did you know...

that the balloons that trader joe's hands out to kids are actually 100% biodegradable/compostable? i had no idea until today, when a friendly tj's employee handed one to lucy before i could politely refuse. we got it home and she was playing with it (in which she grabs it by the string and shakes her arm as fast as she can, so the balloon bops repeatedly off of her head), and i saw "100% biodegradable" printed right on the side.

lucy loves balloons. she gets all a-flutter when we duck into a tj's to pick up a few groceries--squeals and coos of delight can be heard from every aisle. she gives me this great, wide-eyed look like, "are you kidding me, mom? those things are here again! this is the best day EVER!" it's kind of the most adorable thing i've seen since her reaction to devil duckie & the new, improved bathtub gang.

of course, in order to be completely eco-conscious, the balloon string should be reused--if i keep hitting up my local trader joe's as often as i do, i won't need to buy any curling ribbon for christmas!

side note: in 5th grade we had a summer reading contest and for every book you read, you got a balloon to release at the beginning of the school year. totally un-earth-friendly, right? this was the same school where we got to chuck message-filled bottles into the creek behind the school as actual part of curriculum (we were reading some book that revolved around a message in a bottle). my how things have changed. anyway, i was a very avid reader and on the day of the balloon release i had more balloons than anyone in the whole school. swear. and one of my balloons made it all the way to the great state of arizona.

no kidding.