The Succulent Wife's Favorite Things

Reduce Bottled Water Waste

I've blogged about this before ( here and here among some of the posts) and it appears that there is no end in sight with this subject, the heartbreaking and wasteful use of water bottles. This latest campaign is highly visual. You might not be able to read the copy that says "Last year 14 million gallons of oil were consumed to make plastic water bottles". 

What bothers me more than having a hard time reading the copy (and having to think that NO ONE but a two year old drinks out of a water bottle with such spill results),  is that Brita, the company behind this campaign is not so upfront about... being behind this campaign. I don't know what there is to hide. The Brita home water filtration system proposes a legitimate way for hardcore water bottle users to make a switch. Anyhow, I'm still glad to see that the volume of noise on the subject is escalating. This will hopefully show some results before it's too late. FWIW, there is also a pledge that you can take to indicate your involvement in the cause. Go to the FilterForGood website for that.

Raw Food Lifestyle - Rawlicious

When I have a moment, I need to tell you about the raw food, aka living food lifestyle that my husband and I are incorporating in our lives.

My lunch today looked so beautiful, simple and healthy, I just had to snap it. Mixed vegetable & nut salad with honey lemon dressing and olive-sundried-tomato crackers. Miammmmm.

We took a raw cooking class at the Ki-Atsu Institute and have been running with it since. Delicious and satisfying and beautiful and a remedy to my constant low blood sugar. Love, love, love it!

More on that later!

Garbage! The Revolution - Great Documentary About Our Trash Problems

My daughter school held a screening of "Garbage! The Revolution" on Earth Day this last week.  This fantastic and highly digestible documentary has made us all much more aware of our over-the-top consumption habits. I thought that my family was well versed on the topic of trash and recycling. Not even close. If you think you know everything about our trash problem, think again... or watch the documentary. As a society, we are largely ignoring the problem because of the typical "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome. When our trash is hauled away, we don't really need to think about it any more. But we are running out of place to put it and then, there is the toxic seepage, among some of the obvious garbage issues.

Buy, rent, borrow this movie and share it with as many people as you can and discuss it with friends and their children. Spread the word. And yes, you should feel ambivalent (better yet, guilty) when you eat out of that Styrofoam cup or plate or grab that pile of napkins that you won't even use when you go out to eat. That would be the desired outcome after you've seen this documentary and raised your awareness of the issue. Here's the trailer. Order the documentary here at www.GarbageRevolution.com

Sign the Petition by One.org to Stop the Hunger Crisis

Here's what the petition says, as a letter to the President:

Stop the Hunger Crisis

In just three years, the price of staple foods like wheat, corn and rice has almost doubled, and this week, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said that if left unchecked, global food shortages could set the world back seven years in the fight against extreme poverty and global disease. We must urge our leaders to take action.

Go ahead and sign the petition by going HERE.

One.org is a non-partisan organization that seeks to raise public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and efforts to fight such problems in developing countries. Tell a friend!!

Gift Ideas for Mother's Day - Mother's Day is May 11th

Time to get cracking and to think about what thoughtful gift you will get Mom for Mother's Day. The Succulent Wife has some fun, practical and inexpensive gift ideas for Mother's Day.  For example, we are now showing some great handbag accessories. Take a look at the Ultimate Purse Organizer (this one is our Deal of the Moment item and is at 30% off - Hurry!), the purse hanger and the very clever KatchKey Key Finders (these are magnets that will catch yours keys and keep them in place so that you can find them easily in the vast abyss that is your handbag. Well, if it's anything like mine, that is...). 

The best part? Simply enter coupon code "momsday" at checkout to receive free priority shipping on your order over $50. That's valid until May 11.  Happy shopping!

Painted Hands as Art and in Advertising

I haven't had a chance to investigate this further, but I'm definitely noticing a trend with hands being used as a canvas for art and for advertising. What could be the underlying impetus for this wave? Inspired by body art in general, tattoo art? Or, is it that in our blasé -ness for all ordinary medium, hands are presenting a fresh... face? Do hands add a more "human" touch to the product presentation? Whatever the inspiration behind this trend, I like it!

For example, this Animated Hands collection called "Animani" from the artist Mario Mariotti

And this campaign by AT&T:

Rain Forecasting Umbrella

Well, I live in Las Vegas where we have more than 300 days of sun a year. I use an umbrella maybe once a year and hardly ever check the weather. That is very unlike my days of living in Montreal where the weather forecast would dictate our every activity. Which is why I totally get the usefulness of this umbrella. How utterly clever! The Forecast Umbrella is embedded with wi-fi technology that pulls timely weather info from the Internet. The more intense the glow of the handle, the more ardent the umbrella's calling for you to take it along at that moment. Only a concept prototype, but I am buying them as gifts as soon as they are available!

Via Likecool.com

Monster Go Away! Spray - Nite-Nite Night Frights!

If you have - or have had - small children, you KNOW that these lurking monster problems are all too real.

Monster Go Away! Spray is a REAL SOLUTION for children who are troubled by "monsters". Developed by Lisa Cook, a real mom and aromatherapy educator to ward off monsters of all shapes and sizes.

Formulated with high quality medicinal essential oils (a blend of blend of Roman Chamomile, French High Altitude Lavender & Italian Mandarin), Monster Go Away! Spray synergistically soothes the central nervous system enabling children to relax, especially at bedtime children spray where monsters may lurk - under the bed, in the closet, all about the room.

You can buy the Monster Go Away! Spray here.

Defendius Door Chain by Art Lebedev

Haha. Love the clever take on this door chain lock. The involved process of unlocking this door would certainly give one enough time to think about whether they want to let their visitors in or not. Or at least, this contraption would be excellent to legitimately formulate the excuse:  "Sorry, I can't let you in right now. I'm stuck in a maze..."

To note, also ideal for keeping that new crush that you're so infatuated with from leaving your premises too early. Probably doesn't meet fire codes though, huh?

Available for $49.99 at ThinkGeek.com

Celestial Seasonings Campaign - Visibly the alternative to mega calorie drink

I love the simple and oh-so clear visuals of this campaign. Even if trying to have any addict make the switch from a venti-caramel-frappuccino-with-whip to a green tea that one needs to prepare themselves is quite the stretch, the campaign still has merit.  It  does illustrate the consequences of drinking the Starbucks frothy brews very effectively. It simple and clever and highly visual. Might just take Celestial Seasonings a little time to meet their converts...