Sponsor Spotlight: Eatsmart Bathroom Scale #GetMoving2013

One tool that helps me get moving is my bathroom scale.  See, I don't like the numbers it shows me sometimes.   I don't exactly see eye to eye with my new scale.  It arrived on a Thursday, and by Friday morning I was telling some friends about how awesome it is - and how much I don't like it.  I don't like it because I can't figure out how to get it to lie to me.

EatSmart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale

Let me tell you what I do like about this scale though.  It does not stop with telling me what my weight is.  I mean, I want to know my weight so I can see the numbers change as my body changes, but we all know that weight is only a small part of the picture of our health.

This new scale also tells me the percentage of my body fat (just over 1/3 right now - yikes).  It does not stop there though, it tells me how much muscle I have (just under 40%).  It also tells me my bone mass weight and how much of me is water.

Okay, the truth is, I think the scale is fantastic.  I love it that I can track changes, I can see that I am not getting enough water - I'm still working on that.  Even when my weight does not do exactly what I want, I can get a picture of what is going on inside my body.  It is not difficult to chart my changes with this fantastic new scale.

Another thing that I love about this scale: it can track up to 8 users.  It automatically knows which user is on it also (provided the users are not too similar in stats).

I am using the EatSmart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale.  This scale was provided to me for the purpose of review.  All opinions about the scale are my own.

One of my readers will win a scale from EatSmart as part of my awesome prize package during the Get Moving blog event this month!  Keep watching for more fantastic prizes!

Follow EatSmart on Facebook.

Find EatSmart on Twitter.

EatSmart is even on Pinterest.

Would a new scale help you get moving?  How does it fit in to your goals for 2013?

#GetMoving2013
#EatSmart
***Disclaimer: I have received a product or products free for the purpose of review.  All opinions are my own.*** 

Happy GREEN 1st Birthday: TruBaby Review

This week we celebrate Azariah's first birthday.  Okay, well we had the party on Saturday - We got him ready with TruBaby Bubbly Baby Body Wash - he smelled SO good.  I love the fruity smell of their soaps. I also love that their skin care products are all natural.  Want more good news?  They last a long time.  I definitely trust TruKid and TruBaby with my children's skin! 

How do you prepare your children for a special event?

***Disclaimer: I have received a product free for the purpose of this review.  All opinions are my own.

$35 Road ID Gift Code Giveaway

It's time for safety on the road!

Earlier this week I shared a review of Road ID.  Don't miss out on your chance to win $35 toward your choice of Road ID products.  

Road ID promotes safety while you're being active.  It gives you an opportunity to feel secure when you're away.  

Make sure to surf through Road ID's store today!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Disclosure: I have received a product or products free for the purpose of promotion.  All opinions are my own.***

Trash night! Rubbermaid Review & Giveaway

It's trash night tonight.  Better yet, it's recycle night!  We are big fans of recycling but we have a problem - the big ugly blue bin that sits in the kitchen.  It's not the bin itself that is ugly, it just doesn't look good, and we have a pretty small kitchen, so there isn't a good place to put it.

I'm in luck!  I recently learned about Rubbermaid's new Hidden Recycler.  It's a recycle bin that I can put under the kitchen counter!

It's got a lot of fantastic features.  You can check them out on the Rubbermaid website, or you can watch them in my video. 

I mention "screws" in my video - there are none - I failed to read the directions first - it's super super easy to use.  In fact, I've entered several giveaways to try to win a second one to use for my trash container.

You can buy the Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler for just $17.59 online.  

OR

You can win it right now!  Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.  Giveaway entrants must be 18 years of age or older and residents of the US.  I have received a product free of charge for the purpose of review.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SimplyFun Leap Forward Set: Review & Giveaway

You read that right!  More SimplyFun!

This is our favorite game out of the Leap Forward set - Tangrams.  Monkey decided to try making his own game out of the shapes while I was in the office one day.  He had a great time building a... whatever this thing is.  Tangrams are fantastic because of their LARGE size.  They are easy for preschoolers to handle, and the game itself is easy to understand.  Did you ever play Tangrams in school?  I remember them!

Here, my niece, Little Lou, is showing the boys how to put the shapes together to make a picture.  There are 2 sets of large foam shapes in this package, that makes it easier to play together, or as a competition.  There are so many ways to play with Tangrams that it has entertained my boys for hours!

A finished picture - I think this is a dog.  It was Little Lou's first experience with Tangrams and she needed just a little bit of help after she had finished so the picture came out looking like the one in the book.

 

Ice Hop is an incredibly cute game where the kids work to get their penguins to safety by hopping from ice burg to ice burg!  It is helping my boys practice counting - and in a sneaky way, helping them practice addition!  This was especially fun for Little Lou (6), Bugsy (4), and Monkey (3) to play together!

See those cute little sheep?

I have never seen another game like Clover Leap.  It truly is unique.  It's a bit difficult to begin playing with Monkey right now, but as soon as he starts to get a better mastery on word recognition, we will begin helping him understand it.  Mr. Crum and I played it together (he won).  When we were finished, he was ready to start again.  It is a fun game of silly sentences!  I can't wait until we're back at my sister's house so I can share this one with Little Lou.

Mr. Crum is proud of his sentence "I see hairy bikes".  (He's also proud that he won Clover Leap).

You too can own this set!  You can buy it online from SimplyFun
OR
You can win it right here on Life With My Boys!  Enter using the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Busy Bag Activity #6: SimplyFun Review & Giveaway

Have you heard about SimplyFun Board Games?  If you're a homeschooler, you want to know about them.  If you're a parent, you want to know about them.  If you're an educator, you want to know about them.  Pretty much - you want to know about SimplyFun Games!

This is the "Make Time To Grow" set.  It comes with the 3 games described below.

Not only are these great games, several of them are perfect for busy bags.  My boys are 2 and 3 - still learning how to play "by the rules" - and these games are perfect!

Big N Little is a matching game.  It is designed to help children identify animals and letters that go together.  For a better understanding about how it works, watch the video below.  My boys are using it to learn how to identify animals that go together, they also enjoy looking at the letters and seeing how many they can identify.  It's pretty complicated for Crackers (2), but Monkey (3) picked up on it pretty quickly and enjoys sliding the covers around to find matching animals.

Telling Time is absolutely a favorite for the boys.  They love the number puzzle on the outside of the clock.  They're not quite grasping the part about "telling time", but enjoy trying to identify the numbers while we do the puzzle.

My Monster is cute, I think it's my favorite.  You work to build monsters by placing shapes in the right place.  They've got a good command over shapes already, and Crackers is learning colors.  This game is cute and fun for the boys.  It is smaller than the other games and fits very nicely into my to go bag for appointments!

Each of these games is perfect for some quiet activity time at home, school, the doctor's office - wherever!

SimplyFun has a great variety of board games that are fun and educational.  Make sure you are familiar with their products, what a great way to help your children grow as they master new skills!

SimplyFun products are available online, or through a consultant.  That's right, you can host a SimplyFun party!  Make sure to check their website to find a consultant near you!

Great News: One of my readers will win this set!  Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below!

Eat Smart Bathroom Scale: Review & Giveaway

It's the start of a new year.  That means new goals, a fresh start.

Did you make resolutions this year?  I am continuing to work on health and for me that means getting my body into better shape.  A big part of my health problems is related to diabetes.  

I am working on some other goals too, I'll share about some of them over the coming weeks.  I'm excited about the new things this year is bringing.  

Goal #1 

Lose 30 pounds

That's realistic but it feels like a lot.  That is this whole child (I don't intend to lose him).

Eat Smart has offered to help by giving me this fantastic Precision Digital Scale.  I love it.  I don't have to wait for it to 0 out before I can get on, I just step on and it shows my weight (I don't love that part, I wish it would lie to me a little more).  It's sturdy, I don't worry too much about the fact that my kids love to stand on it and look at the numbers lighting up.  It's even backlit, so I can step on it in the dark and see my weight without seeing my belly even in the middle of the night!  It runs on AAA batteries, no special batteries required - and it comes with a set of 4 to start you out.

Bonus: This scale came with a tape measure.  I recently learned about how to measure myself so I can track inches lost, not just pounds!  

I am charting my loss with a fitness journal blog that is nicely hidden and accessible only to a few people.  Okay, you could probably stumble on it if you hit the right button on blogspot for long enough, but you would not likely know it was me.  

What else do I like about Eat Smart?  Every month they choose a cause or a foundation to donate a portion of their proceeds to!  In November they donated 100% of the proceeds to the American Diabetes Foundation and December to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  

Eat Smart has offered to help one of my readers as well by giving away a digital scale!  This is a fantastic prize that you don't want to miss out on!

BioBag MaxAir Composting Bucket: Review & Giveaway

Greenifying.

(I made that word up)

We are working on making our lives more green.  We feel convicted that taking care of the Earth is one of our God-given duties.  Because of that, we do crazy things like cloth diaper, recycle, compost, and garden.  We are always looking for ways to do better at all of these things, and more.

We have been composting for about a year and a half.  We tend to grab whatever pot or bowl is handy once one has been filled and emptied into the compost bin in the yard.  It's messy, foods get fuzzy, it's gross.  We fill up a bowl in about 3 days.

This was about 3 days worth of compost - gross, right?

When we were given the chance to try out BioBag's MaxAir Composting Bucket, I jumped at it!  Finally we would have something in our kitchen that was actually designed for composting! 

This bucket holds so much more than I initially imagined, and the food doesn't get gross so quickly.  It took us an entire week to fill the bucket and nothing stunk!

I was a little bit leery about the bags.  See, they have special bags that are made just for this purpose, and I felt like they were kind of pricey.  I told Mr. Crum that I wasn't sure what we would do after we ran out.  I was expecting that we would need to empty it every couple of days, like we had before.  I also read the price wrong.  Amazon sells a set of 4 boxes (that's 100 bags) for $19.32.  That will last us nearly 2 years at our current rate of usage!  What an amazing deal!

The list price on the bucket is $11 and absolutely worth the money. To find a BioBag retailer, check their website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 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.

Healthy Eating for Kids E-book: Review

... and speaking of vegetables...

Do you need some great ideas for helping your kids learn to eat more healthy foods?

Image taken from the healthy eating book website.

I found an e-book that gives 60 great recipes for making food more fun.  These are great for serving too kids, and having children help in the kitchen!  They are simple and tasty.  My kids are not always great at trying new things, but presented in a fun way, they are much more open to it.

Healthy Eating for Kids is only $9.95!

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.

Wholly Guacamole & Hormel Natural Choice: Review & Giveaway

The truth? I get excited when I see a package on my doorstep.  

Today is no exception.  It's been a working morning and as I drove home from the coffee shop (where I did some curriculum planning and letter writing) I was thinking about what to make for the boy's lunches.  

I was very excited to discover that we had an amazing, healthy lunch waiting for us on our doorstep!  All I had to do was put it together.  When I opened the package, Monkey got excited - "Is that guacamole? Oh Yay!"

A simple, nutritious lunch.

I feel confident about giving my boys wholly guacamole.  The 100 calorie packs are large enough that I can split one pack between them.  They are all natural and gluten free.  (I personally love the spicy guacamole).  We love the great nutritional benefits of guacamole and it's rare to find a guac with a flavor that matches the goodness of Wholly Guacamole - I'm not even exagerating, this stuff is fantastic.

Crackers chose to eat his sandwich like a big boy instead of pulling it apart.

We had never tried Hormel Natural Choice Turkey before (we don't generally eat meat at home).  I checked out the information on the package and felt good about feeding it to my boys.  They pulled it off of their bread and ate it first, then asked for more!  Hormel Natural Choice is 100% natural - with NO PRESERVATIVES, 98% fat free, no MSG, raised without added hormones.  And guess what - it tastes good! Yep, I ate some too.

Together, Wholly Guacamole and Hormel Natural Choice make a fantastic snack or lunch.  Tomorrow we might switch it up and make "lunchables" with crackers, guacamole, turkey, and cheese.  The boys will love it (and mama loves an easy lunch).

Monkey ate his turkey first

Wholly Guacamole and Hormel are teaming up to offer a great prize package to one of my readers!  What does it include?  I'm glad you asked - 3 Wholly Guacamole coupons for FREE products, 1 Hormel Natural Choice coupon, and Wholly Guacamole "fun stuff".

Decorative Ceiling Tiles: Review

Have you ever thought, "Gee, I really need a decorative ceiling tile"?  My guess is that you haven't.  Truthfully, I have though.  I see all these cute pictures of babies with ceiling tiles as backgrounds and I think that would be so cool to do with my own kids.  I love taking pictures of my kids, and am always searching my house for creative props and backgrounds.  BUT - ceiling tiles seem to be common backgrounds right now, so I wanted to see what else I could do with a decorative ceiling tile.

We currently have a nativity scene adorning our table to help us teach about Christmas.  The ceiling tile makes a great mat for our centerpiece.  It would look really great with a vase of flowers in the center of it.  This one is actually styrofoam, so I removed it before the boys played with the toys.

A few assorted tiles could make a unique wall decoration behind a sofa or over the headboard of a bed.  

We tried one on the mantle of the fireplace to see how it would look (again with a nativity scene).  I think this would look really amazing with a few white pillar candles in front of it.  

decorativeceilingtiles.net offers competitive prices for good quality tiles.  They have a great variety that cover  all of your needs for ceiling tiles!

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.

Chritsmas Costumes: Review

This is one happy penguin!  

His mama's happy too.  I found this fantastic costume at Costume SuperCenter and thought it would be a lot of fun for Christmas pictures.  I admit, I was disappointed at first that the snowman I fell in love with was out of stock - look at how cute he is!

The disappointment completely went away when Monkey's eyes grew wide and he gasped and exclaimed, "Now I can waddle like a penguin!"  And he did - he has waddled that costume all over the house and even at church.  It is a great quality and I'm sure we will use it in our house for several years as each boy grows into it.

I would love to have this one at the zoo next summer!

Costume SuperCenter has a host of over adorable animal costumes for kids.  It is so hard to settle on just one!  

Make sure to check out Costume SuperCenter for their great costumes at fantastic prices!  

This is a sponsored post.  I received a product or products for the purpose of review.  All opinions are my own.

Bracelet Mate: Review & Giveaway

Why is it so hard to shop for teenage girls?

There are a couple of teenage girls in my life and on my Christmas list and honestly, it is really hard to come up with an idea of something they will like other than money!  Maybe it's because I don't have an incredible sense of style - or maybe because my style is very different from theirs, but I'm baffled regarding gifts!

It took a lot of searching to find great, unique ideas to fill those voids on my list.  One of the wonderful products is the Bracelet Mate.  This stylish set of bracelets neatly conceals a small purse on the underside of your wrist!  The leather bag conforms to your wrist so it is comfortable to wear!  Bracelet Mate can fit debit cards, lip stick, money, and more for your shopping convenience!

Right now Bracelet Mate is running a holiday special - 2 for $25 on select styles.  That's a GREAT deal!

You can WIN a randomly selected Bracelet Mate right here!

Woombie Toddler Donut: Review & Giveaway

I have to say that I never expected the Woombie Toddler Donut to be such a big part of everyday life at the Crum house.  When I first considered reviewing it, I thought about how great it would be for holiday travel - and it is, but it has become an essential part of this mama's daily routine!

Monkey was SUPER excited when the Donut came in the mail.  I let him open it and while opening it - I cooked up a plot to get him to sleep at naptime that day.  I told him it was his "special nap bed".  That is the beginning of the Toddler Donut's daily use at our house.  Monkey laid down in it as soon as we were ready for nap time.  He uses it for naps, and even sometimes for bed time, while he waits downstairs for Crackers to fall asleep in the room they share.

The Woombie Toddler Donut is amazing for travel.  My initial thought was that it would help when visiting my parents.  They have 2 pack'n'plays, we have 3 children.  Monkey is VERY possessive about the square pack'n'play, and really he is getting too big for it.  Having his "special nap bed" along with us at Thanksgiving made helping him transition out of the baby bed a little easier.  (It would have been even easier if Mr. Crum had not set the square one up).  This bed will be traveling with us all winter for visiting friends and family.  When we start camping this summer, it will continue to travel with us!

photo from woombie.com

Poor Crackers feels left out.  He often runs and jumps onto the Toddler Donut to antagonize his big brother - but we also find him sleeping on it sometimes if it's been left in their bedroom instead of folded up downstairs!  When we have the money to spare, we will look at one for him too.

What Mama Loves

I love that this helps us solve some nap dilemmas.  The Woombie is wonderful for easy travel.  I also love that it is: Foam Free, Glue Free, Odor Free, Hypo Allergenic, Non Toxic, Lead & Phthalate Free, Non Flammable and Recyclable!

What Mama Would Change

Well, Monkey still wets the bed... I would love it if Woombie would get him sleep trained.  His wetting made me quickly aware of the need to wash our Toddler Donut.  This has to be done in a front loading washer.  We don't have one, so it requires a trip to the laundry mat to wash it.  I would love it if Woombie offered some kind of slip on cover that would soak up bodily fluids and dirt and could easily be washed in a top loading machine.

What the Boys Love

The boys adore the leopard print, Monkey likes to sleep with a stuffed leopard and thinks it's extra cool to have a leopard bed.  They also like the soft feeling of the plush material that covers the top of the bed.  Monkey thinks it is nice to be able to move his bed to different parts of the house, or to other people's houses!

photo from woombie.com

Want One?

You can buy your very own Woombie Toddler Donut in "spring" or "leopard" for only $68!  Your kids will thank you and you will thank yourself!

You can also win a Toddler Donut RIGHT HERE.  Fill out the easy Rafflecopter form for your chance to win the choice of either color.  One winner will be selected on Friday December 9th!

Super Undies: Review & Giveaway

Super Undies are top of the line training pants!

 Monkey feels comfortable in Super Undies, even though he generally wears "regular" undies.  He does not seem to notice these are thicker.

Crackers is uninhibited by Super Undies.  They help him rise to new feats!  He's still got a full range of motion and the legs and waist stay snug enough while he moves to keep spills off of my floor.

Do you want to know more? Watch this video.

Crackers tries them out for the first time...

Tropical Traditions Omega 3 Greens: Review & Giveaway

Hoorah for Tropical Traditions.  They've done it again - convinced me that they have yet another great product.  I think Tropical Traditions is an outstanding company with an excellent line of products for the family.  This month we have been trying the Antioxidant Omaga 3 Greens.  This is a dietary supplement meant to support nutrition, digestion, circulation & immunity.  - This has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I like to use this type of powder to help aid in digestion for myself.  I had read some other reviews about the Omega 3 Greens and was looking forward to trying it.  I even was nice enough to share it with my family.  

Tropical Traditions offers 2 flavors: Mint & Berry.  The greens are not grainy like so many similar products.  They dissolve completely and easily in water.  They can also be mixed with other liquids (like a smoothie) to change the flavor.  I tried the Berry flavored Greens and prefer it in a fruit/veggie smoothie myself.  - My boys and Mr. Crum like it in water just fine.

My Thoughts

I love the benefits of Omega 3 Greens.  I think the texture in the Tropical Traditions greens is perfect, smooth and mixable!  

I am not a big fan of the berry flavored mix by itself.  As I stated earlier, I like it better mixed in a shake.  I'm not sure why I chose berry flavor - I guess I forget how I feel about berry flavored products!  As I said, my boys and husband like the flavor as is.

I would recommend this product to people who like mint or berry flavoring.  I think that when we have it again, I will choose mint flavor.  

You can buy it now for $38.99 on the Tropical Traditions website (this is a sale price).

Giveaway

Tropical Traditions has offered to send one of my readers their choice of Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens flavors!  Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Earth Mama Angel Baby: Review & Giveaway

C-Mama Healing Salve

After we brought Baby home, I still had (still have) plenty of healing to do!  My belly had stretched out to an unbelievable enormous size.  My stomach is covered with nasty stretch marks (I'm sure everyone wanted to know that about me).  Because of this little guy's size and other potential problems, the doctor was very certain that a C-section was our best birth option.  So I have stretch marks and a nice scar.  

What did I look for to help with these things?  Organic products that would smooth scars and help clear up stretch marks.  I've also noticed that my skin is just as itchy on my belly as it was when I was pregnant.  Earth Mama Angel Baby offers their customers a C-Mama Healing Salve.  I have been using the salve on my belly for 2 weeks now and can see a difference in my stretch marks.  As of yet, I cannot use it on my scar, but am confident that it will help with clearing that part of my skin as much as it has helped with the stretch marks.  

I love the smell of the C-Mama Healing Salve.  I also love the way it soothes my stomach when it's itchy.  It has become part of my daily hygiene routine!  I recommend trying C-Mama Healing Salve for soothing your wound and belly after a C-section!

Monthly Comfort Tea

I also had the opportunity to try Earth Mama Angel Baby's Monthly Comfort Tea.  I was a little confused by this and thought it was an odd choice for a post-postpartum mama.  However - as I began reading about it, I learned that it not only helps soothe the "monthly" aches, but is also "created to jumpstart recovery immediately after childbirth."  

I don't know how you feel about tea.  We go through spurts when we drink a lot of it.  I am pretty picky about the teas that I will drink - if it does not smell appealing, or if it is too fruity - I just can't drink it.  Monthly Comfort Tea smells amazing to me.  It's infused with cinnamon as well as other herbs.  Each day, as I drink a cup of hot Monthly Comfort Tea, I feel my body relaxing.  In fact, if I did not have 2 "big" boys running around, I believe I would make it part of my daily routine to put my feet up, light a candle, open a good book, and sip Monthly Comfort Tea each morning.  

For $5.97 you can try it yourself.  Find the nearest retailer by checking the Earth Mama Angel Baby website or purchase it online.

Giveaway

Earth Mama Angel Baby would like to give one of my readers a box of Monthly Comfort Tea to try for themselves!  I don't care if you are post-postpartum, post-menopausal, or a man - I recommend you try this tea for feminine health, for its wonderful flavor, and for a good warm cup of relaxation!  Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Charlie's Soap: Review & Giveaway

Poop, Spit up, Snot, Dirt, Grime...

Babies!

Boys...

You name the stain, we fight it!  As we prepared to bring Baby home, we started looking more intensely at safe soaps for laundry.  Our soaps have to be able to fight stains, and leave diapers clean.  I generally make my own laundry soap, but for diapers and stains I like to have something a little fancier than what I can make myself.

Charlie's Soap claims to "clean everything from false teeth to diesel engines".  Soaps with this powerful of a claim scare me just a bit - what kind of crazy chemical do they have in them that is going to melt the grime off of a diesel engine?  But, they claim to be non-toxic, safe, and biodegradable.  

We put Charlie's Laundry Pre-Spray to the test first.  I shared some with my sister, who told me she had gotten blood on some clothes and sprayed them several hours later - the stain came out with no difficulty.  I tried it on some blood stains as well, no problem!  I found some stained toddler clothes that had already been washed, so the stains were very well set in.  The pre-spray did not remove those stains.  A few days ago, I was looking at my shower curtain.  I saw red finger paint on it.  Do you remember Monkey's red finger paint day?  If not, look at the picture below... this has been a couple of months ago, I am not sure why it hadn't been cleaned yet.  I sprayed the curtain with Chralie's Pre-Spray and it came out in only one wash!

Boys make messes.  Good soap is important.  We love the clean that we get with Charlie's Laundry Powder. 

From the Charlie's Soap Website:

Here are just a few of the benefits of using Charlie's Soap

• Only use one (1) tablespoon per large load!
• Safe for all HE machines.
• Softeners are not recommended or needed. That means even greater savings on your laundry!
• Non-toxic & completely biodegradable.
• Safe and effective for all fabrics, including silk, wool, linen, cotton and high-tech micro fibers.
• Contains no clays, dyes, phosphates, ultraviolet brighteners or perfumes.
• Will not fade your colors.
• Removes entrapped odors from athletic wear.

Giveaway

Charlie's Soap has generously offered to send one of my readers an 80 load powdered detergent as well as a bottle of laundry pre-spray!  Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

The Peaceful Housewife Natural Household Cleaners Ebook: Review & Giveaway

Do you love books?  Do you ever find a book that you just HAVE to get for some reason or another?  

The Peaceful Housewife: Natural Household Cleaners is one of those books!  It's an excellent value at only $3! In this e-book, Jenny Deramo shares 30 recipes for do it yourself, natural cleaners for the household.  She lists everything from diaper pail freshener to brass cleaner, laundry detergent to carpet cleaner.

If you know much about you, you know that I like to try and live um.. frugally.  This is in part because I am very conscious about our finances, and partly because we have a fairly low income.  We have to watch our pennies - one GREAT way to make our money stretch is making our own cleaning products.  Jenny's laundry powder is slightly different than my own - it is simpler than what I generally use.  

A majority of the "recipes" in The Peaceful Housewife: Natural Household Cleaners are filled with ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboards at home.  These are simple, time tested recipes that somehow we have forgotten about.  I highly recommend that you check out Jenny's blog and her book!

Jenny has offered a free copy of her e-book to 2 of my readers!  Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Lily Padz: Review & Giveaway

(GIVEAWAY WILL OPEN AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT)

Baby is home and we are welcoming him with cookies and warm milk.. or at least warm milk.

A couple of months ago I began a search for products that are related to green, healthy living with babies.  One of the things that makes me crazy is throwing paper into the trash.  Therefore - I am not a big fan of disposable nursing pads.  I like the idea of reusable ones, but am a little anxious about them too.  Why?  I am a type 2 diabetic and I frequently battle thrush when nursing.  I have had bad luck with regular pads because they allow moisture to accumulate and yeast to grow.

Lily Padz are silicone nursing pads.  They put pressure on the nipple that actually prevents the milk from leaking.  They are easy to apply and self-sticking.  They are washable and reusable.  These sounded like a GREAT deal.  A single pair of Lily Padz is less than $23!  A Lily Padz Starter Kit is only $36.95. 

I received a Lily Padz Starter Kit to try with Baby.  I was a little bit anxious about leaks, so for the first few days I only tried them at home.  I did have some leaks the first few days.  These were due to user error - it seems like there is a bit of a learning curve to get past when using these.  Today I chose to use them in public for the first time - all day.  No leaks.  My biggest problem was that after a few applications, they needed to be washed in order to be sticky again and I had not brought the wipes or the foam wash with me.  We used dish soap and hot water and it worked as a temporary fix - hoorah.

The good stuff

These are super easy to use once you have just a bit or practice.  They wash easily and can be used again and again!

The bad

I usually don't take my pads ALL the way out in public when feeding a baby.  Maybe that's strange, I just slide them down with my nursing bra or top and pull them back up when I'm done.  With the Lily Padz, I actually have to take them out  and put them back on in public places.  I feel a little awkward about that.

Why I love them

Lily Padz are reusable and affordable.  I feel secure in their ability to keep my dry and help me prevent yeast growth.