Source: Nature Conservancy

1.  Coral Reef Protection - Gifts that protect our earth's ecosystems will only become more popular as the need persists. Topping the list of meaningful gifts our family received this Christmas was a certificate from The Nature Conservancy stating that "A generous gift was made to protect the coral reefs of Palau on behalf of your family."  According to the giver (my sister), a $100 donation helps protect 1 acre of this precious ocean habitat.  Learn more about giving this gift at The Nature Conservancy.

2.  Celestial Clothing - A personal favorite gift that I received is a most versital polar fleece vest on a website called the Celestial Shop.   It's the most lively turquoise color which goes surprisingly well with everything I own.  My closet is so full of earth tones that a piece of color cheers it right up. The clothing is designed by a Spiritual Master who uses the proceeds from their sale to fund her associations humanitarian relief efforts worldwide.  I learned about their efforts on a free-to-air satellite channel called Supreme Master TV. As a social bonus, all of their gear is made in Taiwan.

3.  Flowering Tea - What better way to treat yourself to a moment of peace than with a fragrant jasmine flowering tea?  I put some in my own stocking on the advice that "Taking care of mom is taking care of everyone."

4.  Acorn Sox - Another shameless self-stocking-stuffer, I enjoyed wearing my Acorn Sox while also giving them to almost everyone as gifts.  Made from recyled materials,  these vegan fleece wonders are just the right amount of cush and keep you feet warm yet totally breathable.  Polyester fleece used to on my naughty list, but thanks to Acorn Sox and a little research, we have a new understanding. 

 5.  OregaSpray - North American Herb and Spice Co.'s OregaSpray is a true necessity for winter and all year round.  Oregano Oil is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral... it does it all.  As a mother of small children, I keep mine on hand at all times.  I've been known to douse elevator buttons, public train tables, tiny hands and even my own throat if necessary (it's totally edible.)  As a bonus, it leaves that nice pizza smell temporarily wafting in your wake.  Get yours here.

Now, if you shop for kids clothes at American Apparel online (or in store if you live on the west coast) you might think you are buying big, only to realize when you receive your gear that they look small already without even being washed yet!  American Apparel runs almost 2 sizes small on some of their cuts, especially after washing.  I just bought my 4 year old, who wears a size 4 in most clothing, an AP size 6 that looks really small to me.   I discovered American Apparel on my recent week long research project to find out where our clothing is made and by whom and do they enjoy basic human rights?  As for American Apparel, their garments are made in downtown Los Angeles, by mostly Guatemalan immigrants, and yes.

Having to buy clothing for the kids is new to me as we've enjoyed immaculate hand-me-downs for the past 4 years.  I learned something valuable from this experience too, kids are messy!  The clothing I received was all well cared for and stain free.  My girlfriend told me that these clothes had been through at least two children already, some of them many more and yet they were all still very clean.  Because of this, I developed an erroneous observation, and very bad habit:  I never bothered to put a bib on my first child!  Now many of those shirts and pants are dotted with avocado bits, speckled with blueberry juice and mushed with banana mash.  Now, the next child to inherit them will always look like he's already had his breakfast.  Luckily the next mom can't complain because she's me, and the next baby is my second son. 

My second son is now the fourth and sometimes the sixth child to wear this round of hand-me-downs and I'm getting better at taking care of the clothing that I inherit as well as the clothing that I buy new.  Trust me, once you've spent a week researching the ethics of a company, waiting for calls back from their P.R. rep, explaining to your husband why they cost so much more, checking ebay and craigslist for used versions and finally deciding on sizes and colors before ordering online... you begin to take better care of your "investments."

Children's clothing is transient.  Your baby may wear a garment for about 3 months, then it will be "new" again to a succession of other children until it has become unwearable by someone's standards and gets thrown out.  This could literally be 10 or more kids!  This past year I passed on my baby's very elaborate newborn organic layette, it's already finding it's third home and in excellent condition. 

So, I'll tell you my secret: enzyme cleaner.  I use Kleen-Free Enzyme cleaner in a spray bottle on every spill and spot they get.  This stuff is a must in any house with kids or pets.  It comes in various size bottles but the gallon is the most economical as it is highly concentrated.  It takes me almost 9 months to get through a gallon using it for everyday cleaning and laundry.  It's an enzyme the "eats" protein.  They sell it for lice, bedbugs and other tiny-crawly things, but we use it for food stains and all household cleaning.  The gallon is about $70 with shipping and worth every penny. 

My eco-tip for the day is: Take good care of your children's clothing as these garments will have a long and adventerous life with many children in many homes when your little ones have outgrown them.  After all, re-use is one of the 3 R's!

Thermos Hydration Bottles

Then, the answer.  After minutes of online searching, I found it: Thermos brand Hydration Bottles! Vacuum sealed double wall insulation, stainless steel interior and out, even the plastic spout and lid are BPA free.  At the time these handsome bottles could only be found at Walgreens, but now Target sells them in 2 sizes and colors.  For those of you who avoid florecent lights at all costs, yours can be found at Amazon . com at the following link:   I bought one for me and one for my husband.   I also discovered another little wonder, the child's version: Thermos Funtainer.  Like the adult bottles, these 12 oz bottles are vacuum sealed and keep their drinks cold all day.  I love these little wonders so much that I have purchased 4 so far.  Well, also because the four year old and one year old have dropped/thrown them so many times that the lids have all broken off.  These would be perfect for kids who are old enough to hold on to things.  For babies Thermos also makes a stainless steel, double wall insulated, no-spill sippy cup!  It's called Foogo by Thermos which I also bought and loved but passed on to my neighbor's drink-tossing one year old because my baby prefers to drink from a straw. 
 
So far I've given away Thermos Brand hydration bottles to 4 of my family members and heres the feedback:  

Eco Product Rating Thermos brand Hydration Bottle Quality Performance Material Composition Sustainability in manufacturing unknown Packaging Recyclability Company Values

For quality and performance, these bottles are tops!  As for the broken plastic caps, it would be nice if the company offered replacement parts (the sell the replacement straw, not the caps) however, my boys are still young and the Funtainer bottles are intened for school age children.  The Foogo sippy cups would have been a better option for them as they are virtually indestructable.  Also, Thermos has recently changed the packaging for the Foogo sippy cups from the plastic encasing to a recyclable paper box.  (Props Thermos!) The Hydration Bottle and Funtainer have no packaging at all!