For cat owners: Automatic litter-box cleaners!

My product rave of the summer has got to be my brand-new electric litter box cleaner for cats. I'm not so good at housework and even though I do my best to clean after the kitties, I'll be the first to admit that I don't do it enough. It's not fair to anyone; my cats, my boyfriend or myself.
At first I was hesitant to purchase it, because it is rather expensive and I don't know enough people who've had experiences with them in any capacity, other than one person who said all things great, so it is with great fanfare that I recommend
the Littermaid Elite Mega. I must say that my life has improved dramatically since. I eased my cats into it, first leaving both litter boxes side by side, and then sprinkling some of the old litter into the new litter box. Eventually, after about two days, the cats were using it and I was able to remove the old box. Hurray!
The machine is a little loud at first, but after a while you get used to it. My cats think it is a hoot. Both run and stare in awe at this magical rake that leaves their litter box clean, every time. I caught my calico frustratingly tugging at one part trying desperately how to figure out how it works; she is so smart. Clean up is a snap; all I have to do is empty this little container every other day. There is absolutely no odor, the cats seem to love it, and most importantly it has greatly improved our life. So for all you curious cat owners out there...
Highly recommended!

Shower Curtain On-Demand

Wow, I wish I had thought of this idea. Get your favorite photo on a shower curtain! Supposedly they are non-fade and machine washable. Better be for $200! Still, this is a great idea.

shiraleah vegan bags

I'm in love with the Shiraleah brand. Shiraleah products are kind of ubiquitous in the Philadelphia area. Open House, Blendo and a couple other boutique stores in Philadelphia carry the brand. Shiraleah bags, clutches, wallets and other items are vegan! They also have a nice home decor selection using recycled products, including chairs from newspaper, and plastic rugs from recycled plastic. AND it won't break the bank.
Right now, Shiraleah is donating 3% of their proceeds to disabled children in Vietnam.

I scored a super-hot mustard yellow Chloe knock-off at Blendo, 1002 Pine St, Philadelphia.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread is a haunting, relatively new documentary about the modern food business. Visually stunning and often disturbing, this film is not for the faint of heart. As a vegan for many years, I couldn't bear to watch the scenes of abuse and slaughter unfold yet another time before my eyes, and I ended up fast-forwarding through the animal scenes and focused instead on the farming. If you could call it that. Gone are the farmers on their hands and knees, weeding their crops and caring for their plants. Here to stay are GMO crops looking slightly alien, yet identical to the thousands of others under the same roof. I found myself gazing at the beautiful symmetry of the hydroponic greenhouse, comparing it to the pyramids at the Louvre. Gigantic machines spray pesticides, thrash wheat, while workers at night quickly pluck and wrap cabbages while the machine dictates their progress. Farming is no longer romanticized in this vision of food production.
Memorable scenes include one where a huge industrial crop waterer spread its wings like a giant, graceful pterodactyl. Beautiful sunflowers are covered in a haze of pesticides.
Disturbing scenes include a baby chick processing plant where women unfeelingly toss baby chicks into a giant machine which takes them through a crazy amusement park-like ride until, presumably their death. Farmed fish swimming like sardines in a can, never given the opportunity to swim free and have a chance at life.
Despite the beauty of the film, I was left feeling dirty and sad. For most people living on a modest budget, there is little one can do to avoid the commercial food chain. Alex Jones, yesterday on his podcast on Infowars.com, was speaking of a future, fifty years from now, where we will all be vegans, not by choice, but because there will be no room to raise animals and of a future where all our food comes from genetically modified sources controlled by the government. Now is the best time to try your hand at container gardens for city-dwellers and more ambitious planting for those fortunate enough to own green space. I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, but the most important thing when choosing your food is knowing where it came from, not necessarily organic, since the big producers are getting around federal guidelines and establishing their own, but local, farm-raised produce, picked and raised by loving human hands.
I'm thankful that I no longer eat meat, so I don't feel the guilt that often accompanies meat consumption, but I also feel the duty to raise my own food to keep various strains of vegetables alive, until they take that from us too.

Oh yeah, and the best part of this film? Even though it is a foreign film, there are no subtitles; the machines do the talking.

Lollibomb rocks

My veg-curious friend gave me the best gift this Christmas: A collection of body creams from cruelty-free Brooklyn-based company Lollibomb! (This same friend, in the past year, has reduced her red meat and poultry intake almost entirely and confessed to me that she really feels a difference in her energy level, her complexion and general health. (yay veg!))
Back to Lollibomb: this vegan bath and body company whips up some deliciously scented, seriously creamy body butters. I'm not usually a fan of sweet body spreads, but this time around the winds have changed. So far I've indulged in Sweet Vanilla Bean and Sugar Rush body frosting, which nearly resembles actual frosting in texture, and I become pleasantly surprised, hours later knowing that I've carried that scent with me all day. It's not over powerful, but a little bit does go a long way. My skin is already softer and I smell good enough to eat!
Lollibomb for everyone. Check out their website for ridiculous flavors like Frosted Donuts and Gingerbread.