I've been keeping it in, but the time has come for me to shout it from my social media rooftops - I am headed to the ABC Kids Expo in Louisville Kentucky and I am so excited!
What is the ABC Kids Expo you ask? To me it's an amazing opportunity to meet face-to-face with some of the amazing companies that I have been fortunate enough to work with over the years. It is also an opportunity to see the newest innovations in children's products that these companies and many others will be showcasing, and I get to share it all with you!
According to their website the ABC Kids Expo is the premier juvenile products specialty show in the nation. With more than 900 exhibitors in over one million square feet of exhibit space, it is currently the fastest growing trade show in the nation and ranks 54 out of the 100 largest trade shows in North America. In other words, it's a big deal!
I've been browsing the online floor plan and have already added dozens of amazing companies to my show planner. Companies like bumGenius, ERGObaby, GroVia, Hygeia, Plan Toys and more. I am so excited to have this opportunity to learn more about these companies and their products. No websites or emails, just real hands-on experience and face-to-face interaction. If you are a company that would like me to stop by, please feel free to drop me a line.
I'll be blogging, facebooking and tweeting from the show. It is just over a month away, I'll be there September 23-25, be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitterto see real time updates from the show room floor! I'll update you as the show draws near.
Want to know more about the show? Visit their website, fan them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!
A couple of months ago, I had the amazing opportunity to tape several segments for our local tv station. We covered a variety of eco-friendly topics and the clips have aired about twice a month. When I initially contacted the station it was to share cloth diapers and I am pleased to say that the first cloth diaper clip has aired!
If you are new to our site and want more information on cloth diapers, please visit our Cloth Diaper FAQ, it covers pretty much anything you could want to know. If you still have questions, please feel free to email me.
If you've been around here long you've heard me talk about Healthy Child Healthy World. They are a fantastic organization that works to create safe and healthy environments for children. In April, I won 4th place in Marcal Small Step's Small Steps for Big Change Environmental Awards. I was given the chance to choose an environmental charity to donate $500 to in my name. I chose Healthy Child because of he changes that they are helping to make that benefit all of us, and the youth to come.
Healthy Child has a wonderful list of 5 Easy Steps to help you create a healthy home environment. They were inspired by the contest and asked me to write a post for them about my own five steps. They are a great organization and I feel very blessed to have this platform to share more. I think that much of the thanks goes to all of you as well, for coming here, reading my blog, interacting with my posts and inspiring me to learn more and reach out to further to share it.
It was hard to pick just five steps, there are so many! You can read my full article here.
Some additional tips:
6. Avoid chemical cleaners.
Thankfully there are some great companies out there making safe cleaners, but you can save yourself a load of cash (and time searching for products) by using homemade cleaners.
Use vinegar and water for a basic all purpose cleaner (equal parts). Want an extra boost? Add a drop of dish soap the the bottle and some tea tree oil for extra disinfecting properties.
If you'd like to skip residues all together try the Activeion Ionator HOM, I adore mine!
Skip all of the junk in traditional laundry detergents by making your own. Try our recipe, you can make this even more gently by using a castile bar soap, or none at all if you choose.
If you want to buy cleaners and detergents choose safe products like those from Seventh Generation, Earth Friendly Products, Eco-Me, etc.
Skip fabric softerers and choose a safe option like dryer balls or vinegar.
7. Compost!
You would be surprised how much of your daily waste can be composted. If your community has a compost area, you can use that or get your own bin. They take up very little room, and one is really enough! We have two, and really only needed one.
Read more about composting, plus a printable PDF list of what to put in your compost bin.
8. Keep toys safe.
There are so many toys on the market these days and it seems like most are plastic. We all know that plastic is bad for the environment, so when you buy toys, try to choose products made from wood, cloth, metal or recycled materials. Choosing products that can be passed down or recycled is a good way to go.
There are loads of great toys available these days from companies like Plan Toys, Haba, Green Toys and even store brands from companies like Toys R Us.
Some of my favorite shops are Moolka.com, Oompa.com, and of course Amazon.com (search for "eco-friend toys" or "green toys")
I would love to hear what some of your favorite tips are. What things do you do that you feel make an impact on your life, or which ones do you just enjoy or feel good about doing?
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.
