Yummy Antioxidants

It is important to ust to eat healthy.  When I got the chance to play around in the kitchen with some pomegranate juice from POM Wonderful, I was excited to turn out some great dinner recipe that was super healthy.

Well, I'm ashamed to say that my sweet tooth won out :)

A good friend of mine runs Rumble in the Kitchen, a great cooking blog.  She has a recipe over there for the Ultimate Fast Chocolate Fix.  I have made it before and it is great.  It's kind of like a fast, hot brownie.  I love the flavor of POM Wonderful's 100% Pomegranate Juice and the thought of it paired with chocolate was just too much to resist trying :)

I whipped up the recipe changing it only slightly to include the POM juice.  Here's the recipe that I used:

POM Cake

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon organic flour

3 tablespoons organic sugar

4 tablespoons organic cocoa powder

pinch of sea salt

1 farm fresh egg

2 tablespoons of oil (try organic vegetable oil, coconut oil, etc.)

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1 tablespoon organic milk

3 tablespoons POM 100% Pomegranate Juice

Sauce:

2 tablespoons of your favorite organic chocolate syrup

1 tablespoon of POM  100% Pomegranate Juice

Directions:
Sauce: In a small cup, mix this up, microwave for 20-30 seconds, mix again and then chill.

Grab a small bowl, thoroughly mix up all of the cake ingredients and then microwave for 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 minutes.  You might need to play with this.  Our old machine took 3 minutes, our new one takes 3 1/2.  Let it sit for a minute, top with your cooled sauce and enjoy!

When I popped this out of the microwave my son came out of his room and I heard him say "Mmmm, something smells GOOD!" I got out three little plates and cut a slice for me, my son and my oldest daughter.  I saved a little for later too.  The kids enjoyed it (my daughter's face, arms and legs especially enjoyed it). I loved the flavor of this.  It was like eating a giant chocolate covered cranberry.  As soon as I get more cocoa powder, I'll be enjoying this again :)

If you would like to know more great things to do with POM pomegranates and juice, check out their great site.  There are tons of gorgeous recipes and great ideas.

FCC Disclaimer: I was provided a sample to review. No other compensation was given. All reviews are my own and honest opinions. More information & Giveaway guidelines.

My facial cleaning secret!

I've been meaning to share this with you and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

I seem to have a bit of a problem with dry patches on my face if I don't exfoliate well.  I also don't care for most facial cleaners.  They seem to all be full of chemicals and I don't want to spend a ton on specialty products.

My newest love is felted goat's milk soap, mine happens to be Green Tea.  I was given a bar as a gift and found that it is amazing for my face.  I lather up the bar and use the lather (not the bar) to give my face a good wash.  Then with the soap still on my face, I *gently* rub the felted bar in circular motions around my face and neck, paying special attention to any areas that may need it.

The felted wool is great tool to gently exfoliate my skin and the goat's milk soap leaves my skin squeaky clean and super soft.  When I'm all done, I massage in a little bit of facial lotion and I'm done.

As I was typing this up, I wanted to be sure it was safe to recommend using goat's milk soap on your face and found that many sources say that it is great for acne.  I had no idea, but I won't complain!

Do you have any tips like this?  I'd love to hear them.

We've been hit!

Colds are rare here, but we've managed to pick one up.  It started with our son and then knocked out me and our daughters last night.  My husband is the only one left standing.  Let's hope that he makes it through this without it :)

I have been drinking tea with honey & eating bits of honey to sooth my scratchy throat.  Chicken noodle soup was a little help as well.  I have given my older two honey, but can't for my youngest (she's 6 1/2 months).

I am not a pro at dealing with colds so I thought I would put my questions to you.  I would love any home remedies that you use, have tried, know of, etc. for both adults and children.

Thank you for sharing with me.  My family thanks you too.

Cloth Diaper Safe Rash Creams

Using cloth diapers generally cuts down on diaper rashes, but they do still happen.  When my daughter started teething around a year old, she had an awful reaction and thankfully I found a fix, but not before needing to lather her bottom up to protect it.

There are a couple of ways to go:  Pick a cloth diaper safe rash cream, or use a liner.

I'm going to start with the liner because I really feel like it's the easiest answer.  I can't purchase any diaper safe creams locally, so I image that many others will have the same issue.

The idea here is to buy some fleece and cut it to fit the general size of your diaper.  I think I made mine approximately 5"x10".  The great thing about fleece is that you don't need to sew it, at all.  Just cut them up and you're done.

If you don't want to use fleece, you could use flannel, but you will need to sew the edges to keep them from fraying and falling apart when washed.Once you have your liners, you can use any diaper cream that you wish, just be sure to put the liner on to keep it from getting on the diaper.

If you really don't want to buy some fleece for dirt cheap and make these yourself, you can always pay a whole lot more and buy them!

Next up are cloth diaper safe creams.
I want to note that these creams are considered cloth diaper safe and shouldn't need a liner.  However!  I worry about things too much and would always use a liner.  I have read many comments that they are perfectly safe from people who have used them lots.  Do what you are comfortable with.  If I get a chance to use any of these, I will certainly update with my personal findings. For now please read a little about them from their company descriptions.

Earth Mama Angel Baby's Angel Baby Bottom Balm is allergy tested, non-irritating, vegan (no beeswax!) and the only balm made with organic olive oil infused with a proprietary blend of naturally antibacterial and antifungal organic herbs, shea butter and pure essential oils. No wonder it's often referred to as Mama's miracle balm. Angel Baby Bottom Balm is an Editor’s Pick in the diaper cream category of Natural Solutions’ 2009 Beauty With a Conscience Awards!

I have been using this on my daughter, as she is now teething and it's causing her bottom some problems.  It works great, no liners needed, no problems!

California Baby® Diaper Rash Cream's  all-natural, food-grade diaper rash cream includes ingredients such as ultra-purified lanolin, vitamin-grade zinc (12%) and vitamin E, in addition to organic tea tree and aloe vera.

California Baby® Diaper Rash Cream also contains their proprietary Calming™ aromatherapy blend which includes French lavender, known for its soothing, antibacterial, and healing properties.

Norther Essences's Better Butt(er) Cream says that it is a diaper cream that you can use when your baby has a yeast infection, that will NOT irritate it!  Safe to use on cloth diapers.  Contains no Essential Oils, only conditioning oils and butters including:  Hemp Butter, Shea Butter, Meadowfoam Seed Oil and many more.  It also contains GSE (grapefuit seed extract) in it, we triple whip it to give it a fluffy appearance and super smooth texture.   Fragrance free.

Motherlove Diaper Rash & Thrush is an excellent all-natural salve for diaper rash, including persistent, inflamed diaper rash possibly caused by yeast. It is also effective on yeast infected nursing nipples.

Bum Bum Balm by Dimpleskins Naturals is said to be a must in every diaper bag and an excellent choice for cloth diapers. Pure, unbleached, Canadian beeswax provides a nice barrier on the skin, helping to keep moisture away, while organic Calendula oil provides natural healing properties for rashes.  *I have read that this is good for very mild rashes.

Nature's Baby Organics Diaper Cream is enriched with organic calendula extract, organic tamanu oil, and organic chickweed extract.   Pamper your baby with the incredible ingredients of Nature's Baby Diaper Ointment. Their soothing ointment promotes healthy, smooth skin, keeping your cherished little one in cooing comfort. You'll love the way it makes baby feel, naturally.  100% Vegetarian, Free of Glutens & Parabens.



Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy & Prevention ointment soothes baby's most sensitive skin while keeping it protected.

It reduces the redness, pain, itching & irritation caused by diaper rash. This ointment creates a breathable, softening, protective barrier which prevents wetness from coming in contact with the skin, therefore keeping your baby comfortable. An application of Grandma El's will heal & protect, helping your precious little one to be more comfortable while sleeping, playing & exploring.

*I have tried this cream.  It came as a sample during the period I mentioned in the liners section.  I did like it and noticed no issues with my diapers as a result.

CJ's BUTTer has been called a”A Miracle in a Tube” by some.  Not only is it recommended for use with rashes and cloth diapers, it touts a whole list of ailments for which it is useful - including: eczema, rashes, dry, chapped skin, rug burns (sore ‘crawler’ knees), mechanics’ hands, cuticles, hang nails and even leave-in conditioner for your curls.  For more information (and uses) check out their site.

Make a Small Step: Use Recycled Products

Over on our Green Living Community we have been having our Great Green Giveaway*a*Day Event on the message boards.  Today a very special company is being featured and I wanted to take a moment to discuss them more in depth as I have reviewed their products for you.

I recently purchased a pack of Marcal Small Steps 2-ply toilet tissue and fell in love.  I have been use to traditional toilet tissues and not only do I find this very comparable in feel, but I find it is better when it comes to lint.  I was excited to know more about their products so that I could share with you, so I contacted them!

Marcal Small Steps is a wonderful company that has been saving trees since 1950.  They offer paper towels, napkins, toilet tissue, & facial tissue for the home and beyond.  Their paper products are hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, and whitened without chlorine bleaching.

Check out this great flash flip book explaining how their products are made.

When my package arrived from Marcal, I was giddy!  I waited for my husband to get home and then set about changing all of my paper products over to Small Steps to begin testing right away.

To be honest, I was a little unsure of the toilet tissue that I received as it was 1-ply and not the 2-ply that I had purchased at the store.  I love that it's recycled and now that I've been using it for a couple of weeks, I am use to it.  However, I still like the 2-ply more.  I feel like I use just as much, if not more of the 1-ply to try to equal the 2-ply's effectiveness.  It's still great though and if the 2-ply weren't available, I would buy the 1-ply.

The paper towels are great too.  I love the hearts on them and the size of the sheets.  They are smaller than a standard sheet, yet larger than most sizable sheets.  I find that with their sizing I am able to use less paper towels over all, and I love that.

I love their facial tissues and napkins too.  Both are plenty soft and do the job.  I even find that the tissues are still gentle enough when damp to remove my eye makeup.

I encourage you to choose recycled too!

Check out Marcal's great products and join them Facebook & Twitter.  When you're done with that, head on over to our event for a chance to enter to win a start kit from Marcal Small Steps!

One lucky winner will win a box full of their products to outfit their entire house!  Just click the banner below to go forums to enter.

FCC Disclaimer: I was provided a sample to review. No other compensation was given. All reviews are my own and honest opinions. More information & Giveaway guidelines.

Bottled Water

I love browsing eco-friendly massage boards.  That's where I find gems like this :)

I love it and hope you do too.  Enjoy!

After viewing that, I saw this from the same place.  I really enjoyed these and find them great food for thought.

If you would like to see/know more, check out their site!

Chemicals in the Media

I don't watch a whole lot of television and in general I don't care too much about what's on.  However, I received an email about a segment that will be on the Dr. Oz show tomorrow and thought that I would pass it along.  In my view, anything that sheds public light on these subjects is helpful.

Tomorrow,Tuesday March 23, The Dr. Oz Show is doing a special called “Flushed!  How What You’re Flushing is Making America Sick.”  The show looks at how what we flush may be making both animals and humans sick.  On the show to provide expert insight into the issue are Dr. Gary Ginsberg, a Senior Toxicologist from Connecticut and Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician.

According to them, the hormones in the products we flush come back to us in our water can lead to health problems like breast cancer, earlier puberty for girls, small penis size, lower sperm count, and lower testosterone levels.  

Dr. Gary Ginsberg will discusses BPA, which is a chemical found in carbonless receipts and in plastic that leeches into our food and water, and according to him 93% of us have BPA in our bodies.  Dr. Ginsberg and Dr. Greene will also talk about steps we can take to fix the problem such as taking our unused medications to pharmacy bring back days.

On the final part of the segment, Dr. Oz talks about chemicals in everyday products that should be avoided.  You can find our list of chemicals to avoid here.

If you would like to catch the show, check local listings for times here.

Mind if I gush about one of my favorite products???

When I had my first child I found out that breastfeeding left me full and leaky.  How fun, right?  Well, not so much.  I had to run down to the store and pick up a box of awful and bulky breastpads.  They did the job, but they weren't exactly eco-friendly or budget friendly.

With my second child, I found a slightly better model that was a whole lot thinner, but they still showed through and still weren't eco-friendly or budget friendly.

I wish I had known then about cloth breast pads (and a lot more!).

There are lots of cloth breast pads out there (I have tried a few) but none compare to my Milk Maids from Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo!

Milk Maids nursing pads are super thin, discrete and made from hemp, cotton, bamboo and waterproof PUL (polyurethane laminate).  She has a new luxury model out made from ultra silky bamboo velour.  These babies are SO soft!

These breast pads are seriously fantastic.  They are so thin that they aren't even visible under most of my shirts, which is so important to me.  I do not want to look like I'm wearing saucers under my shirt.  They are also very absorbent.  I have yet to soak through one of these puppies.  I have soaked them, but not soaked through them!  They have a PUL layer on the back that keeps them from leaking through.

Milk Maids are approximately 5" in diameter.  They fit anyone and the larger design (coupled with the super thinness!) is what makes them so invisible under your clothes.

I would like to mention that not only are these things amazing, they are *highly* sought after.  She stocks her store on the 5th and 20th of the month and I have seen her sell out in seconds!  I kid you not, and yes, they are worth it!

If you would like to nab a pair for yourself head on over to her shop tomorrow.  She will be stocking her store at 12:00 noon EST.  Be there on time or you'll likely lose out, until next time at least :)  It's well worth getting there a few minutes early to stalk the shop!

While you are there you might want to pick up some of her fabulous hemp diaper inserts.  She will be offering them in sets for the first time ever!  These amazing inserts come fully prepped and ready to use. If you have ever prepped natural fiber diapers, you know how much work that saves!

Alright, enough of my gushing :)

Head on over to Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo and pick up your very own Milk Maids (and inserts!)  Remember, stocking time is noon tomorrow!  If you miss it, don't worry.  She stocks on the 5th & 20th each and every month!

Spring is almost here!

We are having some beautiful weather here and we are out working in the garden.  We're going to be a little busy, so I thought I should explain my absence :)

With that said, What are you doing to get ready for spring?  Are you trying anything new this year?

If you garden, what sorts of things do you like to plant?  We'll be planting our veggies soon and I can't decide what I want to do yet!

I'd love to hear more about what all of you do or are looking forward to doing.  Hope your skies are blue too!

Good-bye Plastics, Hello Kid Basix

I have been on an effort to make my home plastic free for some time now.  I like how it feels, I love knowing that the products I feed my family from are safe, and I like the statement that it makes.

I often see people asking about recommendations for safe drinking cups, and more specifically, bottles and sippy cups.  If you walk into most stores, you will see what seems like an endless wall of options.  They are not all equal.  If you could see those cups in a different light you might see your son's favorite character covered in a haze of BPA, or your daughter's pretty butterflies becoming sick from phthalates. This isn't to say that all plastics are unsafe.  Companies have been making efforts to use safe, non-leaching plastics and that's great!  Just be sure to read your labels and know what you are buying.  We will talk more about this later :)

My favorite option for all things drink related are the Kid Basix products.  I started researching safe sippy cup options and landed on their website.  I not only found a great sippy cup, I also found a great cup for kids, adults and even a bottle!

I loved the look of these items and wanted to know more. They looked perfect.  They are all made of durable, light weight food grade steel and any parts that are plastic are certified not to have BPA or phthalates.  I was excited!  I thought that they could be just what I was looking for to share with you.  I was given the chance to review them all and I am pleased to say that I love them!

The first one I was excited to try was the Safe Sippy 2.  My daughter loves straws and I have found it very difficult to find cups with straws, let alone cups that are safe with straws.  I love this sippy and so does my daughter.

This cup comes in an 11 oz size and is available in 3 great colors.  As you can see on the left, in addition to a sippy cup adaptor (not pictured), it comes with a straw/adaptor & travel plug.  We like to get out in the summer and we can't wait to go hiking with the kids.  The travel plug will be great for our spare cup in the diaper bag.  No worrying about leaks!

One of the other great things about these products is how easy they are to clean.  I had previously bought other cups for the kids and soon realized that though they had wide mouths, the shapes of the bottles made them harder to clean.  I don't have any issues with cleaning these.  Also, they are dishwasher safe.  So if I have room after my family has destroyed my dishes, they can get popped in there.

The Thermoplastic Rubber sleeves on these products also come of for easy cleaning.  That is so important!  Nothing for germs to hide behind :)

For my son, we didn't need a sippy, but a good cup with a lid.  He's 5, and while he can drink from a cup, he is often in too much of a hurry to do it without making a mess.  That's where the Safe Sporter comes in :)

The Safe Sporter is a favorite around here.  It comes in both a 12 oz & 16 oz size.  The 12 oz is perfect for our 5 year old son.  It's not too heavy to carry when full and it's easy for him to use.  The 16 oz size is great for my husband and me.  I can't wait to take these hiking as well :)  Just like the sippy, the sleeves on these are removable for cleaning.  They also feature a 'coaster' on the bottom.  Not only will it protect the surfaces you set it on, it will prevent you or your lovely children (or so I remind myself when mine are being ornery) from denting the bottom of your cup!

Something I'd like to note is the great shape of these, and the sippy too for that matter.  They all have a waist of sorts and it makes them very easy and comfortable to hold, especially for little hands.  Oh and check it out!  They FIT into car cupholders!!  I can't count the number of bottles we have bought thinking "Yea, that looks like it'll fit," only to be wrong.

Last, but certainly not least is the Kid Basix solution for the smallest member of your family, the Safe Starter.

This bottle has all of the great features of the Safe Sippy & Safe Sporter and comes in both 5 oz and 9 oz sizes.  It features a stainless steel container, silicone sleeve, a storage disc (no leaks in your bag!), a fully vented nipple made of pure, non-toxic silicone and a travel cap that doubles as a measuring cup when you are on the go.

As you may know, babies can be picky about bottles and nipples.  These bottles will also work with the popular Dr. Brown's wide neck nipples.

If you have any other questions about these items please feel free to contact me or check out the Kid Basix FAQ on their site.

I wanted to mention that Kid Basix has generously offered a 25% discount exclusively for our readers.

 

Use Code: EFF2010 

It is valid from March 17th through April 16th.  It cannot be used with any other codes.

FCC Disclaimer: I was provided samples to review. No other compensation was given. All reviews are my own and honest opinions. More information & Giveaway guidelines

Oh how I love imaginative play :)

Our children are deprived by some standards.  We have a TV and we have cable, but I block the cartoon channels.  Yes, you read that right.  I have a parental block on our cartoon channels.

Why you ask?  Well, our 5 year old is very bright.  Years ago he decided that he could turn the TV on himself and turn it to cartoons.  He would get up in the mornings and just come out to the living room.  We would wake up to find him held up in front of the TV and would then throw an awful fit when we turned it off. That was enough!  They were blocked and have been ever since.

That's not to say that our children never watch cartoons.  They do, but not daily and not for long periods of time.  Our oldest is really the only one who pays attention to them.  Our 2 year old could care less, though sometimes it would be nice.  I know that's awful, but when you have three kids and would like a shower it would be nice :)

So to the point of all of this - Imaginative Play!  I feel that there is nothing more innocent, educational and just down right fun, than creative play, pretend, make believe, whatever you want to call it.  One of our most favorite activities here is playing with fake food.

The kids like to play what they call "Chef."  They will make up crazy meals and then bring them to me to test.  I am suppose to be their boss and critique their work.  Of course I say that it's amazing, and that's because it is :)

I love having play food for the kids, but when you go to the store you typically see baskets full of plastics.  I don't want to buy plastics and I certainly don't want my children putting them into their mouths while pretending to eat.  That's why I was so happy to work with Baily's Little Bites!

Baily's Little Bites is a wonderful new shop on Etsy.  She makes the most beautifully detailed and thoughtful felt food.  This amazing stay-at-home mom makes it all: pizza, pancakes, strawberries, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, bananas, carrots, turkey sandwiches, and more!  I was given the chance to review her adorable lunch set. When I opened up her package I was blown away.  The detail in her works is amazing.  Check out that tomato!  She really gets creative with her work and the stitching.  I love how truly realistic everything is.  The bread is fantastic, the banana has a removable peel.  I can't say enough about the thought that she puts into all of this.

My children love being able to put the food together, and of course, take it apart :)  Unlike other play foods, these sandwiches stay together, no velcro either!

I must say that thought the tomato is my favorite, I think my daughter is like her daddy.  She kept taking the tomato off of her sandwich.  It seem I have my work cut out for me.

I would like to mention that Baily's Little Bites is running a grand opening special!  Her first 10 customers will get an adorable hair clip or cookie of choice!

Baily's Little Bites has sweetly offered up a lunch set for one of you to win!  Your little one will love this.  Be sure to check out her shop for all sorts of great items to compliment this set.  The winner will receive 1 turkey sandwich, 1 banana & 1 carrot.

----Update! We have a winner!----
The giveaway portion is over :) Thank you to everyone that participated!

Congratulations to Lizzers! Enjoy!

Here's how to win!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry in order to have it counted.

This entry is mandatory! If you do not do this, your other entries will not count!
Visit Baily's Little Bites and tell me what item is your favorite, other than the lunch set. Be sure to include your email address so that I can contact you if you win.

Want more entries?

*Follow EFFBlog & Baily's Little Bites on Twitter and tweet this giveaway! Please tweet, "Win an adorable 'lunch' from @EFFblog & @baileysbites http://bit.ly/1jtGb1 #ecofriendly #toys #giveaway" Leave a comment with a link to your status. Tweet daily for more entries!

*Follow our blog and post letting me know that you are :)

*Follow the Baily's Little Bites blog, let me know!

*Become a member of our new Green Living Community, leave a comment letting me know.

*Join our new email newsletter (right sidebar) for notices on special events coming up for the blog.

*Put the EFF Blog Button on your blog sidebar or web page. Leave a link!

*Post about this giveaway on your blog or other social media. Leave a comment with a link.

and as always, Good Luck and Enjoy!

US & Canada Only. Giveaway ends March 22nd.  I'll use random.org to pick a winner. I will email the winner. If I do not hear back within 48 hours a new winner will be picked.

FCC Disclaimer: I was provided a sample to review. No other compensation was given. All reviews are my own and honest opinions. More information & Giveaway guidelines.

It's all about the money!

When given the opportunity to guest blog over here at The Eco Friendly Family I immediately responded with a "Yes, I'd love to!" Now what to share with you green minded folks. I'm sure some of you are way greener than us over at Waking Up Williams, but there was a topic that immediately popped into my mind, as I've been meaning to write about it for some time now.

We cloth diaper and the #1 question we get all the time is....How did you get your husband on board with cloth diapering? I'm serious when I say it's the most asked question, usually after...eeewwww, do you wash the diapers yourself? So here's my story about my husband to agree to folding, pinning and laundering cloth diapers. Not only had my husband never seen a cloth diaper, he had never changed a dirty diaper in his life. I was in for a challenge...so I thought.

I'm not sure when I decided to cloth diaper, I think there was some talk with a colleague about her desire to cloth diaper and I always had that conversation tucked in the back of my mind. Fast forward about 6 months and I find out we're expecting our first and I replay that cloth diaper conversation I had oh so many months back. It sounded easy enough, but where to start, where to buy and how to convince the hubs that it was a great idea. I had to convince myself first, and with a few clicks on the internet I was sold. I was a bit overwhelmed with the choices of diapers, covers, detergents, and online stores...but I wanted it badly enough and began researching and asking questions. There was no turning back, we would have a cloth diapered baby.

I compiled all of my information and started practicing the speech I would recite to my husband. He's technical, I knew he'd want the dirty details about cloth diapering. I was prepared for the "NO WAY" response. But to my surprise he entertained my idea. It started a little something like this.

Me: JPW I'd like to cloth diaper our baby. I've been doing a lot of research and it's good for the environment, our baby's butt and it'll save us money.

JPW: Save us money? How will it save us money?

I didn't need to go any further I had him hooked. It was that easy. I outlined how it would save us money and continued on with my plethora of information on cloth diapers. I won't bore you with the rest of the research I found, because most likely if you read this blog then you already know all the benefits to cloth diapering...but here's the best part...

He got so into cloth diapering that he made a video (with me) on the different cloth diaper folds; compliments of this blog! JPW became a cloth diapering fanatic and couldn't wait for BabyW to arrive so we could use all of the cloth diapers. she was a tiny little thing and I hadn't planned on having a preemie diaper stash on hand so it was a few weeks in before she was exclusively cloth diapered and every day he'd ask, "will the diapers fit her now?" and about 3 weeks in she was wearing her first prefold, folded and secured by JPW.

Nearly 6 months in we have quite the collection and JPW gets more excited than I do with the new covers and new diapers that arrive. Our newest purchase is a diaper sprayer, since Ryann will start solids next week, we're preparing for her new poops and he's stoked to hook it up and try it out. He loves learning about the new styles and has quite an aversion to disposables now. We traveled and opted to go with "green" disposables and he hated every diaper change and blow out. We're spoiled with zero blow outs and one wipe changes, because with my homemade cloth wipes we rarely need more than one.

JPW is working on putting together an excel spreadsheet to prove to everyone how it does indeed save us money. Remember I said he's technical? Well he's so excited to finally prove to everyone that we are indeed saving money, the environment and our baby's butt.

Thank you for the visit and hospitality.

Horizon Organic lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3

We are like most families in that we love chocolate.  Chocolate is especially fun when we can find sweets in a healthier for us form.

Enter Horizon!

I have been meaning to switch to organic milk for some time now, and now I've finally done it!

Horizon offers organic milk that is produced without antibiotics, pesticides or cloning, from cows not given added growth hormones.

When I saw an opportunity to try out Horizon's Organic lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3, I jumped!

Not only is it something that I've been wanting to try, but something I hoped my family would love too.

Meet my two little testers and hear what they have to say about this milk!

The big people in our home tested it too, but we are not nearly as cute or entertaining.  Sorry!

We all really enjoyed this milk.  I grew up on chocolate syrup and have always had a fondness for it's flavor.  I generally find that other brands just don't taste right to me.  That is not the case with this milk!

I love the flavor of Horizon's chocolate milk.  It is creamy and rich, but not too rich.  It's like drinking a malt or melted chocolate ice cream.  It is just very, very yummy!  There was no "please drink your milk sweety" to the kids, that's for sure.  They were asking for it!

Let's talk about healthy!  Horizon Organic lowfat Chocolate Milk has DHA Omega-3, wish is a very important nutrient that help support heart, brain and eye health.  I recently read that most diets, even healthy ones are deficient in Omega-3, so any chance I get to put it into our diet, I take.  I think the kids like this more than the flax seed I've been throwing at them.  Visit http://www.horizonorganicdha.com/ to learn more about the benefits of DHA Omega-3!  You can also go here to learn more about the other nutritional benefits of this milk :)

The only thing I would love more is if it came in whole milk as well.  According to the AAP, young children need calories from fat for growth and brain development,  especially important in the first 2 years of life.  This would be important to me if I bought it often and if my daughter was still under two.  Also, my son especially is so thin, I would be happy if he drank whole milk all day long.

Horizon has been so wonderful to work with and they want to share all of this yumminess with you :)

TWO lucky readers will have the chance to win 2 coupons for a free half gallon of Horizon Organic lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3 *and* 2 coupons for $1 off a half gallon of the same milk.

If you don't win, don't fret!  You can buy it and enjoy it just the same.  It's well worth it.  If you need help finding where to purchase it, try this handy store locator.

----Update! We have a winner!----
The giveaway portion is over :) Thank you to everyone that participated!

Congratulations to Nikki & Layla and studentwannabe! Enjoy!

Here's how to win!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry in order to have it counted.

This entry is mandatory! If you do not do this, your other entries will not count!

Tell me why organic is important to you and why you would love to try this product. Include your email address (I can't tell you you've won without it!) and the words "Live Green" somewhere in your comment.

Want more entries?

*Follow EFFBlog & Horizon on Twitter and tweet this giveaway! Please tweet, "Win yummy Organic Chocolate Milk from @HorizonDairy & @EFFblog http://bit.ly/1jtGb1 #ecofriendly #eco #green" Leave a comment with a link to your status. Tweet daily for more entries!

*Follow our blog and post letting me know that you are :)

*Become a member of our new Green Living Community, leave a comment letting me know.

*Enter one of the great giveaways going on there now!  Leave a comment for each one you enter!

*Join our email newsletter (right sidebar) for notices on special events coming up for the blog.

*Put the EFF Blog Button on your blog sidebar or web page. Leave a link!

*Become a fan of the EFF blog on Facebook, leave a comment.

*Become a fan of Horizon on Facebook, leave a comment.

*Post about this giveaway on your blog or other social media. Leave a comment with a link.

and as always, Good Luck and Enjoy!

US Only. Giveaway ends March 17th. I'll use random.org to pick a winner. I will email the winner. If I do not hear back within 48 hours a new winner will be picked.

FCC Disclaimer: I responded to Horizon to participate in this review.  Product was provided to me for reviw.  No money or other perks were given. All reviews are my own and honest opinions. For more information about this blog please look here. For giveaway guidelines please look here.

Energy Saving Tips

Not only is saving energy in our homes good for the environment, it is also good for our wallets! Here are a list of easy energy saving tips that will save you money in the short and long term.

1. Insulate your home, from your loft to your pipes. It is amazing how quickly heat can escape from a badly insulated home.

2. Switch your light bulbs to energy saving ones. This is something which you can do as and when a light bulb needs changing, that way the cost is spread out.

3. Fix that leaky tap! What is the point of spending energy on heating water if you are just going to let it drip, drip, drip!

4. Next time you use the kettle, only boil the amount you actually need to use.

5. When using your dishwasher or washing machine only put on full loads rather than half loads.

6. When switching off your tv’s or laptops, switch off fully not just onto standby as they are still using energy on standby.

7. When leaving a room, turn off the lights, it only takes a second to do.

8. Got a draughty door, then buy a draught excluder you can either make your own or buy one.

9. Close your curtains at night to help keep the warmth in the rooms. So many people just have them for decoration, but if you have spent the money on them, then use the curtains!

10. Check that your hot water cylinder thermostat is no higher than 60 degrees (140 Fahrenheit), hot water does not needed to be hotter than this.

11. Use a timer for heating and hot water , so that you only need to use them when needed rather than leave them on all day and night.

12. Turn your heating thermostat down, even by knocking 1 degree more off the temperature, you will notice a difference in your amount of energy saved.

Follow these tips and you will have lower bills and you will have helped do your bit to help conserve energy for the future.

This is a guest post by Brenda Cuby from a natural living blog called www.thegreenfamilia.co.uk. Brenda likes to try and encourage people to take small steps to help make the world a better place, by showing them how easy it can be if you know how!

Great Green Giveaway*a*Day Event

Hey!  I just wanted to put out a quick reminder to everyone to head over to our Green Living Community to enter all of the great giveaways!

There are more to come too.  All month long we will be offering up great eco-friendly items for you to learn about and try out.

Why the deer love us - and yours can too!

First off, thanks to Amanda for letting me guest blog on her awesome site. I have never seen so much great eco-info all in once place. I try to be as green as I can, taking into consideration cost and practicality. But happily, there more ways to save than to spend while being eco conscious. I’m here to tell you about one of them my husband and I do.

Composting. Sounds messy and gross, but actually it can be a lot of fun. And it’s a real conversation starter - “Oh, please don’t throw your food away. Put it in this bowl on our counter. We save it and throw it outside in our bin.” You should see the looks we get. But most of our friends become really interested once we start telling them what we plan on doing with all our “trash” outside. I’ve had people actually save things like egg shells (which are wonderful for compost) from their kitchens to give to me when I visit. It can be a little awkward accepting food scraps at first from friends - you want to assure others you are not homeless or in desperate need of a meal - but it’s become wonderful to get and know they feel like in a small way they are helping the environment too.

My husband and I first started composting after seeing a really cute bin in a Williams Sonoma catalog. Too bad the thing was like $200 to throw food and leaves into. We passed and ended up finding one in Home Depot for around $50. It was a cinch to put together, like a little house with 4 plastic sides and a pop up lid. Since it was summer, we started to fill it with our grass clippings and old food.

However, we live in a really windy place, so one night we heard a huge bump against our house and both looked at each other in horror. Racing outside, we found… nothing. The bin had blown away. All the way down to our neighbors home where it smashed up against the side of her house. Grass clippings everywhere. We picked it up, silently praying she wouldn’t come out and ask what on earth we were doing. The next day, we stuck iron stakes all around it. It’s never moved since.

We plan on using the compost for our garden this summer. We live in a rocky soil area, so having soil rich in nutrients will help tremendously with plant growth. In other words - everything we put in the ground dies. Or is eaten by deer.

Speaking of which, the deer often stop by our home to look into the compost bin. I will forget to shut the lid and they can smell it. So I’ll see them prance across our lawn and the next thing you know there’s a small herd all gathered round eating out of it. Because it’s illegal to feed the deer, we really should keep it closed. (Sometimes I feel bad when they look skinny so I “accidentally” keep it open. I love deer.)

Composting creates it’s own natural heat to break down the food and organic material you throw in. We try to avoid tossing in things with pesticides or any type of chemicals, because it affects how the soil feeds the plants later on. Also, don’t put in things like meat, fish, plastic, metal - because, um, well metal and plastic don’t break down, and meat and fish make it stink. And rot. So unless you’re a fan of maggots, meat stays in the trash.

There are surprising things you can put in, like dryer and vacuum cleaner lint. Hair - both human and pet. (We put cat hair from when we clean up the couches, but I pass on human hair. Weirds me out.) Coffee and tea grounds, and wax paper. There is a bowl on our counter where we throw in the food scraps during cooking, and keep them until it’s full. Sometimes one of us will forget to empty it and when I wake up in the morning it causes me to search throughout the house looking for the animal that died. That only happens after a few days of putting things in though. It was amazing to me the amount of food scraps we just tossed. Even though it still bothers me when we find something in the fridge that went bad a month ago, at least it can be used to help us have more soil.

Being eco friendli-er doesn’t have to be hard, or costly. It can pay off later on when things you would have tossed out anyway save you money on buying expensive dirt. It’s little changes that can make a big difference in your life and the world around you, and you just might end up having the most popular house on the block - according to the deer anyway.

----

Hey, Amanda here!

I just wanted to give a great big thank you to Diana for this great and entertaining post :)

Please head on over to her blog for more great posts on a range of topics, product reviews (giveaways too!) and more!

Mmmm... Fizzy!

Admittedly I'm not a huge soda drinker.  I do enjoy soda, but the idea of filling my body with loads of high fructose corn syrup and caffeine is just not even remotely appealing to me.  Not to mention the bottles and cans associated with consuming such beverages.

That's when I heard about Sodastream. Sodastream allows you to make your own soda using just tap water.  You can add flavorings too.

Sodastream offers a large selection of flavors, and NONE contain HFCS!  All of their regular flavors are sweetened with sugar and Splenda® and their diet flavors are sweetened with Splenda® (and some also have Acesulfame Potassium).

*I want to note that Splenda® is not something that I personally support or use knowingly.  I found a great video explaining a little about Splenda®.  Also be aware that some people have a bad reaction to Splenda® (sucralose).

Here are just a few of Sodastream's great flavors:
Regular: Cola, Cherry Cola, Cream Soda, Fountain Mist, Ginger Ale, Lemon Lime, Orange, Root Beer, Tonic, Grape, Lemonade, etc.
Diet:  Caffeine-Free Cola, Zero Cola, Cream Soda, Fountain Mist, Pete's Choice (compare to Dr. Pepper®), Lemon Iced Tea, etc
To see them all, check out these links: Regular, Diet.  Be sure to check out the Variety Pack when you buy yours!  It's a great way to check out the flavors before buying the full sizes.

In addition to all of the great flavors, they also offer unsweetened MyWater flavorings to do simple flavored waters in Lemon-Lime, Orange & Berry.  They even have an energy drink.  You can check out the nutritional information for all of their flavorings here.

Check out this cute video showing just how the Sodastream systems work.  This may differ a little from the other models, but the idea is the same :)

The Sodastream systems use BPA-Free *reusable* plastic bottles.  They even offer a system that uses glass.  This is the model that I tested out and I have to say that I just love it.  Not only do I find it incredibly convenient, I love that I have the option of keeping my kitchen plastic free, even if it is BPA free.

I find the machine so easy to use.  It takes a few tries to get the carbonation and flavoring just right, but when you do, it's a breeze.  It's all to taste too. If you like less carbonation, do less, more-do more!  It's really simple.

I like to leave my bottles filled with water in the fridge and ready for whenever I feel like a soda.

I would also like to mention that the flavoring is totally up to you!  I only use half of what they recommend and it is plenty to flavor it to my liking.  I can actually get two bottles out of each sample pack instead of one and find that it offers plenty of flavor.

I also tried using juice concentrate to flavor my soda.  It's great, easy, super affordable and I can give it to my kids!

Speaking of kids!  My children have never had soda before this.  Too much bad stuff in there.  With the Sodastream I can let them have fizzy juices and waters (my son enjoys the MyWater flavorings).  They love it and I am happy to be able to do something special for them.  My son always comments on how it tickles his nose as he giggles.

I think that this is a really great item to have in your kitchen.  It's a fun way to change things up and great for parties!  Think birthdays, holidays and other family get-togethers. There are no bottles or cans to recycle (or have people throw away while you cringe and plan to save it later).  That is so much better for the environment.  The only thing that would make me love this more is simply having fully natural flavorings for the sodas (the MyWater is all natural!) and no caffeine options would be perfect too.  I recently dumped caffeine and it's hard to find a no-caffeine/non HFCS option.

Be sure to stop by the Sodastream online store and pick up a model for yourself!  They offer four different models for all price points as well as some great starter packages.

I really love the orange and root beer flavors.  What flavors do you think you might like?  Do you have a Sodastream?  I'd love to hear how you use yours.

I also wanted to mention that Sodastream has a gift for all of you too!

Now through JUNE 30th you will get $10 off of any new soda maker by using our code at checkout!

EFFBLOG

FCC Disclaimer: I was provided the product to review. No other compensation was given. All reviews are my own and honest opinions. More information & Giveaway guidelines.

Be Inspired

I just saw this video from Healthy Child Healthy World and needed to share it with you.

As a mother of 3 the dangers that face our children are front and center every day.  I once knew none of it.  The moment I saw one, I saw them all.  It was as if a veil had been lifted and my eyes were finally able to focus and see.

We can't sit by and allow companies to make products as cheap as possible no matter the cost.  It's simply unacceptable.  Our children should not pay that debt.

Please take a moment to watch this video.  Be inspired!

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.