July 2011 Archives - So Easy Being Green

Mom Blog Monday

July 31, 2011 By Lindsey 7 Comments

Are you a Mommy blogger?

Do you blog about your kids?

Do you blog about great things for Mommies?

Do you wanna meet other Mom Bloggers?

This blog hop is hosted by The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom, Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green!

Rules to Hop?

All we ask is that you follow the co-hosts: The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom, Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green… the first three blogs on the linky! Then follow Spot #4 which is the featured blog of the week!

We would LOVE it if you’d grab our button and put it somewhere on your blog or in a blog post! This would help us spread the word. However, you aren’t required to.
Be sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!

This week’s featured blog is…

Hello everyone! My name is Marlee and I’m finishing up my Master’s in Counseling as well as additional schooling to become a registered dietitian. My blog is a mix of budgeting tricks I’ve discovered in my attempt to work my way through graduate school, weight loss tips from a psychological perspective, and anything crazy that I feel like doing (that you get to vote on!). My most recent poll is on the right hand side where you get to choose which country to send me to after Italy (the country you all voted for the first time around).

I’d like to describe my blog as witty, useful and funny, considering I’ve got a pretty sarcastic sense of humor and there’s never been an awkward silence I didn’t fully appreciate. Overall I’m pretty happy in life. I’ve got the best man a girl could ask for, an air conditioner, and a healthy collection of bad zombie movies.

Filed Under: blogging, parenting

Joining the World of Coupon-ing.

July 31, 2011 By Lindsey 6 Comments

That’s right, I’m going to join the ranks of the “Coupon-ers”. Ok, so I probably won’t be one of the Extreme ladies {but, that’s what I thought about cloth diapers before I started them}. As I mentioned last week, a friend has decided to take me along on a Walgreens Coupon trip to introduce me to this world of Money Saving {that Sophia is already so good at!}.

So, tomorrow is our big Shopping Day and I’ll be sure to blog about my experience, but today you get the special treat of a guest post from my friend, Tasha, who’s my Coupon-ing Trainer {it definitely beats a Fitness Trainer}!

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One of Tasha's Best Coupon Outings: 80 nursing pads, 2 full size baby body washes, 2 tubes of teething gel, 4 toothbrushes, 2 mini first aid kits, and one box of bandages all for only $3!

Couponing is not necessarily easy, but once you get the hang of it and start saving and getting things for FREE, (yes FREE!) you will be hooked! Let me just say I am not an extreme coupon lady. Most weeks I take advantage of Walgreens deals, Ingles, and Food City sales, but by no means am I like the people on TLC. Several months ago before I started really couponing, I would simply cut out the coupons for the products I liked and bought on a regular basis, and would throw the others away. I might have saved $2 to $3 dollars a week with this method, so a lot of times it really wasn’t worth the effort of buying a paper and cutting them out.

I soon discovered I was going about the process completely wrong. A good friend of mine showed me a couple of couponing blogs. These blogger ladies must commit half their time to these blogs because they are WONDERFUL! They helped me to really understand how to get the most from my coupons and they list all the best deals from many stores on a weekly basis. The trick that I didn’t previously understand is that you have to use the coupons while the product is on sale, and try to stock up at rock bottom prices so you’re not forced to buy items when they are not at their cheapest price or free. I’ve had to unlearn my “brand snobbiness” too. When I really thought about it, the reason my husband and I were stuck on certain brands, was because that’s what our parents used. Don’t get me wrong, our preferred brands are great (many times we still get to buy them for much cheaper or free), but once I gave other brands and off brands a chance, I’ve found that many are just as good-maybe better.

There are a few places you can find coupons these days. The best place to look is the Sunday paper. I get at least 2 papers. If you have a larger family you may want to invest in 4. Its good to buy them in pairs because there are many drugstore deals that require you to buy 2 of something to get the deal and you’ll be able to use 2 coupons for the lowest possible price. You can also print many coupons online from sites such as Facebook, coupons.com, Smartsource.com, and Redplum.com. If there is a coupon for an item you need, coupon blog postings will usually tell you where to find it and provide a link.

There are quite a few couponing blogs you can follow. My favorite is SouthernSavers.com, but I also like thekrazycouponlady.com, and thefrugalgirls.com. I’m sure there are several more out there as well. Check them out and you’ll see how you can select your favorite store for weekly deals to help with your matchups. These blogs also have couponing tips for beginners as well as tons of other helpful links, like the coupon database.

My favorite place to shop is Walgreens. Before couponing I never went there because I felt everything was so overpriced, but now that I know how to “work the system” I find the best deals there! There are very helpful instructions on the SoutherSavers blog that explains how

Walgreens deals and Register Rewards work. You can find it here: http://www.southernsavers.com/getting-started-guides/guide-to-walgreens/

Remember to start slow. When pairing up so many coupons with sale items, it can be overwhelming, but the rewards make it all worth it. Before you know it you will be a couponing pro!

Filed Under: family, Green, parenting

Money Saver.

July 31, 2011 By Lindsey Leave a Comment

Not sure where she learned to be such a good Money Saver, but she loves it!

Story

Sophia lost one of her earrings at the Water Park so I needed to put new ones in… easier said than done. So, to distract her, I unzipped my Ruffle Bottom Wristlet from the Marine Parents shop and let her play, play, play. She loves to play with credit cards {and she ALWAYS chooses my Debit and Credit Card… never my Drivers License or Insurance cards. She knows where the money’s at supposed to be at!}

When she started pulling out coins, I got a bit nervous, as they usually got straight to her mouth, soooo… I decided to get her piggy bank down and let her be productive and see where those coins were supposed to go! She loved it! She was a bit disappointed when she put all the coins in. I turned around and she was trying to put my Debit card. Told you she knows where the money is supposed to be!

{Disclosure: My house is not disgusting. That is a fake egg… from Melissa and Doug!}

Filed Under: parenting, toddler

Water Fun

July 30, 2011 By Lindsey 8 Comments

I have literally been working non-stop on the house lately. I can’t WAIT to show you everything that we’ve been doing, including Sophia’s new Big Girl Room AND our new roof, but since neither is completed yet, you’ll have to wait.

Since all of this work, blogging has definitely been put on the backburner for the past week or two. Although, I have been doing alot of behind the scenes work for some fabulous events coming up in a few months!

This Wednesday, Sophia and I decided to take an afternoon for ourselves and went to a local water park with my Mom {Mamaw} and a friend {Ash-ey}! We had a fabulous time and Sophia LOVED every minute of it. She’s definitely a water girl! Rob and I are already trying to plan another trip!

Filed Under: family, travel

Fluffy Friday: Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted & Duo Wrap {giveaway!}

July 29, 2011 By Lindsey 9 Comments

Have a Cloth Diaper related post? Link it up!

There really are so many great cloth diaper brands and styles on the market. I’m sure you’re like me and prefer certain brands over others for certain styles. I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a declaration… Thirsties makes my absolute favorite Diaper Covers, and in my opinion the best ones on the Market. Granted, I haven’t tried every single cover out there, but if you’re talking covers, I can guarantee that the name Thirsties will come up in your discussion or research.

Duo Wrap, Size Two.

Sure, they have other products and I’ve had the opportunity to review their Duo Diaper too, but to put it simply, their cover design hit the nail on the head. They’re light, trim, flexible, breathable, and come in 2 sizes to get the best fit possible. Two of my favorite features of the Duo Wrap are the leg gussets {especially important in those first few months} and the elastic in the front and back of the cover. And don’t even get me started on their delightful colors and prints! How cute is the Warm Stripes? They now even come in Aplix or Snap closures! When Sophia was a baby, Aplix was the only option and it held up very well and I will actually be using our covers on the next baby.

For this review, I chose a Snap closure cover and was not at all disappointed. The snaps are very durable and spaced just right for a perfect fit. One thing that is so important to me when buying cloth diapers is price… let’s be honest. This is most often why I choose One Size diapers, so we’re not re-buying a stash every time it’s time to size up. I love, love, love the 2 size system from Thirsties. It’s a perfect way to be able to get a good fit on a new baby and a big baby! Would you believe that Sophia is using the Size 2 at the smallest setting!? She’s already on the largest setting on most of her OS diapers, so this means this Thirsties cover will last ALOT longer, as far as sizing goes. This is a great option for larger toddlers.

Duo Fab Fitted, Size Two.

After raving about the Duo Wrap and really, in a super nice way, saying “Thirsties, you got the cover right… maybe you should just stick with that.” They completely blew me away with the Duo Fab Fitted. When it first came onto the fluffy market sometime around January of this year, they looked cute and fluffy BUT I wasn’t really that interested. I hadn’t jumped on the Fitted Diapers {and Wool!} train yet and was actually quite scared of the Fitted diaper style. But I kept reading super positive reviews on the diaper. Now that I exclusively use Fitteds for nighttime, and often during the day too, I decided to try one out and fell hard for this sweet, little, soft diaper.

I also chose a Snap version {it comes in Aplix as well!} of the Duo Fab Fitted, in size 2. The melon color is so pretty and I chose it to match the Warm Stripes cover. This Fitted diaper fits Sophia so well. She’s on the mid-setting of it and I choose this to get a better fit with her long rise. It features the famous Thirsties “sleeve style“. The reason that I love the Sleeve so much is the fact that you can stuff the diaper with extra inserts {although it’s very absorbent on it’s own} and not only can you stuff from the front or the back, but you also don’t have to un-stuff! Your extra stuffing will come right out in the wash.

I’ll admit… I was wrong. Thirsties shouldn’t just stick to Covers. They have created an exceptional fitted diaper and they should keep inventing! I recommend this system to anyone, whether you usually shy away from this type of system or not. To see more Thirsties products and get a catalog delivered to your door, fill out this short form!

Buy It: You can purchase Thirsties products at a variety of Retailers, including Wee Little Changes! The Duo Wrap Cover retails for $12.75 and the Duo Fab Fitted retails for $17.00.

Win It: One super lucky So Easy Being Green reader is going to win their very own Thirsties Duo Wrap and Fab Fitted system! You even get to choose the color/print/closure of both!

If you are new to Rafflecopter giveaways, please see my Rafflecopter Tutorial {for Readers} on how to use the super easy form!
To enter the giveaway, you must see the full post, so click CONTINUE READING {below}...
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Filed Under: cloth diapers, fluffy fridays, Green, Review

Purely Products Pocket Purifier {giveaway!}

July 28, 2011 By Lindsey 26 Comments

Even before I became pregnant {for the second time}, I had concerns about cleaning products. I always worried about inhaling the chemicals, getting them on my skin, but I truly feared germs and sickness more. I’ve always been diligent on cleaning, especially surfaces that are often contaminated {or the ones that we think of the most}… kitchen, bathroom. When I was pregnant with Sophia, I simply took precautions of not inhaling the cleaners {as much as I could} and not letting them touch my skin. Hubby did a lot of extra cleaning around the house also.

With this pregnancy, I decided to go green-er with my cleaning. In this sense, by green-er, I mean less chemicals and more natural ingredients. After a lovely friend’s advice, I chose to use Shaklee cleaners and have been nothing but impressed and happy with the cleanliness of my house and the non-burning in my lungs while I’m cleaning! I feel like my house is cleaner and my body {including the babe inside of it} and Sophia’s little body is safer!

After saying that, what about the surfaces that are a bit harder to clean with traditional cleaners? Or what about when you’re out in public and have no way of cleaning a tabletop before you put your child’s food on it, wiping off a diaper changing table, etc? When Purely Products contacted me about their Pocket Purifier, I was sold! What a great eco-friendly, germ eliminator, they have created!

The first thing I noticed when I got my Pocket Purifier in the mail was the super cute pink color! I don’t mind at all toting this cute little box around while I’m out and about. The second… the company is based right here in east Tennessee {Knoxville, to be exact!}. I love supporting local businesses and companies. Third, there’s a handy flashlight on the purifier as well, which has already come in handy in this house.

So, I’m sure you’re wondering how the Pocket Purifier works.

Incorporates ultraviolet light and nanotechnology to eliminate 99.9% of germs that cause colds, and flu, plus e-coli, salmonella, mold, fungus and MRSA staph (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)
Suitable for purifying masks, kitchen counters, sinks and utensils, bathroom surfaces, computer keyboards, remote controls, cell phones, nail clippers, shoes, clothing, bags, scissors, baby toys, pacifiers, diaper pails, cribs, strollers – most everyday items. UV light will not harm function of surfaces or items disinfected.
Suitable for disinfecting most everyday items with exposure of 10-15 seconds.
Powered by 4 (AA) batteries for easy carrying and safe usage (Batteries not included)

I’ll admit, I am a bit of a skeptic {and hubby is even worse than me}, so when I started telling Rob about the Pocket Purifier, I was surprised that we seemed to switch roles. I was the one saying “How do you know it really works?” and he was the one saying, “Hey, use the Purifier on it!” I was actually unaware that UV light kills bacteria and germs AND that the “Pocket Purifier uses the same germicidal ultraviolet light {UV-C} technology found in hospitals used to sterilize surgical instruments.” Who knew!

Buy It: You can purchase your own Pocket Purifier from the Purely Products website for $19.99.

Win It: One So Easy Being Green reader is going to win their own Pocket Purifier!

Filed Under: Green, Review

Wordless Wednesday: Sneak Peak of the Big Girl’s Room.

July 27, 2011 By Lindsey Leave a Comment

Sneak preview of what’s going on in Sophia’s new “Big Girl Room”.

Helping Daddy put her "Big Girl Bed" together.

She loves her Writing Center!

Filed Under: family, parenting, toddler

Laundry Day Love

July 25, 2011 By Lindsey 4 Comments

As I was hanging my diapers on my drying rack today {major rain storms all day}, it made me think of something that a friend asked me the other day. During our Cloth Consult, she was most interested in my favorite diapers. She made the comment, “You’ve done all the dirty work [referring to reviewing lots of diapers] and I want to reap the benefits.”

It is really my ultimate goal in my new venture as a Cloth Diaper Consultant and in this blog too. First of all, I will never post a negative review of any item unless it’s just that bad or the company doesn’t fulfill my expectations {which hasn’t happened yet because I have fabulous Sponsors!}. So, with that said, I always find something that I like about the diapers {and other items} that I review. For example, I’ve reviewed a few different types of Prefold Diapering Systems and successfully used them, but they aren’t diapers that are in the general rotation of our stash. That doesn’t mean they weren’t great diapers or that I didn’t like them, they just aren’t our favorites.

That’s what is most fun about reviewing diapers, though. My favorite cloth diapers have evolved and some are now my favorites because of reviews that I’ve performed. So… are you ready to hear our favorites {mine and Sophia, of course}!?

Favorite Pockets:

BumGenius. They are one of the most popular for a reason. The Aplix version of the 4.0s are my favorite diapers to send to Grandma’s House.
Rumparooz. These are the workhorses of our Pockets. This is always the pocket I put on Sophia when we’re going out. Now that I am using both the Newborn Soaker and 6r Soaker, she hardly ever has any type of leaks. My Review.

Favorite Hybrid:

GroVia {snaps only!}. It’s my favorite simply because of the re-usability of the cover. When we’re on short trips during the day, GroVia goes into the diaper bag, simply because they take up so much less space than pockets. Although, now that Sophia is getting older, she soaks a GroVia insert in just a short couple of hours, so leaking can be an issue if I’m not on top of things. My Review.

Favorite Fitted:

Green Scene. The WAHM behind these diapers has really hit on a great design AND an absorbent diaper. This diaper, with both inserts snapped in, is enough for Sophia to last all night… no extra stuffing needed. They are my favorite and I ~~need~~ want to add more. My Review.
Babee Greens. I love my Hemp/Cotton fitteds from Babee Greens. Although I do add an extra hemp insert to the one that comes with the diaper, it still is a super trim and absorbent diaper. My Review.

Favorite Covers:

Three Happy Trees Wool Soakers. Hands down my favorite wool piece e.v.e.r. I love the pull-on of this soaker and they’re too cute. I can’t wait to get some Newborn sizes for our new little babe! My Review.
Babee Greens Wool Cover. When I want a snap wool cover, this is the one I reach for. I most often reach for the Snap Cover when Sophia is already asleep and it would wake her to pull on a soaker. This cover is soft. My Review.

Favorite Cloth Wipes:

Two Sweet Potatoes. These wipes are holding up so well and are still super soft. They are the perfect size and I’m still in love with them. My Review.

Favorite Pail Liner and Wet Bags:

GroVia Pail Liner. I just recently purchased this liner and am in love with the thickness of it. I also like the drawstring capability.
The Diaper Bag Wrangler Wet Bags. Oh, these wet bags are my favorite. Not only are the prints the cutest, they have held up so well. They have never leaked and I can literally stuff 4 wet diapers in them… great value for such a great wet bag. My Review.

What about you? Let me know your favorite diapers and if you’ve tried any of the ones I listed!

Filed Under: cloth diapers

Mom Blog Monday

July 24, 2011 By Lindsey 7 Comments

Are you a Mommy blogger?

Do you blog about your kids?

Do you blog about great things for Mommies?

Do you wanna meet other Mom Bloggers?

This blog hop is hosted by The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom,Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green!

Rules to Hop?

All we ask is that you follow the co-hosts: The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom, Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green… the first three blogs on the linky! Then follow Spot #4 which is the featured blog of the week!

We would LOVE it if you’d grab our button and put it somewhere on your blog or in a blog post! This would help us spread the word. However, you aren’t required to.
Be sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!

This week’s Featured Blog is…

Inspiration for Moms

.I am a stay at home wife and mother to a wonderful 4 year old boy. I enjoy cooking (fast and easy meals), shopping (with coupons, of course) and a good date night with my honey!!My wesbite Inspiration For Moms was designed to inspire. At my site you will find weekly menu plans, along with fabulous, easy recipes to help you get dinner on the table fast! Inspirational quotes to help us all remember what truly is important in our lives. My experiences of parenting-the ups and downs, so we all can feel connected. A great deal or good coupon, saving money is important and just plain smart! And as we all know, an organized home is a blessing to a mom, so I share many DIY projects to help not only organize your home, but beautify it too!

Filed Under: blogging, parenting

Fluffy Saturday!?! My New Job.

July 23, 2011 By Lindsey 3 Comments

Have a cloth diaper related post? Link it up!

I made it… barely. Whew. The past few weeks have been stuffed full of activities and things that we’ve been doing around the house {more on that in another post.}

Today’s Fluffy post is a special one to me because I’m going to share my new job with you all. Actually, it’s not a job at all. I’m very excited about this new hobby that I’ve created for myself. Since we all know that I’m already a lover of cloth diapers and all things fluffy, I’ve decided to share it with the world! Ok, so maybe not the entire world, but to those that I come into contact with! Not only will I be doing this through the SEBG blog, but I’m going to be consulting with New Mommies and Daddies, Grandparents, and anyone at all who is interested in learning about options to go “disposable-less”!

I have chosen to become a Cloth Diaper Consultant, working with Wee Little Changes {a past SEBG Sponsor}, to be able to show how easy cloth diapering really is! I’ve got my Sample Stash built up and I’m ready to consult! Right now, I’m focusing on One-on-One Consultations, but I hope to start hosting Diaper Parties soon, both IRL and Virtual parties!

I’ve actually already had my first One-on-One consultation with a lady who I went to highs chool with, who’s expecting her first child a month before my second will be born! She’s interested in using cloth and she came over and I showed her all the options that are out there! It’s so important for people to be able to feel the diapers, touch them, see them, decide what will work best with their lifestyle and I hope that I can do this for more people! {AND in return, she promised to teach me the art of Couponing – and will hopefully be guest-posting here soon!}

What does this mean for my blog? Nothing. You may see the Shop Cloth Diapers link on the left. If you’re ever thinking about purchasing an item, or especially thinking of purchasing from Wee Little Changes {who has FREE SHIPPING and a Customer Rewards Program}, I’d LOVE if you purchased through my link… of course! But, just as April {the owner of Wee Little Changes} said, “We’re all in this together.” This venture is not about making money, it’s about sharing the fluffy love! I will still promote ALL of the SEBG sponsors and cloth diaper stores because awareness and showing cloth for what it really is, is my ultimate goal!