As my family prepares our Thanksgiving dinner, we usually snack on various treats throughout the day.  This year, we will be snacking on Newman's Own Organic Licorice.  These treats remind me of my childhood days growing up and sharing candy with friends.  They come in various fruity flavors.  I love the pomegranate flavor.

I love bringing my kids to the bookstore especially during the holidays.  There is usually seasonal music playing in the background.  The aromatic smell of coffee from the cafe permeates throughout the store.  I love browsing through books and finding out what novelty items are offered.  I came across recycled newspaper pencils from TreeSmart.  These cool pencils are made from recycled newspaper.  The pencils are easily sharpened like regular pencils.  It's great to see how innovative eco-friendly companies are leveraging commonly recycled goods such as newspaper and turning them to functional and practical goods.


I am trying to teach my kids to appreciate daily items, like pencils, that we often take for granted.  When I was growing up, I remember using pencils down until they were little stubs (partially because I was obsessed with using only finely sharpened pencils).  Fortunately, the price of pencils have been drastically reduced over the years (If you calculate the costs adjusted for inflation).  I take a permanent marker and label each pencil with my name or my kids' initials so we learn to keep track of them.



For more information about recycled newspaper pencils and other products, please visit www.treesmart.com.

Being more eco-conscious has made me more aware of the various efforts that contribute to a more eco-friendly world from conservation (use less of what we already have) to reusing and recycling what we already have.  An area that I have been focusing alot of my efforts these days is new materials made from recycled goods.  There needs to be a greater demand of recycled goods in order to ensure that these goods do not wind up in landfills.  Therefore, I will be covering a number of items that are made from recycled goods in my blog as much as possible.

One great company, www.reusejeans.com offers great eco-friendly products such as jeans, shorts and skirts.  Their fashionable products are made from 80% of recycled fabric.  I love their jeans.  They look and feel great.  It's exciting to see high end fashion companies dedicated to eco-friendly efforts.  By taking eco-friendly initiatives mainstream, people have more eco-friendly choices to choose from.  

Like most parents, I tend to rush out of the house in the morning, trying to get my kids ready and on time for school, hoping to remember to pack their lunches while trying to remember to wear a bit of makeup so I will look presentable to the outside world.  I've devised easy ways to make my mornings more efficient.  For example, I have my kids' socks nicely tucked in their shoes at night, so in the morning, they have socks ready for them.  No more running around the house in search of clean socks.  As for the makeup, I've streamlined my cosmetic regime to include: eyeliner, concealer and lipstick/gloss.


I recently tried the Sante America Lip Duo Contour and Gloss.  At a retail price of $12, it is an affordable natural makeup.  I love the color staying power and the ease of use of this product.  As professional makeup artists would say, my lips look like there is depth to them now.  I've gotten compliments from moms that usually don't even speak to me so I'm finally getting some acknowledgement.

I have never heard of this brand before, but Sante America is a top selling European brand with a heritage that goes back to 1977.  It's made it's way across the ocean and is now available!

For more information about Sante America products, please visit www.santeamerica.com.