Mommy Goes Green

Head on over to The Creative Mama today for my monthly post, today it’s all about ‘Confessions from a Green Mom’.  Have a great weekend, talk to you Monday!

Hey mamas, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be contributing to another fabulous blog, The Creative Mama.  If you haven’t stumbled upon it, head on over there to find “everyday living with a touch of creativity”.  With 13 other contributors, you’ll find a wealth of knowledge about home, kids, photography and DIY and of course, green living.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this April, PBS KIDS GO!’s Design Squad is launching the nationwide 2010 Trash to Treasure competition on April 5th. Kids across the country ages 5-19 are challenged by the award-winning series to recycle, reuse and re-engineer everyday materials into new inventions. Three young innovators will win a trip to Boston to see their designs built and have the process chronicled for an upcoming episode of the engineering TV series. 

For a video about last year’s winner and his Home Dome invention check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAaMQuEFl8

I’m not normally a resolution type of gal, but this year I felt compelled to make a few resolutions for 2010. While my husband and I made several family resolutions, I made just one personal resolution – to take better care of myself. 

I know, it’s general, but it leaves room for the many things it may encompass and is flexible to accommodate my changing needs.  I am a better mother if I “put the oxygen mask on myself first”.  This year, for me, this means:

• Taking my vitamins EVERY day. 
• Drinking a glass of water every time I nurse my son. 
• Kicking my soda addiction - so far, I’ve mostly given up Coke but have switched to a different bubbly drink.  At least it’s caffeine free and free of high-fructose corn syrup.  
• Eating more fruits and vegetables – not hard to do since I’ve been averaging about one a day. 
• Eating lunch before 3 pm - for some reason I get lunch for my daughter at a reasonable time but then get busy with something else before I make my own.
• Exercising regularly – I’m not going to saddle myself with some ‘lose X pounds’ resolution (although I am still working on losing that baby weight!)  I want to exercise for the great ‘high’ I get from finishing a 5 mile run or completing an hour of kickboxing and for the example I provide to my children. 
• Washing my face every night – I just feel better getting up in the morning with a clean face. 
• Skip the razor and just get a bikini wax – I’m so done using a razor.

While these are mostly related to my health, that’s because 2009 was filled with health challenges.  What about you?  In what ways do you take care of yourself?  It could be spending more time with your girlfriends, establishing a regular date night with your spouse, getting a monthly pedicure, or simply being content with what you have.  I think I’ll add that last one to my list, too. 

I apologize for the lack of postings the last two weeks.  What started out as a short holiday vacation turned into forced time off due to a broken computer.  I should have it back in the next couple days and will be back in the swing of things. 

In the meantime, enjoy the last of your holiday vacation and I look forward to going green with you in 2010!

FREE is a great word, especially in this challenging financial times.  The good news is that there’s a lot of free stuff out there – you just need to know where to find it.  All of these sites endeavor to reduce landfill waste by encouraging members to give away their unwanted goods to others who can use it. 

The Freecycle network is comprised of local groups where you post a message containing the things that you want to give away.  You can also search for things that you’d like to get – for FREE!

Listia is an online auction site where you use credits to bid on free auction items.  You get credits by posting your own free items.  Join now and get 100 free credits to get started.  I found all kinds of different items from electronics like an LCD television and Kindle to Amazon and Starbucks gift cards. 

Kashless is also an online auction site where use you reward points to bid on free items.  You can earn reward points by listing items, inviting friends to participate, creating saved searches and more.  Currently, there are over 650,000 items in 100 metro areas.

The EarthCare Challenge will chronicle the challenges of 6 contestants aspiring to live more sustainable lifestyles – in reality game show style.  During the 45 day Green Makeover, green lifestyle experts will guide the finalists.  The contest will take place entirely on the Internet, through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and fans will be able to vote for their favorite contestants.  One grand prize winner will be awarded with their own personal collection of eco-friendly home furnishings, worth $5000.

Interested in being a contestant?  Submit a 3 – 5 minute video answering these questions:

1.  Would you consider yourself to be Eco-Oblivious as opposed to EcoChic?

2.  Show three examples that demonstrate why you are the most Eco-Oblivious or EcoChic contestant.

These ‘guidelines’ allow you to be as creative as you can.  For more information, check out the EarthCare Challenge website.

Hey Readers, Mommy Goes Green is a finalist in The Bump Mommy Blog Awards and we’d love to win with YOUR help!  It’s really easy, just go HERE and choose Mommy Goes Green!  Thank you for your support!

It’s the start of a long rainy season in Oregon and while native Oregonians don’t carry umbrellas ( I’m not even sure I own one! ) , I know the rest of the world isn’t quite as strange as us.   If I were to buy an umbrella, it would be one of these beauties, produced in an environmentally friendly manner.

The multi-floral above is the Coby Eco Umbrella found at Crate and Barrel.  It’s automatic, water-proofed and crafted of recycled and sustainable materials, from the 100% recycled cover to the bamboo handle and hemp strap. $19.95

Radley, a London based retailer, has a line of eco umbrellas with tons of style.  They are made with recycled polyester and a rubber handle.  In the U.S., the line is available at Lord & Taylor and Radley’s U.S. Store located in Garden City, New York.  $50

Black may be a little boring but it’s a classic.  Each part of this umbrella from Green Home is made from recycled materials! The fabric, which is composed of recycled plastic, is produced by crushing and heating the plastic to make the fabric fibers. Using recycled plastic not only decreases air pollution, but creates a safer, non-poisonous, high quality product.  The eco-friendly handle is composed of 65% shredded wood. In addition to decomposing within 2-3 weeks after placing it into soil, using shredded wood decrease the use of petroleum in the production process.  $38

How fun is this?  Eco Baby Buys is a website that lists one deal a day at 9am EST and only until they sell out of them.  Their deals are a MINIMUM of 40% off retail and they only sell products meeting this criteria:

• the use of non-toxic materials and dyes
• the use of organic and/or recycled textiles and materials
• the use of eco-friendly packaging
• commitment and adherence to the standards of fair-trade

You can sign up for a daily email blast listing their deal of the day to make sure you don’t miss any of their great deals!