Probiotics for Your TOILET?! {And a #Giveaway! (12/2) US}

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

When I heard about Natural House's non-toxic household cleaners, I have to tell you I was intrigued. First, there were the names of their products: Sinky, Flushy, and Trashy. Hmm... weird, but what's in a name, right? Next, I wondered how on earth would probiotics help with cleaning. Well, it only took a few minutes to watch this video to see and understand. The idea seems so simple to me now. Why did no one think of this before?!


Yeah, kind of a "DUH!" moment for me! LOL

So, I gave them a try. Hubby, who is in charge of cleaning the bathroom (hey, I'm the only girl in a house full of guys - ICK!), was handed the package of four Flushy probiotic packets. He doesn't do well with instructions, so I was interested to see what he'd do. Oh, come on! I have to find some form on entertainment, don't I? I don't get out much... Anyway, the bag has instructions that are so easy, even Little Guy could have figured them out - there are pictures and words! Hubby looked at the pictures. LOL! He dropped the packet into the toilet, let it foam for about 15 minutes, then used the brush to scrub the inside of the bowl. He asked me, kind of worried, if he should flush the toilet or not. Um... yeah. While we didn't notice a difference right away, other than a sparkling clean toilet bowl, we did find a NOTICEABLE difference in the morning. Our bathroom no longer had that lingering truck stop bathroom odor anymore. I knew it was the toilet giving it off, but we just couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Must have been under the rim. Those little probiotics went at it and I no longer have to hold my breath when I go in the bathroom! YAY!

I have a huge complaint about dirty dishes in this house. People (Hubby and my oldest, to be exact) have a nasty habit of leaving a bite or two of food in their bowls and on their plates when they put them into the sink. Then, they rinse the dish off (at least they do that!) Well, little bits of cereal, cookie crumbs, and veggies end up getting washed down the drain. Add grease that inevitably ends up in the pipes when I wash pans. We always have had a slow drain and it will clog at least once every week or so. I refuse to pour toxic drain cleaner down there, so I've been hitting the clogs with baking soda and vinegar and following with a boiling water chaser. It works - kinda. Well, after just two weekly uses of Sinky, my drains are fast and we haven't had a clog! Additionally, my kitchen smells better, too. You know how clogged drains have that nasty, lingering odor? Well, I must have just gotten used to it - not a good thing! The steps leading to our apartment land visitors right in the middle of my kitchen. It never occurred to me that they were getting nasty sink odors as a first impression. It didn't until someone mentioned how nice it smelled in our apartment the other day. (Can you say "embarrassed" and "relieved" at the same time?!)

Finally, there's Trashy. He's my oldest's new cleaning friend, since he's the garbage hauler around here. Now, since we try to recycle, reuse, and compost as much as possible, our trash can go many days without needing to be taken out. We've tried using a smaller trashcan, but it leads to people trying to "make baskets" and making huge messes everywhere (that they, then, pretend they didn't notice and leave for Mom to step in at 2am on her way to the bathroom!) We've tried a lid, but that just concentrates the odor until it's released in one big stink cloud all at once when the trashcan is opened. I handed over the spray bottle of Trashy to my son and instructed him to give the can two sprays before he put the bag in, then two more inside the garbage bag. I wanted those little probiotics all over my trash. It worked wonders - no more stinky garbage!I can imagine using this in diaper pails and outdoor trash cans, too. In fact, I may just try it out on the dumpster when the weather gets warm again. When we get just the right breeze in the summertime, I have to close all of the windows or risk passing out from the terrible smell of that dumpster. I'll bet, if I spray the interior of that dumpster once a week, after the garbage truck comes by, I could probably keep that smell in check - nd send lots of little probiotics to the landfill to get working!

Natural House uses all plant-based ingredients that are eco-friendly and biodegradable. I really like knowing that they are working long after I toss my cleaning rags under the sink - an entire week, in fact! How's that for the biggest house-cleaning procrastinator in the world? And, I like to think that I'm doing a little extra long after the sink has been rinsed, the toilet flushed, and the trash has been taken out. Think of the probiotics that are being sent into the sewage system in the water. And what about the ones that are on my trash bag? If you can imagine more than half the households in just the U.S. using Natural House products, those probiotics could even turn around many of our polluted areas! Just by tossing a simple little packet into the sink and toilet once a week and spraying the trash can before putting in a new bag, I know that odors are controlled and those areas of my home are safer for my family (especially that little 3 year-old who loves touching things then sticking his fingers into his mouth!)

If you'd like to try out this revolutionary new cleaning products for yourself, you can purchase them directly through Natural House's Web site or on Amazon (great deal if you've go free shipping!) You could also enter to WIN A ONE-MONTH SUPPLY OF ALL THREE PRODUCTS! Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below!

*I've had problems with the Rafflecopter form loading properly on my homepage. It was suggested that I put in a page break before the form, so that's what I'm trying here. If you don't see the form, PLEASE just click on the title of this post and it should show up for you. If not, leave a comment on this post or get in touch with me on my Contact Me form so I can fix it!

My First Yoga Experience {Storyland #Yoga DVD}

I have always appreciated the meaning behind yoga and admired people who regularly did it. I just never thought much about it other than it was something I might like to try someday. Over the years, though, I began to hear a lot of people talking about how much they enjoy their yoga time and even about how it calms their kids. I began to feel a pull toward it - I needed something, anything, to help me relieve some of this stress. That's when Storyland Yoga came into my life.

Now, Storyland Yoga is not made for mommies, it is targeted at kids between the ages of 3 and 8 years old. The DVD I received has two different kids' yoga sessions that last about 20 minutes. I thought that if I could get Little Guy to do yoga with me. We'd have some solid one-on-one time while learning something together. I wanted to see if he'd be interested in the DVD before I got my hopes up, though, and got my chance one very energy-filled evening. As I was making dinner and little guy was letting off steam by way of jumping on the bed and making train sounds at the top of his lungs, I put the DVD on TV. The little intro played and his train became slightly muted. By the time the first session began, my rambunctious little boy was sitting on the bed, enthralled and even attempting to mimic the poses he was seeing.

Why did it capture his attention so quickly and fully? It's a quiet DVD with gentle music and even voices. It's not the usual attention-grabbing loudness that he usually stops to check out. Here's why: This isn't just a DVD with people in a room doing yoga - it's stories that children act out through yoga postures. The first session is entitled "Condor Trek" and has participants enacting a story about finding condor eggs and returning them to their nest. Along the way, children must walk through tall grass, act like a snake, row a kayak, become a bear, and much more. The story jumps between Children's Yoga Instructor, Ahmed Fahmy, and a group of children acting out the story & animated clips of the story. It really helps get kids watching the DVD to become involved. By the time the first session was over, dinner was done!

The next afternoon was rainy and cold. Little Guy's energy levels were through the roof and I was on the brink of losing it. I decided we'd try out actually doing yoga together. In the special features section of the DVD, there is a great resource: All of the poses are shown. Yes! I'm one of those people who needs to see these things being done before attempting to do them. I was kind of apprehensive about just jumping into a session with absolutely no idea of what was going on. So, Little Guy and I practiced the poses. We had a good time and, when I got a pose wrong, he noticed right away, "Silly Mama - Like this!" Yeah, his visual-spatial learning is amazing. He could just look at the TV screen and, at almost 3 years old, he could replicate what he saw happening. Once Mommy learned how to do the positions from Little Guy, we started up the "Save the Whale" session. It was fun! We both felt confident after trying out the poses beforehand, so we kept up with the story rather well (and it's a good story!)

One of the things I like best about this DVD is the group of children that you follow along with aren't all doing the poses perfectly. I have to admit that, if they were perfect, I might have ended up frustrated because I wasn't getting it right 100% of the time. And I could see that Little Guy was trying out the positions of the different kids', finding what was most comfortable for him. Just seeing these kids all doing the poses in their own way helped me remember the reason we were doing yoga in the first place - to become focused and release some energy, not to perfectly do exactly the same thing as everyone else. After the session, we were both in a happy place and ready to snuggle with some books. He actually ended up taking a nap!

All I can say is I highly recommend this DVD. It's a great change from all of the regular TV shows that are on all day long. We've been doing afternoon yoga for about a week and a half now and it's resulted in a nice snuggle session afterward every time. Little Guy feels pride that he has become such an expert on doing the poses. I even saw him playing with one of his teddy bears the other day - he was showing the bear how to be a snake! And I get to do some yoga, myself. The more used to the DVD that Little Guy has become, the more I am able to tune out and focus on doing my own thing.

Storyland Yoga is a product of Playful Planet. This company was created by Karen, a mom looking to raise her daughter to be a healthy person - on a healthy planet. Teaching children and their families about health and sustainability are the main goals of the company. Now, I've seen companies that claim these to be their own goals, but when you check out their Web site, the only "green" you see is a little box toward the bottom that says their packaging is made from recycled materials. Not true here! There are many more links to pages about how to live healthy and natural and how to teach young ones to do so than selling going on. For instance, I love Playful Planet's ABC's of Green

So, "vote" with your dollars and support a green business and give a little one you know a wonderful gift! You can buy Storyland Yoga at Amazon.com for only $14.99 (free shipping for Prime!)


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Define Mindfulness

This post was written for inclusion in the Mindful Mama Blog Carnival hosted by hosted by Kelly of Becoming Crunchy and Zoie of TouchstoneZ. Participants are writing posts about what mindfulness mean to them. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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It’s funny that Zoie (TouchstoneZ) and Kelly (Becoming Crunchy) would choose this month’s Mindful Mama Blog Carnival topic to be the very one thing that I’ve been mulling over in my mind: What does being mindful mean to you? Now, there are a ton of different angles to answering this question. I’m narrowing it down to three: Define “Mindful”, Being Mindful as a Human Being, and Mindful Parenting. And, since I can’t write short posts about any subject (heck, I can’t even leave Wordless Wednesday posts wordless!), I am going to write three separate posts and take part of this carnival whenever those posts fit into the theme.

What does being mindful mean to you?

When I saw the question popping out of my computer screen, it became clear to me that I had to take a closer look at myself – as a person, as a wife, and as a mother. I’ve not been the peaceful person I want to be, and I must admit that I’ve not even really tried changing. I’ve been following Hybrid Rasta Mama’s posts about her journey through the Mindful Mothering Challenge and really feel that I (and everyone around me) would really benefit if I tried taking part. It’s as if I’ve been waiting for “the right time” or for something to happen in my life that would force me to get up off my lazy butt, quit thinking, and start doing. That’s when I saw that question. It was a sign from the almighty Becoming Crunchy Gods telling me through an email subscription that this was the kick in the pants I was waiting for.

The first step toward becoming a mindful person is finding a definition for what “mindful” is to me. I’ve been mulling the question over in my head for a few days now, jotting down brainstormed ideas, and attempting to form a post or two in my head on the subject. However, being mindful isn’t something that you can just buy a book on and follow the step-by-step instructions to happiness and enlightenment. It’s a habit, a way of life, which you must ease yourself into. You can’t fake mindfulness – it won’t last long. You must truly feel it in your heart and understand it in your mind. I do feel the desire to become mindful and know that this is the path I want to take.

I searched the Web for some kind of guidance. I was lucky to have found the step-by-step guide that I just said doesn’t exist! The Community for Mindful Living follows the “…Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings for Engaged Buddhism of the Order of Interbeing--the Tiep Hien Order." Tiep means ‘in touch with’ and ‘continuing’. Hien means ‘realizing’ and ‘making it here and now’.” As I read over these fourteen “trainings”, I realized that I: 1) completely agree with each one and 2) possess many of the traits that these trainings strive to teach. Now, I just need simple reminders throughout the day that will keep me from having the knee-jerk (and I do mean “jerk”) reactions that I have to occurrences and actions that I have no control over. I yell at the kids a LOT. I get huffy over stupid things like hubby finishing the last of the coffee. I selfishly block out all of the turmoil around me by sitting in front of the computer reading blog posts, checking out Facebook, and entering giveaways. I’ll write more about how I am changing these in my next two posts.

Right now, I want to focus on those fourteen trainings and share my own interpretation of them:

1. Openness – This is me. It took me most of my 20’s to get here, but I am an open person. I have my own opinions of things. Yet, I do not feel that my ideas are the “right” ones – they’re only right ones for me. I do not fault anyone for having the ideas or opinions that they have. The one thing here, for me, is that I feel that some people do not educate themselves and only hold certain opinions because they know someone else with that opinion. I need to work on not trying to educate those people against their wills. It is one thing to hand over information with no strings attached. It’s not being open when I ask the person if they got a chance to go over that information and try to find out if they’ve changed their way of thinking.
2. Non-Attachment from Views – What?! OK, this one goes with the Openness one. The idea is to be willing to hear the views of others (no matter how wrong I may thing they are) and be open-minded enough to try to understand those views. This training is here to remind me that my ideas and opinions are ever-changing and the more I learn about others’ ideas and opinions, the better prepared I will be to accept my changing views.
3. Freedom of Thought – Again, back to the openness thing. This time, it is all about allowing others their own freedom of thought and not trying to coerce others into thinking my way. This one goes for children, partners, friends, and strangers. It is one thing to converse on a subject with someone who thinks differently. It is another to try to change their thinking with a bribe or a threat.
4. Awareness of Suffering – This is going to be a tough one for me. Suffering of any kind is easiest to handle when I just pretend it’s not there. This training asks that I stop shielding myself from suffering of things and people. Sometimes, even, seek it out. Try to feel compassion and empathy, and then try to show the one(s) suffering a path to comfort and joy. I’m still mulling over just how to do this.
5.  Simple, Healthy Living – Hmm… I understand the concept here: Simple living means to only take what I need and not attempt to amass a stockpile while others may be suffering without even their basic needs met. Healthy means to keep my body pure and free of toxins. The first part is going to be a slight adjustment. I need to get rid of a ton of things. Things that I look at every day and feel terrible for having and not using, knowing that there is someone out there in need of it. The healthy part is going to be very tough. I have made many changes in my lifestyle over the years, but I still like a good Twinkie or Pepsi now and then. I live on coffee – I swear it’s the only thing that keeps me alert all day. I’ll work on cutting out the bad stuff and replacing it with good. I know right now that the coffee will not disappear, but there are alternatives that I can replace most of my daily cups with.
6. Dealing with Anger – OK, this is a really, really bad one for me. It is the reason I even began considering the life changes that becoming a more mindful person should bring. I have a quick temper and I’m stubborn. I will spare you all of the details in this post (see the next two) and just say I have a lot of work to do before I can be one who does not respond immediately when anger rises within me.
7. Dwelling Happily in the Present Moment – Sounds perfectly logical. Problem is, I tend to remove myself from the moment by thinking of other things, past and future, that have nothing to do with now. I must find a physical or visual reminder for this one.
8. Community and Communication – I love this one. It has to do with listening and speaking with an open heart. I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will be attentive to your point of view while you are expressing it. I will also share my opinions and beliefs while keeping in mind that you may not feel the same way as I. I really try to practice this and I believe that I am good at it; though, no one is perfect – I need to learn how to not shut down when someone whose ideas are radically different from mine shares his or her thoughts with me.
9. Truthful and Loving Speech – This one is a tough one for me. Being truthful doesn’t just mean not lying, it also means having the story straight and making sure it’s factual before sharing it with others. While I may try to be truthful in all that I say, the loving part is not so easy. I need to remind myself several times a day that the things that come out of my mouth may not seem to be hurtful to me, but they leave a terrible impact on those around me. I tend to slip into negative speech with Little Guy and the Oldest. “No” “Can’t” “Won’t” are all words that I use often. Turning my phrasing around can make all of the difference! This training also reminds us that we must stand up for the truth – even if it means bad things may come to us. Think of all of the heroes we know about who spoke the truth against injustice only to be beaten down or even murdered by the oppressors. The word got out – their messages were hear – and we know this because, even when these events may have taken place centuries ago, we know about them today.
10. Protecting the Sangha – OK, I’m not a Buddhist, so this one seemed a little out there at first. This is directly from The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings and explains better than I ever could: “Aware that the essence and aim of a Sangha is the practice of understanding and compassion, we are determined not to use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit or transform our community into a political instrument. A spiritual community should, however, take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.” What I get from it is that being mindful and compassionate should be done only because it is the right thing to do. This isn’t a way of life for those who will only use it to gain things (whether it’s money, fame, power, or even love.) I really do not anticipate anything from my actions other than inner peace – if I’m lucky!
11. Right Livelihood – This one tells me to make sure that my career is not only something that makes me happy. I need to consider the global impact of my choice: Does this job cause injustice or negative environmental impacts? Also, as a consumer, I must ask the same things. As a mom, I do this everyday – Which brand of dish soap do I buy? What am I teaching my children about waste if I throw out cheese that has a teeny bit of mold on it? May seem silly to some, but these decisions all add up. Not only do they affect myself and my family, but my community (buying local), the economy (buying from “good” companies will take money from the “bad” ones, social institutions (make sure to use companies with good labor practices), the environment (green products with little packaging), etc. And, hopefully, my kids see this stuff as a way of life and grow up into adults who follow my lead!
12. Reverence for Life – This one is about non-violent communication and peaceful demonstration to avoid conflict and war. I’m all for it – war kills, conflict kills. It is important to stand up for what you believe, but physical harm is never a good solution for anyone. It’s funny, my husband and I were talking about war last night. He was a little young for the Vietnam draft, but he and his friends had talked about what would happen if the draft were still in effect when they reached 18. “I’m not running up that hill to try to shoot that guy. I don’t even know him! What did he ever do to me?!” Yeah, that’s the basic thought here. Wars are run by a few men (and women!) who use human beings as pawns in a game of chess in order to gain something (be it land, oil, power.) If all of the pawns were to realize what they were really fighting for and laid down their arms in peaceful protest, things would probably get done more quickly and with less bloodshed. (I know that there is way more to this subject than what I’ve written. I just remembered that this post is about “mindfulness” and not “war”!)
13. Generosity – We don’t have much of anything. This could cause me to say, “But I have nothing to give!” I do – time, a few material things, energy. Generosity can be a simple hug to someone who looks like they’re at the end of their rope. Feeding a stray cat some leftovers. Standing up for a stranger who is obviously being treated unfairly. How many times do people walk past a bad situation saying, “It’s none of my business,” I’ve done it – I’ll admit it. But, recently, I’ve felt the need to help others. I still see the little boy whose spanking was averted due to my speaking up and his mom rarely uses this form of punishment now!
14. Right Conduct – This one has a lot to do with sex. I KNOW!!! It reminds us to be fully aware of the impact that our sexual acts will have. That sex without spiritual love is just a physical act and means nothing. If fact, it’s a selfish act because we are fulfilling only our own desires. It also tells us to keep in mind that sex leads to new people. We must fully realize the responsibilities of bringing a new baby into the world and be willing to accept it. Quite a lot of thinking to do before “doing it” with your partner, but also very important!

Well, there you have it – how I feel being mindful will and can apply to my life. There is a lot to remember here, so I’m going to start out by making little lists of these Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings and hang them all over the house. I'm a visual person and these will help me remember!  Next, I’m going to join Hybrid Rasta Mama and attempt to take on the Mindful Mothering Challenge. I’ve found that The Parenting Passageway started this challenge as “20 Days Toward More Mindful Mothering” I’m not going to attempt to do it in 20 days, but I’ll get through just fine and, hopefully, I’ll be able to write semi-regular blog posts about it!

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Visit the Mindful Mama Blog Carnival Homepage to find out how you can participate in the next Mindful Mama Blog Carnival!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• An Alternative Approach to Parenting Mindfully Through Present Moment Awareness Amy at Peace 4 Parents offers an experience of present moment awareness as a pathway to mindful parenting.
• Define: Mindful Alicia C. at McCrenshaw describes the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings for Engaged Buddhism and attempts to describe how she can apply them to her non-Buddhist life on her new journey toward mindfulness.
• This is what mindfulness looks like in my life Charise @ I Thought I Knew Mama describes what mindfulness looks like in her life in the form of poetry.
• Practice, Practice, Practice: Becoming a Mindful Mother Erin at it's OK shares her definition of mindfulness, and her struggle to develop a regular practice.
• How Meditation Makes Me a More Mindful Mother Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her methods for sneaking meditation into each and every day in an effort to dig deep and be the most mindful mother possible.
• A Simple Practice Kat at My Mental Oddities outlines a simple practice with children
• Our Family Mission Statement Patti @ Jazzy Mama writes about how living mindfully means living intentionally. She created her Family Mission Statement to help her family stay focused on their goals and values.
• I REALLY Miss Being Mindful! Tracie of Purposeful Practices shares what it’s like to find and then lose your mindfulness practice.
• My Job Made Me a Mindful Mother Amy at Anktangle tells a story about how a mindfulness practice she used to utilize in her job as a nurse still impacts the way she mothers her son today.
• Now Amanda at Let's Take the Metro shows how mindfulness is all about living in the moment.
• Stepping into the Unknown To Rachael at The Variegated Life, mindfulness is a way of stepping into the unknown.
• Derailed Kelly of Becoming Crunchy explores what mindfulness looks like in her new, somewhat more hectic life.
• Mindful Mama Zoie at TouchstoneZ learns to stop struggling by being present with uncomfortable realizations.

Every Cleaning Recipe You'll Ever Need! {#Rafflecopter #GIVEAWAY!}

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 Have you heard of The Peaceful Housewife yet? I met Jenny around March of this year, I think it was during Code Name: Mama's March of Kindness meme. Jenny was blogging about the same things that I was interested in, mainly: greening your home and parenting peacefully. She opened her online store, The Peaceful Housewife, soon after we "met" and I was excited to do a review and gift certificate giveaway with her to spread the word. Her items are wonderful - tons of homemade cleaning products, created with safe and natural ingredients.

Jenny - The Peaceful Housewife

Recently, Jenny published an eBook containing all of her recipes along with cleaning tips. She's included basic laundry detergent and dish soap recipes. Then she added some that I didn't think you could make at home: dishwasher detergent, brass cleaner, and even one for those oh-so-convenient disinfecting wipes! Her tips include how to get stubborn stains from clothes and how to replace chemical-laden carpet shampoo with a non-toxic version.

The book is very easy to read, all of the steps are laid out perfectly. I'd even give it to my husband to make some of these recipes and expect the results to come out perfectly (that's saying a LOT!) I am so thankful to Jenny for sending me this book and I know that, when I shop next, I'll be picking up lots of vinegar, baking soda, and some great-smelling essential oils!




You can buy the book for a mere $3 by heading to her online store. You will also find a ton of great cleaning products for amazingly low prices. For instance, this month's "Scent of the Month" is Apple Jack and Peel and if you'd like to try it, you can buy a 20-load bag of laundry detergent for only $2! I have a bottle of Linen and Room Spray in Lavender Vanilla (there are 12 scents to choose from) that I love. The stuff lasts forever (both the bottle, itself, and the scent) and it only cost me $3.50. Oh, and she even creates a wonderful furniture polish that I feel good about letting Little Guy use for just $5. You just cannot find items like this online or elsewhere for these prices. And, if you choose to buy the eBook, you'd really be saving money by making all of these (and more) yourself!

Would you like a chance to win The Peaceful Housewife: Natural Household Cleaners eBook? Just use the easy Rafflecopter form below (it may take a minute to load.) Open WORLDWIDE!








****By the way - I didn't receive any type of monetary compensation for this review. I did, however. get a really handy eBook - that's it. Everything I've said is in my own words and is my own opinion! OK, now get back to entering the giveaway!

Add A Special Touch to Your Children's Homemade Gifts & More! {AmyAdele.com}

We are constantly working on one project or another. On those days when I just don't have the "umph" in me to actively participate in one of the projects, or when Little Guy is in a "I do myself! Mommy no helping me!!!" kind of mood, I hand over some glue and a variety of stuff from our crafts box(es), set him up in his high chair, and put a piece of paper down in front of him. While I lazily sip my coffee and leaf through a magazine, he goes nuts.

:

TIP: Wash out a paint applicator (like those you get glitter paints in) and save it for gluing time. Lots less wasted glue and it's easier for little hands to squeeze the glue right where they want it!

For a while, I ended up with a pile of "glue project" pieces of art. What the heck do you do with them??? I couldn't throw them away. Little Guy puts so much concentration and time into them, and he's so very proud of each one, that I just can't. Our walls are already covered with all kids of kids' art, so there's really no more room there.

I found the perfect solution: Grandmas!!!

Yep - we pop artwork into envelopes once or twice a month and take a little walk down to the post office. It gets the artwork to someone who will appreciate it. Little Guy loves getting "thank you" calls from his grandmas and he especially enjoys all of the praise (this kid's ego is not something I worry about!) 

One problem we've had with this is Little Guy's inability to sign his name. He sees his brother's signature on the drawings that he adds to our envelopes and wants to be able to do the same. I tried just letting him "sign" his work, but he can see that what he's doing has nothing to do with writing words. If I attempt to sign his name for him, he just loses it (right back to the "I do it myself!" thing.) When I saw AmyAdele.com's fun labels and stickers, I knew we had to have some. 

Little Guy loves stickers and when I told him that these were special stickers that he could use to "sign his name" with, he was all for it. We made it serious business, the oldest and I, when we showed him where his "signature" should go. My oldest pulled out some of his drawings and showed him how he always signed at the bottom, away from the drawing so nothing would get covered up. Now he's a happy camper and even prouder that HE has a signature on his artwork, just like "Brubber".

You really should consider getting some of these labels if your kids like to mail out pictures to friends or relatives or, as in out situation, they really want a special way to show that "I made this!" I chose the Arts & Crafts Label for Little Guy's projects. Check it out:

In fact, there are a ton of products that you can buy with the Arts and Crafts Design. I'd love to have a crafting birthday party for Little Guy's 3rd birthday in November. I could get some of AmyAdele.com's Arts and Crafts Invitations completely personalized with what I want to say. Maybe I could get Little Guy his own Arts and Crafts T-shirt with something like "Happy 3rd Birthday!" on it? Oh, and I wouldn't want to forget to include an Arts and Crafts Photo Invitation. Since you can personalize anything to say whatever you want, I'd love to use a photo of Little Guy at his party and use the personalization to turn it into a "thank you" note.

Now, there are a ton of places where you can buy personalized stationery, invitations, labels & stickers, calling cards, announcements, cards, and children's clothing. But I choose AmyAdele.com because of the eco-friendly steps the company when creating and shipping their products. First of all, the items from AmyAdele.com are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper - that's ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. I've seen other companies boast of using post-consumer recycled paper, but if you look into it, you'll often find that the percentages are pretty low - usually around 10% to 25%. 


 So, the next time that you are looking for labels, invitations, stationery, T-shirts, announcements.... anything like this, go check out AmyAdele.com first. Amy's artwork makes these items extra-special and the prices won't gouge your pocketbook!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Enter To WIN Sweet P's Organic Skin Care Products @ Environmental Booty!

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Right now, fans of Environmental Booty have a chance to win some amazing products from Sweet P's Luxury Organic Skincare! Yes, it says "LUXURY" for a reason. Sweet P's produces a number of spa-worthy products for hair, body, skin care, sun protection, pain relief, babies, and even your home! With seven scent collections and over 150 oils in use, you are sure to find a combination that is perfect for yourself, your home, and to give that special someone an amazing, personalized gift! All products are made with certified organics and an Ecocert Preservative that is friendly and non-toxic to humans as well as the environment.

Now, not only are Sweet P's products environmentally-friendly and people-safe, they are AFFORDABLE! Check this out: You can get an 8oz. bottle of their Aloe Vera Shampoo for only $7.50 - AND you can choose from 33 different scents (I like the Chocolate Decadence and Stress Relief Aromatherapy, myself!) Their Soy Wax Candles come in a variety of sizes, from 1oz. to 16oz. and you can choose from 153 scents. Finally, I love the perfume choices!

Now, I'm not one to wear perfume - I just don't like the fake, flowery scents available. Plus, what the heck is in them? I've heard that many name-brand perfumes contain formaldehyde?! No, thanks! But, I do like to smell nice, you know? Natural soaps have a lot of scent to them, but I've noticed that, even the heavily-scented ones just don't last the day. Sweet P's combines the fragrance oils used in their perfumes with organic jojoba oil, which blends with your own body oils and allows the scent to stay with you all day! Oh, and did I mention that there are 153 different scents to choose from? I'd love to try Earth, Lavender Rosemary Cinnamon, and Vanilla Sandalwood! Oh, and if you don't see a fragrance you like, or have a special combination that you know works for you? Just email or even call them and they'll take care of you!

So, what's all this about a giveaway?! Head on over to Environmental Booty and you can enter to win TWO great products from Sweet P's Luxury Organic Skin Care! The first is that perfume I've been telling you about. But not just the perfume - it will come in a beautiful Diamond Cut Crystal Bottle! This is the epitome of luxury. The second prize is a bottle of Sweet P's Prickly Pear Antioxidant Sunscreen with Tint. This stuff does four things for you: moisturizes, provides protection from UVA and UVB rays, lightly tints the skin (no bright orange people here!), and it contains a ton of antioxidants. Those antioxidants are especially good for those of us who constantly nag our families to wear sunscreen, then forget to apply it to ourselves. This lotion will heal your sunburn fast!

So, how can you win these two prizes that are worth $75?! Head on over to Facebook and "like" both Environmental Booty and Sweet P's Skincare, then head HERE, to Environmental Booty's blog and leave a comment that you liked the two Facebook pages. Easy-peasy! There are also extra entries, such as sharing on Facebook & Twitter, to help increase your odds of winning. This giveaway is open to US residents and ends on August 30th. As of right now, there are only 29 entries, so go over there and get in on the chance to win these great products!

***I wrote this blog post while participating in the EnvironmentalBooty.com and Sweet P's blogging contest, making me eligible to get monetary compensation and Sweet P's product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Ready to Make Seed Bombs Again? Now is the Time! {Re-Post and UPDATE}

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Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that many plants are beginning to seed. I'm a collector and seeds are one of my favorite things to hunt for. If I see a plant with flowers that I have been admiring go to seed, I'll grab a few. I always carry a few empty spice jars with me whenever we go for neighborhood walks* or to the park - you just never know! I usually just transfer the seeds to envelopes and either write the name of the plant on it if I know it, or draw a picture of the flower and a leaf if I don't. I try to write down where I found it, too  it makes knowing where to plant it (full sun, shade) easier, too.
This year, though, we're going to make seed bombs. I plan to make three varieties: wildflowers that can be planted anywhere in our area, mixed flowers that thrive in similar habitats and have similar watering needs, and single varieties (mainly herbs and large plants that may overshadow and kill smaller ones.)

*If you are collecting seeds from someone's yard, always ask if it's OK. I've never been turned down. Most people are going to tear out the plants at the end of the season and buy new ones in the spring anyway.

So, I am re-posting my "Make Seed Bombs" post from way back in March in case you are interested in trying your own hand at making these. I've made a few changes to the original post. You will notice that the changes are in red type-face, if you saw the original post. I'm sorry I don't have any photos of us actually making them. I have just one 4 1/2 year-old digital camera and the thing has taken a beating. Making seed bombs is a messy and involved business and there is no way I could imagine having the camera that Little Guy so badly wants to use out while I'm elbow-deep in mud and seeds!

From: justseeds.org

Now, you may be aware of these sweet little gems but, if not, here's a quick explanation. Seed bombs are small balls of clay, compost/soil, and seeds that you can easily plant (or even toss) into your yard for some pretty flowers. These are great gifts for spring - Easter, Mother's Day, birthdays, or "just because." They're also a wonderful two-fold activity for kids. First, you can make the bombs and then, later, your children can have their own little patch of yard or even a pot to grow them. At this time of year, there's another activity you can throw in - hunting for the seeds! Heck, if you have older kids, they might even be interested in trying to find out just what kind of plant the seeds you've found have come from - trip to the library and some research, too! Another use for these, and this is what they were actually created for in the first place, is to create pretty and natural spaces in vacant lots. Just carry a few with you wherever you walk and toss one or two into that abandoned yard.

One point to remember is that you should choose seeds that are native to your area, or if mailing to a friend or relative for a gift, native to their area. First, they will grow better with little or no care. Second, they will be appropriate for the birds and insects in your area. Introducing new plant species can be hazardous to the ecosystem in the long run, so make sure you check online or with your local parks service to make sure the plants you choose won't do any harm. Many times, park systems even have native plant seeds available for free or a nominal fee.

You will need:
1/2 c. mixed seeds
3/4 c. compost or garden soil
1 1/4 c. powdered clay (red or brown)**
Water

Directions:
1. Either cover your work surface and the floor with lots of newspaper, or work outdoors. Wear old clothes and be ready to get a little lot dirty. Don't worry - it'll ALL wash off!
2. Mix the seeds with the compost. Gently stir in the powdered clay. Be careful not to mix the powdered clay to quickly because, while it's just clay, you don't want to breathe it in. (The clay isn't toxic, but your lungs don't need all that dirt in there!)
3. Add the water so the mixture is just moist enough to form into balls about 1" in diameter, or the size of a walnut. Little Guy, who helps me bake bread, loves his job of "kneading" the "dough"!
       **Don't use too much water. You run the risk of soaking the seeds too much and either starting them growing or rotting them. Using too little water, on the other hand, can lead to the balls crumbling apart. Try to get a consistency like play dough.
4. Set the balls about 1/2" apart on newspaper-lined baking sheets to dry. Depending on the humidity, it should take about 24 to 48 hours. You want to make sure they're completely dry all the way through before storing or giving. Don't dry them in the sun - they'll start to grow. Trust me - I've done this! You can cover them with newspaper and hide them in a shady spot outside. Drying in the oven, even on the lowest setting could be too hot and kill the seeds - Been there, done that, too!

If you're storing the seeds for your own garden, put them in a paper bag in a dry, cool, dark place. If you plan to give them away, there are tons of ways to make the gift look great. Here are a few ideas:

• Recycle some old shirts by sewing simple cloth bags and tying with a pretty ribbon. 
• cotta pots, a bag of soil, homemade garden markers and seed bombs into a basket. 
• Have your kids decorate a small box with paint, stickers, or cut paper of the flowers that the seed bombs will grow into. 
•  Put the bombs into an old candy box!
•  Try adding some pretty recycled paper into the muddy mixture for some color.
• Press the seeded clay into silicone candy molds for heart-, flower-, etc. shaped bombs 
• I have experimented with using just paper to make seed bombs. The best paper is handmade because it dissolves well and molds better. A friend of mine was tickled pink to receive purple seed bombs for her birthday - it's her favorite color!
• Let your kids go nuts and sculpt the seed bombs into whatever shape they want! We made truck bombs and car bombs the last time we did this. To make sure you're not making them too thick to dry properly, make sure that the thickest part of the bombs doesn't go over the 1" diameter mark.

The possibilities are endless! Don't forget to include a list of the seeds included in the bombs and instructions.


**If you do not have access to the clay powder, try using air-dry clay. I have seen quite a few instances where people have used it successfully. I looked up Crayola Terra Cotta Air Dry Clay 2.5 lb Bucket. According to the Art and Creative Materials Institute, the people who check this stuff for toxicity, it is not toxic in any way - toy you, your kids, or the environment. Use this link to read the report for yourself. This stuff is readily available at nearly any store that sells children's art supplies and isn't really expensive. Just make sure to NOT add water unless you need to!

ANY IDEAS???

Please share any ideas you may have for this great project. If you do make these, let me know how they turned out and add any tips you come up with. I love hearing new ideas and brainstorming. Even if you have an "I wonder if I did ____ what would happen" floating around in your head, please share it. Maybe someone knows the answer or is willing to try it out and will report back with the results.

Don't Forget About The Green Parenting Giveaway Linky!

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Just a little reminder to my readers about my Green Parenting Giveaway Linky. It's an ongoing linky, so I don't regularly post about it. Head on over to see what great giveaways have been linked up and add your own, too. As long as your giveaway is "green" or has to do with parenting (even stuff for mom or dad), you're in! As the giveaways expire, I'll delete them, constantly moving the newer giveaways up on the list.

 

Grab the button if you'd  like!

<a href="http://mccrenshaw.blogspot.com/p/green-parenting-giveaway-linky.html" target="_blank">

<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3FLSs5ao6egU606-8089vRBdhbYHAfHpVhZBTVEaRQpigV1zev9TGkzrkWLpma6MrmqNLgezAhC7SXa5s-yWTRBfYUPosS6Ve_8808uP_iRNBJv1OysHvDhbOUyi9px-O210XXoCPHg/s288/13849308744.jpg" width="150" height="200" border="0" alt="Come link up or enter to WIN!" />

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 And there's also the Tuesday's Giveaway Linkup hosted by Classified: Mom, Tots and Me, and myself! Even more great chances to WIN!

Oh, THIS is My Subject! {Smart Summer Challenge - Week 3}

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You'll never guess what this week's Smart Summer Challenge topic is...

Give up???

BACKYARD SCIENCE!

I know - it's just perfect for me! I'm a naturalist at heart and love pointing out all of the different things like bugs, plants, animal behaviors, etc. to my kids. My little guy knows which leaves in our garden he can eat (the herbs) and which are dangerous. He can name most of the insects he comes across. My oldest, who I still point things out to, is constantly saying, "I know, Mom!" But, when he thinks I'm not paying attention, I overhear him being all smarty-pants to his friends and telling them these little factoids I've passed on to him. Pretty cool, huh?


Since I'm kind of like the Queen of Backyard Science around here, I'm stuck on what I should write about. It seems like every time we step outside, a science lesson commences. It's so common that I don't really feel as if this stuff is post-worthy. I guess I'll have to wing it... And all of you lovely readers may have to put up with a ton of posts from me this week. I tend to procrastinate - a LOT - so, my plan is to type up whatever we did ASAP and post. Maybe that will work. Trust me - it'll only be for one week - next Monday, it'll be a new theme!


Here are some of my ideas of the things we do nearly every day and what I might try to elaborate on for the kids this week:

• While hanging laundry, we can talk about heat from the sun, wind, and how both lead to evaporation.
• We are seed-savers. I often tell my little one about how pollination from insects makes it possible for seeds to even appear. Maybe while we're harvesting some seeds this week, we can take the time to sit back and discover just which insects in our yard do the most pollinating.
• One thing that I have yet to do with Little Guy is show him how a magnifying glass can be used to concentrate the sunlight into a powerful fire-starter. Not sure if it's something I'm willing to show my extremely boisterous and often unruly toddler... BUT, I'm thinking that my oldest might be interested in trying a little wood-burning artwork with a magnifying glass and a few Popsicle sticks.
• When we pull weeds this week, I would like to save a few and go over the different parts of a plant. I have a few out there that have flowered and began to go to seed. They would be perfect. Plus there are the roots, etc. 
• There's always the age-old Queen Anne's Lace in the dyed water experiment to show how water travels up the stem to the flowers. I wonder how it would work if we did one with the roots and one that was cut... Sound like a great comparison experiment!

OK, I think I have more than enough to write about. I'm not sure if we'll get to them all, or if I'll find something different to do. We'll see what the week brings us. Oh! I just remembered! We have storms coming this week - could do something on weather, and how about the bleaching properties of the sun, and lightning bugs and the moon... 

            and... 

                       and...

Interested in joining in the Smart Summer Challenge? Check out THIS POST to see what it's all about and how to join. Hey, there are even prizes to be won! Not that I wouldn't be doing this anyway - it's fun! - but hey, PRIZES make it even more enjoyable, you know?!

Our Butterflies have Flown the Coop!

A few weeks ago, I was one of the lucky winners on Surviving A Teacher's Salary (you really should check out Crystal's blog - I love it!) I won an Insect Lore Butterfly Pavilion. Not the little one, the deluxe five-star hotel for butterflies! Along with it came two little jars with five caterpillars in each. The kids (and I) were ecstatic!!!

Sorry, the caterpillar photos didn't turn out

At first, the tiny caterpillars didn't do a whole lot. We got excited to see them even moving. But, after a couple of days, they kicked into hyper-drive - these things were hungry and spent all day eating the waxy brown "special caterpillar food" from the bottom of the jars. It became a ritual for Little Guy to hold each jar before bedtime and give five kisses - one for each caterpillar - before he went to sleep. My oldest would rush home from school to check on their progress each day and then stand, mesmerized, staring at them. And, yes, I found myself wasting lots of time watching them, too. I couldn't believe how much they could eat!

They're still in their fuzzy caterpillar skins here.

One day after school, my oldest called to me from the living room, "Mom!!! Hurry up! Come here RIGHT NOW!" Now, I was in the bathroom at the moment, but the tone in his voice made me think that something really bad had happened. I got into the living room as quickly as possible (with visions of blood or broken bones in my mind) to find him staring into the caterpillar jars. "LOOK! They're hanging upside-down!" Yep, they were still caterpillars, but they were all hanging upside down from the jar lids , looking like little "J's". Over the next couple of hours, they were spastic as they hardened into chrysalises. They slowly wriggled out of their last bit of fuzzy caterpillar skin and became brown, translucent chrysalises.They were pretty cool. The camera couldn't capture the iridescence of the cocoon. It looked like a muddy puddle with a rainbow of gasoline floating on top!

The next step was for me to secure the paper that had lined the lid of the caterpillar jars onto the sides of the pavilion - easier said than done! You see, to protect themselves from wind, rain, and toddlers who like to tap on the sides of jars, these guys weave themselves little safety lines of silk to hold their chrysalises in place. When I opened the jar, these silk threads held tight. I had to use scissors to cut them away from the sides of the jars. Also, one of the papers had been so chewed up by the caterpillars that I couldn't remove it from the plastic lid, so I just taped the entire lid to the top of the pavilion.

For the next week, our routines changed. Whenever anyone thought about it, they'd peek into the pavilion to see if anything was happening. Nothing. Day after day. Little Guy still insisted on saying goodnight, but even he was getting tired of talking to little brown sticks. Then I was awoken at 3am by a tremendous clap of thunder. We had a terrible storm coming and I ran around the house, closing windows and unplugging appliances (we learned about blowing things up when lightning hits power lines last summer!) I sat down to calm down enough for sleep again when I heard scratching. I turned on the light and there was our first butterfly! The next morning, when Little Guy woke up, I showed it to him, expecting him to be excited. Instead, he eyed it suspiciously. I know what he was thinking, "Come on, Mom! I know you put the butterfly in there while I was sleeping! THAT couldn't have come out of those things the caterpillars made!" 

 

All day, I kept an eye on the pavilion. I wanted him to see a butterfly actually coming out of a cocoon, you know? Sometimes seeing is the only thing that's going to lead to believing. Nada. We still had just that one butterfly at bed time. We balled up a piece of paper towel, set it on a plate, and poured a sugar water mixture onto it so our little friend wouldn't starve, and then said good night. The next morning, I woke up to seven more butterflies! When little guy woke up, I think he was sure I was trying to get one over on him - LOL!

Finally, just before bed time, we all got to watch the last butterfly emerge. It was pretty cool to watch my kids faces as it broke free from the chrysalis and then slowly unfurled its wings! I wanted to take pictures, but the kids were so enthralled that I couldn't break that kind of excitement and concentration just to snap a photo. 

 (Sadly, our last butterfly never came out. My oldest was granted permission to do an autopsy and he discovered that the silk he had spun as a caterpillar had tied him into the cocoon so tightly that there was no way for him to get out unless he had packed a little pocket knife.)

We kept the butterflies for a few days, watching them eat and flutter around. We got a few library books that explained how butterfly mouths are more like straws and that's why we have to make sure the paper towel is always wet.

Sorry about the lighting. This is one of the butterflies eating. We made the paper towel into a flower shape and colored the sugar water a yellowish shade.

Then, on Monday, my oldest was watching them and he got all excited again. "Hey, Mom! Look! We have Siamese butterflies." What is he talking about?! Um... well, here's the picture. Let me just say that it was fun to completely embarrass him on this one. Once I told him what was going on, he just didn't know WHAT to say! LOL (I promised not to bring it up in front of his friends, but I reserve the right to tease him from time to time about it.) The following picture is Rated X:

That's when I decided we needed to let them go! I've had one of these butterfly kits before and, once they lay eggs and they hatch, you end up with hundreds of teeny-tiny caterpillars who can go through the netting all over the place. Sadly, my oldest was scheduled to be picked up for a visit with my brother on Monday night, so he had to miss out on the release.

Little Guy, on the other hand had a great time! Let me tell you just how serious this was to him: He listened to everything I said. He carefully followed directions. He was gentle so he wouldn't hurt his butterflies. All of these are things this kid hasn't done for a long, long time! I was amazed!!!

  

 I love the concentration on his face in these next two photos!

 Well, that's it! I spied a Swallowtail laying eggs on my dill earlier this week, so I'm going to be keeping an eye on them. Once the caterpillars get big enough, I'll bring in a pot of dill and parsley (they're favorite foods, along with carrot tops) and set them up in the pavilion. We had a ton of fun with them last year and now I have a great pavilion to keep them in instead of quart-size Ball jars!

If you're interested, I suggest trying this out for yourself. It's not only really cool and educational, butterflies are one of the good insects that are being killed off by pesticides. They pollinate flowers for us and are sorely needed! Amazon has the Butterfly Pavilion (with 10 caterpillars) on sale for  $22.14 and the smaller Butterfly Garden (with 5 caterpillars) for only $14.39!

Special thanks to Surviving a Teacher's Salary and Insect Lore 

for the amazing giveaway that allowed my kids (and me!) 

to have this great experience!