What a day!

The other day, the Os' t-shirts from Little Green Star arrived. Big O was thrilled and wanted nothing more than to immediately put it on straight out of the envelope! He wore it the remainder of the afternoon, christened it at supper with an accidental splat of ketchup, and wanted desperately to wear it to bed, ketchup stain and all!

It was a big mail day for Big O - that very same day he also received an invitation to a good friend's birthday party. He is always happy to receive his own mail, and opening this letter became even more exciting when he realized it was his very own invitation to a party! He did not let go of that invitation for days - and I'm still finding little bits of red and orange fringe around the house. The party is a week from Saturday - Big O has been trying to decide what kind of present to give his friend, and I have been thinking ahead about GF/CF/EF/SF snacks and cupcakes to send along with the boys.

Little O was excited about his Little Green Star shirt, too. He's cleverly paired it with his bandana pants on many occasions in the few days since the shirts arrived!

Thanks to a good friend for teaching me how to sew this pair of bandana pants - she kindly supplied the bandanas, too!

P.S. - You still have time save 30% on an order with Little Green Star - the offer to readers of The Science Mom is valid until November 30, 2009.

Twinkle, twinkle . . .

An email appeared in my inbox last week that really brightened my day. It was from Victoria at Little Green Star. She found The Science Mom blog and emailed to let me know we had some things in common and to make a special offer to my readers (keep reading!).

Like myself, Victoria and her business partner, Kelley, are scientists and mothers. Both believe in taking steps to ensure that their carbon footprint is as light as possible. In Victoria’s words, they have a “passion for teaching kids about science, nature, and protecting the environment” – something near and dear to my heart as well.

In 2006, they launched Little Green Star to provide families with products that align with their sustainable values. Part of their goal is to facilitate fun dialogues between parents and children about protecting our natural resources and to inspire families to celebrate sustainable living.

Something that’s been on my mind a lot lately is the concept of sustainable clothing choices. I’ve learned a lot since Big O was born about our food supply and the need for a more sustainable food system which has led to my thinking about how to incorporate sustainability into other aspects of our lives. For example, after paying a little bit of attention to our consumer habits, we started putting only one less-than-full garbage can out on the curb each week as opposed to two or three overflowing cans per week. After paying a little bit more attention, we have greatly reduced the amount of recyclable materials that go to our curb each week and we compost or otherwise use nearly all of our garden and yard waste.

Until recently, it’s been pretty easy to clothe the boys using gifts and hand-me-downs, with some thrift store and resale shop purchases to supplement as needed. I have certainly made purchases of new clothing at retail stores, though I've been doing a lot less of this over the past year or so. I try to buy clothes made with cotton, and though I contemplate looking for organic cotton, I haven’t really worked very hard at finding items made with organic cotton (with the exception of Little O's newborn cloth diapers). I do hope that giving a used piece of used not-so-sustainably produced clothing a second life has at least been a small step in the right direction.

With sustainable clothing on my mind, it was perfect timing to receive Victoria’s email. Little Green Star offers a line of 100% organic cotton tee shirts and onesies available in sizes ranging from 3-6 months to 6T. Several adorable designs (printed with water-based inks) are available that put a fun spin on matters of science, nature, and our environment. Other products offered by Little Green Star include lunch totes, hats, and bibs, all made with 100% organic cotton.

After checking out Little Green Star’s website, I asked each O if they liked any of the shirts they saw. Big O got rather excited about the ‘crabby’ tee shirt (he also liked the ocean turtle) and Little O enthusiastically selected the “Bee Green” tee shirt.

Little Green Star has kindly offered a discount of 30% off of purchases made by readers of The Science Mom. Enter the code LGS30 before adding a product to the shopping cart and the prices will change to reflect the sale. Shop soon - this offer expires November 30, 2009!

After you’ve finished shopping, make sure to visit the “Explore” section of the Little Green Star website. The pages of this section are filled with resources to point families in the direction of more ways to enjoy nature and discover scientific educational opportunities. Their suggestions vary from local farmers’ markets to museums, beaches, and botanical gardens in cities around the country. They’d love your input, too! Drop them a line to let them know about great green sites and activities in your city or town.

We can't wait for our Little Green Star shirts to arrive - it will be great to see the Os sporting their first organic cotton tee shirts that convey our family’s green spirit in a whimsical, ecologically friendly way.

Please note - I have not received any free products from Little Green Star.