When thinking about going green, organic bath towels and linens probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. We’re quick to ditch the toxic cleaners, opt for organic food choices, and focus on the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) – but what about the fabrics that come into contact with our skin daily? Choosing organic linens such as bath towels and bedding is an important part of a healthy lifestyle that every family should consider. Our skin is our largest organ and what we put on it our bodies literally drink in –  including the chemicals that linger on and in our linens. Most fabrics, from towels to bed linens (and clothing too), are treated with chemicals during and after processing. These chemicals not only leach into the environment, impacting groundwater, wildlife, air and soil, but they also may be absorbed or inhaled directly into our skin and lungs. I’m not going to get into all of the reasons why choosing organic fabric is important, but it’s definitely worth looking in to.

Bath towels are something we place up against our bare skin daily, and choosing organic bath towels are part of a healthy, green lifestyle I feel is often overlooked. We made the switch to organic linens a little over a year ago and I truly wish we would have done it sooner. Knowing our skin acts like a sponge, and absorbs everything it comes into contact with, it’s important to me that all of our linens are free of toxins that could cause harm to my family (and the environment).

Since making the switch to organic linens – including bath towels – I’ve had the opportunity to try many different fabrics, styles, and brands, and have decided organic cotton is my favorite, with bamboo coming in as a close second. Nothing compares to soft, luxurious organic cotton, so when Portico offered me the opportunity to try out their Home & Spa Slub Towel made of 100% organic cotton I was happy to oblige.

 I received two gorgeous, fluffy, Portico Home & Spa Slub Towels that definitely lived up to their “spa” name! They were luxuriously soft, incredibly absorbent, and best of all, big enough to do their job. We all know how annoying it is to have a towel that’s not big enough to cover up with! But most importantly, Portico towels are made of materials & fibers including organic cotton, eucalyptus, recycled plastic bottles, and non toxic dyes &  finishes, so I know they are safe for my family, home, and the environment.

So hopefully it’s obvious organic linens are the way to go, but it’s no secret that many families have yet to make the switch due to the hefty price point. I honestly didn’t have a chance to look into the cost of the Portico towels before agreeing to give them a try, but I have to admit after they arrived I thought uh-oh, these are probably really expensive. My goal is to prove everyone can go green – without going crazy- so crazy expensive products need not apply. When I saw that the Portico Home & Spa Slub Towel was available at Bed Bath & Beyond for just $16.99 I was pleasantly surprised. I mean sure that doesn’t compare to the $2.99 Walmart towel that covers half your body, is full of toxic chemicals, and falls apart after several uses, but for a quality organic cotton “spa” towel, I have to say the price is pretty amazing!

Another great thing about investing in high quality organic linens is they are built to last. It’s like particle board compared to solid wood- you pay more up front, but it’s going to last 10 times longer, and it’s better for your family. If you’re looking to make the switch to organic bath towels, I definitely recommend Portico!

Win It!

Enter to win a Portico Home & Spa Slub Towel and Washcloth Set!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received product(s) from Portico free of charge in order to facilitate this review. No financial compensation was received, and all opinions are purely my own.

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Toilet paper tube seed starters make a great alternative to peat pots – they’re biodegradable, easy to make, and best of all they’re totally free! 

What You’ll Need:

Toilet Paper Tubes

Seed Starting Mix

Scissors

Seeds

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Cut all of your toilet paper tubes in half, then cut four 1/2 inch evenly spaced slits around one end of the tube, creating four flaps.

Fold the four flaps together, overlapping them as pictured above to create a base.

Fill with seed starting mix, add seeds, and label. Easy peasy free seed starters!

Happy Gardening!

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Are you pregnant? Thinking about having your baby at a Sharp hospital? You’re invited to attend Sharp HealthCare’s Baby on the Way event.

You and a guest will have the opportunity to tour the hospital, learn about the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), get help choosing an OBGYN and pediatrician, learn about pregnancy and parenting classes and support groups, meet Sharp nurses and caregivers, and ask questions.

Best of all, this event is free. Registration is required. Space is limited – register today!

How to Register

Baby on the Way will be offered at the following Sharp locations. To register, call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm, or select a location below to register online.

Sharp Grossmont Hospital 

April 8
6 to 7:30 pm

Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center
April 10
6 to 7:30 pm

Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns

April 10
6 to 7:30 pm

Find a San Diego OBGYN

To find a Sharp-affiliated doctor, search for a San Diego OBGYN or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm.

Disclosure: I am currently a participant in Sharp HealthCare’s blogger ambassador program. While Sharp HealthCare has provided me with samples, event opportunities and/or resources to serve as content for my blog posts, all opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

The post Free Event For Expecting Parents In San Diego- Baby On The Way At Sharp Healthcare appeared first on EcoCrazy Mom.

Many people refer to natural medicine as “alternative” healthcare. When they get sick they go to a licensed medical doctor first, and if they don’t achieve the results or relief they desire through modern medicine, they turn to a naturopath or other form of natural medicine as an”alternative”. In our family, we do things a little different – natural medicine, herbs, and good nutrition are our primary means of healthcare. When someone gets sick, we turn to our safe, trusted natural remedies first. In my opinion, it just doesn’t make sense to waste  time or money on common ailments which we can safely and effectively treat at home. If a problem is persistent or life threatening, then by all means we go to the doctor and are thankful to have this high powered professional help. However, in most cases modern medicine is our “alternative”, and natural medicine and home remedies are what we turn to first.

One of the forms of natural or herbal medicine that we rely on most are homemade tinctures. Tinctures (also known as extracts) are concentrated, liquid forms of herbal medicine that are simple to make and easy to assimilate. Most tinctures use alcohol as the solvent because it offers the longest shelf life, and is by far the most effective at drawing out the medicinal and nutrient rich properties of the herb. You can also use vegetable glycerin to make an herbal extract or “glycerite”, but for now we’re going to focus on making a tincture using alcohol as the menstruum (solvent).

How To Make A Homemade Tincture:

Fill glass jar 1/2 full with dried, or 3/4 full with fresh herbal material.

Pour 100 proof vodka over the herbs, filling jar to just below the rim. 

Seal the jar tightly with lid, label with date/ingredients, and store jar in a cool, dry, dark cabinet. Shake several times per week and check alcohol level to make sure herbs are fully submerged. If any of the alcohol has evaporated be sure to top off the jar with more vodka to ensure none of the herbs are exposed to air which can lead to mold and bacteria.

After 4-6 weeks, strain out all herbal material, and pour tincture into a dark amber glass bottle for storage. Be sure to label your tincture with the date and contents for future reference!

Helpful Tips:

• Always store tinctures in a cool, dark place- the medicine cabinet is perfect!
• Tinctures properly made with at least 25% alcohol will last indefinitely! If you followed the directions above using 100 proof vodka, then your tincture contains 50% alcohol. (100 proof = 50% water, 50% alcohol)
• Don’t let the alcohol content in a tincture scare you away from reaping the many benefits of this powerful form of herbal medicine. Most over the counter cough syrups contain alcohol, the pure vanilla extract you use in your cooking contains alcohol, and the typical dosage of a tincture is just drops! Alcohol tinctures are safe for both children and pregnant women as long as the herbs used in the tincture are considered safe as well. One dose of an alcohol based tincture has approximately the same alcohol content of a very ripe banana.
• If preferred, you can easily evaporate the alcohol in a tincture by placing your dose in a hot liquid like tea or water before taking it.
• Tinctures can also be made using raw apple cider vinegar in place of alcohol using the same directions above. Vinegar does not draw out the herb’s properties as well as alcohol, but it is very inexpensive and works well as a gargle, and to fight fungal infections.

Tinctures are a great way to reap the benefits of natural herbal medicine. Check back soon in the coming weeks for some of my favorite tincture recipes, along with other natural and herbal remedies I’ll be sharing as part of a natural medicine cabinet post I’m working on!

Terri
For more eco-crazy tips follow Eco-Crazy Mom on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow my blog and join my mailing list to be the first to know about new posts, giveaways and the latest eco-crazy news!

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When thinking about greening your home, the kitchen is a great place to start! Here are a few easy tips to help you get started…

Choose a Gas Stove

 Gas cooking appliances use less energy than electric stoves because the fuel is delivered directly to the home and used directly for cooking.  When choosing a gas stove, look for a model with a self-cleaning oven, which improves efficiency because it has more insulation and maintains oven temperature better. In addition, choose a model with a convection oven or fan that continuously circulates heated air around the food, allowing temperature and cooking times to be reduced – on average, convection ovens use 20 percent less energy. It’s also important to keep your stove burners clean to ensure maximum efficiency. Blue flames mean good combustion; yellow flames mean service may be needed to ensure the gas is burning efficiently. Visit http://ohiogascompanies.com or your local gas and electric company for more energy saving tips and information.

Choose Energy Efficient Appliances

If your kitchen is filled with outdated appliances it may be time to consider an upgrade. There are many kitchen appliances on the market today that can do the same job as your old appliances, with much less energy. When looking for energy efficient appliances, I always look for the trusted Energy Star Label. Energy Star  is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency voluntary program that labels and promotes products that meet the highest energy efficiency standards.

Fill Your Kitchen With Locally Grown Foods

On average, American farmers receive less than twenty cents per dollar for their products. The majority of your food dollar goes to middlemen, such as food brokers, distributors, and retailers. By comparison, when you purchase food locally grown by farmers, a much higher return per dollar goes to the farmer. In the case of farmers’ markets for example, the farmer receives 100% of each dollar you spend. In addition, when you spend money in your community, it gets spent an average of seven more times inside the community before it’s finally spent outside. So, when you buy locally grown produce, you’re not only supporting your local farmer, you’re also supporting the entire local economy.

Ditch The Disposables

Paper plates, paper towels, ziplock bags, and plastic cutlery all end up in the same place- the trash! Although sometimes more convenient, disposable paper and plastic products aren’t good for your wallet, or the environment. One of the best ways to go green in the kitchen is to ditch the disposables and opt for 100% reusable options instead. Use “real” plates and silverware, replace ziplock bags with reusable storage containers (preferably glass), and consider making the switch to un-paper towels. Never heard of un-paper towels? Google it! There are tons of great options available.

Clean Green

Cleaning products are among the most hazardous substances you will find in your kitchen. It’s almost impossible to be sure about the safety of a store bought cleaning product because there is no federal law that requires pre-market safety testing by the manufacturer. The best way to be certain about the safety of cleaning products is to make your own eco-friendly cleaners at home! Click here to check out some of our favorite homemade green cleaner recipes.

~This post was contributed by guest author Jennifer Smith~

Have you started going green in the kitchen? Do you have any tips to add? Please leave a comment and share!

Terri
For more eco-crazy tips follow Eco-Crazy Mom on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow my blog and join my mailing list to be the first to know about new posts, giveaways and the latest eco-crazy news!

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One of the highlights of my trip to Expo West  was meeting pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene! We met on the shuttle ride over to the Vitamin Angels cocktail party and connected over a conversation about the benefits of delayed umbilical cord clamping, or as Dr. Greene prefers to call it, “optimal” cord clamping. It turned out to be quite a night with me losing my phone, Dr. Greene trying to help me find it, and then meeting up again at a bowling party hosted by Radius. However, despite all of the chaos, Dr. Greene and I had the opportunity to talk about many of our natural parenting beliefs and found that we had quite a bit in common. Best of all, we became pretty good buddies and I got to see first hand what an incredible person, natural parenting advocate, and pediatrician Dr. Greene truly is.

Later that weekend Dr. Greene introduced me to his wife Cheryl, who is also the Co-Founder & Executive Producer of DrGreene.com and an absolutely amazing woman. Cheryl and I had a great conversation about natural childbirth, shared our own birth stories, and by the time we were through agreed that I would write a series of birth doula posts for the Dr. Greene Blog!

So that’s how I met Dr. Greene and his wonderful wife Cheryl, and I’m thrilled to announce my first 5 posts are now live on the Dr. Greene Blog!

After getting to know Dr. Greene and studying some of his work I have to say I have an incredible respect for him, and all that he’s doing to raise awareness on so many important issues today’s parents are facing. Dr. Green has been instrumental in helping spread the word that parents should “White Out” rice cereal which contains almost no nutritional value, and start their babies on nutrient dense real foods. He also founded the “TICC TOCC” movement- educating parents and medical professionals about Transitioning Immediate Cord Clamping To Optimal Cord Clamping to prevent anemia and allow newborns to benefit from receiving the cord’s pluripotent stem cells.

As a father, doctor, author of “Feeding Baby Greene”, and “Raising Baby Green”, and world renowned speaker among many other things, Dr. Greene is truly doing his part to make a difference in the health and wellness of children everywhere. It’s a real honor to call Dr. Greene my friend and have the opportunity to contribute to his blog- I hope you’ll take a moment to check out my posts and share them with your network of friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or wherever you like to hang out online.

To learn more about Dr. Greene visit www.DrGreene.com and check out his fabulous website filled with a wealth of information on various health concerns, ages & stages, and so much more!

Are you a fan of Dr. Greene? Please leave a comment and share!

The post I’m Featured On The Dr. Greene Blog! appeared first on EcoCrazy Mom.

Welcome to the Relish Reusable Giveaway Hop hosted by Measuring Flower and Eco Crazy Mom! We have teamed up with a group of other green bloggers to bring you a bunch of fun, eco-friendly, and reusable giveaways worth a minimum of $25 each. So, after you’ve entered our awesome giveaway below, be sure to “hop” on to the next blog to enter their giveaway as well. You can find a list linking to all the other blogs towards the bottom of this post. Don’t forget to enter the event’s big grand grand prizes, including $200 of reusable products donated by Reuseit.com!

Here on Eco-Crazy Mom we are giving away a fantastic prize package worth $150.00!

Chemex Coffee Maker With Able Cone Brewing Filter From Kaufmann Merchentile ($130.90 RV)

Kaufmann Mercantile is an online store for carefully selected, long-lasting, and well-designed goods built to last a lifetime! They strive to source the finest examples of products that are manufactured with equal importance given to functionality, durability, and aesthetics. The concept is simple – materials should be chosen for long-lasting use, and design should marry both function and beauty. Many of their products are handmade – you will never find cheaply made, mass-produced versions of anything. At Kaufmann Merchantile, they believe in still-functioning heirlooms, not fodder for landfills!

Hand-blown in Croatia, the Chemex Coffeemaker is a wonderful example of fine craftsmanship and durability. The Chemex coffeemaker will last for hundreds of years, so long as you don’t drop it. The coffeemaker is made out of borosilicate glass, wood and leather. It is hand-blown in Croatia and comes to the US via the high seas.

The Kone filter came from the mind of Gehrke, who uses a Chemex in his Portland coffee shop. Sick of wasting resources on paper filters, in October 2009, Gehrke designed a steel version by tracing the conical shape of the paper filter. Unlike the paper filters, however, coffee doesn’t drip out from the tip, but filters out of the holes perforated throughout the filter. Kone filters are manufactured entirely in the United States: Ohio steel that’s formed and welded in Connecticut and distributed out of Oregon.  Besides being sleek and beautiful, the reusability of the Kone is a handy feature — think of how much paper will be saved by using only one filter for years to come.

$25.00 Gift Certificate To GlassDharma

GlassDharma has been producing glass drinking straws since March 2007 – they are the original glass straw company. The GlassDharma mission is to create world-wide awareness about single use plastics and how damaging plastic straws are to our environment. Glass Straws provide an alternative that eliminates the need for straws made from plastic. “Relish Reusable” and check out the great variety of straws GlassDharma has to offer!

Enter To Win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: This event’s hosts and the participating bloggers are not responsible for any sponsors that fail to fulfill their prizes, but will do their best to ensure that each winner receives their winnings.

The post Relish Reusable Giveaway- Enter To Win A $150 Prize Pack! (Ends 4/15) appeared first on EcoCrazy Mom.

From trash bags full of wrapping paper at Christmas to plastic grass and cellophane wrapped baskets on Easter, holidays seem to have become some of the trashiest times of the year. I mean, plastic grass, seriously? It probably goes without saying, but there are definitely better alternatives to all of this trashy stuff – ones that are better for the environment, better for your wallet, and definitely better for your children. So with Easter right around the corner, I’m excited to share some of my favorite tips and ideas for making an eco-friendly Easter Basket, let’s get started!

Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Tips

Tip #1: Skip Walmart and head to the thrift store.

At Easter time, thrift store shelves are overflowing with perfectly good baskets, bunnies, spring decorations, and all kinds of great Easter basket finds!

Tip #2: Ditch the cellophane and find a better alternative to plastic grass!

Forget the cellophane, it’s completely unnecessary, and while you’re at it find a better alternative to plastic grass as well. I LOVE using playsilks in place of plastic grass in Easter baskets! Playsilks can be used in Easter Baskets year after year, and enjoyed by your children all year long. The play possibilities of the playsilk are absolutely endless! Other alternatives to plastic grass include real grass, shredded newspaper, a small blanket, a towel, fresh picked or dried flowers, palm leaves, or anything else you can dream up. It’s also perfectly okay to use nothing at all.

Tip #3: Choose a basket you can use year round.

If you already have a basket you use every year, by all means reuse it. But if you plan to go out and buy a new basket, don’t feel obligated to stick the the “traditional” Easter basket. When buying Easter baskets for our kidlets, I always opt for something that can be used for another purpose after Easter. Laundry baskets, small trash cans, plain or fabric lined wicker baskets, and various types of storage bins are all great picks- and if you can find something at the thrift store even better!

Tip #4: Opt for real naturally dyed eggs over synthetically dyed or plastic ones.

We never use plastic Easter eggs, they’re bad for the environment, and are typically filled with candy or junk. Hunting for real eggs is just as fun, especially if you get to dye them afterwards! At our house the Easter bunny leaves un-dyed hard boiled eggs, and after the kidlets find them we have a little egg decorating party using natural easter egg dye. I also include a few hard boiled eggs in their baskets for them to snack on Easter morning.

Tip #5: Choose your Easter basket goodies wisely.

Skip the typical junky Easter toys and candy, and opt for organic candy, dried fruit or other healthy treats, toys that will last and excite your children for more than one day, and useful items you’d buy for your children anyways. I love shopping on ETSY for handmade goods, supporting eco-friendly small businesses, and including things the kidlets need like a new pair of slippers or reusable snack bag. Need some ideas? Check out my eco-friendly Easter basket ideas below!

Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Ideas

If you have a crafty child or tween you’ll definitely want to check out Artterro and all of their great eco-friendly craft kits. The Collage Jewelry Kit is definitely one of our fav’s! This eco art kit provides materials to design 6 unique jewelry pieces, and includes a bonus project – the box turns into a frame for your finished artwork.

Our girls were entertained for hours designing bangles, earrings, and more, and they’re so proud of the jewelry they made!

Lake Champlain Chocolates offer a great variety of delicious Easter chocolate – take their Organic Chocolate Hopp’n Bunny for example – made from solid organic Belgian milk chocolate. And because it’s a season for renewal and rebirth, this organic milk chocolate bunny rabbit comes packaged in a compostable cellophane gift bag, tied with ribbon made from recycled bottles. A perfect eco-friendly Easter treat!

We had the opportunity to sample Lake Champlain Chocolates and they were absolutely delish- I don’t think I’ve ever tasted such creamy chocolate!

These beautiful needle felted wool Easter eggs by DariaLvovsky on Etsy make a wonderful heirloom quality keepsake and special addition to any Easter Basket! Each egg is lovingly crafted by hand, and no two are ever alike. They would also make a great addition to any Easter tree or spring nature table.

We received the two pictured above and the detail is absolutely amazing. These are definitely something our whole family will enjoy for many Easters to come!

Forget about the sugary peeps filled with artificial dyes and flavorings, these crochet bunny peeps from LuvBub on Etsy are way more fun! Yummy looking faux Marshmallow Easter Bunny Peeps are perfect as a toy for your little one’s Easter basket, or displayed around the house as a unique decoration. They’re 100% machine washable and just as squishy and plump as the real thing!

We received four bunny peeps from LuvBubs and the kidlets instantly fell in love. I love watching the kids play with them, their imaginations can absolutely run wild. I’d choose these crochet peeps over a plastic or battery operated Easter toy any day!

Playsilks are one of the best playthings you can buy for your child. From super hero capes to magic carpet rides, blue ones for water, red for lava, and green for grass the play possibilities are absolutely endless. Use them in place of plastic grass in an Easter basket, and enjoy them year round!

My absolute favorite place to buy playsilks is Desert Dye Works on Etsy. They offer playsilks in a myriad of colors, sizes, and sets with affordable prices and great quality.

With summer right around the corner sunscreen makes a useful Easter basket addition, and adorned with their signature bunny, Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sunscreen couldn’t be more perfect!

Babo Botanicals is one of our favorite sunscreens because it contains a non-nano particle all natural, zinc oxide formula that goes on and stays completely clear!

Gnomes of any kind make a whimsical addition to any Easter basket and are great for nature tables too, but these little gnomes from Sugar Plum Hollow are great for learning too! Each gnome comes with a matching colored cup and hat, great for teaching sorting and colors, and each hat comes with numbered dots for counting 1-6. The gnomes are clean, unfinished wood from the USA, with felt clothing made of eco-fi recycled felt. All clothing is hand stitched and embroidered with a dab of glue to keep the little hats on. All painted items are natural wood, colored with natural soy paint. Wood is finished with a beeswax rub.

Our two year old loves playing with her little gnome friends and can already match all of the colors and count the dots on the hats! These have made a wonderful addition to our collection of Waldorf toys- I’m absolutely in love with everything Sugar Plum Hollow has to offer and look forward to adding even more of their great Waldorf toys to our collection in the near future.

With all the treats that come along with Easter, it’s important to keep kids active & moving! My Gym is celebrating 30 years of family fitness and fun! With their unique, innovative and ever-changing fitness program for kids, My Gym has been at the forefront of providing the best fun place for kids to remain active, while successfully combating frightening obesity statistics amongst children.

The “Mymo’s Adventures” DVD features the gym’s irresistibly cute mascot, Mymo, as he engages children and leads them on six awesome, interactive adventures. The DVD combines animated fun, live action workouts and a wisecracking puppet named Alphonzo Bartholomew III. “Mymo’s Adventures” is created to educate, entertain and motivate children to be active and helps them to develop their coordination, balance, flexibility, strength and fine/gross motor skills.

Our two youngest kidlets LOVE My Gym and the Mymo’s Adventures DVD – I’ve found the DVD especially helpful for getting the wiggles out on rainy days.

Few things represent spring better than a nest full of eggs, and this beautiful wool nest with musical shaker eggs from Unbridled Bunnies is an Easter basket treasure any child is sure to love! The nest is loosely needle felted to mimic a real nest, lightweight and full of little birdie treasures such as mossy twigs, feathers, and bits of string. The felted musical eggs are made from recycled plastic Easter eggs and felted to pure plushness with delightful brightly colored wool.

We are so excited to have one of these nests to call our own! There are few of our kidlets toys I enjoy “decorating”  our living room, but this is definitely one of them. The children love playing with the nest, and even have a mama bird stuffed animal who is tending to the eggs. It’s just an all around fun and beautiful toy!

Skip the stuffed bunny and opt for an adorable Lamb Hot Water Bottle from Warm Traditions! He’s BPA and Phtalate free, and perfect for snuggles, warmth, tummy aches, growing pains, and more.

We love Warm Traditions hot water bottles and have one for each member of the family. They come in a variety of styles and offer extra long lasting heat!

This egg and play silk by Knewtknees on Etsy makes a wonderful sensory toy for babies, a lovely spring or Easter gift, an addition to your nature table and a fun toy for imaginative open ended play. These wet felted eggs come in vibrant colors and contain a food-grade, hand dyed 11″x11″ playsilk. Wool felt is a sweet and soft all natural, eco-friendly toy material. The eggs measure roughly 3″ high and the “cracked egg” is blanket stitched with cotton embroidery thread for durability. The wool egg is a nice and natural alternative to plastic Easter eggs. They can be used to fill with candy or small toys, etc. over and over again. They look so lovely in an Easter basket or display!

I love that Knewtknees is owned by a SAHM, and all of her toys are so wonderful. The idea of a reusable wool egg filled with a playsilk is absolutely genius! Our two year old loves pulling the playsilk out of the egg, putting it back in, and repeating the process over and over again. How great that something so simple can be so much fun!

This Easter Americans are set to spend $2.1 billion on candy! While I think a few well selected, high quality candies in the Easter basket are okay, there’s also another way for kids to get their sweet treats this Easter. The professional snackers at NatureBox have created a special Easter Box that allows children to enjoy in the holiday without over-indulging in unwanted and unhealthy calories.  The snack box, that can be ordered to arrive at your doorstep in time for the Easter bunny will feature 7 items curated by a nutritionist and sourced from local growers and independent food suppliers across the U.S.

NatureBox is a national provider of healthy snacks, distributing its own brand of nutritionist-curated foods to address the exploding demand for healthier choices in the snack food market. They take the guesswork out of healthy snacks and treats for customers and offer them new discoveries every month with healthy snack products that can be difficult to find in retail stores.

I was really impressed by all of the yummy treats in the Easter Box, from fig bars to nut clusters there was something everyone in the family enjoyed. I definitely recommend Nature Box to any family craving some healthy snacks and treats – order your nature box today!

This sweet bunny slippers from Lou’s Knitting Room are perfect for any little one to wake up to Easter morning, or anytime! They’re available in Toddler sizes 4 through 9 in your choice of pink, blue or purple. Lou’s Knitting Room on Etsy is full of great stuff, and you can just tell each and every item was made with so much love.

We got a pair of these slippers for our little one and she just loves hopping around in them. The detail and craftsmanship is absolutely amazing, and priced at $12.00 they’re a great value too!

Eye Doll Chatter is the perfect Easter treat for the trendy tween! These DIY mineral makeup kits are ridiculously fun and unique with 3 great kits to choose from: eye shadow, blush and lip gloss. Each kit contains 3 yummy scents and 3 vibrant colors. Tweens can create their own personalized look by combining the unique scented shimmers with amazing colors to create shades & scents they love. Eye Doll even has a free app for girls to share their creations with friends via Facebook and Twitter for even more fun!

Our 13 year old and her friends have had so much fun with these kits! They mixing and matching the scents and colors, and doing “makeovers”. As a mom I love that the kits are made of natural mineral makeup and come in very age appropriate colors. If you’re looking for something fun for a special teen or tween in your life Eye Doll Chatter is sure to be a hit, I’m definitely keeping these in mind for birthday party gifts!

These super cute reusable carrot shaped fabric bags are great for Easter treats, spring celebrations, and anything else you can dream up. You can find them at Pink Pop Polka Dot, a great shop on Etsy with all kinds of goodies for birthday parties, special occasions, and more!

I plan on using these in our kidlet’s Easter baskets this year, and many more Easters to come. They were super easy to stuff, and look so cute. I love that they’re reusable, I’m sure we’ll find all kinds of uses for them- I’m thinking about stuffing them with wool for some adorable play food (until we use them again next year)!

This cute little snack bag by Itzy Ritzy would also be a great filled with Easter treats, and is definitely something you can use year round. They’re made with an FDA approved, BPA-free machine washable lining, lead free, phthalate free and CPSIA certified. The zipper top allows for silent snacking and is ideal for little hands. The 7-inch by 3.5-inch reusable bags are a wonderful, green alternative to plastic baggies for your lunch, snacks, school, work, litter free lunch programs and help reduce the huge amounts of plastic bags going into the trash each day. According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year and only 1-3% are recycled.

We’ve tried a lot of different reusable snack and sandwich bags, and this is definitely one of the better ones that we’ve tried!

Last, but certainly not least, Yummy Earth organic “candy” makes a delicious and healthy Easter basket treat! All Yummy Earth candy is free of high fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes. Kids love Yummy Earth because it tastes great, and moms love Yummy Earth because it’s 100% organic and sweetened with real fruit extracts and planet friendly ingredients grown on sustainable family farms.

We don’t give our kidlets a lot of candy, but when we do it’s Yummy Earth!

I hope everyone has a fun and eco-friendly Easter, as a special treat we have a giveaway for you to enter to win some great treats of your own!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Ideas & Giveaway (Ends 4/5) appeared first on EcoCrazy Mom.

Welcome to the Spring Into Green Mothers Organic Giveaway!

Eco-Crazy Mom has teamed up withan amazing group of bloggers to celebrate the grand opening of the Mothers Organic store, and bring you the chance to win a fantastic prize pack valued at $375.00!

Come check out the Mothers Organic Grand Opening March 25, 2013!

The Mothers Organic motto is simple: happy shopping for the everyday eco-mama. Why? Because we’ve all been there before. Confused by labels and not knowing which products were safe for our kids. Overwhelmed with information. That’s why eco mama Kelly McKnight and her husband created Mothers Organic. They wanted to make it easy for moms to find a variety of safe, tried and true eco-friendly products in one convenient place. Every product at Mothers Organic has been hand picked and carefully reviewed by Kelly and her team of eco mamas with the belief that if it’s not good enough for their family, it’s certainly not good enough for yours. Finally, a place where moms can shop with confidence – we invite you to give it a try!

Shop their amazing selection of stainless steel baby bottles and sippy cups. Check out their line of Melissa & Doug puzzles and toys for babies and toddlers. Stock up on your nursery layette – complete with swaddle blankets and bunting. At Mothers Organic you’ll find a great selection of natural bath and skin care, organic apparel, health care essentials and much more.

Shop now and save with free shipping on all orders over $75!

Celebrate with us and enter to win!

One lucky eco mama will win this awesome Mothers Organic prize pack worth $375.00:

The post Spring Into Green Mothers Organic Giveaway Event- Win A $375 Prize Pack! (Ends 4/8) appeared first on EcoCrazy Mom.

With four kidlets, one in cloth diapers, and a husband who likes to get dirty I do a lot of laundry, so when it comes to choosing a laundry detergent for my family, I set the bar pretty high. Most importantly, it has to be safe and natural – we live in our clothes, and there’s no way I’m going to have toxic detergent residue against my family’s skin 24/7. It also has to be effective, I spend enough time doing laundry as it is – when I pull a load out of the dryer it better be clean! Last but not least, I require a detergent that I can use for everyday laundry and cloth diapers – I want one detergent that’s awesome enough to wash everything!

In my quest to find the “perfect” laundry detergent for my family I’ve probably tried just about every natural laundry detergent on the market. Many were great, some were not, and as luck would have it the ones I liked most were the most expensive, and/or only available online. After much trial and error trying to find an affordable detergent that’s readily available and met all of my expectations, I finally threw in the towel and decided to start making my own. I’d tried making my own laundry detergent some time ago, and it was okay, but this time I wasn’t willing to settle for just “okay”. I wanted to say goodbye to buying commercial detergents for good, and I knew in order for that to happen I had to come up with a recipe that was great – and I did!

Whether you cloth diaper or not, this homemade laundry detergent is THE BOMB. It’s natural, eco-friendly, great for sensitive skin, safe for cloth diapers, and costs the average family just $30 a year. It keeps our whites white, our brights bright, and after using it on cloth diapers for almost a year I haven’t had to strip them once. Okay, enough talking, let’s get down to business!

Here’s THE BEST cloth diaper safe homemade laundry detergent recipe ever…

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Borax
• 1 Box Washing Soda
• 4 lbs. Baking Soda
• 1 Large Tub of Oxygenated Bleach
• 3 Bars Dr Bronners Soap- Grated (I chose 1 Tea Tree 2 Lavender)
• 15 Drops Tea Tree Oil
• 15 Drops Lavender

*You’ll also need a large bucket or tub & large spoon for mixing, a cheese grater or food processor for grating the bar soap, and containers to store the detergent in.

Step One

Grate all 3 bars of Dr Bronners soap.

Step Two

Add all ingredients to a large bucket or bin.

Step Three

Thoroughly mix all ingredients to combine.

Step Four

Scoop detergent into containers for storage, and voila! You should have enough laundry detergent to last your family about 1 year if you have an HE washer, and about 6 months if you have a “regular” washing machine.

With our HE washer I use 1 tablespoon for regular laundry, and 1/2 tablespoon for cloth diapers. Depending on your washer and how much water it uses, you may need to experiment a little to figure out how much detergent is needed. As a general rule of thumb 1 tablespoon of detergent for HE, and two tablespoons for non-HE should be about right, using half the amount for cloth diapers.

Have you tried making homemade laundry detergent before? Do you think you’ll give this recipe a try?

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