Honor the Earth Giveaway Hop! #HonorEarth

Welcome to the Honor the Earth Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering and DeDa Studios. In honor of Earth Day and the Honor the Earth Giveaway Hop, I am excited to offer my readers the opportunity to win a great eco-friendly prize package! In addition to my giveaway, there are 50+ other blogs featuring Honor the Earth prize packages. Each of the participating blogs has a prize package worth at least $20 that will help you live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. After you enter my green giveaway, be sure to visit all of the other amazing blogs listed below the Rafflecopter form. Thank you and good luck! 

For the Honor the Earth event, I was inspired by one of my New Year's resolutions: to say goodby to plastic! My goal this year is to get rid of plastics in my home (especially the kitchen) and replace them with glass (or stainless steel). I am excited to share with you some great sponsors and their wonderful products! Since this is an Earth Day themed event, I thought that I would put together a package that will help you to ditch the plastic in your life!

Honor the Earth Prize Package includes:
Glass Dharma {Sponsor Spotlight}
Prize: A $25 Gift Certificate to Glass Dharma

Reuseit.com {Sponsor Spotlight}
Prize: A 22oz. Lifefactory Glass Water Bottle (ARV $21.95) from Reuseit.com

ARV of the Honor the Earth Prize Package of The Little Hedgehog Blog = $46.95!


This event is going to be open from 12:01am EST Thursday, April 12 , 2012 through 11:59pm EST Sunday, April 22, 2012. Don't delay, start entering now! :) 

 ***Giveaway is open to US residents only. Entrants must be 18+ years old. One winner will be chosen randomly. The winner has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. *** 

Honor the Earth Sponsor Spotlight: Reuseit.com Glass Water Bottles #HonorEarth

I love using reusable water bottles. I can not stand plastic water bottles. Call me crazy, but I swear I can taste the plastic in the water. I also dislike how they are expensive and then just get tossed (in the recycling bin, of course) after just one use. It seems so wasteful to me. I love how easy reusable water bottles are to refill throughout the day and the plain and simple fact that you can reuse them! I have been on the hunt for my "perfect" water bottle and after trying a few different brands, I have found it! I have been wanting to try glass water bottles for the longest time and was so excited when Reuseit.com agreed to work with me for the Honor the Earth event! They sent me a 22 oz Glass Water Bottle with Silicone Sleeve by Lifefactory in Midnight Blue and I am in love with it! I have seriously used this water bottle every.single.day since I received it.

I love that it is 22oz., which I feel is larger than most brands of water bottles (it's at least bigger than any water bottles I own). I definitely feel that since using it I have become more conscious of the amount of water I drink, which is especially important since summer weather seems to already be here (it has been in the high 80's-90's lately!). The wide mouth makes it super easy to drink out of and even little man has been known to grab it up and take a swig! The silicone sleeve that wraps around the glass water bottle is perfect for keeping the bottle slip-proof, even when it's full of icy water and "sweaty".

On an outing at the farmer's market!

I  am so glad that I have finally gotten to give glass water bottles a try. I prefer it to my other metal water bottles and love that with glass, I don't have to worry about any toxins leaching into my drink (no BPA,  phthalates, PVC or polycarbonate to worry about here)! Being that it is glass, it is also safe for both hot & cold beverages. I usually just put water in mine, but I'm sure this summer it will have some iced tea in it as well! I really like the silicone sleeve, which makes the bottle easy to pick up and I think it makes the water bottle look pretty too! The silicone sleeve isn't just pretty though, it is safe as well, being free of plastics and 100% non-toxic! Also, even though this water bottle is dishwasher safe, I prefer to hand wash and the wide mouth of the bottle makes it super simple!

Keeping me company in the office

This has been such a great water bottle to use and I really just can't say enough great things about it! I know I would definitely love to have some more! (the colors are so fun too!) If you are looking to start using glass water bottles, I definitely recommend Reuseit.com as the place to shop! Whether you are looking to get one of the Lifefactory glass bottles or another reusable item for home or when you are on the go, Reuseit.com has so many wonderful reusable items to help you ditch the disposables!

Reuseit.com is one of the sponsors for the Honor the Earth Event (happening April 12-22) and they have generously offered one winner a 22 oz Glass Water Bottle with Silicone Sleeve by Lifefactory! What is your favorite color?

This prize is up for grabs on my blog during the Honor the Earth Giveaway Hop! Be sure to enter HERE for a chance to WIN this awesome prize!

 

Honor the Earth Sponsor Spotlight: Glass Dharma! #HonorEarth

Glass Dharma is a wonderful company that was started by David Leonhardt in an effort to create a line of drinking straws that were not only beautiful, but would help to put an end to the "plastics problem" that plastic straws create.

Glass Dharma was so kind to send me four of their wonderful straws to review. I received a Beautiful Bends straw in the Ice Tea size, a Simple Elegance straw in the Smoothie Size and two of the Decorative Dots straws: 1 in the Sipper Size with Amber dots and 1 Ice Tea size with Blue dots. They came in simple and nicely labeled boxes and two of the boxes cam with 2 cleaning brushes. (*Not all straw purchases come with cleaning brushes and usually must be purchased separately.)

One of my goals this year has been to replace plastics in our kitchen for glass. I don't want to have to worry about any toxins leaching into our food or drinks from plastic! Glass straws have been a perfect addition to our drinks, especially for little man! Little man no longer uses a sippy cup and instead uses a bottle with a sport top or he drinks out of a regular cup (what a big boy!). While, we never had plastic straws at home, I love using glass straws at home now! Little man has become a pro at drinking his juices, water and milk from his little sipper straw! It is a great size for him and helps him get the right amount out of his cup with each sip. I really appreciate that our Glass Dharma straws are not only functional, but they make drinking pretty too! I especially love using them in my orange juice in the morning and in my water glass throughout the day.

The Decorative Dots Sipper straw is perfect for little man!

The Decorative Dots Sipper straw with Amber Dots

The Decorative Dots Iced Tea straw with Blue Dots - my favorite!

Glass straws are also a perfect way to "go green" with your beverages. One thing that I learned from the Glass Dharma site is that: "As of March 2008, McDonald’s serves an average of 52 million meals PER DAY!  (Per their website) How many of those served do you think were given a plastic straw?" What a lot of plastic that ends up in a landfill, and that's just from McDonald's! By taking glass straws with us when we go out, we can help keep some of those plastic straws out of our landfills. It may be a small step, but even small efforts can make a big difference!

I have started putting the Simple Elegance straw in the Smoothie size in my water bottle. It is the perfect fit and I really love that I can sip water easily (lots of water too with the Smoothie size!). I think that it has actually helped me drink more water throughout the day - a definite plus!

I have really enjoyed using our Glass Dharma straws and I know little man loves his! They really do add a pretty touch to something as simple as a glass of water! The Decorative Dots are definitely my favorite and I love that the dots add some color and help to keep the straw from rolling away! They come in 6 colors, so you could get a straw for little ones in their favorite color or you could even coordinate them with your kitchen decor! I would definitely encourage anyone who uses straws to look into swapping out plastic and replacing them with Glass Dharma straws! They are very sturdy (I haven't had the slightest worry that little man could break one) and I love that I don't have to worry about any toxins leaching into our drinks!

 I'll leave you with some fun facts about the Glass Dharma drinking straws (facts taken from their website):

GlassDharma glass drinking straws are:

• Made of borosilicate tubing and is the strongest glass commercially available.
  Means that we have spared no expense in bringing you the strongest, most durable drinking straw possible.

• Annealed to Corning, Inc. specifications (a process that strengthens the glass).
  So you can have confidence you are purchasing the highest quality glass straws available.

• Made of glass which does not leach ANY TOXINS into your food.
  So you can use your non-toxic straws with confidence.

• Created with the beauty and elegance that only glass can give.
  You’ll feel like royalty – with a touch of ‘glass’.

• A great environmental addition to your kitchenware.
  Great for hot or cold drinks, microwave and dishwasher safe!!

• Are fully backed by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
  If they don’t meetyour expectations, return for a full refund.

• Covered with our unbelievable Lifetime Guarantee Against Breakage.
  Means that if they ever break, we’ll replace them - Free,
  (Why do we do this?)
  
  
• Hand-made in the U.S.A.
  Buying from GlassDharma means that your dollar is not going off-shore - it stays right here in the U.S.A.

Glass Dharma is one of the sponsors for the Honor the Earth Event (happening April 12-22) and they have generously offered one winner a $25 gift certificate to their website!

This prize is up for grabs on my blog during the Honor the Earth Giveaway Hop! Be sure to enter HERE for a chance to WIN this awesome prize!

 

You can connect with Glass Dharma on Facebook, Twitter, their Blog and you can shop through their website!

Wordless Wednesday:After Bath Snuggles!

Super Skivvies Review & Giveaway!

Super Skivvies are the Original Convertible Cloth Training Pants. They are such a unique a well thought out system for little ones that are learning to use the potty and transition away from diapers. Super Skivvies are convertible training pants, meaning that they are both training pants and undies! There is a removable insert that you can slide into the pocket to turn them into trainers and then, when you are all done with potty training, you simply leave the insert out and you have cute undies for your little one! 

The pocket for the insert (or you can simply leave it out once your little one is done potty training)

Here the insert is tucked in

Super Skivvies are made with soft 100% cotton interlock and each pair comes with a removable insert consisting of: rayon (from bamboo) and organic cotton fleece. The inserts are so soft! The undies are very soft feeling as well and I love that they have just enough stretch for little man to be able to easily grasp the top band to pull them up and down. I think these are by far the easiest trainers we have used for little man!

Steph was so kind to send me a pair of Super Skivvies in the Humpty Dumpty print. I told her little man's measurements and she sent me the Small - it was a perfect fit! there are no gaps at his legs, yet they move with him nicely and are nice and soft on his skin. I also love that the tag is on the outside back - it's a super cute tag and it would be a shame to cover it up, plus, with it on the outside, I don't have to worry about the tag irritating little man's skin!

I am so, so proud of little man! He has really embraced using the potty and loves undies! Within the last month, he has had fewer and fewer accidents when we are out and about and so I started looking for some trainers that were more like undies than a diaper. I am so happy that I have gotten the chance to use Super Skivvies with little man! I have been using them for quite awhile now and I really think that they are helping to move potty training along! 

About 2 weeks ago, little man and I got to go along with hubby on one of his work trips (Yay!). I thought that the long car ride, a new location and different routine might set us back on potty training. I was so wrong! I'm not sure if it was the new location, or that he was sleeping in bed with us all night long or that I was just trusting that he could do it and wear undies throughout the day, but little man did amazing on our trip! He still wears a diaper at night, but he was dry every morning on our trip! During the day- no accidents! He was even dry throughout a 2 hour nap! (Now, I was still happy that he was wearing his Super Skivvies as back-up... just in case!) Since being home, little man has only had one tiny accident in his Super Skivvies on his way to the potty. I am happy to say that the inserts kept his clothes dry, yet he could still feel that he had an "accident". I think that we are definitely getting closer to being able to try Super Skivvies for night time!

 

Little man really loves wearing his Super Skivvies! They are comfy, don't restrict any movement and they are easy for him to pull on and off! I think that moving towards using more underwear-like trainers has really helped little man take a big step towards becoming fully potty trained. I have been so impressed by how well Super Skivvies have held up to multiple washings (and they are still as soft as ever!). I would definitely recommend Super Skivvies, whether you are starting your potty training adventure, in the middle or looking for some quality, hand-made undies for your little one! I love them and already know that I want to add some more to little man's training pant/underwear drawer!   

Interested in getting a pair of Super Skivvies for your little one? You can currently BUY Super Skivvies from Steph's Etsy site. (ARV $12.56-16.95) *Also Super Skivvies will be restocking in early May. They have sold out of their stock on their website three months earlier than expected, and have been trying to get more sewn and listed. Steph didn't want anyone to be disappointed- there are more Super Skivvies coming soon!*

 -OR- 

You can enter to WIN a pair of Super Skivvies in your choice of print and size!

***Giveaway is open Worldwide! Entrants must be 18+ years old. The winner has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.*** 

Giveaway will end May 3rd at 12:01am EST. 

Entries go in the Rafflecopter form below! You may view Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy

Wordless Wednesday: My Little Sick Chick

My poor little baby caught a cold the Friday before Easter. :( We spent the day on the couch or in bed and he slept most of the day away (definitely not normal for my regularly very active, not-napping little man!). Little man was pretty much back to normal by Saturday, but he was kind enough to pass the cold along to his mommy and daddy! (We need to work on learning what not to share, haha!) 

The Green Spring Clean Event! #GreenClean

Welcome to the Green Spring Clean Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering and SAPsMaMa! With Spring quickly approaching I am excited to offer my readers the opportunity to win some great green cleaning prize packages. In addition to my giveaway, there are 20+ other blogs featuring Green Spring Clean prize packages. After you're done entering my giveaway, please visit the other blogs, which you'll find listed below the Rafflecopter form. Good luck! 

In an effort to help my readers get started with their spring cleaning, in a natural and eco-friendly way, I am excited to share with you some great sponsors and their products that can help you get your home sparkly clean, all while leaving the nasty chemicals behind. Since this is a green spring cleaning event, I thought that I would put together a package that will help you to "Green Your Cleaning Routine"!

 Better Life {Sponsor Spotlight}
Prize: Floor Care Kit (ARV $39.30)

Ecover {Sponsor Spotlight}
Prize: Toilet Cleaner in Bay Breeze Scent (ARV $4.06), Bathroom Cleaner (ARV $4.40) and Laundry Liquid 2.5X Concentrate in Sunny Day (ARV $12.62) 

Eco Nuts {Sponsor Spotlight}
Prize: $10 gift certificate 

Eco-Me {Sponsor Spotlight}
Prize: Stainless Steel Spray (ARV $5.79) 

and 

ecoSTORE 
Prize: Cream Cleaner (ARV $3.95) and Dishwash Liquid (ARV $3.80)
ARV of the "Green Your Cleaning Routine" Prize Package: $83.92!



This event is going to be open from 12:01am EST Wednesday, March 21, 2012 through 11:59pm EST Friday, March 30, 2012. Don't delay, start entering now! :) 


 ***Giveaway is open to US residents only. Entrants must be 18+ years old. One winner will be chosen randomly. The winner has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. ***

Green Spring Clean Sponsor Spotlight: Eco Nuts #GreenClean

Eco Nuts is a wonderful company that uses soap nuts to create detergents, household cleaning products and bath & body products. What are soap nuts? I asked myself the very same question the first time I heard the name!

"Eco Nuts Soap Nuts are a berry that grows in the Himalayas that naturally produces a soap.  The soap is called saponin, a natural cleaner that works as a surfactant, breaking the surface tension of the water to penetrate the fibers of your clothing, lifting stains from the fabric and leaving dirt suspended in the water that is rinsed away." --taken from the website

Eco Nuts sent me a 4oz. bottle of their Liquid Detergent (ARV $9.49) which can clean up to 24 loads in a regular top loading washing machine or 48 loads in a HE machine! You can even use it on delicates and you'll just 1/4 of a cap, giving you 96 loads! It is recommend that you use the liquid detergent (over the actual soap nuts) if you use an HE machine, have hard water or like to wash primarily on cold. That's me! The liquid detergent came in an aluminum package, making it lightweight and recyclable (it's cute too!). It is made with only three ingredients: Soapberry extract, vegetable glycerin and Potassium Sorbate (a food grade preservative). One thing that I really appreciate is that the soap nuts at Eco Nuts are all certified USDA Organic by Oregon Tilth. That makes me feel even better about using it on my laundry! Another benefit is that Eco Nuts Liquid Detergent contains no dyes, fragrances, fillers, enzymes, optical brighteners and it is 100% SLS (sodium laurel sulfate) and phosphate-free. Being 100% natural and free of toxic chemicals also makes the liquid detergent safe for septic tanks and gray water systems. We don't have have a septic tank where we live now, but my parents have one and I grew up having one. A lot of care and maintenance goes into them and you definitely don't want any icky chemicals messing it up your system! 

 I have never used any form of soap nuts before, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I did my first couple loads of laundry with the Eco Nuts Liquid Detergent. When I opened the bottle, I thought that the liquid detergent smelled kind of like apple cider vinegar! (Don't worry, you're clothes won't come out of the washing machine smelling like apple cider vinegar!) I couldn't believe that a tiny little half teaspoon worth of detergent could get clothes clean! I watched the wash cycle for a bit and was so surprised that I didn't see any bubbles! I feel like I associate sudsing with clean clothes, but with Eco Nuts you are getting clean cloths with out any artificial ingredients that cause bubbles. When the washing machine was done, I took the clothes out and they smelled like...nothing! Just clean nothing-ness! Just the way it should be. 

This detergent is perfect for us. Little man has pretty sensitive skin and his arms in particular can get easily irritated if we are not careful with the detergent that we use. I have used the liquid detergent on quite a few loads of clothes for little man and his eczema hasn't flared up at all! No reaction from little man definitely earns a thumbs up from me! I really love that with Eco Nuts, I don't have to worry about anything being in the detergent that could possibly be an irritant! 

I would definitely recommend Eco Nuts and their products. I love that Eco Nuts Liquid Detergent is perfect for all of your laundry and they are even safe for cloth diapers! A little definitely goes a long way and it is the perfect way to green your laundry routine and leave behind the additives and fillers from other detergents. It is gentle on skin and clothes but tough on dirt! I really have loved using my Eco Nuts Liquid Detergent and will definitely be looking to get a refill when this bottle is empty!

Eco Nuts is one of the sponsors for the Green Spring Clean Event (happening March 31-30) and they have generously offered one winner a $10 gift certificate to use on their website! This is the perfect way to pick out exactly what you need for your cleaning routine! 

This prize is up for grabs on my blog during the Green Spring Clean Event! Be sure to enter HERE for a chance to WIN this awesome prize!

 

You can connect with Eco Nuts on Facebook, Twitter , their Blog page and to shop for Eco Nuts, you can  take a look at their online shop.

Lucky Clover St. Patrick’s Event Winners! #luckyclover

Congratulations to Sarah and Heather, the two winners of the Lucky Clover St. Patrick’s Event! Sarah won Prize Pack #1 and Heather won Prize Pack #2!

Thank you to everyone who entered and a big thank you to all of the wonderful sponsors for this event!

Lucky Clover St. Patrick’s Event! #luckyclover

Happy St. Patrick's Day and welcome to the Saint Patrick's Lucky Clover Event! Together with Anderson's Angels and Joy Of Momma Joyner, I am excited to be a part of this fun blog hop with a total of 30 bloggers! Each participating blog has a great prize package valued at $25 or more! You'll definitely want to hop on to all the blogs to enter! ALSO... Visit either one of the two host blogs linked above and find a CASH GIVEAWAY valued at $80! EASY to enter on a Rafflecopter form!

This event is going to be open from 12:01am EST Saturday, March 17, 2012 through 11:59pm EST Friday, March 23, 2012. Don't delay, start entering now! :) 

I am excited to share that there are TWO awesome prize packages that you have the chance to win! Since this is a green themed event (in honor of St. Patrick's Day and the tradition of wearing green), I thought that I would put together two packages that are "green" in an eco-friendly way!

• A 3oz box of Morning Blossom tea from Sacred Rose {Sponsor Spotlight}
• A Lunette menstrual cup {Sponsor Spotlight} 
• A $10 gift certificate to Party in My Pants {Sponsor Spotlight}
• A bag of Femme Rock {Sponsor Spotlight}
• A Bamboo Water bottle from BuyGreen.com {Sponsor Spotlight}

ARV of Package #1 = $102.94!

•  A $50 gift certificate to Hazelnut Kids {Sponsor Spotlight}
• A $25 gift certificate to Hazelaid {Sponsor Spotlight}

ARV of Package #2 = $75!

 ***Giveaway is open to US residents only. Entrants must be 18+ years old. Two winners will be chosen randomly. The winner has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Note: You are not guaranteed to win the package of choice, but I will try to assign packages to the winners based on their preference stated on the mandatory entry.*** 

Green Spring Clean Sponsor Spotlight: Better Life #GreenClean

About Better Life
"In 2007 two life long friends, Tim Barklage and Kevin Tibbs, were watching their toddlers crawl across the floors and climbing up and around on all kinds of surfaces in the home (and then put their little fingers in their mouth of course). As concerned new parents, they began discussing the dangers of traditional cleaners and the toxic residues they leave behind. Tim (always the optimist) challenged Kevin, an innovative formulation chemist, to create a new line of cleaning products that set the standard in safety and work better than anything out there.

No small order, Kevin began his work in the lab with his plant-derived ingredients and Tim got to work on building the brand. The result of their efforts are a line of products that keep kids, pets and the planet safe. No more harmful chemicals in the air and on the surfaces of our homes and planet. Better Life set out to not only create a better product but a better solution for all." --taken from the website

 The mission behind Better Life isn't complicated. They want cleaning to be pure and simple and they don't want any more "what-if's" when it comes to your cleaning products. I thought that they put together a great video about the ideals at Better Life:

Better Life cares about what goes into their products, how well they work and they still want to have some fun too! Their products are fun, colorful and so cleverly named! I love it! Who wouldn't want to clean using a product called: 2am Miracle or Dish It Out!? Their website really has an awesome collection of green cleaners to help get your entire home clean! They even have handy-dandy kits that bundle together everything you would need for a certain room or a specific task! 

Better Life sent me their Floor Care Kit that included a mop frame and pole, two microfiber mop pads and a bottle of Simply Floored! their Natural Floor Cleaner. I'm not sure who was more excited to put it together, little man or me! He absolutely loves cleaning and he was so excited to use the mop, that we just had to clean the floor right away! (It needed it too!)

Eww..I am ashamed.

 The mop was really easy to put together and the mop pads attached with hook and loop. I was impressed with how firmly they attached - the mop pads didn't budge at all while I was mopping! We have icky, white linoleum floors that came with our house (seriously, who picks white linoleum!?!). It seems like it is impossible to keep clean and get to look shiny. 

Easy to put together...and we're ready to go!

The whole kit is so easy to use, I just got the mop pad wet (before I attached it), squirted some Simply Floored! on the floor and mopped away! (Interesting side note: I have never owned a mop! I usually use a bucket of hot, soapy, vinegar water and a rag. This definitely saved my knees!) As we were mopping, I was really impressed with how quickly the floor was coming clean! Seriously, little man could clean the floor! (Not that he did, he just helped me for a bit ;) ) There were some tougher, sticky spots that actually required some "scrubbing", but all of the dirt and grime came up off the floor easily. Awesome! This is so much easier than scrubbing and honestly, the end result was a shinier kitchen floor that I have had in a very long time!  

My willing and eager assistant ...don't worry, I didn't make him mop the whole floor! Although he was pretty sad when I took over.

All done... eww! Look at all the dirt it picked up!

Ta daa!

 I really love the Simply Floored! floor cleaner! It was so nice not to have to mix soap and vinegar and fill a bucket with water. The scent was nice too, a citrus-mint smell that was actually quite mild. The ingredient list is pretty simple as well and I really appreciate that Better Life lists their ingredients! 

The Simply Floored! ingredient list:

Purified water, Coconut and corn derived surfactants, Vegetable glycerin, Natural amino-acid based surfactant, Spearmint essential oil, Bergamot essential oil, Grapefruit oil and Preservative (less than 0.08%).

I definitely feel alright about little man helping mommy clean the floors with this! 

I really love my Floor Care Kit. It makes cleaning the floors so easy and I love knowing that it is non-toxic! Better Life not only has a great selection of eco-friendly products to choose from, but they also have a lot of helpful information on their site! One section that I really liked was the "Truth About Green" section! I would definitely recommend Better Life to anyone! Their products clean well and are safe - can't beat that! I already know that I'll be getting more of the natural floor cleaner when I run out and I think that I'll have to try, I Can See Clearly, Wow!, the Natural Glass Cleaner on my mirrors and slider door too! Better Life has a great variety of green cleaners that are perfect for spring cleaning or for any cleaning throughout the year!

Better Life is one of the sponsors for the Green Spring Clean Event (happening March 31-30) and they have generously offered one winner the same Floor Care Kit that I was sent for review (ARV $39.30)! This is the perfect kit to help you easily keep your floors shiny and clean, without any icky chemicals!

This prize is up for grabs on my blog during the Green Spring Clean Event! Be sure to enter HERE for a chance to WIN this awesome prize!

 

You can connect with Better Life on Facebook, Twitter , their Blog page and to shop for Better Life, you can  take a look at their online shop (Their Floor Care Kit is on sale for $29.99 right now too!).