"Green" Fed Ex Ad: An Enchanted Forest

A shipping giant befriends a forest -- thanks to sustainability solutions from FedEx, including more electric trucks, more recycled shipping materials and a growing number of lower-emission planes.

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Homemade Organic Baby Wipes Tutorial

I recently stumbled across this tutorial on Pinterest via White House Black Shutters.com

and thought I'd share it with my followers :)

Please email me if you need an invite for Pinterest!

Homemade Organic Baby Wipes

You may not be a mom, but I hope you keep reading, these also make GREAT homemade make-up remover wipes! Also, I’m willing to bet that you might be a grandma, aunt, Godmother, or have a friend with kids – pass it on!

Since my daughter has been small, we have been making our own baby wipes. Simply put, I. Love. It.  Although wipes aren’t thaaat expensive, making the wipes myself saves me a trip to the store, I have all the stuff on hand anyways, and plus I know what’s going onto my daughter’s skin.

 

Even if you get the sensitive skin or all-natural wipes, some of the ingredients in the wipes aren’t the best (think harsh chemicals and drying agents). 

I know and can pronounce the ingredients in my wipes. I can count on one hand the number of rashes we’ve had – I’d like to think the wipes helped with that!

Now that a year has almost passed, we’ve made them with different ingredients, mixtures, and brands. Throughout the tutorial, I’ll explain which ones worked for us as well as tricks we’ve learned along the way!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 containers

1 roll of select-a-size paper towels (Bounty works best)

4 cups water

squirt or two of organic baby wash of your choice (we use Shakleebaby Gentle Wash)

generous spoonful of coconut oil (found in a health foods or vitamin store)

First, you need a container, here are the ones I use:

 

Both are Rubbermaid containers, they don’t make the one on the left anymore (find them at garage sales!) but the on the right can be found at K-Mart, Target, Wal-mart for around $4.99. Both work great, but I love that the one on the right has four tabs that you lift to open it, making it easy to do with one hand.  It’s the Rubbermaid Lock-its line and this is the 7 cup container.

-Make sure your kitchen or other working area is clean before you start, you don’t want crumbs in your wipes! Get your paper towel roll ready.

We tried using other brands, but nothing works as well as the Bounty Select-a-Size. You won’t waste as much since your wipes are smaller and they won’t rip and roll up like cheaper brands. They are a bit more, but if you’re good and use them only for wipe making, it’ll end up costing you about $0.75 a container – still cheaper than buying wipes!

-Take a clean, large, sharp, non-serrated knife and cut your paper towel roll in half. If you use a serrated knife, you’ll end up with little fuzzies in your wipes (trust me, I have!). Brush off any little pieces of fuzz that are left on or loose.

 

 

-Set aside while you make your wipes solution.

-For your solution, you’ll need 2 cups of water per container, or 4 cups total. I like to use the biggest measuring cup I have (8 cups) so it allows for some room and splashing while I stir.

 

-Add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil. Coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees, meaning that it is solid and white at anything less than that (looks like shortening). To warm it up, take the amount you’re using, put it in a saucepan with a bit of your water and heat it just warm enough to melt (76 degrees, so it won’t take long). Once melted, pour the mixture into your water and stir.

If your house or area is really hot (like our old apartment or my mom’s house), more than likely your coconut oil will always stay melted in the container without needing to heat it.

 

Why coconut oil?

It’s naturally anti-bacterial, microbial, and fungal, the perfect moisturizer your skin, plus it smells great.

This is all that we use in place of lotion and it is amazing. Find it at Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe or any other health store, these are two of the brands I’ve seen there. It’s about $10 for that small container, but it will last you a long time (we also use it as a cooking oil and have had this container since before Christmas).

-Add in about a squirt or two of organic baby wash. If you’re using coconut oil, you can choose to skip this step (I do). It may not seem like enough, but keep in mind you are not rinsing them like after a bath and you may have a bit of soapy residue left if you use more. Stir gently.

I strongly recommend using an organic, sensitive, baby wash like Shaklee, Burt’s Bees, or California Baby. The other washes are tough your little one’s skin and have chemicals you may not want lingering on their little butt! You use less of the organic wash, so although it may be more than the jug of J&J, it will last you much longer.

-Pour your mixture evenly into the containers, about 2 cups per container.

-Place the paper towel rolls cut/fuzzy side down into the container and solution. Your containers might be bigger than mine, but if not, don’t freak out if they look like the containers are too small. I promise you – they’re not. ;)

-Smoosh your paper towel down with the lid and make sure it seals shut. See – I told you they’re not too small! Turn your containers upside down, stack them if you like, and walk away for no less than 5 minutes.

-Come back, open up (see, they stayed smooshed!), and take out the inside paper towel roll. Don’t try to do this earlier on while it’s dry (I did) it doesn’t work and just makes a big mess…

-Take out the start of the roll in the center, pop it up for easy grabbing, and close the lid. You’re done!

 

Tips:

-When traveling, grab a few and stick them into a ziploc baggie - instant travel wipes!

-Two containers will last me between one and two weeks.

-Don’t make them way ahead of time and keep out of direct sunlight. I’ve heard other people online complain of issues of mold on the bottom after a while. We haven’t had this problem, but I only make two at a time.

-Once you buy the oil and containers, you use so little that you’re only spending $1.50 for two containers! Store bought wipes are anywhere from $1.50 to $5 each and the wipes are larger so you go through them faster.

-Experiment with a mixture that works for you… adding essential oils, omitting baby wash, using just water. We’ve switched it up but one thing stayed the same – 4 cups of water is best.

Other Uses:

-Make some wipes, gather the ingredients, and give the kit as a baby shower gift! I’ve even done the hard work for you… click for a free pdf printable you print on some cute paper and can give them!

-With the coconut oil, they make GREAT moisturizing wipes or make-up remover wipes! I’ve even used them when I was stranded without my lip balm and it worked. If you don’t have baby wash, leave it out or substitute a squeeze of your favorite face wash.

-This process could easily be used to make *cleaning wipes*! I use Basic H, a diluted organic cleaner, so it’s just as simple as getting four cups of water and adding a few drops of the concentrated solution.

Any other questions or comments about the wipes, feel free to ask! Please let me know if you try them, I’d love to hear your experience and what worked for you. Like I said, we’ve been using them for over a year and Doug used them while still living at home with his parents, so we have some experience!

Don’t forget to get a free printable copy, great to keep on hand or pass to friends!

Mickey Mouse Band-Aid Collector Tin

I am stuck on Band-Aid cuz Band-Aid's stuck on me!


Who has not had this song go through their head once or twice in their life?


Band-Aid brand bandaids are one of the most recognized products on the market for adults and children alike.


From their wide variety of sizes to styles, Band-Aid has a huge market share in the first aid industry.


I was fortunate enough, recently, to receive and review Band-Aid's newest product - the Band-Aid brand Band-Aid featuring Mickey Mouse on the bandaids, as well come in a Mickey Mouse Limited edition Collector's Tin.



The tin comes with 20 Band-Aid in assorted sizes and a variety of different Mickey Mouse images. The sleek image of the tin is appealing to the eye, but is also compact (and durable) enough to store in the vastness of my purse and diaper bag.


Noah is your typical little boy - full of energy, which equals a lot of bumps and bruises, especially on his knees!


Noah loved the Mickey Mouse Band-Aids and since his vocabulary is still somewhat basic, he would relate the bandaids to "Hot Dog".... for those of you whose children watch the Disney Channel, the reference is directly related to the Hot Dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.


These Band-Aids can be purchased on Amazon.com for $7.86 or if you Subscribe and Save, the cost is reduced to $6.68.

Make sure to go and "Like" Band-Aid on Facebook and submit your best (worst) fashion malfunction story for a chance to win amazing prizes by Cynthia Rowley!!


These Band-Aids are great and a great choice for both the child and collector alike!

Shades of Green

It's interesting ever since we became a "green" family the comments that we receive - and yet the crazy misconceptions that people have.

When I mention that we try to be as green as we can - I am undoubtedly looked at as a mom who is holistic and practices attachment parenting. Please know that I find nothing wrong or peculiar about these lifestyle choices, it is just a lifestyle that is not right for my family.

I must then explain the shades of green concept.  There are those families who choose to do the bare minimum - good job! The bare minimum still helps our environment and is one step closer to bettering the world that we live in!  Then you have the other side of the spectrum - those families who choose not to vaccinate their children and refuse to own a bit of plastic.  Is there anything wrong with either end? That is up to individual interpretation, but as not to offend anyone - this simply means that they are different shades of green!

What I regularly remind people of is the fact that we are all on this Earth.  We all use and share water, resources and air - and yet there is only one Earth - we have no backup - no plan B. Therefore, it is our responsibility to conserve and sustain what we have.

Many people feel as if going green is a difficult process to begin - and even harder to maintain.  Know that although there are a plethora of ways to live green, it takes a first step - a conscious effort.  For instance, begin with recycling - Each week try to get better about your knowledge of how to recycle, what is recyclable in your area, etc.  The first week - recycle your newspapers, then extend into all of your glass and plastic jars that you use when cooking (don't forget to rinse them out first), then take on bigger and better things - electronics, etc.  Every time that you go to throw something out - ask yourself - "Can I recycle this?" If not, could you repurpose that item?

I recently found a great guide of 5 shades of green from MeasureforMeasureHome.com - Read through and see which one you fall into.  Then, take a challenge....how could you do better?

* Light Green

* Sage Green

* Teal Green

* Emerald Green

* Forest Green

Being green is not as black and white as it may seem.  I'm my own shade of green - breastfeeding onlycloth diapering about 60% (using Earth's Best Chlorine Free Diapers the rest of the time), recycling (A LOT!), only buying meats, fruits and veggies and milk that are organic, only using the "good" plastics, buying non-organic foods using the guide, "The Dirty Dozen," we use Green Mountain Energy and then additionally donate to support wind power, along with a lot of other things.  We could do more, we choose not to do others, but however you practice being green - it is not wrong.  Every little bit helps this world become a better place!

Jennifer Boulden of IdealBite.com had a great statement, “Adopting a green lifestyle means doing what you can, knowing that no one is perfect and we don’t have to try to be."

Take charge of your own life - Then help others.

It's our duty - It's our livelihood - It's the only home we have!

Moms Meet Halloween Party with Kashi

As many of you know, I am blessed to be considered a Green Mom Ambassador for Kiwi Magazine!


I have the privilege of receiving and sharing new products with my mommy friends.


THE SAMPLING


The most recent sample that I received was a great sample pack from Kashi, which featured the amazing Kashi TLC Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bars, Cinnamon Harvest cereal and Kashi TLC Ripe Strawberry Soft Baked Cereal Bars.


I had the idea to hold off on the Kashi playdate get-together until Halloween, which turned out to be so much fun!


All the moms and Noah's friends loved the Kashi Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bars!  What kid (and mom) doesn't love peanuts and chocolate!


My mommy friends loved the fact, too, that I only served granola bars at the party, rather than sugaring their children up before naptime!  The granola bars provided a healthy alternative to the traditional Halloween candy that is typically served.




A LITTLE ABOUT THE KASHI BRAND


Kashi began about 25 years ago and still only boasts a staff of around 70 employees, keeping the company small internally and allowing the focus to remain around the education and production of healthy and sustainable foods.


ABOUT THE TLC PEANUTTY DARK CHOCOLATE LAYERED GRANOLA BAR


Each bar starts with our signature blend of 7 whole grains for a hearty, natural wholesomeness. The chewy granola base is then topped with real fruit spread and hearty nuts. And with 4g of fiber, 4g of protein and real fruit, they're as nutritious as they are tasty.

THE TEST

Of course, I find that the true taste test is testing it on a toddler.  Now, Noah is not super particular or a picky eater, but he LOVED this granola bar....especially the chocolate!

He was quite funny, because he tried to eat off all the chocolate before he devoured the granola bar!

It was a hit with Noah and all of his little friends!

And here is some fun video of Noah eating the bar!

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic