Part One: Green-afy your swiffer wet jet

I have been naughty. First that lovely pink spot in the picture above a huge chocolate cake with pink icing, I used 6 cups of sugar in that baby. But that cake is not why we are here, it is the plastic bottle you also see above. When I was pregnant my mother in law gifted me with a Swiffer Wet Jet. She had managed to end up with an extra one and thought it would be much safer then very pregnant Bethy bouncing all over the kitchen with very wet floors, a huge stick, and a belly full of Baby Blip fullness. She was probably right.

Of course we all know how I feel about waste and chemicals. We have banned paper products such as paper towels and even the thought of cleaning with tons of chemicals gives me hives. Homemade natural cleaners and rags for all. So what am I doing with a big plastic contraption that showers my floors with chemicals and goes through thick and wasteful pads like none other? Well that thing is easy, I will admit that I'm a cluts and mopping is kind of a death trap for me. Imagine me zooming around on what floors ad cracking my head, now throw a cruising baby in the mix. Then you also have the huge bucket of water to be wasted. Of course when you put in next to the huge amounts of water that it takes to make the pads and chemical filled bottles that excuse does not hold up! So there goes that excuse...

It left me in a predicament, I will usually happily go through the extra mile for a healthy and happy home and world. So  set out to find a way to keep my Swiffer Wet Jet and still not fill the landfills with waste and our home with chemicals.

If you are in the market for one I would suggest making it easy on yourself and going with  the rubbermaid reveal instead. It comes with a washable pad, refillable bottles, and does not take batteries. The horrible batteries is reason enough for me to want to make the switch. I hate them. But I have had the same batteries in my wet jet FOREVER and they are going strong, maybe when I finally need to replace that batteries I will simply sell my wet jet and spend the money I would have used on batteries toward the
rubbermaid.  Anyways on to the greener swiffer...

After tons of digging and trying many things I figured out that I can boil some water, dip the tip of the bottle in the water for a few seconds, then ask my strong husband to twist of the top. The hot water loosens it up. Then "TADA" , I just put my whatever homemade cleaner I want inside. For the record I basically use my all purpose spray and then add a bit of eucalyptus oil as well.

Next I will talk about the reusable pads!

Products To Hug and Squeeze: Zaney Zoo by B. Toys

Sometimes you will find a toy that is totally magical, simple, and adorable all at once. If you have not discovered B. Toys go and make the discovery now! Go and visit your new friend B. Here and Here to!
I promise you will be in awe and revert back to a child again!

B. Toys can be found at Target. I was very surprised when we ran across these colorful toys in a big named store. Gus likes to geek out over Star Wars legos, hince why we were wondering through the toy aisles. But in all out truth we are very picky about the toys Blip plays with.

I like to know a toy will expand his environment and development, as well as be earth friendly and safe. Chemicals and toxins are a big NO. While these toys are made in China (I prefer USA made toys) they are designed in the USA. They also are lead or phthalate free which is my major concern with toys made overseas. On top of it all they seem to have a very nice setup and even talk about the human right of a good work environment for their overseas partners along with the environment the toys are in. I find it comforting how up front and informative they are about the issue.The outsourcing seems very beneficial and safe for all in this case. 

There is also a need for an honorable mention about the packaging. They have chosen to go without it when possible. The stuff they do have is made from recyclable material.  Not to mention cute! I used some of it to make Christmas ornaments even. Covered in colorful designs and adorable, happy, go-lucky kids quotes (made with soy inks) to make you smile. They have really got creative and made "self wrapping box's" that are reversible. Packaging and wrapping all in one. A few other toys are in reusable and biodegradable bags that are made from old sneakers and such. TO COOL!

This ornament is made from B. packaging. 

 Now that I've talked...errrr, I mean typed..... your ear off about all things crunchy, ON TO THE TOY!

We bought the Zany Zoo as Blips Christmas gift. HE loves it and can't get enough of it. The colors are so rich. I love that they went with a unique look that does not scream "BABY". It looks beautiful. The funny thing in my baby seems so much more drawn to these lovely images and colors! It is such a cute toy.

With three bead roller coasters, doors, pegs, letters, animals, zig zags, loppty loops, and more I can see this toy lasting a very long time! At this time he loves holding onto it to practice standing and spinning things.But it is defiantly great for toddlers and preschooler's as well.

This is a stout toy: the kittys jump on it, Blip chews on it and pulls on it, we move it everywhere. The end result: still as good as new. I can see it being passed on as an heirloom!

I even find Gus playing with it. Good old fashioned fun, with a twist. No lights or sounds, simple and perfect wood toy!

I can't wait to explore what else they have!

Honey Bunny Face Wash

Confession #1 :
Sometimes I eat my face wash. Hey, don't knock it. I'm a busy mom and if I'm starving I gotta do what I gotta do!

Confession #2 :
I love raw local honey.
Why ?
Well... WHY NOT!

It is a delouse natural sweetener for a hot cup of tea.
It helps your allergies. Right? Is that still proven. I hope so....
I love it on tortillas and fruit.
When I have a cough or sore throat a spoon of honey helps
It has all types of health benefits. Like a sugar you won't feel bad for indulging in.

And yes....that face wash I am smacking on is Honey!

I had my doubts. I will admit to using lots of different face wash including one laden with tons of long ingredients, acids, and who knows what else. I have sensitive skin and eczema. Luckily for the most part my face has healthy skin. I did get the usual break outs here and then and it was not unheard of for me to look a bit red or have itchy dry feeling skin on my face. But I felt what I was doing was working.

One day I caved. Looking for a more natural way to wash my face (or maybe i had ran out of my fancy smancy face wash...shhh) I brought my farmers market honey into the shower. I was a bit afraid. I kept picturing my face swelling up or my hair being a sticky mess from a freak honey accident. But it ended up being great, not really sticky, and actually really fun!

And it worked!

My face was so soft. I still put oil free moisturizer on, my mom instilled this in me growing up. But even without it my face is so soft and clear. I heart my tasty facewash.

Simply wet your face with warm water.

Put some honey on your hand and add a tiny bit of water if needed to make it a workable consistency.

Then apply it all over your face and neck in circles.

A few fun tips:
If you feel you need exfoliation you can add baking soda to the honey! It is super gentle.

If you need a bit more clean add a few drops of Dr. Bronner's soap. A tiny bit goes a long way. Just be careful if you have dry skin. And needless to say that this makes it inedible...so no shower treat for you!

Goodbye Paper Towels, Hello Stacker!

Paper towel stacker/cookie cutter storage

This post is for the Green Moms  Carnival on greening up the kitchen hosted this month by The Tranquil Parent


*****         ******       *****       ******       *****      ******     *****     ****      ******    *****

When a guest is in our kitchen they often look around confused. It could be the collection of Hello Kitty items that we displayed. I started collecting them as a kid and it has really shaped what my kitchen is as an adult: pink, girly, and a bit quirky. Kind of like a shabby chic vintage store and Hello Kitty mated and pushed out my kitchen! But my guests are used to this, so maybe not...

Maybe the fact that it's roughly the size of a postage stamp. They are left wondering "where do these people cook, on the floor?" To answer the question...Yes, we often do!

I often wonder if they are just thrown off by my odd way of using things. Perhaps the dish liquid in the glass oil bottle or the fresh herbs that I store in a second hand Pirates lunch box is a bit odd.

In the end I figure it out...they are looking for the paper towels.

Well dear guest, go ahead and look...but you won't find them.

Look hard enough and you will notice we do have a really cute paper towel holder. It is on the floor. It has my collection of cookie cutters on it. Blip is sitting in front of it using it as a stacker toy. I think it is super cute and way more useful as a cookie cutter holder/stacker toy. Don't you? Of course you do!

We vowed months ago to ban paper towels from our home. The honest truth is they are wasteful. Sorry to be blunt. They waste money, they waste precious resources, and they waste space on the earth.

I won't even get into what I think paper towels say about our society today. Another time, another post. In fact, I will spare you the rant and try my hardest to never write that post. No one wants to read the rantings of a crazy mama who blames all of our problems on paper towels.

So back on topic:  It seems people think we are basically nuts. They practically exclaim that we surely need them for juice spills or wiping off Blips hands after he eats. When I say that we don't need thm they look skeptical and give me the "you poor dear" voice.

We do have a method, we don't just clean up messes by sweeping them in the corner like paper towel deprived cats!

I started off by collecting pretty dish and tea towels. I find the softest and cutest ones at antique malls and thrift stores. Some are even hand me downs from my mom! I also occasionally find cute ones in $1 bins at random places. I keep one or two hanging on my oven door at all times. These are used drying hands, clean dishes, or fruit. Nothing messy.

Then I have the rags that are used for cleaning. I make these out of old towels or t-shirts. I even have a few that are shop rags that my dad gave me for super messy spills. Nothing fancy. These are used for spills, scrubbing up gross things, and wiping of appliances and counter. Just about anything goes. These are work horse rags that I don't mind staining.

The method is simple. I have a basket hanging under my microwave for dirty rags, dish towels, and bibs. Once a week everything in this basket goes into that washer and wash them with hot water!  Once clean and dry I fold them (or just toss them in a slightly neat way) into the basket I have hanging on my metal shelf that we use as a pantry. They are just as convenient as paper towels once put into that basket. Very easy and convenient.

Of course sometimes you do have things that cloth just doesn't work for. What about when you have to drain bacon grease or something similar?

Brown paper bags are perfect!  Cut them into manageable squares and slip them in a basket or draw to use on a plate to drain and soak up grease. If you are like us you use reusable shopping totes and don't get many bags in your home. We ask family to save us a few if they get them or grab one at the store if we happen to need an extra bag for something we don't have room for it the reusable bags. One bag makes quite a few squares! Great way to upcycle something that would usually be thrown away.


So now I challenge you to give up the paper towels and make your little one a stacker instead! Save money and save the earth!

My dishwasher Detergant

For the longest time I put up with cloudy dishes, I had calcium buildup that made my glassware look like it had took a dip in chalk! I switched natural dishwashing detergants a few time, spending ton of money for not so good results.I finally decided that I was doomed for a sad life of cloudy dishes and stuck with a mix of borax, baking soda, and washing soda. It atleast got my dishes clean and I had the supplies already in my home.

Then one day in a waiting room I read that adding salt to the dishwasher helps. I did...and it did! But while cleaner my dishes still did not sparkle.

I know...I know...a very depressing story so far. It gets better.

I kept researching and trying countless other things in hope for another clue to make my dishwasher detergent perfect.   I did a lot of research and found the idea of lemon koolaid or Citric Acid. Skeptical I pulled out some old packs of koolaid that were doomed for the trash anyways and gave it a try. And I was in love! 


1/2 Cup Borax
1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1/4 Cup Salt
4 Packs of Lemon Koolaid (sugar free) or 1/2 cup Citric Acid

Find an old clean jar and a scoop to upcycle! Throw everything in and shake shake shake! One Tablespoon per load.

And vinegar in the cup where the jet dry usually lives!

Easy-Peasy-Lemon fresh- and shiny shiny!

My Counter Top/ All purpose spray.

A few years ago we slowly started converting from chemical cleaning supplies to more natural options. In this time I found out I have a love affair with baking soda and vinegar. It cleans just about anything.

I also fell in love with Mrs. Meyers cleaning supplies. A more expensive option, but AMAZING and wonderful. To this day I love the smells and natural ingredients. By the time we got pregnant with Blip we had switched to a very natural way of cleaning, and vowed to never go back to chemicals.

We recently decided to try Dr. Brooners. I had read rave reviews about how the soap could be used fo lots of different things. It smelled just as amazing as our costly Mrs. Meyers so I decided to experiment a bit. I came up with the best counter top/ all purpose spray that I love. It cuts through grime and is a natural, but powerful! Plus it is so easy.

I used a 16 oz spray bottle. For the sake of recycling and reusing I washed out an old Mrs. Meyers bottle!


1 Tbs Dr. Brooners
1/2 Tbs vinegar
Water (I just filled my bottle most the way up).


It works amazing and cost next to nothing to make. I but my Dr. Brooners at central market (I love the lavender) and even the small bottles really stretch out. One tablespoon barely made a dent in my bottle!

For the record I still would recommend Mrs. Meyers and I found it cheaper on Amazon. I like my Dr. Brooners a bit better, but both are great products!

Trash to Treasure: Step Chair

 

I'll admit that I love finding great trash.

It gives me a thrill to be able to re purpose and create something beautiful from things others don't see light in.

A plus that it is free and used so we are not making a new foot print on the earth for the treasure!

And you can not deny the time and love that goes into these creations.

 We found this Cosco Step Chair by complete chance.I have always wanted one thinking it would be perfect for a kid to sit on while making cookies with mom. I have seen them new at Target, but really loved the vintage ones at the antique mall. A tiny bit of rust can give character! Anyways, we were coming home from a wonderful date that Gus and I have when the headlights hit our new found treasure! So into the back of our van it goes and on our porch it sits for a week or two. 

Blip watching his daddy clean the chair

We finally got to it and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. We started off by cleaning it. We got the water hose after it, followed by detailing with an old towel and our all purpose spray. Gus got hard core and used a rough scrubber to really get at it. The metal still has a tiny bit of rust, but I think it gives character. We left the bottom metal part silver and white. Once the grime was off it looked really good and I liked the white metal. 

The seat was the part that needed a total makeover. 

We tore off the cushions and deconstructed them. Then using our trusty secret weapon X of choice... the hot glue gun....we recovered the plastic cushion forms. They popped back in fairly easy with help of new screws.

The fabric was from a shawl I bought on sale at Target before blip was even born. I had the idea I would use it as a nursing cover, but it never got used in the grand scheme of things. I decided that breastfeeding was an event that warranted no cover. But that is a different story that may come with a small rant full of breastfeeding rights!

We also painted the seat a pretty blue. We used up the last bit of paint in a can we had used on some shelves for the kitchen. We ended up not spending any extra money on the project at all! It was all stuff we had in our home already.

Close up of the fabric. I love it and still have some left! 

 

Defiantly a treasure!

Lovely Unique Toys for your little one.... Textiles to touch

For the second Monday in a row I'm bringing you some unique toys for your little one. This week includes toys with amazing textiles to touch. I think fabrics of different textures can provide a nice experience 
  which is why the following is on my list for wants for Blip.

Regal Baby Ball    

 

Balls are a childhood favorite that lasts from babyhood and up past preschool. I love the Regal Baby Ball from Regal Cottage on Etsy. We are in love with the Pirate Party print, but they are all cute. These are very Eco Friendly and made with fluffy white vintage chenille along with some prited fabric. I imagine it being squishy and soft with lots of texture. It is filled with hypoallergenic poly-fil. They offer them in different sizes as well. I think it would be fun to put a bowl of these on the coffee table. Decoration AND a toy, all in one! Great for teaching fine motor skills.

Simon the South African Knitted Lion

 

Made with pure Merino wool from South Africa this Lion would be awesome for texture play! He has been filled with pure Merino fleece and has a mane of fluffy faux fiber yarn...perfect for stroking. I also love the name of the store, mamma4earth on Etsy. All her creations are made from handspun and hand dyed wool! And as always you gotta love supporting a mom with four kids of her own. This Lion is fun for a snuggle and imaginative play. I want it for Blips nature corner!

  

                                                                                       

Lovely Unique Toys for your little one.... Stick and Stack!

Now that Blip is beginning to enjoy interacting with objects he has actually been attempting to play with toys. I know he will soon be sitting up and his world will suddenly be even more exciting. With this milestone looming very near Gus and I have been enjoying browsing for toys online. Also Christmas is near and Grandparents have been asking for suggestions. We are wanting to get him a small, but nice collection of toys that are hopefully made well and he can enjoy in many ways. Here are a few of the stacking toys that I think are nice options for us.



My First Stacker - By Green Toys

I am usually not a fan of plastic toys for many reasons. Naturally one of those is the usual fear of BPA's and the fact that plastic can be a bit sketchy when it comes to the environment. But the other reason is that I have met many kids, and those kids end up with many broken plastic toys. They are not always durable. And with my clumsiness I'm partial to the idea of toys being strong enough to withstand mommy tripping over them. Some toys I make the exception. These are BPA and PVC free. And to add to it they were made in USA and are made from recycled milk jugs. They look like they may be strong enough to with stand out home aswell. And all this is on top of it being a fun looking toy that works on some amazing developmental things!

Large Wooden Rainbow Stacker Toy- Imaginationkids on Etsy

                                   

I must be on a stacker kick since I'm also in love with this rainbow stacker! The bright rainbow paint is not only bold and happy but also non toxic. I'm just a sucker for home made wood toys. This one is crafted by a homeschooling mama.  It is made with substantially harvested wood and extra care is put into it being natural and safe. I like that it not only helps with the basic developmental stacking, but also the imagination! As the kids grow older the rainbow can be used as a tunnel, a cave, or whatever the imagination decides. They also sell a smaller version of this toy. 

Natural Assorted Blocks

Wood blocks are a basic. This pack not only has basic square blocks, but also egg shape, egg cup, cone, cylinders, and rectangles. 21 blocks in all. Once again I choose the blocks that are made by craft-er. These bright blocks are painted with non toxic watercolors. They are all big enough to give to tethers even! I like the idea of buying the whole set, but starting your little one off with only a few cubes. This way you can surprise them randomly with another shape once they get the hang of what they have.

Products to Hug and Squeeze: California Baby Baby Wash

Dear Baby Shampoo Makers,

My little one has perfectly smooth milky skin. I see from all your commercials that it seems to be a baby trade mark. So why is it that many of you overload our babies skin with chemicals and who knows what other crazy ingredients? Don't you know that new skin is sensitive and pure is best? Loco baby shampoo makers, keep it fresh, simple, and natural just like our wee ones silly and beautiful smiles!

Love and Regards,
A Nurturing Mommy

I know a lot about sensitive skin. I have severe eczema and issues that make my legs break out in yucky sores. Bug bites get infected easily and the dry skin has to be slathered with heavy creams to keep my legs looking smooth. I don't think Blip inherited my alligator skin but I still wanted to use the best just in case. That is where California Baby Calming Shampoo & Bodywash comes in.


Blip may not have got my alligator skin, but he loves water like an alligator. The kid is crazy about bath time and we especially enjoy getting in the bath together to play and get clean as a team. This product is great for both of our skin and let me just rave about the smell! We buy the 'Calming French Lavender' and Blip's hair always smells delicious, people actually commit on it! It is great to have that relaxing smell as an icing on the cake of bath time!

I also love that we can use one product from the tip of the toes to the hair! It keeps skin and hair soft while still getting our messy baby clean. And it does not even brake me out! It is so gentle plus tear free! Must be the organic aloe-vera. It is actually soothing to dry skin unlike soaps. It rocks the natural ingredients in a way that you can't help but dance for.

We buy ours at Target. The pump top makes for an easy and mess free bath. Some may say the price is steep but you are paying for organic and natural ingredents. And in my opinion it streches so far that it ends up not being a huge deal. This wash lasts for what seems like forever!

My Cloth Diaper Detergent

My name is Bethy and I have a confession...I have been abusing my cloth diapers. But I promise that I have learned my lesson. After Blips diapers became a stinky mess I knew it was time to change up the wash routine and turn the stinky cloth into cute colorful bundles of fresh smelling diapers. My first cloth diaper sin, I used Mrs. Meyers Detergent on my diapers. I guess I did not think much about it at first, I knew it was better then some store bought detergents, it smells great, we got it on sale (thank goodness, it's to expensive to indulge in otherwise), and it seems a bit more natural then some. I later found out through a VERY helpful chart that Mrs.Meyers an average detergent that is not great for your cloth even though I love it for regular clothes. Well that explains a lot.

I did a bunch of reserch and found tons of great cloth detergants online aswell as a mix that a bunch of pepole had great success with. I decided to try making my own mix and so far I love it! 

I found out it came from this amazing Blog!

This simple detergent is super easy to make and only takes minutes to throw together.
Simply mix 1 cup Borax , 1 Cup washing Soda,  and 1/2 Cup of OxiClean in a container. Add one Tbsp to  each wash. I put it straight in with the diapers during the main long cycle.

Use this as a chance to recycle.  Use a clean jar from Jelly or Apple Sauce to store the mix. I used a tin container that I had laying around. For the scoop you could use an old Tbsp or one of the scoops that come in things like formula or some drink mix's. Just mark with a marker where the tablespoon line is.