Going green with napkins

We are trying to take steps to being greener in our house.  You wouldn't believe how many napkins we go through in a day (I can't even discuss paper towels!).  Two of my friends, Julie and Jen, both use cloth napkins instead of paper ones and they inspired me to try to do the same.  Except that I couldn't ever bring myself to do it.  I just imagined myself trying to keep up with even more laundry and I got discouraged.  

Last summer Julie gave me a nudge with some really lovely cloth napkins.  This evening I pulled them out to use.  And guess what?  I liked it!  It was nice to use cloth and lent a special touch to our evening meal.  I'm not yet promising to not use paper napkins for breakfast and lunch but I'm committed to using cloth with dinner.  In addition to the napkins that Julie gave me I also have two dozen basic white hotel napkins that I use for "special" occasions.  I guess every evening will be special now!  Maybe this means that I can start a new collection....

Happy Sacks

We are really trying hard to do our part in the "going green" movement. I'm really scared for our children and their children and what our earth is going to be like for them. Will they experience life as we do or will it be dramatically different?

I've had lots of people ask me about the sandwich and snack bags that I send in the children's lunch boxes. They are called Happy-sacks, and I cannot recommend them enough. They are cloth on the outside and a wipeable nylon on the inside. They come in a variety of sizes and are machine washable. We usually just wipe them out. They save on waste and money (you don't have to buy bags anymore!). In short, we love them!

Obviously there is much more we can do in our family to positively impact the earth, but I feel like these bags are a step in the right direction.