Green | Sophistishe: Finding Zen in Being Human

Eco Friendly Easy Lunch Boxes

July 22, 2010 4 Comments

I’ve been facinated with bento lunchboxes for years; since my late teens. I had the desire to impulsively buy a few, but I had no place to even bring my lunch to. So sadly I sat hoping for an excuse to use bento lunchboxes some day. Fast forward to today and I’ve got a reason; a toddler and family outings to persue.

Since my first bento encounter, I’ve become a little more eco-conscious, checking the numbers on the plastic dishes that we eat from. While searching for BPA free bento lunchboxes, I came across EasyLunchboxes. I noticed that they were reaching out to bloggers, so I applied to receive their lunchbox system and a cooler bag to review.

EasyLunchboxes was born out of founder Kelly Lester’s need to quickly pack healthy lunches for her children without wasting time, money, or packaging. She created a practical and safe solution both kids and adults love. The EasyLunchbox system includes four bento-style plastic food containers and colorful lids. The containers and cooler bags have been FDA approved and contain no BPA, phthalates, or PVC. And the systems are also very affordable at $13.95 per four container set and cooler bags; $7.95 per bag.

EasyLunchboxes make packing and eating lunch fun. The yummy combos of sandwiches, salads, fruits and veggies are endless! Not only are the systems great for lunch, but every day meals at home. Jayden always has to have his snacks in bowls. Now he’s able to eat his chips, dips, berries, green beans, and cucumbers in a larger sectioned container.

EasyLunches make great products to sell for fundraisers. What better way to raise funds by selling a product that encourages healthy eating and eco awareness? Kelly offers an affiliate and fundraising program where organizations can sign up to sell her products. I’m an affiliate, so I will receive 20% commission on all purchases made through my affiliate link. So buy from me, mmkay?

Eco Friendly Easy Lunch Boxes Sophistishe Digital Mom

Kelly wants to offer an EasyLunchbox System and cooler bag to a Sophistishe reader. For a chance to win, fill out this here form. The secret code is Sophistilunchbox. The form will close July 30th, 2010 at 7PM CST. You may want to take a look at my basic giveaway rules. Good luck!

Easy Lunch Boxes on Twitter | Easy Lunch Boxes on Facebook

Filed Under: Giveaways, In The Kitchen, Project Hippie, Reviews disclosure 4 Comments

Zoya Nail Polish Exchange Update

May 28, 2010 2 Comments

Last month, I sent off 8 bottles of my old nail polish to the Zoya Nail Polish Exchange. Within 7 days of shipping my old polish, Zoya sent me 8 new bottles of polish of my choice at 50% off!

I’ve used three of the colors so far; Creamy, Tosca, and Robyn. The Creamy color was a bit too bright to use on my entire nail. I will probably use it to stencil my nails my nails from now on. Tosca and Robyn both went on smoothly and all I really needed was ONE coat! The Tosca lasted a week before it started to show significant signs of wear. I painted my nails in Robyn last Wednesday. It’s still fresh. I’m so glad I decided to take advantage of the Zoya Nail Polish Exchange, I am very happy with the quality of Zoya so far and I’m actually itching to do another exchange.

How The Zoya Nail Polish Exchange Works

There’s still time to green you nail polish collection! Zoya will be accepting exchanges through June 30, 2010.

1. Sign up for an account wit Zoya and select the number of bottles you will be exchanging.
2. Choose your favorite colors.
3. Pay for your polish at a 50% discount ($3.50 per bottle).
4. Print receipt and ship with your unwanted nail color. Shipping is your responsibility.
5. Since USPS considers nail polish a hazardous item, check with your local post office for instructions on how to ship nail polish. Alternatively, you can ship UPS Ground. I shipped mine UPS Ground in a small box for $7.67.
6. In a week or so after shipping off your unwanted nail color, you’ll have your new polish!

Filed Under: Beauty, Project Hippie, Reviews disclosure 2 Comments

There’s a space shuttle in his room.

May 19, 2010 7 Comments

A cardboard one; with a Scooby wizard on top.

To preserve space, we left the wings off of the shuttle.

Jayden, like any other curious kid, loves hanging out and hiding in corners, closets, and boxes. When KidsCraft offered to send us the Shuttle Imagination, I knew this playhouse would be a hit in our household.

KidsCraft playhouses encourage creative play with their blank white slate and fun cutout design. KidsCraft playhouses are easy to assemble. Each piece of recycled cardboard is pre-cut with flaps and slots, so there’s no need for cutting or taping. The cardboard walls are sturdy, perfect for drawing on. While I love the fact that KidsCraft playhouses are meant to be doodled on, we decided not to draw on ours just yet. Jayden has enjoyed using the box that it came in as a little art easel. See, we recycle too .

The Shuttle Imagination playhouse is a place where Jayden can hang out with mommy’s old stuffed animals. We do most of our “living” in our living and play rooms, so Jayden doesn’t play in his shuttle as often as he would if it was in his play room. I can imagine that constant play would decrease the lifespan of any cardboard product. So to better justify the price of these pimped out cardboard homes, I’d suggest they come as a full package with crayons, stickers, paints, and other art supplies. Kidscraft does offer to mail a free 8-pack of recycled crayons to customers who shop at specialty retailers and redeem their sales receipt at kidscraftusa.com.

Each purchase supports a charitable cause. KidsCraft Playhouses will donate 5% of sales to charities like the Ronald McDonald House, Boys & Girls Club of America, and after-school programs. Donations will also go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 non-profit pediatric hospitals across in the US, Canada and Mexico. So while the cost of this product may be a little pricey, it does support a good cause.

Shuttle Imagination Playhouse: $69.95
Green Stats: KidsCraft playhouses are made of 100% recycled cardboard. KidsCraft and the Trees for the Future Foundation will plant one tree for every product sold.

Theres a space shuttle in his room. Sophistishe Digital Mom

KidsCraft Playhouses was founded with a few basic goals in mind, to provide a high quality outlet for play to children that will stimulate their imagination and foster creativity while maintaining a strict, eco-friendly awareness.

During a move to a new office they were left with an abundance of empty, broken down cardboard boxes. Kids being kids, they were naturally drawn to the boxes and wanted to rebuild and play in them. They also took out markers and crayons, drawing on them for what seemed to be hours on end. KidsCraft instantly knew their kids were onto something BIG and were inspired to share it with others.

KidsCraft on Twitter | KidsCraft on Facebook

Filed Under: Project Hippie, Reviews disclosure 7 Comments

Greening My Nail Polish Collection

April 29, 2010 6 Comments

Zoya Polish

A few months ago, I went through my nail polish collection and tossed the bottles I’ve had for years and years. This is before I knew how to properly dispose of them. I still have 35 bottles that I know I will be disposing of for sure and 7 in question. For now, I am sending in 8 bottles of polish to the Zoya Nail Polish Exchange. They will send me 8 new bottles of Zoya polish of my choice at 50% off! I am so excited because I’ve been wanting to purchase a few Zoya polishes, but at $7 a bottle? Yea right. I paid $3.50 per bottle and $7.67 to mail my old polishes via UPS. It sucks that I can’t use USPS because they are hazardous liquids.

For this reason, I don’t think I will be sending in another batch of polish in the future. I can’t keep paying $7.67 each time I want to exchange polish. I’ll probably send my remaining polish to a hazardous waste collection. I’ll then, pick up some cheaper eco-friendly polish from diamond cosmetics or my local beauty supply. By June 30th, I hope to have a large collection of DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde free nail polish!

April 22 – June 30, 2010