My Love Affair with Keen's

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

Blogs Worth Blogging About

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!

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!

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!

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

 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?