Fab organic fabrics on sale!

Mod Green Pod does very chic, not at all crunchy, fabrics and wallpaper. I've long lusted after them, but they're a little pricey so until now have not purchased. But, they're having a 50% off sale on many of their designs, and I am thinking that one of the ticking stripes would be the perfect thing for a pair of brown blah chairs I have been wanting to makeover for a while. The "butterfly jubilee" pattern would be excellent for a window shade or headboard in a little girl's room.

The very safest sippy cup

Until recently I had my daughter drinking from one of those Sigg kiddie bottles with the cute cartoons recently, but I became concerned about what exactly they're lined with when I read this post on Treehugger on the subject. I couldn't shake the sense that Sigg sound a little shady and evasive on the subject of BPA, and the owner of one of my favorite green living stores heightened my protective mama bear instincts/toxin paranoia when she said that despite the company's reassurances she has reason to believe that there is some BPA in the liners of the Sigg bottles, and that her store only sells Kleen Kanteen sippy cups as a result (the KKs are stainless steel, with no mysterious plasticy liner inside). So I tossed my daughter's Sigg into the recycling bin that night, and hoped she wouldn't notice. I played up the special-ness of her brand new bottle when I handed her the Kleen Kanteen the next morning, and she didn't even seem to mind that her dog-cartoon-covered sippy had been replaced by this less embellished version.

By the way, did you know that BPA lines soda cans too? I shudder when I think of all of the Diet Cokes I downed in my 20s (not to mention beers in cans--do you think BPA lines beer cans?), and hope that it didn't do too much damage to my then-unconsidered, now-very real, offspring.

Organic crib bedding on sale!

I just popped over to the Plover Organic website in search of a quilt or duvet for my 2 year old, because she just started to nap at school and I want a more snuggly blanket for her to use there than the cheap-o fleece one we're using at the moment. I was delighted to find that their spring/summer line is on sale, and I am thinking of snapping up one of the quilts for just $65. Though I'm hesitating because of the dire economic news. Does she really NEED a $65 organic cotton duvet for her naps on the floor of the preschool? I feel like she does, but am going to have to think it over a little more. If the economy enters some sort of death spiral will I look back on that purchase and think how foolhardy it was?

But the fall line is on the site too and the designs are gorgeous and strike a spot-on balance of mod/trad/boho that means you could probably use them for ages and never get sick of them. Plus the Plover pieces are not only organic but also meet the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard for non-toxic-ness with their dyes and everything, so they are certainly a company you can feel good about supporting.

Amber baby necklaces

Lately I've been taken with these amber baby necklaces, so I just ordered one from Nova Naturals for my little guy. The amber is supposed to sooth teething pain and have general curative properties, which may be a bunch of bunk, but I think they have sort of a sweet Euro-hippie look about them. A friend who spends winters in St. Barth (because her husband is a boat captain, not because she is some sort of jet setter otherwise) says that many of the little locals down there wear them, and I love the way that they look on her sons. My little guy is quite the bruiser, so a necklace might look a little odd on him, but I'm going to give it a try. If it eases his new tooth suffering at all it will most definitely be a keeper.