Only a few days till mother’s day and I am a bit sad because my mom is out of the country and has been for a few weeks. But I speak with her every day and I have been sharing all my great second hand finds with her. I sure am missing my best yard sale buddy though.

After I scored so much good summer stuff at my local thrift store I decided to go back and get a bunch of the long pants I saw for my two oldest since they would be perfect for school in the fall. I ended up getting about 6 pairs of jeans and khackis for my son and 2 pairs of pants and 3 gorgeous skirts and some blouses for my daughter. My youngest got some summer polo shirts. Each piece was between one and two dollars and it is good stuff! I think that is why I am getting so hooked on second hands clothes. Not only can I get an entire seasonal wardrobe for less than $50… the clothes are high quality. They have withstood heavy use and washing by another family and they still look good when I get them off the rack.

At a yard sale last weekend I picked up a children’s art book, a pair of pants for the toddler, and a Care Bear (my daughter loves them). But the real gem was a metal desk made of lockers with a wood surface on top. It came with a matching metal book case too.  It is the perfect set for my two boys, who will be sharing a room in the new house.

Yesterday was my fave day, even though the deals were small. I got a mission style, wooden TV bench for $8. I also got a lovely full size quilt for .25 cents!! I am already imagining how lovely it will be to cozy up with it on a rainy day. My daughter got a wooden baby doll crib.

Now my husband apparently has much different priorities…ahem. I sent him to an auction to look at a washer and dryer set. He came home with a workout bench and two TVs… a large flat screen and a gigantic big screen TV. Now admittedly we could use a replacement TV since ours is super old and the picture will go out if you bump into it but I really do not like the the idea of a big screen TV…especially after I got that beautiful, mission style TV bench that we would know have no use for…grrr. If I end up having a huge TV in my family room I am going to be honked off…majorly. I am hoping he will let me turn around and sell it.

Anyway, I am hoping to spend next weekend (not this one, hubby works) at yard sales galore, without the kids, so I can start getting Christmas and birthday gifts. Won’t it be nice if I have all my shopping done before Fall?

The picture above and below was taken this morning as my daughter played outside before school. She is wearing a blouse and skort that we got at a thrift store. You will never convince her that she isn’t completely stylish in her used threads.

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For a couple weeks now I have been wearing some new summery sandals. I have been breaking them in for summer hiking and camping when my usual foot gear… the flip-flop won’t work so well. For whatever reason I have come to hate any type of closed toe shoe. I wear open toed shoes most of winter even.

While this shoe is closed toe, it is also breezy and open since it is a sandal. These are the  fisherman inspired J-41 Dune Vegan sandals. And so far I am really liking them!

As soon as I opened the box I was impressed with how they look like leather but they are actually made from 100% non-animal nubuck. I also squealed with happiness when I saw what was on the bottom. Part of the rubber sole is clear and there is a recycled map underneath it. The small bit of map I saw is from the Appalachian Trail!! Is that not a sign or what! I have been dying to hike the Appalachian trail for years.

Anyway… the contrast stitching accents (pink) and woven straps add a pretty, feminine flavor. There is a Velcro closure allows for a secure fit, a memory foam footbed (also imprinted with a map), mesh for breathability, and a toe bumper that provides protective coverage. And of course the the rubber traction Jeep sole is imprinted with J-41’s signature translucent map detail as a reminder that it’s all about the journey, not the destination. The shoes I have are a teeny bit different, they have less pink and no mesh, but overall the shoes you see at Planet Shoes are the same as mine.

As far as eco footwear goes I was a bit hesitant but they are really pretty, fun and sporty, and of course eco friendly and cruelty free. I think they will last a good long while too and that is a great thing since I usually stick to the $40 eco flip-flops and this pair of sandals goes for $89.

Check out Planet Shoes for other awesome eco footwear options too.

Most people have a lot of baggage in their lives….unpleasantness that they carry with them and let cloud the here and now happiness that they could be experiencing. I know this because I have some baggage of my own that is clouding my happiness. As I told a friend recently I have always felt like I have the Midas touch…either that or I have always been super lucky. I always got everything I wanted and everything went my way. Until last year that is when I got some news that knocked me on my arse…literally…cancer. Honestly, I never would have thought something like that would happen to me and it had messed with my confidence big time. My body turned traitor on me and made me sick. Now we have some trust issues my body and I.  

For the past year I have had a feeling that the other shoe will drop and with an attitude like that it probably will.

But the other day I was talking to someone and they had a BIG situation in their lives and they were hashing out their options. As he went through all the potential ways he could handle it he was very calm and he said he already knew what he was going to do…he was going to “choose happiness.” Say what? It cannot be that simple right?

I think it just might be. Not only will choosing to worry about what “could be” mess up my happiness right now it could be a self fulfilling prophecy. I have to choose happiness.

So last week when Andreea Ayers sent me a t-shirt from her company Tees for Change it was soooo perfect that she sent one that said…you guessed it….choose happiness. These t-shirts are awesome!

Basically these shirts are a reminder to live think positively. As it says on the web site, “We only have this moment – why not make it the best it can be?” The t-shirts come with a variety of inspirational phrases such as be fearless, live fully, laugh often, live mindfully, and chase dreams. I love the chase dreams shirt too. Apparently Andreea came up with the idea for these shirts when she was pregnant and she was continuously bombarded with negative attitudes about her decision to have a home birth. Everyone around her kept reminding her of all the bad things that could happen and how things could go terribly wrong. She was getting this from friends, family, and strangers. And then during a prenatal yoga class the idea came to her that she should have a positive message on her shirt to look down at whenever she ran into one of these negative forces so she could remember to stay positive and Tees for Change was born.

All the shirts at Tees for Change are ethically crafted from 100% organic cotton or a 70% bamboo/30% organic cotton blend. They are dyed using low impact, eco friendly dyes and screen printed with non-toxic, water based inks. In addition to that they have partnered with American Forests Global Releaf to have a tree planted for every shirt bought at retail price. So they are tees for mental change and environmental change…a win, win.

And that brings me to the fact that YOU can now win. I am giving away a large green T-shirt from Tees for Change that says Choose Happiness. To enter just leave me a comment below and answer this question, “Do you believe that you can really choose to be happy or is it all a game of chance?” Tell me what you think.

And to leave this post I thought I would share a quote I read on the Tees for Change site: Always listen to experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done, and why. Then do it.  – Lazarus Long

[tags]t-shirt, organic, bamboo, happiness, positive thinking, freebie, environemnt[/tags]

I had a blast last weekend! No I did’t attend a rave or even catch a cool flick at the theatre. I wore a T-shirt and I caused a stir. I decided to wear my new BYOB shirt from Reusablebags.com. BYOB stands for Bring Your Own Bag and this particluar shirt says “Plastic Bags Blow” on the front and then on the back it says says BYOB and explains the concept. All throughout my shopping that day I had people stop and ask about the shirt. Some just stared and I really wanted to exclaim “Hey quit looking at my boobs!” for a laugh but I decided against it. LOL. A few people rolled their eyes and one lady made a rude comment about my “silly shirt”. But I was happy to to bring attention to an environmental concern in this way and since I did have so many good conversations that day I am looking for more shirts with eco slogans.

The shirt is 100% organic, made in the USA, and is made under fair labor conditions. The BEST part though is that they are only $4.95 right now!!!!!! I am off to buy one for my husband!

Do me a favor though and don’t get caught holding a plastic bag while wearing your BYOB shirt. That would be…bad.

For another Eco Friendly Friday  Tip visit In the Key of Life

[tags]plastic bags, BYOB, reusable bag, t-shirt, eco slogan, organic cotton, made in USA[/tags]

Jewelry can be one of the least eco friendly things you can buy. Just think about all the controversy surrounding blood diamonds. And while many women may decide it is NOT worth it to wear a diamond that may have cost someone their life they may not consider so much the jewelry they have made from unsustainable wood materials or toxic plastics. When the necklace around your neck represents environmental damage…it quickly loses its appeal.

I had the great fortune recently to receive two lovely eco-fashion necklaces from The Palma Collection. They are a small eco-friendly company located in San Diego, California that sells stunning and unique eco-friendly women’s accessories made from the nut of a rare palm tree in South America. The nuts (aka vegetable ivory) are harvested seasonally and only after they fall from the tree. They are also completely non-toxic. These necklaces are proof positive that green fashion can be beautiful and sexy.

I have two Palma necklaces, the Hostlila and the Maripotag. The Hostlila is a gorgeous green flower shaped necklace. The front petals almost seem to spin on top of the back ones like a pinwheel and the soft dark and light green variations are truly beautiful. The necklace strap is a dark brown cotton that looks like suede. I have received many compliments when wearing this necklace. Many ask what it is and are surprised and intrigued when I tell them it is vegetable ivory.

It is just the type of necklace that I love to wear…unique and earthy.

The Maripotag is a smaller, purple butterfly shaped necklace with deep purple wings and a lavender colored body. It has an adjustable black cotton strap. This necklace is also gorgeous and I think it will make a nice gift for someone special in my life that likes butterflies.

I love the smooth texture of the vegetable ivory and the relatively light weight, as I am not one for bulky or heavy jewelry. Also the color and unique and eye catching quality of these necklaces makes object of curiosity and conversation. Their non-toxic nature and eco friendliness makes them a REAL fashion statement.

By far one of the best features of this collection is its accessibility to the average consumer. These beautiful eco-friendly accessories come with a very reasonable price tag. Each piece ranges in price from $10-$54 and you can get earrings and bracelets in addition to the necklaces. Not only are they fairly priced but the company supports fair trade initiatives too. You can’t beat that….beautiful, ethical, and eco-friendly!

Palma Collection is offering NatureMoms readers a 10% discount too! Just use the code naturemom until September 1st. Happy Shopping.

[tags]jewelry, eco-friendly, sustainable, fair trade, eco-fashion, necklace, palma collection[/tags]