My Eco Family

Lilybaby Creations Winner

2010-05-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

According to Random.Org our winner is comment #5 from the Catherall Family, congratulations :) Jen I will be e-mailing you soon!

Blog Worth Blogging About-Silly blogger

2010-05-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

*This WAS scheduled to post Tuesday-but for some reason it did not- One of those blogger quirks, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. AND of course my usual image for this is not loading..grrr
-BLOGS WORTH BLOGGING ABOUT-

For today I only have 1- HELP!!!!! I am running out of blogs to blog about. I know they are out there. I just have not managed to stumble across them. I try to feature blogs that don't already have a TON of followers- because those people are already getting enough attention and honestly I am not trying to send hits to pages that are getting paid for it- I have been trying to share people who are dedicated and passionate about their blogs and are obviously not in it purely for income or some sort of gain. I get bored with blogs that every post listed in my reader is a review or giveaway of some sort- I want to know who YOU are by reading your blog, not your sponsors.

A little Sugar-n-Spice- This is a lovely one, if I do say so myself. This is a blog about a Christian stay at home mom of 3- And the babies are twins-YAY for moms of twins. She home schools, cloth diapers, breast feeds and baby wears :) She is also a small business- yes indeed she is crafty, check out her blog to learn more. She has links to her Etsy shop on there. Kudos to this busy mama!

Okay so I am reaching out for nominations!!! Please don't be shy, nominate yourself if need be :) All of my blogs featured thus far have been written by mothers- I think for now I want to keep it like that- Lets empower mamas everywhere :) We all have a voice- let yours be heard or read...lol

PS- You might be missing out on some great giveaways- check the giveaway tab at the top for more details!

Wordless Wednesday- Proud Papa

2010-05-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

Choose Handmade with a Giveaway!

2010-05-17T04:26:00.000-07:00

LilyBaby Creations

"Style-Savvy Treasures for you & your Little Treasure"

Jamie is a work at home mom of two boys Mason, 3 and Avery, 6 months. She got started by sewing baby shower gifts for all of her friends who were having girls. The gifts were such a big hit, she decided to start an Etsy shop! The name LilyBaby Creations comes from her hope of one day having a baby girl and naming her Lily. She sews whenever she can find the time! To get projects done she utilizes night-time, nap-time and whenever else her teething little one will allow it! Her work station consists of a tiny 2 person table in her kitchen. Jamie enjoys Farmer’s Markets, the view of Mt. Rainier from her living room, road trips, decorating her home and of course her family!

Jamie has some adorable things in her shop including dresses, little boy’s ties, reusable bags, nursing covers, boutique baby blankets and so much more available upon special request- See her website for all the details!
Guess What?? This is also an awesome giveaway opportunity. Jamie has generously offered to send the winning reader their choice of item from whatever she currently has in stock! There are a TON of awesome choices. See the bottom of this post for details on how to enter!

Jamie was kind enough to send Adelea one of her signature Lily dresses. Designed to be a mid calf length dress for infants- then by loosening the bow around the collar it can transform into a tunic and then a stylish summer top for older girls. Such a versatile piece that will get years of use from my little one! This is easy to wash and wear. It is also great whether you need to go some where nice or just need something cool to play in. Check it out- it is adorable on her chunky butt.

To enter for your chance to receive a signature piece from Lilybaby Creations simply visit her Etsy shop and leave a comment telling me which item you would like if you won.(your free to change your mind if you do win!) Do not forget to include your e-mail so I can contact you!

Additional Entries-please leave individual comments for each entry including the URL where applicable!

Like Lilybaby Creations on Facebook- 1 entry
Follow My Eco Family's Blog- 1 entry
Follow Myecofamily on Twitter-1 entry
Tweet about this giveaway including a link and @myecofamily- 1 entry
Purchase something from the LilyBaby store-5 entries
Blog About this giveaway-5 entries

There are a total of 15 possible entries for each person! Good Luck contest will end on Sunday May 23rd at 11pm EST. I will announce the winner Monday morning on my blog and by e-mail.

Introducing.....

2010-05-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

These days it is hard to shop in mainstream stores and find classy and adorable little girl’s clothing. Everything is obnoxious with glitter and plastered with not-so-cute sayings like “Drama Queen” and “Princess”. Girls clothing has definitely gone down hill over the years. They are making things for them to wear that look inappropriate even for teenagers. All of this scared me when I found out I was having a girl. I have been so used to primary colors, simple designs, bugs, dinos and tools. How easy it has been to find great clothes for my twin boys.

Thank goodness for talented people and handmade clothing! I am always able to find something that will look precious and preserve my daughter’s time as a little girl. I want to share some of the treasures I have found, in a new series called Choose Handmade. Not only will I be featuring some lovely ladies who make adorable little girls clothing, but all kinds of other great finds too! In a day in time that everything is mass produced in factories overseas, let’s get back to the basics and pledge to choose handmade!

Changes Have Begun

2010-05-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

So the page will be changing on and off for the next few days or few weeks..... we shall see! I welcome any suggestions you may have. I was just ready for somethng more warm and inviting! I wanted a friendly feel- because that is what this is all about! For now I am experimenting with lots of different things to see what works the best :) Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I know it has been beautiful here- Adelea and I went to the Scottsville Community Farmer's Market this morning- Scottsville is just 10-15 minutes down the road from us.The Strawberries in the new heading are from Gobble N Grunt Farm in Buckingham Virginia- and they are delicious! I will be posting the rest of the pictures soon. Remember: When you can buy fresh and support your local farmers!

Yucky Weather Holding Me Back

2010-05-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have some amazing people that I am working with for some reviews and giveaways- I already have the reviews written, but whats a good review without some amazing pictures? The weather here has been on the chilly side, grey and raining for days and days blah....come on sunshine and warm spring weather I NEED you and my artists and crafts people need you too. I have some cool apparel and things that deserve pictures in the beautiful, bright and sunny outdoors! I had not checked the weather yet today but I hope it will change soon. I do not want anyone to think I am slacking. I really want to do a good job and have my readers not get bored looking at the inside of my house. Thanks for being patient- You are all wonderful. I do have a cloth diaper review that does not need the outdoors- so that will go up possibly tomorrow....oooo and it has a giveaway too...time to feed some one's stash!!!! I am also working with a company who is launching a line of organic baby products next week- I just got them in the mail today and WOW you will love these! Can't wait to share :) Much love to you all!
Do any of you by chance know someone who would help me out getting my blog design worked on? I know what I want but I am not savvy in that department, so some help would be very much appreciated- I would love to trade for some advertising on the page or something- Thanks and e-mail me Myecofamily@gmail.com Do look for a major re-design of this blog in the near future (hopefully)

Here is what it look like today-see even Adelea thought it was crappy-no smiles-

A Night With One Twin AND Cookies!

2010-05-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my Grandmother- who the boys refer to as GG for Great Grandma offered to take one of the boys to spend the night. If you have twins or even more than one child you understand how valuable it is to to spend time with each child alone. Usually here, it is all about the boys as one, especially since they are twins. GG decided she would take Avery this week and give Aidan a turn next week. Last night Aidan and I decided to bake Organic Chocolate Chip cookies- This was awesome because it is hard for me to do anything like this with both of them- It can get totally out of control :) I think Aidan ate more than anything else during this process, but here are the pics I was able to take- We had lots of fun!

Wordless Wednesday- Cow Butt

2010-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Loved this one so much I had to post again :)

It's a Social Parade- Wednesday Link-Up

2010-05-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Okay this is my first Link-Up I have done---- If I am doing something wrong please feel free to tell me!!!
I know that this week it is Google Friends Connect!

If you would like to participate as well please head over to Smart and Trendy Moms for all the details.

Look forward to meeting lots of new people :)

Blogs Worth Blogging About

2010-05-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry it’s REALLY late in the day, but hey it is still Tuesday, so I feel like I am doing pretty well. We were busy for the first part of the day; a friend of mine from high school came over with her son, who is about the same age as the boys. What a circus- three- 4 year old boys! Bless the soul of any mother of multiple boys, 2 can be ridiculous but anymore than that God help you! I do intend at some point to write about the wonderful yet insane life of raising multiples. Now for this weeks- Blogs Worth Blogging About.

Reaping What I Sow- This lovely Mama of two has a lot to share! She has her original “Etsy Love” featuring amazing shops, shares kid’s activities and pieces of her everyday life. She is also sharing her struggles with a possible Autism diagnosis for her almost 15 month old son- She is a very strong woman, mother and wife.

Grrrrr Cancer!- Sarah, a mom and her battle with her 4 year old son Sven’s diagnosis of cancer a year ago ( he is now 5). It is heartbreaking to see children with cancer- but this mom’s strength is inspiring- she attempts to approach her anxiety about cancer with humor and says that it gets easier with time. Sarah is delightful and I believe they will “kick cancer’s butt”!

Inside My Heart- I am so happy to have found this blog! I love it- This mama’s motto seems to be “living and loving naturally”. Now this is my kind of stuff :) She is a newbie-but I cannot wait to see more. She has some great posts already about re-purposing things and her garden- not to mention the great circumcision debate.

Once again I am going to ask you kindly to give these ladies all of the attention they deserve- You never know you might just learn something new :) That is why I love the Internet and blogging, you get to experience so many things that we might never get the chance to explore! Happy Reading. BTW- would anyone be interested in posting their own Blogs Worth Blogging About? I had considered creating a Link-Up for it, but wanted to know if there would be an actual interest- Let me know.

My Boys Love Watching Cinderella

2010-05-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

Its true- I don’t care if it is a “princess” movie, it’s Disney. They love to watch movies- really anything that it is cartoon. I think most kids this age do. We try to limit the time spent watching TV- We do not pay for cable or satellite and since we moved no longer even pick up PBS. So movies and shows on DVD are our only option! The television privilege is also the first to go when bad behavior warrants consequences. Well, this morning they were watching Cinderella while I was getting the housework done- After it went off I was still doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen. I was shocked when the boys, without being told pulled all of the laundry from the dryer and put it in the living room for me- how sweet. It actually was all of their cloths anyway. BUT WAIT! Avery and Aidan then decided they wanted to fold it all and put it away. I was loving every piece of this :) They kept getting mad at Adelea because she would lunge herself forward and grab the piles that were already folded, needless to say she thought it was hilarious. They finished the laundry and I proceeded to start on lunch. Next thing I know they have wet rags and are on the floor scrubbing it….definitely not something to complain about- they both boasted about being big helpers- then told me how Cinderella had to do all of these chores too- Why thank you Walt Disney for inspiring my 4 year old twin boys to clean! Hmmm we have not seen Snow White yet... "Whistle while we work...do do do do do do do!!!! "

Lots to Share

2010-05-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a delightful Mother’s Day! I got so sleep in, but then Steven had to go to work :( So it was my Baby girl and I pretty much all day. I did have 2 awesome friends come by and spend a few hours with Adelea and I in the afternoon- they brought me Christian’s Pizza- a YUMMY local place here in Charlottesville- I wish I had more! The boys were with their Dad until the evening. Michael (the boy’s father) was kind enough to have them call me first thing yesterday morning and wish me a Happy Mother’s Day- the perfect way to be woken up :) Friday the Boys picked me some flowers so I considered that an early gift from them. We are not big gift givers around here- We do not think it is necessary to say how we feel with store bought things. Usually Steven and I make card for each other. I thought he forgot yesterday. When we went to bed, I tucked my arms under my pillow and there it was- a lovely Mother’s Day card!!!! I think the surprise of it being there was perfect.

I have lots going on this week with the Blog very excited to be doing some great new giveaways- here is a little about something I am doing- Oh but first, this is what Adelea loves to do now- She does not get there by herself yet, but will stay there for several minutes and just laugh! She is very good about just plopping down on her butt to get down! Uh Oh I might be in for it with this one- I am thinking she will be on the move much earlier than her brothers were~

Okay - getting back on track
Etsy is an amazing place- Where artists of every kind unite to sell their crafts. With thousands of stores it can be difficult for some people to get the credit they deserve for their creativity and the quality of their goods. I thought it would be nice to start doing some Etsy features with reviews with some AWESOME giveaways. I want to share with you some things that have caught my eye along with some that we already enjoy at home! I love handmade goods-sure does beat “made in China” hands down LOL. I am happy to have already lined up several talented people with lovely shops for your enjoyment! There will also be other people and products I will continue to feature that are not Etsy related as well- Keep your eyes peeled for some must have stuff- Very Soon!

Don’t Forget---- Blogs Worth Blogging About is coming tomorrow!!!!

Banana Splits for Breakfast!

2010-05-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

I put these together for the boy’s breakfast one day and they called them banana splits! Well creative little 4 year old boys I have, we’ll just call them that from now on. I think it’s great that we could have a healthy version of this popular dessert. It is fine by me that my boys love eating this and don’t even consider having Ice Cream drowned in all sorts of sugary toppings.

I have made this for the boys with many different combinations of fresh fruit and other toppings- Be creative the more color the better!

Try to use as much Organic and Natural ingredients as possible. Even on a budget I buy Organic and Natural for the majority of food we eat. Watch for sales!

This morning I used-

• Organic Vanilla Yogurt
• 1 Organic Kiwi
• 1 Large Organic Banana

• Fresh Ground Peanut Butter from Whole Foods

• Local Wildflower Honey

I pre-chilled the Vanilla Yogurt in the serving dishes for approx. 15 minutes. While they were chilling I peeled and sliced the kiwi-my boys like it in thicker slices. Then I peeled and sliced the Banana down the middle. I then used the Peanut Butter to make a “sandwich” with the Banana. I pulled the Yogurt out and placed the Peanut Butter and Banana down in the Yogurt. Then the Kiwis in the side and topped it off with a drizzle of honey! Any kind of fruit is great to add. Some fun ones we have used are Berries, Star fruit, Dragon Fruit as well as different kinds of nuts or some granola :) This one has limitless possibilities!

It can be a bit messy especially with boys-but they LOVE it!

mmmm..... Friday = Food Day

2010-05-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do have some baby weight I still need to lose. I was not one of the lucky breastfeeding moms who dropped the weight in no time. Another downfall to the situation is I like to eat- not crap, but good food. BUT “good food” is not always healthiest for you! Not to mention Steven cooks for a living- always the temptation around for an amazing from scratch meal. Lately I have been working on my cooking skills. I have been trying to use whatever I could find in the house to make a good quality meal. No planning, no recipes NOTHING. It has actually been kind of nice not planning groceries around specific meals. I keep a variety of natural and organic meats and produce around. For me it is about being spontaneous. I want to be a well rounded cook, one of the reasons, unless I am baking I don’t measure a thing. So here I am deciding that I will share some of my cooking adventures with you guys- I would love to hear about some of your favorite recipes or cooking tips!

Yes, I know this meal is not a diet friendly meal-but it sure was good! Moral of my story- I think I am going to enjoy eating for a while...it is summer time so there will be lots of activities to burn it all off!
Last night was my first time ever cooking Pork Chops. I am not a huge fan of pork, and at one point in time I was a vegetarian- but the 1 ¾ in thick fresh cuts were beautiful to me :) They weren’t cheap so I prayed I would not screw them up! Here is a run down of what I did, remember I was making this up along the way!

Basic Ingredients

Thick cut Pork Chops
Fresh Garlic
Large Red Delicious Apples (found these babies on sale for 99 cents per pound and they were huge!)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Onion- can be of your choice but I used a yellow onion.

And the extras…all optional according to taste I suppose-but let me tell ya, I would have paid a lot of money in a restaurant for the way that these turned out!.

Cumin
Coriander
White wine
Salt
Pepper
Brown sugar
Butter

Pre heat oven to 375

Cut up onion and 2 large Apples- Toss them in a skillet with EVOO, white wine, crushed garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Let them cook down until the apples are soft and the onions become transparent.

Then add the Pork Chops. Brown them evenly on each side approx- 5-6 minutes per side. Add small amounts of EVOO and white wine as needed to keep things moist. Ad some additional seasonings if you would like.

When finished browning-transfer Pork Chops to a glass baking dish. Cover them with the apples and onions-basically everything left in the skillet! Put them in the 375 degree oven- Mid way through the cook time slice s few small pieces of butter on top and sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar.

The cook time will depend on how thick the chops are and how well you browned them in the skillet. Mine took about 45 minutes to be completely done. Check them by sticking a fork in and twisting- the meat should feel tender. OR if you want to be sure slice the thicker Chop in the middle-make sure it is white all the way through.

Then Serve- went very well along side of some Garlic Mashed Potatoes!

So since I have dubbed today my Friday-Food Day I am going to post another cool kid friendly recipe for What my boys call breakfast Banana Splits! OHHH and these are healthy-PROMISE :) Check back because they are REALLY yummy!

Prefold Lover

2010-05-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

This one is for all those cloth diapering Mamas out there and those of you who might be considering it. When I first started cloth diapering I was in LOVE with prefolds. I did not understand all of the hype about AIO (all in ones), Hybrids, Pockets, whether or not they were one size, had snaps or Velcro. To me I felt like I was cloth diapering the "real" way. I only used Green Mountain Diapers- unbleached Indian prefolds with snappis and occasionally pins- Using prefolds can be the most cost effective form of cloth diapering but it is kind of BORING! Once tax time came around I really started to figure out what people saw in all of these other more glitzy diapers. The secret was, it made buying diapers FUN and interesting and that is when it became a hobby for me. Words of caution: be careful- Cloth diapering can be addicting! Now I will refer to my self as an equal opportunity diaperer (yes I am aware of the poor grammar). I own a bit of everything and use it all!

I still hold a love for prefolds, they have their ups and downs and many WAHMs are trying to spruce them up. One that I love is Meg-A-Roos extended tab prefold. I was pleased with every aspect of this diaper. It still was simple and basic like a prefold should be, but with a few twists, that made it all around amazing :) Normally your typical prefold is just a rectangular shaped flat diaper- Meagan has added tabs or wings to the tops- I can't tell you how much easier this makes it to put on a squirmy baby especially for those less experienced with cloth. You can also get away with using 1 pin-if your brave enough to use pins at all.....LOL. They are very soft and stretchy. Being stretchy and having tabs allows you to get more wear, because it will fit for longer. These prefolds have some major absorbency-got to love bamboo fleece! They are made from 2 layers of bamboo fleece, with a third stitched down in the middle. She adds style by replacing the usual plain white outer with your choice of knit fabric. You can always add doublers for night time or a heavy wetter. This is by far the most absorbent and easy to use prefold that I have come in contact with! Thank you Meagan for another awesome product! Here check put the pics I took of it and with Adelea in it-Sorry about the picture overload. I wanted to show how much I loved this dipe, and Adelea is so fat its just stinkin' adorable. Let me know what you think! Remember to check out her website: www.megaroosdesigns.com

My Love Affair with Keen's

2010-05-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

This is NOT an advertisement! Just a girl who loves her shoes!

I got my first pair of Keen's when I was 18 years old. They were a gift and I wore them up until last year. They were good shoes and will be missed. I am lucky I was able to find another pair 2 years ago so, I had back up! My kids wear Keen's too. They got their first ones last year when they were 3. Kids grow so fast and can be very hard on shoes. They have never worn through a pair of Keen's shoes or sandals. They actually still look almost brand new! Let me tell you they have been through it all-mud, rocks, water, sand and endless hours of playtime. We are on a strict budget and with a family of 5, with four year old twin boys growing like weeds. It is hard to be able to afford shoes, let alone $40-$100 pairs of shoes. I have managed to find the boys Keen's on sale and never have paid over $25 for them. I got my $90 pair on sale for $30. Even if I had to find some way to afford them full price, I would. You can not compare the fit, quality, durability and versatility to any other shoe I have ever worn. I am proud to support a company who makes an effort toward being sustainable. A company who gives back to the environment and people! I am so happy the cold and snow have passed- because we love to spend time in the outdoors. Hiking and playing in some sort of water is a regular in this house. I enjoy having shoes that can go from land right into water with NO problems!

Life is unpredictable- That is why we wear Keen's
For example- I was pregnant with my daughter and took the boys walking by the Rivanna river last August- and they just decided they would get on in! Never mind the fact that we still needed to run errands- we just stayed and played and then headed home.Our feet were protected from the rocks and dried out quickly when we were done!

Wordless Wednesday- Treehuggers

2010-05-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

Blogs Worth Blogging About

2010-05-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

This week I have once again read many awesome blogs! Way to go everyone for being so creative. I do have 3 in mind that really stuck out to me. 2 of them don't have the following that I think they deserve yet- but were going to work on that, aren't we? Please take the time to check them out and of course follow them if you like what you read!

Mommy Pants!- This is a blog by a young SAHM of an adorable baby girl Annabella- reading through her blog and profile there are many things that remind me of myself. She cloth diapers, baby wears and seems to hold an interest for a simpler more natural life style. She is very crafty and loves to sew! And was honest enough to admit she is not as patient as she though she would be. BTW she lives in Cali and I am very jealous ;)

Desperate for Coffee- Katie is hilarious- I love her witty comments and straight forward attitude. Maybe it is a New York thing- I dunno :) Did I mention she is a caffeine fan? Her style of writing is different and lots of fun to read! I enjoy the fact that she will just outright say what is on her mind. Check her out- Her post titles draw me in when I am checking out my dashboard!

Adventures with Baby- Mary has an adorable baby boy-Nathaniel and has had several different blogs. I am pretty sure this is her main one, feel free to correct me if I am mistaken. She is new to cloth diapering and documenting her experience along the way. She compiled a really cool list of all the giveaways she was interested in-makes for a good resource. She has had some lovely posts and is a supporter of many blogs and companies- THANKS :)

Next time you have a few minutes check these extraordinary ladies out!

Still running on dial-up :( I have many more blogs that I am working on adding to my reader. Sorry if I am slow checking you out, I am a busy mama! I tell myself I will have this time or that time to get things done-but inevitably it doens't happen like that! I am still trying to make it out to the library for a little highspeed access.
Oh and did you miss out on last night's post? I put up a review of Merry Hempsters Hemp Baby Salve- you can get one of 50 free salves, check it out :) Its really worth it- I love the stuff.

The Merry Hempsters- 50 Hemp Baby Salves to Giveaway!

2010-05-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

I have loved The Merry Hempsters lip balms since I was in High School. So I was very excited when I was in Whole Foods to find that they were offering a Hemp Baby Salve. I have to be very careful when choosing diapering products because we use cloth. Most diaper rash ointments and salves can do major damage to your cloth diapers and even some that claim to be cloth diaper friendly, are actually not. I have had absolutely NO issues with my diapers when using this Hemp Baby Salve on Adelea’s little bum. The packaging is a larger version of a lip balm tube which makes it super easy to apply with no mess! It is a vegan, petroleum free salve made with certified organic herbal infusions. In addition to being great for diaper use it doubles as a first aid salve. You can use it for cuts, abrasions, skin irritations and open wounds (after the chance for infection is gone) this is by far my favorite baby product. When you open it up you can immediately smell the lavender essential oil, very calming for baby and adults too! Everything they offer is extremely affordable- I love being able to make healthy and eco friendly choices for my family on a budget! More information on the entire line of Merry Hempsters Products can be found on their website! http://www.merryhempsters.com/

Adelea likes it too!

A little background on The Merry Hempsters-
The Merry Hempsters have been in the business since 1994. They are extremely dedicated to promoting the extraordinary benefits of hempseed oil. They strive to offer environmentally friendly body care products, they were actually one of the first to achieve an organic accreditation-they were certified in 2005. Each one of their product’s main ingredient is certified organic Cannabis Sativa (hemp) seed oil. Hempseed oil is made up of over 80% essential fatty acids; this enables the products to effectively replenish missing oils in dry skin. All of the products are mixed and poured by HAND. We sure do love handmade around here. It ensures that the quality and consistency is top notch.

Cannabis Sativa or Hemp's possibilities are endless-please look for future posts on the many uses of Hemp!

Good News- The products are certified Vegan, Cruelty and Gluten free! Soon all of the salves with be available certifeid USDA Organic!

I liked this stuff so much I actually contacted the company to get permission to use some pictures for the review. They were kind enough to send me some of the other salves and lip balms to try out. They are all amazing and I will be talking about them in future posts. Not only were they generous enough to do that, they have offered to send out 50 free Hemp baby Salves to readers of my blog!!!! Make sure you check out their website. They make a wonderful selection of products including Organic and Vegan Lip balms, Muscle rubs and a variety of salves.

*This review was not paid for nor requested by The Merry Hempsters Comapny*

To receive a free baby salve follow these few simple steps and one will be on the way to you soon!

1. Go the MerryHempster.com and tell me which other product you might be interested in.

2. Choose One
       A. Find Merry Hempters here on facebook and become a fan!

                                     -OR-

B. Follow this blog!

Leave a comment letting me know that your done.

If you are one of the first 50 commenter’s please send an e-mail with you shipping info to myecofamily(at)gmail(dot)com

Hope you enjoy your Hemp Baby Salve :)

Inspired By Finn Winner!

2010-05-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well- I have not figured out how you get the Random.org thing to be able to display it but I am happy to announce that the winner was number 26- Rachel! Please e-mail me Myecofamily(at)gmail(dot)com with your information- and then get ready to shop for some awesome Baltic Amber or Hazelwood jewelry from Inspired By Finn!

Very excited to be working with some wonderful people in the next few weeks. I am going to Launch The Merry Hempsters review and giveaway this afternoon(maybe this evening-depending on the kiddos) Remember the first 50 people to respond and have met the requirements will receive a free Hemp Baby Salve!

Vote for Adelea!

2010-05-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is entered in a cutest baby/kid contest! I was very happy to learn about this contest on Mom Bloggers Club. The contest is being offered by Stephanie Reeder Photography. When I looked into it I was so excited to find that she was local! Her work is lovely you should check her out, her website is http://www.stephaniereeder.com/
We could win a years worth photography! The contest is based on facebook, so all you have to do is go to her page here click on the like button for her page. Then you will be able to comment and vote for the pictures in the contest album! Adelea is actually the cover photo album :) Please show your support by clicking "like" on her photo! Thanks so much and if you have a contest going on at anytime please feel free to share it- I would love to enter or share about it on my blog.
This is the photo I entered- I accidentally entered the black and white version though!

Mommy's Turn

2010-05-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Being a Mommy- the hardest but most rewarding job on the planet. Even though there can be times of struggle with long. tiring and what seem to be thankless days-at the end I can scoop up each one of my "babies" and cuddle them and know why I do this everyday! On a regular basis there is not enough time to truly take care of me.The one thing I struggle with the most, is eating. When the kids are in bed I often remember I have not eaten all day. I am constantly providing for everyone else's needs.I am here by myself most days until after the kids are in bed. Things definitely get hectic around here.Not eating is a bad habit that has got to go! As Moms we need to be taking better care of ourselves. It is important that we fuel our bodies with healthy foods to keep us enegized and on the go. Today the baby was asleep, the boys with their Dad and I actually had time to sit down and have some lunch! Special occasion for me guys! The grocery store had great organic produce yesterday so, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite things to eat during the spring and summer-its delicious-

Strawberry Salad

Goat Cheese
Fresh Strawberries
Spring Mix
Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Other great things to add if you have them around - Grilled chicken breast ( perfect use for leftovers), Pine Nuts, Walnuts, Almonds or whatever else may tickle your fancy!

This is a quick and easy salad that even the busiest of moms can manage to throw together. It is healthy and low fat, if you go easy on the goat cheese and other extras :) I sure did enjoy it for lunch today! Remember- we may rarely get any time for us, but if we don't take care of ourselves who will be the ones caring for our kids?

Family Friday

2010-04-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Today we are having a family day. We do not get to do this every Friday, but today is Steven's 27th Birthday and he has the day off. We have been spending the morning just getting things done around the house including Steven mowing the grass, which was definitely overdue :) I know not such a great way to spend your birthday, but when you have a family not too many days are about you anymore. The boys had their toy lawn mower outside mowing away trying to be just like him, it was adorable. I of course took advantage of this lovely day to take some pictures of everyone.

Today was also Adelea's first real "in the grass" experience-she loved it! I was able to get some really great pictures of her. She actually managed to get from sitting down to her belly to get a closer look- For a second I thought she was going to have a grass buffet! She is such a happy baby. One day I will post some pics as me as a baby compared to her- She is a beautiful combination of both Steven and I- depending on her expression she can favor both of us!

I had attempted to dress the kids in matching outfits and take some pictures. As you will see someone was not too happy about this whole idea.(Aidan Waden-on the left) He quickly ran away after 2 pictures of all three of them. I hope to be able to get some more this spring- I never knew how hard it would be to get three kids to look and smile at the same time.

And last but not least Adelea and her mommy- I hope the rest of the day will stay this beautiful. I thought about seeing if Steven might want to go to Friday's after 5- Our downtown mall has this all spring and summer long- free music, lots of neat vendors,people and places to eat!

Bye-Bye Plastic Wrap

2010-04-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Little by little I have tried to eliminate as much waste from our lives as possible. I try to live by the standard of REDUCE, REUSE &RECYCLE. I am on a mission to raise my children this way. I am always very excited to find something reusable to substitute something that we would typically throw away on a regular basis. So when I got the opportunity to try out two new products from Meg A Roo Designs I was intrigued. Meg-A-Roo's is owned and operated by a wonderful work at home mom of three named Meagan. She makes all of her items by hand all while providing wonderful customer service.

Meagan sent me two things that I have never used before. The first was an Extended tab prefold (which I will be posting at another time) and the second was one of her "Stretch-A- Roo's". These are reusable covers made from PUL perfect for replacing plastic wrap and tin foil. She makes them in 8 different sizes. They hold a tight seal and keep food very fresh. You can also just toss them right into the regular laundry and use over and over again! Stretch-A-Roo's are available for custom order as well-if you don't find what you need from her website. They come in very handy when there is the inevitable misplaced top. I don't know about your kitchen but mine seems to eat things on occasion :)

I was sent an extra small size which I immediately put to good use. This size was great to use for covering small jars of homemade baby food. I also used it to cover my kid's leftover drinks to save for later. I really thought the quality of the Stretch-A-Roo's was wonderful. It has held up wash after wash and still keeps things as fresh as the first day I got it! Please stop by Meagan's website-she makes lots of wonderful reusable products including awesome cloth diapers. Please continue to support small businesses especially

work at home moms! You can find Stretch-A-Roo's and other items made by Meagan at www.megaroosdesigns.com

Wordless Wednesday-Little Sister

2010-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Growing Like Weeds!

2010-04-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just sit back and look at my children in amazement. I can't believe how fast they are growing up right in front of my eyes.My just turned 4 this past week! Where is the time going. Sometimes it feels as if it were ages ago when I was bringing home preemie boys from the hospital. Then on other days I feel as if it were just yesterday and they sprouted into little boys in front of my eyes. They are wonderful and caring big brothers- I know they will protect their sister for life. They are eager to help take care of her and want to be involved in every piece of her life. Every time I give her a bath they are hovering over her making sure she has every toy imaginable and is smiling at all times. I ended up letting them get down in the tub and sit with her, to play. Then I realized well the tub is big enough why not put them all in! So the next night we did and they ALL loved it :) I am so proud of them for being such nurturing and caring little boys. Don't get me wrong they are perfectly capable and do practice some hell raising quite often. I often wish I had their energy! They are very intelligent and they question and explore every little thing.

The kids had check-ups today and I am happy to report are all doing wonderfully, perfectly healthy and growing like weeds. Avery(on the left) is in the 90th percentile for his height& weight combined Aidan( on the right ) the 50th and Adelea is in the 75th. Baby girl is getting big weighing in at 17lbs 9oz-but I think her chubbiness is precious. She is getting so big, sitting independently and playing with her brothers lots during the day. She has also started to creep across the floor. She is a very happy baby-never a dull moment from this little goob face. These pictures are pre-summer haircuts-for the boys of course baldy has no hair just like her Mama when I was a baby. I will post some haircut pics soon. Thought I would share a little of what my kiddos are up to. They are my everything!

(Love how the rubber duck censored for me)

Do you ever wish you could freeze time and keep them little? Avery has been asking me lately if I will miss him when he gets big, that will never stop melting my heart. And the answer is always YES I will miss you-especially when your all too big to snuggle up in my lap-

Blogs Worth Blogging About

2010-04-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well it is Tuesday again and I missed last weeks post-sorry about that! I thought I might make it up this week by adding some extras but I have changed my mind! This week I have picked some really cool blogs from some great Mamas! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the posts from these ladies and I hope you do too!

Check these out- spend a little extra reading time ENJOY!

One Love Mama- I love the design of this blog! The colors are beautiful and the layout is simple. It nice for me to read about other moms and their adventures with things like cloth diapering! She posted a delicious recipe recently for Carnitas as well mmm one of my favorites!

A Mom Writing-It is nice to witness a new mom and her quest to live a "green" lifestyle. She recently shared some nice posts about making he own baby food. She is a milk donor and passionate about breastfeeding! A mom writing has posted some great reviews and giveaways. Her layout is simple and very user friendly!

Crunchy Cupcakes-This blog is about a mom named Jamie and her life raising 4 girls. (her crunchy cupcakes) It is a great combination of everyday updates along side of product reviews and giveaways. The blog design is lovely and cheerful-one of the reasons why I keep coming back!

I hope everyone takes the time to stop by and check these ladies out! Be sure to follow them if you’re interested I know you won't be disappointed.....remember to leave your blog link in the comments section or another blog's link that you just can't get enough of. I look forward to bringing you some new "must reads" next week!

Coming Into My Own

2010-04-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am gearing up for a total makeover of my blog. Not just the layout, but the name and everything else along with it. I know this is not exactly ideal but I am just not settled with what it is now. There is this mass "green, eco, natural, organic, crunchy" movement. This in itself is wonderful, but in this day and age it is not unique or very original. Everywhere I look it is all about going green. I by all means support the movement but my personality longs not to be a copy of anyone or anything. I have been encountering many different and amazing moms, bloggers, companies, artists and people in general. I want to have a place that is open and inclusive for everyone. I got my inspiration for this today while working with some artists from Etsy. I sat and looked through vast amounts of handcrafted items in beautiful colors. I was actually surprised by the joy I felt just looking at some of this stuff. I want my blog to be that way too. It is important to me that when viewing my page I feel at home- and think this is ME. I want you to come here and just be happy. I want the atmosphere to be uplifting and welcoming. I have so many things that I am already planning to share and I think they all deserve the perfect canvas. Look for these changes soon, but for now I will leave you with a few pictures of things that made my day and have cultivated my upcoming metamorphasis.

Or not- for some reason it is not allowing me to upload the pics I wanted to share with you from Etsy! That's okay; please do look for them in some really fun upcoming reviews. Here is an alternative picture, nothing better than a fresh tie-dye. So many colors-makes me think happy thoughts :) LOL

Alternative Teething-Inspired By Finn Giveaway!

2010-04-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

I never actually recall having any issues with my boys when they were babies. They were easy going and not particularly needy. They would be fine for long periods of time in the swing or the play gym on the floor. Maybe this is because they are twins. They have had to share everything since the beginning. They were in the NICU and Transitional nurseries for a period of time-lacking the constant physical contact and level of attention a typical newborn receives. The boys were just very easy, in hindsight of course. Now after they became mobile is a WHOLE different story...for another day ;) Well that is just not the case with my 6 month old daughter, Adelea. She showed us from birth that she was going to be completely different. She longs for interaction and thrives on all attention being completely focused upon her. She is demanding and sure to be loud about it when necessary- But this is okay with us. I knew that she would be different.

Every child is like discovering a whole new world.

Having Adelea has posed some challenges for me as a mother. The things she has presented me with for the first few months of her life have been much more difficult then what I faced having two babies at one time! Whether it be breast feeding, eating, sleeping, playing or teething it has been harder to deal with. It almost erases the fact that I might have "so-called" experience as a mother. I knew how to care for babies and I have for many years- BUT never have I been so demanded in my life. Not only am I trying to cope with the needs of my daughter in all sorts of situations, I'm trying to do it with a natural, healthy, and holistic approach. I would never claim myself to be an "attachment" parent. I do agree with some of the philosophies in attachment parenting, but some of the ideas are just not for us. I don't like to be labeled- I think we are just parenting the best way we know how. It is a learning experience everyday with all of the kids. Some things work great, some things don't and it all seems to change with the wind.

My most prominent issue right now is that my baby girl is cutting a tooth. I never had issues with the boys and teething. I don't recall really needing pain relief for them- I would have used Tylenol or OraGel if need be.( not exactly a natural approach) Adelea on the other hand started about a month ago with irritability and fussiness. She would intently start gnawing at her fingers and anything else she could manage to saw across her gums. She started being difficult to put down for bed and even naps. I knew it had to be her teeth because she was always so relieved to get one of my fingers in her mouth and just press it against her bottom gums-that was the only thing I knew that was helping. I have also discovered in the last day or so that baby massage seems to take the attention away from the pain and really does help her relax too!

Then it dawned on me- Where had I put her Inspired by Finn teething necklace when we moved? I had ordered this necklace in late February from a store online. I found it and immediately had her start wearing it as much as possible. (I do not recommend sleeping with this on) Over the next few days of regular wear I had noticed she seemed to be much calmer and less irritable. If I take it off for any period of time she quickly gets fussy again. For those of you who are not familiar with a teething necklace- They are made out of Baltic Amber-which contains succinic acid. When worn in direct contact with the the warmth of your skin it releases oils which help with pain,immunity,inflammation and energy. This can be very soothing for your baby, child and even yourself. The necklaces sold by Inspired by Finn are completely safe. They are hand strung in Lithuania. Every bead is knotted individually and it breaks away with ease if any real pressure is applied. They are CPSIA compliant-meeting all current standards for childrens jewelry.

They say the lighter the color of the Amber is the more succinic acid it contains- therefore more healing powers :) I ordered Adelea one of the lightest available. In this picture she is wearing her 12in Milk and Butter Inspired by Finn teething necklace. Though I do receive criticism from some people-including some of our family members, who don't really approve in anything holistic-I am confident in this product. Not only has it aided us in our teething woes it is adorable! I recommend you visit them here- Inspired by Finn and check them out on Facebook now too! Well I wrote this post yesterday ,then got the opportunity today for this to become a GIVEAWAY! I am very excited to work with Inspired by Finn so one of my readers can discover their awesome products :) They have offered to give one of my readers their choice of jewelry- 16in and under! All of my readers will be able to use the discount code BLOG68 for 20% off of your orders!

For a mandatory entry please visit their website and let me know what you would like to get from them if you win! Winner will be announced on Monday May 3rd!

BONUS ENTRIES- be sure to leave a comment for each entry-including the links :)

"Like" Inspired By Finn's page on facebook( 1 entry )
Follow My Eco Family's Blog(2 entries)
Follow Myecofamily on Twitter( 1 entry)
Tweet about this Giveaway( 2 entries)
Blog about this giveaway (5 entries)

And the Winner is....

2010-04-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

I am still trying to get things together. I am stuck in that spot where life kind of takes over and there has been no extra time for me :) So I am sorry for the delay for the Fabricwrapper :) According to Random.org Entry number 15 is our winner Hipgal from hipandlittle.com! please email me your address and final pattern choice so I can have Steph send that to you right away! Email me

In other news....yesterday the boys had an amazing birthday. I really cannot believe they are 4 years old. The time just keeps flying by and my babies are growing up :( They have kept me so busy in the last week I have been neglecting my blog,facebook and twitter accounts terribly, but it was for all of the right reasons! I will be doing a double up this coming Tuesday since I did not share the blogs I wanted to this week! I definitly have some catching up to do around here. But I really do suggest taking a break from cyberspace regularly-it is easy to lose touch with the real world for some people-it never hurts to check back in!

I have some pretty exciting reviews coming up. I am still ironing out the details for The Merry Hempsters review, I wanted to be able to offer my readers the opportunity to try something from the company who makes these awesome products I will be reviewing. The wonderful people at The Merry Hempsters have offered me the opportunity to have a giveaway that will possibly be for up to 50 people reading the review! More info to come soon I am super excited about this :)

The Important things in life

2010-04-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon I decided it was time to turn the computer off and focus my attention on my family and my home. It was actually a really nice break not having it be a routine part of my day. On Saturday Adelea and I spent the day together and the boys were with their Dad. While she napped I thouroghly spring cleaned, the green way of course! It was nice to open up all the windows and let the spring air through the whole house! I enjoyed spending lots of tummy time with my baby girl and being able to focus all of my attention on her for the day. We took a walk in the afternoon, she rode in her Moby wrap and it was interesting to watch her soaking up her surroundings. Sunday I had an old friend come over and bring his daughter to play with the boys. They all had an awesome time together and I am very glad that he lives so close by.Now the boys have someone for regular play-dates. His daughter is only a year and a half older than the boys, and Avery is taller than she is! Avery is a big boy for his age! Anyway today we spent lots of time playing outside. I love the imaginations they have developed, it creates such amazing play time! All in all I am really happy to have spent the weekend experiencing the simpler things in life, I noticed lots of special little things that during the normal daily grind I might overlook. I love my children and I love Steven, I am so happy to have such amazing people in my life.
Stay Tuned because tomorrow I will be announcing this weeks Blogs Worth Blogging About!

FabricWrapper.com Giveaway!

2010-04-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

Win a Fabricwrapper.com Reusable Gift-wrap Just in Time for Mother's Day!

I am always striving to do more of the little things in my life to be more planet friendly. So when I found Fabricwrapper.com I thought it was a great idea! I think we have all been there, sitting with the giant trash bag at holidays and birthdays stuffing loads of wrapping paper,tissue,bags and bows down in it. Or we may have tried to recycle by trying to save the salvageable pieces for the next Christmas, birthday,baby shower etc, but that can be a challenge. Trying to store them until and finding things that are decent enough to reuse isn't always easy. But why WASTE the paper at all? Stephanie Lancaster has a solution! Not only are these Fabricwrappers offered in adorable patterns they are also like a bonus present because they can be reused over and over again! Talk about a gift that keeps on giving :)

Traditional gift-wrap produces a lot of unnecessary waste. In fact, the Sierrra Club tells us that if everyone wrapped just three gifts a year in reused or reusable gift-wrap, we would all save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields!

My Eco Family is teaming up with http://www.fabricwrapper.com/ to offer you the chance to wrap your Mother's Day gift in style. Fabricwrapper offers a wide variety of reusable gift-wrapping products that will make your mom say "wow"... whether she is into the eco-friendly (and cost-saving!) aspect of having something she can use over and over again, or whether she just likes boutique-quality beauty.

To win, simply add a comment to this post on which pattern of Fabricwrapper you would choose and why you want to use reusable gift-wrap this holiday.(Required) Be sure to include your contact email. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and Announced here on Thursday April 22nd. Good Luck!

Bonus Entries-(remember to comment when you have completed each bonus entry)

Sign up for the Fabricwrapper email list to receive notifications of new products and discounts (no more than 6/year).
Become a follower of My Eco Family's Blog
Follow Fabricwrapper on Twitter
Follow Myecofamily on Twitter
Tweet about this giveaway(include the URL to the tweet in comment)
Blog about this giveaway(include the URL to the post in the comment)

Healthy Snacking

2010-04-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know about your kids but my 4 year old twin boys LOVE to snack. I think they could eat non-stop all day If I would let them! In my pursuit of healthier living we created a new rule for the boy's snacks. Its the 1 ingredient snack rule. Each of the boys now know that in order to have a snack they must find something that is a whole food. This way I know for sure that the snacks they are getting are completely healthy. This is a really simple way to ensure that your kids will be getting a good balance of whole foods in their diet. I got kind of tired of tossing them something processed-knowing it was not healthy for them. Even if your buying an organic brand-they can still have ingredients that are not particularly good for you! It has even encouraged them to try new fruits and vegetables they were hesitant to try before, because their choices of types of foods are more limited. Try taking a trip to a local Farmer's Market, there will be an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables( and if you don't have one the local super market will work too). Teach your child there about "eating the rainbow". Have him/her pick out several different colored foods to try. Make it fun for them to choose what they are eating and they will be much more willing to try new things.Here are a few of the current favorites.....

Raw Almonds-We buy them shelled, but remember no salt or sweeteners. This is also one of my favorite snacks-perfect for a busy mommy. Grab a handful and go-no mess included :)
Fresh cut carrot sticks- I know the baby ones are super easy to just grab out of the package and serve up, but they just don't taste as good! Not to mention the goal is to eliminate the package!
Banana Sandwich- take a banana and slice it down the middle and spread on some fresh ground peanut butter- We get ours at Whole Foods, where you can grind it yourself.
Sliced pieces of green,red,orange and yellow bell peppers-this variety of colors is really fun- my boys like to make pictures with the pieces of their plates!
Strawberries-escpecially when they are in season we have a great local place where you can pick your own. Its fun for the kids to pick their own food and they are cheaper this way too!

You can also get really creative with the foods. Have your kids use the slices or pieces food to make letters and numbers on their plates. They can use their imaginations and make all kinds of food pictures. Sometimes it really is okay to play with your food. Try to find a learning experience in almost all of your everyday activities! These are just a few examples-the possibilities are practically endless! If your trying to have a healthier diet for your children this is a great first step.

Wanted to include pictures but I am having trouble locating my camera cord after the move!

Blogs Worth Blogging About

2010-04-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

I think blogging is a great thing. I have come across some very interesting websites through the world of blogging. There is unlimited information and the ability to encounter some extraordinary people.
Most of the pages I've found through social networking sites. I am always looking for some great new reads. So I wanted to post a blog about finding great bloggers. Do you have a blog that is worth the read? I would love to check it out and help spread the word! I've decided to dedicate Tuesdays on my blog to sharing great blogs for you to enjoy! I think this will be the birth of My Eco Family's Blogs Worth Blogging About.

Here are a few of my current favorites to read----

The Soft Landing - follow on twitter

Truth Be Told- follow on twitter

Safemama- follow on twitter

Healthy Child- follow on twitter

Be sure to leave a comment with the link to your blog and maybe yours will be one of my next blogs worth blogging about. I do look forward to reading them all!

Meet My Eco Family

2010-04-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

I was thinking I ought to take a bit of time to introduce you to My Eco Family! I wanted to share with you the most important people in my life and my inspiration for being "green". It consists of myself Hannah-24, Steven-27, Avery and Aidan-4, and Adelea- 6 months. We have a blended family. My oldest boys are from a previous marriage and Steven and I are mommy and daddy to our beautiful baby girl Adelea. Steven has been a part of the boys lives since they were 18 months old. It has actually worked out really great for us because they really do not remember life without Steven being around. Most of the time they will actually refer to him as "Daddy Steven". I share custody of the boys with their father, but take care of them in my home when he has to work during the daytime(on his designated custody days). I love that I am the one providing the day today care, even with a shared custody arrangement. It ensures that I am an everyday part of their life. Blending a family has been hard but we have made it work. Adelea was the bridge that brought it all together in the end. The boys love their baby sister so dearly and make amazing big brothers. Steven has been a wonderful addition to our lives. He is passionate about many things, intelligent and kind. I think there are so many families that have unique situations and they should be embraced and not looked down upon. I honestly have been embarrassed in the past to share the details of my life because I was afraid of the judgement that I might receive. I have also not shared because sometimes it is very complicated to explain and sometimes its just easier not to. Someone recently had asked me how the boys father felt about me calling Steven their dad. I have been very careful not to do that. He is surely like a father to them, but they have a Daddy who they love very much. He is an amazing Daddy to his little buddies, as he calls them. I would never in my entire life want to take that away from him. I hope to get to know some of my readers better soon too! Please feel free to share a little about youselves with me in the comments section :)

Daddy-Steven
He is very intelligent and will talk you ear off about almost anything if you let him. He has a passion for cooking and does it for a living...mmmm how lucky am I?! He is an amazing Father to his daughter, who makes him melt on a daily basis. I never thought I would see him cry-but then Adelea was born his eyes filled up with tears of joy immediately-I am so glad the Dr. took a picture of this :) He loves to play outdoors with the boys and teach them things about the universe. He is very interested in alternative Archaeology as well as underground news- he is always sure to keep me up to date with the strangest information and I love it!

Twin A- Avery
This is my first born. Until the last year or so he was said to look just like his mommy and then all of the sudden his Daddy's looks crept right up on us. He is the Mama's boy for sure. Full of energy and always on the go-there is always something new for him to discover. Avery has a passion for animals and always has. At 18 months old he could identify 62 different animals. He has a duck duck that he sleeps with -but lately he has been saying "I am big enough not to have him mommy". I don't want them to grow up too fast and the time just keeps flying by before my eyes. He loves to try to read and be read to. Avery will also climb just about anything he gets near....then jump..you have to watch this one- he's a daredevil. Avery is always the first to volunteer to help with his sister he LOVES being the big brother.

Twin B- Aidan
My sweet Aidan. He has a much longer attention span than his brother-can actually sit still and watch a movie or quietly look at books or even color. He has always been Daddy's boy and was thought to look like his Dad for a long time, but now he has started to favor me. Interesting how they turned out opposite. Aidan picked out a receiving blanket when he was 8 or so months old and attached himself to it.....he used to hold it in his hand and suck his thumb saying "gully gully gully" SOO the pieces of blanket are now lovingly referred to as Gully Gully. Aidan is a cuddler when he is sleepy and takes a bit to get going. He also has a love for the outdoors- this one likes snakes-like the one he brought me on the porch this morning, I almost had a heart attack. He is also a natural born climber. Their Dad is planning on buying them harnesses and getting them really into rock climbing this year.

Baby Girl -Adelea

This is our newest addition. Adelea has definitely been much more demanding than her brothers were as babies. I am not too surprised, I've been told this about girls! She is very happy though. She loves to be played with and have her belly blown on. Her laugh is contagious. She absolutely adores her brothers. Whenever they come around her face lights up. I know if she is fussy it won't take long to cheer her up if her brothers are on the case. She has just recently began to sit up alone and play with toys. Adelea loves a good cuddle in Mommy or Daddy's arms and loves to be worn in her Moby wrap. She is almost always in a good mood when you get her out of bed, as soon as you lift her up she will start blowing raspberries. I look forward to watching her personality develop over the next few years

Don't forget to leave a comment and share a little about YOUR family! and if you have a blog leave the link I would love to check it out!

biokleen- "Tough on Dirt Gentle on the Earth"

2010-04-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with everyone a few wonderful products from Biokleen. I have been using thse products for several years now. I decided to make this my first blog review because I use several of their products on a daily basis. Not only are these household cleaning products natural, non-toxic and biodegradable they are affordable. It can sometimes be daunting for someone who is not familiar with green cleaning to go from spending 2 to 5 dollars for everyday household products from the local Walmart to spending 2 times that for safer ones. The benefits of using all natural products are undeniable. There are lots of toxic chemicals in everyday cleaners that are extremely harmful to your family and the environment. Chemicals which have been directly linked to cancers,asthma and many other types of illness. Biokleen's products are concentrated which is better for the environment and easy on the wallet.Making a concentrated product eliminates fillers and leads to less waste overall.
Biokleen prides themselves in being a company that you can trust. They were established over 20 years ago in 1989. The founder of the company worked with commercial cleaners before he started to realize that he was selling dangerous poisons to people. From that experience he founded Biokleen under the basic ideas of effectiveness,concentration,non-toxic and environmentally safe products. In addition to these basic ideas these products are kind to those with chemical sensitivities and allergies. They contain no artificial fragrances,colors or preservatives. The cleaners rapidly biodegrade and are ozone safe. Biokleen does NOT test on animals or use animal products.
I wanted to give you an introduction to some of my favorites from Biokleen.

Biokleen Dishwash Liquid

This is a staple in my household, one product I am guaranteed to use everyday multiple times a day. I struggled for a long time with natural dish washing liquids. I was always using them so quickly-less is more did not apply in this situation. I had trouble finding one that worked well cutting grease and removing food odors(especially fish, pesto and garlic). I was raised on Dawn and Palmolive and I knew harsh chemicals and all they worked. After I had my children I struggled thinking about them ingesting the chemical residues from these soaps. I know after washing dishes in regular soaps there is a definite lingering smell. I hated drinking from a glass and smelling artificial scents. Then I discovered Biokleen's Dishwash Liquid in Grapefruit seed and Orange Peel extract. This was my perfect solution! Not only was it concentrated and took me forever to get through one bottle. It did the job at hand. It fought my grimy dishes and cut away all the odors and grease. I could not have been happier. Its extremely gentle to have my hands in on a consistent basis and the smell was natural and unoffensive.

Biokleen Citrus All Temperature Laundry Liquid
phosphate and chlorine free.
This is another must have in my house. With 5 people in this eco family we have a non-stop flow of dirty laundry. We are hard on our clothes! I have 4 year old twin boys who love to do nothing more than down and dirty in the yard. Red mud,grass stains and food stains are not in short supply here. Eco-Daddy works at 2 restaurants. His clothes come home with more food than my boys could ever manage to get on them, especially grease! Then theres my clothes which are covered in sticky hand prints,breast milk,spit up and all sorts of everyday grime. Last but not least there is Eco-baby who struggles getting all her food into her mouth and has a tad bit of a spit up issue.She is also cloth diapered, probably our biggest laundry feat of all! needless to say our laundry room is a very busy and icky place. I am happy to report that I have found one single product than can combat all of my laundry issues. With Biokleen's Laundry Liquid I am able to use the same product on all of my clothes with confidence even my cloth diapers. It works hard on stains and keeps our clothes amazingly bright and fresh. For extra stain fighting power I just take some of the liquid and apply it directly onto the trouble spots. Like other Biokleen products its concentrated, this one is concentrated 3x! I love having not having large bulky plastic containers littering my laundry room. I would definitely encourage all cloth diapering moms to try this out on your dipes. Its gentle enough on them and rinses clean preventing residue buildup which can be hard on baby's skin.
Last, but not least-

Biokleen BAC-OUT
For many moms who cloth diaper you may already be familiar with this product. This concentrated product has live enzyme cultures that fight things like pet,food and drink stains as well as the favorite here-organic waste(poopy cloth dipes). I use this regularly on my diapers before they hit the pail. It has been extremly effective in cutting down on the odor that is always present at wash time. Sometimes I will even do a Bio-soak for the diapers before they I wash. This product keeps the stains to a minimum and helps me be confident that there are no lingering bacteria in my diapers. Its also great on general laundry jobs as well. Eco-Daddy likes to use this for kitchen clean up especially for the counters and sink after preparing meals. Biokleen also suggests that this product is great for use on mold and mildew.

In conclusion I love Biokleen! They have way too many wonderful products for me to talk about on here. Please see their website for more information. Be sure to check them out on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

Technical Difficulties

2010-04-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

Coming Tomorrow biokleen review!!!

http://www.biokleenhome.com/

I ran into some challenges today trying to edit my HTML and pretty much anything else I attempted to do on here. I finally worked out the kinks and my layout is almost pleasing to me, still just a few things to add here and there. Needless to say it has delayed me posting my review of biokleen products :( I actually have it complete, handwritten during moments of peace today) I will be sure to get it on in the morning. Today was a very long day other than my cyber space challenges. The baby is teething and cranky, I had forgotten to put her teething necklace on this morning-not a good idea. Teething poopy cloth diapers are rather icky making it very necessary to do diapers again today. My boys were bouncing off of the walls all day, but occupied themseleves with plenty of outdoor playtime, it was another beautiful spring day here. I barely touched the computer all day ,too much more to accomplish.
I have to admit I've found so many interesting people to follow on Twitter! I hope to share some of them soon. Twitter really does grow on you ,even if you were a skeptic like me. I feel like I am in the "know" and love retweeting to share interesting info with others. Lots on my mind recently, trying to organize a summer full of fun for the kids and the whole family. Well its off to bed for some much needed rest. Goodnight All.

Lets get back to it!

2010-04-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be blogging again! I have missed the Internet so very much and mobile applications just do not cut it. We are all moved into the new house, very glad that the move is over with. I do know for sure that without Internet I have been an overly productive person, cleaning house borderline OCD style. I actually took a Qtip to the speakers of the TV late last night waiting for Steven to get home from work. I also caught myself cleaning my bathroom at 1 am!!! Not like me at all to tell you the truth. My cloth diapers have been washed every single day and put away immediately. There has not been a single dish in my sink for longer than an hour. How I have managed this with 3 kids I have no clue. We are very busy and active family who practically lives in the outdoors. You know I actually have been writing my blog in my head for the last couple of weeks while in the shower and during other rare moments of peace. So now I am met with the challenge of finding where to start. I have lots of plans for this so hang in there I want to bring to you some cool products and ideas very soon. Just for a little idea of what is to come I am working with Yoreganics, Meg-a-Roos, and The MerryHempsters to name a few. I look forward to getting back in the swing of things! In the meantime I have been networking on Twitter, something I swore I would never do.....there is a little confession I used to make fun of tweeting and now I am obsessed. There is just so much information at a constant flow. It is a great way to meet people who share common interests. I literally have to drag myself away from the phone at night so I can get some rest. Now I have discovered Twitter parties and TweetGrid uh oh I see trouble coming. Well that is all I can manage for the night! Hope it all makes sense I am very tired. See you all very soon!

Milk Troubles...time for a Goat?

2010-03-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

O where O where has my boobie milk gone......or where does it think its going!?

I am having difficulty with my milk supply. As soon as it happened I immediately went into panic mode. It was an intense feeling of inadequacy. I thought to myself "how can a be a good mother if I cannot supply my baby with the nutrition that she needs". I do not know why I have these feelings of failure. I did not breastfeed my premature twins exclusively and only managed to nurse them for about 5-6 weeks. The doctor wanted them to be on high calorie formula. I pumped as much "liquid gold" for them as I could while they were in the NICU, but they were still being supplemented. I was younger and naive when they were born. I was a first time mother of premature twins, I was so overwhelmed I admit I never thought twice about feeding them powder from a can! I did not have as much passion for a natural lifestyle as I do now. I did not have the understanding of the vast benefits that breastfeeding offers. Now I know different and my feelings run deep, I cannot imagine my daughter drinking anything but my milk. Artificial formula scares me to death. How do I really know what goes in there? Not to mention what kind of chemicals are seeping into the powder from the can. I do not even like the idea of organic formula. In addition to my freaking out about my daughter starving there is another road block to contend with. Adelea will not take a bottle for anything. I have tried over and over again with frozen breast milk and even a little juice, she doesn't care! She screams, gags and might as well be yelling "get this cold plastic out of my mouth!" You can't trick or even tempt this one. She is sure about what she likes and it is BOOBIE! I am avidly attempting to build my milk supply by taking fenugreek ( an herbal supplement that is supposed to help increase milk production),drinking lots of extra water, and watching my minimum calorie intake. I will by no means let my daughter starve to death, that is why I have been frantically researching formula alternatives. I had really not been familiar with any of these except for hearing talk here and there. What I have found that interests me is the option of using Goat's milk in addition to a vitamin supplement OR actually preparing a homemade Goat's milk formula myself. The formula would a huge task to take on, but I think if necessary it would be completely worth the time and effort! I would LOVE to buy a goat and milk it for myself..... mmmm...... raw milk. Nothing more sustainable then using your own animals for personal dairy production. You would almost have to own your own Goat since at least in the state of Virginia it is illegal to sell raw milk..what a shame that's the best way to have it, straight from nature.
I looked into milk banks and milk sharing, but I am skeptical about using someone's breast milk. I am sure it has worked out fantastically for some people, but I just cannot be sure what this donor mother is consuming. I would have no real idea about what my daughter could be exposed to. I think it is settled in my mind if NEED be I will work with the Goat's milk. Everything that I have read on the subject seems to be very good.(minus the lack of specific vitamins and minerals which can be supplemented!) It has been reported that Goat's milk is the most like breast milk and that babies are more likely to go back to the breast when being supplemented with Goat's milk vs. Cow's milk(and cow's milk based formula). I by no means want to lose the bond with my daughter that comes from nursing. I also want her to have the best nutrition available, which comes from me! I am just trying to prepare myself for the worst, to ensure the best out of the situation. If anyone is interested in the recipe for the formula or some of the links to what I researched let me know!

Cloth is...... what I've got!

2010-03-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of deciding which cloth dipe I plan on reviewing first. There are some that I do hold a very dear love for. I am having trouble making up my mind. I've been contemplating the idea of reviewing a new diaper that I have never used before. My diaper stash has a very wide variety. I do have a bit of everything out there and honestly my preference changes with the wind. In the beginning I was a strict prefold and cover user. I thought that anything more than that was ridiculous and wasteful. Then, one day it happened, I bought my first fitted.( a very popular and pricey one at that) There went the days of prefolds alone. Soon after the fluffy mail started rolling in! Now I have fittteds,customs,AIOs,pockets,hybrids,contours,
wool,fleece,PUL covers you name it I've got it :) Lately I have been trying to convince the man of the house this is a serious hobby. My diapers are a part of an elite collection and not JUST things used for function alone. I actually think that there are a lot of CDing moms out there who feel like this. It is perfectly okay, as long as your not spending bill money on your diapers! Make sure you at least keep a good balance, if your not reaching for some of your diapers sell them - make room and Paypal for some new ones ;) A great resource for selling your dipes and finding great deals on new ones it Spot's Corner on HyenaCart.
I am diligently working on the line-up for my reviews/giveaways. Hopefully, fingers crossed I will launch the first one for the week of March 29th! Stay tuned ladies!

Preparation

2010-03-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful Saturday. We were supposed to be moving today, but I think that it being postponed due to a delay in the carpet installation. I am very busy arranging reviews and giveaways for this blog that I hope you will all be interested in! I really want to spread the word on amazing products that you will love. I have such a long list of things, but I want to be organized about it. I can tell you that in the works are the products from Yoreganics and a natural nursing necklace crafted by a WAHM. I am so excited to be sharing these things with you very soon.

I also wanted to touch on the baby-wearing scare. My mother called me the other day to tell me that she heard 22 babies had died in the Moby wrap. This has been my daughters main mode of transportation since she was born. I, like any other concerned mother hit the Internet to see what was up. Well her facts were wrong, but there was a whole lot of hype due to to a recent death of a one week old baby. If you search for dangers of baby carriers all kinds of things show up. I think there have probably been accidents in every type of carrier whether it be suffocation or a fall resulting in injury. My opinion on this is this: THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY SAFE! ( when used properly) Not to mention the undeniable benefits to mother and child from sharing that closeness. You can not blame the companies for the negligence of the consumer. It is ultimately your responsibility to ensure the safety of your baby. Please make sure your checking the position of your child when wearing them . You need to ensure that there is an adequate airway at all times. If your baby is curled into a C shape they can very easily suffocate and that is a tragedy that no parent should have to meet. When doing my research I came across some things that did concern me. When looking through all of the fan photos on Moby Wrap's facebook page I was astonished at what I saw. There were very large quantities of parents who had their babies in the Moby wrap EXACTLY how the book advises them NOT to. It was actually scary, you can tell by looking, that these wraps are being used improperly. The instructions that accompany all of these wraps specifically show the Dos and Don'ts of their product. I want to encourage everyone to make sure that you are using your product properly.There are plenty of resources available if you are unsure. Look for local stores or baby-wearing groups who would be very willing to assist you in using your wrap,carrier or sling. BE SAFE your babies life is at stake!

BUSY...BUSY...BUSY

2010-03-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

So I picked an interesting time to kick-off this new blog. I am moving tomorrow...I am not done packing AND I am trying to juggle all of this on my own. Thank the universe for the lovely skill of multi-tasking. I have been networking and trying to work own promotion for my blog this morning while nursing the baby. All the while I am downing multiple cups of coffee to try and counteract my lack of sleep last night. I have also been packing for the boys to go to my mom's house for the weekend, I am so happy she is able to keep them for us. We still have painting to get done and A LOT of things to move into the new house. I am thinking Adelea will be living in the Moby this weekend. We bought Olympic Eco paint so now fumes for us or the kiddos. I am waiting on really cool samples to try and then I will be writing up a review that will include a giveaway! For a sneak peak see the site- Yoreganics ! Okay I need to be out of here in 30 minutes and I am not even dressed yet....and by the look,sound and smell of things I have some poopy cloth to change :) Have a lovely Friday everyone!

I'm new here :)

2010-03-18T10:47:00.001-07:00

Welcome Mamas! I am glad to have you here. I am new at this whole blog thing so do not mind me while I work out the kinks along the way. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time. I honestly just have not had the patience to complete the details, until now. Everything is very busy in my life as it is in every mom's world. Between almost 4 year old twin boys and an exclusively breastfed baby girl we have a genuine circus. I have wanted to blog for several reasons, I really wanted to have a place to offer advice and suggestions to parents who already live an eco-friendly life and to those who are interested in trying it out. I want to be able to offer information and be very up front and honest about my experiences with products and businesses. I also want to be very open about my experiences as a mother. I already have a list of wonderful products and businesses in mind to share with all of you. I would love to kick off my blog with a giveaway, so when I get the details of that worked out I will let you know!