Ways to reuse school supplies

I hate wasting school supplies.  Those broken crayons, filled notebooks from last semester, and the empty pens can really add up to a lot of trash if you don't get creative.  Here are a few ways to reuse or repurpose some of those useless school supplies.

•  Broken crayons = Toddler crayons   Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.  Line a mini muffin pan with mini muffin liners.  Place broken crayons bits into the liners. You can sort by color or make rainbow crayons.  It's up to you!  Place the muffin tin in the oven for 10 minutes.  When the crayons are melted, remove the tin and let the crayons cool completely.  You can pop them in the freezer for an hour or so to speed things up.  You can also pour the melted wax into candy molds to make shapes or into ice cube trays for a different shape.  I find the mini muffin shape is great for little toddler hands since it is big and chunky and easy to grip.
• Empty pens can be used to store tiny craft beads for your budding crafter, to mark spring seedlings in the garden, and as craft sticks for preschool art projects.
• Use old notebooks for science projects!  Use the paper to make papier-mâché projects.  Shred the old notes and look up "how to make paper" online.  I also use the cardbaord front and backs for toddler art projects like a painting canvas, cardstock, and ornaments.
• Broken or too short pencils make excellent wood compost for your spring garden!

Happy reusing!  

Does your community encourage recycling?

My community is very lucky to not only have free recycling, but residents actually get REWARDED to recycle through RecycleBank.  It's a great program where you earn points based on the weight of recyclables collected.  You earn 2.5 points for each pound recycled.  RecycleBank also offers electronics recycling so all those old gadgets don't end up in a landfill.  The points can be traded in on their site for gift certificates, store discounts, and coupons.  They have everything from groceries to restaurants to clothing.  It's really a great program that rewards people for doing the right thing!

In my community they only offer this program for paper.  Our plastic and metal recycling profit is turned over to our local government and they use it to keep our taxes low (another great way to encourage recycling).

Does your community reward your recycling efforts?  I have heard you actually have to PAY for recycling in some places.  Is this true?  How does it work in your area?

I'm back from outerspace.

Goodness it has been a stressful and exhausting few months.  I'm glad that my family is healthy, happy, and all around boring again.I am especially glad because it lets me get back to my routine - blogging being a large part of that routine.

So, it is HOT here in New Jersey. I think all of July was one giant heat wave.  I have been a slacking Greenie because I have had our air conditioners running non-stop for about a month now.  Luckily, they are new models which have energy saving settings and automatic shut off.  I haven't seen much difference in the electric bill, so I think we found a decent solution to beating the heat.

The plus side of all this heat is that my veggie garden is exploding with fresh produce.  I have tomatoes and cucumbers filling up my kitchen.  I am actually going to pickle some cucumbers this year!  I'm very excited to try it and see how they turn out.  The tomatoes barely make it past the front door before they are gone.  I rinse them off, slice them and eat them right off the cutting board.  Fresh tomatoes may be my favorite food in the world. 

So, I am working on ideas to change an area of my home into the designated daycare area.  I am trying to find eco products to do this.  If you see anything adorable, green, and available, let me know!

It's so nice to be back, I hope to "see" you all around again!

Winners!! I have winners!!!

Thanks so much to ChildOrganics.com for sponsoring this very useful and green giveaway of Extreme 18x Laundry Soap.  Our winner was #14 - Cindy! 

Cindy said... I commented on the blog here: http://childorganics.blogspot.com/2010/03/guest-post-motherless-motherhood.html#comment-form

 

Congrats Cindy! 

And the lucky winner of a fun and fabulous shirt from WestMamaDesigns is #11 - Goddess Amaunet!

 

 

Goddess Amaunet said... I would love one of her born at home shirts! Either for my little one on the way that better take after her older sister with no complications homebirthing, or one for the older sister who is 2 years old! :)

Kimberly really doesn't make anything I don't love and some even the cuttlefish is growing on me. LOL
I am bias though, I have at least three of her items already!

Congrats Goddess!!

I will be in touch with both of you today to get your info!  Thank you all for entering!

I can't get into that summer state of mind

The weather is just starting to turn here and all the trees and flowers are in full bloom.  I am a planner by nature, so I jump ahead and start thinking of our summer weekends and how we plan to fill them.  We are lucky that we live only 45 minutes from the ocean, so we visit fairly often during the hot summer months.  My mind drifts off to seeing the dolphins each morning at sunrise (yes, NJ has dolphins!), spending hours building sandcastles with my son, and reading a good book while hubby takes our son in the ocean for a swim. 

This year though, I cannot conjure up those lovely images, because I am haunted by these instead:

ICK!  The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  Before plastic made its way into our everyday lives, there was still garbage in the oceans.  But that garbage was mostly biodegradable.  Plastic does not biodegrade, but when exposed to sunlight it photo-degrades, breaking down into smaller and smaller particles and finally breaking down into “nurdles”(tiny grains that are the building blocks of most modern plastics). Nurdles soak up waterborne toxins like pesticides and cooling agents. Then the nurdles are consumed by filter-feeders at the bottom of the food chain and these toxins make their way up the food chain and onto your plate.  So, yes, you drink that crap.  And yes, you eat it too.  Revolting, isn't it?

So, what can we do to help clean up this mess that we all made?  The most important thing we can do is STOP USING PLASTIC.  Stop using plastic grocery bags, stop buying plastic bottles of water, juice, and soda.  Take action: write companies who package their goods in plastic and urge them to use earth friendly packaging instead.  Recycle as much as you possibly can. Pick up litter on the road, at the park, in the parking lots, and on vacation. It will eventually find its way to our water and the only way to stop it is to stop our dependence on plastic and clean up after ourselves.

Green Gal Pick: WestMama Designs Review and Giveaway!!

I am so excited to introduce this next Etsy shop to all of you.  WestMama Designs is an ADORABLE little shop that features all sorts of earth and people friendly apparel and gifts.  

Kimberly kindly sent Miss C a 100% organic cotton t-shirt in her unique giraffe design.  WestMama Designs uses only non-toxic inks and people friendly materials.  Kimberly cares about the people behind the materials she chooses in her shop.  

Onto the review of this cute t-shirt.  First thing that I noticed is that this t-shirt is SO SOFT.  It has a silky, light feeling to it.  The color is beautiful.  It is a muted orange that is ideal for a boy or a girl.  But, what really impressed me about this shirt was the unique design.  At first glance, you see a giraffe, but then you notice that the giraffe has stars for spots.  I think it adds a touch of whimsy to this children's shirt and makes it special.  Miss C loved her giraffe shirt and kept growling at it (she isn't so great with animal sounds just yet, haha).  This shirt is nice and light, so it is perfect for layering in the spring and fall when you aren't quite sure what the day will bring.  It also works great for summertime, because the light soft material is so breathable.  

WestMama Designs caters to a natural parenting crowd.  She uses phrases and  images that tie us to our earth and one another.  Here are a few that I know the more "crunchy" crowd would love:

I had the chance to talk with Kimberly and get some insight on her business and her inspirations.

How did you get your start in green clothing and accessories?

I have always been a creative person and for long time wanted to start a business on Etsy. After my daughter was born I knew I needed a an outlet for my creativity to help combat my ppd. Act of going green was a no-brainer for me. It is very important to me that the product I use treat people and the earth kindly. It's that simple. 

Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from my immediate environment. Often my back yard or my son's interests. The Bird and Tree design is from a dogwood in my back yard. It is the lone tree back there and brings me a lot of joy. I also want to create items that are different from the mass produced gender specific stuff. 

What is your favorite item in your shop? 

It is hard for me to pick a favorite. I'd say my bird and tree shirt is up there. 

My little bird card set, because they were inspired by a great late winter day in Oregon. 

And my cuttlefish because I LOVE cephalopods.  

What are you hopes for your business over the next five years? 

My hope is that I'm still in business. That my products are in more stores locally and that I can earn enough income to stay at home with my kids as long as possible.

Well, I for one, certainly hope that WestMama Designs sticks around because the quality and caring behind each item is certainly going to make this shop popular for any baby presents I need to buy!

WIN IT!

Kimberly has generously offered to host a giveaway for one LUCKY Baby To Green reader!  The winner will get to choose a shirt in the size and style of their choice!!  What a great prize!

To enter each entry must have an email address in the comment or visible in your public profile.  No email address = no winning.  Each comment is worth 1 entry into the drawing.

Mandatory Entry:  You must be a follower of Baby To Green via Google Friend Connect and you must become a fan of WestMama Designs On Facebook.  After we are all friends, leave a comment saying that you will be our friend forever!  That counts as your mandatory first entry.

Extra Entries (only after Mandatory Entry has been entered):

• Fan me on Facebook.  
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Follow WestMama Designs on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Tweet this ONCE per day and leave the permalink in your comment. "Win an organic tee from @WestMamaDesigns and @Baby2Green http://bit.ly/bcSS3J #eco #giveaway"
• Go to WestMama Designs Etsy Shop and pick one item you LOVE and come back here to tell me what it is.
• Become a follower of WestMama Designs Blog

So that is at least SEVEN chances to win.  Be sure to pay attention on Twitter and Facebook.  I may or may not be giving out bonus entries throughout the week.

Deadline for entries is Friday, April 23th at noon Eastern Time.  All entries will be checked and any entry that doesn't qualify will be removed before the drawing.  The winner will be drawn via Random.org for fairness.  Winner will be notified and has 48 hours to respond.  If winner does not respond, a second drawing will be held.

Disclaimer: I did receive a sample product for review.  

This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone. 

Soap Nuts and Extreme 18 Laundry Detergent Review and Giveaway from ChildOrganics.com

Erica over at ChildOrganics.com generously offered to let me review Soap Nuts and the Extreme 18X Liquid.  I am always looking for ways to keep my laundry routine earth friendly, so I was very excited to try our both the Soap Nuts and the Extreme 18X.


First, I tried the Soap Nuts.  Soap Nuts are the most natural way to do laundry.  These funny looking little fruits are eco-friendly, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, unscented and highly effective.  I think they are super easy to use.  You just tie them into the teeny little muslin bag and toss them in the wash.  This same little bag of Soap Nuts can be used for 4 - 5 loads of laundry or diapers.  

When the diapers came out of the washer, they smelled like NOTHING!  Which is perfect for us.  I loathe artificial fragrances and cringe when I wonder what it takes to make chemicals smell like flowers.  Scary stuff.

The Soap Nuts left the diapers clean, residue free, and soft.  Just what I want for a cloth diaper routine -- easy to use, rinses clean, and all natural.  Perfection.

The Extreme 18X is a concentrated liquid version of Soap Nuts.  Just 8oz does 96 he loads!  Can you imagine how efficient it is?  It is great for the earth because it is all natural and it is so concentrated that one small bottle that can be recycled later can do up to 96 loads.   I just used a 1/2 teaspoon in my washer and the laundry came out perfect.  The results were just as wonderful as with the Soap Nuts.  

WIN IT!

Erica has generously offered to host a giveaway for one LUCKY Baby To Green reader!  The winner will get an 8oz. bottle of the Extreme 18X!  That is enough for 96 he loads!!  

To enter each entry must have an email address in the comment or visible in your public profile.  No email address = no winning.  Each comment is worth 1 entry into the drawing.

Mandatory Entry:  You must be a follower of Baby To Green via Google Friend Connect and you must be a follower of Child Organic's Blog.  After we are all friends, leave a comment saying that you will be our friend forever!That counts as your mandatory first entry.

Extra Entries (only after Mandatory Entry has been entered):

• Fan me on Facebook.  
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Tweet this ONCE per day and leave the permalink in your comment. "Win Extreme 18X from ChildOrganics and @Baby2Green http://bit.ly/aL18H4 #clothdiaper #giveaway"
• Go to ChildOrganics.com and pick one item you LOVE and come back here to tell me what it is.
• Become a fan of Child Organics on Facebook.
• Stop by Child Organic's Blog and comment on any post. 

So that is at least SEVEN chances to win.  Be sure to pay attention on Twitter and Facebook.  I may or may not be giving out bonus entries throughout the week.

Deadline for entries is Friday, April 23rd at noon Eastern Time.  All entries will be checked and any entry that doesn't qualify will be removed before the drawing.  The winner will be drawn via Random.org for fairness.  Winner will be notified and has 48 hours to respond.  If winner does not respond, a second drawing will be held.

Disclaimer: I did receive a sample product for review.  

This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone. 

Winner of Sew Natual AIO!

And the winner is Vanessa!  Vanessa will get to choose a Sew Natural AIO in her choice of color and size!  Congratulations Vanessa!  I am sure you will love your diaper!

Thank you all for entering and be on the lookout for more giveaways this week!!

Sorry for the VERY slow posting

We had a family emergency last Friday that has left us all very thankful, but very stressed out.  My father in law fell from a ladder onto his neck and head.  He has a broken back, neck, sternum, ribs, and foot.  Life is a bit chaotic to say the least, but he will be fine after some serious physical therapy and some rest.

Thank you all for hanging in there this past week.  I have been a bad blogger.

I have a few posts to put up today and then hopefully back to my regularly scheduled posting.

Earn 5 Bonus Entries into the Sew Natural Cloth Diaper Giveaway!

Hello friends of the Earth!  In honor of Earth Hour (which just so happens to be this Saturday evening) I am giving away FIVE BONUS ENTRIES into the Sew Natural AIO Giveaway.

Just go to www.EarthHour.org and read about all the magical things that can happen if we all do our part and unplug for an hour.  Sign up for the pledge and come back here to Baby To Green.  Go to the Sew Natural Diaper Co. AIO Giveaway post here and tell me how many days, hours, and minutes were on the ticker when you left the site.  Write that answer FIVE TIMES in the comments and you have your bonus entries!  Make sure to write on the Sew Natural post, not this one.  Also be sure to complete the mandatory entry or no additional entries will count.

So, Happy Earth Hour folks.  I hope you have a fantastic hour spending time with family and friends in a simple but amazing way!

Growing Your Own Fruits and Veggies

I am really interested in starting a real veggie and fruit garden this year.  I think it would be a great way to cut down on our trips to the produce store (which is a 10 minute car ride once a week) and save us some cash (we typically spend about $20 - $25 on fresh fruit and veggies a week).  I think fresh veggies are much more nutritious than those sitting on store shelves.

I also think it would be a GREAT learning project for my kids and my daycare kids.  My problem is that I have a crazy schedule and not often a ton of time to work on a veggie garden.  So if I incorporate it into my daycare curriculum, the kids will remind me that we need to take care of our plants!  We also have lots of critters that like to steal my veggies.  I do not have any sort of green thumb.

Considering that many seed catalogs offer $25 off your first order when you receive their catalog in the mail, this makes for very cheap or free fruits and veggies for your family!  I really love Burpee and Gurney's because they offer great descriptions in the catalog on exactly how and where to plant your seeds for the best results.  While I am browsing, I need to find some flowers and plants that attract bees.  Very important!

I plan on making raised beds in the backyard so that the kids and the dog don't trample any seedlings.  I hope to find some cedar wood or pine that is not pressure treated so I can build it (well, so my Dad can build it).

Do you garden?  Are you into fruits, veggies, or flowers?

The Sew Natural Diaper Giveaway Has Been Extended!

We are extending the Sew Natural AIO diaper giveaway until NEXT Wednesday March 31, 2010 at noon EST.  Get you entries in!!!!!

Spring Greening!

I LOVE spring cleaning.  Opening the windows and letting fresh air in soothes my soul.  Plus, it seems to be the one time a year that everyone participates in chores.  I can ask the hubby to do just about anything in the name of spring cleaning and it gets done.  Its almost as if spring is the nag instead of me.

Since I use a lot of cleaning products this time of year, I tend to make my own to save money and make sure that  my dog and my family are healthy and safe.  Today, I want to share my simple "recipes" for eco and budget friendly cleaners.

• Abrasive Cleanser (use in place of toilet bowl cleaners and tile cleaners)  - Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with 3 tablespoons of Kosher salt in a small mixing bowl.  Sprinkle the mixture onto counter tops, tile, or into the toilet bowl. If you need more cleaning power, add enough water to make a paste.  Put the paste onto the surface to be cleaned let it sit for a few minutes.  Then scrub with a damp rag.  
• Mildew/Grease Remover (use in place of kitchen and bathroom spray cleaners) - Buy an empty spray bottle (I bought mine at a dollar store).  You can fill this bottle with equal parts of vinegar and water or equal parts lemon juice and water.  I use lemon juice and water for my stove top and bathroom and kitchen counters, and the vinegar on windows, mirrors, and glass.
• Disinfectant (use instead of bleach) - 4 cups of water, 5 tablespoons of dish soap, and 50 drops of tea tree oil.  This works great on door handles and toys!
• Oven Cleaner - Make a paste off baking soda and water and apply to the inside of your oven.  Let it sit at least 8 hours (I let mine sit overnight) and in the morning, scrub off buildup.  Finish off with a clean wet rag for a spotless interior!
• Floor Cleaner - I use an eco-friendly commercial dish soap and warm water on my tile floors.  For my hardwood floors, I use a rag dampened with vinegar and water.  I only do this about twice a year.  The rest of the time I sweep, vacuum, or spot clean with plain water.  

What do you use during your spring cleaning?  

Winner of the Fridge-It Odor Absorber Giveaway!

Lisa (Garner5) is the winner of the Fridge-It Six Pack from Innofresh!!  Congrats Lisa!

Thank you all for playing!  Stay tuned for more awesome giveaways!

Green Gal Pick: Sew Natural Watch Me Grow One Size Pocket Diaper Review and Giveaway!

Chrissie over at Sew Natural Diaper Company was kind enough to send me one of her fabulous Watch Me Grow One Size Pocket diapers to review.  As you all know, the majority of my stash is pocket diapers and I really do love them.  I was so thrilled to try out the white Watch Me Grow that I washed it that night and had it on my daughter first thing in the morning.  Notice the morning bed head (no, her hair is not in pigtails - it is stuck that way from the hairdo the day before):

 

As you can see, the Watch Me Grow diaper fits my daughter very well.  I really love that it is a trim fitting diaper and I was even able to put jeans on her that day.  It is not only trim enough to fit under jeans, but it also is trim in the crotch area.  I like that in a diaper because it means it is more comfortable for my baby.  Some diapers are ridiculously wide and I think that can be really annoying in a baby who is learning to walk, crawl, or run.  

 On the smallest setting with lovely crossover buttons:

 

(Chrissie is changing the name over from DewDrops Handmade)

One the largest setting:

Inside:

 

The trimness doesn't affect performance a all.  This diaper held up to a 5 hour span when daughter fell asleep on her bedroom floor one afternoon.  I usually worry when I don't change her right before a nap, but I didn't have to stress at all with the Watch Me Grow.  She woke up with a very heavy diaper, but she was dry, her clothes were dry, and her carpet was dry.  Yay!!!

I love the this fits from 8 pounds all the way up to 28 pounds.  That is great on the wallet (especially since these diapers are priced at just $16 a piece -- great price for a reliable pocket) and the earth!  The inner absorbent layer is Sew Natural's ROBIN tri-fold insert.  This insert has six absorbent layers of bamboo french terry and 3 layers of cotton velour.  I have some of the velour inserts and they are S-O-F-T soft.

 

Chrissie was kind enough to answer my obnoxious questions and it really makes me love small mom businesses even more.

What got you interested in cloth diapers/cloth diaper making?

I always knew that I would cloth diaper my children. Initially I began with just prefolds and covers - I was already overwhelmed with making clothes, blankets, and enjoying our first baby to really think about actually making the diapers myself! When I found out we were expecting our 4th I knew I was going to need to restock our diaper stash so I decided I would make my own. I have gone through several trial diapers to end up here and I'm constantly working to make my pattern better.  

What inspired the new diaper design?

The new diaper design was inspired by the fact that I want people to understand that cloth diapering is EASY, and I was hoping to make it as painless as possible! I used to avoid AIOs because they take so long to wash and dry, it completely defeated the purpose to me. So I incorporated some new fabrics developed by Wazoodle Fabric company designed specifically to increase the effiency of diapering! I think that the new diaper brings the trimness and ease of a disposable and the practicality and eco-friendliness of cloth diapering together nicely.

What do you hope for your business in the future?
I really hope that I can continue to grow my company, so that in 5 years when my youngest enters kindergarten it can be a full time job for me. Eventually I would love to open and fabric/sewing store here. . . but for now I have babies to raise!

WIN IT!

Christine has generously offered to host a giveaway to one LUCKY Baby To Green reader!  The winner will get to choose a Sew Natural AIO in their choice of color and size!  

To enter each entry must have an email address in the comment or visible in your public profile.  No email address = no winning.  Each comment is worth 1 entry into the drawing.

Mandatory Entry:  You must be a follower of Baby To Green via Google Friend Connect and you must be a follower of Chrissie's Blog at Naturally Sewn.  After we are all friends, leave a comment saying that you will be our friend forever!That counts as your mandatory first entry.

Extra Entries (only after Mandatory Entry has been entered):

• Fan me on Facebook.  
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Tweet this ONCE per day and leave the permalink in your comment. "Win a @SewNaturalDipe AIO #clothdiaper from Sew Natural Diaper Co. and @Baby2Green http://bit.ly/cvUSrR"
• Go to Sew Natural Diaper Company's Etsy shop and pick one item you LOVE and come back here to tell me what it is.
• Follow Sew Natural Diaper Company on Twitter and comment with your Twitter ID.  
• Stop by Naturally Sewn and comment on any post. 

So that is at least SEVEN chances to win.  Be sure to pay attention on Twitter and Facebook.  I may or may not be giving out bonus entries throughout the week.

Deadline for entries is Wednesday March 24, 2010 at noon Eastern Time.  All entries will be checked and any entry that doesn't qualify will be removed before the drawing.  The winner will be drawn via Random.org for fairness.  Winner will be notified and has 48 hours to respond.  If winner does not respond, a second drawing will be held.

Disclaimer: I did receive a sample product for review.  

This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone. 

Mabel’s Labels BlogHer ‘10 Contest

The following is my entry for the Mabel’s Labels BlogHer ‘10 Contest.  Electrical storms are going to wipe out the Internet (perhaps forever). You have one day left to write about your passions.  What do you write about?

Green Gal Pick: Fridge-It Odor Absorber Review and Giveaway ***CLOSED***

As everyone knows -- diapers stink.  In my home there are a LOT of diapers.  My daughter uses cloth diapers which I keep in a pail liner inside a regular trashcan until it is washing time.  But, I also have my own home daycare and most of them uses disposable diapers which end up in my trash can each day.  Needless to say, by the end of the day my hallway STINKS.  Since I do not use chemical air fresheners and the weather isn't quite warm enough to open the windows and let some of the stink out, I am stuck with a stinky house until the end of the day when I can take out the trash and wash diapers.  I knew that there had to be a green way to control odors inside the home without spraying toxic chemicals to cover up the smell, but I couldn't find anything for a long time.  Then I saw Innofresh's blog.

As I read, I realized that their line of eco-friendly, fragrance and chemical free line of activated carbon odor absorbers was exactly what I needed.  Another huge plus, these are made right here in the USA.  Which makes them greener because they do not have to ship from halfway around the world.  I do not use chemical cleaning products in my home for the safety and health of my family, my dog, and my daycare children.  A find like this was something I needed to have ASAP!  Unlike other products that just mask odors, their activated carbon odor absorbers actually eliminate the odors by absorbing and neutralizing - so the odor is permanently eliminated - not just covered up like other "air fresheners."   So I contacted Bruce over at Innofresh and he generously offered to send me some of their awesome odor absorbers to review.

So once I received the odor absorbers, I out them to the ultimate test -- well my daycare kids did.  I stuck one at the bottom of the garbage can and put in a fresh bag.  Within an hour, there were 5 soiled diapers in that can.  For the first time, I could walk through the room without smelling anything at all!  I also clipped one to the lid of my daughter's diaper pail.  That pail sat for 3 days before I washed the diapers and there was no odor in or around the pail.  Usually I have to take the pail down into the basement each night and store the dirties down there until washing, but not anymore!

Since I love to put things to the test, I also put one in our fridge, freezer, and my husband's lunchbox.  My fridge stinks like onion because I use a lot of onions and garlic when I cook.  And that old box of baking soda just isn't cutting it anymore.  Nothing is worse than putting butter on your bagel in the morning and your butter tastes like old onion -- ICK!  My freezer had that lovely smell of freezer burn -- at least I think that is what it is. I'm not actually sure what freezer burn smells like.  I wanted to see how long it would take to remove the odors from the fridge, freezer, and lunchbox.  I clipped these absorbers in at 8 in the morning and by lunchtime the odors in all three locations were completely gone.  I was amazed.  

Now, if only I could get my dog to wear one on his collar...

BUY IT!

You can buy Innofresh Odor Absorbers directly through their website or use their site to find a retailer near you.  Use coupon code BK409B to receive an automatic 10% discount on purchases made on line at www.Innofresh.com   This coupon code must be entered into the required coupon field during checkout.

WIN IT!

Bruce over at Innofresh generously offered to give a FREE six pack of FRIDGE IT cubes to one lucky Baby To Green reader!  

To enter each entry must have an email address in the comment or visible in your public profile.  No email address = no winning.  Each comment is worth 1 entry into the drawing.

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Leave a comment telling me your "stinky" story.  Make me smell the stink people.


Extra Entries (only after Mandatory Entry has been entered):

• Tell me the closest retailer to you where you can buy Innofresh products.
• Follow me via Google Friend Connect on the sidebar and leave a comment.
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Follow Innofresh on Twitter (say hi to Bruce while you are there!) and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Tweet this ONCE and leave the permalink in your comment. "Kick stink to the curb with @Innofresh and @Baby2Green #eco #clothdiaper http://bit.ly/cd9ZXa"
• Friend me on Facebook and leave a comment with your Facebook name.

So that is at least SEVEN chances to win.  Be sure to pay attention on Twitter and Facebook.  I may or may not be giving out bonus entries throughout the week.

Deadline for entries is Wednesday March 17, 2010 at noon Eastern Time.  All entries will be checked and any entry that doesn't qualify will be removed before the drawing.  The winner will be drawn via Random.org for fairness.  Winner will be notified and has 48 hours to respond.  If winner does not respond, a second drawing will be held.

Disclaimer: I did receive Innofresh products for review.  

This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone.  

Green Gal Pick: Flip One Size Diaper System Review

Another new style of diaper that I tried out recently was the Flip One Size Diaper System from Diaper Junction. Bryana at Diaper Junction generously offered to send me the Flip system in Ribbit to try out.

When it arrived, I was so anxious to try it out.  First thing I noticed was that it is a one size snap diaper -- HUGE PLUS!  I love one size diapers and I love snaps.  Snaps are my preference because they do not snag on other diapers in the washer and dryer and they hold up much better to frequent use.

Next thing that I noticed was the Stay Dry Insert.  It has a moisture wicking suede material on one side to go against baby's skin which is great because I like when my daughter feels dry.  It has another 3 layers of microfiber to keep that moisture contained.  The Flip is VERY easy to put together.  Just 2 quick tucks and the liner is in place and you are ready to diaper baby.

If you prefer natural materials, the Flip offers an organic cotton insert as well.  They also offer a disposable diaper insert for the times when cloth just isn't an option.

I love the fit of this cloth diaper because it is trim, which is rare in almost any cloth diaper.  My daughter wore this diaper for 3 hours without a single leak!  She put it to the ultimate test by having a massive would-be blowout as well.  I say would-be blowout because the Flip contained the entire mess.  No pulling inserts out or fastening velcro laundry tabs.  Just rinsed off the solids and threw the entire thing in the diaper pail.  With the Flip, you can also just replace the insert and reuse the cover!  How great is that?

Washing and drying was a breeze.  I just washed with my other diapers and the insert came out perfectly clean and stink free and I hung the Flip cover to dry.  The weather is finally warming up so I am excited to line dry the Flip.  I know it will dry quickly outside which is great for us.  

I think that the Flip system is a great was for someone to try out cloth diapering or a great alternative for vacations when many cloth diaperers use disposables because they may not have a washer available.  It offers lots of great options for everyday use and it is a very affordable and easy to care for system!

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own Flip Diaper System at Diaper Junction!


Check out Diaper Junction's 30 Day Test Drive as well.  It is a great program that lets you try out a variety of diapers RISK FREE!

Disclaimer: I did receive one Flip cloth diaper in Ribbit for review.  This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone.