Posts Tagged ‘kids’

Eco-Holiday Shopping Specials

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

GiftGuideHere are a few deals and steals that I’d like to share with all of you!  Great eco-minded companies!

Franklin Goose- Start a wishlist or gift registry during the month of December and share it with friends and family.  Franklin Goose will randomly selected winners to receive one item from their list!  Maybe they will grant your wish!  Great wooden, soft, and recycled toys for the babies and tots!  Coupon code 15077b61 for Free Shipping on all orders over $50.  See full review HERE.

Sprout Baby - Use coupon code SBBL055to save 15% off your first purchase.  Sprout Baby sells organic baby food, cloth diapers, and much more!  Only 7 days left to register to win $2500 cash in their First Birthday Bash! See full review HERE.

adenanaisaden + anais – Great organic cotton muslin swaddle blankets and more!  Lil B doesn’t go anywhere without hers. 
From Dec. 3 – Dec. 18th you can save 15% off anything on their site with coupon code celebrate.  See full review HERE.

Dittany Baby: Save when you shop at Dittany Baby with the following codes!  ***Be sure to enter theecochic@gmail.comin the comments box at checkout so I can receive my “Refer A Friend” credits.  (THANK YOU!!)  See full review and enter the giveaway for a Mei Tai baby carrier HERE.  (Giveaway ends Dec. 10, 2009)  
                            ”10off20” for 10% off of a $20.00 order
                            “20off50” for 20% off of a $50.00 order
                            “35off100” for 35% off of a $100.00 order

Picnic Basket Crafts on Etsy:   Etsy is a great place to find homemade items when you don’t have the time to make it yourself.  PBC makes homemade spa and body treatments along with other cool items.  Coupon code Eco Chic Blog for 10% off your next purchase.  See full review HERE.

Rockin’ Green Soap:  Use coupon RockinHoliday and receive 10% offyour purchase.  Great eco-friendly detergent formulated especially for cloth diapers.  Scents I’ve tried…pumpkin crunch, peppermint cocoa, cherry lemonade, and buttercream.  Next on the list to try…Mango Sorbet! Yummy!

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Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway #11

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Gifts for the Eco-KidsGiveaway Alert! Win an autographed I’m Me! CD by Charlie Hope from Challenge & Fun!  ECO-ngratulations Nancy S! Check your email!

I bet you are saying, “Who’s Charlie Hope?”  I was saying the same thing when I got this CD but I am soooooo in love with her (yes, Charlie is a girl) and her music.  I’m Me! is Charlie’s debut album that features a mix of traditional kids songs and original numbers written by Charlie herself.  I popped the CD in my car and my son and I were instantly humming along to the catchy tunes.  Now it’s become our album of choice as we go back and forth to school each day. 

I'm Me frontI’m Me! won silver in the Parent’s Choice Award in 2009 so I’m not the only one who loves Charlie Hope.  I can’t wait to get a copy of her follow-up album World of Dreams to lull my Lil’ B off to sleep. 

Website: http://challengeandfun.com/index.php
Twitter: http://twitter.com/challengeandfun
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Challenge-Fun/

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Craftsburykids

Peapods

Win It! One lucky reader will win an autographed copy of I’m Me! from Challenge & Fun.  To enter visit Charlie Hope’s website and tell me one thing you learned about her.  Leave your response below (this is a mandatory entry).

Extra Entries:
-Enter any of my other Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways (Leave a comment telling me which one’s you’ve entered.)
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader (Leave your email addy)
-Add my button to your blog or site (Leave a link to your blog)
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide  (Leave a link to your blog)
-Share this giveaway with your friends (Leave me a comment telling me how)

Giveaway open worldwide to anyone over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 10 entries total for this giveaway.  Giveaway ends December 10, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

Giveaway ended! ECO-ngratulations Nancy S!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*This post was sponsored by Challenge & Fun.

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Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway #10

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Gifts for the Eco-KidsGiveaway Alert! Win a Labyrinth Balance Board from Challenge & Fun.   ECO-ngratulations Cindy! You win!

Do you suffer from video game and television addicted kids?  Give them a Labyrinth Balance Board this year and you may want to play it with them.  The board is made here in the US from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).  It includes three small balls that fit on the boards maze.  Place the balls on the board and try to maneuver them from the outside to the inside (or vice-versa).  Just be sure to keep the balls away from the younger babies and tots…chocking hazard! 

Challenge & Fun has two different sized boards.  We have the full size board and our almost 7 year old can manage it quite well.  The Jr. board would work well too but I like the challenge of the full size board myself.  Shhhh…don’t tell him I’ve been playing with his toy!

Website: http://challengeandfun.com/index.php
Twitter: http://twitter.com/challengeandfun
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Challenge-Fun/

Where to Buy:
Museum Tour

Win It! One lucky reader will win their own Labyrinth Balance Board from Challenge & Fun.  To enter visit Challenge & Fun and tell me one thing you learned from their site.  Leave your response below (this is a mandatory entry).

Extra Entries:
-Enter any of my other Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways (Leave a comment telling me which one’s you’ve entered.)
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader (Leave your email addy)
-Add my button to your blog or site (Leave a link to your blog)
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide  (Leave a link to your blog)
-Share this giveaway with your friends (Leave me a comment telling me how)

Giveaway open to residents of the continental US over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 10 entries total for this giveaway.  Giveaway ends December 10, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

Giveaway ended! ECO-ngratulations Cindy!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*This post was sponsored by Challenge & Fun.

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Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway #9

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Gifts for the Eco-KidsGiveaway Alert!  One lucky reader will win an I Cherish Planet Earth Book and Memory Game from Challenge & Fun.  ECO-ngratulations Jennifer T! Check your email!

Challenge & Fun is a great online store that features eco-friendly gifts for babies and kids.  Since I normally write about the baCherishEarthby stuff I’m super excited when I get the opportunity to write about eco-friendly products for my older child.  I think he might get a little jealous with all the baby stuff! 

I Cherish Planet Earth is a great eco-friendly book that teaches kids how to respect the Earth.  It comes with a matching game with images from the story.  This is a great gift for both preschool and elementary age children alike.  I think the classic memory was one of my sons first board games at about 3 yrs old and he stills enjoy playing it at almost 7 yrs old. 

Website: http://challengeandfun.com/index.php
Twitter: http://twitter.com/challengeandfun
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Challenge-Fun/

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Three Sisters
MyToysMart.com
Tree Hollow Toys
My Little Green Room

Win It! One lucky reader will win their own copy of I Cherish Planet Earth from Challenge & Fun.  To enter visit Challenge & Fun and tell me one thing you learned from their site.  Leave your response below (this is a mandatory entry).

Extra Entries:
-Enter any of my other Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways (Leave a comment telling me which one’s you’ve entered.)
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader (Leave your email addy)
-Add my button to your blog or site (Leave a link to your blog)
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide  (Leave a link to your blog)
-Share this giveaway with your friends (Leave me a comment telling me how)

Giveaway open worldwide to anyone over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 10 entries total for this giveaway.  Giveaway ends December 10, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

Giveaway Ended! ECO-ngrations Jennifer T!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*This post was sponsored by Challenge & Fun.

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Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway #5

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

BabiesKidsGiveaway Alert! Win a $15 gift certificate for Piggy Paint!  Giveaway ended! ECO-ngratulations Nancy S! Watch your email!

Now that Lil’ B is almost a year old (January) it’s cute to paint up her little piggies!  She’s a little squirmy but if I catch her while she’s snoozing I can get them painted up and dried before she realizes what I’m doing. 

Piggy Paint is non-toxic, odorless, and kid-friendly nail polish perfect for you little ones and their piggies.  They come in a great variety of colors and work just like the fancy store brands you find filled with nasty chemicals.  Lil’ B kept her Girlz Rule (purple) on for over a week before I needed to touch them up.  Piggy Paint would make a great gift or stocking stuffer for any age girl on your list…I’ve even been spotted sporting Girlz Rule on occasion (like right now)! piggy_paint_button

Buy It!  During the month of November you can catch a really great deal on their Jingle Nail Rock Gift Set which is on sale for only $23.50 (Reg $27.50).  Save even more by using coupon code ECC015L for a 15% savings on your purchase between now and Dec. 15th, 2009.  Piggy Paint offers free domestic shipping on all orders over $25 so buy a few sets as gifts and keep one for yourself! 

Win It!  One lucky reader will win a $15 gift certificate from Piggy Paint.  Just visit Piggy Paint and tell me how you would spend your money…leave your comment below. 

Extra Entries:
-Enter any of my other Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways (Leave a comment telling me which one’s you’ve entered.)
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader (Leave your email addy)
-Add my button to your blog or site (Leave a link to your blog)
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide  (Leave a link to your blog)
-Share this giveaway with your friends (Leave me a comment telling me how!)

Giveaway open to all residents in the US over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 10 entries total.  Giveaway ends December 7, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected. 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

Giveaway ended! ECO-ngratulations Nancy S!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*This post was sponsored by Piggy Paint.

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Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway #1

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

BabiesKidsGiveaway Alert! Franklin Goose is giving one loyal reader a $25 gift certificate to use at their online store.  ECO-ngratulations Alysia! Watch your email for details on how to claim your $25 gift certificate from Franklin Goose!

Franklin Goose is an online retailer that sells just about everything you could want for your babies, tots, or kids.  Franklin Goose specializes in environmentally friendly toys, rattles, art supplies, organic plush, organic clothing, cloth diapers, feeding, furniture, books & CDs.  One of my favorite items is the Fruit Stained Stacker by TickiTackiToys.  Made from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and stained with fruit and vegetable juices you can be sure that this toy is safe for your little ones.  FranklinGoose

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/franklingoose
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/FranklinGoose 
Blog:  http://blog.franklingoose.com/

Holiday Savings!  Free shipping on all orders over $50 from now through Dec. 1st, 2009. Coupon Code 15077b61.

Win It!  Want to win a $25 gift certificate from Franklin Goose to spend on that special eco-baby or tot? 

Giveaway closed! Eco-ngratulations Alysia! Watch your email for details on how to claim your $25 gift certificate from Franklin Goose.

Mandatory Entry:  Visit Franklin Goose and leave me a comment telling me what you would buy if you won. 

Extra Entries:
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader
-Add my button to your blog or site
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide
-Share this giveaway with your friends

Giveaway open to all residents in the US over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 6 entries total.  Giveaway ends November 30, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected. 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*Franklin Goose sponsored this post.

 

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Great American Teach In

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Today I spent an hour at my son’s school with about 40 first graders talking about trash!  The Great American Teach In is a time for parents and community members to come into the schools and show the kids what we do for a living.  I love talking to the kids but I was a bit intimidated when I drove up…there was a garbage truck, a helicopter, and a police car in the parking lot!  And here I come with my reusable shopping bag full of goodies.  I was afraid they wouldn’t be interested but they loved it.

I decided that this year I would talk about the 3R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!  The media tends to push recycling but they don’t mention the other 2 R’s.  I started by asking kids if they knew where their trash goes to…that big hole in the ground we call a landfill…and told them that hundreds of years from now their trash will still be there!  Then I talked about the Mobius Strip (the recycling symbol) and what it means.  Did you know that it was created in 1970 by a 23 year old college student; Gary Anderson? 

I showed the kids some simple ways to reduce and reuse their waste.

-Reusable bags
-Reusable water bottles
-Using both sides of the paper
-Using trash for craft projects

I even prepared a small craft project for the kids.  I took some of our cardboard boxes from the recycling bin (cereal, pop tarts, mac-n-cheese, etc) and cut them to the size of a bookmark.  Each kid got to draw and color a picture on the backside and I finished them off by adding a ribbon to the top.  It was so cute to see the kids all excited about playing with trash! 

I can’t wait for next year to visit again; I wonder what I’ll talk about then?

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Saturday Morning Musings

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

I enjoyed my Saturday Morning Musings so much I’ve decided to make it a regular feature on The Eco Chic! 

This mornings is going to be quick though because my children did not let me sleep in!  Hubby had to work this morning so as soon as he left at 5:45am my morning began…and it went something like this:

6:00am:  “Mommy, my tooth came out all by itself!” His top front tooth has been REALLY loose for a few days and last night ended with tears because it wouldn’t come out.

6:05am:  Lil’ B decided to join in the fun and wake up too!

6:06am:  Started to feed Lil’ B, listened to Big B talk about his tooth (loudly), changed Lil’ Bs diaper, watched them play for a few minutes together in the bed….pulling my hair, climbing on top of each other, and all the other fun things kids do in the morning when their mother wants to sleep!

6:24am:  Told Big B to call his Grandmother!  LOL!  That should be funny, right?  She did tell me last night she was going to hit a big sale at 7am…they should be up by now. 

6:29am:  Heard Grandma tell me how lucky I was that they were up!  I just wanted them to experience all the joy that I was experiencing. 

6:30am:  Put Lil’ B back in her crib and told Big B to go play quietly until 7am!  I needed a few more minutes of beauty rest…

6:54am:  After listening to them play quietly together in her crib for 20-some odd minutes I decided to get up and write this post!  Big B has been looking over my shoulder the whole time asking why I’m writing about him on The Eco Chic! 

7:05am (now):  I’m going to get my day started!  Happy Saturday!!!

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Saturday Morning Musings

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Does anyone else play music beds at night?  Why is it that our 6yo was hogging my bed so I moved to his bed…then the baby woke up and joined me in the twin bed…then I put her back to bed and moved to the sofa…and trying to be so so quiet typing…the boy wakes up and joins me on the sofa!  Can’t a momma get a few quiet moments on the computer by herself since everyone else hogs my bed?

Memories of last night.  Not unlike most Friday nights (except we were without our normal buddies) hubby and I wanted to hit Target for date night.  Now we usually partake in this with our best friends AND the kids but our boy had his first party to attend last night!  It was actually quite cute…4 first graders invited to their friends house for Scary Movie Night and Pizza!  Now this was a total first for us…dropping him off at a friends house that we hardly know! 

But hubby and I survived…with the help of Lil’ B…we enjoyed some nasty steak burgers at Steak N Shake and indulged in some shakes too!  Next it was off to the land of Oz…I mean Target! 

I was in search of a few last minute pieces for my Halloween costume which I never found…who would have thought they would have sold out of devil horns and pitchforks? 

And I have a new toy (thanks to my hubby who told me how much I made in OT last pay period) …

…my new sewing machine!  Now don’t get too excited, I haven’t sewed anything with a machine since I was in high school (and I won’t reveal how long ago that was)!  But I have some projects that I’ve been dying to try. 

1.  Easy kids (or babies) pants from a repurposed t-shirt.

2.  Drawstring backpack from a repurposed t-shirt.

3.  T-shirt tote bags (for groceries and shopping).

4.  Baby and Kids T-shirt dress (can’t find the link).

5.  Pillowcase dresses (I can’t wait to do this one!).

6.  Bandana dress (or shirt) for girls.

7.  Stuffed felt monsters. (The possibilities are endless!)

8.  Repurposed denim bibs (just found this one today).

9.  Wet Bag for cloth diapers.

10.  And maybe one day I’ll have the confidence to make a cloth diaper!

Do you have any (easy or beginner) sewing projects you think I would like?  Send me your links!  I’ll post pics of my projects once I start working on them.  I can’t wait to start repurposing some of these old t-shirts we have…hundreds of them!!

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Every Bag Matters

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Giveaway Alert!  I have two giveaways with this post and two winners compliments of graze organic and ReUsies!  See details for entry below. ECO-ngratulations Cinella and Tamara! Cinella just won the set of reusable bags from graze organics and Tamara won the set of reusable bags from ReUsies!  Watch your email for more information!

Go look in your kitchen and tell me how many boxes of plastic sandwich and snack bags you have!

(Yes, that was an order…go look now!)

(I’m waiting!)

My pantry has one box of sandwich size bags and I plan on having that box last me the rest of the year!  We are slowly breaking our baggie habit.  It’s much easier to break the habit with my kids and myself but I’m still working on the hubster!  Did you know that the average person uses 3-4 baggies per day?  Multiply that number by the number of members in your family and then multiply that by 365 days of the year and you have a really big number don’t you??  (Ok…I’ll wait as you write that down and do the calculations!  For me that would be 6,840 baggies in just one year!!!)  I’m almost positive you are not like my dear sweet Grandmother who washes her baggies and reuses them, are you?  No, you use them once and throw them into the trash (which in case you are wondering is probably still sitting in a hole in the ground not far from your house.) 

Well I have a solution for you!  Reusable fabric sandwich and snack bags.  I found 2 brands which I was very fond of and want to share these wonderful companies with you. 

set_5aThe first is graze organic, a small business in California, that makes 100% certified organic cotton bags.  Available in two sizes (sandwich and snack size) these bags have no plastic lining, are printed with water based (non-toxic/PVC-free/no plastisols) ink right here in the USA!  graze organic sells their bags in sets of 3 and in a deluxe set of 5 bags ($24-38/set) perfect for your complete lunch!  My son’s favorite graze bag is the ‘Surprise!’ bag!  Even if something doesn’t require a bag he insists that I put it in one of his bags!  It’s actually quite adorable!  The graze bags seal using hook/loop velcro and is very easy to use.  They aren’t lined so you should use caution if you want to put watermelon or other ‘water’ substances into them!

You may be wondering how easy they are to clean!  I actually (depending on what I put into them) reuse them a few times before I wash them.  Just open and shake clean (empty the crumbs the mice have left behind) and they are ready to use again.  They are machine washable too.  To extend the life of the fabric (and be a little greener) you could always hand wash them in your sink and lay them out to dry!  I tend to just throw them in wash with the kitchen towels at the end of the week.  Very cute and very functional bags!  Our graze organic bags have become a staple in our school lunches and in Lil’ B’s diaper bag (great for puffs and cereal snacks!!).

The second brand of bags is from ReUsies, a small business from Seattle.  The ReUsies bags are 100% cotton (not organic) Baseballand lined with a leak resistant nylon.  Don’t worry…the nylon used is BPA-free, Lead-free, and Phthalate-free so they are safe for you and your family!  ReUsies are also machine washable but since they are lined are very easy to wipe clean between washes.  ReUsies also have Velcro closures.  ReUsies currently have over 25 different fabric patterns for girls, boys, and adults!  My son is loving his baseball bag in black!

ReUsies are sold individually at $8.75 for the sandwich size and $6.75 for the snack size.  That’s about the cost of 1-2 boxes of disposable bags and you won’t ever run out!  Just think how much money you will save by not having to keep buying bags to throw away!  Your pocket book will thank you!

Buy It Now!  Don’t waste any more money on those disposable bags!  Invest in a set of reusable bags for each member of your family today.  Whether you like the graze organic bags or the ReUsies I’m sure the Earth will thank you!  

Win It!  Both graze organic and ReUsies are giving away a set of reusable bags.  graze organics is giving away a set of 3 bags (one large, two small) and ReUsies is giving away a set of 2 bags (one large, one small).  I will draw 2 winners, one for each brand.  Contest open to residents in the US. 

MANDATORY ENTRY!  Visit both graze organics and ReUsies and tell me your favorite style/design from each brand.  Leave a comment below with your responses. 

EXTRA ENTRY #1!  Follow us on Twitter!  @TheEcoChic @grazeorganic @ReUsies.  Leave a comment below telling me you follow us all!

EXTRA ENTRY #2!  Tweet about this giveaway!  “Reusable sandwich bags are great for the Earth! Win a set from @grazeorganic @ReUsies from @TheEcoChic www.theecochic.com”  Maximum of 5 extra entries for this contest!  Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.

EXTRA ENTRY #3!  Subscribe to The Eco Chic via Feedburner to be delivered to your inbox!  That way you will never miss another giveaway!  Leave a comment below with the email address you used to subscribe.

EXTRA ENTRY #4!  Subscribe to The Eco Chic via Google Reader and Share this post with your friends!  Add me to the “People You Follow” and “Share” this post with your friends!  (You can find me at theecochic@gmail.com on Google Reader)  Leave me a comment below.

EXTRA ENTRY #5!  Become a Fan on FaceBook of The Eco Chic!  Feel free to share me with your friends!  Leave me a comment telling me you are a fan!  

Remember to leave a separate comment for each task and the first one is mandatory before the extra entries will be counted! 

Contest ends on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at midnight (EST).

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

ECO-ngratulations! Cinella and Tamara are the winners of this giveaway! Watch your emails for more information!

 

A set of graze organic reusable bags and a set of ReUsies reusable bags were provided by the companies for this review. 

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