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For most green families, plastic is one of those items that is on its way “out”. We are constantly examining how we can choose products that involve bringing less plastic into lives. Why? Because plastic lasts forever! It doesn’t biodegrade so at best we can only hope to recycle it into something else useful but with the staggering amount that makes its way into the modern home, we know much of it ends up in the landfill instead. Much of that plastic is unnecessary too. Do we really need that plastic film to cover magazines that come in the mail? Do we really need plastic drink straws when we could just drink out of the cup? NO.
Of course this week my family has been trying a straw alternative, which has been very nice. We still have some plastic straws that came with various reusable bottles but haven’t bought plastic straws in a store for a very long time and kids loves straws. I find they make drinking green smoothies just a bit more fun when you use a straw… So we gave some glass straws a try. We got these from an awesome company called Strawsome. They have beautiful glass straws that make you feel like you are drinking out of a sculpture rather a straw but a straw they are and the kids really liked them.
We wanted to use glass as opposed to stainless steel because being able to see through the straw and make sure it is clean is VERY important to me. My kids aren’t good at making sure their cups/straws are rinsed out. Oh an please ignore that Ziploc baggie in the pic below, LOL. I still haven’t found a good solution to replace those and I have been freezing local produce quite a bit lately.
We made a green smoothie with 2 big leaves of Swiss Chard, a couple handfuls of frozen strawberries, some frozen peaches, and a frozen banana. I also added some Vita-Mineral Green.
My son made the smoothie for us… something he LOVES to do and it was pretty tasty.
After blending everything together I poured my two boys some smoothie. The youngest was kind of baffled by this straw thingy in his glass. But he caught on fast and the lure of the nifty straw kept him there until it was all gone. Usually he will make his smoothie last for a couple hours while he plays. He liked the decorations on the straw and well, he is three… he just plain likes drinking out of a straw.
My youngest used the regular size straw and it worked very well for his thick smoothie. My oldest used the bigger “smoothie” size straw.
He too was fascinated with the decorations on the straw. The size and the unique decorations will help them to identify their own straws.
I found they were not hard to clean but I cleaned them right away. Strawesome does have special cleaning brushes for the straws though. They also have bent straws that look pretty cool, but IMO maybe slightly harder to clean.
Many of you may wonder about breakage and I can tell you I haven’t been very “careful” with them on purpose. I needed to see of looking at them crossly would result in breakage. Who the heck wants to imagine broken glass in their kids mouth? Not me that’s for sure! I have used the straws myself and crunched down on them with my teeth. I suppose I could break them but it be deliberate pressure, not accidental. If you have a kid who likes to chew on straws then maybe these wouldn’t be for you. But I have a chewer in my oldest and he doesn’t chew on these. Even so I have been watchful. These are for use at the kitchen table in our house… not for use in the bedroom while playing video games. I also store these with all our glass cups and tumblers and no breakage so far. They are pretty sturdy.
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Posting about the straws on my site… http://www.sandersmemoirs.blogspot.com. Will be hyperlinking back to you.
Thanks a bunch.
great straws! thanks so much for the info! truth be told – i miss drinking out of straws more than the kids…there are certain things i just like to drink out of a straw – and i also miss being able to keep acidic liquids away from our teeth enamel! i like the baby see-thru straws the best – but i am a fan of basic things! the decorated ones are cute but i can see fights breaking out over who gets what design, etc…these are fabulous!
This sounds way too cool and very eco-friendly. Although I will have to keep an eye on my kids while they are drinking with these glass straws, I will be using them myself just to enjoy them, should I win one! The jewel-tone smoothie set caught my eye! I wish they sold them in bulk though! I cannot say how my husband gives me the eye when he sees me recycling even the plastic straws and other tiny plastic pieces that he thinks belongs in the regular trash! Fingers crossed, hope I win one so that I can get him to try it! Great article, very informing. Makes me realize how many straws we actually do go through (shame on us and the fast food industry!). Time to make some more changes…
I have been looking for glass straws. I will definately buy one. I like the orange purple swirl. Great site!
Ohhhh how neat! We don’t use many straws in my household, but when we do these would be handy! My only issue with them is storage. We are a little messy, and I feel like they would get smashed somehow.
Oh, and I checked out their website…kinda pricey! I don’t think I could justify that expense, even though they are amazing!
Neat! I was just looking at some stainless steel straws and hadn’t thought about not being able to see inside if they were clean or not. I’m glad to hear the glass straws don’t have to be babied.
I think I’d have to pass on giving my 21 month old a glass straw for now as he chews on plastic straws but I’m pondering getting a pair of glass straws for my husband and I.
Thank you for the review and I’ll be crossing my fingers for the glass straw giveaway
How neat! I like the Jack and Jill set!!!
I really like the children’s set… all of them are neat. The decorations on many of them remind me of planets.
My kids LOVE drinking from straws and although I avoid buying plastic, I finally broke down and bought them a box because I felt like I was depriving them. I had no idea there were plastic (or stainless) straws out there!
I also use plastic for freezing and wish I had a better answer. I used glass jars for a while, but I found it hard to get the food back out if I didn’t leave enough time to thaw fully before cooking time, plus I had several jars break.
Oh, while I’m commenting, THANK YOU for the reviews on the Maryjane Butters books a while back! I checked them out from the library and they’ve got me spending more time outdoors this summer, even just for little domestic tasks like chopping dinner veggies at the picnic table instead of in the kitchen.
Love this idea! I think you’re right about the bent straws being harder to clean! I love the children’s set of 4 in jewel tones. My girls would love those. Very fancy for a straw.
I have seen these once before and think they are wonderful. A great gift idea as well. I do not yet have one as they seem like an “extra” but I know my daughter would love it. I like the teal appeal.
I posted in on twitter as well @javasnickers
The jewel-tone smoothie set of four caught my eye – I have a daughter who loves to have a choice
Hey Tiffany,
Love the bent straws, they would be a perfect breastfeeding companion!
-Sarah
I’ve been wanting to try out a glass straw as I *love* straws and hate the plastic waste like you mentioned. My favorite is the summer smoothie, even though I don’t necessarily need a smoothie straw. I have checked out another website that sells glass straws, but these look really neat; I may have to justify the cost for a few soon!
Love the glass straws! I have been trying to stay away from plastics as much as I can. Any information or products to help keep our children safe, is wonderful!
Tempted to try these–glass?? Anxious to see them in person!
I have been wondering about glass straws. The strawsome site was easy to use and very straight forward with all necessary information. I love the sets of smoothie straws. Buying those will work for most everything, instead of having to buy more than one set. Now I just need to convince my husband about the price!!
Those are nice! My favorite is the children’s set. My kids would love those.
The winner is commenter #10 Emily. Congrats!!