So I Killed My Veggies

Two Thursdays ago I posted on how well me veggie seedlings were doing. The cucumber and zucchini plants were thriving and taking over my table. That same day, I brought the seedlings out onto the deck for some fresh air and sunlight. It was a beautiful day. Fast forward to Friday morning. I come downstairs in the morning and realize my kitchen table is missing something. My veggie plants!!! Sure enough, I look out onto the deck and there they are. I forgot to bring them in. They initially didn't look too good, but I kept watering them and caring for them in hopes that by some miracle I could revive them. But now I think it is safe to say that they are pretty much all dead.


The only seedlings that survived are the peppers (the right 4 columns). Hopefully I can keep those going and plant them outside soon. I'm so bummed. My first attempt at a veggie garden has already gone down in flames. I think I am going to pick up some more cucumber and zucchini seeds and just plant them directly outside once there is no more overnight frost. Maybe that will go better.

Grab My Button! - Fixed Again!

So I have a huge favor to ask of everyone! The server where my button was previously located had issues so now the location of it has changed. If you have grabbed my button in the past, it is probably no longer displaying on your site. So I would be so grateful if you could update it with the new HTML that is posted over in the sidebar. And if you don't already have my button...well, why not??? Seriously, get it! :)

Thank you all in advance, I appreciate it!

UPDATE: OK, I fixed it yet again. We should be good to go now. So please copy the code one last time.
So sorry for the mix up and thanks!!

Wordless Wednesday: Jango Fett

EarthLust Review and Giveaway

Since we are talking about waste-free lunches this week, I thought it would also be a good time to take a look at reusable water bottles. We all spend way too much money for bottled water when we can get water at home for free and with no waste! EarthLust recently sent me one of their 20 oz stainless steel bottles to test. What you will first notice about their bottles is that they come in so many cool designs. You don't have to settle for just a plain stainless finish anymore, unless you want to of course. I picked the Poppy design (pictured far left) because I liked the blues and greens. But there are lots of other great ones. I also like the Butterfly design.

The EarthLust bottles also come in 3 sizes: 13 oz, 20 oz and 1 Liter. They are made from high quality #304 food grade stainless steel, which is naturally safe unlined and all paints used are non-toxic. I love that these bottles come with a carabineer clip which is really handy, especially when pushing a packed stroller. Two weekends ago we took the boys to the zoo (what a rough day). The twins are in a side by side double stroller which I love, but it is short on cup holders. There are only 2, which I was using for their cups, so I used the clip to hang my EarthLust bottle from the back of the stroller.


There it is hanging out and looking cute! That was a long and hot day and I was so glad I had that water with me. One last thing i want to mention is the bottle opening. I have other bottles with extra wide openings that make it easier to get ice in. The problem I have with those is that the opening is wider than my mouth and I often spill some water. (Or maybe I'm just clumsy?) The opening on the EarthLust was better fit for my mouth and so I didn't have any spillage issues.

Remember that when we talk about waste-free lunches, we are not just talking about our kids. Many of us also pack our own lunches for work or outings. Skip the bottled water and get yourself a nice stainless steel bottle like EarthLust. It will more than pay for itself as far as saving you money since you wont have to buy water and by helping save the planet from plastic waste.

Going Green: Waste-Free Lunches

One of my Green Goals for 2009 was to pack waste free lunches for my son. I actually had not realized what a lousy job I was doing of this until I took this photo of his lunchbox for my Fabkins review a few months back. Here I thought I was doing great with the napkin, spoon and reusable sandwich container. But as you can see I also have single-serve yogurt, apple sauce, cheese and juice in there. That's a whole lot of waste going on, especially since our preschool does not recycle (don't get me going...).

It is so easy to get into the habit of using single-serve foods. They are so darn convenient - just toss them in and go. We need to take a step back for a moment and think about what happens to these containers when we're done. If the school or place they are being used has recycling, well then it isn't quite as bad. But it is still unnecessary waste. The key is to reduce our waste, even recycling waste.

So how do we get away from the single-serve addiction? I started with the applesauce. I finished up the few I had left and then when the grocery store was having a sale on organic applesauce in big jars, I stocked up. Buying a large jar is cheaper then buying single-serve normally, so on sale its even better. I fill a Take & Toss snack cup with applesauce, snap the lid on and voila! No ideally it would be better to get away from plastic and use stainless steel storage, but baby steps. Over time I would definitely like to do that, I'm just not there yet.

Now I just have to work on the cheese sticks, yogurt and juice. We still have some juice boxes we are working on, but when those are gone I should start sending in a straw sippy cup with water/juice in it. I actually used to this in the beginning of the school year, not sure why I stopped. I'm not really sure what to do for the yogurt and cheese sticks. I've read some suggestions on buying the bigger blocks of mozzarella cheese and then slicing them into sticks yourself. I have to research that and see how it works out economically and give it a try. As for the yogurt, I might be stuck with it for a while. I would love it if Stonyfield made a large container of YoBaby and YoKids yogurt. That would save a ton of plastic and a ton of money. Maybe I'll write to them! :)

Do you have any tips for packing a waste-free lunch? Please share them!

Surf Sweets Review

I may have mentioned in the past that I have quite a sweet tooth. I love candy! However it is very difficult to find candies that are not made with high fructose corn syrup and lots of artificial ingredients. While our grocery store has a decent natural/organic foods section, there really isn't any candy in it. So I was very excited when Surf Sweets sent me their candy to try out!

Surf Sweets makes organic and natural gummy candies and jelly beans. I love their line: If it doesn’t exist in nature, you won’t find it in Surf Sweets. What makes Surfs Sweets so great?

• Made with organic fruit juice and sweeteners.
• Natural colors and flavors.
• 100% of your daily Vitamin C.
• Free of corn syrup and GMOs.
• Made in a nut free facility.
• Gluten free.

When I received my package of goodies, the first thing I tore open, literally, was the bag of Super Sour Worms. Oh my god they were so good. Unfortunately, they only lasted a few minutes, I devoured them! I love sour gummy candies and I can honestly say these may be the best I have ever had. When I was pregnant with my twins, I kept a huge bag of Sour Patch Kids at my desk at work and would munch on them throughout the day. For whatever reason, they helped with my nausea. So now I really wish I hadn't eaten all of my sour worms so quickly because maybe they would help with the morning sickness I am currently suffering from.

I also really enjoyed the Fruity Bears. They were very tasty. The rest of the candies I let my kids try. (That's right, the first two bags were for ME!) Of course they enjoyed them all very much and left nothing behind. Josh loves his gummy bear vitamins so I knew he would like the Gummy Bears by Surf Sweets. Those didn't last very long either. I should have snapped a picture of him inhaling them. What is wonderful about Surf Sweets candy is I didn't feel guilty about giving my kids candy because there is no junk in these!

Green Toys Gardening Kit Review & Giveaway

I really think it is great when companies take the initiative to make things out recycled materials. Especially when they are using it to make eco-friendly toys!

"Green Toys Inc. makes an awesome line of classic children’s toys constructed from recycled plastic and other environmentally friendly materials. This helps reduce fossil fuel use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improving the overall health and happiness of the planet."

Green Toys makes all of their toys from recycled plastic milk jugs and they are all made in the USA. In addition to the fact that they use recycled plastic, their packaging is made from recycled cardboard and is 100% recyclable itself. No cellophane or annoying little twist-ties. Just the bare minimum so there is less waste and the toys are easy to remove. All of their toys are also free of BPA and phthalates.

In honor of Earth Day, Green Toys sent me their Indoor Gardening Kit to try out. William was very excited! He's been intently looking at my veggie seedlings for a few weeks now so he was very happy to get his own seeds to plant.

This kit comes with everything you need to plant your seeds: 3 pots, tray, shovel, soil and organic seeds. The seeds are Basil, Sunflower and Zinia and they give you more than enough in the packets. The soild come sin dehyrdated "bricks" that you simply add water to and then atch them exand. We planted our seeds on April 17 and today, 6 days later, we alrady have some sprouts poking through the soil.


In addition to the gardening kit, they also have trucks, a tool set, a tea set and more. I particuarly like the Recycling Truck and the Cooware & Dining Set.

Win
One winner will receive their Indoor Gardening Kit from Green Toys.

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Mandatory Entry
Go to the Green Toys site and look around. Come back and tell me something you learned that I did not mention here plus a toy that you think looks cool. Remember this is mandatory and you must complete this before submitting additional entries.

Extra Entries
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to Green Mama's Pad and Green Toys. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll
- Add my Earth Day Blog Party button to your sidebar. This gets you TWO entries, so leave two comments.
- Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Fave me on Technorati and comment with your ID.
- Stumble this and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan on Facebook.
- Visit Matthew's Puzzle and enter one of the Autism Awareness Month giveaways. Then come back and tell me which one you entered.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Friday, May 8th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

The Safe Sippy Review and Giveaway

In the last few years there has been a lot of talk about the dangers of chemicals found in plastic baby bottles and sippy cups. The most talked about is Bisphenol-A (BPA) but there are others to avoid as well like DEHA and Phthalates. BPA is a synthetic estrogen used to harden polycarbonate plastics. Some of the risks associated with BPA include prostate and breast cancer, testicular abnormalities in boys and puberty in girls younger than eight years old. DEHA is linked to negative effects on the liver, kidney, spleen, bone formation and weight. Phthalates have been linked to liver cancer and kidney damage in some animals. They also damage rodent reproductive systems and there is concern that they do the same to human infant boys.

I decided that the best thing to do for my boys was to switch to stainless steel sippy cups. We do still have some BPA-free plastic cups, but I’m trying to gradually phase those out as who knows what bad chemical will be found in them tomorrow. So I was very excited when Kid Basix sent me The Safe Sippy to try out.



The body of The Safe Sippy is made from stainless steel and holds 11 oz of liquid. Why stainless steel? Because it does not interact with the foods and fluids it comes into contact with like plastic does. There are no chemicals in the stainless steel so no chemical can leach into the beverages. You will find some plastic in this cup on the cap, spout, handle and sleeve. However all of the plastics are certified BPA, DEHA and phthalates free. The handle makes it easy for little hands to hold and comes off when no longer needed. There is a sleeve to keep drinks cold and protect the cup.

Here is something I had no idea about. The spout on The Safe Sippy is shaped like a straw because traditional wide spouts that are on many sippy cups have been found by experts to cause speech development problems. With my 2 year old twins both in speech therapy, I’m taking that point very seriously. I just wish I had found that out sooner.

So how did it test out? I decided to let Josh try this cup. No particular reason, just a random choice. But I knew I had to choose just one because attempting to let them both try it would lead to fighting over who it belongs to. The first thing I noticed about this cup is the weight. I have another stainless steel sippy cup that I think is really heavy. The Safe Sippy feels so much lighter than that and yet it holds about 2 more ounces. It also seemed like the liquid flowed much easier through the spout. When they use other cups it sounds like they have to suck really hard to get the drink out. That was definitely not the case here.

How does it do with leaking? Well as the company states, The Safe Sippy is spill proof but cannot be 100% drip proof otherwise it would be hard for children to drink from it. Now that doesn’t mean this cup is always leaking. The only time it leaked for me is when Josh was holding it upside down and shaking it. He does this with all his cups and they all leak. The Safe Sippy is also easy to clean. While most parts can be washed in the dishwasher (except for the valve), I prefer to wash my cups by hand. What’s nice is there aren’t a bunch of pieces to take apart and clean, which is another complaint I have for the other stainless steel cup we have.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with The Safe Sippy. Josh loved having a new cup and I loved all the nifty features. Most importantly I love that it is free from harmful chemicals. I plan on purchasing another one for Luke so they each have one and I can finally toss the few plastic cups that we have left.

Win
One lucky reader will win not one, not two, but THREE of The Safe Sippy!! One of each color: pink, green and blue.

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Mandatory Entry
Visit The Safe Sippy site then come back and comment with something you learned that I did not mention here. Please remember that this is mandatory and you must complete this before submitting any extra entries.

Extra Entries (please leave a separate comment for each)
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to Green Mama's Pad and The Safe Sippy. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll.
- Add my Earth Day Blog Party button to your sidebar. This gets you TWO entries, so leave two comments.
- Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Fave me on Technorati and comment with your ID.
- Stumble this and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan on Facebook.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Thursday, May 7th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Happy Earth Day!

So I know I am a tad late on this post, but hey, the day isn't over yet! I so badly wanted to do something special for Earth Day this year, but it just didn't happen. It has been a rainy week here so far and today was no exception. Plus I am suffering from some really awful morning all-day sickness that is rendering me pretty much useless. We did make it to the zoo on the 18th for their "Party for the Planet" event, but it didn't go as well as we had hoped. Just think of twin 2 year olds screaming the entire time. Yeah, not fun.

William actually had a school field trip to the police station this morning, so I dropped him off for that. And I made sure he was wearing his organic Earth Day tee. I love his school but I am disappointed that they did absolutely nothing for Earth Day this week. This week's theme is about police safety, 911 and strangers. While believe me that stuff is so very important, I would have liked them to throw something about the Earth in their somewhere. I may have to try and push them for something next year.

Anyway (lol) I would love to hear what everyone else did for Earth Day today! Please share!

Wordless Wednesday: Sleeping Josh

Honeybee Gardens Review & Giveaway

It seems to me that the trend with natural cosmetics is that most can be pretty expensive. its discouraging to me because the average person like me can't afford super expensive makeup and it deters people from making the switch. the about a year ago I discovered Honeybee Gardens. They have natural cosmetics, hair care, body care and lip care and all at reasonable prices. I love this statement from them:

"At Honeybee Gardens, we believe natural, healthy body care and cosmetics should be affordable. We're not rich and we want good products. Solution: make them ourselves and share the love with the world!"

I've built up a decent amount of their makeup during that time. I started off with their water-based nail polish. Their is a good selection of colors, I have a few, and they wear well. I do recommend you get their nail polish remover to go with it as regular remover doesn't work very well. In addition to the nail polish, I also have a JobaColors Eyeliner and a PowderColors Mineral Color that I use for eyeshadow. I am more than happy with all of them. For comparison sakes, I just went to CVS.com to see what the prices of some mineral eye shadows are and the ones they carry range from $6.99 to $9.99. And those aren't even natural. The Honeybee Gardens mineral color is only $4.99.

Honeybee Gardens was nice enough to send me JobaColors Lip Liners to try out. I have't worn lipliner in a very long time so I was happy to get some to use. I thought it was funny that the two colors they sent me matched the typicl lipstick colors that I wear: brownish-berryish colors. The Lip Liner went on very smoothly and looked great. It also lasted a pretty long time. Unfortunately, I didn't have a natural lipstick to try with it so I used my regular ones. But now that I have this lip liner, I was inspired to order some Lipstick from Honeybee Gardens which should be arriving any day now. So excited!

Win
One lucky winner will receive THREE JobaColors Lip Liners from Honeybee Gardens. The winner will receive one of each of the following colors: Island Spice, Perfection and Zen.

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Mandatory Entry
Visit Honeybee Gardens and take a look at all the products they carry. The come back and tell me which two products you would like to try. Please remember that this is mandatory and you must complete this before submitting any extra entries.

Extra Entries (please leave a separate comment for each)
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to Green Mama's Pad and Honeybee Gardens. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll.
- Add my Earth Day Blog Party button to your sidebar. This gets you TWO entries, so leave two comments.
- Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Fave me on Technorati and comment with your ID.
- Stumble this and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan on Facebook.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Wednesday, May 6th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Green Mama's Pad Goes Shopping!

I was thrilled when Kate from The Shopping Mama asked me to write a guest article about "green" shopping for kids. I love finding cool green stuff, especially for my little guys, so I was happy to share that with her. So hop on over to The Shopping Mama to check it out and be sure to leave a comment!!

Earth's Sweet Pleasures Fudge Review and Giveaway

One thing I really wanted to bring you all this week was a tasty organic treat. I am a chocoholic, I could eat it all day every day. But I've found it difficult to find organic chocolates locally. So I turned to the Internet and found Earth's Sweet Pleasures.

Earth's Sweet Pleasures endeavors to make the highest quality organic gourmet fudge in the world while supporting sustainability of the planet and it's inhabitants. Our fudge is made the old-fashioned way, using an original family recipe that is 25% less sweet than conventional fudge, enhancing the intense flavor of the award winning rich, dark chocolate. Every ingredient in our fudge is all natural certified organic and the delicious dark chocolate is grown by fair trade farmers in Central and South America. By purchasing our fudge you help sustain the rainforest where cacao trees are grown in the shade of the canopy. A portion of our proceeds go to environmental and humanitarian organizations that promote economic fairness for cacao farmers and their families.

At Earth's Sweet Pleasures you will find Rich Rainforest Dark Fudge, both plain and with walnuts. The fudge with walnuts is their bestseller. All of their fudge is made with organic, fair trade chocolate. They were kind enough to send me a sample of the Rich Rainforest Dark Fudge with Walnuts to taste. I actually received it just the other day and let me tell you, it took a great amount of willpower to not eat the entire piece all at once because it is so delicious. Very rich and creamy and literally melts in your mouth. Not only does it taste great, but its comforting to know that there are no artificial yucky ingredients. The ingredient list on my sample fudge bar reads as follows:

Ingredients (All Organic): Evaporated Cane Juice, Fair-Trade Chocloate - 65% Bittersweet, Marshmallow Creme, Walnuts, contains Dairy (Half & Half), Natural Oil Blend, Vanilla Extract, Love & Gratitude.

Of course the best ingredients are the love and gratitude. There are no substitutes for that!

Shop
Green Mama's Pad readers can get 15% off orders when using code GMP001 at checkout.

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Win
Earth's Sweet Pleasures kindly sent me a 1/2 pound box of Rich Rainforest Dark with Walnuts to send to one lucky winner. Allergy notice: please note that this fudge contains walnuts.

Mandatory Entry
Visit the Earth's Sweet Pleasures site, take a look around at all the pages and come back and tell me something I did not mention above. You must complete this entry before you can submit any extra entries.
Extra Entries (please leave a separate comment for each)
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to Green Mama's Pad and Earth's Sweet Pleasures. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll.
- Add my Earth Day Blog Party button to your sidebar. This gets you TWO entries, so leave two comments.
- Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Fave me on Technorati and comment with your ID.
- Stumble this and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan on Facebook.
- Read my Kaboogie review, visit the Kaboogie store and leave a comment on my review telling me your favorite item. Then leave a comment here letting me know you did it.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Tuesday, April 28th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Green Glossary: FSC Certified

Products bearing the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo, which guarantees that the wood from a certified well-managed forest, are available across the world from a variety of mills, manufacturers, and distributors.

The Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way.

Source: Forest Stewardship Council

Going Green: Reusable Feminine Products

Since I have a Lunapads giveaway going on, I thought now would be a good time to elaborate more on reusable feminine products. That's right boys, another post about periods. Now is your chance to quickly click on a different post of mine before we get into it.

I've already discussed the benefits of giving cloth pads a try. Just think about all those disposable ones that end up in landfills ever year, the petroleum that goes into making the plastic in them, or the chlorine used to bleach them. And I really can't stress enough how comfortable cloth pads are. Well, at least the ones I have tried. I barely even notice them.

When I first joined the "green movement", the thought of cloth pads truly grossed me out and I said to myself that I would never go that far. Ha. Now I love them. I've only tried 2 brands: Glad Rags and Lunapads, and I have been extremely pleased with both. I've had my Glad Rags for a while and they are still going strong. Plus their overnight ones are awesome - no leaks! I love that the Lunapads let you just change the liner as needed instead of changing the entire bad. They also make overnighters which I want to try too. There are lots of others out there you can try as well. I know a lot of people have said good things about Ama'z Padz as well. Do you have any other you can share with us?

One type of product I have not talked about yet are menstrual cups. Yes, these used to gross me out too. I would read about other mamas trying them and I just thought there was no way they would be comfortable and it would be such a mess. Boy was I wrong. The same time I bought my first cloth pads, I bought a cup as well. I opted for the Moon Cup over the Diva Cup because at the time it was on sale and considerably less money.

I was never a big fan of tampons. They were always pretty uncomfortable for me, especially after child birth (which is kind of ironic). So I was nervous that the Moon Cup would be the same way. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so much better. The first cycle was a learning one, but by the second cycle I had figured out how to insert it properly and now I don't even notice it is there.

If you think you want to give a menstrual cup a try, I recommend visiting this informative review. This woman tried out a bunch of different ones and then lists all of her findings here. I read this entire thing before making my purchase and it helped me decided on the Moon Cup. She also has tips on different folds for inserting that you can try.

So I hope you can maybe consider trying out some reusable menstrual products. Believe me, I know it can sound gross and be intimidating. But once you try it you will realize how much better it is. Have you already made the switch? Which brands/products are your favorite?

Ecostore USA Review and Giveaway

All 3 of my boys suffer from dry skin and eczema, especially Luke. His eczema is quite bad and my pediatrician said what he has is hereditary and there actually isn't anything I can use to cure it. So it is important for me to use washes and lotions that are easy on the chemicals and therefor easy their skin. So I was really excited when I found Ecostore USA and their natural baby care products.

"Our mission is to focus on individual health issues. Our ingredients are the principle factor in helping Ecostore achieve this goal. By eliminating hazardous toxins that are the basis of so many conventional cleaning products we not only help you but keep our planet in the best shape possible. Doing Good by Nature means taking the wonderful gifts that nature offers and developing plant based products that are safe, authentic and really work."

I was so thankful to receive some samples of Ecostore's baby products. I received the body wash, shampoo and lotion and immediately started using them on the boys. The first thing I noticed was the scent - I love it! That's saying a lot for me because I am sensitive to scents. So many can trigger headaches for me. But the Ecostore baby care line has a nice, clean, fresh scent. When the boys are out of the bath I love cuddling up with them and smelling their hair. I've also noticed improvement in Josh's skin. He definitely had the most mild eczema of the three. He would occasionally get really rough patches around his elbows. However in the several weeks I've been using these, that has happened much less. I also want to mention that a little goes a long way with the shampoo and body wash. It lathers really nicely with only a small amount; I'd say I use about dime sized portion. Just be careful when pouring because it can come out fast!

Of course let's not forget the best part: "No Nasty Chemicals". All of the Ecostore USA products are free from parabens, SLS, phosphates, chlorine, propylene glycol and other chemicals that pose dangers to our bodies and our environment. I'm so jealous of you all that live near a Meijer store, where the Ecostore USA line is exclusively sold in the United States.

Ecostore USA has much more than baby care products. They have laundry care, pet care dish cleaners, household cleaners and so much more. I'm anxious to try out the Cream Cleanser on my cooktop!

Shop
In honor of Earth month, receive free shipping on all orders of $25.00 more. Good for the entire month of April 2009.

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Win
Ecostore USA is giving 1 winner a $25.00 gift certificate to their online store.

Mandatory
Visit the Ecostore USA site then come back and tell me TWO items you would like to try. Remember this is mandatory and you must complete this before submitting additional entries.

Extra Entries (please leave a separate comment for each)
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to Green Mama's Pad and Ecostore USA. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll.
- Add my Earth Day Blog Party button to your sidebar. This gets you TWO entries, so leave two comments.
- Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Fave me on Technorati and comment with your ID.
- Stumble this and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan on Facebook.
-Read my Kaboogie review, visit the Kaboogie store and leave a comment on my review telling me your favorite item. Then leave a comment here letting me know you did it.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Monday, May 4th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

This review is based on my opinions and my experiences only. Everyone is different and therefor your experiences may differ from mine.

GreenSmart Bottles To Bags Giveaway!

Do you ever wonder what happens to all those plastic bottles that you recycle? What are they being recycled into? GreenSmart is one company that is taking those recycled bottles and turning them into cool bags! The process of turning a used water bottle into a bag is quite interesting and you can read all about it here. (This might be used for an extra entry!)

In 1995, Tom and Debbie Larsen founded bag company Shoreline. At that time, there were no options for eco-friendly materials or fabrics. However in 2007, with recycled materials now readily available, they committed to converting all items they make to green material composition. Now they have a great selection of eco-friendly bags: laptop jackets, sleeves and messenger style laptop bags and also totes and shoulder bags.

All fabrics used for the GreenSmart Bottles 2 Bags are derived from certified 100% post-consumer recycled PET water and soda bottles. If you are wondering, PET is plastic #1. The inside of each bag has a bright green lining imprinted with their recycle logo, to remind you of your green purchase. And a cool feature in their store is they will tell you how many bottles were used to make the bag. For example, the Horizontal Messenger Bag uses 30 bottles which saved energy equal to 236 laptop hours. As of October 2008 GreenSmart Bottles 2 bags had used 555,169 16oz PET bottles which saved 369 million Btus. That's equal to 4.3 million laptop hours!

Shop
In honor of the 39th annual Earth Day, GreenSmart is running an Earth Month promotion and offering a discount promo for 39% off any order. That is a HUGE savings!! The promo code is KZ39MX and it is good through May 1, 2009.

Win
GreenSmart is generously awarding one winner a laptop jacket or sleeve of their choice. (I am so jealous by the way, I want one!)

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Sunday, May 3rd at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Kaboogie Repurposed Leather Moccasins Review

There are truly so many great shops over on Etsy, especially eco-friendly ones. So I was very excited when I was contacted by the mom behind Kaboogie! Kaboogie makes baby shoes, moccasins, wristlets and more all from repurposed leather (the shoe soles are made from new suede). I think it is great when someone can find a cool way to reuse things! Why does she do this? "The pieces I recycle are headed for the landfill, or in bulk rag shipments to third world countries. I'd much rather see them have new life as baby shoes to hand down and pass along!"

I was sent a pair of baby moccasins to borrow so that I could get an up close and personal look at them. The pair I looked at was the same style as these, only a darker brown. (the photos I took were fuzzy).

Firstly, they are adorable, just look at them! I really love the fringe. These moccasins are incredibly soft too. The uppers are made from repurposed suede and the soles are made from new non-skid suede. I wish my twins were younger because these would be so cute on them. (They've entered that terrible twos, everything is a tantrum phase). You can also find other baby shoes there, like these pretty pink Maryjanes. Wouldn't these look great on your little princess?

Now Kaboogie is more than just shoes. You will also find leather pillow covers as well as purses and wristlets here. I love the look of this Cherry Blossoms Wristlet.

Everything about his bag is recycled! The flowers are made of pink recycled suede, the branches of cream recycled leather and the bag of brown recycled leather. Even the brass zipper is reclaimed!

Shop
Kaboogie is offering free shipping to all Green Mama's Pad readers. Just leave a comment here and then when you place your order put "greenmamaspad" in "message to seller" and Kaboogie will refund your shipping.

So hop on over to Kaboogie to see what she has. If you comment here telling me what you like, you may just earn extra entries into some of my Earth Day Blog Party giveaways!

Lunapads Review and Giveaway

OK, I know that no one likes to talk about their period. Let's be honest, it is not a very fun topic for discussion. But its a part of life, right? All this week I have been talking about cloth diapers. What about cloth menstrual pads? Now now, don't write them off just yet! There was a time, less than a year back, that I thought the idea of them was gross. Then I'd say about 9 months or so ago, I decided it was time to give them a try. And you know what? I wish I had made the switch sooner.

Why should you give cloth pads a try? Consider this:

• Over 14 billion disposable pads, tampons and applicators make their way into North American landfills every year.
• Disposable pads and tampons contain a bunch of chemicals which are easily absorbed into your body and can cause discomfort and irritation. And tampons are associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome.
• As opposed to plastic, cotton allows your skin to breathe and reduces the chance of skin irritation and infection.
• While cloth will cost more up front, you will save money in the long run.

Now let me tell you about Lunapads. Lunapads International is based in Vancouver, Canada and was founded by Madeleine Shaw in 1994. Madeleine realized she needed something to solve her own health concerns about using disposable pads and tampons. The Lunapads mission is "to help women have healthier and more positive experiences of their menstrual cycles, and by extension, their bodies overall."

I was so excited when Lunapads sent me a free Pads & Pantyliners Intro Kit to test out. The cloth pads that I've used in the past are made like an envelope. You insert the liners inside the pad and then snap them around your panties. When it's time for a change, you have to change both the liners and the pad. This is where Lunapads stands out. Their liners sit on top of your pad, held on with 2 ric rac bands. So all you have to do is change the liner and not the whole pad. Here is a short video that shows you just how easy they are to use.



See how easy it is? I also love how comfortable these cloth pads are. It is so much better having cloth up against your skin than sticky plastic. Bleh! I tested these out during the day and they were awesome. I had no leaking issues and the ric rac bands held the liners in place with no issue. I didn't try them at night because I'm a little neurotic about nighttime leaking. So I stuck with my overnight cloth pad that I already have. But Lunapads does make a long pad that would be perfect for me when I'm sleeping, so I'll need to get some of those! I also love the fun and funky patterns they come in. Your period can be stylish now!

Are you wondering how to care and wash these? It's not as difficult as you may think. Here is how Lunapads suggests you wash your pads and liners:

Soak or rinse Lunapads in cold water prior to putting them in the washing machine with your regular detergent. Some women add a cleaning agent (such as tea tree oil, Dr. Bronner's soap, Oxo Bright, or just their regular laundry soap, to name a few) in the soaking process, but this is optional. You can wash them in warm water with your towels and sheets if you don't want to run a separate load – they may also be washed by hand and air-dried. They will shrink somewhat if you put them in the dryer, as they are made from cotton, but it makes them nice and soft!

This is actually almost exactly is how I wash my Lunapads and other cloth pads. In between washes, I will soak them in a container of water with some Oxi-Clean. Just be sure to change the water at least once a day. Otherwise bacteria can grow and it will get smelly. When I have enough laundry built up, I wash them with our towels in warm water. You can throw them in the dryer, but I prefer to line dry them.

So go ahead, take the plunge. Give cloth pads a try! I truly think you will find the cloth pads are far superior to disposables.


Shop
Spend $35 or more at Lunapads.com and receive $5 off your order. Use promo code greenmamaspad. This code is valid through December 31, 2009.

Win
Lunapads has generously offered to give one lucky reader a Sampler Pack. This is a great pack to get you started with cloth pads or to help build your supply.

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED**

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Friday, May 1st at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

This review is based on my opinions and my experiences only. Every woman's body and cycle is different and therefor your experiences may differ from mine.

Zucchini Plants Have Taken Over My Kitchen Table

I did not do a "Getting Dirty" update last Thursday because there was really nothing to update on. So now that it has been 2 weeks since I last shared photos of my veggie seedlings, you'll notice that some have gotten considerably bigger. Most noticeably the zucchini, which are in the 2 far left columns. The cucumber, the next 2 columns, are right behind them.

Seriously, they are starting to take over my table and are annoying my husband. I want to move them outside but (A) we are still having super cold nights here in New England so I'm afraid they won't survive outside yet and (B) I still haven't determined where exactly I am planting them. Yes, I am a procrastinator. So that is something I will have to figure out within the next week. It would be nice if next week I could have pictures of them in the ground.

Just to refresh your memory (and mine), here is what they looked like back on March 26. That was one week after I planted them. I can't believe how much they have grown in less than a month!

Cloth Diaper Giveaways at The Mom Buzz!

Since we are talking about cloth diapering this week, I thought it would be appropriate to let you all know about some cloth diaper giveaways! Erin at The Mom Buzz has not one, but TWO cloth diaper giveaways going on right now!

The first giveaway is for a Kissaluvs fitted diaper and a pack of reusable wipes. Enter here.

The second is for a SoftBums all-in-two diaper. Enter here.

So head on over and enter. I'm actually going to go enter myself. What better way to get started with cloth diapers than to win one?

Environmental Impact of Disposable Diapers

• Most are bleached which produces dioxin, a highly toxic byproduct of bleaching.
• Every year, around 82,000 pounds of plastic and 250,000 trees are used to make disposable diapers for American babies. (FYI, plastic is made from petroleum)
• Emissions from the plastics and fragrances in disposables are linked to respiratory problems and symptoms of asthma.
• Contain sodium polyacrylate crystals which have been linked to toxic shock syndrome, allergic reactions and is very harmful and potentially lethal to pets.
• According to the EPA, some dyes and dioxin are known to cause damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.
• Untreated waste placed in landfills by dirty disposable diapers is a possible danger to contaminating ground water.

Sources
http://www.thegreenguide.com/greenguide/buying-guide/diapers/environmental_impact
http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm

There is much debate regarding cloth diapering and if it is actually more eco-friendly than disposables. The thought here is that the amount of water and energy used to wash cloth diapers negates their benefits. I don't know, I think using a little more energy to wash a cloth diaper is better than all the oil and chemicals that get used to make disposables. Which will then end up in landfills for years upon years. Even those that are biodegradable can't really decompose in a landfill since there is a lack of oxygen. To make washing diapers more eco-friendly, use an energy star, high efficiency washer when possible. They use a lot less water and energy. Line dry you diapers instead of using the clothes dryer (a major energy hog). And do not use chlorine bleach. Instead opt for a chlorine-free bleach like ones made by Seventh Generation and Ecover.

What do you think? Which is better?

Earth Day is April 22

That's less than a week away - next Wednesday! Are you doing anything special to celebrate Earth Day? Any local town events or maybe just planting something in your own yard? I have absolutely no idea what we are doing but I want to do something. There is a zoo not too far from here that is having a "Party for the Planet" this weekend, so maybe we can head over to that.

If you are looking for an event in your area check out your town and state websites to see if they have anything posted there. I found some local events in the April edition of our local Natural Awakenings magazine.

Here are some good Online Earth Day resources that I found:

Earth Day Network - You can search by zip code for something close to you. Earth Day Network also has resources to help you organize your own Earth Day Event. Visit their "Earth Day in a Box" page for everything you need to get started and get involved.

Earth911.com - You can make a pledge to start composting, reduce trash or recycle at work. Even get tips on how to start your own recycling program.

EPA.gov - Also lists events in your state (I found more here than on other sites). Green tips and stuff for kids.

EPA Earth Day Photo Contest - Anyone over the age of 18 can enter; that means anyone form any county. The deadline for photo submissions is April 30, so go check it out now.
EarthDay.gov - List of volunteer opportunities.

World Wildlife Federation - Ideas and tips for change. Widgets and images for your website.