Yaba Daba Doo! and Lunch

by Michelle Hadley-Ambord

Like Fred Flintstone, I eagerly await the whistle that blows at high noon and signals my lunchtime break. Okay, so the whistle might only exist in my head, and it sounds more like the grumblings of my stomach than a stone-aged lunch bell. Still, who can deny the needs of the belly?

I think that we can all be grown-ups and admit that packing a lunch is friendlier to the environment, our wallets, and our waistlines than eating out.



But only an act of heaven can inspire me to get it together enough to prepare a lunch that my very refined tastes (read: I've been eating sugary treats and restaurant-prepared junk food for so long that I need some seriously tasty home-cooked options to wean me off my addiction) can tolerate.

So it was written, and so it shall be: etsy's The Patty Pan Shop brings divine inspiration in the form of a ridiculously cute lunchbox that makes packing a lunch seem anything but a chore. Her creations come in a variety of fun designs and cater to the crowd that prefers a lunchbox more akin to a purse...



as well as those who would rather kick it old school like they did in fifth grade with the rugged lunch sack...



Made with insulated lining, they'll keep the cold things chilly and the hot things, well, hot.



Lest we forget the icing on the proverbial cake, The Patty Pan Shop also makes coordinating snack bags for gold fishes, carrot sticks, or pre-historic rocks--you know, whatever you like to munch on when your blood sugar starts to plummet.



If I got one of these for Christmas (hint, hint), I'd just have to cook up something to pack inside of it. Any suggestions?

Before you stock up at Target, try Etsy!

You're running low on cotton pads for your daily beauty routine (if you run out, you might be sleeping in your eye make-up), and your kitchen floor has started to look a bit sketchy ever since you ran out of Swiffer pads. Time for a trip to Target, you think. But wait--before you rummage for your keys, you might consider etsy, the hippest online shopping resource around.

Etsy brings you handmade goods from talented individuals around the country who would otherwise go unnoticed. Case in point: Picnic Basket Crafts, an eco-friendly etsy shop that offers "Down to Earth Decadence," sells eco-conscious alternatives to the round cotton pads that you probably use to remove your make-up and apply face toner on a daily basis. As if the waste wasn't problem enough, standard cotton pads--unlike their organic cousins--are made from cotton that's treated with toxic chemicals.

Picnic Basket Crafts offers cotton rounds made from materials like bamboo or flannel. Usually sold by the dozen, they are machine-washable. Since they're so small, you can toss them in with whatever load you happen to be doing next. As an added bonus, bamboo is anti-microbial--a perfect characteristic for anything you're putting on your face. While they cost more than a pack of disposable cotton rounds (Approximately $11 for a pack of twelve), you'll save in the end if you take care of them and use them for years to come.



While you're at it, you can pick up some reusable Dry or Damp Mopping Pads to Fit Your Standard Swiffer Sweeper. You just soak your pad with your cleaner of choice (hopefully it's eco-friendly and non-toxic) and attach it to your Swiffer sweeper.

You Have to Start Somewhere

It began sometime after the wedding. Yes, my wedding. If you had asked me four years ago whether I would marry my longtime sweetheart and philosophy nerd extraordinaire when I was only 22, I would have said, "No, no, never that young." But love does funny things with your head, and next thing I knew, I was flying from Bologna, Italy where I studied for nine months to meet him in Ireland. He proposed romantically; I gave a doe-eyed yes, and here we are.



What can I say? I never wanted to be rich. Just happy. But the side effects of young marriage are that we share a car and live in a small apartment without Direct TV. It makes you reconsider what's important in life and makes you realize what you can and can't live without.

And somewhere in all of that reconsidering, I read a book--not the only book of its kind, but a good introduction to living with an awareness of your impact on the environment and others. Sophie Uliano's Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life made this newlywed product junkie who'd let her eating and exercise habits decline in recent years realize that there was so much more I could do. (Buy your copy at Amazon)

As I kept flipping through my new lifestyle Bible, I became more resolved than ever to change my ways. I could no longer ignore that being lazy and skipping recycling, taking long showers, and using plastic bags was causing harm. My narcissistic side could no longer pretend that my bad habits weren't harming me. What's worse, my far from eco-conscious living was costing me money.

In an effort to make eco-conscious, inspired living easier for the rest of the shopaholic, product junkies out there, I'm taking on the task of finding the best-of-the-best out there. From organic clothing to upcycled clutches to diy cleansing grains, you'll follow me as I explore and shop, seeking inspiration for a truly divine, organically beautiful life.