Ideal Bite

Daylight Savings Time, you are so depressing. It's dark at 4:30 now, which just makes me feel sleepy. So, to help myself focus on the positive when it comes to the approaching winter snooze-fest, I've decided to hit the bath tub - the best antidote to a cold dark night - with my fave lavender-honey milk bath recipe. Other than the fact that it obviously smells like a dream come true, it's a winning combo all around - lavender is one of nature's best tension tamers, honey not only softens your skin but also absorbs its impurities, and you can always drink it if you change your mind about the whole bath thing.

Anyway, once you have the ingredients, it's super easy. Fancier groceries tend to carry dried lavender, but some smaller co-op style spots do too - I scored mine at True Nature Foods (a great Read the full post... 

The Mother Nature Network recently released its list of the Top 15 most toxic places to live (everyone, not least of all Molly, was shocked to learn that LA did not make the list).

It turns out that Earth's orbit ought to be every space station resident's worst nightmare because it's so full of trash from abandoned space ships and satellites stuck circling the globe. Pretty crazy.

-Toshio…off to look to the skies…

From DT Read the full post... 

Well, actually he was sitting two tables away from me, but that still counts, no? Plus, Sheryl Crow, Amy Smart, Ricki Lake, Anna Getty, and Arianna Huffington - they were all attending the Healthy Child Healthy World gala last Wednesday at the LEED-certified Montage Beverly Hills. I sat between Ideal Bite's cofounder, Jen Boulden and a lactation consultant (no joke) during dinner.

HCHW is all about fighting for children’s environmental health, and although I'm not a mom yet, I was very interested to hear what the who's who on this subject matter had to say. The event honored three Champions of Children’s Health, and I was particularly inspired by the tenacity and dedication Read the full post... 

There's my entry for "Best Sex Industry Pun." My mother must be so proud right now.

A German madam has launched a new discount offer at her East Berlin brothel: Travel green and save yourself a few euros. Fifteen minutes inside would have run you €30, but show 'em a bike helmet, your U-lock keys, or your bus ticket and it's only €25.

The madam estimates that about 10% of the clientele is taking advantage of the deal. No matter what industry you're in, times are tough, but it's nice to know that going green will always pay off.

-Senior Editor Mike...off to ride his bike - to the store, sicko...
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So clearing up the little bumps - molluscum warts - on my daughter Roxie’s arm is not going to be quick. After the first visit I mentioned, we’ve had to return to the doctor a few times for additional cantharidine applications.

It’s not because it’s a nampy-pamby natural solution that doesn’t work - rather it’s the opposite. Cantharidine, so-called beetle juice, is extremely potent and dabbing it on a few warts can rev up the immune system to fight them all off. The treatment isn't painful, we're told, but it's best to carry it out over time, our doc said, so we’re settling in for a process. 

Honestly, aside from my mommy guilt over her tears, the hardest part is holding Roxane Read the full post... 

As most can expect with any holiday season (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.), a little weight gain is in the cards. So what’s a candy-goobling, turkey-lovin’, cookie-snatchin’ Biter supposed to do? Indulge and worry about the weight later thanks to the Muffin Top Stopper. Yep, you heard me right. This little device - made in Queens, NYC - has a button on one side and buttonhole on the other so you can extend your waistband. It’ll prevent your luvies (love handles) from hanging out and reduces waste (not waist unfortch) since you can skip buying a new pair of jeans just for the holiday season - which makes the planet happy too.

PS: It’s great for preggo ladies too like my sis and friend Michele Read the full post... 

I’m a total last-minute Halloween dresser upper. Last year I found a blue ‘60s dress, dainty white gloves, and a silk scarf that said “Cuba” at a local vintage shop 30 minutes before my friend’s party was to start and… instant flight attendant. Some years I’m not so lucky and end up staring at my closet wishing I had a wackier fashion sense. This year I’m shooting for Coco Chanel inspired by Audrey Tautou’s role in Coco Before Chanel (which you must see if you’re interested in that sort of thing – so good). It’ll be stuff I’ll wear throughout the year anyway so I won’t have to toss it.

Here, some other ideas from my office pals (btw, check out our list on Read the full post... 

I just got back from a trip to the Southeast, during which Seattle's gray season moved in with full force. So instead of dwelling on how bummed I am about not seeing the sun for several months, I'm trying to focus on what I love about fall in the PNW:

•  Cupcake Royale's Annual Cupcake Harvest Festival, chock full of moist and tasty fall cupcakes like Caramel Apple (with honey crisp apples from Tiny's Organic Farm, caramel frosting, and a little stick in the top just like the real deal), my fave Pumpkin Maple (with organic pumpkin from Stahlbush Island Farms), and Carrot Cake (with local carrots from Ralph's Organics).
•  Read the full post... 

After a trip to the drugstore the other day - overflowing with Halloween everything - I got to thinking. First: Halloween is fun. Really fun. Second: $40 for a string of plastic, pumpkin-shaped LED lights. That I'll use for one night. Hm…

Instead, I'm going to use a string of white LED Christmas lights that I already have - I hope to fix them to a broomstick-hangar frame (still working that part out…) and drape a sheet over it to create a glowing ghost. Other options: a string of orange, round lights to hang along the mantle like little pumpkins, or green lights (sans overheads) for an overall eerie glow. And when December comes, they'll go to use in a cheerier setting.

In other dual-use lighting news, check out this Read the full post... 

I had this really great Tina Turner wig when I was a kid. I wore it practically every Halloween, whether I was going as a rock star, a cheetah, or a sad punky clown. Though I’m guessing it was pretty non-eco in terms of material, I did reuse the hell out of it. We probably all had something like that - some cherished prop that shows we were ace recyclers long before those colorful bins started appearing at the curb. Still, I could have been more creative. I could have made a wig out of cut-up mismatched socks, for example, or instead, gathered a bunch of shredded paper from my parents shredder and woven them together (excuse: no one knew what a shredder was in the '80s).

To help unleash that vast amount of creative potential, Andersonville's Green Genes is holding a recycled costume contest this Saturday from Read the full post...