Back in the saddle again...Fabkins!

I know it's been awhile... I've been down in the basement (as my fave sports radio host, Jim Rome, likes to say when he's on vacation) recharging my blogging mojo. Ha! In the time I was away, I hope you were able to bring some new, green ideas into your family life. Maybe you really recycled your newspapers or that amazon.com box? Maybe you stopped buying paper plates? Or, maybe you stopped driving around the mall parking lot for 20 minutes looking for a closer spot and settled in for a short, but healthy, walk from a spot a bit further away?

It doesn't matter. I believe you tried!!

For those of you new to this, I'm just a regular, busy mom who is trying to help out the planet and lead a healthier life. Now, don't get me wrong. I am no activist. I don't even play one on TV. I'm just trying to educate myself and my family about how we can be more responsible humans.

And, when I write about "being more green," I don't just mean in the sense of going "off the grid" and using wind solutions to power up my flat iron. I mean thinking about my family's health as well as that of the planet. Buying local and organic. Using safer glass products than Windex. That sort of thing.

And, for those of you wondering... I do drive an SUV. (I feel the need to come clean from the get go.) I'm not proud of it (even though I like my car), but I do shlep around a bunch of kids for carpool, and that keeps an extra emissions-spewing vehicle or 2 off the road). I buy things made out of state, and sometimes, gulp, out of the country. I bought 3 apples the other day from Washington State (organic and delicious, yes; responsible, no, but my 2-year old was eating the samples (skin included) like crazy and I couldn't say no).

But, here's the thing. Although there are zillions of trade-offs in life, I'm learning to make what I think are smarter choices - more often than not. Before I make a purchase, any purchase, I really, really DO think about where that product is made. (I fell off the wagon with those apples.) I almost never considered that before I started this blog. What, shoes made in Italy? Fabulous! Pears grown in Peru? How delicious! Not anymore. The environmental and economic impact is too important and must be thought through.

Oh my. I got WAY off track for a minute.

Back on topic - so, I'm thinking about pears now, which makes me think about chopping up some fresh fruit salad for the boys, which makes me think about my kids' sandwiches and the fact that I put them in the wrong (lead-free) lunch boxes today by accident, oy..are you still with me?-- and I thought I'd share with you some news about cloth napkins. Whew! Got there.

A special shout out goes to the fabulous moms at Fabkins.com. Their cloth napkins are the perfect addition to your kids' school lunch boxes (and your dinner table). The styles are adorable, and the napkins wash very well. (My boys fight over the sports-themed ones on a daily basis.) We've just started using them at home, and boy, it makes a HUGE difference in terms of trash. We're cleaner at mealtime, we're feeling better about it, and we don't miss the paper ones.

Don't freak out, though, that the napkins have to be shipped from the Bay Area. Think about the fact that you are going to eliminate so much waste! (Trade-offs are everywhere, man.)

Check out http://www.fabkins.com/.

Uh oh. Carpool time. Late!