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It is in the air I think. It is coming….Fall.

This morning when I was walking my son to the street corner to catch his bus it was very crisp and cool, I could see my breathe, and that smell was in the air….it can only described as Fall. It is not quite here yet but it is lurking around the corner and I couldn’t be happier as Fall is my favorite time of the year. I am anxious to put on my jeans and sweaters, to attend the annual Applefest and Circleville Pumpkin Festival, to eat warm pumpkin soup and sip candy apple tea. I am REALLY looking forward to my first Fall in our new home and seeing how our 50 plus trees change color. And of course it wouldn’t be Fall without my usual drive through Ohio countryside visiting covered bridges in the area.

So can you see it coming yet in your neck of the woods?

Technorati Tags: fall, leaves, color, pumpkin soup, candy apples, festival, covered bridge

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More Friday fun for you with the Eco Friday Freebie! Today I am offering up two products from a great new company I have discovered, Earthwise. You can get the Baby Mango Butter Soap with no detergents, colorants, fragrance, preservatives, or petroleum derivatives in a lovely recycable box and A Very Special talc-free baby powder also with none of the yucky ingredients listed above. These are great, natural products for your Earthwise baby!

To win them just leave me a comment! A winner will be chosen at random and announced next Friday.

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I recently had the pleasure of trying out some products for babies from a company called Earthwise and I have to tell you all about them.

The company founder, Ava, is originally from Poland and the Earthwise web site tells the delightful story of her years growing up there and her memories of women brewing chamomile tea for soothing eye compresses and making face masks from yogurt and mashed cucumbers. She spent a good deal of time during as a teenager mixing up and applying face and hair treatments made of garden herbs, egg yolks, and cooking oils.

When she came to the US at 21 years old she was temporaily distracted by the glamour and glitz of NYC and the beauty products there and forgot about her polish beauty regimen. She noticed a big difference in her skin and it wasn’t good. She once again to understand why natural is better and her company Earthwise is a reflection of that.

Well, I got to try Safe and Calm Baby Oil with German and Roman Chaomile. My husband liked this stuff so much he swiped it from the baby! I also received the Very Special Baby Powder (talc-free), baby lip balm, and Baby Mango Butter Soap. They are all just heavenly feeling and they smell great.

Not only are the products natural and safe….they are not tested on animals and the only non vegan ingredients used in some products are ethically harvested beeswax and honey.

Tomorrow….for Eco Freebie Friday, I am giving away two Earthwise products so come back tomorrow for your chance to have an Earthwise baby!

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I recently had a reader ask about healthy snack and lunch ideas for kids not attending school yet. So this seemed like a good time to link to an article I wrote about Healthy Snack Ideas.  

Here are a couple of the ideas:

* Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins)

* Carrots, celery, and pita triangles with Hummus dipping sauce

* Banana Pops (dip in yogurt, roll in crushed grains, and freeze)

* Frozen grapes

Also, you might try a really fun pita sandwich that is a hit in our house…The Rainbow PB&J. This is fun and easy to make. Just put your PB& J in a whole wheat pita pocket, spread some peanut butter on the top and then layer some colorful fruit.

For more information about this lunch visit my NEW Bento Lunch Box blog!

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Thanks Jen for awarding me with the Nice Matters Award!

“This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award.”

I pass this award on to seven inspirations in the blogging world: The Good Human, Abigail, Allie, Tina, Siel, MMND, & Abel

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I found a really interesting article today about the ten best and worst foods.

What made the BEST list:

1. Sweet Potatoes

2. Grape Tomatoes

3. Fat Free or 1% Milk

4. Broccoli

5. Wild Salmon

6. Crispbreads

7. Brown Rice

8. Citrus Fruit

9. Butternut Squash

10. Spinach or Kale

And what made the worst? Well, a Starbucks Caffe Mocha was called a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in a cup, cheesecake was called a prime rib for dessert, and Campbells’ Tomaoto soup is a salt nightmare. Read the full article here.

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There are lots of ways to make your personal finances a greener and more hassle-free issue. I am all for minimizing the amount of paperwork in my life so I put together some tips. I already do all of these and it is great. I don’t even own a filing cabinet or the like because I have so little paper that I need to keep.

1. Pay your bills online. This is so easy I am not sure why everyone isn’t doing it! I don’t even have any checks or a checkbook anymore…everything is done online. I balance things out once a week with online statements and I pay all bills online through the vendor site, they do a direct withdrawl from my account (love this feature), or my bank cuts them a check on my behalf at the click of a button.

2. This tip is closely related to number one. Request that that your bank stop sending paper statements and get them emailed to you instead. Most banks offer this option. IF I ever need them I can just print them out.

3. Request that all bills be sent electronically as well. For instance, my verizon bills, my cable bill, my Internet bill, etc. are all sent to me via email. I just go to my account and hit pay and it is done.

4. Use online checkbook and finance software like Quicken or Money. You can even use a simple spreadsheet. I REALLY like the free budgeting system from Pear Budget. Some of these programs…like Money can be linked to your bank accounts and they update with your latest transactions whenever you open them.

5. Invest in a good scanner and scan all important documents and receipts. I end up recycling alot of my important papers after I scan them. If you have alot of receipts you need for tax purposes consider Neat Receipts. This program scans your receipts, bills, etc. and organizes them. Of course some I keep…like W2s, income tax returns, etc. Those things I keep in three ring binders in the basement.

6. Instead of printing receipts for online purchases, online bill payments, etc. do a screen capture (control+alt+print screen) and paste into a graphic application like Paint…save it as a .jpg file and file it on your computer with your scanned receipts.

Less paper. less waste, less hassle. Do you have any ideas to share?

Want to find some other ways to de-clutter your life? Read Clutter’s Last Stand & It’s All Too Much.

Technorati Tags: money, finance, green living, budget, paperless, recycle, pear budget, receipts

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As I was compiling a list of 15 things I do to save money I was amazed how many of these things I do to further my causes as a natural and green mother.

1. I cook from scrach.

2. I buy foods and home products in bulk.

3. I make my son’s school lunches.

4. I use cloth diapers and even created a web site dedicated to them. I also sew them.

5. We do crafty things and DIY projects at home. For instance, we make our own play dough.

6. I shop at garage sales.

7. I make my own household products or beauty items.

8. I buy greeting cards in bulk and get them for pennies a piece.

9. We go to the library alot…to get books and to attend free seminars and kids classes.

10. I garden and I make my own compost.

11. I am very good at saying no when my kids ask for toys at the store. But before you think I am an ogre…trust me they have plenty of toys at home.

12. My husband and I share minutes on our cell phones.

13. I repurpose or reuse things if I can.

14. My kids get alot of their “entertainment” outside…at home. If we do go out someplace it is with my husband who is only home every other weekend.

15. We don’t eat fast food. This saves our health and our money because that stuff is expensive!

So how about you? I am going to tag a few people and see what they have to say:

Carrie, Jen, Nell, and Activist Mommy. Anyone can join in…let me know if you do!

Technorati Tags: save money. frugal, buy in bulk, crafts, toys, cloth diapers, gardening, cooking

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Hey Mama…here is a little pick me up to start your day. There is nothing like Nina Simone and this particular song to make you feel good or make you breathe deep and smile even when things are bad. Its a new day…a new dawn.

One of the first things my kids do in the morning is get their multivitamin. We have tried a bunch of different brands and I have spent alot of time strolling the vitamin isle at Whole Foods. I use to get them gummy vitamins but I have heard they are not the best for young teeth and my kids would eat them like candy if they could get ahold of them. So we settled upon Nutri Stars Multivitamin and Multimineral Children’s Chewable from a Rainbow Light.

Besides all the regular vitamins and minerals you would expect to find in a chewable vitamin it has some bonuses like veggie concentrates from carrots, spinach, grean beans, broccoli, and beets. It also has organic spirulina and wheat sprouts. It is 100% natural with no artifical colors, flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, or other additives that are often found in other vitamin products. And here is the most important thing….kids like them.

It can be a bit pricey but Whole Foods has them for 40% off last I checked and I get a nice 50% discount from a natural products co-op I belong to.

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