TEVA Crank: When Shoe Laces are Cool

There comes a time when little details in your kid's fashion become important to them.  Like whether or not shoes have laces.  Personally, I prefer the non-lace shoes, but at some point, my son started associating that with "baby shoes" and demanded lace up shoes.  TEVA's Youth Crank is a great choice for a children's lace up shoe.  Teva in general is great because they are high quality and hard to wear out, but I love the Crank for it's good looks, particularly the black with contrasting cobalt blue laces.

My son says they're the best shoes he's ever had and that they are super comfortable.  I find they run true to size and hold up great.  If your child needs some shoes for summer, these would be a nice option.  And for those of you that prefer a non-laced shoe, the Charge is a great pick and doubles as a hiking shoe.  It's lightweight, breathable, and great looking.

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Grand Trunk Travel Comfort

Going anywhere for Spring Break this year?  Grand Trunk Goods can offer you some extra comfort on the plane (train, car, etc).  This Hooded Travel Pillow is made with memory foam and soft fleece.  Though it works just fine without the hood, it's a really nice option to have it there, and I've never seen a travel pillow with a hood, what a great idea.  It's perfect for airplanes, for shutting everyone out and creating your own little oasis.

If you're trying to watch an in-flight movie during the day and you have glare coming in--it can get pretty bright up there with open windows--you can pull the hood over and block a lot of that out so you can focus on what's in front of you.  Or you can pull it completely over your eyes for a nap.  It's instant privacy and wouldn't something like this be awesome on a crowded flight or the dreaded middle seat?

There's a little pocket on the side for your mp3 player, or ear buds/plugs.  It also makes for some cozy warmth on a cold plane, and when you doze off, the toggle closure keeps the pillow from shifting or falling off.  I think this would work great in the car and camping too.  The cover is removable for washing and it comes in a handy stuff sack with a grab handle and pull cord so you can easily attach it to one of your bags. You can watch a video HERE. 

For the rest of your body, I love their Travel Blanket.  It's made from eco friendly bamboo and is naturally anti bacterial and wicks away moisture.  It's a renewable, sustainable fabric and it's butter soft.  There's a pocket at the bottom to keep your feet cozy, which is great for the plane and it's a generous 70x40.  It weighs in at 16oz, and it's so worth this minimal weight on a freezing cold flight.

Like the pillow, it comes in a stuff sack with a grab handle at one end and a pull cord at the other and stuffs down to about the size of a Nalgene bottle.  You can easily clip it to your backpack or carry-on with a caribiner.

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What are Nanoparticles?

Have you heard that word a lot lately--nanoparticle?  I have.  I've even seen it on products stating they contain "no nanos."  So what are they?  Kind of just what they sound like--ultra fine particles, as in tiny, and measured in nanometers.  They've been around forever, and can be natural or man made, and they can be very advanced.  There are all sorts of exciting applications for nanotecnology, but many are warning that it's moving too fast to ensure medical and environmental safety. 

All sorts of consumer goods are utilzing "nano technology" these days, including food, clothing, and body products.  There are a ton of  nanoproducts and more on the way.  Why is this of concern?  Because we're not sure they're safe and they are not regulated.  Like the problems we have with bodycare companies being able to put pretty much anything they want in their products, often concealing carcinogens with words like "fragrance," products with nanotechnology can be protected as proprietary and may go undisclosed.  So while there could be exciting and wonderful applications, there is a darker side.  Food for instance--they're using nano technology with our food--it's in M&Ms and Poptarts (not that I consider those food, but you get the idea).  And as we've seen with the GMOs, this can be a scary prospect. 

Nanoparticles are able to pass the blood brain barrier, they're small enough to find their way into the body, bypassing our defense systems and building up.  They've been shown in animal studies to interrupt fertility and create abnormal cells.  They're chaotic and there is just too much that's unknown.  Read a fascinating article on the subject HERE. 


Image Credit: earthfirstnews

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