Our son's first year of kindergarten is drawing to a close and he's excited but will soon be missing all of his new friends. To keep in touch I made up a little card design to print out and have him give to his classmates. I thought I'd share it with you. You can download the image here. Print these on card stock (these print 10 to a page), or paper if you prefer, and simply write in your child's name and phone number (the printable page has blank lines to write on). This isn't eco-related, but I hope some of you get some use out of this as well!
My mom is a big fan of Jackson Browne, she actually got to see him in concert earlier this month and was so excited! My mom is not what I would consider eco-friendly in any way really, but when one of her favorite stars started talking about bottled water she started listening. When she was telling me about this video a couple of weeks ago, I could hear the interest in her voice. It made an impact, and for that - I thank you Jackson Browne.
My mom sent me a link to his video this morning and I would like to share it with you. I admit I'm not terribly familiar with Mr. Browne, aside from my mother, but I enjoyed what he had to say. Check it out:
Jackson Browne talks about the Albatross birds who are consuming plastics and feeding them to their young. Below you can see the carcass of two unfortunate Albatross. Their bodies full of plastic waste that they cannot digest. Eventually their bodies become so full of plastic that there is not enough room left for real foods and they die from starvation. It's a direct result of people - people who choose not to care or to look the other way. These are not isolated events. A quick Google search for "albatross plastic" will yield pages of results.
I really liked his idea about leaving a note declining the water. His tag idea is a bit lengthy, but I think something similar, to-the-point and polite would be a fantastic idea to implement. Browne uses the example of these Albatross as a great metaphor for our society's hunger for real food, information and an authentic life. Become teachers! Your words won't have an impact on everyone you pass them onto, but they will make a difference to some - and that makes all of the difference.
Lead by example! If you don't have a reusable bottle, pick one up. They are well worth the investment. I recommend choosing a quality stainless steel bottle. I avoid aluminum, since they require protective coating inside of their bottles. Reusable plastic bottles are not my go-to either. They are still plastic after all. Below are a few of my favorites:
Want a little fashion? Earthlust stainless bottle fit the bill. They come in dozens of designs to suit any taste. They also have insulated varieties. I have one of each and really like them.
I want to tell you about a product that I've been using for a while now and that I just love. It's called Tate's Natural Miracle Conditioner and it's fabulous! What makes Tate's so unique is that while it's called a conditioner, it's so much more than that.
Tate's NMC is my #1 go to as a facial lotion, wash, scrub (add sugar!) and makeup remover. It does an amazing job and leaves my skin looking and feeling great. My pores appear smaller (I've noticed this on my husband as well), my skin tone is much more even (no dry patches) and my skin is much less temperamental.. Let me show you!
In the video I mentioned that there are something like a hundred uses for this stuff, and I wasn't kidding! Here are just a few of my other favorites:
Hair - Tate's is a wonderful conditioner and can even be used as a leave in!
Body - It's a great body lotion, there is no residue and it works well, especially with regular use.
Sunburn - Gentle enough to help moisturize after an unfortunate run in with the sun.
Bath - Add a few pumps to your bath water for a moisturizing soak.
Baby!! - This stuff is crazy gentle and perfect for little ones. I use it in my daughters hair and it can even be used on baby's bottom to sooth and help prevent rashes.
Laundry - You can use this in the wash as a truly natural fabric softener.
Household Cleaning - Add a little Tate's to a spray bottle of water and use it for dusting, leather conditioning and ironing.
Want more ideas? Check out the booklet that comes with your bottle of Tate's or this blog post!
In addition to this wonderful, amazing product, Tate's offers many others. I have friends that use some of them and I look forward to trying them in the future! You can check out their full line here.
Now, for the moment you've been waiting for - Tate's has generously offered one of these amazing bottles of conditioner for one of you to try. If you don't win, no fear - this product is amazing and well worth every penny. I have bought several bottles and will continue to do so.
Enter to win!
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This entry is mandatory! If you do not do this, your other entries will not count!
Follow our blog and tell me why you want to try Tate's Natural Miracle Conditioner! Include your email address (if it's not on your profile) and the words "Live Green" somewhere in your comment.
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and as always, Good Luck and Enjoy!
US Only. Giveaway ends May 30th. 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.
A while back, I wrote about my new found love for eReaders. I received a Kindle for Christmas and have been somewhat addicted since. If you don't have one, I highly suggest getting one, I love mine. You can pick up a Kindle these days for as little as $114! In addition to the Kindle being more affordable, there are thousands of books available to read for free.
So now that you have an eReader, you need something to protect it. Covers run from $30 on up. I love my reader, but I really don't feel like spending a lot on a cover that I may want to change up in the future. I have a sleeve style cover that my husband got me with my Kindle, but I've been wanting something that helps me hold and read a bit easier - something a bit more like holding a real book. After looking at several covers on Amazon & Etsy, I decided to make my own. It took me just a couple of hours from start to finish and I couldn't be happier!
If video instructions aren't for you, check out the step by step guide below!
Find a book that is a little thicker than your eReader and about an inch larger in each direction (or bigger to be cut to size). Remove the insides of the book and measure for cutting if needed. To give you an idea of size, my Kindle is 7.5"x5", so I cut the book so that the back panels measured 8.5"x6"
Once you've cut your cover to size, use tape to reinforce the spine and all of the edges. This will also help give the cut edges a smooth finish.
Next you'll want to select a fabric you like and cover your book cover. It doesn't need to be very neat as the edges will all be covered up, do try to keep it somewhat tidy though, so that you don't end up with big bumps or ripples. I found that hot glue worked very well for this.
You also want to place a wide strip of fabric up the center of the book, be sure to fold under the top and bottom of the fabric to hide the edges. These will be visible.
After you've covered the case portion, you'll want to get some paper board for the inside cover. Something with a sturdiness like a cereal box or other product box will work well. Standard cardboard would be too thick for this. I also cut two pieces of felt to help provide some 'cushion' for my Kindle. My panels are 8"x5.5".
Use craft glue to attach the felt to the paper board and then cover it with your fabric of choice, just like you did the outer cover. Once you've completed that, you can add your elastic.
You'll want to use elastic that is approximately 4 inches or so in length. I used my sewing machine to securely attach the elastic. You could use hot glue, but be sure that it is secure! If you want to add a closure of some sort, you can do that now (see the loop on the right?) After I attached my elastic loop, I attached a bead to the front of my cover using a seam ripper to carefully poke two holes through my cover to thread a needle and string through to secure my bead.
After you've completed this step, you are nearly home free! Load up the backside of your panels with glue to attach them to the inside of your cover. I used craft glue all over the back, and then before attaching them, I went around the edges with hot glue to give it instant hold.
Insert your eReader and enjoy your brand new cover! If you made a closure on your cover, I recommend allowing the glue to dry for a day before using it.
Now you can enjoy your eReader in style (your imagination is the limit!) You'll have the wonderful feeling of holding a book in your hand and what's nice, is that this cover can even fold backwards while you are reading if you choose to do that.
This is a fun way to have several covers (if your an accessory fan), to give a personalized gift or simply to have for practical reasons.
I had a lot of fun making this cover and I just love it. I hope this post helps you make your own. If you try it, please post link your pictures or post them to our Facebook page. I'd love to see them!
So I've mentioned it before (a lot!) that I've been working on offering classes locally. We held our first real class last month, along with some great local promotions and it was great! (Farmers' market, local tv, newspaper, hospital, etc!) I really enjoyed the class and am looking forward to our next class this July. It was a lot of fun meeting new moms and sharing something that I care so much about.
For my class I made up a six page handout for attendees to take home and be able to reference. A lot of work has gone into this, and I want to share that with you so that you can share and use this too.
This is a PDF version of my handout. I encourage you to hold classes of your own and to share this with friends, family or anyone else interested in trying cloth. Know someone having a baby shower? Include it with their gift. Be sure to print double sided to save paper!
The sheet covers environmental facts, health facts, explanations of the different types of diapers, how to wash (our detergent recipe too!), what's needed and a whole lot more.
If you are interested in holding your own class you might use this simple flyer design. Simply write in your date, location and contact info (email or phone, whatever you're comfortable with!)
If you have any questions or need help, please let me know! I'm happy to help! You can reach me in the comments below or by emailing me at amanda@theecofriendlyfamily.com
Also! Be on the lookout, I am offering an Intro to Natural Feminine Care class later this month and will have an info sheet packet for it as well!
For Easter, I picked up several items for the kids from Ecomom.com and the kids just loved their baskets. One of the items I picked up was some non-toxic dry erase markers from a company called Modern Twist. The kids were thrilled and I was happy to have markers that were safer to use.
Soon after opening the package my daughter brought the green marker to me and told me that it wasn't working. I tried it out, and sure enough it wouldn't write. I looked up the company and gave them a call. The lady I spoke to on the phone apologized for the error and offered to correct it right away. I was pleased with her polite response and she was even happy to send the replacement in my son's name (he just loves getting mail!).
Fast forward a few days and a little package arrives for E. When he got home from school he opened it up and much to our surprise there was more than a marker replacement. The packaged contained two packs of their markers along side a couple of very cool silicone placemats meant for coloring! My kids were so excited that they immediately went to the table to start coloring.
I have to say that I am so pleased with their service. I was happy enough to have a replacement marker. When a company goes above and beyond like this, it really makes an impression, so I just had to share! Our kids love their mats and use them at all mealtimes now. E is so proud of his coloring that he won't allow me to wash it off so that he can start again. L on the other hand keeps adding to hers, and she looks forward to putting it at her place on the table.
If your children love to work their imaginations and express their amazing coloring abilities, these fun, useful mats (and non-toxic, washable dry-erase markers) are for you!
If you've been around here, you've likely seen my post on the dangers of traditional fabric softeners. As part of our new MomsEveryday segments, we'll be covering some topics a bit more with video included to help viewers easily find our tips, information and suggestions. These air on my local NBC stations and I am so blessed to have this platform.
As outlined in our post Fabric Softeners: What You Should Know, traditional fabric softeners contain a long list of chemicals, many of which are actually skin irritants (just for starters!) Most fabric softener sheets are actually coated with animal fat (that's the waxy sheen on them). Yuck, right?!
My favorite fabric softener choices are dryer balls, vinegar and a few commercially available plant based liquid softeners.
Dryer Balls - I love these things and use four in my very own dryer. They really help reduce drying time and I am always surprised by how soft everything gets. I notice that it cuts down on wrinkles too. I love that! Dryer balls are easy to use. Toss them in your dyer and that's it. No need to take them out or remember to put them back in, unless of course your children think they are toys and run off with them!In regard to the drying time, I predominantly use All-in-One style diapers and they dry in a single cycle with these in my dryer! If you're not familiar with modern cloth diapers - be sure to check out our FAQ!
My favorite dryer balls are Nellie's. I have a set of their originaland PVC free. I really love them both, but I think I prefer the softening effect of the PVC slightly more. If you want a natural option, wool dryer balls might be for you. They are felted wool balls and have the same function. I have only tried one type of these and mine were not all that well made and I was not pleased with the fuzzies left on my clothes. Knowing more about yarn quality now than I did then, I believe that was the contributing factor. Lots of people use and love their wool dryer balls.
Vinegar - You might think that your laundry will come out smelling like vinegar, but I can promise you that it will not. I was worried about this before I gave it a try and was very pleased by how well it worked and the lack of scent. I use a Downy distributor ball to put the vinegar in my wash when I use it. I fill the ball about half full and toss it in. If your machine has a reservoir to fill with softener, you can put the vinegar in there.
Store Bought Softeners- If dryer balls or vinegar aren't for you, you can certainly buy safe fabric softeners. I have used a couple and have been very pleased with them. Below are a few of the brand options.
