I love my Ergobaby. Out of all the baby related things I have — this is probably my most cherished, useful and favourite. I have tried other baby carriers but none of it is as comfortable as this one. All my babies love to sleep in it. I was doing a little research into it and I didn’t realize that there are copies made of ergobabies and they look really similar. I mean, I have heard of fake Louis Vuitton but who would have thought that would carry into baby carriers of all things?
Ergobaby is made in China — but you need to make sure they are authorized Ergobaby carrier sellers or else get it from the website as I think they are only a select factories they work with to design their carriers. It isn’t fair trade certified but they have limited editions of special patterns in their ”Every Mother Counts” series. The former supermodel Christy Turlington Brown started this non-profit which is advocates maternal health benefits worldwide. It retails for about $165.
I think all these partnerships with non-profit groups and companies like Tom’s shoes are great at bringing to light poverty and slavery around the world. While fair trade is probably the most favourable route as instead of aiding, you are empowering. It’s like the bible says about making fishers of men instead of just giving them to fish. Hopefully these kinds of companies and businesses will get other businesses to do the same or even shed some light to the consumer about where their goods come from.
There are baby slings like something like a Moby wrap where it’s basically a one long scarf and you can probably buy fair trade certified cotton and make a sling. Most of the more padded baby carriers like the Ergo are made in China.
It was Papa’s birthday and we went to have gluten-free pasta at Maggiano’s. Boy. Was it busy there! My pasta was yum num num and I love getting the classic pastas and bringing one home. Yes! I have lunch options the next day.
We also went to cheer on my brother on his ride to conquer cancer. Epic bike ride from Vancouver to Seattle. So happy to see him roll in. He’s the one holding his camera phone to the finish line. It’s pretty cool to see how he has really gotten into this long distance bike riding. He’s eating healthier, working out and looks great!
There were some fancy looking bikes and it even got me all excited about biking. How about a handmade bamboo bicycle made in Seattle?
There is this company called Monsoon Cycles in Seattle that makes these cool bamboo framed bicycles. There is a huge bike culture here in the Pacific Northwest and I think this would be a cool bike to test out. Made in the USA, using renewable materials, and reducing your carbon footprint. What’s not to love? I first saw this bike at local shop as a displayer and it looks oh so very cool. I have yet to test it out. I think that would be something T has to check out since he’s more of a bike rider than myself. I’m more the leisurely stroll biker.
I have a hard time finding trainers or runners that use the barefoot method for our family. I keep looking at VivoBarefoot shoes and I love all their styles for men, women and kids. Right now our family wears Merrell barefoot shoes but I’m not sure how “ethical” they are. They are made in China with the Vibram sole. I have had such a hard time finding runners for my family that are barefoot and not made in China.
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1. Ladies $115 2. Men’s $115 3. Kids $40
These VivoBarefoot shoes are made in China as well — but they make their shoes vegan which means they use as little glue as possible and using recycled materials. They have an ethical policy section and it states that their main tannery partner is rated ISO 14001 which is the highest environmental standard accreditation for shoes. It’s tough — I mean, unless you know these factories personally in China — it’s hard to say. I know there are ethical factories in China — in fact we carry bags and toys made in China by near deaf or deaf women but that’s only because we know these factories through personal referrals.
Does anyone out there have more info about VivoBarefoot? I love that they use recycled materials but would love to know if their shoe makers are paid a fair wage and have decent working hours as I would love to get these shoes for my whole family. They are freakin’ cool!
Our small sewing co-op in Davao, Philippines just shipped some more robot and paris pattern nursing covers. We sell them at Amazon and Ebay. If you choose to get them through ebay or our site then we can offer you free shipping. At Amazon, we use their fufillment centers so you can choose the method of shipping and if you are a Prime member than you can get free 2 day shipping which is an awesome bonus.
We are starting to run low on stock in our patterns — which is a great thing because that means you are helping out empoverished women in Davao! We want to design new nursing cover patterns so we thought we would ask you for your input on what patterns/shapes/colours/animals you would like to see. We also received some great feedback on how we can improve our nursing covers so we will address that as well. We want to continue to empower these women with skilled work.
What has been your favourite pattern? I would say that my favourite is the purple bears and the cherry blossoms. I like the colours, they cover my giant baby — and well, I like the cute little bear and girl the purple patterns. I’m a sucker for illustration.
We do have a sample sale of our nursing covers at Etsy while supplies last. They’re a great deal at $10. Fabric is the same but there are some flaws like sizing may be a bit off (shorter, two wide, too long etc), incorrect thread or areas where the sewing may be a bit off.
Happy hump day! I’m still dealing with kids under the weather so they are a tad clingy to Mama.
My kiddos are under the weather today so I am going to get this quick post out as I seem to be in demand for comfort, nose wiping and cuddles.
We carry an assortment of beautiful jewelry but my season’s favourite is Raven + Lily’s Tigist necklace.
Tigist Necklace $108
It’s lovely, delicate and makes a statement without being completely overwhelming. I love the designs that R+L comes up with season after season. Made with recycled materials by Ethiopian women artisans. So pretty. Can be dressed up or down.
I’m into simple jewelry. I love the statement pieces but I can’t carry it off. I just don’t have that kind of swagger. I do love ths triple arrow piece made by women artisans in India. Designed by 4 all Humanity, an ethical fashion brand. Pretty cool stuff.
I only have enough time to link a couple of things. Family duty calls but I’ll be sure to spotlight more necklaces.
Have you all heard of Woodsnap? They put prints and illustrations on wood. I can attest that it’s the most awesome personal gift you can give to your dad. It’s a good way to involve your kiddos too.
Our 3 year old loves to snap photos from our phones and also my DSLR. He has taken some pretty good snaps, and I think it would be great to take a few of those and get an 8 x 8 print done on wood to put a collection together. Your kids would be so proud to have their art up and it’s something personal for the whole family.
I got one done for T for his birthday which happens to hit right on Father’s Day.
We don’t have any family photos and so I asked my good friend Lil to illustrate our family and it turned out so good! I already gave it to him early because I was just too excited to wait until his birthday.
$59
I would buy this for my dad. Mend has a line of bags and accessories made by women in Northern Uganda. 100% of the profits goes towards Invisible Children‘s mission. Sweet. Check out their goodies because it’s really well made and stylish.
I hope we gave you some good ideas for your dads on his special day. Enjoy your weekend!
What celebrates your Pa more than a good old fashion bbq? It hits on that time when the sun shines longer and you get to eat food outside and relax on your deck. Even if you don’t have a deck, you can even go to a nearby park/beach bring one of those cheap coal bbq sets and it’s still a great way to celebrate your big guy’s day.
Forget buying frozen prepped patties, you can make your own and it’s simple! We our picky about our meat so we have started ordering all our meat from a butcher in Walla, Walla Washington called Blue Valley Meats. They have 100% grass fed beef and are even starting to introduce meat that are gluten free — meaning that the food/feed that they are feeding their animals have no gluten in them. Their chicken, well it tastes like chicken. Sounds silly but these days, with our food being so processed, sometimes things just don’t taste how they should taste. Prices are very reasonable for happy meat.
1 lb of ground chuck (should be a little fattier)
half an onion chopped finely
red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste
Buns (I like brioche buns but Tim is gluten-free. Rudi’s makes a good gluten free bun)
cheese (We are partial to cabot cheddar cheese. So tasty!)
tomatoes (there are fair trade certified ones sold in PCC Health Markets or Whole Foods)
Lettuce
Condiments to your liking
Put the ground chuck in a bowl. The cut should be fattier because it makes a juicier burger. Add the chopped onion, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. I would be aggressive with my salt (2 tsp) to bring out the taste of the burger. Mix all the ingredients together by hand but do not over mix. Form patties the size of your palm. Toss it on the grill. Cool one side for longer about 5-7 minutes and then the other side for about 2 to 3 minutes. It shouldn’t take all that long to cook if you have loosely packed your patties. Add your cheese after you have flipped your burger so it will be all nice and melty.
Toast your buns, TOAST! I can’t stand a soggy bun! Add it to the grill just a minute before you need to take the burgers off the grill.
Top it off with tomatoes, lettuce (we liked those boxed organic mixed lettuces) and smear it with your condiments. I like mayo and dijon on mine.
Ice Tea Recipe
When I lived in Austin, I loved Zhi Tea’s peach ice tea. It’s fair trade and organic and it’s probably the tastiest peach tea I have had so far. You can get their tea online. I’m obsessed with tea the amount of tea I have can fill a whole pantry shelf. Yikes.
sugar syrup (we use a fair trade certified cane sugar that you can buy even get from Costco!)
The ratio of tea to water is usually 1:1 but the size of spoon you use depends on how large the tea leaves are. For larger leaves, I like using about a 1/2 tbspn. For smaller leaves I would go 1 tsp. For this brand I would go for 1 tablespoon. Boil 8 cups of water and add your tea leaves. I like to simmer my tea leaves for about 5 to 6 minutes. Strain the tea into a jug, put it in the fridge to cool.
To make the sugar syrup, for this amount of water, I would add a half a cup of cane sugar and half a cup of water. Boil until a pot until the sugar dissolves. Add it to the tea.
Just before serving, add 1 peach sliced and half a lemon sliced.
If your man likes beer than I hear there is a fair trade beer from Peak Organic Brewing Company. How is it fair trade? Apparently, one of their brews uses fair trade coffee mixed with beer. That is one crazy combination. I have no idea how that would taste!
Last but not least. ICE CREAM!
Ben and Jerry’s is FAIR TRADE certified! I just bought this on sale at Safeway for $2.50. I was hankering for chocolate. I can’t wait to try it. GMO free, not owned by a huge food conglomerate and churning good old ice cream. I love it!
After this post, I feel like having a bbq myself. I just need to get myself a bbq.
$25 -$125 (depending on what kind of good, better, best ball you want)
Tim would be paying attention to this post. Your dad or hubby an health nut? Does he love to cross-fit, training for a triathlon or just get that giddy look in face when he is about to participate in competitive sports? Well, we have found some goodies for you.
Senda Athletics is a company that makes fair trade soccer balls. The founder loves the sport and see just how much joy a simple ball can bring communities together, in the love for the spirit of the game. He decided to make the balls fair trade because in order to support the non-profits, bringing soccer to poor communities, these balls themselves should be made in the most fair conditions so that the ball is enjoyed by all. You can be assured that the ball you are kicking around was made in safe working conditions and paid a fair wage for their work.
We are big purveyors of running barefoot. Let me tell you it’s VERY hard to find shoes that are not made in China. All the barefoot ones are made in China and while I know there are factories in China that are good and fair, I haven’t begun to research that in terms of the barefoot shoes but these barefooters happen to be made in Italy and even though they call it a post workout shoe, I think I would wear it to work out in. I mean, right now, I wear converse type shoes to run and do my sports and this looks like a shoe you could run in.
WSI Sports specializes in men and women’s performance athletic wear. All made in the USA. Some pretty great work out gear. Simple, sweat wicking and has style.
It’s on sale! Land’s End Durable Goods line are all home spun cotton and all sewn in the USA. This is great, brings jobs back to America. They have it in a variety of colours but I love this green.
Now go outside with your dad and kick the ball, shoot the puck or whatever will get you outside playing sports in the sunshine!
I just moved from the most hipster part of America: Austin, TX and I can so see these on these dads over there. I love the Krochet Kids company. They started out with crochet hats (very much hipster too) and their artisans from Peru and Northern Uganda sign each hat they crochet. I love that personal touch.
They even have hair accessories for the ladies but may not look so good on the hipster dad but how about:
A super quality waxed canvas made by the good folks at Moop. Been drooling over their bags for men/women. They handmake all their bags in their Pittsburgh. Super sweet! Made locally here in the US. Your Pop can put his ipad in his bag, sling it over his shoulder, stroller over to his handy bike to ride to work or study.
Just add a pair of skinny jeans from Gustin and a hipster plaid shirt and done. Happy hip father’s day!
I’m joining a few other participants to blog about making your summer fair trade #ftsummer. Since Father’s Day is coming along soon, we’re sharing a fair trade/locally sourced recipe idea for your dear dad.
Javier Cruz – Stumptown’s coffee producer from Colombia
Stumptown Coffee. Direct trade house blend. If you haven’t heard of this company then you need to get right down to Portland or someone who serves up stumptown coffee. You can tell they are obsessed with coffee and that is a good thing because it’s a damn good cup of java. Really smooth. Their direct trade blends means that they are face to face with the farmers paying more than a fair price for their hard work harvesting these beans. Our family likes to cold brew it.
Iced Hazelnut Latte
1 12 oz package of stumptown coffee (I would get the roaster to grind the beans if you don’t have a grinder. Make sure it’s a coarse grind like for a french press)
7 to 8 cups of water
hazelnut half and half (we like using organic valley brand)
Dump the entire contents of coffee grind in a large container like a large juice jug or something that will hold the grinds and water.
Pour in 8 cups of water. Let it sit overnight (at least 8 hours) in the fridge.
Strain out the coffee grinds and pour brewed coffee in a clean jug.
Take out your dad’s favourite mug. Pour in about a cup of cold brewed coffee and add half and half to taste. I like about 3 tbsps of the creamer. It’s already sweetened so there is no need to add sugar.
