That’s a lot of B’s, I know… hehe!  Well, it REALLY is!  The Coco Lounger is the name… and style, quality and function is the game!  Bloom Baby’s Coco Lounger takes the cake in every way and is most definitely our very Favorite baby bouncer!

It’s look is what caught our eye first.  It’s simply gorgeous and qualifies as “baby’s first art piece” in our (humble!) opinion for sure;)!

Yes it has very clean lines, but does it CLEAN UP?  Absolutely!!!  The faux leather is super soft for your sweet one and also cleans up like new through anything without effort.  Big plus for any new momma!!

We used ours for well over six months as it’s a great place for any baby to enjoy a bottle or even nap.  Imagine a hammock and that gentle gliding motion.  It’s smooth and not a dramatic movement – a little bit bounce, a little bit rock.  Perfect in our books!  It also comes in a slew of tasteful colors and a choice of wood or Plexiglas to suit any decor.

The Coco Lounger is great but what’s better is the commitment that Bloom Baby has to providing parents with safe, beautiful and (VERY) eco-friendly options for their children!  This was one thing that I was SO impressed with when I had the opportunity to talk with Simon May, one of the founders of Bloom Baby and one of the “Four Dads” behind the brand.  We had a great talk about Bloom and their commitment to “safety, style and sustainability”.  Bloom really is a company that you can get behind and believe in, but not only because of the great products!  They really do walk the walk.  Take a look at the following that I pulled off of their website:

Love, love, love!  In this age of product recalls and shady manufacturing, etc, it’s so nice as a mom to see a company that cares.

Thanks Bloom!

Yours truly,

Isabella and Camilla’s Mommy.

Visit Bloom Baby online for more info on the Coco Lounger and their other innovative and chic products!

SWAG ALERT: Tell us what it means to you to know how conscious and responsible Bloom Baby is!!  It means the world to us.  What does it mean to you?

You know how it works and what to do.  This SWAG ALERT will be open until we say so.  Good luck to all and have fun with our newest ways to gain EXTRA ENTRIES!!!

EXTRA ENTRIES for this SWAG ALERT:

• Become our NEW Fan on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter as a NEW follower
• Retweet this SWAG ALERT on Twitter (don’t forget the ‘#SWAGALERT’ hashtag!!!) Only once a week though, and you must have at least 100 Twitter followers for it to count.
• Favorite us on Technorati
• Get creative and help us promote your Favorite site BellazizasFavorites.com!!!  You tell US how you do it (blog, social media, MckLinky’s at relevant sites, etc!!)

Make sure to enter all EXTRAS as a comment on this post or include the #SWAGALERT hashtag so we can track on Twitter!!  We always want to make sure that we get all of your entries!

Disclosure: We received a Coco Lounger to try out, loved it and then
found it a new home as we usually do.  Giving is the new black;)!!

When I found the Imagination Box Company, I knew it was something my boys would just have to have for Christmas!  It’s not very often that you find this kind of toy…eco-friendly, creative, American made…does it get any better than that?

The lovely people at the Imagination Box Company sent us the Firehouse Rescue Station.  I actually went ahead and gave it to my boys (who can wait for Christmas with something this fun!) so we could try it out and tell all of you lovely people all about it!  Let me just say, it was a huge hit!  The boys worked together to color and decorate it just right.  (Yes, they worked together!  It’s a Christmas miracle!)  Hours later…let me repeat that…HOURS LATER, they were finished and they haven’t stopped playing with it yet!

The Imagination Box Company has four fun designs to choose from and also sells extra sets of Sargent Art USA Made, Non-Toxic,  Washable Watercolors!  Oh did I forget to mention, each Imagination Box comes with a free set of the watercolors!!  Head on over to www.imaginationboxco.com to order a set (or two!) of your own!  For only $24.95, this is a must have gift  for your creative little Christmas angel!!

When I first saw the name Juliette Sunshine, I was instantly curious… and smitten!  Such a lovely name must have some equally lovely products, right?!?!  Yes!  I was right and very pleased to see that Juliette Sunshine’s fresh new line of girl’s clothes is every bit as sweet as their pretty little name.

It’s a very special collection.  Super eco friendly and boho-chic to boot!  Designed with comfort and versatility in mind, Juliette Sunshine’s dresses, tops, skirts & pants can be dressed up or down,taking your little fashionista from the playground,to play dates to parties.  An elegant and whimsical breath of freshly VINTAGE air!  Talk about a collection with character!  Each piece is lovingly hand-made with authentic vintage accents.  Repurposed fabrics are a true love of mine, so I was instantly hooked!  The other fabrics that Juliette Sunshine uses are all organic cotton and bamboo too so they’re very comfy and safe for your little sweeties too!  It’s all made here in the USA too, so feel good about that!

Wash well?  Absolutely!  I love it how thoughtful construction and quality materials always produces a good wash!  We do a good old cold water wash, a shake, and lay flat to dry and they continue to look new wash after wash.

Do you love that short Shirley Temple hemline?  You know, the vintagey short dresses that she used to wear?  Juliette Sunshine’s dresses are perfect for that look!  If you want a little longer hemline, just order the next size up.  Very cute with or without leggings!  These dresses definitely make a statement and scream unique!

What’s our absolute Favorite Thing about this collection?  Okay, we actually have two.  One, they have one-of-a-kind dresses available that are just to die for cute.  What a special gift for your favorite little girl!  One of a kind, the anti-Gap.  We LOVE it!  Also, these dresses bring some of the absolute BEST twirl factor ever!  Very cute and extraordinarily twirly.

For more information on Juliette Sunshine’s lovelies, we’re going to have to get you to be a little creative!  This line is SO fresh that their website’s not even up yet!  Their blog is up though and you can catch them on Twitter too!  Check them out there and we’ll let you know once their site goes live.  Just HAD to tell you now though.  It’s REALLY that cute.

SWAG ALERT: We’re giving TWO lucky readers their choice of any outfit from Juliette Sunshine!  Just check out www.JulietteSunshine.com which links to their Blog and leave a comment on this post about what you think of them, their website, their company, collection, etc.  You know how it works and what to do.  This SWAG ALERT will be open until we say so.  Good luck to all and have fun with our newest ways to gain EXTRA ENTRIES!!!

EXTRA ENTRIES for this SWAG ALERT:

• Become our NEW Fan on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter as a NEW follower
• Retweet this SWAG ALERT on Twitter (don’t forget the ‘#’ Hashtag!!!)
• Favorite us on Technorati
• Get creative and help us promote your Favorite site BellazizasFavorites.com!!!  You tell US how you do it (blog, social media, MckLinky’s at relevant sites, etc!!)

Make sure to enter all EXTRAS as a comment on this post or include the #SWAGALERT hashtag so we can track on Twitter!!  We always want to make sure that we get all of your entries!

Disclosure Statement: We did receive samples of this product… and love them!  We’re actually dizzy from twirling right now. 

Here’s a great idea of how to turn the corner of your little sweetie’s room into her own mini dance studio!  Just find a great old mirror to mount behind the door, put up some hooks to house the tutus, a few little decorations and *voila*!  Instant playspace!!

What other great ideas do you have going on behind your kids’ closed doors?

So you’ve been thinking about getting “The Family Swing Set”.  Got kids.  Got Family.  Why not?  Have you looked into the different ones that are available?  Have you researched quality and construction?  Safety and / or chemical concerns of the materials that are used, perhaps?  How about what this beast is going to look like a few years from now?  What are the maintenance requirements annually?  Will you need a Master’s in Engineering to get the blasted thing up?  Will it take a month?  How hard can it be?  It is a child’s plaything after all… right?

We were quite honestly shocked by the amount of information and the questions that one needs answered in order to make the best choice when it comes to swing sets.  We came through yet again for you though!  Here it is…  Drumroll please…  Without further adieu, the product of months of research and our Favorite Swing Set Company is… Kid’s Creations!!

We chose Kid’s Creations for every reason.  We were surprised though that the highest quality set was also the best price by comparison!  Buying from Kids Creations allows you to purchase directly from the manufacturer, and in turn you save a TON of money!  How’s 50% off sound??  Oooh yeah.  They also won us over for their commitment to being the safest and highest quality swing set on the market.  You can even custom design your own at the same great prices!!!  Most of the elements come pre-assembled too so when you go to build it you’ll be amazed by how quickly it goes up!  (Makes dad look like a real pro-builder too!)  Take a look at these side by side comparisons of some of the materials…

Many of the woods that are used in other swing sets today are either not safe due to chemical treatments or simply will just not hold up to weathering and the test of time.  Kids Creations uses 100% premium Con-Heart Redwood exclusively – the highest grade right from the center of the Redwood tree.  They are the only company in their industry to do so.  Overkill?  We think not.  Less is less, more is more and the BEST IS THE BEST!  Con-Heart Redwood is naturally weather and rot resistant, bug resistant and is virtually splinter free!  In today’s world as parents you just can’t be too safe when it comes to chemical treatments too.  With Kids Creations there simply are none.  NO chemicals at all.  We love that.  The fact that it is rot resistant naturally is a huge plus too.  Unlike many other brands of swing sets, you don’t have to stain or seal it… EVER!  Maintenance free and again, no chemicals – LOVE IT!  They are also committed to buying only wood that has been sustainably forested and take our protecting our environment seriously which as parents we all appreciate.

How’s assembly, you ask?  Well, you could practically land a helicopter on ours, so it took a little bit of time.  We counted it out as about 30 hours total, meaning that if we had 3 guys it would have been ten hours.  Hardest part?  The twisty slide.  Easiest part?  Everything else!!  This is MUCH less of your time (or your favorite contractor’s:)!!!) than competitor’s products would take because so many things are pre-assembled!  The directions that came with our set were absolutely detailed and custom designed as blueprints for our custom set.  When I had a question (twice), I called them and even on the weekend someone was available and helped me resolve my issue immediately!  Excellent customer service… redefined!!!

Are you one of those people who like to customize everything?  Do you look at things always thinking how you would have designed it, or how you would have wished it different?  Do you maybe need to fit an odd shaped space in your yard? Look. No. Further.  As mentioned before, Kids Creations has a system on their website where you can design the absolute swingset of your dreams, yet still carry over that amazing 50% off discount like with the pre-designed sets!!!  (WARNING: This can get addictive… you know… something you sit at the computer with a bowl of popcorn with for wayyy too long style addictive.)  Single tower or double?  Two swings or four?  Did you want the rock climbing wall on the front or off to the side?  Where was the helicopter landing pad supposed to go again??? You get the picture.  You make it what you want.  You are in control.  You are the designer.  You can fit it within your budget.  You’da boss.  It’s all about you.  Give it a try and you’ll see what we’re saying!  Want to see a catalog instead?  CLICK HERE to order your complimentary copy.

SWAG ALERT:  So there you have it.  Kids Creations blew our socks off and now all of you get to have the same experience!  They have generously offered one lucky reader a $500 gift certificate towards the purchase of their very own set too!  Just visit them at www.KidsCreations.com and comment back to us with what you think.  You know how it works and what to do.  This SWAG ALERT will be open until we say so.  Good luck and have fun designing the swing set of your dreams… ahem, of your kids dreams!!!

It’s 10:30 Friday night at Chez Bellaziza.   The girls are in bed… and I am still thrilled over the Alice delivery that I received from UPS Santa earlier today.  Yes, I need a life.  I just love great service, saving time and saving money!  (That’s all!  No ‘lack of life’ here!)  I’m all about the premium product side of life, in case you hadn’t figured that one out.  I’m also absolutely the most value-obsessed consumer I know.  Although I can find value in luxury, my happy place is where quality and value intersect (*shout-out to Costco!*)  Without impressive amounts of both, I’m the queen of buyer’s remorse.

So Alice, dear Alice… I just love ya so far.  Here’s what UPS Santa brought me!  (Coincidentally he actually came to the back door, just off of the kitchen, and carried my daliceous goodies right in for me!)  Maybe he saw the “alice” on the box and thought he needed to take his service to the next level.  I toootally get it.

This is my Alice…

Not only did my new friend Alice send what I ordered, but what I forgot to order… in another box… for free.  “Always free shipping”, after all.  I’m in love.

All of my things were lovingly packed in a sea of fun and eco-friendly air filled pouches.  Inspiring.  Sounds like the mother of bubble wrap to me!

Carefully packed.  Full of care.  Care.  Full.  Yayee.

Alice, I love you for taping my fabric softener cap closed.  I love you more for using tape that didn’t leave it sticky.  I will love you most though… every time I hold said cap and think of how it could have been… sticky.

Personalized tape too?  What a diva!  But considerate, none the less.  I love the little tab you left me!

And here’s what Alice brought me… for $56.76.  But there’s more.  Remember?  I forgot…

… this, and it shipped.  Alone.  And that shipping was free…

as were these two handy oversize heavy duty ziplock bags that we will be reusing…

and a whole lotta these.  Should keep Isabella busy for at least a few noisy minutes!

See you soon Alice!  Thanks for saving me two trips to the store and a bunch of dough.  Love it!  BFF’s maybe?

Crista

Want to meet Alice?  CLICK BELOW and get $10 off your first order of $50 or more…

I just found something that is going to save me time and money on a regular basis!  It’s a lot of fun too:)!  Check out Alice.  It’s a service to help you buy all of the kitchen, bathroom, household, baby, kid and lots of other STUFF that we all have to get regularly but have to go find first, put it in the cart, purchase and then lug it home.  We are now happily ‘lug-free’!  Heck, let UPS do it, right?!?! Oh, it’s ALWAYS FREE SHIPPING at Alice too!  Even for tiny orders:)!!!  Definitley, let UPS do it since it’s easyyyy and only takes 2-3 days!

Saves me MONEY:  The best part (other than saving a ton of time on a regular basis, which I know I mentioned) is the AUTOMATIC COUPONS!!!  Yes, that’s right!  All of those manufacturer’s coupons are automatically found and applied to your order!  Yesterday I placed my first order and bought a pack of Huggies Supreme diapers that retails for $10.99 and usually costs $9.69 from Alice… for only $3.50 after coupons!  Take a peek and notice how MANY of the things I bought had coupons!!

All in all, I bought over $80 worth of things I buy ANYWAY, I got it delivered for free, and AFTER COUPONS I ONLY SPENT $56.76!!!!!!!!(…)!!!

Saves me TIME: Now instead of tromping though the store and forgetting a few things along the way… and buying some more that I don’t really need… I get to pull up my “Shelf” to see what I always buy!

You can even get automatic reminders if you want.  Alice’s organizational features are truly fantastic and I am really looking forward to never running out of anything ever again, and the cumulative savings of both time and money thanks to Alice.

Also, Alice makes shopping Green and Organic very easy!  They carry lots of great brands like Earth’s Best, Gerber Organic, Tom’s, Kashi, Seventh Generation and MORE!

Want to try Alice and save $10 off of your first order?  CLICK HERE, sign up to shop and never run out of anything again!  It’s SO simple and trust us it’s going to be one of your Favorite Things just like it is ours:).

I’ll see ya there!  Look for me online at Alice as Bellaziza in the “Neighborhood” and we can chat or tell me what you think in the comments of this post:)!  For now, back to shopping….

Crista

Summer is here and the kids are doing that beautiful thing they do…play OUTside!  When I found the Nature Bag, I knew that my boys NEEDED it!  They are boys, so naturally outdoor adventures are their thing!  This little organic nature activity bag helps connect children with their natural environment and teaches them more about how to take care of our planet!  These pictures are of my boys trying out their Nature Bag during a trip to the zoo!

The Nature Bag is a simple and fun way to get your kids involved with the beauty and wonder of nature.  My littlest walks around the yard with the magnifying glass saying phrases like, “Well, that’s a mystery!” and “Isn’t this interesting!”  (Yes, he is a genius, by the way.)

I love the idea of giving something to my kids that is earth friendly, safe (no contaminated plastic here!), and contributing to the greater good.  Through the manufacturing of the organic cotton bag and bandanna, your Nature Bag purchase is contributing to the source of income of families in KV Kuppam, a district in Southern India.  How’s that for being a good example to your kids!

The kind folks at Nature Bag have given our readers $5 off your purchase with code: Bellaziza, so get a Nature Bag, get outside and have some fun with your kids this summer!!!

Tasha

As parents there is nothing better that we can do for our kids than take care of the planet that we will leave them!  So we think it’s fitting that we tell you about Blue Avocado just in time for Father’s Day!  After all, Dads like to be Eco-Friendly too!

Blue Avocado’s reusable grocery bag system is just about the coolest thing I have found for Eco-Chic Moms and Dads!  When I received mine I just had to make a run to the grocery store to try them out!  (Thanks Blue Avocado for giving me a reason to get out of the house without the kids!!)  It was actually fun to see how much the bagger could fit into each bag!  And I was totally the Chatty Kathy in the produce aisle, showing everyone my produce bags and telling them all about my new Favorite Thing!  I’ve always hated using those plastic bags for produce so I think the idea is ingenious!  Oh, and did I mention how cute the bags are?  I just love the colors available!  I got BLUE, of course, but there are a few colors to choose from (yes, Crista, there is pink!) and some solid colors for those Eco-Cool Dads out there!

At the end of my (peaceful for once) shopping trip, I had saved the Earth from 16 bags!!  Wow, right?!  Once home, it was easy to fold the bags up into their pretty little case.  You can buy individual bags of all kinds…big bags, small bags, insulated bags…or buy them all together in a kit!!  Easy to store…easy to use…CUTE…and Earth friendly!  Yay for Blue Avocado!!!

SO, let’s make some Dads happy for Father’s Day, shall we?  We are giving away a FULL SET (valued at $69.99!!) from Blue Avacodo to TWO lucky winners which includes the following in your choice of color / print:

Simply visit Blue Avacodo and leave your comment on this post letting them know which of their products you love, what you think about their company, or their website!!  You know how it works and what to do .  This SWAG ALERT will be open for daily entry until we say so.  Oh the mystery of it all!  Good luck!!!

Haven’t you heard?  Green is the new black!  Mother Earth is definitely one of our Favorite Things and we know you love her too!  So here are some of our Favorite Green Things to help you celebrate Earth Day, every day!!

Of course, we can not even begin to mention Eco Friendly products without mentioning our Favorite Toy Company!  Plan Toys keeps the Earth and our kids safe by making top quality toys using organic rubberwood and other recyclable materials, water based dyes and soy and water based inks.  Our newest Favorite is their Eco Town which teaches kids all about living in an Earth Friendly world!  The Eco Town consists of an eco home, eco train station, eco charging station, eco street accessories and eco play mat, all of which have been created to encourage clean energy playtime.  What a unique and fun idea!

If  you read the stats from my Tasha Goes Blue-Green post, we know that we have you convinced to be more green with your kids’ lunches!! Kids Konserve is ready and waiting to help you make lunch time green!   Visit www.KidsKonserve.com to buy your Reusable Lunch Kit.  For only $40, you and your child can make a huge impact!!  Kid’s Konserve is giving our readers 10% off your purchase with the coupon code: Bella.  So get over there and order yours and while you are there enter to win a free Lunch Kit!!!  (Oh, and it’s a celebrity favorite too!  That’s Isla Fischer and her sweetie, Olive Baron Cohen to the right using their Kids Konserve lunch bag!)

Litter Free Lunch is also one really cool way to make a difference at lunch time!  Not just for your kids, but in your lunch too or at the dinner table!  The garbage statistics alone should convince you to use these napkins!  Visit www.LitterFreeLunch.com to get some super cute, really practical reusable napkins!  They work great and my son is oh so proud to bring them in his lunch and tell his friends all about being Litter Free!!  How great is that?!  News Break!!  Litter Free Lunch has just added Stainless Steel Lunchbots Containers to their line of products!!

You didn’t think we leave out your lunch time, did you?  You may not be as into sporting a Reusable Caterpillar Lunch Bag as your child, but don’t worry!  You can make your lunch time green and be totally hip at the same time!  We love, love the Happy Tiffin!!  And with their many Tiffin Sets you have a great variety of styles and prices to choose from!  Not only great for lunch time, Happy Tiffins are great for storing left overs in the fridge without relying on plastic containers!  Now that is something to be happy about!

Now that you have lunch time covered, let’s move on to the bathroom!  No, no…we will not be making potty jokes here, but we will tell you about a fabulous company that will help you make your bathroom habits more green!  Kiss My Face provides natural and organic body care to keep you and the Earth clean!!  From make up and lip gloss to deodorant and shampoo, Kiss My Face will change the way you think about your toiletry products!!  And they didn’t forget the kids either!!  Our Favorite parts about the Kiss My Face line?  Their extremely reasonable prices and availablility and they provide a list of ingredients which cuts through the confusion about what’s in their products and why!!

Once you have spent hours in your bathroom trying out all of your new natural and organic toiletries, it will be time to clean your mess!  Don’t you just hate the chemically filled cleaners out there?  There is nothing better than a clean home without the harsh smell and traces of chemicals lingering!  I have tried making my own homemade cleaners, but Eco-Me has made the process so much easier!!  By simply adding some products you have at home (like vinegar and baking soda, for example) you can have all natural cleaning products in every room of your home!  They also make wonderful homemade cleaning kits for Baby, Body and Pets!

Being green is easy and fun when you can use products like these!  That’s why we love ‘em!

Just to get us all thinking about our impact on the Earth…Here are some statistics from The Clean Air Council.

*In the U.S., 4.39 pounds of trash per day and up to 56 tons of trash per year are created by the average person.  Only about one-tenth of all solid garbage in the United States gets recycled.

*Each day the United States throws away enough trash to fill 63,000 garbage trucks.  Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.

*Americans throw away enough aluminum cans to rebuild our commercial air fleet every three months, and enough iron and steel to supply all our nation’s automakers every day.  Throwing away one aluminum can wastes as much energy as if that can were 1/2 full of gasoline.  Sixty-five billion aluminum soda cans are used each year.  Recycling an aluminum soda can saves 96% of the energy used to make a can from ore, and produces 95% less air pollution and 97% less water pollution.

*U.S. businesses now use about 21 million tons of paper every year. That’s about 175 pounds of paper for each American.  America is home to 5% of the world’s population, yet it consumes 1/3 of the Earth’s timber and paper; making paper the largest part of the waste stream at 37.5% of the total waste stream.  One ton of paper from recycled pulp saves 17 trees, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 7,000 gallons of water, 4,200 kilowatt hours (enough to heat your home for half year), 390 gallons of oil, and prevents 60 pounds of air pollutants.

*Enough hazardous waste is generated in one year to fill the New Orleans Superdome 1,500 times over.

*As of 1992, 14 billion pounds of trash were dumped into the ocean annually around the world.

*Forty-three thousand tons of food is thrown out in the United States each day.

*The average American, in one lifetime, uses: 18 tons of paper, 23 tons of wood, 16 tons of metal, and 32 tons of organic chemicals.

Let’s all consider what we can do to change these staggering statistics and make the Earth a better place for our children!!

We found a fun and informative way to quiz yourself on what kind of ecological footprint you leave on the Earth. 

Click here to try it out yourself!

We know we sure have some work to do!

How about you?

With Earth Day right around the corner, everyone is considering how they can be more green.  We have found a company that helps you feel safe, fill your home with quality (and quite attractive!) products and do what’s right by Mother Earth.  When it comes to quality products that will keep our kids safe and help us keep up with what’s hot, we just can’t get enough!!

LifeWithoutPlastic.com is more than an online boutique full of safe and practical plastic-free products.  With an informational Blog and many resources about the dangers of certain plastics to you and the Earth, LifeWithoutPlastic.com is an Earth Lover’s dream!  Here are a few of our fave’s from their great line of Earth Friendly products!

Everyone’s carrying the hottest new alternative to the plastic water bottle and Life Without Plastic has just what you need to join the craze!  The Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle is a must have for anyone looking to rid themselves of the retched plastic water bottles.  It is said that a plastic water bottle can take up to 1,000 years to begin to decompose when buried.  Do you want to be associated with that kind of damage to the Earth?  We didn’t think so!  For as little as $18-$20 you can purchase a Klean Kanteen and be a part of the solution!  What we love best…the adaptable tops which can be used as your child grows!  A sippy cup, a sport bottle, a water bottle to stick in your child’s lunch box (or your own!!)…definitely a Favorite!!

We have enough to worry about as parents without the added concern of plastics possibly contaminating our children’s food!  What good is a healthy meal if you then place it on an unhealthy plate or bowl?!  That’s why we love their dishes for kids.  So many cute and fun styles to choose from, no worries about what may be leaching into your child’s food and just plain fun for the kids!!  My boys love pretending to be cowboys eating around a campfire as they eat their dinner off of the stainless steel dishware!!  And you’ll be saying a little Yee-Haw of your own when you see that the prices are incredibly affordable!

So get in your cupboards and just go ahead and toss out those cracked, warped and stained plastic containers!!  (You know the ones I’m talking about, don’t pretend that you don’t have any!)  We found the best alternative to the cheap reusable plastic containers that are not only unsafe in comparison, but do not last nearly as long as their high quality, food grade, stainless steel replacements!!  Life Without Plastic’s Food Storage Containers are practical, convenient and safe!  You can use them to store your left-overs or take along as a lunch box.  We just love these!

When quality and safety meet with keeping the Earth clean and green…LifeWithoutPlastic.com is there!!  You can be too by visiting www.LifeWithoutPlastic.com and get your family on the road to being plastic free!

Everyone needs me to do something for them.

“Mommy, I need this…”

“Honey, I need that…”

“Make this boo-boo better!”

“Come quick!!”

The thought of adding another needy person to my list is definitely NOT one of my Favorite Things!  But there is “someone” who has been quietly tugging on my pants leg, needing me to notice them, if just for a moment in my hectic day.  Her name is Mother Earth.  Now I will admit that I am not exactly a “tree hugger”, but when it comes to taking care of the planet that my boys will someday inherit, I’ll hug every tree on the block!!

I don’t like the phrase “Save Mother Earth” though.  I mean, SAVE?  Doesn’t that sound incredibly dire and, well, impossible?!  So how about we take it down a notch for our sleep deprived, get off my pant leg, if there is one more thing added to my “I feel guilty about this” list I am going to lose it, ever-loving minds!!!  Whew…I feel better already!

It’s not about acting out of guilt, so let the guilt go and take some small steps to make a difference for our precious planet…out of love!  This is the Earth that we will leave our children and the generations after them.  Don’t you think it’s worth it?  Take one small step this week, then another small step the next week and before you know it, you’ll be free of green guilt and full of green love!

Watch for my Tasha Goes Blue-Green post next week where I will share some tips on small things that we have done to make a difference.  Because, seriously, If I can do it…

“In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”  This is a quote from The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy and is Seventh Generation’s motto.  While providing safe and effective cleaning products for you and your family, Seventh Generation is also being mindful of their affects on the Earth.

Seventh Generation creates household and personal care products that are healthy and safe for the air, the surfaces, the fabrics, the pets, and the people within your home.  But they aren’t like all the other cleaning companies out there!  There can be enormous differences between mainstream products and those from companies like Seventh Generation. While most people know what “natural” and “organic” mean in terms of foods, many are just beginning to understand that there are similar choices to be made with other items they purchase, such as cleaning products.

In a world of unregulated cleaning products, it’s nice to know that Seventh Generation happily lists all of their ingredients and what they do, even though there are no regulations that require them to do so.  You might also want to compare the instructions and cautions on the Seventh Generation product to one of their competitors. We think you’ll find quite a difference, and see how their products can help contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

We love the commitment that Seventh Generation has for our safety and the caring of our planet.  It’s certainly easy to call Seventh Generation a Favorite Thing!!