One of those 'moms who spend too much time on the Internet gossiping about toxic chemicals'

I'm the first to admit I know next to nuthin on plastics, toxins, chemicals, blah-blah-blah, zzzzzzz. See? It happens every time! String those words together and I'm asleep in record time. Just like Grandpa Simpson. Drooling and snoring. But I am working on it. Yes, I'm reading a book about plastics. I'm happy to say I've made it past page 100 without setting world-napping records. Anyway, more about that later.

But this xtranomral video from the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families blog sure gave me a chuckle. Hope you enjoy. Feel free to quote your fave one-liners in the comments. I'll join in once I get back from shopping at the stupid, hippie store:

If Endangered Animals Could Talk…

Our elected representatives would get quite an earful. This, from the wolf. I love it:

Now, the salmon's got a lot on his mind too. Poor guy:

But that polar bear? Grrr. She sounds a wee bit like a certain mom I might know, who, um, lives in my house, and tends to piss and moan a lot. At least her problems are bigger than mine. She certainly deserve a little attention.

Nice job Earth Justice. These videos are great, and I hope they will encourage the letter writing to save their skins.

Funny family-friendly holiday video (we made it by ourselves!) Perhaps our best yet!

I'm often amazed at the holiday cards we get. Beautiful, smiling children. They look like models. Sometimes even the parents, too. Back when our family used to mail out cards, I swear, taking that perfect picture was near to impossible. Someone always had their eyes closed. Or spinach in their teeth. Hair in their eyes. Something! That picture-taking event turned into torture for us. But we felt sort of obligated to take a picture and mail out a card to distant family and friends, so we gritted our teeth and tried to smile. I just don't know how other people do it.

About four years ago, we stopped with the mailed pictures and cards. We did something different. We made a holiday video of us in our PJs reading 'The Night Before Christmas,' and posted it on YouTube. Then sent out an email blast. It was a hit. Really fun. Since then, it's become a family tradition. We've touted its green-ness, 'cuz heck, it's paper free!

This year's holiday video is extra special. It was the first time the kids got to act (in the past, they've just played themselves). We also involved Heather's kids in the video, as elves. (If there were DVD extras, we'd regale you with the not-very-funny part when we shot the elf scene at our house right before Heather's family moved to Ohio, and then accidentally taped over that whole sequence. Major oops). But by the miracle of the Internet and iChat we were able to reshoot the scene, and we think it came out better than the first).

Without further ado, we present: Clued in for the Holidays:
 
We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it. For bonus points, see if you can spot Heather.

Heather and I wish you and yours the happiest of holidays. We'll be taking some time off the blog to enjoy the next week with our families. Unless something really major and green happens between now and the new year, we'll see ya back here in 2011!

Sponsor Spotlight: Pumpkin Doodle

We are pleased to welcome online shop Pumpkin Doodle as our newest sponsor! Pumpkin Doodle specializes in natural, non-toxic products for the whole family, such as bamboo clothing, organic bedding and mattresses, non-toxic toys, soy candles, green cleaning products and much, much more. The inspiration for the store, in their own words:

It was simple: children learn what they live. To grow a green kid you first have to grow a green baby. It was an easy decision to carry products for the home and family because a baby's environment is not just in their room, it is everywhere in the home. To us, it is more than cloth diapers and organic baby clothes. Babies environments are important, and that includes the cleaning products you use, the clothing mommy and daddy wear, the indoor air quality, skincare products, the bedding and furniture- it all is part of the family's environment, and it is important that everyone in the family have a healthy environment.

Now that's a lifestyle we can get behind. And a big thank you to Pumpkin Doodle for supporting EnviroMom!

Green guilty pleasure: online magazines

While I have lamented the growing popularity of e-book readers and the demise of printed newspapers, I am wildly applauding burgeoning online magazine industry. You see, I used to buy and subscribe to a ton of magazines. Home decor magazines were my absolute weakness, but I often couldn't leave the grocery store without a gardening or fitness journal tucked into my reusable bag. Most I would read over and over again, folding-down the corners and filing away for future reference. Others I would read quickly once before tossing in the recycling bin. I have every issue of Domino Magazine (rest in peace) archived in magazine files, and dozens more Dwell, Metropolitan Home and Living, Etc. in my, ahem, personal design library. That's a whole lot of paper and ink.

So I'm thrilled that there are online magazines popping up everywhere. And I think they are WAY more useful than paper mags because you can click right through to find information about products or other resources. Plus they are free! With magazines, particularly home decor, it's more about the visuals anyway, so reading is minimal. And all of the back issues are easily accessed from the Web sites, so no more magazine files cluttering up my life. I'm loving it! Here are four I've been enjoying:

Lonny - home decor from the Domino folks

Covet Garden - more great home decor

Pure Green Magazine - fabulous green decor, craft and product ideas

Gifted Magazine - products, design and all sorts of DIY goodness

Are you loving online magazines, or do you prefer the feel of glossy paper beneath your fingertips? Add your favorite online magazines in the comments!

'Global Warming Might Be Worth Reversing'

God bless you funny, funny people at The Onion (America's Finest News Source). Today I needed a laugh. The Onion delivered. Here's the headline:

Report: Global Warming Issue From 2 Or 3 Years Ago May Still Be Problem

Now go read the whole article and don't be surprised if you laugh until you cry, or snort some herbal tea out of your nose. It's a good one. Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Loop Scoops on PBSKids.org offers important, entertaining eco-lessons for kids

I talk to my kids about choices. A lot. Like why we don't buy certain products or have 'no gift' birthday parties. Why we compost our food scraps and recycle. But the messages can't just come from me and Dad. They need to hear it from teachers and other people in their lives, as well as books, movies and media. So I was pretty happy to hear about the new PBSKids.org Web series Loop Scoops that was developed under the guidance of Annie Leonard, the genius behind The Story of Stuff and similar videos. 

The short (about two minutes long), animated videos are entertaining, but each one packs a powerful message. My personal favorites? The videos on Garbage and Happiness. In Happiness, three kids are offered the chance to race through a toy store and take whatever they want. Then their shopping carts are weighed, and while the kid with the cart filled with the most stuff thinks that 'he's won!' ultimately it's the girl who only picked one item that she truly, truly loves who is the winner. In Garbage, a boy is challenged to make a huge mound of garbage much smaller. He pulls out the recyclables and the food waste and then sees a bunch of clothing and stuff that can be reused. (Spoiler alert! Turns out that this pile of garbage came from his own home!) Valuable lessons are learned.

Bravo Annie! And yet another reason why PBS is our favorite source of TV and online entertainment for our kids.

Eco-Healthy Child Care goes national!

Three years ago Renee and I encouraged our preschool to become an Eco-Healthy Child Care. At the time, the certification program was offered through the Oregon Environmental Council. They gave us a checklist of best practices such as using green cleaners, avoiding soft plastic vinyl toys, and encouraging parents not to idle their cars, and over a few months our school implemented all of the items needed to qualify. It didn't take a lot of time, and it created a healthier environment for the kids. The OEC posted a list of certified schools on its site to help parents seek out pro-actively green preschools.

Now that program is going national! The Children's Environmental Health Network is taking over the Eco-Healthy Child Care program and any child care facility in the US can go through the steps to become certified. There's now a $25 fee, and the CEHN will provide free training and marketing. Every year the CEHN will target 4 to 6 states where it will actively promote the program, raising public awareness about the importance of choosing eco-healthy environments for children. If your child attends a school or child care that could use a little green push, this program provides a great framework and easy-to-follow checklist to get through the process. And if you're looking for a certified program for your child, check out their list to see if any schools have qualified in your area. Keep checking back every few weeks because some schools (like our old preschool) are in the process of getting their certification renewed and are not showing up on the list yet.

EnviroMom on Vacation! Back on September 7

After a long, hot (no wait, scratch that…) fast and furious, and fairly cold summer (yes, our gardens are still waiting for something that looks like a tomato), EnviroMom is taking a break. Time for us to kick off our shoes, commune with nature, build some fairy houses with the kids, and soak up what little vitamin D the summer has yet to offer before school starts in September. Aside from The Motherhood Talk on August 25, we'll be pretty much offline. But if you have something urgent, send EnviroMom an email. We always love to hear from you! Otherwise, we wish you an enjoyable rest of summer, and we'll see you back here starting September 7.

EnviroMom on The Motherhood.com: August 25

I'll take part in a Live Talk on TheMotherhood.com on Wednesday, August 25 at noon EDT (9am Pacific time). Last time Heather and I participated in a Talk on the TheMotherhood, our heads were spinning, but our fingers were flying, trying to keep up and share the green love. This next live Talk features Michelle Conlin -- the wife of No Impact Man -- discussing her no impact year, as well as some other great green bloggers we've had the pleasure of virtually meeting, such as Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse and Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish. Please feel free to join in the hour-long text chat. Just register first on TheMotherhood.com!! If you miss the Talk, everything gets archived under the same link.