Flats Challenge Day 3: Flats 101

Today is Day 3 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge! So far it has been going really well for us over here. I washed my second load of flats in the camp washer today and felt like it went better and quicker than yesterday. Due to a rainy day today I hung the flats on my indoor drying rack and placed it near a window to get at least some indirect "sun" to help with stains.

Today is an open topic day for the Flats Challenge bloggers, and I decided to write a Flats 101 post! Before I started researching for the challenge I didn't know much about flats, and a post like this with all the information in one place would have been so helpful!

What is a flat?

A flat is simply a large square of fabric. The edges can be turned and hemmed or can be simply serged, and the size can vary from 27"x27" to 30"x30" or even larger! Most flats are only one layer of fabric, though sometimes you can find some that are two layers in order to have a decorative side. Flats can be made from really any type of absorbent material. Most are cotton, bamboo, hemp, or some combination of those. If you are looking for flats on a budget you can use cotton flour sack towels that can be found at most stores near the kitchen towels for around $1 each, or you can use receiving blankets as flats! You can even upcycle old t-shirts as flats: just take an XL-XXXL 100% cotton t-shirt and cut off the bottom, side, and top seams so that you end up with two large squares that you can use as flats! If you are on a very small budget a great option is to go to a thrift store and look for receiving blankets and t-shirts on a day when the thrift store offers $0.50 items. You could feasibly get a whole stash of 24 flats for as little as $6 - $12 if you found twelve t-shirts for $0.50 - $1 each and cut them to get two flats out of each shirt.

How do you fold a flat?

Since a flat is just a large square of fabric, it must be folded into a diaper to place on your baby. The amount of folds you can do is only limited by your imagination! There are many flat folding tutorials available online in both pictorial and video form. I have step by step pictures of four folding options and each one that I list has a link to a video tutorial from Dirty Diaper Laundry.

• First up is the Kite Fold: to do this fold, you first make sure your flat is square. Once it is square, the corners get folded in to make a kite shape. The bottom of the kite folds up to determine the rise height, and the widest part of the kite becomes the diaper's wings. Check out the tutorial to see this in action!

• Next is the Diaper Bag Fold: each side of your flat folds toward the middle, and then the bottom folds up to determine the rise height. Then trifold it like a prefold and fan out the top for wings. Fold the back down slightly to help contain poop, and then put the diaper on baby. Check out the tutorial to see this flat fold.

•  This is the Jo Fold: you fold all corners of the flat in toward the middle to make a smaller square and then trifold and fan out the wings. I have found this to be one of the quickest folds and it fastens really nicely onto baby. Check out the video tutorial here.

•  Lastly, this is the Origami fold: after you fold the flat in half to make a rectangle, you take one corner and pull it across so that you have a triangle facing you. Then you flip the whole thing over so the triangle is on the backside, and you fold the oblong side in toward the middle to make a thicker pad for the wet zone. This fold is tricky to explain, so definitely watch the video. Once you try it, it is really doable though!

• The other fold that I use often is the Pad Fold. I don't have pictures of this one, as it is pretty basic. Take your flat and fold it in half to make a rectangle. Then, fold it in half again so that you get a square. Then just trifold your square like a prefold and lay it in a cover. This is a great way to pre-load covers to keep in your diaper bag or to send along to Grandma's house. This is also a great way to continue using flats that might be too small to fit on your baby using a "fancier" fold. 
• There are a lot of other folds out there and in fact I just found this Master List of Flat Folds the other day. I can't wait to experiment with some new folds! Whenever I am trying a new fold I just remind myself that it really doesn't matter what it looks like as long as it stays on baby and contains messes. Once you get the hang of a fold it is easier to make it look pretty.

How do you fasten a flat?

There are three main options that I know of for fastening flats. The first one that most cloth diaper mamas are familiar with is a Snappi. You just clip it to each wing and to the front of the diaper and you're all set to go. I have found that some flats are very hard to snappi due to the type of material they are, though. Another option you can try is the Boingo. I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but it is the same type of concept as a Snappi but it has only two ends so you use one Boingo on each side of your diaper to hold the wings. The last option that you can use is a diaper pin. When I first started using my flats there were quite a few times where I found myself wishing I had a diaper pin, something I never thought I would have wished! Since my Snappis don't work on every fabric, I ended up going out and getting a few diaper pins to try and honestly I really like them. I have read that if you keep them stuck in a bar of soap between uses, it helps the pin glide through the fabric better. I need to try this because I have had a little trouble getting some of my pins through the flats. Overall though I like the pins because they give me the ability to fasten some of the fabrics that my Snappi struggles with. The great thing about diapers pins is that you can pick them up at most stores in the diaper section for about $1 for 4 pins. Much cheaper than the other alternatives and great for diapering on a budget!

What do you use to cover a flat?

Almost any cover will work over flats, depending on what fold you are using. If I have done some of the bulkier flat folds then I reach for my Blueberry Coveralls or my Bummis covers. If I am pad folding a flat, I reach for a GroVia or Flip cover. At night and naptime I always reach for my wool covers! If you are starting out on a budget, check out Imagine and Sweet Pea one size covers. I know that both of those are around $10 for a one size cover. You could even try a Gerber cover from your local grocery store. At around $5 that would be a great cheap way to start cloth diapering with flats, and with the money you save on disposables you could invest in a couple better quality covers. If you have a heavy wetting baby I highly recommend wool, even if you are on a tight budget. Check out my review of Gordy's Girl for a very affordable wool option!

I hope that this Flats 101 post will be a great source of information for someone looking at flats for the first time, or even someone looking into flats again! I will have another post later in the week comparing the different types of flats I am trying. I hope the Flats Challenge is going great for everyone participating!

10 Ways to Go Green

Well, as April has come to an end (which is crazy!), I thought I'd wrap up our "Earth Days" month with a short list of ways your family can "go green."  Some of these are different things we've reviewed or posted about during the month, and others are just things our family does or would like to do.

1.  Recycle:  This is one I'd assume most of us do, but just in case....recycling is important!  Get your kids involved--let them sort your recyclables.  If they don't have a pickup at your home for recycling, bring it in once a month.  In our area, #5's aren't recyclable, but I can bring them in to our local Whole Foods, where they'll recycle for us.  Once you get in the habit of recycling, it becomes really easy!  Here's a post written by Jen, about when her family began recycling: Recycling is Fun! (and a lot of work)

2.  Reusable Shopping Bags:  All those plastic bags you get at the grocery store, pharmacy, hardware store, basically every store, can really add up.  But one way to reduce plastic bag waste is to get some reusable shopping bags.  You can buy them at the grocery store, and often, they're given away at events and things.  Use them!!  I just keep them in my car, so I always have them with me when I'm out.  And just use them instead of the plastic ones at the store.  We've really cut down on our plastic bags at home by doing this, which is keeping lots and lots of bags out of the landfill!

3.  Reusable Snack Bags:  One way we've reduced our waste is by buying some reusable snack bags. At first, my husband was a little embarrassed to use these at work, but he kept up with it, and now loves it.  And saves us money and garbage by not using plastic ziploc bags every day!  He puts his sandwiches, chips, carrots, etc. in our reusable bags at lunch.  I also use them for snacks for Myles while we're out and about.  They're really convenient, and I keep finding new ways to use them.  You can find reusable snack bags all over etsy.  And some of our favorites are from Re-Pac, which often has Living Social deals and coupons, making them even more affordable.

4.  Unpaper Towels/Cloth Napkins:  Another way to reduce paper waste at home is to invest in some unpaper towels and cloth napkins.  While it's more money upfront, you definitely save money in the long run!  Now that we've consistently been using our unpaper towels from Joyful Girl Designs, I haven't had to buy paper towels in at least 6 months!!  And we haven't jumped on the cloth napkin wagon yet, but I'd really like to in the next few months.

5.  Make your own Cleaning Supplies:  One way I've tried to be really intentional about going green in our home is by not buying cleaning supplies anymore.  It sounded crazy when I first started, but honestly has been much easier, and much much cheaper than I would have thought!!  Cleaning supplies you get from the store have so many chemicals I just didn't want around myself and my family.  By making them myself, I know exactly what we're exposing ourselves to.  And honestly, so far, they all work just as well as the store bought kinds.  I've also been making my own laundry detergent and using vinegar instead of softener, and both of these work just as well, if not better as the Tide and Downy I'd been using before.  You can find recipes for homemade cleaning solutions all over pinterest and online, but most involve vinegar, baking soda, and different essential oils.

6.  Rain Barrel:  I wrote a post on this a few weeks ago, but if you have a place to put one, invest in a rain barrel!!  They not only save water, but save you lots of money!  They basically just collect rain water that you can use to water your plants.

7.  Teach your Kids:  Basically, just teach your kids to conserve energy and/or water.  If I let him, my son would be a major source of water waste.  He absolutely LOVES to turn the faucets on and off and play in the water.  Now, this isn't always a bad thing, but if I let him, the bathroom faucet would be on 24/7, wasting gallons and gallons of water.  So, at 22 months, I'm doing my best to teach him not to waste the water; to turn the faucet (and leave it!) off while he's brushing his teeth; that he doesn't need the tub to be completely full of water to take a bath.... things like that.  And with older kids, turning off lights when they leave the room, or turning off electronics when they're done with them.  These are simple things that can make a big impact.  And things our kids need to learn!!  They won't (usually) just come naturally.

8.  Limit Driving:  If you live in a place like me, it would be impossible to walk everywhere.  It would take me all day to get to the grocery store and back.  So we do a lot of driving.  But I try to combine trips and run all our errands for the day at once.  Or, if I need to go to the far side of town, I wait until I have a few errands to run out there so I don't need to make the long trip more than once a week.  And when we can, we do walk or ride our bike to run short errands.  My husband even rides his bike to work most of the time!  It's less than 2 miles from home, and with traffic and parking, he can usually bike there faster than he can drive.

9.  Borrow Things:  A way that we've tried to reduce some of our waste (and needless buying) is by borrowing and swapping things within our community.  Some of my girlfriends from church have a clothes swap once a season, where everyone brings clothes they no longer want or fit into, and then we basically go shopping in each other's clothes!  It's a lot of fun, and you get free clothes out of the deal.  It also keeps me from buying new clothes.  We also do this with kids clothes and toys.  And I'm sure there are also ways of doing this with household goods as well.

10.  Cloth Diaper: And last but not least, use cloth diapers!!  This isn't the easiest one on the list, but I'm guessing many of you already do this, which is why you're reading :)  But cloth diapering is an awesome way to reduce waste!!  And if you already cloth diaper but haven't made the plunge into cloth wipes yet, try them!!  They're really easy once you try.  I actually find it to be more work to pick dirty disposable wipes out of my diapers than to just toss everything right into our wet bag.

So, there you have it.  10 (relatively) simple ways for your family to go green this spring!!  Do you have any other ways your family is going green?  Or have you tried any on this list already?

Rain Barrel Love

I thought I'd share with you guys a simple, but really useful way that my family has gone green.  And it might be useful to some of you for the hot, summer months coming up!

The first summer we moved to Richmond, I really wanted to keep my yard green and looking nice.  I ran the sprinkler for an hour or two a few times a week.  I watered all my plants/vegetables at least once a day.  And then I got my first water bill.  Ouch.  I never realized how expensive city water is!!  Growing up, we had our sprinklers and hose attached to a well, so it didn't really cost anything to run.  Well, city water is a different story.  Let's just say, the rest of that summer, my lawn didn't look quite as nice as it did when we moved in :)
But, a few weeks after my love of my sprinkler went away, I found someone selling rain barrels at our farmer's market.  I had never really seen a rain barrel before.  But I went home and did a little research on them, and learned that they're basically a giant barrel attached to your gutter drain to collect rain water.  I thought it was genius and bought one the next time we went to the farmer's market.  And I haven't been disappointed.

our lovely rain barrel

There's our rain barrel.  Now, it's nothing fancy-they do make really nice ones.  Ours was just a big blue barrel that was painted green to blend in a little more with the landscape.  The paint is peeling off a little bit, and there's a few things I would change, but overall, this thing has been awesome.  While I can't water the grass with it, I do water all of our landscaping and vegetables with the water from the barrel.  We never have to use the hose to do any of that!  Which saves water and money.  I also don't feel bad letting Myles fill up his little elephant watering can about 30 times an afternoon to "water" the grass, because this water doesn't cost us anything!

Basically, the water just pours in through this hole from the gutter spout.  One thing I wish this rain barrel had is a filter or a screen to keep leaves and sticks from coming in.  Some rain barrels just have an open top, covered with a screen to keep debris out.  

don't mind the dirt and pollen on top!  it doesn't get cleaned often :)

It also has a little hole on the side, so when the barrel fills up, the extra comes out the side and doesn't back up the gutters.  

I would highly recommend a rain barrel to anyone looking to save some water and some money!  They're pretty easy to install, and super easy to use.  Although it's a little more work than using a hose, we love using the rain barrel.  Also, we get a discount on our storm water bill for every rain barrel we have!  Definitely something to look into in your area.  

rain barrel love :)

Adventures in Repurposing

While we are on the topic of green living with our Earth Days month, I wanted to share with you some fun ideas for the home and garden. Here in Oregon, we have mild seasons so getting the jump on summer with a green house is a great way to extend the growing season for veggies and flowers. I love my little veggie garden and around this time of year I am chomping at the bit to get out there and plant. The down side is that we still have danger of a light frost until May. So my project I want to share with you today is building a tiny, re-purposed  and attractive greenhouse. This mini green house is made from 6 old windows that we bought at an estate auction but can also be found at recycled home building supply stores like Habitat for Humanity's Restore.

We used four windows that are the same size and two that are a bit skinnier for the roof.

Here is Matt lining the up to be perfectly square. I grew impatient with his attention to detail but in the end it was appreciated because the 4th window we added to the base was the door and it swings closed easily on it's hinges. We added a small latch with a simple hook and loop.

Here is the finished project. You can see the the roof is still open, which is fine for ventilation in our area which is plant hardiness zone 8. If you are in a harsher zone, a bit of clear plastic stretched over these triagle shaped gaps would be great. Find your zone here 

I planted these spinach and basil seeds 3 weeks ago, which is very early for basil here. They are happy and growing is their little glass house!

Some things to watch for when using old windows is often the paint can flake off and contaminate edible plants. I scraped off the inside of these windows and continue to keep on eye on the surface as moisture and temp created more peeling. I haven't had a problem with it but use common sense, which I know you will.

More fun ideas for re-purposing items this spring can be found on Pinterest.com but here are some of my favorites and hopefully, soon to be in my house!

Curly Monkey

Thinking about Earth Day coming up on April 22nd and different ways my family could go green, I immediately thought of all the obvious (but still good!) things--reusable grocery bags, "unpaper" towels, rain barrels, reusable snack bags, cloth diapers and family cloth.  But when I stumbled upon Curly Monkey on etsy, I was introduced to something I simply hadn't thought of-reusable makeup removing rounds.  And I don't know why I had never thought of it!  I use at least 2-3 cotton balls every night to remove my mascara/eye makeup, and they obviously just go right into the garbage can.  Why had I never thought of using something reusable to do this?  Not sure, but I'm glad Emmanuelle at Curly Monkey did!

Curly Monkey is owned by Emmanuelle, mama of three beautiful children.  Curly Monkey began back in 2007, mostly with eco-friendly clothing.  Then in 2009, baby #2 came into the world, and they discovered the wonders of hemp!  They began making baby wipes.  And then in 2009, when baby #3 came along, Curly Monkey got a new look, and really found their passion.  Emmanuelle uses hemp in almost all her products.  Hemp is one of the most earth-friendly products, requiring little water, and no pesticides or fertilizer to grow!  Curly Monkey makes a variety of products, including baby wipes, makeup-removing rounds, receiving blankets, and nursing pads.  And they're all absolutely gorgeous!

Emmanuelle sent me a 12 pack of her rainbow reusable rounds.  First of all, they come packaged absolutely adorably!

The rounds themselves are just gorgeous.  They come in six different colors-two of each.  

rainbow of colors

The rounds are made up of 55% hemp and 45% organic cotton.  They're so soft, and get even softer after you wash them.  They're a good size-I didn't measure them, but the website says they're 4".  Here's the size of one compared to my hand.

Mine shrunk slightly after I washed them, but probably only by a quarter of an inch.

I started using them as soon as I got them, and I must say, I absolutely love them!  First of all, they're so pretty!  They just add a little color to my nighttime routine :)  And they're so, so soft on my eyes!  As I said before, I use them to remove my mascara in the evenings.  I use coconut oil (which I love!) to remove my waterproof mascara, so there isn't a lot of rubbing, but I feel like our eyes are so sensitive.  It's nice to have something extra soft to gently remove my makeup from such a sensitive area of my face.  I also feel like this absorbs everything better (which would make sense, since they're made out of hemp).  Before, I would use 2-3 cotton balls to remove the makeup, and now I only need to use one of these rounds for both eyes.  And I feel so good knowing I don't need to buy cotton balls anymore!  Obviously, it's not a huge deal to throw away a few cotton balls every night, but every little bit counts!

Now, the only downfall to these is that because they're removing makeup (and in my case, waterproof makeup), they do get stained.  I expected this when I got them.  I knew a combination of coconut oil, which stains, and waterproof makeup, which really stains would probably leave their mark on these rounds.  And it has.  But it honestly doesn't bother me.  I know they're clean, even if they're stained, and it doesn't affect how they work at all.  I'm also thinking that if I spent a little time either prepping them with some sort of stain remover, or doing some research on how to better clean oil and/or waterproof makeup from fabric, I could reduce the staining, but quite honestly, I'm just too lazy to do that :)  The staining was just a given and doesn't bother me at all.  But if this is something that would bother you, it's something to consider.  Or you just may want to do a little research on how to reduce the staining.  If you do, let me know :)

Overall, I absolutely love these rounds!  I don't think I'll ever go back to using cotton balls on my eyes. Be sure to check out Curly Monkey at their etsy shop, as well as their facebook page!  You won't be disappointed!!  Curly Monkey is offering a discount of 10% on the entire shop for the next week, with discount code EARTH10.  

Herbal First Aid Kit by EcoChic Boutique

Our family is slowing making changes in the items we use around the home so, I was thrilled to be able to review the brand new Herbal First Aid Kit from EcoChic Boutique. The kit comes in a small gauze bag with some band-aids and an instruction sheet:Inside the bag is a handful of very useful items that all work amazingly well!

First up:

CleanWashThis is a natural equivalent to hand sanitizer. You can apply it directly to abrasions or to your hands after exposure to pathogens.
The ingredients are distilled water, witch hazel, colloidal silver, and essential tea tree oil.
Because there isn't any alcohol in this, it takes a bit longer for it to 'evaporate' from your hands, but we chose to use this after all our doctors appointments as my kiddos fought and shared the crud over the past few weeks. Did it work better or just like hand sanitizer? I'm not sure, BUT I definitely felt a lot better using this over the typical hand sanitizer.

Next:
BooBoo StickThis can be applied to minor abrasions, scrapes, bumps and bruises.
It is made up of Apricot Seed Oil with Comfrey Root and Arnica, Bees Wax, Castor Oil and Essential Clove.
I have started using Arnica Gel on our bumps and bruises and it works wonderfully. The BooBoo Stick is a bit cleaner version (compared to a tube of gel) and works just as great in dulling the severity of bumps and bruises.
I had a couple of opportunities to try this out. First, my youngest is a biter (with two big brothers, you have to get attention SOME how, right?! sigh). Well, one morning, Benjamin (my middle son) kept taking toys away from Caedmon (my youngest) after repeated times of me asking him not to. I finally said, "Benjamin, he's going to hit you or bite you...you need to stop taking his toys..." Next thing I know, my 14 month old lunged at Benjamin and sure enough, bit him on the shoulder! ::facesmack::
The second time was when Benjamin bit his lip one evening (I think it happened as he was chewing his lip and sneezed... talented children I have!) but he kept asking me to put something on it. I honestly wasn't sure WHAT to put on it. It only bleed for a few moments, but you could tell it really bugged him. I finally emailed Nicole from EcoChic Boutique and she confirmed that I could most definitely use the BooBoo Stick on his lips (it should be noted this should not be ingested in large quantities - as in more than 1 tube of this!)
Within about 24 hours of application, both times, I started to see healing. Would there have been an infection without applying this? Who knows, but, at least I was able to put something safe on their battle wounds to help speed up the healing process.

After that we have:
KalmSkinThis can be used on rashes, bug bites and any venom bites.
Nicole informed me that in her area, this is highly regarded as a diaper rash cream and it is totally safe for cloth diapers!
The ingredients are: Plantain infused olive oil, bees wax, apricot seed oil, chamomile infused oil and castor oil.
This has worked wonders for us. I've been using it on all these nasty bug bites we have (we call them demon mosquitoes - these evil little critters), as well as my youngest sons eczema.
I honestly didn't even get a chance to try it as diaper cream. But I have it set aside for the first sign of a rash!

Finally:
Kalm TummyThis is a topical remedy only and 3-4 drops are to be applied to the abdominal area in a circular motion.
All herbs have been organically grown - Peppermint infused olive oil, plantain infused olive oil, chamomile infused grape seed oil and castor oil.
We have only had one opportunity to use this (thankfully!) and it worked fairly well as far as I can tell. My middle son was telling me that his tummy hurt one evening and I tried this out. There was no more complaining of a yucky tummy (but I'm not sure if he would have still complained or not).

I kept (oddly enough) hoping for opportunities to try the items (not counting the CleanWash - I about used that bottle up taking care of my sick crew!) on myself since with toddlers and pre-school aged children, it is sometimes difficult to tell if they are still hurting or not, or how well something is working. I was able to try the KalmSkin on my own bug bites and random rashes, and it worked great!

The Herbal First Aid Kit retails for $18 and can be found HERE.

You can find Nicole and EcoChic Boutique on Facebook, Etsy and Hyena Cart, where she also makes and sells a variety of baby carriers, children's items and cloth diapers.

MightyNest

MightyNest is one of those stores that has a little bit of everything! They have a wide selection of natural toys, items for the kitchen and around the home, and for your skin (and just about anything else in between!)

One of my favorite features of MightyNest is their "Learn" section. This is a great area to really get educated on how to green up your home in different ways and for different family members. This section is overflowing with information!

MightyNest also has a very informative blog to stay up-to-date on all the happenings on the site and in the news.

If you are interested in setting up a baby registry for a new little one, MightyNest offers this easy-to-do service, as well as a wish list (think birthdays and holidays!!)

If you are new to MightyNest, you're just in time, as they just released information regarding the MightyNest Trusted Seal. You can learn all about the MightyNest Trusted Seal via this blog post.

A quote from that post reads,

Did you know?

• That all products on MightyNest.com are free of BPA, PVC, lead, parabens and other harmful materials and chemicals?
• At MightyNest, we interview each and every manufacturer before we sell their products?
• That every product sold on MightyNest.com has been handpicked for its safety, durability and quality?
• We would never sell a product on MightyNest.com unless it's something we'd use in our own home and give to our own children?

Sounds like a company definitely worth purchasing from! And if you are interested, MightyNest.com is offering free shipping to the US (and discounted to Canada) through Sunday, October 23! Also, you can get $5 off your order of $75 or more with code Get5Off!

For review I received the Double Wall Insulated Glass Bottle by Anchor Hocking.
I'd like to just leave it at that and say it's beyond amazing. Because it is. But, I figure you want to know why, so buckle up while I rave about this for a minute...

I'll start with my only complaint. And really, it's like half a complaint. The size. I am used to my 27oz Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel water bottle. It holds a lot of water. The Double Wall bottle holds 18oz - still a lot of water, but I feel like I'm having to fill up twice as much (especially when the littlest one always wants to drink what ever mommy is drinking). My husband reminded me that if the Double Wall bottle was any bigger, it would be HUGE. (Grumbling, I agreed...) ;)Comparing to my well-loved 27oz. Klean Kanteen bottle

So, what is there to love? SO much. It, despite my half complaint, is a fantastic size! It fits in my cupholder in the van and I can squeeze it in my purse and take it with me (however, the lid is not 100% leakproof. There is a teeny tiny air vent in the cap, so don't expect to throw this in your gym bag and go! It does need to stay upright!)The cap opens and closes with ease! I love the sliding latch.

I love that it is glass. If you come to my home, if I'm not drinking out of a coffee mug, I have a mason jar filled with water (or sweet tea...it is North Carolina, after all!) I just love drinking out of glass! I love the feel of it in my hands (weird, I know!)The best image I could get of the double wall.

I was worried about the cap and how a hard plastic would feel (don't worry! It is BPA FREE!) and if it would get gnarly and hurt my mouth. It doesn't. The cap has a 'lip' area and I think that attributes to the comfortable feel of the cap against your mouth.The cap also has finger grips for ease in removing the cap - another feature I love!

Now, I know what everyone is asking - you can put hot OR cold in it and still carry it around? The easy answer: Yes!

I used this a handful of times for hot tea. The outside DOES get warm, but you can still carry the bottle as needed. I felt like it kept my tea hot for as long as I was drinking it (obviously, it won't keep it hot forever!)

And of course, you can use it for cold drinks - and it doesn't get all sweaty on the outside :) This may or may not be of importance to you, but I liked the fact that it kept my cool drinks cool without the condensation on the outside of the bottle.

The Double Wall Insulated Glass Bottle retails for $9.95 - a great deal on an eco-friendly beverage container!

Be sure to fan MightyNest on Facebook for all the latest announcements, and let them know Cloth Diaper Addiction sent you!

Disclaimer: I received The Double Wall Insulated Glass Bottle free for review. All opinions are truthful and my own. You may have a different experience.

Moody Sisters Organic Skin Care Review

I've been desiring to make the switch in all my body care products from those filled with a bunch of things that I cannot pronounce (and not to mention, who knows WHAT they do!) to products that are a bit more friendlier for myself, my family and the earth.

I started with a deodorant recommended by a friend. My next biggest concerns were my body wash and face scrub. I was so excited when I happened upon Moody Sisters Organic Skin Care on Facebook. I browsed their Etsy shop and quickly found two products I thought I could love.
First, their {Foaming} Face & Body Wash. Mine is Lift Me Up Lemon and has such a clean, fresh scent. The ingredient list rocks: Olive Oil. Castile Soap. Sunflower Oil. Aloe Vera. Tea Tree Oil. Vitamin E. Lemon. Herbal Extracts and Essential Oils.

That's it.

And this:
Is all you need. (maybe a little more, but a little bit goes such a long way). I can wash all of me with that little handful.

I never thought that my previous body wash left me feeling anything but clean, until I left this foaming soap at home on a trip, and I had to use that other body wash....

gross.

I felt so...covered...in gunk.

Moody Sisters washes off so well and leaves you feeling like you should...clean.

Amazing, huh? :)

I have also been using the foaming body wash in place of my shaving gel and it works so much better. Clean cuts and no irritation.

The second product I purchased and fell in love with: their Face & Lip Scrub. The ingredients, again, are awesome: Kaolin Clay. Ground Oats. Almond Meal. Arrowroot Powder. Peppermint. Pumice. Strawberry Seeds. Witch Hazel. Lemon Peel. Salt.
I've only used it once on my lips (you know when they get all peely and icky...please tell me that isn't just me!) It was like I had new lips or something :)

However, I've used it a bunch on my face and I can not fathom using anything else. Ever. Again.

I simply shake a little handful into my hand and add water or a small squirt of the foaming body wash and rub it on my face. Rinse and enjoy!

I have never used anything on my face that has left my face feeling so clean, so fresh and so 'bright'. It's great!

There was a third product I wanted to purchase, but the budget wouldn't allow. However, the Moody Sisters sent a sample with my order, and I'm still kicking myself for not ordering it - Whipped Body Lotion. The best way to describe this product is 'airy'. Think hair mousse without the greasy residue. I only had about one use in the sample container - just enough to tease me for not purchasing! - but it is amazing. It left my skin so soft, so smooth - I can't imagine if I could use it every single day! (I will. SOON!) :)

If you are looking to make the change to more organic skin care, or do use it and are looking for something different, be sure to check out Moody Sisters - they know what they are doing and do it great!

Be sure to fan them on Facebook to keep up with all the latest happenings!

***Please use code GIVEAWAY for 20% your purchase!!!!***

Disclaimer: I purchased the Foaming Body Wash and Lip & Face Scrub for my own personal use. All opinions are my own and you may have a different experience.

Radius Tooth Brush Review

I was contacted by Radius Tooth Brush to use and review a couple of their tooth brushes. I was able to pick out 2 brushes that I wanted to try out. So I picked the Intelligent Toothbrush and the Totz Toothbrush.

Here is some information about the design of the brushes:

"The design was revolutionary - nobody had ever thought of using very fine filaments or of using a large head to lower pressure on the gums. The idea of actually making a handle that responded to the right and left orientation of the world's population was regarded as scandalous. This design did not fit into one of those little slots that toothbrushes were sold from - that had been the main determinant

of the shape of a toothbrush for 50 years.

The head was an organic oval shape - the tufts of bristles arranged so that they did not line up in parallel - this meant that they did not repetitively track along the gum line and cause cervical erosion."

In the picture below you see 4 brushes. The two on the left are toddler toothbrushes and the two on the right are adult toothbrushes.
The two that are made for toddlers are an Oral B stage 2 toothbrush which is designed for children 2-4 years old. The Totz Toothbrush is designed for children 18 months and up and is the purple one.
The two on the right are an Oral-B toothbrush and the Intelligent Radius toothbrush.
I took this picture to show the size difference between the different brands.

Below you will find pictures of the Intelligent toothbrush. This brush come with a button on the handle of the brush that you can push and it will set a timer for 2 minutes and will beep every 30 seconds while you brush. The second picture is a close up of the bristles. The head of this brush is quite large and has a lot of bristles in it. The head is replaceable.
Here are the Kids toothbrushes (Purple is the Radius). They are pretty similar in size to each other.
The size of the heads are pretty close, the Totz by Radius is a little wider but not to much. It also has a good amount of bristles on it.
My thoughts on the Radius Toothbrushes:

-I used the Intelligent toothbrush my self. The bristles were pretty soft. I had a hard time adjusting to the size of the head on this brush. I had to learn how to hold my mouth open to fit the head because it was about twice the width of my regular brush. The reasoning behind the wide head on the tooth brush is to help reduce the amount of pressure on the gums.
- I had a hard time figuring out the timer on this brush. I knew to push the button to set it and it would beep every 30 seconds for 22 minutes but on the package it said something about there being a green light on the brush that would show when you needed to change the head. They recommend changing the head every 3 months. I couldn't find a green light on my brush but I think I knew where it should have been coming from.
-One thing that is nice about these brushes is that different parts of the brush are made from recyclable items. They even use recycles money to make some of their brushes!
-My son used the totz brush. Its hard to get the opinion of a 2 year old but I liked to help him brush with this because it was a little wider. It makes it easier to get to the teeth in a 2 year olds mouth. I was able to get more spots brushed because of this.

Over all these are pretty nice brushes. The prices are about average for tooth brushes, maybe a little bit towards the top range of brushes depending on the kind you get.


Would you like to buy a Radius Toothbrush? Check out their site here:


**I was sent 2 toothbrushes to review free of charge. I was not paid to do this review. All opinions are my own and my experiences may differ from yours.

Strawesome Review

I mentioned last week when I reviewed the CaliBowls that I love finding things that help me make my home a safer place, and that fun get bonus points. Well, enter more fun, Strawesome glass straws! Get a load of some of these designs:




Each of the designs are limited edition, so if you love it, snag it, because it may not be there when you come back! Also, each straw is handmade by a SAHM in Michigan!

I was so excited to be able to review a glass straw, but confess that I am super clumsy and was very worried I would break it within moments of its arrival! Thankfully, Strawesome has a lifetime guarantee - you break the straw, they will replace it (whew). I'm going to take their word on that one, as mine is still in one piece! Don't think of these as your average glass either. These straws are made from the strongest commercially available glass - borosilicate, to be specific. And better than that, glass doesn't leech toxins into your food or drink, so you can use Strawesome straws knowing that you are protecting those you love.

I chose the Skinny Bent Straw to review and it has definitely been a conversation starter! Friends will come over and just stare until I finally start talking about it. Every one thinks it is a neat idea and most have never heard of Strawesome or even a glass straw.


I confess that after a month of using my glass straw, I'm pretty much addicted to 'my' straw now. It's very rare that I have a glass of water or tea in hand without this straw. It was a bit difficult to drink out of at first...my first sip may or may not have spewed everywhere (apparently, I bite straws while drinking? But I quickly got the hang of not biting!) Cleaning of the straw is easy, just pop it in the dishwasher. Strawesome does make cleaning brushes, and you can get one free with the purchase of a set of 4 or more straws, but I have found that without one, my straw is very clean. I have not had to transport my straw anywhere, and I just store it sitting in one of our glasses in the cabinet, but they also make (gorgeous) carrying cases to protect your straws.

Strawesome also makes custom straws. You can have logos or names laser engraved, or even designed with the colors of your wedding or party! If you let them know it is for an occasion as such, they will ship them pre-washed and ready to use! What a great party or wedding favor!

If you are interested in purchasing a straw or set of straws, visit the Strawesome website to see all the straws they have to offer, and remember, it is constantly changing!

Disclosure: I received the Skinny Bent Straw free for review. All opinions are mine own, and yours may differ. Strawesome is sponsoring the giveaway of one (1) straw.

CaliBowls {Review}

A couple tidbits of information about me:

1- I'm always on the hunt for products that can make my home a safer place to live.
2- I'm kind of lazy. For example, I'd much rather rip off the paper towel and throw it in the trash than dig through the drawer to find a cloth rag and then walk it back, over toys, with kiddos on each leg and a baby in the sling to throw said rag in the laundry basket.

Anything that can make my home safe, and is an easy "switch" for me gets points in my book.

Enter The CaliBowl! Check out those bowls! (By the way, fun gets bonus points!)

The CaliBowl bowls are BPA free and unbreakable (while being dishwasher and microwave safe), and come in bold colors (like Retro Aqua Blue and Sunflower Yellow) and amazing sizes (95oz bowl, anyone?!)

A neat thing about these bowls that set them apart from any other bowl out there is the wave-lip around the rim. I can hear you now, "Why does my bowl need a wave?" I didn't think my bowl did either, until my bowl did! This special wave keeps the yumminess (aka: food) on your chip or spoon (I apologize for these pictures - I am not a food photographer, and well, chili just isn't pretty!)

Here comes the first bite out of the bowl

See how the wave-lip keeps the yummies on the chip?

Here you can kind of see how the wave sticks out a bit

And the yum yum stays on the chip!

We also purchased the Toddler bowls and while my boys, at ages 2 and 3.5, don't quite get how to utilize the wave to their advantage, they still love the bowls. The fact that it's made from safe materials makes me feel better about them using the bowls at meal times.

You can read about The CaliBowl philosophy, including their "Recycle-A-Bowl" program:

As an effort to eliminate all landfill contribution in line with Simple Wave’s “Zero Landfill Policy”, at the end of a product’s life, participants will have the option to return the CaliBowl™ product to Simple Wave to be recycled into new product. In return the participant will receive a 20% discount on their entire subsequent order through the CaliBowl™ online store.

Sounds great to us!

I would eventually love to replace all our bowls with CaliBowls (in coordinating colors!)

disclosure: I purchased The Santa Barbara Kid Pack and the La Jolla Bowls at discount for review. All opinions are my own.