In my slow change to being more “green” and earth friendly, one change I’ve been wanting to make for a while has been the switch from plastic sandwich bags to reusable ones. I finally got the chance to try one out when 3greenmoms, creators of Lunchskins, sent me a sandwich bag for review. Not only is it practical and saves plastic from heading to the land fill, but it is so much more stylish!  I love the designs and how every member of the family can have their own color or design. And? The prices aren’t ridiculous either. Especially when you consider that with the price of two boxes of the plastic bags that just go in the trash add up to be the cost of one bag that can be used for years.

The Lunchskins comes in 3 sizes: Snack, Sandwich, and Sub.  They each come in colorful designs and simply fold over the top of securely velcro closed. Savannah has been using hers for the morning often, when she just wants a bag of cereal to munch on and then can be closed up for later. They are dishwasher safe, I just threw mine upside down on the top rack to get it cleaned.  The velcro did curl up a little bit around the edges but that’s pretty typical for velcro in my experience.  I love that it saves us money and environmentally friendly and will definitely be purchasing more so we all can have one for our picnic lunches!  I so wished I had invested in these sooner to have when I was packing my lunches for school.

Lunchskins can be found on their website for more information and ordering.

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and LunchSkins, who provided the product for this review

I love trying new bath products, especially organic ones since it gives the promise of cleaning without the nasty chemicals found in typical products.  We received the Conditioning Shampoo and Wash as well as the Calming Bubble Bath from Fresh Organic Baby to try and we are loving them! Thanks to organic oils like lavender or grapefuit seed extract, Savannah has been smelling fresh and clean without the chemicals. I love that the Shampoo and Wash is one product, making my life easier (especially to travel with) and creates less clutter in our bathroom. Both products are also truly tear-free, the last Organic product we used did burn her eyes and made her fearful of getting her hair washed and rinsed. Switching to Fresh Organics has solved that problem and we haven’t had a crying fit in the bath tub since.

Switching to organic in general in the past year has also helped a lot with Savannah’s sensitivity to bath products but in our months of using other organic products I’ve never seen bubbles like this!  The Calming Bubble Bath is not only, well, calming with lavender but also a tub full of fun.  It creates a huge amount of bubbles with just a tiny bit of product, Savannah has a blast making little bubble beards with it

And like I mentioned before, no chemicals! No Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfates, Parabens, DEA, TEA & MEA, Petroleum or Mineral Oils, Phthalates, Artificial Colors, Artificial Fragrances, Nut Oils, Gluten, Soy or Dairy. That’s comforting as a Mom, knowing that I’m not adding crap to her little body that could add up to being harmful in the future.  Want to know why these chemicals should be avoided? They’ve got answers for that on their website. I love that their website even has a glossary for what is in their products, clearly displaying what is really in them without hiding  the bad stuff under “fragrance” like other products I know.

Also, compared to other organic kids products the packaging is much better, meaning, the lids actually shut closed so things don’t leak, or doesn’t take forever trying to open the lid, and the product comes out easily. The down side is the Calming Bubble Bath comes out a little too quickly since it’s a runnier consistency, so I have to make sure to go slow and only use a tiny bit.  And, the bottles are 100% recyclable (I love that they actually print that on their bottles so people know, some times it’s hard to tell with a squeeze tub type of package if it can be recycled).

Unfortunately, Fresh Organics is mainly only available online but it’s worth the extra shipping in my opinion to get  quality (chemical free!) products. They have other items as well like Lotion, Bottom Balm, a travel pack that includes one of everything to try, and even bath products for Mom and Dad too.

However, you can also win the Conditioning Shampoo and Wash as well as the Calming Bubble Bath right here!  I’m giving away both to one reader to try themselves these great kids products.  What do you need to do? Simply comment on this post. That’s it, I’m not even requiring to answer a question!  Comment by Sunday November 28th, and the winner will be announced Monday November 30th.

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Fresh Organic Baby, who provided the products for review & giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.

The more I do the research, the more evident it is becoming to me the importance of “being green.”  So, when Mom Central asked if I’d like to review the new Green Works Wipes, I said yes!  Because who couldn’t use some help to get clean, and better yet, in a more natural and healthy way?  I often worry about the chemicals that I use to clean the kitchen counter tops with, or the bathtub, or anything that we touch. What does it leave behind that could harm Savannah? Green Works is striving to help to bring natural back into the cleaning.  They use renewable and sustainable resources, ingredients that are biodegradable (the wipe can be disposed in a compost if you want!), and are not testing on animals. It’s also safe to use on many various surfaces from sealed granite, to chrome and appliances.

The wipes arrived quickly and I set off to clean my bath room (I waited to clean just for this occasion!).  I’ve used other cleaning wipes before and I was curious how they compared. So, I cleaned one half of counter top, one sink, and half of the mirror with Green works, and the other half with another brand.  First thing I noticed was the smell, it wasn’t strong and actually pleasant!  Often, the smell of products quickly lead to a migraine for me, but this one was very subtle.   Then, I noticed the difference in the material, which is more fibrous, cloth-like, and thinner than the other wipes. In short: it cleaned just as well as the other cleaning wipe except the mirror. I had to scrub harder to clean the toothpaste spots, but it didn’t leave streaks. I’m pleased with the results and definitely will continue to use these to protect and clean our home.

My only negative experience was that it took a few frustrating minutes to get the wipes “started” in the dispensor. You’re supposed to take the very center and pull one up, but about 3 others kept trying to come up with it, therefore getting stuck several times. Finally, I got it working correctly so we should be good to go for next cleaning time!

Have you started going green yet?

We all strive to do what’s best for our kids, making sure they eat healthy and get enough sleep. But, do we think about the products we use on their sensitive skin? Do we think about the chemicals and fragrances that we place on their little bodies that may cause allergic reactions or -gulp- even cause cancer?  Thankfully, Kiss My Face has just come out with a whole kid’s line that is 100% natural with no artificial colors, fragrances, parabens, or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.

Now, in the past I’ve used natural products that didn’t smell so great. But these? Oh my goodness!  These products smell absolutely so yummy, I could eat them! Most are in the “Orange U Smart” scent that smells like orange serbert. It’s good stuff.  Savannah loves the toothpaste, that is naturally good tasting instead of with artificial sugars and flavors (there is both with fluoride and without for the younger kids!). She also loves playing with the little “Whale of Soap” bars that are shaped like whales (and again, they smell so good!).  These products work just as well as other products that do contain harmful ingredients, but it gives me a piece of mind that these are actually good for her. The packaging and cleaver titles also just makes these products so fun to use, with interesting animal facts on each. The good thing? These natural products aren’t just sold in health stores or online, but in stores like Target as well!

Want to win the entire cleaning line for your little busy body? The set includes:

1. A Whale of a Soap Pack

2. 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner

3. Toothpaste with Fluoride

4. Toothpaste without Fluoride

5. Pack of Lip Balm

6. Foaming Hand Wash

7. Hair Detangler Spray

8. Bubble Wash

9. Foaming Shampoo and Body Wash

Yes, that’s nine great products you can win!  Just comment on this post telling me what you do to help protect and encourage a “green” life for your family (I can use all the help I can get myself…).  Comments will close on Thursday, December 4th at midnight. One winner will be chosen at random and announced Friday the 5th.

Good luck!

Sensible Sippers. The name says it all, folks. These juice boxes help to make giving our children “sensible” and healthy drinks when ever needed.  For those school lunch boxes, a quick drink for on the go, etc. these are perfect!

What makes these different that other juice boxes, you ask?  Well, for starters it’s certified organic in accordance with the USDA’s National Organic Program. That means there are no pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, growth hormones, and basically no yucky stuff that could harm our kids.  It has no added sugars, preservatives, or artificial flavors, just a bunch of goodness. Also?  How many of you moms water down juice before you give it to your kids?  I know I do!  This juice comes already watered down to make it convenient for us moms on the go.  It’s made with 50% organic juice and 50% water which reduces the calories by half as well as the sugar in take.

But the best part?  Savannah loves it, so we both win.  Which especially means a lot right now as she is sick and is hardly eating or drinking anything, but she asks for this one! We received both the Apple and the Fruit Punch and she has enjoyed them both.

It’s a thumbs up from this mom!

This review opportunity provided by The Family Review Network.

I’ve never been a soap bar user, I’m a shower gel kinda girl. Even way back when I was a kid, I was using yummy smelling shower gel. So when I heard about Bethesda‘s Sunscreen Soap, my first thought was, “Nope. It’s a bar soap, I’m not interested.”  But then, I started reading about it.  About how it gently applies sunscreen right in the shower, protecting and lasting all day long. About how it’s all natural, and contains vitamins and healing properties for your skin.

There is no need for greasy sunscreen lotions applied for daily use, and honestly?  Unless it’s summer or you live in a hot tropic climate all year round, who remembers to put on sunscreen every day?  This is the way to go for daily protection, it makes it so easy to protect your skin!  Of course, to go spend hours at the beach or gardening outside you would need a higher spf that is found in lotions, since the soap offers a spf of 10.

When I started reading other people’s testimonies, I really couldn’t wait to try it.  I found that people were using it not just as a body wash, but all over! As shampoo and facewash. I decided to test this myself. I mean, a bar of soap…as shampoo? Really?  Really. I’ve use it several times and it actually helps my hair obey and style better while still keeping it’s shine. It feels a bit different compared to bottled shampoo at first, it feels drier like a soap bar tends to feel, but I just use conditioner like normal and it does a great job!  It seems to combat my ultra greasy hair well, too. I also have been using it as a face wash, and that (along with the oil cleansing method at night) has kept my acne at bay. It just seems logical to use it on my face, when that is the part of my body that sees the most sun right now.

Draw backs: It’s a bar soap. Not my favorite, but it’s worth it.  Also, when I received my package it was a very strong “herbally” smell and I was concerned about smelling like that all the time or that it would be too strong for my sensitive nose.  But, as I have taken it out of the package and used it, the scent has seemed to change to a much more pleasant one.  And, my husband has not complained about it smelling bad as he has done with other natural products I have used.  Lastly, it seems to be a bit drying to my skin, but a little moisturizer takes care of that easily (you need to moisturize anyway!)

Really, there isn’t much that I don’t like about it now that I’ve experienced it. Plus, at $8 it’s not crazy expensive like other products AND one little bar has so many uses! How great would it be to only have to take one bar of soap to travel with and it covers it all?  I know my suitcase (or rather, my husband who carries my suitcase ) will be happy with that. And my skin will, too.

This review opportunity provided by The Family Review Network.

The very first O Momma give away to here! Remember that natural skin lotion I raved about? Well, I was sent more samples and I loved it so much I’d like to pass it along to you. As I said in the review post, it’s a natural shielding lotion that keeps the moisture in and the bad environment gunk out. Who doesn’t want soft hands (or face, feet, legs, elbows)? And, to get soft hands with 93% natural ingredients? Bonus. It’s also great for sensitive skin and heals those extreme dry spots.

It’s priced at $25 dollars for a 4 ounce bottle so don’t let this opportunity pass you by! A little goes a long way, it’ll last for months. All you have to do is comment on this post by next Friday, February 22nd (in honor of Savannah’s Birthday!). Winner will be announced by Monday the 25th.

Now, Go!