It’s been a whole lot of fun comparing notes on our iddy biddy green steps together—from what we drive to what we eat to how our kids tend to be the “Green Police,” we’re all trying to be the best stewards of our earth and our families that we can be.

Part of what we’re realizing, ’round here, is that sometimes you have to try harder, and sometimes you just have to… stop trying so hard! And right now it’s summer; it’s time to hang out with our families, have fun, and enjoy all the season has to offer.

To that end, we’re going to take a little blog break while we go work in our gardens, camp with our kids, and enjoy the simplest pleasures in life. We think that Lola, Scout and Waverly would approve, actually. (We promise to keep up our iddy biddy green steps while we do it; pinky swear.)

We’ll be back after some vacation time, and we can’t wait to talk again, then. In the meantime, have a fabulous summer, and keep making those iddy biddy steps that add up to a biggie big difference!

We don’t like to brag, you know. But when other folks notice us, well, you’ll excuse us if we indulge in a moment of gleeful, “They like us! They really, really like us!”

And so it is with the 2009 MAX Awards. In which the Idbids Starter Kit is the Grand Winner. We’re flattered, and delighted, and maybe even a bit giddy.

About the MAX Awards:

Each year, the Georgia State University Robinson College of Business Department of Marketing and Atlanta Business Chronicle recognize outstanding marketing innovations introduced in Georgia in the previous year with the Marketing Award for Excellence–the MAX Awards. Entries are judged by members of the Georgia State University Marketing RoundTable in terms of the degree of innovation, great marketing and success.

And from the judge’s comments:

Idbids demonstrates how a very small company can create a whole new category and compete with industry giants through innovation. The eco-friendly toys the company developed were created to foster a love for the environment and to help kids understand the steps they can take to protect the environment and make a difference. They did this without sacrificing fun. Unlike some “green marketers,” the company used environmentally friendly and organic materials and recycled or recyclable packaging.

(They like us! They really, really like us!)

It’s been a pretty exciting start to the year, ’round here, and the hits just keep on comin’. We’re very pleased to announce that you can now purchase Idbids Kits online at Ty’s Toy Box, where they’ve just unveiled their brand new Idbids Store.

Ty’s has blazed the way when it comes to e-tailing of the characters kids want, and we’re thrilled to have Scout, Lola and Waverly added to their offerings. And it looks like the excitement is mutual!

And with Ty’s handling internet orders, that should free up our resident Wonder Women for other things, right? I know I’ll be waiting with bated breath to see what sorts of fabulousness they’ll come up with, next. (No pressure, ladies. Just iddy biddy steps, that’s all!)

A few weeks ago I let you know that Idbids founders Sarah Alvarez and Debbie Smith were finalists for the 2009 Wonder Women in Toys awards, and I’m so excited to be able to report that they won for the Green category!

Of course, we already knew they were wonder women, but it sure is nice to have it recognized by others.

In honor of this auspicious occasion, I have a few suggestions for our wonder women:

1) Wear a tiara as part of your everyday apparel. Make it an iddy biddy step by fashioning it out of items you find in your recycling bin, of course.

2) Order new business cards, listing your title as “Green Goddess.” You know you want to.

3) Have Scout, Lola and Waverly refer to themselves as your Small-But-Mighty Superhero Sidekicks.

4) Everywhere you go, be sure to ask if they have valet parking for your invisible jet. If they say no, tell them that’s fine, you’ll just park on the roof.

Congratulations, ladies! You are the rockingest wonder women I know!

I’ve just been bursting to tell you about this one, for a while now, and finally got the go-ahead to blab.

Idbids has teamed up with The Nature Conservancy to make your iddy biddy steps make an even bigger biggie big difference. Don’t know about TNC? Check it out:

The Nature Conservancy was founded a long time ago – in 1951! They’ve worked really hard over those years to protect our friends’ habitats all over the world. The work they’ve done has protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. And they also operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally. In the air, on the land and in the sea – just like the Idbids – The Nature Conservancy is working to make our world a better place. And now, you are too!

Purchase any Idbid, and now you can redeem a secret code online (doesn’t that sound awesome and mysterious?) and select how you’d like to help the Idbids’ friends.

Scout would like you to join TNC’s “Plant a Billion Trees” campaign; Lola wants you to “Adopt an Acre” with TNC; and, of course, Waverly hopes you’ll opt to join the effort to “Rescue the Reef.”

Whichever program you choose, you’ll be helping replenish our world, and making a seriously “biggie big” difference along with Idbids and The Nature Conservancy.

Now that is a perfect match!

When Idbids founders Sarah Alvarez and Debbie Smith set out to create a children’s toy that would help get kids excited about taking good care of our planet, they weren’t doing it for the accolades. They were doing it because it matters to them. (And also because they’re awesome.) (I’m not paid to say that; I just totally want to be them when I grow up.)

But, hey, if a bit of praise happens to come along… well, that’s quite alright, too.

Playthings has announced the 2009 Wonder Women in Toys Awards finalists, and wouldn’t you know it—Sarah and Debbie are finalists in the Green category. Congratulations, ladies!

About the awards:

The awards, presented in partnership with Playthings magazine since 2005, honor women of notable achievement or growing influence in fields directly associated with children’s toys and entertainment.

Winners will be revealed at their big gala in a couple of weeks. I’m not sure I can take the suspense!

Oh, and Sarah, Debbie? It’s probably too much to expect an invisible jet, I guess (there are a lot of categories they have to award, after all), but I’d definitely hold out for the magic lasso. Seriously. You deserve it.

So today I’m going to take a break from thinking about all the ways in which I’m failing the environment (coming soon: exactly how much angst can I generate with a single roll of paper towels?) to talk about a few of the ways in which the Idbids are rocking my socks off.

Can I say that, here? Rocking my socks off? I think Mother Earth would approve.

Item the first: Did you happen to catch the kind mention of the Idbids in USA Weekend in your Sunday paper? I did. I may have squealed a little.

Item the second: Did you know that every year STEP Inside Design does a design competition? The Idbids Starter Kit was picked from amongst over 2,000 entries to be one of the 100 runners-up, which are now available in a Readers’ Choice contest. You might want to go over there and have a look. Maybe even register, and vote? All of the entries are superb, but Scout, Waverly and Lola (on page 11 of the gallery) really stand out, we think.

Item the third: As a special pre-holiday incentive, right now if you go vote for your favorite Idbid, you’ll get $5 off your order and free shipping. Just in case you needed a little help deciding to get started on your iddy biddy steps to making a biggie big difference.

I can’t decide which one is my favorite Idbid, though. I may be in trouble.

Are you just starting out taking iddy biddy steps towards a greener planet? Or are your kids little enough that you’re wondering how to tackle these issues with them? Maybe you should check out the Idbids Green IQ Quiz to get an idea of just how much green education is in order, moving forward.

Hey, it’s not rocket science, or anything. Five questions. It’ll take you under a minute. I swear. My kids—world-weary eco-experts that they are—scoffed and chose the “right” answer every time (even if it wasn’t entirely accurate). They get points for effort, anyway.

And just another little bit of fun to share: The Idbids are currently starring in their first video!

An Iddy Biddy Video from Idbids on Vimeo.

(I have been humming the background music for a whole day, now. It’s catchy.)

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” —Lao-tzu

I’ve always loved that quote, even though at my house, any journey of a thousand miles begins with everyone visiting the bathroom.

We’re on a journey, here at Idbids—a journey towards living more mindfully and more kindly towards our planet. A journey towards making the world a better place. And—let’s face it—a place where our kids remember to turn off the lights in a room when they’re done, without us lecturing them about the oil crisis or starving children half a world away.

It’s not about becoming some sort of supersonic eco-warrior, overnight. It’s about the little things we can do, every day. It’s about the journey. It’s about taking those “iddy biddy steps that make a biggie big difference.”

It’s about finding ways to make small improvements instead of feeling guilty that we haven’t dressed our families in organic hemp and fed them nothing but berries and twigs we grew ourselves, right outside of the family yurt. Because, really, who has an internet connection in a yurt?

I’m going to do my part to make the world the kind of place I want my kids to live in. I’m going to fall short (a lot), but I’m going to keep trying. One step at a time; no berries and twigs required. I promise!