Earth Hour is this evening, Saturday, March 27th.
Wherever you are in the world, turn off your lights at 8:30 pm local time.
Tonight in Laos the government will be showing support of Earth Hour by shutting off our electricity for us at 7pm. Thanks guys! Save the Earth!
Besides the forced participation, I think Earth Hour is a great idea.
US site: http://www.myearthhour.org/
World site: http://www.earthhour.org/
Innobaby has a great collection of ingenious, cute, quality, and eco-friendly products. I was sent samples of a few Innobaby products and I have been using them on a daily basis!
My most favorite Innobaby product are the Keepin’ Fresh containers.
Not only are the Keepin’ Fresh containers 100% airtight and 100% leak-proof, they are available in BPA-free plastic OR glass.
I am over the moon about the glass containers; I searched for them about a year ago to no avail; I’m so thrilled to find that they exist!
The tops on the Keepin’ Fresh containers have flip down locks that my 2-year-old and 5-year-old children can easily maneuver. I have packed Keepin’ Fresh containers in their lunches and my own lunch every day since we got them! That picture is me in my office with some home made salsa. Woohoo!
The Keepin’ Fresh™ series is sized to allow you to prepare and store perfect portions for Stage 1 and Stage 2 solid feeding. You can make your own purees, or store cereals, breast milk, diced fruits, cheese cubes, snacks and more.
The glass containers allow you to bake, freeze, and microwave the contents.
Keepin’ Fresh containers retail from $7.99-$12.99 for a 2 pack (www.innobaby.com).
Deeds has a favorite Innobaby product as well: his cute DinDin Smart car-shaped stainless steel plate!
This is another treasure that we have used EVERY day. Deeds love cars and I love the perfectly divided toddler-portion compartments.
Deeds holds the family record for “most glasses broken at restaurants”, so it is nice to have this adorable and indestructible platter.
Last but not least, behold the Innobaby genius that is the Packin’ Smart!
By making smart adaptations to the powdered formula dispenser, Innobaby has created a SMART solution with all sorts of travel applications.
The Packin’ SMART comes with four containers that can be securely stacked and secured with its twist-to-seal interlocking design.
Every container comes with dispensing lid that can also be removed.
You can store both dry and liquid contents, so the possibilities are endless!
Each containers holds approximately 1/2 cup or up to 10 oz. of powdered formula.
Packin’ SMART is Dishwasher-, Freezer-, and Microwave Safe. BPA-, Phthalates-, PVC-, Lead Free.
I’m looking forward to using Packin’ SMART on our next trip to stash things like vitamins, snacks, small LEGO bits, or even my jewelry.
Innobaby has other great products too! Visit innobaby.com to see more Innovative Solutions for Smart Parenting!
Innobaby provided these product samples for my review. Yep. I like them.
GREEN ENTERTAINING for Mommies is a new, practical guide by Laura Theodore, The Jazzy Vegetarian about how to be a hostess with the mostess without forgetting your responsibility to the planet.
These days, hosting a party usually means a lot of waste; disposable everything and one-time use decor.
GREEN ENTERTAINING for Mommies starts out with assessing your “Green Means,” your home, food, and guests.
Laura Theordore has great ideas for preparing your home through green cleaning, organizing, and green decorating. When it comes to food, you can make sure you are buying green, preparing, and serving in an eco-friendly manner. Even the guest list and invitations can have a touch of “green”!
The second chapter, “Green Cuisines,” is a treasure trove of healthy vegetarian recipes, giving you great go-to options for a variety of occasions. There are no-cook appetizers, and yummy cooked starters like Savory Sweet Potato Soup, hearty mains like Festive Lasagna with Zucchini Noodles, and great finishers like Chocolate Ganache Pudding!
Chapter 3, “Green Themes,” is a plethora of ideas for making any occasion green. From casual gatherings like family dinners or brunches, seasonal celebrations, and extra special occasions like birthdays or romantic dinners!
Each event is outlined with menus and entertaining tips; you have all of the tools you need in a totally digestable format.
I’m very impressed by the breadth of GREEN ENTERTAINING for Mommies!
I do want to be green, but I worry that I won’t be “green enough” sometimes! GREEN ENTERTAINING for Mommies is helpful for narrowing in on one aspect of green entertaining at a time until I have conquered them all! Mwahaha!
These tips are not overwhelming, not over-expensive, and earth-friendly! Two thumbs up!
Thank you, Laura Theodore for providing a review copy for us!
Ecostore USA makes plant-based household products with NO NASTY CHEMICALS!
I was offered the chance to choose two Ecostore USA products to sample, and I selected the all natural Auto Dish Powder, because I was pleased to see a “modern” cleaning product that was both eco-friendly and safe.
The Auto Dish Powder is a high performance blend made from simple mineral salts, citrus and Coconut oils.
That’s it. Nothing to hurt you, nothing to call poison control about. Just a nice, safe, cleaner!
Ecostore USA is an expert on gentle cleaning products: they even have a line of baby products, including their delicious-smelling Chamomile and Lavender Goat’s Milk Soap.
I love the simple and artful packaging, as it reflects the simplicity of the ingredients therein.
This soap contains goat’s milk, and plant-based ingredients like Wheat Germ, oil of Lavender, and vitamin E.
Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it?
Ecostore USA products are on sale right now. At Ecostoreusa.com, ALL plant and mineral based products are 40% off for the rest of the year. Stock up by 12/31/09 (that’s Thursday!).
Would you like to win a $25 gift certificate to Ecostoreusa.com?
1.) To enter to win, visit http://www.ecostoreusa.com/ and leave me a comment with a product not mentioned in this post that you think would be useful to you!
Please don’t just comment with “Enter me” or “Sounds great”. That totally annoys me. Those entries are not eligible to win.
Three winners will be chosen by random number generator.
This giveaway is open to those with a US mailing address.
2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.
Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.
Want to subscribe? Just click here: Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)
3.) Twitter about this giveaway (include a link to this page, @Ecostoreusa and @MomMostTraveled ) and comment here with your Twitter name.
4.) Blog about this giveaway, including a link to this post. Leave me a comment with the link so I can check your post!
5.) Subscribe to the No Nasty Chemicals Newsletter on the Ecostore USA blog and let me know you did so.
This giveaway will close on January 10, 2010, 11:59 pm EST.
Need a holiday gift for someone that has you stumped? Your child’s teacher? Something to give to the party hostess? Something gender neutral for gift swapping at the office?
The Laundry Tree Starter Kit makes a thoughtful gift for anyone with a desire for gently (and fantastically) clean duds.
It comes in beautifully-designed, environmentally-friendly gift packaging, and is only $14.99 for enough SoapNuts to do 40 loads of laundry.
Reasons why SoapNuts are good for the environment:
One little drawstring bag of 3 to 4 SoapNuts can be used FOUR TIMES! The same four SoapNuts can wash 4 loads of laundry!
Never heard of SoapNuts?
What are SoapNuts? They look like this:
They come from the Sapindus Mukorossi tree, which is found in Nepal, Indonesia, and India.
All that is done to the soap nuts to prepare them for use is to harvest, de-seed, and dry them in the sun.
I have a Laundry Tree Starter Kit to give away, too!
1.) To enter, visit the LaundryTree shop and tell me which scent of essential oil you would like in your Starter Kit.
Please don’t just comment with “Enter me” or “Sounds great”. Those entries are not eligible to win.
One winner will be chosen by random number generator.
This giveaway is open to those with a US mailing address.
2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.
Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.
Want to subscribe? Just click here: Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)
3.) Twitter about this giveaway (include a link to this page, @LaundryTree and @MomMostTraveled ) and comment here with your Twitter name.
4.) Blog about this giveaway, including a link to this post. Leave me a comment with the link so I can check your post!
5.) Become a fan of Laundry Tree on Facebook and leave me a comment letting me know you did so!
This giveaway will close on November 24, 2009, 11:59 pm EST.
Will you be on the road this Christmas, or simply need to spend less on gifts this time around?
For 2009 I have made it my mission to track down low-cost, big impact gifts that are friendly to the budget but won’t give you a reputation as a cheapskate!
Making the Christmas stocking an exciting part of your gift giving is a great tradition to start that helps save money and build anticipation!
For the past two years, I have given stockings to the boys on St. Nicholas Day, December 6th. This is a way to spread out the gifts so that there isn’t a big “crash and burn” effect on Christmas Day.
Everybody loves lots of treasures in their stocking; why not let each family member add little goodies to each other’s stockings so everyone gets some surprises!
Throughout the day, more surprises could show up in the stockings, especially if another relative visits, so the stockings become an all day treasure hunt!
Natural and safe products for kids are a passion of mine, so I was extremely pleased to discover a smorgasbord of affordable gifts at AToyGarden.com
The motto at A Toy Garden is, “Thoughtful toys for caring people!”
A Toy Garden sent us a beautiful Wool Snowflake Stocking, which retails for $29.95. The stocking is huge, gorgeous, and hand made in Nepal using fair trade practices!
Here is where I sheepishly admit that I have been trying to hand make embroidered stockings for my family for 4 years. As a result, Nick is the only family member with a stocking. Until this year!
Now, how to fill that stocking? A Toy Garden has you covered! Here are a few of their favorite Stocking Stuffer options:
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This Heart Ribbon Award is only $2.00, so you can justify purchasing one per child for pretend award ceremonies. |
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The Large Stone Frog is made in Pakistan. Each has it’s own unique coloring and pattern. $3.95 |
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The Star of Light is a simple wooden star, sanded smooth. A pleasure to see and hold, Star of Light can be used for teething or imaginative play. $4.95. |
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“Not a creature was stirring…” Made in Thailand from sustainable rubber wood, this little pull back mouse is quite fast! Jojo said it was from “Tom and Jerry”. $4.95. |
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These Rainbow Crayons come in a set of 4 for 4.95.
They are thick and easy to use with a vibrant, layered rainbow of colors. |
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Hand Carved Owl Gourd Shaker is $5.95, and a unique and artistic addition to your musical instrument collection.
Adorable and whimsical, and handmade in Peru! |
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Gnome Crystal Set in a Bag is $5.95, and might be Jojo’s favorite gift. He loves Indiana Jones, and carries these “Indiana Jones Treasures” around frequently. Included in the bag are papers with the names and descriptions of each special stone. |
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This Festive Gnome Pair are clad in green and red, all ready for the holidays!I want to use mine as holiday decoration, but I guess I can share them with the boys if they want to play, too.
$7.95 |
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Silver Turtle Necklace, $7.95.A sterling silver turtle charm on a child-sized back chord. This is “real” jewelry that will make a little one feel special. |
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Fairy Queen Playing Cards, $7.95 by Eeboo, are a beautifully illustrated card game for ages 5 and older.Fairy Queen is an Old Maid-esque game based on simple point values to promote math skills!
Cards are oversized and laminated for durability. |
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Colored Twig Pencil Set, $9.95 are colored pencils that are probably not unlike the kind fairies, hobbits, or Robin Hood might use. |
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Mini Van Set, $9.95, by Plan Toys, is a trio of lovely wood vans.You can see in the video where Deeds’ chubby hand reaches into the frame to confiscate the vans from Jojo!
An aesthetically pleasing alternative to the small cars in big box retailers! |
These fabulous products are included in the Mom Most Traveled 2009 Holiday Gift Guide!
MARIS Naturals is a luxury line of bath and beauty products featuring 100% natural essential oil and extracts inspired by the most beautiful places in the world – including Africa, India and Morocco.
I got some indulgent samples of MARIS body scrub; Fleurs, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit Mimosa, and Bali Vanilla !
Bali Vanilla is scented with rich vanilla, sweet Ylang-Ylang, spicy Clove, Honey, and Sandalwood- exotic and delicious!
Grapefruit Mimosa is an invigorating, moisturizing body scrub made with African Shea Butter and Sea Salt. It has citrusy scents of grapefruit and lime with sweet smells of floral Mimosa and Linden Blossom.
Eucalyptus combines shea butter, sea clay, and sea salt to moisturize and exfoliate. The clean, herbal scent is a combination of eucalyptus, bay and lavender.
Fleurs is a sea salt body scrub containing shea butter and rose clay. The ingredients give Fleurs a naturally pink color, and the scent is a light and floral combination of Ylang-Ylang, Geranium, Bulgarian Rose, and Petitgrain.
Other MARIS products also contain exotic ingredients, like African Shea Butter, organic Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan rhassoul clay and Indian jasmine oil.
Each fragrance is made from a blend of quality essential oils, and all MARIS products are free of parabens, preservatives, and artificial colors.
MARIS offers eco-luxurious products for Indulging Yourself In Natural Luxury!
An easy way to make a positive impact on the environment is to look for eco-friendly replacements for the consumable products you routinely use.
Marcal Small Steps™ products are “green”, yet competitively priced paper products, like toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissue, and napkins.
Can you save green while being green? Marcal thinks so!
If each American household were to buy just one package of Small Steps™ bath tissue, together
we would save one million trees.
The Small Steps™ bath tissue is gentle, strong, and safe for septic systems, plus 100% recycled, manufactured without chlorine bleach, hypoallergenic and is virtually lint free!
In fact, all of the products in the Small Steps™ line are made 100% from recycled paper, chlorine bleach-free, hypoallergenic and lint free.
Marcal® has been using recylced paper since the 1950′s- this company is “green” and “true blue” at the same time. Eco-friendly products are not just a trend at Marcal.
I found a big ol’ case of Small Steps recycled toilet paper on Amazon.com (Toilet Tissue, Embossed, Recycled, White, 300 Sheets/Roll, 48 Rolls/Carton MRA6079), and you can enter your zipcode on the Small Steps website to find a retailer near you!
I was thrilled to receive some Small Steps products to try out, and Marcal also wants to give away a Marcal Small Steps Starter Kit to one Mom Most Traveled reader!
The Starter Kit includes 100% recycled paper towels, napkins, toilet paper and facial tissue!
1). To enter for your chance to win visit Marcal Small Steps and leave a comment here telling me which product you’d like to try and why you’d like to win.
2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.
Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.
Want to subscribe? Just click here: Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)
3) You can tweet about this giveaway once each day for extra entry. Be sure to include a link to this post, @MarcalSmallStep and @MomMostTraveled
or just copy and paste this for your tweet:
Green Starter Kit @MarcalSmallStep giveaway @MomMostTraveled http://bit.ly/uopF9
Leave a comment here for each tweet. Be sure to include your twitter ID.
4.) One extra entry for every social bookmarking site you submit this post to (examples: Digg, StumbleUpon, posting on Facebook). Leave a comment for each with your user name.
5.) Blog about this giveaway, including a link to this post.
This giveaway is open to US residents only. This contest will close on November 2, 11:59pm CST
***
I don’t fancy myself a conspiracy theorist, but there are harmful chemicals all over the place!
I recently watched a disturbing documentary on line, The Disappearing Male, that gave me even more motivation to protect my children from endocrine disrupting chemicals found in most plastics.
In my quest to seek out safe products for my family, I’m grateful that Mimi The Sardine makes adorable, low-maintence, earth-friendly, people-friendly backpacks for children!
PVC and vinyl contain harmful chemicals. Most many children’s backpacks are made from these materials.
The fabrics used by Mimi The Sardine are Oeko-Tex 100 certified, organic, and free from toxins!
See? Organic doesn’t have to look like burlap! These are trendy and eco-friendly at the same time.
You can toss this baby in the washing machine or just wipe clean!
We have a coordinating Mimi the Sardine Lunchbug that we use to bring snacks to school, too.
The kids backpacks come in five different fabric prints, so you are sure to find one to fit your child’s personality.
This little cutie measures 10.5″H x 11.5″W x 3″D.
Mimi the Sardine has other lovely and safe products available, too. You can browse them all at http://www.mimithesardine.com!
I very much want to be that mom whose children eat 100% organic, sugar-free, vegan food, wear natural fibers, go to bed with the sun, and never ask to watch TV because they are having too much fun needle felting.
The problem in my equation is my children.
Example: I got Jojo a doll sling about a year ago and he never really figured out what it was.
I AM a baby wearing Mama (why, I wore my 2-year-old on my back just yesterday as we walked to pick up Jojo from school), and I want my boys to grow up thinking that babywearing is normal and natural, because it IS!
So, it was with great excitement that I learned about Sleepy Bear, the very first stuffed toy to help promote babywearing!
It’s about time!
Sleepy Bear wears an Organic Khaki SleepyWrap, which is also available in full size for grown-up people.
Not only is the little teddy sling organic, the entire toy is 100% organic and has stitched-on features, making it devoid of choking hazards.
Besides the cuteness, I think the ability to take the baby bear in and out of Sleepy Bear‘s sling is what makes this toy engaging.
Or if your kids are like mine, they will totally strip Sleepy Bear down to his or her “bear” essentials (not anatomically correct, for which I am grateful), removing the sling and all!
As a mom of two boys, I like that Sleepy Bear is a neutral color and has a neutral name. If it was something exclusive like a pink “mommy bear”, then I wouldn’t feel confident buying it for my boys.
But Sleepy Bear shows children that mommies, daddies, uncles, aunts, grandparents with good backs, and anyone who loves a little one can be a babywearer!
You can buy your SleepyWrap Sleepy Bear at these select retailers (I see a Canadian location!):
| Tadpoles & Butterflies Sherwood Park, Alberta CANADA www.tadpoles.ca |
Heavenly Hold 510 Briarfield Crossing Marietta, GA www.heavenlyhold.com |
| Supermommy’s Superstore 2411 Ring Road, Suite 105 Elizabethtown, KY www.SupermommysSuperstore.com |
Baby Carriers-n-More 265 W Cimmarron Way Erda, UT www.babycarriersnmore.com |
| Sweet Infant 1007 S. Country Club Rd. Lovington, NM www.sweetinfant.com |
Attached to Baby Seattle, WA www.attachedtobaby.com |
| Nurtured Family 8525 Jackrabbit Rd., Suite B Houston, TX www.nurturedfamily.com |
Thank you, Parent Reviewers , for this fun review and giveaway opportunity!
Enter to win a Sleepy Bear (arv $29.95)!
1.) To enter to win, visit the SleepyWrap website and comment here with something you learned or another product you love!
Please don’t just comment with “Enter me” or “Sounds great”. That totally annoys me. Those entries are not eligible to win. I usually delete them.
One winner will be chosen by random number generator.
This giveaway is open to those with a US or Canadian mailing address.
2) Daily entry available! Simply Vote for my mom, Cathy, in the Single Sensational Act contest. Comment here the message you got after voting. You can do this once per day until August 30!
3.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.
Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.
Want to subscribe? Just click here: Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)
4.) One extra entry for every social bookmarking site you submit this post to (examples: Digg, StumbleUpon, posting on Facebook). Leave a comment for each with your user name.
5.) Twitter about this giveaway (include a link to this page, @SleepyWrap and @MomMostTraveled ) and comment here with your Twitter name.
6.) Blog about this giveaway, including a link to this post.
You have lots of chances for extra entries!
This contest will close on September 5, 11:59pm CST
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