Reusable Review, insulated groceries!

I've been using the Earth Tote insulated shopping bag for the past couple of months, and can definitely say that it's become my favorite insulated bag. I've tried quite a few, and while they worked the way they were supposed to, the Earth Tote is the first one to exceed my expectations.

The description for the Earth Tote states that it can keep food cold for up to 3 hours, and that is true. However, with the addition of a small ice pack, I've had food stay refrigerator cold for at least 5 hours. When I used a slightly larger ice pack, everything was still perfectly cold 9 hours later. I am quite impressed with the insulating ability of this bag, none of the others were able to maintain that level of insulation for anywhere close to that length of time. 

*Stock photo from Reuseit.com

It can fit a bit more than an average paper grocery bag, especially since it zips shut so you don't have to worry about things falling out of the top. My favorite way to use this isn't as a grocery bag though. The main thing I've been doing with it is using it to pack snacks, drinks, and lunch to bring with us when we are going out for the day. The kids and I have food allergies, so it can be difficult to find food on the go, and we tend to bring everything with us. Our Earth Tote can fit 2 Laptop Lunch boxes, a ToGoWare 2-tier tiffin, 2 12oz Kleen Kanteens, a 27oz Kleen Kanteen, and a set of 3 reuseit snack bags, plus 2 small freezer bricks. I'll put everything but the snack bags into the tote, put a kitchen towel on top, then the snack bags go in. This keeps the cold in the lower portion of the bag, and the snacks in the snack bags don't get humidity from any condensation that might occur (so, our pretzels and veggie bootie don't get soggy and gross).
The only thing that I'd add to improve this bag more would be a long shoulder strap in addition to the short handles. Being able to have our food bag on my shoulder would free up a hand for parking lot hand holding. For now, one of the kids just holds a belt loop or my pocket instead, but it would be nice to have an extra hand available.


Disclosure: As a reuseit.com ambassador, I was given a free product from reuseit.com to test and review. I was not paid or given any other compensation. All opinions presented are my own and not influenced by reuseit.com or anyone else.
For my full disclosure policy, please click here. 

And, the winner is...

Candy!!!

It looks like the popular choice for the next Reusable Review is the Large Insulated Zippered Lunch Bag! They happen to be on sale right now for 50% off, so if you aren't feeling like waiting for the review, it's a great time to try one for yourself at only $9.95.
Congratulations, Candy! I'll be contacting you shortly (that's the only way I know how).

Snack Bag Review and Giveaway!

 

I haven't done a reusable review in a while, and decided that it was long overdue.  There are so many great reusable products out there, but not always enough real-world opinions about them to help you choose the right ones for your family. I had the opportunity to try out a set of snack bags from reuseit.com on a recent trip to Firefly Play Cafe. The night before, I loaded them up with a variety of different snacks, but didn't go for anything goopy or wet this time. The large bag was filled with Tings, one smaller bag had raisins and dried apples, and the other small bag was filled with 4 clementines.

My thoughts? I love them! 

They are made out of a double layer of heavyweight nylon fabric, without any BPA, lead, or phthalates. I've never been comfortable with laminated snack bags since I could never find a definitive answer about the safety of PUL when it's in contact with food. This seems to be a great compromise. It's still a man-made material, but I haven't seen anything yet that makes me overly wary of nylon, and since our lunch bags are already full of stainless steel and glass, it's nice to have a lighter option for snacks.

 

 

The bags were easy for the kids to open and close without spilling the contents, which has been a problem with some of our other containers. They were super easy to clean (turn them inside out and toss them into the washing machine!). I haven't tried it yet, but I'm wondering if they'd do ok in the dishwasher. 

Our snacks also stayed nice and fresh. I specifically packed the Tings to see if they'd be stale the next day. The top of the bag folds down and is held in place when the velcro is fastened, which creates enough of a seal that the Tings were still crunchy and perfect when we opened them, and the dried apples didn't get tough. I probably wouldn't leave anything it there longer than overnight and expect it to stay fresh, but that's long enough for me to pack lunch and snacks for the next days adventures.

It was also nice that after our snacks were finished, the Snack and Sandwich bags pack down flat, making our bag much less bulky and cumbersome to carry at the end of the day.

Giveaway Time!!

 Reuseit.com has offered to send one Bootie Baby Blog reader a Sandwich and Snack bag set of their very own, in the color they like best!

I'm not going to make you jump through a bunch of hoops to enter, but I am going to ask a favor. Please take a moment to subscribe to Bootie Baby Blog, then go visit Reuseit.com, browse through their house brand of reusable products, and leave a comment telling me which one you'd like to see reviewed next. 

I'll choose a winner in one week, on September 23rd, using a random number generator.

Don't forget that I'll need a way to contact you if you're the winner :)

Reusable Review: AusPen Refillable Dry Erase Markers & Wipe Clean Woeksheet Covers

This week, we tried out the AusPen Refillable Dry Erase Markers with a white board and Roylco Wipe Clean Worksheet Covers. I had been wanting to use dry erase markers with the kids for a while, but was uncomfortable with the smell and chemicals. When I first heard about the AusPen markers, I was thrilled to find out that not only are they refillable, but they are also Xylene free!
We loved the markers! They are bright and colorful, and draw a great, solid line which erases cleanly from both surfaces that we drew on. I think they are very comparable to the non-refillable dry erase markers in action, but without the soul-crushing agony of adding more waste to the landfill. I'm a sucker for a well designed container, so I adore the (recyclable) container that the markers and refill ink are packaged in. It's nice and slim, and fits into our school supply bin quite nicely. The only thing that I'm not feeling the love for, is the nibs (or lack of nibs, to be exact). Since I'm using these with preschoolers, I'm guessing the the kids will crush the life out of the nibs before the markers have lived a full life. They are reversible, so that will help, but I'd love to see AusPen offer replacement nibs so that we can continue to use these forever.



The kids are really getting interested in writing letters and have been asking for help making lists, so I got them a book with some pre-writing games and activities in it. I figured I'd either get a second copy if they both really like it, or just make copies on the scanner. Then I thought about it more, and just couldn't justify using all that paper and ink and then throwing it away. I thought about using chalkboards or whiteboard and drawing my own worksheets for them, but then stumbled across the Roylco Wipe Clean Worksheet Covers and decided to give them a try. They are perfect! We can use the same workbook over and over again, until the kids are done with it, and then give it to another family to use. We don't have to purchase multiple copies of the same book, and can reduce the amount of printouts from the computer. The covers cost $20 for a pack of 10, which seemed pricey at first, but I know they will more than pay for themselves quickly.




Just for Bootie Baby Blog readers, enter AUSPEN at check out for 10% off all of Auspen products at Reuseit.com from now until Nov 8!

Sorry, Hun, I've got a new love. Um, I mean, Reusable Review Time!!!

I think my husband may be just a bit jealous. I've been taking my new Reisenthel Kid's Market Basket everywhere I go, and talking about it a bit too much I think. I do think it's pretty perfect though, and has made loading the kids into the car so much easier. I just pre-load the market basket with our Kleen Kanteens full of water, a few random snacks, sunscreen, and a wetbag containing a few extra pair of tiny undies and shorts, and we're ready to head out the door at a moments notice. Even with all that stuff in there, there is still a little room to toss in a book or some crayons and stickers to entertain the kids at a slow point in our day. It's allowed me to eliminate that frantic run around the house collecting all the necessary bits and stuff, and I've actually been on time a few times this week! One feature of the basket that I think is great, but haven't needed to use yet, is the drawstring closure. I find it a bit easier to just leave the cover tucked inside so that I have easy access to the contents, but I think it would be really handy if I didn't want to advertise what I was hauling around, or if I had slightly overstuffed it and needed help holding everything in .

Another fun thing that I've been using this week is the Orka Silicone Lids. My home is almost completely disposable-free, and one of the things that I've missed having is plastic wrap. Not enough to buy it, but there was the occasional wistful sigh. I was pretty thrilled to find the Orka lids, and hopeful that they would be able to satisfy my need to avoid disposables as well as keep food fresh.
They are a little clunky since they have to be larger than the container that they are covering, and I found it occasionally challenging to fit them in the fridge (especially on CSA pickup day). They depend on suction to keep them on the container, and if bumped at the right angle, they can pop off. This could be a problem with soupy, drippy foods, but is fine for more solid items. I'm thinking that using them to transport wet foods could be a problem unless the container was very stable in the vehicle. The only other thing that I experienced that is obvious when you stop and think about it, but that didn't occur to me to stop and think about, is that the container can't be totally full. You need to allow space for the lid to be pushed down into the bowl to create the suction. This isn't a problem, but does bear mentioning. My opinion is that the benefits outweigh the negatives, and I really do think they the job they are made for. They hold their suction well, and I'm guessing that the silicone will last a really long time. The multi-function aspect is pretty cool too, since they can also me used as a trivet and potholder. The kids like suctioning them to the floor and then trying to pull them up with a pop, that's always a bonus.

Starting today (7/12/10), Bootie Baby Blog readers can save 10% off anything and everything at Resuablebags.com by entering bootiebaby at check out. The code is case-sensitive, can't be combined with any other coupons, and expires on 7/26.

Also, check out all the new arrivals at ReusableBags.com, there are some great new lunch items that would help make packing lunches fun and eco-friendly! Subscribe to the Reusablebags.com/Reusit.com mailing list (half way down the page on the left) or "Like" them on Facebook, and get special access to next week's "secret sale".

Hot Coffee!!

I posted a link on Facebook the other day to a post on a blog called Blissfully Domestic. The post was about the new insulated Kleen Kanteens, which I somehow hadn't known about before then. I love having a mug or cup of coffee with me in the car when I have to go somewhere on the early side of the morning, but haven't found the perfect solution. I had some pretty good travel mugs, but they never fit into my car's cup holder. I also have the Not A Paper Cup, which I love, but it's not quite large enough for morning coffee, and doesn't like to be overfilled or it drips into the cup holder. So I was thrilled to see that Kleen Kanteen is filling yet another hole in my obviously difficult life. I'll be ordering my 20oz insulated bottle from reusablebags.com this evening, and will report back with a review just as soon as it arrives.

Do you want one too? ReusableBags.com is offering a special free shipping coupon! The coupon code is NEWCUST25 will give you free shipping on orders of $25 or more. The code is for new customers only, cannot be combined with other coupons and doesn’t apply to volume or wholesale orders. Offer ends at midnight on 5/23.

No more bleach!!

I just read an article on Science News Online (that I found because of an article on Grist.com) about a non toxic cleaning method for countertops that I found really interesting. I'm not a huge bleach user, but I will begrudgingly resort to it for really stubborn germies. I do, however, use vinegar and peroxide all the time for cleaning, just not together. I'm pretty impressed at the exponential disinfecting power acheived when using them at the same time. I will be retiring the bleach immediately, and making up a bottle each of vinegar and peroxide, and using them with the cloth wipes that I keep in an easy to reach place in the kitchen. 

I've also been so into the cleaning recipes that can be found in Make Your Place (affordable, sustainable nesting skills). It's a really sweet little book, written in a very familiar and comfortable tone. I found it at my local library, but now that I've seen what a great resource it is, it's on my list. If you can't find it locally, it's available at amazon.com, where it can be found for just $7, about the same price of a container of Clorox wipes (that you will never need to use since now you know how to make better ones for less!).

I'm an Ambassador!

 

I've been such a huge supporter of companies and organizations that are dedicated to providing safe products and information about reducing waste and toxins in our home. When I heard that one of my favorite sources of green gear, Reusablebags.com, was looking for people to join their ambassador program, I wrote them right away.

I'm proud to be teamed up with such a great company, and hope that as part of their program, I can help spread the word about reusables just a little bit further.