Mommy Goes Green

Using sample sizes are a great way to try out new products.  Healthy Child, Healthy World has a great list of Organic and Natural Travel Size Toiletries you can get from Minimus.

Essential oils always seem like a safe alternative to fragrances derived from chemicals. Bubble and Bee tells us that’s not always true – especially during pregnancy!

Considering a stay at home birth?  Check out Simple Organic’s post on Natural Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum Healing.

Remember how I said just two weeks ago that I didn’t think using coupons was for me? Yah, well I lied. I used coupons today and got 3 packs of diapers for $1.47.  They weren’t green but they were free and frankly, I’ll take free over green.  I can use the extra  money for other green things   If you’re a coupon queen, check out Organic Deals and Coupons.  On Thurs alone, she posted 6 great deals.

Healthy Child shared that ‘Child’s Chances of Getting Cancer Begins Before Conception’.  How’s that for scary?  I shudder to think about what I ate/drank/[other unhealthy things] before I ever had kids.

I keep a bag in my laundry room just for baby/kid’s clothing, toys and other gear that I no longer need.  I am constantly adding to that bag and try to empty it once a month.  Depending on the item and quality, I either give them to a friend with younger children,  take it to a local organization that donates them to charities and families in need or I drop them by Goodwill.   When I have large quantities of good quality items, I’ve always taken them to resale events.

I’ve just found another option: Freepeats!  Have you heard of it?  I just stumbled on it today and I love the idea.  You can pass on your baby clothing, gear, toys, maternity wear and more to local parents, and find items you want that others are giving away. And…..for FREE.  Sign me up.

What do YOU do with your used kid’s clothing, toys and gear?

When I was a kid, my mom threw me a 50′s themed birthday party complete with a jukebox made out of an old refrigerator box.  It wasn’t fancy but it obviously made an impression since I remember it over 20 years later.  Once the party was over, it stuck around the house for a month or two while we continued to play with it.  Quite a bit of use for an old refrigerator box that was otherwise bound for the recycling bin (although I don’t remember if we even recycled cardboard boxes 20 years ago?).

Now that I have my own kiddos, I love to watch them create games with simple things like old plastic dishes and a bucket of water.  Imagine what they could do with one of these dream playhouses made of just cardboard boxes using Mr. McGroovy’s Rivets to keep it all together.  

Mr. McGroovy’s even has 17 project plans with step-by-step instructions to build projects like a firetruck, castle, space ship or lemonade stand.    All you need is some free cardboard boxes, Mr. McGroovy’s Rivets and some paint.

For more inspiration, check out the photo gallery where people have shared their project photos.

Are you a hand sanitizer junky?  Sorry to burst your bubble but according to a new study from the U of Virginia,  ”using alcohol-based hand sanitizer doesn’t significantly decrease how often someone is infected with a cold or flu”.

 Have some great tips for a new mom?  The Creative Mama shares “From New Mom to New Mom” – a letter with advice. 

A study about ‘EcoAware moms’ found that the 5 things EcoAware Moms are using are:

• Chemical-free cleaning products – 47%
• Organic foods and beverages – 45%
• Plant-based cleaning products – 40%
• Water filter – 38%
• Resealable plastic bags – 38%

Looking for some great green products to easily incorporate into your life? On Monday, I shared “5 Green Products You Can Use Daily” with the readers over at The Creative Mama.

Eversave has had some great deals over the past couple weeks for green products like Glory for Girls, Greeno Bambino and Leelai.  If you haven’t heard of Eversave, it’s similar to Groupon where you there’s a daily deal usually 50%+ off or more.  We’ve purchased so many awesome deals through these programs on clothing, restaurants, entertainment and other products.  Sign up to receive their daily deal emails.

What about you, do you have any linky love to share?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently estimated that as much as 69 million gallons of paint are left over annually in the United States. That’s enough paint to cover 27.6 billion square feet each and every year, or the five boroughs of New York City—some 303 square miles—more than three times.

You definitely don’t want to toss the paint in the garbage, contaminating the soil and groundwater.  In fact, some paint is considered hazardous waste and needs to be disposed properly at a hazardous waste collection facility.  However, for most paints and stains, there are recycling facilities.

This summer, a new pilot program was launched in Oregon called PaintCare, a program that manages the reuse, recycling and proper disposal of paint. Each time you purchase paint, a small fee is added to the price to fund the program.   This allows state-wide collections centers that accept:

• interior paint
• exterior paint
• deck coatings and floor paints
• lacquers
• melamine, metal and rust preventatives
• primers
• stains
• swimming pool paints
• varnishes and urethanes
• waterproofing, sealers and repellents for concrete, masonry and wood
• wood coatings 

If you live in Oregon, you can find a local collection center through PaintCare.  For those of you outside of Oregon, check out Earth 911 for a local facility.

I’m an information junkie.  I love reading newspapers, magazines, books, the Internet, anything I can get my hands on.  I’m constantly bookmarking, tearing out and dog earring pages and storing it all for the next time I want to reference it.  So, it’s high time that I start passing on some of this great info I’m hoarding.

I’m a busy mama but I’m hoping to make ‘Friday Linky Love’ a regular on Mommy Goes Green.  I’ll share articles, blogs, websites and anything else that made me laugh, cry, or downright furious.  You can catch up over the weekend!

Here’s this week Linky Love!

The Wellness Bitch – if you like straight forward, no nonsense, in your face “treat your body better!” information, check out the Wellness Bitch.  I was constantly laughing out loud.

It’s my daughter’s birthday this week so birthday gifts are on my mind.  We have a wonderful large family and group of friends so in year’s past, she has received a lot of gifts.  Way more than she needed or could even comprehend.   This year we switched things up and let our family give her gifts but asked each child at her birthday party to bring a book, in lieu of a gift, to exchange with each other.  I’m not sure how my daughter will handle getting no wrapped gifts at her birthday party but it’s just part of the conversation we’re trying to have with her about what we “need” to have.  This post about “Raising Children in a Minimalist Society” has some great tips on this topic.

Did you know that Breyer’s and Dreyer’s ice cream still use milk that came from cows treated with rBGH?  Yah, I had no idea either.  GRRR.  [Here's where I get downright angry.]  Do something about it!

If you’re prego, the Huffington Post shares 10 Surprising Tips for a Green Pregnancy.  There’s some things you would expect….and some you wouldn’t! 

Next week, I’ll figure out how to add a link widget so YOU can share your favorites, too!  Have a great weekend!

My beautiful baby girl,

I couldn’t be more proud of the curious, imaginative, funny and beautiful 4 year old you have become.  You light up every room you are in and are truly the sunshine in our lives. I look forward to each day of adventure and discovery with you.  You constantly challenge me mentally, physically and emotionally and I am a better person because of you. 

I love you to the moon and back,

Mama

I purposely don’t buy clothing that needs to be dry cleaned but sometimes, you just need a dry cleaner. I admit I use the dry cleaner closest to my house (and the least expensive).  They are definitely not eco-friendly.  Every time I walk in there, I cringe from the awful smell.  If I can avoid it, I don’t take my kids with me.  It’s that bad.

The leading dry cleaning chemical, percholorethylene, is still used by 90% of dry cleaners. In 1996, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health studied workers at dry cleaners.   In the overall group, those who worked for five years or more with percolorethylene had a higher risk of bladder, esophageal, and cervical cancer, although most of these workers also had exposure to other solvents.

I no longer have an excuse to use the closest dry cleaner.  Through NoDryClean.com, I found an eco-friendly dry cleaner a mile from house. 1 mile.  This great database not only tells you how far the nearest eco-friendly cleaner is but it will also tell you what kind of cleaning the dry cleaner does like silicone cleaning, wet cleaning or carbon dioxide cleaning.

If you are an Android user, you can download their free app and for you iPhone users – there’s one coming soon!

Do you use a dry cleaner?  Are they eco-friendly?  If so, do you find your garments to be just as clean as traditional dry cleaning methods?

I really dislike grocery shopping. I do it because it’s a necessity but I get in and I get out as quickly as possible.  I go about 2 times per month and I do 90% of our grocery shopping at one store – Trader Joe’s.  I pick up our bread and bagels at the local bakery outlet once a month and then make the occasional trip to the nearby (super expensive but totally convenient) grocery store for last minute items.   I’m not much of a coupon clipper because a) most of the items I buy do not regularly have coupons and b) I don’t want to go to multiple stores to use their coupons.

But recently I started following a blog that posts the greatest deals on everything from groceries to school supplies to movie tickets to restaurant gift cards. I’m getting some great bargains on group purchasing sites I’ve never heard of (like Eversave and Homerun) and coupons for Target that I never knew existed - and I love me some Target.

But the thing that I’m really getting curious about is grocery coupons.   She posts the available coupons, the tricks of the “coupon trade”, hosts a database with gazillions of coupons and shows pictures of everything she got.  And I’m telling you – she is a bargain shopper.  She gets tons of stuff for pennies on the dollar. 

I’m starting to wonder if it’s worth my time to get in to the coupon thing to save money but then I would have to visit multiple stores.  I’d also have to spend the precious little free time I have searching for coupons.   I’m also not convinced that there are very many things I buy that have coupons.  Plus, Trader Joe’s has already great prices on the organic food we buy.

So moms, how do YOU grocery shop?  Do you visit one or multiple stores?  How often do you go? Are you a coupon queen?  Is it worth the effort?

Until recently, I had no idea that Bon Ami carried multiple cleaning products.  I’ve used their Polishing Cleanser for years and like I said here, it’s a great safe alternative to Comet or Ajax.   It’s extremely affordable – just over $1 per can.

I’ve been using their other cleaning products for about a month and they are just as good as my favorite Polishing Cleanser (now called Powder Cleanser). In fact, I was actually disappointed when my first bottle of the All-Purpose Cleaner ran out.  It cleans well, has no soapy residue, doesn’t leave any film on my black granite counters and has no smell ( a big plus to me ).

Their Liquid Cleanser is similar to their powdered Polishing Cleanser but easier to use on surfaces like shower walls and tubs.  I’ve been using it in my porcelain kitchen sink because I’m out of the Powder Cleanser and it works just as well.  Tough on cleaning but super gentle.  Gentle enough to use on stainless steel and porcelain without scratching. The consistency is similar to Soft Scrub – so if you’re a Soft Scrub kind of girl – make the switch to Bon Ami Liquid Cleanser - it’s non-toxic and works just as well!

Bon Ami uses safe, simple ingredients that you can pronounce like baking soda, limestone and feldspar – all ingredients in their original formula made in 1886.  They don’t smell fake because they use essential oils for fragrance.

The company has totally updated all their packaging but it’s still got a great classic and clean look (I’m a sucker for cute packaging).  All the cleaning products are also bottled in recycled and recyclable packaging.  Unlike many other green cleaners, Bon Ami is also priced comparably to conventional brands – from just over $1 to $3.99.   You can buy online or find a local retailer.