What started as an organic baby clothing line, has grown into women, maternity, bedding, baby, and more!  Everything looks so comfy [and stylish too!].  Here are some of my picks – Those Skinny Sweats are going on my covet list!

Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks. Chicago residents and parents of two, Irv & Shelly, started this year round local delivery service to help local independent farmers prosper by bringing fresh, chemical free, and delicious food directly into our homes.  In addition to seasonal produce boxes, you can also make a la carte selections from an assortment of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, eggs, and more.  We recently tried this service out and were very pleased.  We chose a double box of veggies for $25 [which included lettuce, radishes, scallions, potatoes, tomatoes, an eggplant, marinara sauce, a green pepper, and some mushroom patties], a few apples, some bok choy, whole wheat flour, blueberries, and tofu.  The delivery guy was super friendly and took the time to explain the drop off process to me and when I realized our mushroom patties had been left out, they were quick to get back to me and offer to drop them in our next order or give us a refund.  So far, we have only used the potatoes, scallions, and lettuce and they were delicious.

Newleaf Natural Grocery. Strong advocates of supporting local farms, this grocery stocks their shelves with as many local goods as they can get their hands on.  They offer a variety of grass fed meats, fresh produce, fair trade coffee and bulk foods, and a hefty raw foods selection.  They offer six different box varieties for pick-up or delivery and this is next on our list to try!  Located at 1261 W. Loyola Ave.

Natural Direct. This grocery service serves the greater Chicago area and seems to have the largest selection of locally grown and organic foods that you can have delivered to your door.  You can customize your own order or choose one of their weekly boxes [they even have a grass-fed meat box!].  The site is easy to navigate and there is a pretty substantial list of grocery items in addition to the meat, produce, dairy, etc.  I’ll give you more details after we try it out.

Green Grocer Chicago. Although as far as I can tell, they don’t deliver, Green Grocer does have a produce box subscription.  There are two sizes available [$15 / $28] and you get a mix of local and organic veggies and fruits that you can pick up at their store every Wednesday.  I have yet to visit the store, but from what I hear they have a great selection.  I’m going to try to check it out sometime this week.  Located at 1402 W. Grand Ave.

Green City Market. This farmers market in Lincoln Park is the city’s most popular destination for local farm shopping.  During the winter months, you can visit it indoors at the Peggy Notebart Museum and the next date is February 13th [meat & potatoes].  There is no option for delivery, but it’s worth the trip and you get to meet some of the farmers and sample the goods and there is always some treat you didn’t expect to find – like chef demonstrations and little festivals.  Check out their site for a calendar of events.

And while I was looking into all of these local food sources, I came a cross The Local Beet – a site full of forums and blog posts all about “a practical approach to local eating”.  Check it out!!!

BPA in bottles, Phthalates and Parabens in bath products, Pesticides in food, and the list just goes on and on.  As if I needed more things to worry about as a first time mom!  I try to be as ‘organic’ as possible when it comes to my little one, but it isn’t easy.  Many products labeled ‘natural’ aren’t and when there seems to be a new toxin to look out for every day, things can get confusing.  I have had people say to me, “What’s the big deal?  Our parents used that stuff on us and we’re just fine,” but are we?  Am I willing to take the chance and use products containing ingredients that can cause a wide range of problems including early onset of puberty in girls and uro-genital abnormalities in boys, diabetes, obesity, cancer, skin irritation, and ADHD?  The answer is NO.

I reccommend checking out Safe Mama, a wonderful website dedicated to providing up to date information regarding recalls and non-toxic eco living.  It’s also a good idea to spend some time at the EWG’s Cosmetic Safety Database, a safety guide for the personal care items and cosmetics you have in your own showers, medicine cabinets, and make-up bags.

The Madeline Bea Soap Co. has a great alternative to baby wipes – Owl Naturale Cleaning Solution is made with wholesome ingredients as opposed to harsh chemicals.  They also offer several soap options for baby and lots of great products for mommy too!

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Learning is Fun

We all want our children to be geniuses and this first physics book and set of flash cards for “baby nerds” from Tiffany Ard are perfect gifts for any future ivy league scholar.

Babies start learning in the womb and the first five to eight years of life present such an important window for development.  Stimuate your baby’s brain TODAY!

XOX

Magazines.  I love flipping through the pages and gathering ideas for my home and life, reading helpful tips and inspiring stories, checking out the latest clothing and makeup trends, and occassionaly getting a gossip fix.  With so many titles out there, I would be paying a fortune in subscription fees if I were reading all of the magazines I wanted to … but not anymore.

With packages as low as $4.95/month, Maghound lets me choose 3 or more magazines to receive each month and I can cancel or switch titles at anytime.  It’s like Netflix for magazines.  Awesome.  No hassles, no strings, just pure reading entertainment.

Loungewear. Just saying it is relaxing.  Grown-up pajamas.  Soft, comfy, and sometimes even sexy.  Like this organic kimono from VivaTerra -

Or these super cute hand knitted booties [also from VivaTerra] -

And these ultra soft bamboo yoga pants from Sandmaiden I found on Etsy -

With so many cute and comfortable options, you can spend your mornings/evenings lounging around in style.  Ahhhhh.