Month: July 2011

Categories
Products

Eco Lips – The best lip balm for the world

I have a ton of lip balm – and I mean a ton.  Every new one that comes out on the market I try it. I am loving the variety of lip balms from Eco Lips.  The company sent me a sampling of lip balm to test out and what a selection they have. They really know their lip balm!

Eco Lips lip balm is handcrafted in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and made with natural and organic ingredients. They have several innovative organic lip care products and have something for everyone in your family – moms, kids and dads.

Eco Tints are their naturally glistening lip moisturizer – perfect for mom on the go and if you don’t have time for lip liner and lipstick but want a bit of color and moisturizer. This line moisturizes your lips while providing a sheer tint and they have six shades. They contain organic plant oils, beeswax, as well as natural earth mineral and provide a shimmering glow. The plush red is a nice light shade of red.

Eco Lips Gold is their ultimate lip moisturizer and also unflavored – this is especially good for kids that need moisturizer but tend to lick off the fake flavored kind. This one is best for every day use.

Eco Lips Sport has an SPF 30 and comes with a clip to attach to a backpack (perfect for Dad).  There is also a Eco+Lips medicinal and a vegan lemon lime bee free lip balm.

But my favorite which I put by my bedside is The Lavender Lemon Calming Lip Balm. Made With Essential Oils of Lavender and Lemon and Olive Fruit Oil to calm your senses – perfect for the end of the day.  This is from their ONE WORLD lip balm collection and they fuse Fair Trade Certified Cocoa Butter, USDA Organic Certified ingredients and exotic oils from around the globe. These are a chubbier lip balm packaged in large 0.25 oz tubes and made with 40% recycled material.

Natural and organic lip balm
Eco Lips Lip Balm
Categories
Products

Eco Lips – The best lip balm for the world

I have a ton of lip balm – and I mean a ton.  Every new one that comes out on the market I try it. I am loving the variety of lip balms from Eco Lips.  The company sent me a sampling of lip balm to test out and what a selection they have. They really know their lip balm!

Eco Lips lip balm is handcrafted in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and made with natural and organic ingredients. They have several innovative organic lip care products and have something for everyone in your family – moms, kids and dads.

Eco Tints are their naturally glistening lip moisturizer – perfect for mom on the go and if you don’t have time for lip liner and lipstick but want a bit of color and moisturizer. This line moisturizes your lips while providing a sheer tint and they have six shades. They contain organic plant oils, beeswax, as well as natural earth mineral and provide a shimmering glow. The plush red is a nice light shade of red.

Eco Lips Gold is their ultimate lip moisturizer and also unflavored – this is especially good for kids that need moisturizer but tend to lick off the fake flavored kind. This one is best for every day use.

Eco Lips Sport has an SPF 30 and comes with a clip to attach to a backpack (perfect for Dad).  There is also a Eco+Lips medicinal and a vegan lemon lime bee free lip balm.

But my favorite which I put by my bedside is The Lavender Lemon Calming Lip Balm. Made With Essential Oils of Lavender and Lemon and Olive Fruit Oil to calm your senses – perfect for the end of the day.  This is from their ONE WORLD lip balm collection and they fuse Fair Trade Certified Cocoa Butter, USDA Organic Certified ingredients and exotic oils from around the globe. These are a chubbier lip balm packaged in large 0.25 oz tubes and made with 40% recycled material.

Natural and organic lip balm
Eco Lips Lip Balm
Categories
Products

Eco Lips – The best lip balm for the world

I have a ton of lip balm – and I mean a ton.  Every new one that comes out on the market I try it. I am loving the variety of lip balms from Eco Lips.  The company sent me a sampling of lip balm to test out and what a selection they have. They really know their lip balm!

Eco Lips lip balm is handcrafted in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and made with natural and organic ingredients. They have several innovative organic lip care products and have something for everyone in your family – moms, kids and dads.

Eco Tints are their naturally glistening lip moisturizer – perfect for mom on the go and if you don’t have time for lip liner and lipstick but want a bit of color and moisturizer. This line moisturizes your lips while providing a sheer tint and they have six shades. They contain organic plant oils, beeswax, as well as natural earth mineral and provide a shimmering glow. The plush red is a nice light shade of red.

Eco Lips Gold is their ultimate lip moisturizer and also unflavored – this is especially good for kids that need moisturizer but tend to lick off the fake flavored kind. This one is best for every day use.

Eco Lips Sport has an SPF 30 and comes with a clip to attach to a backpack (perfect for Dad).  There is also a Eco+Lips medicinal and a vegan lemon lime bee free lip balm.

But my favorite which I put by my bedside is The Lavender Lemon Calming Lip Balm. Made With Essential Oils of Lavender and Lemon and Olive Fruit Oil to calm your senses – perfect for the end of the day.  This is from their ONE WORLD lip balm collection and they fuse Fair Trade Certified Cocoa Butter, USDA Organic Certified ingredients and exotic oils from around the globe. These are a chubbier lip balm packaged in large 0.25 oz tubes and made with 40% recycled material.

Natural and organic lip balm
Eco Lips Lip Balm
Categories
Products

Squeeky Clean – Household cleaners

I love a good cleaner – especially when they are natural, safe and effective.  I am always on the lookout for eco-friendly cleaning supplies and ones that doesn’t emit obnixous fumes. My husband is greek and he loves his windex cleaner and yes I have seen him use it to clean his hands!

Just received some cleaning supplies from Shaklee to test out and boy do they work well. The Get Clean Hand Wash Concentrate is made with natural botanicals and smells so good as it has rosemary in it. The Get Clean Basic H2 is a super cleaning concentrate to clean appliances, windows, floors, pots and pans. It is super concentrated so the 16 ounce bottle makes 49 gallons of cleaner!  With the Get Clean Hand Dish Wash you only need a few drops. All of their products are non toxic, without any parabens, Phthalates or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).  Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee founded the company on the principle of Living in Harmony with Nature® over half a century ago.

Shaklee is sold through independent distributors and they have much more than cleaning products. They also sell nutrition and beauty products.  Check out this link for all their product offerings.

Shaklee cleaners
Categories
opinion

B day parties

It’s my baby’s birthday today! Yes my youngest is now 7!  I cannot believe it. My oldest turns 10 on Monday. Since they are both summer babies we usually have three birthday parties – one for each and then a family party with cousins, aunts and grandparents. It is always a busy week for us mid-July. This year I decided to combine the party at one location for both girls – a bowling party. Surprisingly they were all for it (we maybe with a little convincing!) I am still holding the family party.

A few moms and I were talking the other day about birthday parties and when is the age when you stop inviting the whole class and just have a few friends over.  The consensus was about 5th grade.  I am tending to agree. Each year I printed invitations, invited the whole world and stressed over it! I love a nice printed invitation and love putting together gift bags as well. We have had parties at build-a-bear, rock climbing, at the beach, Snip-its, etc.  I also had their parties at the house for a few years which many parents were shocked about. Yes, it was a mess but it’s their birthday! We also had a sleepover for my oldest last year which will probably never happen again – at least not with that many girls.  This year I sent email invitations which my kids were worried, “not everyone has email!”  Who doesn’t have email? (for the record everyone we invited does have email)

Growing up my family did make a big deal about birthdays.  I like to say it’s my birthday week and/or month and celebrate multiple times – why not? It’s never to late, too old or too much celebrating to enjoy your day!

What’s your favorite birthday celebration?

Categories
Products

Bugs Be Gone

I’m not one to take a hike in the deep woods but lately we have been enjoying the outdoors on these summer nights and the topic of bug repellent has been coming up a lot lately.  We have been trying more natural repellents. Some say only DEET will work to repel mosquitoes and ticks. Some would never use DEET and opt for natural oils. Here are a few we tested:

I am liking this OFF!® Clip-On™ repellent as you do not have to apply anything to you skin.  The battery-powered fan circulates repellent all around you. Batteries are included.  It says it provides up to 12 hours of head-to-toe protection.

Avon Skin So Soft bath oil spray – this can work for some people but not for others. We joked at a recent barbeque as we sprayed this on our dry skin (directions say to apply to wet skin) and thought that the mosquitoes would slide right off!   I like how it moisturizes too. However it does contain mineral oil.

Avon also has the Bug Guard Plus Picaridin. Don’t really like the smell but worked for me. Just be careful with the one with sunscreen as with picaridin as well as DEET you do not want to keep re-applying. Just read the labels and follow directions.

Purple Prairie is a new line of botanical soaps, lotions, sunscreens and more.  Their bug spray provides a natural, safe way to keep gnats, biting flies and mosquitoes away. They sent us a one ounce sample to test out. It contains a special blend of essential oils and plant extracts and is DEET free.  It also soothes bites and poison ivy. It smells so good – very herbal with ingredients like peppermint, rosemary, lemongrass and eucalyptus oil. I found it worked very well and was great for my daughter’s sensitive skin.

We also like Buzz Away Extreme which is a DEET-free formula in a spray bottle that combines essential plant oils with soy bean and geranium oil for long lasting natural protection. The web site says it works for up to 4 hours against mosquitoes, up to 2.5 hours on ticks, and also repels fleas, gnats and flies. If you don’t mind smelling like a citronella candle this one works well for us!

natural insect repellent
Natural insect repellent
Categories
Products shampoo

Hot Tot: Salon quality styling products

I buy a ton of hair products not only for myself but for my kids and I try to look for more natural products. Sometimes it’s hard to find products that work well, smell good and are all natural.  Hot Tot is a new line of styling products created for babies and children that are made with safe and organic ingredients.

The company sent us some samples to test out. These included styling gel, structure whip, sweet pea serum and the conditioning detangler.

What I like is that they are all formulated without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, formaldehyde, petrolatum or synthetic coloring.

The conditioning detangler is perfect for sensitive skin and helps with knots and tangles. The styling gel does not feel stiff or sticky and the structure whip is a cream that helps with the trickier hair styles like ponytails, sleek styles and cowlicks. The sweet pea serum is for the littlest babies helping to deal with cradle cap and skin conditions.

The company also sells gift sets and infant onesies.  All the products smell great, work well and have no yucky ingredients plus the company donates a portion of their proceeds to several different charities including Save The Children and the Ronald McDonald House.

Hot Tot salon quality styling products for babies and kids
Categories
Products shampoo

Hot Tot: Salon quality styling products

I buy a ton of hair products not only for myself but for my kids and I try to look for more natural products. Sometimes it’s hard to find products that work well, smell good and are all natural.  Hot Tot is a new line of styling products created for babies and children that are made with safe and organic ingredients.

The company sent us some samples to test out. These included styling gel, structure whip, sweet pea serum and the conditioning detangler.

What I like is that they are all formulated without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, formaldehyde, petrolatum or synthetic coloring.

The conditioning detangler is perfect for sensitive skin and helps with knots and tangles. The styling gel does not feel stiff or sticky and the structure whip is a cream that helps with the trickier hair styles like ponytails, sleek styles and cowlicks. The sweet pea serum is for the littlest babies helping to deal with cradle cap and skin conditions.

The company also sells gift sets and infant onesies.  All the products smell great, work well and have no yucky ingredients plus the company donates a portion of their proceeds to several different charities including Save The Children and the Ronald McDonald House.

Hot Tot salon quality styling products for babies and kids
Categories
books Uncategorized

Summer Reading: WGBH-TV & Bark About Books

What a day!  We had the opportunity to attend the kickoff event for the Bark About Books initiative at the Tadpole Playground in Boston Common.  Mayor Menino, Billy Costa of Kiss 108 FM and Susan Meddaugh – Martha Speaks author/illustrator, and Creative Producer of the TV show Martha Speaks helped kick off the event. Ms. Meddaugh spoke about her wonderful series Martha Speaks.  She along with Mayor Menino read to the kids. It was fun! They also talked about the importance of having your kids continue to read in the summer!

WGBH-TV partnered with ReadBoston and WGBY to provide readers in Boston and Springfield with access to high quality children’s books, coupled with activities and reading incentives. Over the summer the Bark About Books! Massachusetts Summer Reading Initiative will distribute more than 5,000 books to children in Boston and Springfield communities.

So happy reading to you and your family!

WGBH-TV event with Boston Mayor Tom Menino
WGBH-TV event with Kiss 108 FM's Billy Costa
Susan Meddaugh of WGBH-TV Martha Speaks
Categories
books

Summer Reading: WGBH-TV & Bark About Books

What a day!  We had the opportunity to attend the kickoff event for the Bark About Books initiative at the Tadpole Playground in Boston Common.  Mayor Menino, Billy Costa of Kiss 108 FM and Susan Meddaugh – Martha Speaks author/illustrator, and Creative Producer of the TV show Martha Speaks helped kick off the event. Ms. Meddaugh spoke about her wonderful series Martha Speaks.  She along with Mayor Menino read to the kids. It was fun! They also talked about the importance of having your kids continue to read in the summer!

WGBH-TV partnered with ReadBoston and WGBY to provide readers in Boston and Springfield with access to high quality children’s books, coupled with activities and reading incentives. Over the summer the Bark About Books! Massachusetts Summer Reading Initiative will distribute more than 5,000 books to children in Boston and Springfield communities.

So happy reading to you and your family!

WGBH-TV event with Boston Mayor Tom Menino
WGBH-TV event with Kiss 108 FM's Billy Costa
Susan Meddaugh of WGBH-TV Martha Speaks