Up 'til now I've pretty much only shared the fact that we are adopting an older child from foster care, but not much more beyond that. I had a curious reader ask me for more specifics: What age range? What gender? What race?

Well from the get-go we knew we wanted to adopt siblings. It's harder to find families to adopt groups of siblings; most people, understandably, only want to take on one child at a time. We don't have any kids, though, and we're a bit older, financially secure and have a solid relationship. Why not take on more? After all, who wants to go through this entire process a second time?! And at the same time, we can feel good about giving a home to children who might otherwise not get chosen.

At first we thought we'd look at groups of two and three, but our social worker suggested that since we are first-time parents that we might want to stick to just two. So we took her advice and have been focusing on sibling pairs.

Gender? We really want to experience raising kids of both sexes. Since we can choose, why not? I grew up in a home with all girls, and always wanted a brother. (According to my parents, being the 3rd kid I was their last ditch hope for a boy – oh well.) A brother never happened so I'd really like to experience having a boy running around the house. As for the girl, what can I say? Being a woman I'd like to have a girl to share those girly experiences with. (No need to worry, I won't dress us in matching outfits. I'm not that girly.)

Race? No preference. A child is a child and we know we'll have no trouble being able to love a child of another race. Cultural background? Religious background? We are very open people and also have no preference for these either. We will love our children for who they are, unconditionally, and will nurture their individuality.

Our age range is 3 – 10. After The Great Diaper Debacle of 2008 I realize a 3-year old is pushing it, so I'm secretly hoping we won't end up with a kid that young. Ideally our age range would actually be 5 – 8, but the smaller we make our range the harder it will be to find a match. In the end what matters more than anything is that the children are a good fit for us so we can be the best parents we can be for them. So if we end up with a 3-year old I'll deal with the possibility of potty issues. Maybe I'll just need to keep a bucket handy while I change a diaper or wipe a bootie. Ewww. ;)

So we're set, right? Our agency knows our preferences and started searching on our behalf. We began scouring the online photo listings looking for our future kids. But we kept seeing groups of three. The bigger the group the harder it is to find families willing to adopt them. Is three really too much? Well sure, it probably is for anyone, but could we do it? And more importantly, do we want to do it?

As Bill and I discussed it he said something that really touched me. "I feel like it's our calling; to adopt the kids that no one wants to adopt." I feel exactly the same way. We are realistic, though, and know we have limits. There are certain special needs we just can't take on. But if sibling sets of three are hard to place, then we're willing to step up to the plate for those kids. That's something we feel we can do. So we talked to our agency and widened our search.

I told another writer pal (Janna over at Happily Even After) about us considering sibling groups of three. Just about every person we've told looks at us with wide, disbelieving eyes and a look on their face that says, Are you insane? Janna was no exception. "You probably think we're crazy, right?" I said, expecting her to be polite and tell me we're not.

Instead, she surprised me. "Oh, you are crazy," she said assuredly. "But that just means you're exactly the right people to do it."

She has a point.

I don't think it's the fact that we are considering three kids that freaks people out, but the fact that we would be adopting all three at once. Yes I know it's a little crazy. Maybe a lot crazy. Maybe we are, in fact, insane. But when I picture our future family I don't see one kid sitting with us at the dinner table, I see many. Maybe even more than three. (Oh don't worry. We won't take on more than three at once. We're crazy, but not that crazy.) Maybe after this first round we will adopt again. I don't know. Only time will tell what the future holds. But for right now, at this time in our lives, this feels right. Maybe Janna is right. The fact that we're crazy enough to even consider it just might mean we should.

And who knows. Just because we widened our search to include groups of three doesn't mean the children we are matched with will be three siblings. We might get chosen for a set of two. But part of me is really hoping for three. What can I say? Call me crazy.

Well it's official: I should not adopt nor give birth to an infant. For me older child adoption is the only way to go. Why? Well let me tell you…

My cutie niece Emma!

Recently my hubby Bill and I were babysitting for his brother and wife, Mike & Ronda. Their little girl Emma is the most adorable thing you've ever seen (yes I know, I'm biased.) When Mike & Ronda asked if we would take her for an afternoon we jumped on the chance to spend the day with her. We also thought it wouldn't hurt to get some more kid practice before we adopt.

Emma is a year and a half and therefore still in diapers. If you remember I joked that I have a diaper phobia, and while it's not really a phobia, I honestly do have a hard time with them. Mike & Ronda know this, but when they dropped her off they were happy to report – and we were relieved to hear – that she had already pooped that morning. Whew! We should be poop-free for the rest of the afternoon.

Not so fast! Sure enough, she gets a poopy diaper. Now the thing is I've actually changed a diaper before… ONCE. And I could only manage to do it by NOT LOOKING. (Yes, it's actually possible to successfully change a diaper with your head turned and a horrified look on your face.) I think since I got through it once before I was a little overconfident with Emma that morning, because when I went to change her diaper I made the mistake of LOOKING.

As soon as I saw the poop I quickly looked away, said to Bill something to the effect of, "Oh my God, that's SO GROSS!", and then I started gagging. And then I actually threw up in my mouth a little. And then my eyes got huge and I looked at Bill with a deer-in-the-headlights look on my face as I realized the inevitable. And then I dashed for the bathroom and HURLED.

Yes, I ACTUALLY VOMITED. And the worst part is that it hit me so hard and so fast that I didn't make it all the way into the toilet before I tossed my pancakes (we did indeed have pancakes that morning). I managed to barf mostly in the toilet but partially on the bathmat. NICE.

So I hurl one big hurl, and then I start laughing because I know how ridiculous this whole freakin' scenario is. People change millions of diapers a day without barfing! I scooped poop every day for four years working at the animal shelter and NEVER barfed! But I look at poo smeared on a kid's booty and I projectile vomit? WHATEVER!!!

So I'm laughing, and laughing HARD. I'm laughing so hard that I start crying. Laughing so hard that it took me a minute before I could even stop to talk. Then I yell down the hall to Bill, "OMG dude, I just hurled!" And Bill yells back, sounding a little miffed, "Yeah I know, I heard it." And that makes me laugh even harder. And all the while my poor hubby is in there having to step up and do what I couldn't do without barfing. He deserves a gold star or something.

Later on he says to me, "You always know it's a good party when someone hurls." Ha! And of course Mike & Ronda laughed their keisters off when we told them. They felt a little bad of course, but it's too funny not to laugh.

And that, my friends, is why it's a good thing I'm not having a baby or adopting a baby. The Great Diaper Debacle of 2008 (as I have since dubbed it) pretty much confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that adopting an older kid is definitely the right choice. Yes I know I will still have to deal with some poo, snot, and puke, but at least I won't have to do it several times a day.

Actually, the truth is I probably won't end up having to deal with that stuff at all. One glimpse of bodily goo and I'm likely to barf and then Bill will have to deal with it instead. God I love that man.

(Yeah I know, I've already been told a thousand times "It's different with your own kids", but honestly, I have no desire to find out if that's actually true!)

One interesting aspect of adoption is the ability to choose. Having a biological kid, well, you kinda just get what you get. You have sex, the fastest sperm and the egg for that month collide, and you've got a baby in the making. (Yeah, yeah I know – I'm oversimplifying the process.) What comes out roughly 9-months later is anyone's guess. We can pretty much bet it will be human, of course, and a conglomeration of Mom and Dad's genes. But what exactly those ingredients create really can't be known until that bun comes out of the oven.

Will it be a boy or a girl? Will it have hair or no hair? Straight hair or curly? Will it have all 10 fingers and toes? Will your wee one be healthy? Free of birth defects? How about personality? Intelligence? Will your child grow up to be tall like dad or short like mom? There are a lot of variables, even within a known gene pool, and you don't get to pick and choose the traits that you hope your little one will have.

With adoption you have a little more opportunity to choose. Do I want a boy or girl? Do I want my child to be the same race as me or am I open to (or even prefer) another race? Do I want to adopt from this country or another country? What age do I want to adopt? Do I want to adopt one child or siblings?

If the child is older there's even more choice involved, mainly because more is known. Do I want my child to be a toddler, school-aged, preteen or teenager? Do I want a child that's already been raised in my same religion? How about personality – do I want an outgoing child or a reserved one? One that's funny, brainy, gentle, or spunky? How about interests? Do I want a child that loves animals, likes camping, swimming, video games, or reading?

Oooh, this is fun, isn't it? I get to pick and choose my family! Hmmm, not so fast…

Here's the thing – admittedly it's kinda cool to have some choice in the matter. Or so it seems at first glance. But as Bill and I got farther into it we quickly discovered that all this choosing isn't so fun. Quite frankly it's equally a blessing and a curse, especially when it comes to special needs.

At one point we were actually given a checklist of a whole host of potential problems. We were asked to go down that list and check the things we were willing to take on as an adoptive parent. Everything from asthma to Down Syndrome… you name it, it was on the list. And you know what? For every box we left unchecked we felt like complete jerks.

Are we horrible people if we say we don't want to parent a child with autism? Or a child in a wheelchair? How about a child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome? Is ADHD something we're willing to take on? What about blindness, deafness, seizure disorders, cleft palate, aggressive behaviors, depression, anxiety, self-injuring, Down Syndrome, etc, etc, etc??

How in the world can you pick and choose these things? I mean, on the one hand it's a little bit of a relief to know that if I don't want a kid with11 toes I don't have to worry about that. (Obviously I wouldn't care if my kid had 11 toes; I purposely chose a benign example.) But you know what? Who am I to choose that? If I had a biological kid born with 11 toes obviously I would love that child unconditionally. I would rise to any challenges that came our way. And because I would love a bio kid unconditionally shouldn't I love any adopted kid unconditionally???

So faced with a checklist like that, what would you do? Would you check everything? Seriously, ask yourself that. If you could pick and choose, what would your checklist look like?

Let's think of it in terms of biological kids for a minute. If it were possible to have a similar checklist before your child was born would you honestly check everything? No, you wouldn't. You wouldn't even check the box for 11 toes. If, for some reason, the kitchen got your order wrong and your bun came out of the oven with 11 toes, you'd rise to the challenge. But you didn't choose it, and you would never choose it if you had the choice.

Picking and choosing children isn't like picking out new pillows for the couch or a new paint color for the bathroom. These are people. And yet as part of the process our agency required that we fill out the checklist. Why? Because honestly, each of us has our limitations. There are some things we could deal with like champs and some things that would push us to the brink. If we take on a child with a special need that we know will push us to the brink, are we doing that child any good? Because you know what? It all comes back to the kids. It's not really about what I do or don't want in a child. It's about my ability to parent that child and give them the best life possible. If I say I'm okay with a kid with 11 toes when I know deep down that 11 toes is going beyond my capabilities, then the person I'm really hurting is the child.

So with guilt washing over us, we went through each item on the checklist. We had a lot of discussions; we did a lot of soul-searching. And we checked our boxes. We felt good about the ones we checked, and felt like jerks about the ones we didn't. But all the while we reminded ourselves that we are human, and we can only do so much. As much as it hurt, we had to be brutally honest with ourselves for the sake of our future children.

We are choosing adoption. We are choosing special needs. Though many boxes were left unchecked, many others were. Picking and choosing is hard, but I have to remind myself that the fact that we are choosing at all means that a child without a home will soon have a forever family. There should be no guilt in that.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. – Edmund Everett Hale

On Saturday we went to an event called "Kids' Fest" hosted by Northwest Adoption Exchange (NWAE). It was an interesting experience.

So what is Kids' Fest exactly? It's an opportunity for prospective adoptive parents to meet children in the foster system. It's a party with a carnival-type atmosphere where the kids are running around, engaging in different activities and having fun. The adults are joining in the play and hanging out with the kids. There is no talk about foster care or adoption – it's all about fun and playful interaction. The point is just to meet and mingle with several kids who are waiting for adoption.

Bill and I interacted with several kids. We started by shooting hoops with a 9 & 10-year old brother and sister, then moved on to eating pizza with a 10-year old girl, frosting cookies with a 12-year old boy, and playing bongo drums with a 7-year old girl and her 10-year old sister. There were other kids we met along the way too.

It's a neat idea, but I have to admit it was weird at the same time. It was definitely cool to put some warm bodies to the faces we'd seen in the photo listings and to hang out with different kids. At the same time it felt very awkward – at least for the adults.

Here's the thing: we're surrounded by all these kids, all currently in foster care, all hoping for a home. The younger kiddos are just having fun but you know the older ones understand the purpose of the party. What do they think about that? How does that make them feel? The sad part is you know that Kids' Fest isn't going to result in a new family for every kid that was there.

Some of the kids we met were very open and engaging, but some of the kids were quite closed. You'd try to talk to them and interact but they had no interest in talking to you. I had to wonder, are they so jaded that they feel like there's no point? Have they already decided they're not going to "get picked"? Have they been so let down by the adults in their lives that they just can't trust anymore? It's heartbreaking to think about.

Sadly, foster kids have a bad rap. People tend to think they are riddled with problems, that they're "damaged goods". But when you think about it, aren't we all to some degree? These kids had a rough start, and yes, it's affected them. But as we hung out with these kids it was amazing to see their resilience. Even those that were a bit closed were still enjoying themselves and participating in the activities. Despite what they've been through they still knew how to have fun.

While we don't think any of the kids we met will end up being a match for us, Kids' Fest was worth going to. If nothing else Kid's Fest confirmed what we already knew in our hearts and minds: all of these children are still just "regular" kids. I just wish the rest of the world knew that.

I seem to have a thing for controversy lately. ;)

At Microsoft there are email groups – also called aliases – for different communities. These are non-work related but supported by Microsoft due to their value to the employees. One of the email groups/communities is the adoption alias.

Well last week there was a flurry of activity on the alias. Teleflora – in conjunction with Kraft, NBC, Redbook and MySpace – was holding a contest called "America's Favorite Mom". Now I'm assuming this contest has been going on for a while, but someone on the MS adoption alias caught wind of it and, well, all hell broke loose.

Here's the problem: in the contest there were the following categories, accompanied by the following descriptions:

The Military Mom – She's either far from home, the wife of a soldier, or works at home on her own to support our troops. She is a hero to her kids.
The Working Mom – She works away or at home, all the while managing to balance career and family. Quite a feat.
The Single Mom – She's raising her child alone, whether by circumstances or by choice. Whatever happens, the buck stops with her.
The Non-Mom Mom – Grandparent, stepmom, or mom to adopted children, each one raising and loving a child. A priceless gift for everybody.
The COE "Chairman of Everything" Mom – She's the "soccer mom." She gave up her career to raise her family. Chauffeur, cook, tutor, nurse -- she does it all.

Did you notice where the adoptive mom ended up? In the Non-Mom Mom category. Yikes.

I haven't been at this adoption thing very long, and I don't even have kids yet, but there's one thing I learned very early in the process: if there's anything that will raise the hackles of an adoptive parent it's when someone refers to their child's birthmother as the "real mom". A question as simple as, "So was Johnny's real mom from out of state?" will cause an adoptive parent to see red.

And it's no wonder. Adoptive parents are real parents. They are the ones there for the first day of school, for every baseball game, for every school play. They are the ones standing there with camera in hand on prom night and proud tears in their eyes on graduation day. And let's not forget the less glamorous times such as sleepless nights of vomiting and diarrhea. Adoptive parents are just as "real" as if they had given birth to their children.

Needless to say the adoptive parents on the Microsoft adoption alias didn't take the non-mom category lying down. They told all their friends about it (I heard about it from hubby and another MS friend) and asked everyone to raise a stink with the people running the contest. I would venture to guess that other adoptive parents and groups across the nation did the same, because in short order the category was renamed and an apology showed up on the site:

Teleflora is immediately changing the name of our "Non-Mom" category to "Adopting Moms". After closer examination, we can see how this may have been offensive to moms who have adopted children -- moms who are indeed real moms to their children in every sense of the word. In fact, many of us at Teleflora are "adopting" parents ourselves, including our president and owner. The essence of this category still focuses on a grandparent, neighbor, step mom, or mom to adopted or foster children, each one raising and loving a child.

This show of insensitivity on our part was in no way intended and we deeply apologize for any concern or distress we may have caused. It was always our intent to salute and celebrate all moms.

Personally I tend to assume the best in people, and feel that most shows of insensitivity are due to ignorance. You can't know how it feels to be in a certain position if you've never been there, right? When I had cancer some people said some insensitive things, but only because they'd never been through it. I never held it against them, and when it was appropriate, I gently corrected them.

I don't think Teleflora's insensitivity was intentional either, but I'm glad people contacted them and corrected them. It's important for people to realize that words matter. By calling an adoptive mom a non-mom they were negating the legitimacy of adoptive parenthood. Likewise, by calling a birthmother the child's "real mom" you are inadvertently implying that the adoptive mother is a "fake mom". Both birthmoms and adoptive moms are "real" moms; they simply have different roles in the child's life.

So to help out those of you not familiar with adoption terminology, here's some advice: when speaking to an adoptive parent or even an adopted child, never, ever, ever refer to the biological parents as the child's "real mom" or "real dad". The preferred terminology is birthmother, birthfather, and birthparents.

And what do you call the adoptive parents? Simply call them "mom" and "dad". After all, that's exactly what they are.

In honor of Mother's Day, here's a funny video of two brothers trying to take a picture for their mom for Mother's Day. It makes me laugh every time I watch it!

Remind me not to adopt two boys. (Just kidding!)

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful moms out there!

There has been a lot of hoopla lately about the recent release of the video game, Grand Theft Auto IV (aka, GTA4). Many parents are up in arms over its raunchy themes and the constant bad behaviors displayed by the main characters. Behaviors like killing police officers, drunk driving, doing drugs, frequenting strip clubs and plowing down innocent pedestrians with various stolen cars. Oh yes, and let's not forget the constant stream of
f-bombs and offensive language.

In this recent stir of controversy surrounding GTA4, even Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has had something to say. They've requested the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) to reclassify the game as "Adults Only"; its current rating is Mature. In addition, they've called on publisher Take-Two Interactive and developer Rockstar Games to consider stopping distribution of the game.

I get it, I really do. The game is incredibly irreverent on many levels. How do I know? Because my husband bought the game and has been playing it for the last week.

So yes, I've seen it. I've sat alongside my husband for several hours, watching him play. Both of us periodically find ourselves saying things like, "OMG! I can't believe he just did that! That is sooooo bad!!" in reaction to the antics of the game's characters. And then we shake our heads and laugh.

Personally, I think MADD and all the other parents freaking out about this game need to chill out.

Now hang on a sec before you blast me for saying that! Let me explain my stance.

I think the critical problem here, the thing that parents are losing sight of, is the fact that not all video games are intended for children. Yet somehow many parents seem to think that they are, so they get upset when a game is inappropriate for their children. But you know what? Video games are like movies. Some are for kids, and some are for adults. Plain and simple.

The makers of GTA4 did not create this crazy game for kids. They made it for adults. (And yes, there are a lot of adults that play video games. My hubby and I included.) This is why the game is rated M, which means "mature", which means basically the same thing as an R-rated movie.

And that's what parents need to compare video games to: movies. Video games are not "toys". They are a form of entertainment made for people of every age. Just like movies, you have to use your parental judgment to decide what your kids are allowed to play. Would you plop your 5-year old in front of an R-rated movie? Of course you wouldn't. Neither should you plop them in front of M-rated games.

The ratings are there to help us, the parents. It is our responsibility to pay attention to those ratings and to supervise the games our children play. We need to teach our children to use sound judgment when playing games at a friend's house. We need to foster relationships with the parents of our kids' friends so that everyone is on the same page. And if the other parents don't care and let their 10-year old play M-rated games, then guess what? I guess Johnny doesn't get to go to Davey's house anymore. You are the parent. It's up to you to parent your children, not up to the video game industry to make games you approve of.

As for MADD, I do understand their concerns. The problem here again is that they are losing sight of another important aspect of video games: this is fantasy, it's not real life. Just because I've watched a movie depicting someone driving drunk doesn't mean I'm going to decide to go out and do it myself. I'm an adult and I know the difference between make-believe and real life, between right and wrong. Video games made for adults are no different. If you're offended by the content then don't watch the movie or play the video game.

My husband is one of the sweetest, most level-headed, gentle and responsible people I know. Trust me, I have no worries that after playing GTA4 that he's going to somehow suddenly decide to become a gangster and start driving drunk. He's not. He's going to keep working at Microsoft making video games, and being the wonderful husband (and soon to be father) that I know him to be. And when kiddos finally grace our household, games like GTA4 won't be anywhere to be found.

To familiarize yourself with game ratings, please visit the ERSB website. If you read the descriptions GTA4 is appropriately rated as M. Descriptions of movie ratings can be found on the Motion Picture Association of America website.

We're in that part of the adoption process where we're just waiting. All the paperwork, interviews and classes are done. We're approved now and just waiting for a kiddo or two.

When we were doing our paperwork and classes we tried to plow through it as quickly as we could. I had surgery in the middle of it all which slowed us down, but we tried to plug away at it consistently. From the time we sent in our application to the time we got approved was about 5 months.

Now I know that doesn't sound very fast, but the amount of stuff we had to do was pretty monumental. (Later on I'll blog more specifically about all the things we had to do.) We were also limited by class availability and our social worker's schedule. It took her 6-weeks just to write up our home study report! After reading the report I realized what a huge task that was. When I think about it all, it's no wonder it took us 5 months.

But now that the flurry of forms and classes are done, all we can do is wait. I've heard that this is the hardest part and I can see why. At least when we were going through the process of getting approved we felt some sense of control. We were actively pursuing our family, you know? Now it's out of our hands and all we can do is wait.

Besides that, we have to deal with the not-knowing. Will they call us with a match tomorrow? Next week? 6-months from now? If we knew how long the wait would be it would be easier to deal with, but alas, only God knows when we'll be matched and he's not telling.

So we wait. We read adoption books. We read adoption blogs. We surf the photo listings. We watch the Supernanny every week and take notes (seriously!). We talk about the things we're looking forward to and the things we're worried about. We dream about what it will be like – the good and the bad. We talk to our friends with kids to get tips and advice. We go to an adoption support group. We try our best to prepare any way that we can. We field inquiries from friends and family who ask, "Have you heard anything yet?", and so far the answer remains "not yet".

For all our good efforts, all we can really do is wonder… and wait.

Seattle Mom Blogs is doing a countdown to Earth Day, and put out a call to all mommy-bloggers to "blog about your own greenishness". Rather than tell you about my hemp wallet and my compact fluorescents, I thought I'd pose this question instead: have you ever thought about going green with your pets? Oh I don't mean adopting frogs or lizards (unless amphibians and reptiles are your thing). I'm talking about going earth-friendly. Yes, you can go green with your critters!

Eddie the bloggin' doggie! Read more about Eddie at petsfortheenvironment.org.

How in the world do you do that? Well Eddie, the bloggin' doggie for the Environmental Working Group, has some fabulous tips that I'd like to share with you:

• Choose pet food without the chemical preservatives BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin, vary cats' diets to limit their exposure to mercury in seafood, and choose organic or free-range ingredients rather than "by-products."
• Use a reverse osmosis, faucet-mounted, or pitcher filter to remove contaminants before filling your pet's water bowl.
• Replace older foam pet bedding, and replace or reupholster furniture with exposed or crumbling foam where flame retardants are found.
• Vacuum often with a HEPA-filter vacuum, and take off your shoes at the door to minimize your pets' exposure to toxic chemicals in house dust.
• If you suspect your deck was made with arsenic-treated wood, treat it with a sealant every six months and don't let pets play or sleep underneath it. Wash with mild soap and water, but never power wash!
• Don't get optional stain-proof treatments on couches, carpets and car upholstery--they're loaded with toxic perfluorochemicals.
• Avoid nonstick pans. An overheated nonstick pan can kill pet birds, and it gives off chemicals that may be bad for other pets and people too. Try cast iron instead.
• Care for your lawn without using insecticides, which may cause nervous system damage in pets that walk on the treated lawn, eat the grass, or breathe in the chemicals.
• Use kitty litter made of plant sources like wheat or recycled newspaper. Clay-based kitty litter is strip-mined, causing extreme environmental damage during extraction.
• Get biodegradable, compostable doo-bags for when you go on walks with your pooch--or just reuse bags like plastic newspaper wrappers.
• Not only are flea collars generally ineffective, they're also a source of constant toxic exposure for your pet and family. Instead, vacuum often and thoroughly, bathe your pet regularly, and ask your vet or local pet store about safer flea treatments and repellents.
• Try a mild baby shampoo intended for human use instead of a pet product. Just like human products, pet grooming product manufacturers aren't required to test their grooming products for safety--but unlike human products, they're not even required to list ingredients on labels. Use EWG's Skin Deep at cosmeticsdatabase.com to find one that's right for your pet.
• Did you know that 63% of all households in the US have pets? Together, us pets can make a lot of noise--so spread the word! Sign up for Eddie's email and action update list, tell your pet friends about Pets with an ecard, or make a donation to keep Eddie's work going!

Did you notice that most of Eddie's tips focus on what's healthiest for your pet? That's because what's healthy for your fur-kids – and for us humans – is generally better for the earth too. Reducing chemicals in our environment, eating organic, choosing free-range meats, using natural alternatives – all of those things are good for everyone, including Mother Earth!

So where in the world do you get some of this stuff? Start with your local healthy pet store. Make it easy to buy the best for your pet by skipping the traditional pet store and choosing one that focuses specifically on stocking only the healthiest products and foods. Here in the Seattle area we have a lot to choose from. All The Best Pet Care and Mud Bay Granary are local businesses that have several locations. There are plenty of mom & pop healthy pet stores too, like Eastside Dog (And Cats Too) in Redmond and Earth Pet in Issaquah.

If you have other green pet tips or know of other healthy pet stores you want to share, please add them to the comments. Together we can go green with our pets!

As you know Bill and I are planning to adopt an older child. Depending on how old "older" ends up being, it's pretty unlikely that we'll have to deal with diapers. Which is good, because I have a thing about human poop. Why, I don't know. I spent 4-years at the Humane Society scooping the poop of animals. Every. Single. Dingle. Day. It didn't bother me at all. But human poop? Especially human poop smeared on a kid's keister? I gag like there's no tomorrow.

But I digress. That's not the point of this post. The point is to share with all of you parents of diaper-wearing-wee-ones a new diaper option I read about earlier today on Seattle Mom Blogs. It's so brilliant I can't believe no one came up with the idea sooner. I'm all geeked about it even though I may never have a need for the product.

Isn't that the cutest little patooty that you ever did see? And it's earth-friendly too!

Are you ready for this? FLUSHABLE DIAPERS. I kid you not. As amazing and wonderful as that is, it gets better. THEY'RE BIODEGRADABLE. Again, I kid you not. It's the best of both worlds: disposable diapers that leave no lasting impact on the environment. Can you see why I'm so geeked about this?

Now here in the Northwest we pride ourselves on being environmentally conscious. But let's face it, we still live in a modern world. Short of living off the land in a tent in the woods, there's really no way we can be 100% environmentally friendly while still participating in society. But that doesn't mean our efforts are futile. Every small choice we make adds up to a big impact – for good or for bad. So you do what you can.

Here's the trouble with diapers, though, even for the most environmentally conscious among us – the ick factor. Even for people who don't have a little-kid-poop phobia like I do, let's face it, poop is still icky. Being able to fold that diaper up like a burrito and tossing it in the trash is oh so much less icky than having to dump the poop in the toilet and then washing a load of poop-smeared cloth diapers. Even for green-loving Seattleites, it's really hard to bring yourself to have to do that. Not to mention that it's even grosser to have to cart those smeary diapers home if your little one needs a change while you are out and about. Eeeew.

Enter gDiapers to the rescue! Now you can flush your poop burritos without guilt. Don't want to flush 'em, or can't because you have a septic tank like me? No worries my friends. gDiapers don't have to be flushed. You can toss 'em in the trash or even compost them if you want to. Whatever disposal method you choose doesn't matter because these puppies break down in just 2 – 5 months. Compare that to 500 years for traditional disposable diapers. Yikes!

So check them out. Not only are they better for the earth, they are better for your baby because they don't contain any harsh chemicals. Now how cool is that?

Visit the gDiapers website here. Your wee-one and Mother Earth will thank you.