time than watching your child rack up birthdays. Suddenly I feel like I’m aging in fast forward, and although the last 30-some years went by at a reasonable clip, I foresee the next 30 rushing by me way too fast. Many of my friends are just starting their families, either having recently given birth or will be very soon, and to them, I say this: absorb every nanosecond of the time you spend with your child. Be present. Play. For every time I’m bored out of my mind playing with Matchbox cars for the ninty billionth day in a row, I catch a glimpse of the future, when he no longer has any interest in playing with toy cars, or playing with me for that matter.

Happy birthday, little buddy

I’m always right behind you

The past two years have been a blast…

…looking forward to many, many more.

**And just because. I don’t even know this dog, but I think he’s awesome. How could you not smile when you see this? (I bet this dog would love it if you voted for us on topbabyblogs.com. Click the icon below to vote!)

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Birthday Bubbles

by verdemama on February 13, 2011

Today was Orion’s second birthday, which we rang in with cupcakes, bubbles, and a casual gathering at the park with all his little buddies and their fabulous parents. Much fun was had by all and Orion stayed true to his typical birthday behavior by plowing through the entire day napless, fueled by excitement, new toys and chocolate icing. I’ll post some photos soon, but for now I’m taking the night off for some much-needed R+R.

Oh, and if you don’t mind, please give us a little ol’ vote over at topbabyblogs.com by clicking the banner below. Thanks!

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Pretty, Pretty

by verdemama on February 10, 2011

I seriously thought that if I ever had a daughter, I would go broke shopping for lovely little lady clothes — especially after facing the dearth of cute duds out there for wee dudes. Whenever I would shop for Orion, I’d always stare longingly at (okay, drool on) the baby girls’ clothing and dream about the day I, too, could pick out pretty dresses and sweet little shoes.

Now that a real life baby girl is in my very near future, the opposite has been true. I’ve only picked up one or two things for her, and whenever I attempt to shop for baby girl clothes, I either get a little overwhelmed by all the choices, or nauseated by the sea of pink, cheap, dime-a-dozen outfits that our youngest females are now expected to don.

But then the heavens parted, and Etsy shone its wondrous light upon the Earth. And all felt right with the world again. Behold. (And, yes, a few of these are coming to live with us.)

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These little cuties are just about the snuggliest looking things I’ve every laid eyes on.

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I first discovered Green Thread’s adorable organic wares at Unique LA, and I’ve been stalking their Etsy shop ever since.

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I’ve always had a thing for owls, and until my daughter can otherwise object, she will too.

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A perfect little dress or top for a sunny summer day.

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2011 — the year my baby girl will be born — is the Year of the Rabbit (same as the year I was born, 1975), so I’m really drawn to rabbit-themed loveliness such as this blouse.

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This little number would be lovely for a wedding or other special occasion.

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Again, more owls.

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And even more owls, obvs.

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This, I LOVE. It’s reversible, so it’s basically two dresses/tops in one.

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PS: Voting has reset for topbabyblogs.com. I would be oh-so grateful if you would take 10 seconds and click here to vote for my blog. Thanks to you, I ended up being ranked at about #40 out of all the thousands of blogs on this list—many of them amazing, inspirational writers, photographers, crafters and mothers (and a few fathers, too). It’s been a fantastic way to reach out to new friends and I’d love to continue to remain toward the top of the list. Thank you!

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Belly Watch: 24 Weeks

by verdemama on February 10, 2011

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A Pox Upon Our House

by verdemama on February 7, 2011

Oh, hi there. Sorry we’ve disappeared for a bit—we’ve been busy passing the plague around to each other here at Casa Verdemama.

Orion is sick for the second time in two weeks and this one’s a doozy. I went to bed last night thinking he might have croup and that we’d be visiting the doctor first thing in the AM, but on second thought this morning it seemed like it’s just a particularly nasty cold. Poor guy has a stuffy nose, a hoarse little voice and is coughing up a lung—it’s heartbreaking to watch. I’m comforting him the best I can while we ride this out, but I feel like whatever I do is not enough. I sure hope he feels better soon, especially because his second birthday(!) is coming up this weekend.

Rather than leave you with the image of a snotty, sad little Orion, here’s a shot from a few weeks ago of his new “cheese” face he’s working on perfecting.

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The Goods: KleanSpa

by verdemama on February 1, 2011

In the market for green, skin-friendly body care products? I have two words for you: KleanSpa. Okay, that’s one word, I guess, but you get my drift.

I immediately fell in love with these natural, deliciously scented goodies at the awesome indie design show Unique LA and have been slathering them on my expanding bod ever since. The Whipped Shea Body Butter is richly moisturizing, and smells so, SO yummy I have to remind myself not to eat it pretty much every time I use it. If soaps, scrubs, candles and massage oils are more your thang, they’ve got those, too.

There’s free shipping on orders of $35 or more now through Friday, so stock up!

LA-based KleanSpa also hosts a monthly Blending Bash in both Burbank and Santa Monica where you can whip up your own signature fragrance. I haven’t been to one yet but it sure sounds like fun!