There is nothing more frightening than a child making his or her way into your household cleaning supplies. It’s a parent’s worse nightmare! So, I understand how important it is as a mom to find alternative ways to clean my home without jeopardizing the health of my children and family. We are all trying to become more environmentally aware of the dangers of toxins, not only in our home but as it relates to polluting our air, waters, and landscape.

Are your household cleaners safe? If not, here are some measures you can take to make your home a healthier one.

This is what absolutely amazes me … Vinegar, Borax, Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, Salt, and Baking Soda are all the ingredients you can use to clean your entire home. They are safe, non-toxic, and can do just as good a job as your more toxic household cleaners.  Simple easily purchased items that can keep your home and children healthy.

I personally struggle with products that contain bleach, I know what that can do to people and the horrible caustic side effects of breathing it in, especially for someone who may be prone to asthma.  My sis and I completely cleared our homes of it when her youngest son started having severe asthma issues.  It’s just not worth it to have such questionable substances in the home.

Let’s begin with windows. Instead of using a popular brand of glass cleaner, use water with vinegar and lemon juice to spray onto your windows. Vinegar can also be used to clean surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom; just add salt and water. If the oven needs to be cleaned, use liquid soap, Borax and warm water. Borax can also be used as a disinfectant in hot water as well as for cleaning toilets.

Polish your furniture with olive oil and lemon juice. You can also use lemon juice to polish copper kettles; just add a bit of salt. For use in the bathroom, use baking soda and warm water. This can also be used to unclog the drain by pouring the baking soda down the drain with a cup of vinegar.

I’d also like to point out that many stores are carrying a wide variety of organic and safe cleaners in it’s own section and I HIGHLY recomment Mrs. Meyer’s products!!!!!

At a time when pollutants are contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer; while gas and oil fumes are literally killing our natural resources; it is time to take a hard look at what we can do as individuals to decrease the toxins from our air and water. Perhaps if we begin to use alternative methods to using brand named household cleaners, we can send a clear and definitive message to these companies that toxins are no longer an acceptable form to be used in any capacity. It all begins with us taking a stand; it all begins at home.

Ever since I posted a while back about taking steps toward a greener living, I have been doing just that.  Little by little trying things out here and there.  This is important for a few reasons, financially it’s impossible to do everything at once and some people just don’t like that much change all at once. 

I have started by purchasing organic products at my local superstore … one that offers groceries, clothing, etc.  Here’s what I found:

J.a.s.o.n. Aloe Vera Shampoo and Conditioner - these would be perfect for someone who washes their hair daily, also for someone that has problems with extremely dry hair.  I loved it the day I washed my hair, it wasn’t frizzy (such a huge problem for me), was soft and easy to handle.  But by day 2 my hair looked a little greasy and wasn’t as comfortable.  I am an every other day hair washer, so I need my products to last a little longer.  For me, I think using a little less moisturizing shampoo would work great.

Bottom Line - I think these products are fine, but I look forward to trying out other brands to find “the one” that I LOVE!

Physician’s Formula Organic Wear - Tinted Moisturizer and Mineral Veil.  I purchased these two products as a set to see what they were like.  The tinted moisturizer has an SPF of 15 and is a convenient idea.  Unfortunately it smells so terrible I actually felt nauseous after applying it. 

The mineral veil would probably be alright if I don’t use the oh so convenient all-in-one container it comes in that is oh so rough on my sensitive skin.  Again, the idea is great, the product is in a sifting jar that is attached to a brush with a cap to keep it all in when not in use.  There’s even a little mirror on the front of the cap.  But none of that works if the brush is so rough it actually is painful to apply LOL. 

Bottom Line - Sorry ladies, but don’t waste your money.  Yes, it’s affordable, but I would rather spend a couple extra dollars for something that smells better and doesn’t hurt my skin.

I’m thrilled to be sharing a fabulous boutique with all of you today that specializes in carrying quality natural and organic products for babies! Sweetie Pie Baby Boutique carries a wide variety of natural and organic baby products to include baby clothes, toys, skincare, slings and carriers, bedding, and more! Some of our featured designers are Speesees, LuLus American Baby, Mia Joie, Zoe and Sprout, and more.

Be sure to go shopping with them by July 6th to take advantage of a wonderful 20% off discount they have offered. Just use the code FROG20!

To read more about this great shop and enter a fabulous giveaway they have offered please be sure to CLICK HERE!

Tater’s teacher is pregnant and the class is throwing her a baby shower tomorrow.  I’m so glad they are, she’s very sweet, but it meant finding a great gift for her.  In my effort to purchase sustainable and more eco-friendly products I was in a pickle .  I had never tried to purchase a “green” gift before, so I thought it might be fun to see what was out there.

Truth be told, I didn’t walk into the store to purchase an earth friendly gift, it didn’t even occur to me.  I was shopping at one of those “one stop shopping” stores that combines everything-you-could-possibly-need-in-this-life-and-the-hereafter after all, but as I was standing in the baby section, my favorite brand caught my eye. 

They have started offering handmade infant toys using better matierals, like hardwoods, water based colors, etc.  The packaging is made of recycled paper and has no plastic on it at all (one of my biggest pet peeves).  Is this the “perfectly safe” baby product we’ve all started looking for?  I don’t know that for sure, but I do know that I feel a lot better about this product than all of the other plastic ones surrounding it.

I topped the gift off with a great little Burt’s Bees gift pack (for baby’s hospital bag ) and headed off to get a bag for it all.  I only needed a little bag, but ‘lo and behold there was nothing even remotely resembling “made of recycled materials” - hmmmm, maybe the card and wrapping producers should take note as well.  I’m sure I could go online to find something, but the fact of the matter is I didn’t have time to search online, wait for it to arrive … you get the idea - I needed it now! 

So, I have to say that overall I love that the store I shop at are getting more and more “green” and organic products to help me get off to a good start - but like me, the stores still have a long way to go. 

Much more than a creative title for a post, this is actually the title of a great new book!  Gorgeously Green 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life by Sophie Uliano.  I was excited to recieve this book to review since the whole “going green” idea has been in the forefront of my mind lately. 

The really great thing about this book is that it isn’t overwhelming.  It helps us as moms to break down the important things in our lives to change and to do this one step at a time.  I love her philosophy, “One change makes a difference”, but if you’re anything like me you need to be told which changes really do help. 

Step One: Becoming aware of your habits and purchases and the changes you can and should make. 
Step Two: Beauty the Green way Step Three: Greening your Workout
Step Four: Shopaholics go Green - Showing you how everyday purchases can be modified.
Step Five: Find out how simple it is to have a Green Home and not feel like you’re missing out!
Step Six:  Learn about green food, cooking, recipes and sustainable eating.
Step Seven:  Green-up your transportation, vacations and entertainment.
Step Eight: Using what you’ve learned even outside of the home.

I highly recommend this book, it is very affordable and offers a wealth of information making it totally worth the expense (clicking on the image takes you to Amazon.com).   Tons of resources are also mentioned both within the book and on Sophie’s website at www.GorgeouslyGreen.com - they really do go hand in hand!

Be sure to let me know if you get the book!  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Today is Earth day!  A great day to look around us and enjoy the beauty of all that God created!  It’s also a great day to dig a little deeper to see what we can do to make things just a little better around us.  The fact that there are things that need to be changed goes without saying anymore, but what can we do as moms to improve our planet?  We’re just moms, right???

Maybe, but we’re also responsible for much of what comes into our home and many of the attitudes our children develop while in our care.  Honestly most of it is in the little things we do each day.  Recycling, reusing, buying renewable products, purchasing products that truly are nartural, and organic (not just the ones that SAY they are), using reuseable bags instead of choosing between paper and plastic and much more. 

I was one of those moms that desperately wanted to make a change, but felt overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start.  I’m going to introduce you all to a WONDERFUL book later on today that I truly do recommend to moms who want to begin making those all important changes. 

In the meantime, maybe we should do a little research on what can and cannot be recycled and the benefits of composting - just a thought . . . have a GREAT day!

I don’t remember ever being quite so focused or ready for Earth Day!  Usually it comes and goes with nary a head nod from me in it’s general direction.  Outside of the fact that my children usually plant trees and do other landscaping at their school that day I would never have noticed it existed.  Maybe it’s a book I am currently reading to review (the timing for it was really perfect), but regardless of the reason, here I am ready to make many changes.  

How do you feel about becoming more eco-conscious as a mom and as a family?  I’m very interested to hear!  I plan on offering some truly great resources and information this week and hope that you will see the positive and relatively easy changes you can make, even small ones that can have a huge impact on our humble little planet!