Being pregnant with my first baby was hands down the most exciting experience of my life.  I’m not saying anything new here, but babies… change you.  It’s all so unbelievable & overwhelming & beautiful (except for the wiki-image of a placenta. That did not work for me.  At all.)  I’d think to myself, I’m making a person.  There should be a term for what first time moms go through- obsessive giddiness might capture it.

But as the due date approached, mundane matters started to encroach on the fun.  For one, I felt utterly clueless about how to have a baby.  I spent hours a day studying up on pregnancy, labor, breast feeding…  And then there’s the shopping.  The clothes are pretty fun, actually.  Picking out tiny onesies & fluffy blankets makes it all feel real- a little person will be wearing this!

But a lot of it I could have gladly done without.  I remember trolling the internet, studying the lists of “Things You Need to Have a Baby.”  I admit shopping has never been my favorite thing.  But eight months pregnant, as big as a house with straight up pregnant kankles, & I’m trudging around town trying to figure out which kind of “X” to buy.  Between all the running around & hormones, I felt exhausted & depressed.  I remember asking my husband (as if it was his fault), Why doesn’t somebody just sell this stuff in a kit so I can buy it all online & be done with it?  Because really, I have better things to do.  (Like napping!)

Meanwhile, Andrea was in the same boat, but six months ahead of me & trailblazing with all sorts of crazy information on toxins.  Andrea pointed out that not only do we have to buy it all.  We have to worry about how these products will poison our vulnerable babies with X-rated chemicals that make adults blanche, & pollute the world they have to live in.  Aak!

Once that whole vista opened up I was officially overwhelmed.  So on top of learning how to feed a human from my boob, I have to become a chemist & an environmentalist?

From then on, the links flew back & forth.  I hope everybody finds themselves a pregnant buddy to compare notes with.  It was a huge comfort, going through it all with a sister.  And it opened up a whole new world.  Because once you start thinking about your children, “good enough” no longer applies.  You want everything in their world to be safe, beautiful & perfect.

So there you have it, the story of the Everything Kit.  Two concerned, new mothers, wishing it were all done for you.  An idea years in the making.  So moms, prop up those swollen feet.  We’ve got your nap covered!

xo~ m & a

This Mother’s Day, we asked you to tell us the best thing about your mama.  Below are all of the fantastic responses we got.  Some funny, some sweet, some.. a bit cryptic.  All goes to show, there are many ways to love a mama.

Here’s our special entry that won the $25 gift certificate.  Congratulations, Marnie!

“…because she raised three little ones on her own after my father died unexpectedly when my twin and I were six months old (we have a brother 3.5 years older than us) and never gave any indication of having a rough day. I know now how hard it must have been and I only have one baby and a partner that helps a great deal! She is resilient and keeps her head high. A true hero who set an incredible example for her children.”

Thanks to all for sharing the love.

Happy Mother’s Day, mamas!

-m & a

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Your mama is so…

Moms are cool.

It’s almost Mother’s Day.  Now that we’re moms ourselves, the holiday has taken on a new significance.  This stuff is hard!

Mom’s are pretty incredible people.  They wipe our noses.  We throw up on them repeatedly & they don’t think we’re gross.  They stay up all night with us when we’re sick, check our homework & make us brush our teeth.

So in honor of mothers everywhere, we would like you to share the best thing about your mom.  Each & every “Ode to yo mama” will be posted on a special Mother’s Day blog.   One extra-special entry will receive a $25 gift certificate to duckduckgreen.com (*see below for details*)

Whether you want to share the winnings with your mom, or keep it for yourself… we’ll let you wrestle with that one.

Let’s hear it for moms!
-Maryann & Andrea

To enter, just email us a short anecdote (1oo word max) or even a few sentences.  Anything awesome about your mom.  Or simply send a picture of your mom looking rad, with a caption.

Please email your submission to info@duckduckgreen.com

Or post your comments on our FACEBOOK PAGE.

*Deadline Thursday, May 6th, high noon.

Duck Duck Green has hatched.

We’ve done it – Duck Duck Green has officially launched!

Looking back on all the work & everything that’s happened, we’re excited to be where we’re at now – the beginning!

We thought up Duck Duck Green after we each had our first kids.  Both of our boys were asleep after their first Christmas. We sat up late, enjoying some (very rare) quiet time & sharing battle tales of pregnancy and labor.

In the midst of it, we realized being pregnant is hard enough without having to go on a scavenger hunt, looking for green alternatives for “the list” of baby necessities. We wished we could’ve just snapped our fingers and had it done…

Now, two years (& another baby each) later, ddg is here, and we plan to do everything we can to be that “finger snap” for new moms.

We love our jobs.  Going to work means looking out for the very best for our kids, & sharing stuff we love with our friends.  It means trying to figure out a way to do it all while helping the world & people around us.  And it means family – we now have a fantastic excuse to spend lots & lots of time together.

All of which to say, Duck Duck Green is a labor of love.

Welcome, from our family to yours,
-maryann & andrea

Seventh Generation has launched a really cute ‘virtual rally’ to bring attention to the issue of toxic chemicals in the home- The Million Baby Crawl to Washington. Cancer, infertility, obesity, asthma, learning disorders, early puberty, diabetes- all are on the rise in the U.S.  And all have been linked in recent studies to toxic chemicals.

Since 1976, the EPA has only required safety testing on 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals on the market.  Seventh Generation is calling for a stronger chemical law to keep our families safe and healthy.  The proposed bill requires full information on the health and environmental hazards associated with all chemicals.

Want to help bring attention to the cause?  Create your own virtual tyke.  You can name your baby, choose their clothes & skin tone, and even upload a picture.  Then watch as your virtual crawler parachutes down and joins the march.  Or support our little Duck Duck Green crawler!  (Search for our baby, “DDG”.)

Join the crawl here:  http://www.seventhgeneration.com/million-baby-crawl/

For more information on Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families go to:  http://www.saferchemicals.org/

Happy crawling,
m & a

We're Moving!

After over a year as a home office start-up, Duck Duck Green has finally grown into its very own office space.  Our new home is an amazing turn of the century brick and timber loft/warehouse on the Chicago River.

The building used to be home to the Thomson & Taylor Spice Co.  Barges would come up the river, and unload coffee and spices directly into the T&T warehouse.  From what we could find, this area provided a lot of the spice and coffee for America back in the day, along with cloth, window blinds, and water-towers.  And the building across the street used to manufacture Model-T’s.  We got to ride in the freight elevator that the cars used to.  Really cool stuff (and big!)

The area is now an arts/creative industries zone, and we have some pretty cool neighbors we’re looking forward to knowing.

The building, the neighborhood, Chicago, we’re proud to be a part of a storied past.  We can’t wait for moving day!

-m & a

(Image from The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.)