Stay Cool While Staying Green

This summer has been a doozy for everyone where the heat is concerned – record temps have been set everywhere!  Whether you’re trying to keep the AC running a minimal amount or you don’t have an AC at all, these tips can help you stay cool. 

One way to cool off on a hot day!

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Do You Recycle? Take the Pledge!

Pledge to recycle at least two paper products a week!

In our house, we recycle much more than we throw away.  Our trash can goes to the road half-full every other week, simply because I don't like it to sit longer than that.  However, recycling can sometimes be confusing.  Often, people aren't sure what they can or can't recycle.  My husband is always trying to recycle our pizza boxes, which is a big no-no!  I often refer to our local recycling website to stay on top of what we can recycle.    

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The Story of Cosmetics - What Are You Putting on Your Face?

I admit it.  While I've done a good job of getting the majority of my house green, one place where I'm lacking is in the cosmetics department.  I have green chapstick and powder.  I just recently started getting shampoos that are better for me and the environment.  However, I still have a long way to go!  

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A Great Advance in Solar Technology!

Leave it to MIT to give us some break-through technology in solar power!  One of the most expensive things about solar power is the cost of the inactive components - the material (usually glass) that the cells are put on, and the structure that supports it.  Not to mention the costs associated with installing it.  

Photo from MIT News, by Patrick Gillooly

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Sun Eleuthero Tea - A Review and a #Giveaway!

Growing up in the South, one of the things I crave in the summer is iced tea.  There is no better way to beat the heat then with a cool, cold glass full of iced tea, the more ice the better!  I used to drink the full of sugar Milos, but for the past few years I try to make my own.  That way I can get more control over what goes into my tea.

I don’t want too much sugar in my tea, and I also don’t want to consume too much caffeine in the evening.  Otherwise I won’t get any sleep at night!   Sun Eleuthero Tea is a great tea that you can enjoy any time of day.  Sun Eleuthero is an herb that not only gives you an extra energy boost, it also reduces stress!   I’ve really enjoyed it in the afternoons.  I make some before I pick Little Miss up, then let it cool while I go get her.  By the time we’re back and she’s fed, it’s cool enough to dump over some ice.  I’ve discovered just a small amount of sugar (I do a scant 1/2 teaspoon per 8 ounces) is just the right amount of sweetness for me. 

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What's More Important Than Your Child?

Nothing, I imagine!







I hope you'll take a moment to view this video from Healthy Child Healthy World and join their movement to use small steps to add up to a big change by avoiding toxic pesticides, using non-toxic products, cleaning up indoor air, eating healthy, and using alternatives to plastics.  


You can sign up to host a Healthy Home Party, find recipes, get quick tips, find helpful apps, and more!  I hope you enjoy this site as much as I did!

Win an EcoSMART Insect Repellant Bundle!

It’s summertime!  One of the things that comes with summer is bugs – in the garden, flying around outside, and sometimes even in the house!  You want a good insect repellant spray, but you also want something that is safe and that isn’t going to harm your children.  EcoSMART applies modern science to essential plant oils to create 100% safe pesticides.  These oils attack octopamine neuro-receptors. Octopamine is a key insect neurotransmitter that regulates insect movement, behavior and metabolism.  This kills bugs fast without any toxins are harmful residues!

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PureAyre Odor Eliminator - A Review and a Giveaway!

As many of you know, we recently got a puppy.  We all love Snoopy, but having her around means we occasionally have puppy messes, which create odors.  We don’t use those air fresheners that just cover up odors with chemicals, so I was excited to give PureAyre for Pet a try!  PureAyre is a safe odor eliminator that actually breaks down the molecular bonds of odor causing enzymes, so you’re eliminating the odor instead of just covering it up. 

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Reuseit - A Review and a Giveaway!

When the weather is nice around here, Little Miss and I LOVE going on picnics.  It’s such a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, and around here there are tons of places to go – some even have free entertainment! 

That’s why I was thrilled to get some great stuff from Reuseit to use for picnicking.  Of course everything is reusable!  We got a glass water bottle, hemp “anything” napkins, a sandwich keeper, and an insulated bag to keep it all in.

My favorite product turned out to be the reuseit "I'm Not A Plastic Bottle" Glass Reusable Water Bottle.  I love the size, and the message!  I also really liked the lid.  The design keeps ice cubes from hitting you in the face while you’re drinking, or if you prefer you can take the entire lid off and drink that way. 

If you haven’t ditched paper napkins yet, you need to!  It’s such an easy way to be green and save money!  Reuseit Hemp & Organic Cotton Napkins are a great place to start.  They are super-soft, and very easy to clean.  The size is smaller than some of my other cloth napkins, which is perfect for Little Miss!  They’re soft enough for wiping faces too, which is an added bonus when you’re a toddler! 

Little Miss is going to get a ton of use out of the reuseit Snack Bag.  She loves sandwiches, and this is the perfect thing to carry them in.  As an added bonus, the bag acts as a small placemat when she’s eating.  A quick rinse gets it clean, and it dries really quickly. 

Although the reuseit EarthTote Insulated Shopping Bag was a little big for a picnic for us, it’s awesome for taking to the grocery store!  Living in Florida, it’s important to have insulated bags, even when you aren’t travelling very far.  This bag is super-sturdy, and a great shape for holding a lot of your cold items. 

I highly recommend Reuseit products, and will definitely be ordering more from them in the future!  

BUY IT:  You can buy their products at their website.

WIN IT:  One lucky reader will have the chance to win a $25 Reuseit gift card to spend however they choose!  This contest is open worldwide.  

Contest ends July 1st at midnight EST

Don't forget to check out my other giveaways here!

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Happiness Is....

Updating your wardrobe for cheap!  I admit it, when the seasons change, I always want to update my clothes – at least a little bit!  I’m not into keeping up with the latest trends, but it is nice to have something different to add to the mix!

The other day I went to my favorite thrift store and picked up some great updates for my wardrobe.  I got three cute skirts and a pair of capris, all for $7! 

I love the buttons on these capris from Talbots!

Even though I’m saving money, I still try to follow the one item out for every item in rule.  My husband would tell you that it shouldn’t be a problem for me – I have plenty of clothes I don’t wear!  

Ann Taylor - perfect for the beach!

I'm hoping we'll have a clothing swap soon - another great way to get clothes cheap!

How do you get good deals on clothing?  

This is linked up to:

Bluapple - A Review and a Giveaway

If you’re like me, a lot of your grocery bill each month is dedicated to fresh produce.  For me, it’s a two-edged sword.  I like to keep a variety of fresh produce around (if it isn’t there, you definitely won’t eat it!), but I also don’t want to waste food.  Since it’s often just Little Miss and I, a little food goes a long way! 

Three things help keep fresh fruits and vegetables at their best:

• Temperature:  We all know that keeping our produce cool lengthens its lifespan!
• Humidity:  This is why most things come in vented bags – they need a moist, but not wet, environment
• Ethylene Gas Management:  All living plants give off ethylene gas, which is a chemical signal to speed along ripening.  When we put produce in our fridge to take care of the temperature and humidity, gas builds up with nowhere to go! 

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Charlie's Soap - A Review and a Giveaway!

When Little Miss was born I went on a quest for new laundry detergent.  I’d always used various “free and Clear” brands, because the perfumes in most laundry soaps made my skin itchy.  They recommend to NOT use the “free and Clear” versions on cloth diapers, because it leaves a deposit on the diapers that makes them not as absorbent.  After a lot of research, I finally decided to try Charlie’s soap.  I wasn’t expecting much, since I had not been exactly thrilled with the way my current detergent worked.  However, Charlie’s worked great – I was hooked!  We’ve been using it ever since.  I love that it not only cleans great, but it doesn’t take up much room since you only need a tablespoon for a normal load.  

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Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter - A Review and a Giveaway!

My daughter loves peanut butter – I think for her it’s one of the major food groups!  A lot of peanut butters have a LOT of ingredients other than just peanuts.  Not Tropical Traditions!  Theirs is made of peanuts and coconut, that’s all.  The peanuts are 100 % organic, and the coconut is unsweetened.  I love the flavor the coconut adds to the peanut butter, the flavors go together so well!  My daughter is still on the fence about it, but I think she’ll come around. 

If you live in a hot climate like mine, the peanut butter will be a little on the runny side.  Or, you can keep it in the fridge and just remember to take it out well before using so it isn’t too hard to spread. 

Little Miss and I both enjoyed these yummy No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies! 

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

• ¾ C sugar
• ¼ C TT Virgin Coconut Oil (or butter)
• ¼ C milk
• 3 T cocoa powder
• ¼ C TT Coconut Peanut Butter
• 1 ½ C oats
• ¼ C coconut flakes
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Add first four ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. 
2. In the meantime, pour the remaining ingredients into another bowl. 
3. After the mixture boils for one minute, remove from heat and pour into the bowl with the other ingredients. 
4. Mix well and then drop onto parchment paper or a nonstick cooking mat, allow to cool.  If it’s warm where you are, you may need to pop them into the fridge or freezer. 

Want to try out Tropical Traditions coconut peanut butter for yourself?

BUY IT:  You can buy Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter here.  When you check out, choose referred by a friend and use referral code 6967300 to get a free Virgin Coconut Oil book with over 85 recipes!  

Congratulations to the winner - comment #90!

Jena said...90

I tweeted about the giveaway!
(@suhodgepodge)

Don't forget to check out my other giveaways here!

**Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

Look at my Great Prize!

I don't often show my giveaway winnings on my blog - I don't win that many, and most of them are nice, but I don't feel the need to share.  However, I just loved the stuff I got from Jill over at Envirocraftiness!  

The contest was only for the bag, but she was a little late in mailing it so she threw in some other goodies as well.  How sweet was that!

  
I can't wait until I have a good reason to use this cute little handbag.

And I think these hair clips are just adorable.  She sent as headband as well - you can see it at the bottom of the first picture.  


What is the best prize you've won on a blog?

Natural Parenting Blog Party!

I am so excited to be participating in this amazing blog party and I'm looking forward to meeting some awesome ladies (and maybe even a few Dads)!  If you follow me through the blog party, be sure to leave a comment and I'll definitely follow you back!

I've got some great giveaways going on - you can check them out here!

Here are the questions that were posted to kick things off:

1.    How many children do you have, and how old are they?

I have a beautiful three year old daughter – she’s my world!

2.    Do you have a partner, or are you a single parent?

I’m married, but my husband works out of town A LOT, so I have great admiration for single parents – it’s a tough job!

3.    What are your “hot button” parenting issues? 

I try not to have any – that feels a little like judging to me.  I do hate that in the United States Doctors don’t make more of an effort to tell people how important breastfeeding is. 

4.    Have you made any parenting choices that you didn’t think you would make before you were a parent, i.e. cloth diapering a child when you had previously thought it was disgusting?

I never thought our house would be all pink and princess!  I never realized how engrained the gender differences are in some children until I had a child of my own. 

5.    Is there one book or person in particular that’s heavily influenced your parenting choices?  No

6.    If you had to describe each of your children using only one word, what word would you use?  Independent!

7.    Is there one parenting decision that you regret more than others and wish you could change? 

No – I’ve lost my temper at times and yelled, but I try not to focus on the negative and work towards being the best parent in the present moment that I can! 

8.    Is there an area of your parenting you wish you were better at? 

I wish I was more patient!

9.    Now for the fun questions – is there one particular food or type of food that you could eat every day?  Dark chocolate!

10. Vanilla ice cream or chocolate? Chocolate

11. What’s your guilty pleasure?  If I told you, it wouldn’t be my guilty pleasure : ).

12. If you could be part of any television show, which show would it be?  I think being on Glee would be fun!

Pentel Recycology Line - A Review and a Giveaway!

As Earth Day approaches, I find myself looking for more ways to Go Green in my household.  As you all know, we already do a lot of the big things.  We’ve cut down on our power usage, we don’t use bottled water except in rare circumstances, we’ve eliminated paper towels and we’ve greatly reduced the number of napkins we use.  We practice the three R’s always! 

Now, it’s time to start looking at the small things.  That’s where Pentel comes in.  They have a great line called Recycology, which is made from a minimum of 50% and up to 100% recycled content.  Additionally, many of the products are refillable, making them even greener.  I enjoyed using all of the products that they sent me – no leaking, bleeding, or other problems with any of them.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Jolt Pencil:  I love using lead pencils (Did you know that 1 piece of lead writes 720 meters vs. 530 meters for an entire wood pencil?), and this one has a wonderful feel in your hands.  So much so that my husband tried to steal it!  I also love the bright colors – makes it easier to find down at the bottom of my purse.

Handy-line S Retractable and Refillable Highlighter:  I actually use highlighters A LOT.  This one is great for two reasons – it is retractable, so you don’t have to worry about a lid, and it’s refillable!  I will be replacing my current highlighters with this line when they run out! 

I liked all of the products, but those two really stood out.

The prize pack will be similar to this!

Another great thing about these products are that they aren’t any more expensive than Pentel’s regular products, so you don’t have to pay a premium to go green!  Every product also comes with a lifetime warranty against defects in material and workmanship – so it’s just our job to not lose them!

BUY IT:  You can buy Pentel Recycology here.

WINNERS

The Loops said...6

I like pentel on fb!

April 9, 2011 6:25 PM 

Tory said...80

I'd probably get good use from the Slicci Metallic pens! Neat!

Diana said...179

I follow you on twitter

heinzmom  said...105

I love their Slicci.

Don't forget to check out my other giveaways here!

**I received Pentel Recycology products for review purposes. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.  The winning comment will be chosen by random.org.**

Hydros Water Bottle

By now, we should all know that there is no reason to be buying bottled water.  It’s often no better than tap water, and creates a huge amount of waste.  According to the Pacific Institute, from start to finish bottled water consumes between 1100 and 2000 times more energy than does tap water.  Additionally, 60 MILLION plastic bottles end up in American landfills DAILY.  That’s a lot of waste! 

So you have your filter at home, but what to do when you’re out and about?  Hydros has a great solution – a portable bottle that you can take on the go to filter your tap water anywhere!  Great to use if your office doesn’t have filtered water, and each filter is the equivalent of 200 water bottles!

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How to Grow Your Own Sprouts

Spring is here in the Florida Panhandle, and Spring always reminds me of sprouting.  Sure you can sprout anytime, but it seems ideal during the new life and hope that Spring offers.  I love sprouts!  I use them on top of my (veggie) burgers, and even make salads out of them.  They're also great on top of a stir-fry, or instead of lettuce in a taco.  The possibilities are endless!  Sprouts are really good for you too - read about just some of the benefits here!  

These sprouts are ready to eat!

If you haven't sprouted before, it's really easy!  I only sprout 1 tablespoon at a time, since it's just me eating them.  I also have a Easy Sprout Sprouter , which I highly recommend, but you can make your own with a glass jar and some cheesecloth if you'd like.  Sprouting seeds can usually be bought at your local health food store, or ordered online.

1. Put your seeds in the bottom of the jar, cover with plenty of filtered water, and soak overnight.  I think it's important to use organic seeds when you're sprouting, as well as the cleanest water you can get.
2. The next morning, drain the water (that's where the cheesecloth comes in - you can attach it over the mouth of the jar with a rubber band).  Rinse the seeds with fresh water and drain again, getting as much water out as possible.  
3. Continue the rinse/drain cycle every evening and morning for 3-5 days (depending on the temps in your house).  During this time I try to keep them out of the sunlight.  I sometimes give them an additional rinse/drain around noon.  
4. You'll know when they are ready when the leaves start to emerge (about 3 days) - I like to put them where they can get a little sunlight at this point!  This greens the leaves up, but don't let them get hot or sit in the sunlight for too long (usually a few hours on a sunny kitchen counter will do).  
5. After they are ready, I put the sprouts in a big bowl of water to get a lot of the hulls out.  Most of the hulls sink to the bottom.  The ones that float are pretty easy to scoop out.  
6. Drain the sprouts well and store in your fridge in a breathable container!  Enjoy!

Hulls of the sprouts left in the bowl - most fall to the bottom!

I hope you'll try sprouting if you never have before - they are tiny little powerhouses of nutrition!

A yummy sprout and apple salad

The container I use for sprouting.

E-Cloth - A Review and Giveaway

We all know how important it is to keep toxic chemicals out of our home as much as possible.  What if you could do most of your cleaning with just water?  Just think, you'd rid your home of chemicals making it more healthy, and you'd save money by not having to buy all of those cleaning products!

When I first heard about E-cloths, I admit that I was skeptical.  How can a cloth get things clean with just water?  Well seeing is definitely believing!  

Our embarrassingly dirty window

I tested the window pack out on the most difficult thing in our house – our back door.  We have an inside/outside cat and he’s always managing to get the back door incredibly dirty.  Normally I use Method window cleaner and a lot of newspapers to get it clean, but the E-cloth cleaned it up with just water! 

After E-cloth, water, and a touch of elbow grease

How does it work?  Each fiber is 1/100^th the width of a human hair and is split into 16 fiber strands.  This gives it a huge surface area to pick up dirt.  As someone who used to manufacture carpet fiber, I’m well aware of how maximizing the surface area draws in the dirt – that is how we hid the dirt in our carpet.  Not only does the cloth pick up dirt, but it picks up any bacteria as well!

For big messes, you can wet the cloth if you’d like, but I have found the squirt bottle always does the trick for us.  You may use the clothes with cleaners, but I would recommend trying them without them at first – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised! 

Little Miss loves to help out around the house, so this is perfect for us!  I don’t have to worry about her being exposed to chemicals, and she can clean as much as she likes.  The only thing I have to worry about is her getting too crazy with the squirt bottle!  

After the cloth gets dirty, simply throw it in your laundry.  I've found since I have the E-clothes I tend to use them for minor cleaning until I am about to do a load of laundry.  I then find a nice dirty spot to clean and toss the cloth in with the laundry.  My back window hasn't gotten that disgusting again since having the cloth - it's now easy to give it a quick swipe every day or so!  


BUY IT:  You can buy E-Cloths here - they have great packages for all of your cleaning needs.  Also, each cloth is labeled so if you forget what it's best to use for, just take a look at the tag.  They offer free shipping to the United States, and their prices are great!  


CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER - Comment 129!

Alicia C. said...129

I like you on FB

Don't forget to check out my other giveaways here!

**I received a kitchen kit and window kit from E-cloth for review purposes. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.  The winning comment will be chosen by random.org.**