I know I'm usually the bearer of bad news when it comes to products, but I saw something that made me feel hopeful today. My youngest daughter received a birthday gift. It was a Fisher Price Little People toy.

I generally sigh and wonder if I should re-gift items that are made of cheap plastic and will likely end up in a garage sale since we already have plenty of similar toys, but Ava saw it before I had a chance to hide it away.

I was envisioning pulling apart all of the clear plastic stuck to the cardboard and unwinding endless plastic ties, but was pleasantly surprised to find that things have changed. Instead of clear plastic there was just cardboard. There were pieces of twine (or what looked like twine but might have been tightly woven paper) anchoring the pieces to the box. I counted only two small pieces of plastic.

I know I get excited about strange things, but I recall one Christmas where we tossed a full garbage bag of nothing but packaging. I felt terribly guilty for contributing to the global trash crisis, but I was still buying those gifts.

I couldn't find any documentation on Fisher Price's web site. And I know this may be old news, but it's good news as far as I'm concerned. I know it's not perfect, either, but it's a start.

I recycled almost every bit of the packaging and Ava is enjoying her new toy - at least for today.

I've had allergies since I was a kid. I never knew what they were, but the runny nose and dark circles under my eyes were always there.

So after years of sniffling and itching, I finally got tested. The result? Cockroaches, small rodents and possibly grass. That's it? Really?

Years of teary eyes and searching for under-eye cover-up and this is what I'm allergic to?

I guess the good news is that the cockroach incident was in my 20's, so that's over. I still have my combat boots around in case of an unwanted pest. The rodents, now field mice that occasionally make homes out of unused appliances, actually prefer cat food.

But here's the kicker - grass. Apparently all of the environmentally-friendly products I now use are linked to grass. I was told to stay away from plant-based products in general.

So what's a green-thumbed girl to do?

I refuse to go back to toxic products. My new quest will be non-toxic, hypoallergenic products.

Way to be picky, sister!

All suggestions are welcome. And no, I am not moving into a plastic bubble... unless it's BPA free!